Chapter 787: The Old Daoist Priest
Chapter 787: The Old Daoist Priest
Qingxuan Temple.
Red walls and green tiles, hidden amidst lush trees.
Gan Yu looked up at the plaque and entered the Daoist temple.
Upon entering, he immediately saw a flagstone-paved square, and in the center of the square stood a massive bronze incense burner.
Bunches of incense sticks had burned to their ends, emitting a rich sandalwood fragrance.
"Profound Truth Hall? !"
Gan Yu stepped into the great hall and saw a majestic divine statue enshrined above.
It wore ceremonial robes, a flat-topped crown, its hands naturally resting on its knees, and strings of beaded curtains hung down, obscuring its face.
This divine statue should thus be the 'Heavenly Emperor' himself.
With few worshippers present, the vast hall exuded an air of majesty and mystery.
Gan Yu immediately felt a sense of awe. He respectfully offered incense, then approached the merit box and dropped several silver coins into it.
"Many thanks, benefactor!"
A Daoist acolyte, seeing this, immediately stepped forward with a joyful expression, bowing and presenting a merit ledger: "Please leave your name. . ."
Gan Yu picked up the brush and casually wrote down the five large characters: 'Gan Yu, White Sweet Village. ' He then heard the acolyte continue: "Benefactor has come a long way and must be weary. Would you like to come in for tea? Our temple's 'Green Leaf Tea' is quite effective at refreshing the mind and quenching thirst, and is renowned in the county."
Although there were other worshippers present, those who offered several silver coins at once were exceedingly rare; typically, only wealthy households during festivals would do so.
The acolyte's behavior, though clearly preferential, was met with no objection; instead, everyone found it perfectly reasonable.
"That would be fine. . ."
Having spent such a sum, Gan Yu naturally wouldn't leave empty-handed. He smiled at the words and followed the acolyte to the back of the Daoist temple.
Behind the temple lay a garden, several mu in size, serene and elegant, adorned with various flowers, presenting a truly picturesque scene.
The acolyte invited Gan Yu to sit in a small pavilion, and soon after, brought clear tea along with four kinds of pastries.
Gan Yu took a sip and found the taste excellent, regretting only that he couldn't bring some home for his elderly mother to try.
As he was savoring his tea, he heard the rustle of robes, and an old Daoist priest with a sword at his waist approached, giving a Daoist salute: "This old Daoist, Mingde, greets the benefactor!"
"Daoist Priest, you are too polite. . ."
Gan Yu quickly returned the bow. As the two shared tea and discussed the profound meanings of the 'Daoist Scripture,' Old Daoist Mingde was astonished. He felt that the young man's understanding of the 'Daoist Scripture' was incredibly fluent, not inferior to that of seasoned Daoist priests.
Indeed, some of his subtle insights even proved quite enlightening to him.
When he asked further and learned that Gan Yu was there to take the 'Child Scholar Examination,' his tone became even more cordial.
In Old Daoist Mingde's view, if this young man made no mistakes, he was sure to pass this examination. Even without prior investment, they could still forge a good connection.
Gan Yu chatted a few more moments before inquiring about matters of the Divine Dao.
Old Daoist Mingde listened, then smiled: "Indeed, during every major examination at the examination hall, there are occasionally instances of ghosts and spirits causing mischief. . . If the benefactor came to our temple to ask about this, you've come to the wrong place. You might as well go to the City God Temple and ask the temple priest for a protective talisman; that should keep you safe. . ."
Gan Yu's heart settled, yet he was still somewhat puzzled: "I've heard that county towns are protected by official aura and dragon qi, making them impervious to ghosts and spirits. . . Why would this be the case in the examination hall, a place of strict prohibitions?"
Old Daoist Mingde smiled: "It's naturally a special permission from the City God. . . The Dao Court recruits talent, and both ability and virtue must be present. If a rich young master is highly learned but cruel and unjust, with many lives on his hands, how could he possibly be allowed to pass? Therefore, before each examination, the magical prohibitions are intentionally lifted, allowing vengeful spirits to seek redress for grievances and exact revenge for enmities!"
