Chapter 158: Just This

Ji Yuan and Qi Wen ate all the remaining dishes on the table. Ji Yuan ate most of it, leaving Qi Wen with little more than watching towards the end.

As they tidied up the leftover food on the table, Qi Wen asked Ji Yuan, "Mr. Ji, is my master alright? What kind of wine did you give him?"

It was only because it was Ji Yuan that Qi Wen wasn't worried. If it had been someone untrustworthy, he would have suspected they had drugged his master.

Ji Yuan used a soup basin to collect the food scraps and bones, carefully sweeping them in while avoiding Daoist Qingsong's head.

"Please hold up the oil lamp for me, I need to wipe this area."

"Oh."

Once the dishes were stacked and the table was roughly cleaned, Ji Yuan spoke to Qi Wen, who was about to put the bowls into a wooden basin for washing. "The wine your master drank contains many valuable medicinal ingredients. It's potent and strong, but very beneficial for the body. He just drank too much at once, so he'll probably sleep for three to five days."

Drank too much at once? Qi Wen hunched his shoulders. Even though the kitchen oil lamp wasn't very bright, he could still clearly see that it was Mr. Ji who had poured it down his master's throat.

However, upon hearing Ji Yuan's subsequent words, Qi Wen immediately reacted. "Sleep for three to five days? That long?"

"Yes, the medicinal properties in the wine will permeate your master's entire body. Given his personality, he must have taken quite a few beatings over the years, so old ailments and injuries will heal, and his body will become much stronger than before."

The fact that Daoist Qingsong's divination had nearly cost him his life was known only to him and Ji Yuan. Although Qi Wen knew his master's fortune-telling had gone seriously wrong that time, he remained unaware of the matter concerning Qi Xuan's lifespan. Therefore, Ji Yuan only mentioned his master's improved health.

However, Qi Wen's thoughts took an unexpected turn, and his face suddenly showed excitement. "Mr. Ji, did you bring one of those legendary martial arts elixirs that greatly boost one's powers or unblock meridians, turning someone into a martial arts master?"

Ji Yuan was amused; Qi Wen had clearly listened to too many storyteller's tales. "It's pretty much like that, but your master doesn't practice martial arts, so he won't become a martial arts master."

The two chatted as they finished cleaning the kitchen, finally carrying Daoist Qingsong back to his room, one on each side. Although Daoist Qingsong didn't look fat, Ji Yuan found him quite heavy when carrying him, indicating he was solidly built and, well, could take a beating.

The beds in the temple weren't the common wooden type found outside, but were built from bricks, somewhat resembling a kang but without heating. Several layers of straw were laid in the middle and covered with bedding, creating a long sleeping area large enough for four or five people. It currently served as the shared sleeping quarters for the master and disciple.

There was another bedroom in the temple, similar in style, which was prepared for Ji Yuan's temporary stay.

After settling Daoist Qingsong, Qi Wen led Ji Yuan to the other room, which was kept clean and free of dust. Qi Wen brought in straw, and together with Ji Yuan, they laid it down as a base for the bed. Then, he brought a set of bedding.

People down the mountain primarily used straw for fires, and every household in Bingzhou would have a straw shed, storing enough until the rice matured and new straw became available. At Yunshan Temple, however, firewood was used for heating, and straw was mainly kept as a resource for bedding and padding.

The two busied themselves with rustling sounds, preparing a resting place for Ji Yuan, a rare visitor to the temple.

"Mr. Ji, our Yunshan Temple is quite simple, so you'll have to make do with the accommodations." Qi Wen finished tidying the bed, scratching his head awkwardly. The conditions were indeed humble, certainly not comparable to the inn room Ji Yuan had booked for them previously.

"Heh heh, it's not bad at all, really. I've stayed in far worse places; at least there's a bed here. Alright, it's getting late, you should go back and rest."

"Mmm, I need to go check on my master. I've heard that drunk people can feel very uncomfortable at night."

Ji Yuan waved his hand. "Go ahead, but you don't really need to fuss over your master's condition. He'll wake up on his own in a few days. Just keep some cool water ready for him."

"Oh… by the way, Mr. Ji, be sure to close the doors and windows tightly tonight. Although it's rare, sometimes animals like jackals or wolves wander onto Yanxia Peak."

"Got it, got it!" Ji Yuan replied dismissively.

"Mr. Ji, even though your martial arts are excellent, you still need to be careful. Don't take it lightly!"

Seeing Qi Wen adopt a lecturing tone, Ji Yuan had no choice but to cup his hands and say solemnly, "Alright, alright, many thanks for the warning, young Daoist. I will certainly be careful!"

After Qi Wen left, scratching his head in embarrassment, Ji Yuan took off his shoes and sat on the bed. He could faintly hear movement from the opposite room. After sitting for about fifteen minutes, Yunshan Temple became quiet.

Calculating the time, it was only Xu Shi, which was around eight or nine in the evening in his previous life.

The room had a wooden window, propped open with a wooden pole, through which the starry sky was visible. Ji Yuan gazed out the window, his thoughts turning to Yunshan Temple.

During their chat at the dinner table, he learned that the temple was quite old, built about forty or fifty years ago by several Daoists, including Daoist Qi Xuan's master's generation, who worked together to dry and transport bricks themselves, and later received help from local gentry to complete it. Daoists generally preferred to build their temples on high mountains because they were closer to the stars.

The Daoists of Yunshan Temple practiced not only for tranquility but also for physical strengthening through health cultivation, as well as divination and some rudimentary exorcism methods. Divination had always been in use, and even the exorcism tricks proved somewhat useful. At its peak, Yunshan Temple had eight Daoists practicing there, but now only Daoist Qingsong and his disciple Qi Wen remained.

It wasn't that all the Daoists had passed away; in fact, only Daoist Qingsong's master and martial uncle had actually died at the temple. Most of the other Daoists left and never returned. Some had gone down the mountain to marry, have children, and live secular lives, while others simply vanished without a trace. Daoists here were allowed to marry and did not have to be strict vegetarians, only needing to abstain from the five pungent foods on specific fast days. However, no Daoists had ever brought wives up the mountain, and those who settled down below no longer considered themselves Daoists.

"Is tranquility hard to achieve, or hard to endure...?"

Ji Yuan simply got out of bed, put on his shoes, opened the door, and went outside. The opposing building was already dark, and the entire Yunshan Temple was silent. Ji Yuan looked up at the sky; the stars seemed so close, almost within reach.

In this world, there were familiar constellations like the Big Dipper, just as in his previous life. The sun still rose in the east and set in the west, and the hours were similar. However, the geography and landscape were vastly different from his past life, and the world itself felt even more vast and boundless. This was something Ji Yuan occasionally pondered but never quite understood.

"Ooo-woo... Ooo-woo... Ooo-woo..." Animal sounds echoed from down the mountain, lending a sense of wild tranquility to the surroundings.

Ji Yuan looked eastward from afar. None of the mountains in front were as tall as Yanxia Peak, while those taller than Yanxia Peak were mostly to its sides. From this peak, the sunrise was completely unobstructed, and the view to the west was similar.

After observing the sky, the land, the mountains, and feeling the wind, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

'This really is a good place, this is it!'