Chapter 161: High Master Taoist

When Qi Wen returned from the mountain with water, he was pleasantly surprised to see Daoist Qingsong awake. He exclaimed that his master had been asleep for nearly five days, and if he hadn't woken up, Qi Wen would have carried him down the mountain to find a doctor, even if Mr. Ji had tried to stop him.

Daoist Qingsong was astonished by this, while Ji Yuan found it amusing. Fortunately, Qi Wen still trusted Ji Yuan, likely having taken his earlier "three to five days" comment as the absolute deadline.

What puzzled both master and disciple, however, was that Daoist Qingsong had not felt particularly hungry during his days of sleep, only thirsty. This was despite having had an excellent appetite for lunch on the day he fell asleep.

Over ten days later, one afternoon, Daoist Qingsong was practicing his health-preserving exercises within the temple. Ji Yuan pulled a cushion from the main hall, sat cross-legged at the entrance, and read "Imperial Treatise."

Meanwhile, Qi Wen headed down the mountain with a basket and a few dozen copper coins. He was going to a nearby village to buy some meat, as the temple's provisions had been completely depleted.

His main purchases would be cured and preserved meats, which were easy to store on the mountain. He would also bring back some fresh meat. The temple had no shortage of vegetables, and there was still an ample supply of rice and grains.

Although engrossed in his book, Ji Yuan also kept an eye on Daoist Qingsong. After Qingsong completed several rounds of his exercises, Ji Yuan glanced at the incense burner outside and asked him with a smile,

"Daoist Qingsong, the incense offerings at your Yunshan Temple don't seem to be thriving, do they? I've been here for days, and apart from seeing Qi Wen light three sticks of incense every morning, I haven't seen a single visitor or worshipper."

Daoist Qingsong replied to Ji Yuan only after completing the closing posture of his exercises.

"Mr. Ji, you must be joking. Our temple doesn't even house divine statues, so what would the villagers below the mountain come here to ask for? If a wealthy family occasionally comes to ask for a name for their descendant, or to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, that's already considered a bustling time for the temple."

Qingsong added, "Otherwise, why would I always go down the mountain to tell fortunes? Isn't it just to earn some divination fees to support the temple?"

"Oh... Daoist, you truly have your reasons!"

Ji Yuan's meaningful "Oh" made Daoist Qingsong feel slightly awkward.

"Well, sometimes I also feel the urge, sometimes..."

Ji Yuan didn't press the point further, instead continuing his serious discussion with Qingsong.

"Daoist, your temple has no divine statues. Logically speaking, there's no need to constantly offer incense, is there? Who are these offerings for? Sandalwood incense also costs money."

"For whom... Naturally, for the constellations of the heavens and for Heaven and Earth."

Daoist Qingsong pondered for a moment. Ever since he was young, he had traveled with his master, just like Qi Wen. They had offered incense at all sorts of temples and monasteries, and some Taoist temples they encountered even housed divine statues. Therefore, if asked who the incense at Yunshan Temple, which had no statues, was for, his answer was Heaven and Earth.

"But Heaven and Earth don't receive your incense offerings."

Ji Yuan looked up. Unlike Qingsong's mortal eyes, he could perceive the true "incense offerings."

"What? Heaven and Earth don't receive them?"

Daoist Qingsong was momentarily stunned, wanting to respond but unsure how, given that the person sitting before him was Mr. Ji. However, his surprise was fleeting.

"If they don't receive them, then so be it. But even if Heaven and Earth don't accept them, we still can't forgo showing respect, can we?"

"Daoist, you speak wisely!"

Ji Yuan, holding his book, cupped his hands towards Daoist Qingsong, who chuckled and promptly returned the gesture.

Qi Wen descended the mountain with his basket, traversing the familiar path through Yunshan that he and his master often took. He crossed mountain streams and walked along ridges, his light steps carrying him out of Yunshan in less than half an hour.

The nearest village down the mountain was called Yunkou Village, a place frequently visited by the Daoists of Yunshan Temple. When villagers needed help with weddings, funerals, fortune-telling, or a master's assistance, they would invite the Yunshan Daoists. The two parties were quite familiar with each other.

As he reached the village entrance, someone called out to Qi Wen.

"Little Daoist Qi Wen, have you come down the mountain? Is Daoist Qingsong not here today?"

"Yes, my master is on the mountain. I came to the village to buy some food."

"Oh... some other day, when my wife has a baby, I'll ask Daoist Qingsong to divine its fortune."

"Alright, alright!"

Qi Wen exchanged pleasantries with the man and entered the village, where the sounds of chickens and dogs were audible. Some familiar elderly villagers greeted Qi Wen, and young people who had played with him as children were equally enthusiastic.

As usual, he visited the village chief's house and a few other familiar households. A few dozen coins could buy a good amount of provisions.

At an old farmer's house, a young village girl, in the prime of her youth, even came to give Qi Wen some eggs, making him blush profusely with embarrassment.

"Hahahaha... Little Daoist Qi Wen, I hear Daoists can marry?" the old farmer, who was helping Qi Wen slaughter a chicken, asked the young Daoist with a hearty laugh.

Qi Wen was now grown, and his face was indeed quite handsome. In addition to practicing health-preserving exercises, he had traveled widely with his master for years and, despite occasionally getting into fights, his body was sturdy. He was quite popular among the village girls.

"Mos-most likely..."

"Hehehe, Little Daoist, if you were to return to secular life and marry into a family, with your strength and looks, there are plenty of good girls in the village!"

Several other girls were peeking and giggling at Qi Wen from outside the old farmer's fence, making Qi Wen feel quite flustered.