"So that's how it is. . ."
Gan Yu suddenly understood, but a hint of reluctance lingered in his heart.
His own situation wasn't about being cruel and unjust, but a disaster sent from heaven.
Did he also have to endure the Well Dragon King's revenge?
Old Daoist Mingde sipped his clear tea, but smiled without speaking.
In truth, by today, many of the Dao Court's examination rules have fallen into disuse. . . For example, if that same rich young master, who was cruel and unjust, could find a highly cultivated individual or a deity to protect him, or possessed cultivation himself, he naturally wouldn't fear vengeful spirits seeking his life.
Indeed, if one's heart were darker, they could even employ black magic to harm talented candidates.
If one had a strong background and didn't cause any major incidents, the Day and Night Wandering Gods wouldn't bother too much either.
But there's no need to speak of such things.
The Dao Court selects talent, but also power!
Whether it's destiny, wealth, or background. . . these are all forms of 'power. ' The strong prevail, and that is also the heavenly rule of the jungle!
Of course, for someone as talented as Gan Yu, as long as his luck wasn't too poor, he could still pass the examination.
"Many thanks for the guidance. . ."
Gan Yu sincerely thanked him, intending to go to the City God Temple to request a spirit talisman afterwards.
Just as he was about to take his leave, he noticed Old Daoist Mingde actually wore a sword, and recalling the contents of the wanted poster he'd seen at the city gate, he couldn't help but ask: "Daoist Priest, do you also practice martial arts? And do you possess Daoist magic?"
"Just practicing martial arts for physical strength in my spare time. . . As for Daoist magic? It's merely chasing trifles while neglecting the essence."
Old Daoist Mingde said with great disdain.
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Gan Yu was somewhat puzzled.
After all, he was still young. Who among them didn't dream of a lone warrior roaming the world with a sword, or even cultivating immortality and achieving longevity?
"Cultivation is best within the gates of officialdom. Outside of official positions, all methods, no matter how profound they seem, are nothing but reflections in water, flowers in a mirror, ultimately leading to nothing but heterodox practices!"
Old Daoist Mingde smiled faintly, spoke no further, and had the acolyte see Gan Yu out.
After Gan Yu left, the old Daoist priest sighed softly. A faint light flashed in his right hand, and a green leaf appeared, its blade emerald, its stem and veins clearly visible.
It floated in mid-air, shimmering with a subtle glow, quite profound.
If any mortal had witnessed this scene, they would surely have cried out 'Immortal! ' or at least 'Virtuous One! ', and pleaded desperately for the Daoist priest to accept them as a disciple and teach them Daoist magic.
But Old Daoist Mingde gave a bitter laugh: "Cultivation. . . Heh heh. . . The spiritual energy of heaven and earth is suppressed by heavenly laws and Daoist regulations. Even if a sliver occasionally leaks out, countless demons, spirits, and cultivators scramble for it. . . Even if one is exceptionally talented, possesses an unyielding nature, and spends dozens or hundreds of years cultivating successfully, it's still inferior to a single official decree from the Dao Court. . . Cultivation, my ass!"
Old Daoist Mingde suddenly swore.
Back then, he, too, was like Gan Yu, a youth yearning for the Dao, and was fortunate enough to enter Qingxuan Temple and be taught true Daoist magic.
But what good was that?
After decades of arduous cultivation, he still struggled to achieve anything significant.
The little magical power he possessed was only painstakingly achieved by shamelessly taking the same examination as a group of young children and earning the title of 'Child Scholar'.
Within his Dantian, that 'Supreme Child Spiritual Official's Scroll' resided at the core, governing all his magical energy.
Without it, Daoist magic was difficult to achieve!
In other words, if Gan Yu passed the Child Scholar examination this time, he would immediately reach the same level as him. . .
Such a flourishing age of the Divine Dao, yet it brought despair to countless self-cultivators.
"Heh. . ."
Just then, a cold chuckle suddenly came from behind the rockery.
"Who's there?"
