NOVEL FULL

Strange Stories

Chapter 40: The Taoist Priest in Xianyuan Temple Preaching

Chapter 40: The Taoist Priest in Xianyuan Temple Preaching (asking for monthly ticket) "Brother! "Brother!" A girl of about fourteen or fifteen was climbing up the mountain. Because the mountain was too steep, she had to use both her hands and feet. She was neither as reserved as the other girls of her age at the foot of the mountain, nor as weak as them. She climbed up the mountain quickly while shouting, and she climbed quite fast. Suddenly, the view in front of me opened up and we had reached the top of the mountain. "Brother!" The girl straightened up and looked around. Although the top of Fuqiu Peak is not as narrow as some other dangerous peaks, it is not very large either, and you can see it all at a glance—— There were only some scattered trees and rocks around, and an exceptionally large and strange ancient pine tree, and nothing else. Oh, yes there are. There was a palm-sized fox cub on the ground. Such a small cub grew very fast and changed a lot in just a few days. At this moment, it was sitting obediently, shaking its tail from side to side and looking up at her.

"not here?" Didn’t you say you were here? The little girl was a little confused. Just as she was about to go downstairs, she saw the little fox cub sitting on the ground, and she became even more confused. "Where's senior brother?" As soon as he finished speaking, a man walked out from the ancient pine trees. This was the junior brother she was looking for. "Ok?" The little girl was stunned for a moment. She looked at Lin Jue, then at the ancient pine tree that was thicker than a person. "Brother, how did you get out of the tree?" "Wood Release Technique." Lin Jue said to her bluntly. If he had just arrived at this Taoist temple, he might have avoided the girl, or told her not to tell his master and fellow brothers. However, after staying there for a few days, he almost knew the traditions of this Taoist temple and the personalities of his master and fellow brothers. These Taoists don't bother to care about these things. Being relaxed and free, and being at ease with yourself is the most important thing. At the same time, Fuqiu Temple has no rule that disciples cannot practice other spells or learn spells from other places. Otherwise, Taoist Yunhe would not have allowed him to learn spells from the abbot of Xianyuan Temple, and Fuqiu Temple would not have any other spells except the original seven. Lin Jue could almost guess that after he entered Fuqiu Temple, he would probably spend most of his time in the mountains. He would not have much chance to come into contact with other magic in the next few years, so this one would be fine. This spell also requires practice and continued understanding. Lin Jue has just learned it, and his performance is not stable yet. He is not comfortable using it, and he needs to adjust his mind before he can hide in the tree. At the same time, perhaps because of the "earth essence" and the spiritual charm in peach gum, Lin Jue can freely shuttle between living and dead wood from the beginning. However, he is not able to move freely in the tree, there is resistance, it is very strenuous, and if he wants to hide in the tree, the tree must be wider than him, otherwise the extra part of his body will be exposed. It is said that when one reaches a high level of cultivation, one no longer needs to worry about the shapes of trees and the difference in one's own shape. One can hide inside even a tree as thick as a bowl, or a flat door or wall panel. The most important point is that if Lin Jue hides in the tree now, he cannot breathe inside. So you can't stay long.

