I am a prince in Zhutian Films

Chapter 416 Taoist Priest Descends from the Mountain
The rain in early spring is always soft and light, with fine rain threads intertwined together, as if someone had sprinkled a thin veil from the sky.

The layers of mountains shrouded in rain and fog are like a dream, the green hills are hazy, the mist and rain are floating, and looking from a distance, the ups and downs look like a green dragon flying through the clouds and rain, like a few strokes of light ink, like a pure ink painting, the tranquil and distant artistic conception is vividly displayed on the paper.

Hidden among these vast mountains, there is an inconspicuous Taoist temple. The temple looks quite old, having been weathered by wind and rain, with cracks on the walls, as if a heavy rain could destroy it.

A young Taoist priest who looked about seventeen or eighteen years old stood under the eaves of a dilapidated Taoist temple, staring blankly ahead with his eyes a little out of focus, as if he was in a trance.

Xuanqing is his Taoist name in this life, his real name is Ying Xun.

The story of why a prince became a Taoist priest started when he was half a year old.

He was born in the State of Qin, and his father was the idol of countless people, Emperor Qin Shi Huang.

According to past practice, he originally thought that he had traveled to a historical drama, such as the myth or the Qin Empire. However, he did not expect that when he was half a year old, he actually saw dragons and phoenixes that only existed in mythological stories, and then he was "killed" by a dragon's breath.

When he woke up again, he was already in this dilapidated Taoist temple. The only old Taoist priest in the temple accepted him as his apprentice, and thus he was given the Taoist name Xuanqing.

It was a chilly spring day, and the damp spring breeze blowing on Xuanqing's face brought him back to his senses from his trance.

"Unconsciously, seventeen years have passed."

That's right, it has been seventeen years since he woke up, but he has spent almost all of these seventeen years in the Taoist temple on the mountain. Occasionally he would go down the mountain to the small town at the foot of the mountain and exchange the medicinal herbs he picked on the mountain for some necessities such as rice and flour.

His master was an old man who wasn't very serious, but he treated him really well, so well that Xuan Qing even began to doubt whether the old Taoist priest had some conspiracy against him. After all, his master had fed him with blood in the beginning, and he had also seen mythical beasts like dragons and phoenixes, which made him think too much.

However, as they got to know each other better, Xuan Qing let down his guard.

Someone being nice to you for one or two years may be pretending, but if someone treats you well for more than ten years, even if it is a pretend, it becomes real. Judging from actions rather than intentions, in Xuanqing's heart, he has already regarded his master as a family member.

However, the master is old after all, and his health is getting worse year by year. Even if Xuanqing uses his true qi to nourish him, it is of no use.

One afternoon three years ago, on that recliner that had long been covered with patina, the master passed away.

She passed away peacefully, holding Xuanqing's hand and saying some inappropriate words before leaving.

It is said that when he was Xuanqing's age, he had secretly gone to a brothel to experience sex for the first time, and even received a red envelope of five taels of silver from the young lady.

He said that when he was young, he was a famous handsome man in the area, and girls would line up for ten miles to see him.

It is said that he was once a martial arts genius and should have had a bright future, but in the end he was defeated by the powerful. He had experienced everything in mountains of gold and silver, and experienced everything when he was young, but only when he got old did he calm down and came to this place to build a Taoist temple and spend the rest of his life there.

He also said that meeting Qingxuan floating downstream was a blessing from God, so that he would not have to go alone and could live his life without regrets.

Fame, wealth and power are like the wind; all human thoughts are gone like clouds.

These were the last words the Master said, and he passed away peacefully after saying them.

He left without any regrets before leaving, only a dilapidated Taoist temple, a tattered bamboo hat, and a bag of copper coins and silver that he had saved for who knows how long.

Xuanqing has been in mourning here for three years, and today is the day when the mourning period ends.

It’s a shame to say that it’s been seventeen years since Xuan Qing woke up, but he still doesn’t understand the general background of this world.

I only learned a little from my master and the residents of the town that the Qin Dynasty had perished long ago, and the world is now in chaos, with corrupt officials rampant and gangsters fighting each other constantly, making it difficult for the people to survive.