Old Daoist Mingde was startled. He flicked his finger, and a emerald green light flashed.
That green leaf, like a crossbow bolt, transformed into an emerald arrow, piercing directly through the rockery!
Whoosh!
From behind the rockery, a figure emerged.
He wore a Daoist robe, his face gaunt, his hair half-black, half-white, appearing utterly haggard.
"It's you? ! Mei Changkong!"
Old Daoist Mingde was alarmed. His immediate thought of shouting for help was swallowed back down.
He first glanced around, then quickly performed a hand seal, causing a hazy glow to appear and spread throughout the vicinity. Only then did he lower his voice and say: "Are you out of your mind? You dare sneak into the county town. . . You're a major criminal of the Dao Court now, on the wanted list. If the Day and Night Wandering Gods spot you, you're finished. . ."
This Mei Changkong was none other than the old Daoist from the wanted list, worth fifty gold, whom Gan Yu couldn't stop thinking about.
It was just that, for some reason, he seemed to know Old Daoist Mingde.
"My great revenge remains unfulfilled; I cannot resign myself to this. . ."
Mei Changkong sat down in Gan Yu's former seat, ungracefully devouring pastries, as if he hadn't eaten in ages.
"Alas. . . We were good friends. This old Daoist truly can't bear to see you come to this. . ."
Old Daoist Mingde looked at Mei Changkong with a hint of regret.
Once upon a time, this Daoist brother was a dashing and gifted individual, captivating countless female Daoist priests.
Now, with his family ruined and sect destroyed, he was clearly about the same age as himself, yet appeared so haggard and aged.
"I didn't want this either. . . The Daoist laws are strict. My Grandmaster wanted to forge a new path, toiled his heart out, and died before thirty. My Master continued it. . . dying in the deep mountains seeking an opportunity, and then passed it to me."
Mei Changkong wiped the pastry crumbs from his beard, his voice low: "I normally don't care for official titles; I only wished to cultivate immortality and attain the Dao. . . Just as I finally achieved something, the county inspector resorted to extortion and plunder. A slight disobedience, and a crime was fabricated. My ancestral Daoist temple was branded a heretical and licentious shrine, and I became a wanted criminal. . . Unable to bear it, I killed the inspector, becoming an even greater criminal of the court. Tell me. . . where is the justice in this?"
Old Daoist Mingde's lips parted, but he remained silent for a long while.
Originally, he wanted to say that with Mei Changkong's intelligence and talent, the county and prefectural examinations would have been as easy as picking things from his pocket, and there was even considerable hope for him to pass the imperial examination.
Even if he didn't become a Jinshi, just having the 'Recommended Talent' title would have kept the inspector from acting so brazenly.
Alas, this man was single-mindedly devoted to the immortal Dao, and so arrogant. In the end, he was struck down from a favored son of heaven into the mud.
However, Mei Changkong already knew this truth; there was no point in him saying more.
The greater the genius, the greater the arrogance!
What's more, Mei Changkong had already lost too much on this path; he simply couldn't deny any of it. All he had left was his Daoist magic. . .
"You secretly infiltrated the county town, so you must have something important planned. Are you perhaps still seeking revenge? Wasn't that inspector already dead?"
Old Daoist Mingde was somewhat puzzled.
Although an inspector was only a ninth-rank official, he was still an imperial appointee. Killing an official was an act of rebellion, challenging the Dao Court's most sensitive nerve.
Instead of retreating into the deep mountains and old forests to live out his remaining years, why did Mei Changkong sneak back into the county town?
"Naturally, I'm still seeking revenge. . . I've already found out that the inspector was just the visible hand in that matter. Someone else was hiding behind the scenes, and now they've risen steadily through the ranks to become the County Magistrate!"
Mei Changkong sneered.
"You're insane! County Magistrate Cao is a seventh-rank official!"
Old Daoist Mingde was startled. Within the Dao Court, rank represented power!
A seventh-rank County Magistrate, even if not actively managing much, possesses a portion of the county town's populace's qi and incense faith, with divine power enough to crush minor cultivators like him more than a dozen times!
Comments