This is quite fatal. In fact, Lin Jue has almost realized that this magic is related to both talent and nature. It cannot be practiced smoothly just by hard work. Even when he chops wood normally, he is very careful and will never hurt or destroy plants without reason. However, he can only practice to a high level at most. It is almost impossible for him to reach the legendary state of being able to move by relying on the roots of plants and branches that are in contact with each other. This is normal. There are countless magics and countless people in the world, and everyone has their own strengths. How can one person be the best in every aspect? Moreover, there is not enough time and energy. Lin Jue is already content. But you have to practice. And this kind of practice, if continued in the long run, cannot be hidden from the senior brothers in the temple and Taoist Yunhe. In this case, why hide it? "Junior sister, have you taken the 'Earth Spiritual Charm' I gave you?" "I took it and had some strange feelings, as if I had many dreams. My master said that when I start to learn 'Ji Shi', these insights will show their benefits." "That's good." "Brother, I came to you to tell you that Master just told me that the abbot of Xianyuan Temple, Taoist Master Wangjizi, is going to give a lecture to his new disciples today and asked us to go and listen." "Okay! When?" "Master said that we don't need to go back, we can go directly there, he has already made arrangements with the abbot of Xianyuan Temple." The little sister said quickly, "He asked a crow to show us the way, and asked me to call you." After saying this, she patted her bag: "I've already packed food for the journey. It's a bit far, so we need to walk faster." "Let's go then." Lin Jue looked back at the little fox, then followed his junior sister down the mountain. Sure enough, there was a crow standing on the branch below. When it saw the two people and the fox coming down, it immediately flapped its wings and flew up, following the path that people could walk, leading them to Xianyuan Temple. Mount Yi is very large, with a width of dozens of miles from east to west, north to south, and even nearly a hundred miles from north to south. There are more than a hundred named peaks and many Taoist temples. The Xianyuan Temple is relatively close, but the road is difficult to walk on with ups and downs, which takes a lot of time and energy. The two men and the fox almost ran away. The little girl was very lively and had become familiar with her senior brother. Even though they walked so fast, she still had something to talk about. "Brother, look, there is a pine tree over there, one side is green and the other side is red! You know, yesterday Third Brother told me that it was touched by the messenger of the mountain god, and the places touched by the messenger will turn red." "Maybe he was drunk." "right……" The mountain was steep and I soon became exhausted and out of breath. Xianyuan Temple also appeared before them. This is a steep and beautiful mountain, like a freehand painter in a landscape painting, but in this rainy day, the mountain has entered reality under the clouds and mist. I don't know if it is always like this or the two are lucky, there is a circle of brilliance hanging on the sun above their heads, making it look like a fairyland.

There is a group of buildings on the mountain. It is not a courtyard-style Taoist temple like Fuqiu Temple, but palaces and pavilions scattered halfway up the mountain, connected by stone stairs in the middle, which is very magnificent. At this time, there was smoke rising from the temple, mixing with the clouds and mist, making it difficult to distinguish the two. "It's so big." The little sister couldn't help but say. After saying this, she turned around and explained to the senior brother next to her: "Master said that Xianyuan Temple is the largest hidden Taoist temple in Yishan Mountain. It has many disciples, but they are just practicing. There are basically no pilgrims from the foot of the mountain coming to burn incense." "Let's go then." Lin Jue stepped forward. The gate of Xianyuan Temple was open, and Taoists in Taoist robes were coming in and out. Lin Jue and his junior sister's robes were not yet ready, so they were only wearing ordinary clothes. The Taoists were very surprised when they saw them, and they didn't think that they were pilgrims who came to the temple to burn incense. The truth is that Yishan is already remote, and this place is deep in Yishan. These Taoists built a Taoist temple here to practice in peace. Not to mention pilgrims, even people who love mountains and rivers find it difficult to come here. "You two are..." "Fellow Taoist, please be merciful." Seeing that the Taoist who spoke was also very young, Lin Jue responded, "We are new disciples of Fuqiu Temple, and we are good friends with your temple. I heard that the master of your temple was giving a lecture to the new disciples today, so my master asked us to come and visit and listen." "My fellow Taoists from Fuqiu Temple, the abbot is giving a lecture over here. I'll take you there." "Thank you so much, Brother Dao." Since the other person was so warm and polite, Lin Jue changed his address. "Thank you so much, Brother Dao!" The junior sister almost learned his tone. So the two of them followed the young Taoist priest for a dozen feet, then walked up a stone staircase on the left and came to a large hall. The palace door was also open, with smoke curling inside. There were more than a dozen cushions on the floor of the hall, with more than a dozen young Taoist priests sitting on them, most of them were in their teens, with three or two in their twenties, all wearing brand new Taoist robes. An old man was sitting in the front, answering the questions of many young Taoist priests without haste. "The Tao is mysterious, yet not mysterious. The natural law of all things is the Tao. Since you came into the world, you have seen and heard the Tao everywhere around you, but it is difficult to understand the Tao." The old Taoist looks younger than Taoist Yunhe. "Master, can we start preaching?" "You kid! How can you be impatient when practicing Taoism? You must know that this is the most urgent thing in the world." The old Taoist said, looking at the three people outside, "I told you that there are disciples from other Taoist temples who haven't arrived yet. What's the harm in waiting patiently for a while? Besides, aren't we here now?" The young Taoist who led Lin Jue and the other two here stood at the door, bowed, called the abbot, and then said, "Two Taoist friends from Fuqiu Temple are here to visit. They said they want to listen to the abbot's teachings." Lin Jue also hurriedly stood at the door and bowed. "Meet Taoist Wangjizi." "Meet Taoist Wangjizi." The old Taoist raised his brows and asked, "Are you two the only ones coming?"