"It's ready!"

After plucking and gutting the chicken, the old farmer wrapped it and placed it into Qi Wen's basket on the ground.

"Thank you, Uncle Shen, here are the copper coins!"

Qi Wen handed over ten coins. Buying chicken in this village was much cheaper than in the county town. Moreover, in many parts of Dazhen, poultry like chicken and duck were considered minor meat, while beef, mutton, and pork were major ones. Of course, beef was particularly rare unless a farming ox died naturally or by accident.

The old man took the coins and was about to say a few more words to Qi Wen when voices drifted in from outside.

"Look, look... there he is, Daoist Qi Wen from Yunshan Temple."

"Oh, oh, thank you, thank you!"

"You're too kind!"

The voices from outside drew Qi Wen's attention. He saw two men, accompanied by four clearly identifiable servants, hurrying into the old farmer's fenced yard.

Qi Wen recognized one of the men: the one who had been quite angered when seeking his master's interpretation of a divination slip that day.

'Oh dear, have they come for a fight?'

Qi Wen's scalp tingled. He looked around, thinking that since he was in Yunkou Village, the villagers nearby would surely help if he were to be attacked.

Fortunately, the newcomers immediately clarified their intentions.

"Little Daoist, I am Huang Xingye, and this is my friend Li Mian. We haven't seen you setting up your stall in the county these past few days, so we specifically came to inquire about the location of Yunshan Temple. It's fortunate to find you here! Is your master on the mountain? Thanks to your master's warning that day, I was able to overcome a difficult situation. I asked some vendors in front of the City God Temple, and they all said you were Daoists from Yunshan but didn't know where exactly on the mountain. I came to this village at the foot of the mountain to try my luck..."

The man spoke in a single breath. Qi Wen subtly exhaled in relief, glad they weren't there to cause trouble.

"My master is indeed at Yunshan Temple. Uh, honored sir, do you need me to call my master down the mountain to meet you?"

"No, no, there's no need! We'll simply visit your esteemed temple. How could we trouble the Daoist to come down the mountain! I've also brought some humble gifts, which we can take up the mountain together!"

Only then did Qi Wen notice that the group was carrying two shoulder poles laden with many items, which he hadn't observed earlier due to his momentary nervousness.

"Then... honored sirs, please follow me up the mountain!"

Qi Wen had no choice but to bid farewell to the villagers and lead the group up the mountain. Such visits from gentry carrying gifts were a rare occurrence at Yunshan Temple.

Along the way, the man generally explained to Qi Wen the specific reason for their visit.

It turned out that this Mr. Huang was considered one of the wealthiest individuals in Dongle County. He had recently experienced a tumultuous period that nearly cost him his life, but thankfully, he had consulted Daoist Qingsong for a divination interpretation in front of the City God Temple in Dongle County that day.

Although he had been greatly angered at the time, Daoist Qingsong had at least successfully heightened the man's vigilance regarding his surroundings, especially when the Daoist mentioned "the direction in one's heart." This, combined with the divination slip, at least confirmed the accuracy of the man's suspicions.

Furthermore, prompted by the seemingly perfunctory advice about performing good deeds to avert calamity, the man simply did a good deed upon returning to town: he immediately provided all the missing funds for the local Earth God Temple, which was under construction, and personally purchased and sent an incense burner.

It's worth noting that incense burners were often made with copper, which was valuable. These two donations significantly accelerated the construction of the Earth God Temple.

During that period, the man was more careful and cautious than ever in everything he did. Even so, when disaster struck, he barely managed to survive.

He hadn't expected his adversary to be so ruthless, daring to set fire to his friend's house with the intent of eliminating everyone while he was staying there.

Strangely enough, that night, while staying at his friend's estate, Huang Xingye and his martial arts-practicing friend shared a room, with servants keeping watch outside. In the middle of the night, a teapot on the table suddenly fell to the ground, startling both Huang Xingye and his friend awake.

At that time, they could already smell smoke outside. When they rushed out, they discovered that a fire had already started. Of Huang's two servants, one was unconscious outside, and the other was nowhere to be found.

The two then woke up the friend's family members, helped carry away Huang's servant, and sought help to extinguish the fire. Although the fire wasn't put out, at least everyone was safe.

After that, Huang Xingye and his friend reported the incident to the authorities. With Huang having a clear suspicion and his family's financial assistance, the county yamen put significant effort into solving the case, which created quite a stir from Dongle County to Maoqian Town for some time.

After that fire, Huang Xingye initially didn't think much of it, but later he increasingly felt that the breaking teapot was a life-saving signal. The more he thought about it, the more mysterious it seemed. His friend's house was not poor, and the interior floor, tables, and chairs were all stable, so the teapot wouldn't have fallen for no reason. He concluded that divine beings must have intervened.

This perfectly aligned with his donation to the Earth God Temple.

Huang Xingye came today to express his gratitude, not because the matter was completely resolved, but rather because some aspects remained bizarre and tricky. This is what prompted him to seek out the Daoist who had told his fortune that day.

Before coming, Huang Xingye had made thorough inquiries about the fortune-telling Daoist in Dongle County. He found that while the Daoist was sometimes unpopular and even got beaten because of his fortune-telling, his predictions were genuinely accurate. Even those who had struck him eventually had to admit this.

What was strange was that despite being beaten multiple times, the Daoist still enthusiastically continued to set up his stall. To a shrewd person like Huang Xingye, this was quite unusual. A capable mountain Daoist whose behavior was so eccentric—surely this was the mark of a reclusive master!