Moreover, this world does not seem to be a world of immortals, but more like a world of martial arts.

Of course, Xuan Qing also asked the system, but the system kept it a secret and just let him explore it himself. There was also no specific explanation about the system task of making up for the regrets of his youth.

Therefore, Xuanqing prepared to go down the mountain to take a look at the outside world.

Just like his master said: How can the deep mountains compare to the world? I would rather exchange the green mountains for the romantic life. Young people should have the youthful vigor and romantic life of young people.

Now that the three-year mourning period is over, Xuanqing feels that it is time to go out and see the world.

Just leave.

He put the bag of money in his pocket, stuffed a few cakes in it, filled a pot with mountain spring water, took down the bamboo hat hanging on the doorpost and put it on his head, then gently closed the door and walked into the rain.

He bowed three times in the direction of his master's grave, then turned around gracefully.

If you want to go out into the world, you must pass through the small town at the foot of the mountain.

Rather than calling it a small town, it would be more accurate to say that this town is a group of small villages that are close to each other and thus form a large village.

The narrow paths in the village were a little muddy due to the rain, and many people stayed at home. Only one or two old men wearing straw hats and raincoats were driving buffaloes and singing folk songs as they walked slowly.

Thanks to the fact that both the master and the disciple have good medical skills, Xuanqing is quite popular in the town. So when an old man leading a buffalo saw Xuanqing coming down the mountain, he greeted him.

"Master Xuanqing, you are coming down the mountain."

"Yes, we're down the mountain. Uncle Nie, have you eaten?"

"I've eaten. Look at how you're dressed. Are you going on a long journey today~"

"Yeah, let's go out and take a look."

"It's good to go out and see the world. Young people should go out and see the outside world. It's a pity that I'm old and can't walk anymore." The old man smiled with some emotion, and finally reminded: "The mountains are high and the roads are long. It's not easy to walk. Be careful outside. If you feel it's not good outside, come back."

"Well, I've got that in mind. If I don't do well out there, I'll definitely come back. Then I'll become your son-in-law."

"That's great, I'll wait."

The old man laughed heartily and walked away leading the old cow. His laughter gradually disappeared in the drizzle.

Just as the old man said, the road out is indeed difficult to travel.

This place is remote, and is cut off from the outside world by towering mountains. Few people from outside come in. Of course, it is possible that they cannot come in. The rugged mountains and endless primeval forests make it difficult for even people with great martial arts skills to cross these mountains.

There are hundreds of households in the town, and no one goes out or comes in. The changing situation and dynasties outside have nothing to do with here. This place is just like the Peach Blossom Spring described by Tao Yuanming.

Although it is a remote place, I am happy here. It is really a good place to live in seclusion.

Xuan Qing measured every inch of land with his eyes and memorized it in his heart, from childhood to adolescence, from learning to walk to running freely. It seemed that there were several figures in different stages, passing by him one by one, and finally disappeared in the rain.

I still miss my hometown, but I don't feel sad either.

He walked through the town quickly without staying for long. Some people knew he had been here, and some people knew he had left.

The rain stopped, no, it was just that the clouds and rain were blocked by the mountains. Xuan Qing's martial arts were not very high now, because he was injured by the dragon's breath in his early years, and it took him nearly ten years to recover, but crossing the mountains was not a problem, it just took more time and effort.

Three months later, Xuan Qing finally climbed over many mountains and set foot on the road that symbolized the path to the world.

After only walking a hundred steps, he stopped.

Because there was a pile of wood and rocks blocking the way ahead, it looked like a checkpoint used to prevent horses or carriages from passing through.

Since there are checkpoints on the road, it means that someone has deliberately set them up here, waiting to rob passing caravans or pedestrians.

Sure enough, a dozen people rushed out from both sides of the dense forest and surrounded Xuan Qing.

The leader was a strong man holding a big knife, and the others were holding iron swords, axes, hammers and the like.

After all, he had lived for hundreds of years, especially in the previous world. During his early wanderings, he had encountered many robbers. Xuan Qing could tell at a glance that this group of people were habitual robbers, and he secretly wondered whether these people had money in their pockets.

If you don't have money, then be a hero.

If you have money, rob the rich and give to the poor.