There was obvious dissatisfaction in his voice. "Just the two of us." Lin Jue answered while standing outside. "Humph! In the past, when your Fuqiu Temple disciples came to listen to lectures, at least the temple master would come along for the first time to show some courtesy. Now, does that old Taoist Yunhe not even want to walk these few steps?" The young junior sister lowered her head and listened, feeling something was wrong. She stood at the door not knowing what to do for a moment, so she could only roll her eyes and secretly glance at her senior brother. "Master is not in good health." Lin Jue was also a little unsure. "Huh? What's going on? Now that you're here, why are you standing at the door talking? Come in and sit down!" The old Taoist waved his sleeves, fanning the green smoke in the hall. More than a dozen young Taoist priests all turned around and looked at the two Taoists from other Taoist temples who had made them wait for a long time. Some were curious, some were displeased, some wondered why they were not even wearing Taoist robes, and some were inevitably unfriendly because of the attitude of their own temple master. Lin Jue led his junior sister into the hall. There were exactly two empty futons. Lin Jue knew that it was reserved for the two of them, so he walked over and sat down with his junior sister. "Why did your Taoist temple accept two disciples this time? Wouldn't it be full if you accepted one?" Taoist Wangjizi continued to ask. "I don't know, maybe it's fate." "What kind of fate is this? Isn't it just a pair of good eyes? How is your master's health now? Is he really unable to even walk a few steps?" "To be honest, Master, since returning to the Taoist temple, Master's health has indeed been getting worse." Lin Jue chose to tell the truth. Perhaps sincerity is the best way to deal with it. Wang Jizi's voice should have been somewhat dissatisfied, but after hearing this, he just remained silent for a while and then sighed: “It’s all your fault!” "..." "When he was young, he was too impatient in his cultivation, and his yin and yang were out of balance. However, he was too eager for progress and was unwilling to spend time to adjust. As he got older, he naturally developed a disease. I heard that he went to visit an old friend a few months ago, and probably forced himself to increase his spiritual vitality. Now that he has returned to the Taoist temple, his vitality has declined. In addition, after seeing his old friend, his mind was dull, so he naturally waited for death. “That’s why he asked you to come to me and listen to my sermon. “If I can’t even cultivate myself, how can I preach to others?” Wangjizi paused for a moment and reminded the Taoist priests below: "There are some among you who are impatient. You should take this as a warning. Remember, no matter what, the yin and yang must not be out of balance. You must know that the imbalance of yin and yang is the way of cultivation for the goblins. If people learn this, they will suffer from future troubles." There was a chorus of agreement from below. Lin Jue couldn't help but turn his head to look at the junior sister, who happened to be turning her head to look at him. She had a fair complexion, delicate features, and her eyes were wide open, but she seemed a little dazed. The two looked at each other, and not only did they understand the reason for their master's poor health, they also kept Wang Jizi's reminder in mind.

"Enough of small talk. Today I will tell you about the five elements of heaven and earth and the rhyme of yin and yang. Please listen carefully to the two from Fuqiu Temple. It is up to you how many points you can get." Wangjizi sat cross-legged and waved his sleeves. The young Taoist priest below couldn't help but glance at Lin Jue and the little junior sister. Hearing the voice, he immediately sat up straight and pretended to listen attentively, but someone still shifted his attention to them. It was unclear whether he was looking at Lin Jue or the little junior sister who was quite pretty and fair. (End of this chapter)