Of course, the person to whom he would be given poverty relief was naturally himself.

The robbers saw his thoughtful look as if he was frightened and stood there motionless.

"He's a delicate little Taoist priest with a thin skin and a big nose. But judging from his poor appearance, he probably doesn't have much money."

The burly man in the lead, wearing a somewhat hairless cloak, looked at Xuan Qing carefully and shook his head with disgust.

A short robber behind him smiled flatteringly and said, "Boss, this bull nose is so long and tender, it's worth a lot of money. The masters in the city like it best."

Hearing this, the sturdy man was stunned at first, then laughed: "Hahaha, that's right, this guy can also be sold for some silver, go ahead, tie him up."

Just as several robbers were walking towards Xuan Qing and were about to take action, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from behind him.

The sudden sound of horse hooves broke the situation, causing the bandits to quickly look behind them from Xuan Qing, only to see a man riding a tall horse heading straight towards them.

Because Xuanqing was just a poor little Taoist priest, who had nothing of his own except for his good looks. As for the man who came on horseback, the horse under his crotch alone was worth a lot of money, not to mention anything else. So a group of robbers directly passed Xuanqing and prepared to rob the man who was coming.

Xuan Qing turned around and looked back, and happened to see the man on horseback dismounting. He had an iron chain wrapped around his waist, an iron ring on his left wrist, and two large silver iron rings hanging on his body. Half of his face was covered with a silver mask, so his specific appearance could not be seen.

He was walking towards this side, leading the horse, walking very fast but steadily, without any sense of hurry. However, he gave people a strong sense of pressure. A strong aura of solemnity emanated from him, directly enveloping the group of robbers.

"I've never seen it before, so why do I feel like I've seen it somewhere? Where have I seen it before?"

Just as Xuan Qing was mumbling to himself, the man also walked up to the gang of robbers, looked at the burly man leading them, and asked, "Wang Wu?"

The voice was a little low, and although it was just two short words, it gave people a feeling of righteousness, and the whole person seemed to exude the chivalrous spirit of benevolence, righteousness, and trustworthiness.

"Yes, I am Big Knife Wang Wu."

The sturdy man in the lead shouted loudly, but one could tell at a glance that he was timid and he raised his voice obviously to give himself courage.

At the same time, the others formed a battle formation and were ready for battle. Everyone's face looked solemn.

Even though there was only one person on the other side, these dozen habitual bandits already felt a strong sense of crisis.

The only difference was the short robber from before. He looked thoughtful, as if he was recalling something.

The man wearing the iron mask didn't pay any attention to the group of minions. He just said to Wang Wu, "Since it's you, then surrender to me. And you guys should follow me too."

Before he finished speaking, the short gangster seemed to remember something and couldn't help but shudder.

"I remember now, you are the God Catcher!"

He was terrified and didn't care about his companions around him. He turned around and ran.

The others who heard his words fled in all directions without any hesitation.

Judging from the way the gangsters fled, their steps and breath, they were obviously low-ranking scum. Only the guy named Wang Wu had some internal strength. If they could escape from the masked man, Xuan Qing could only say that the masked man was not worthy of the title of God of Catching.

In fact, the gang of criminals did not escape.

The masked man just waved his hand and the iron ring on his wrist shot out, knocking the fleeing bandits to the ground, who hugged their legs and screamed.

Then, he tied up a group of people slowly, rode on his horse and dragged the stumbling bandits, passing by Qingxuan.

"Oh, what a pity."

Qingxuan felt a little regretful that he was unable to collect any money from the robbers. He looked back and continued on his way.

As time went by, the road became wider and wider, and more people came and went on the road.

As we were not well prepared, we had already eaten up the dry food we brought with us, and had been relying on wild fruits and beasts to fill our stomachs along the way. Now we especially missed a proper meal, but unfortunately there was no inn along the way.

Fortunately, he was lucky and met a kind mother and daughter who gave him some cakes.

It is now late spring and early summer, and the midday sun is quite scorching.

I tore off some bread and put it in my mouth. It was a bit dry, so I dissolved it in water and chewed it a few times. The rich wheat aroma had a light salty taste. I just had this simple lunch.

I took out the wild fruits I had picked earlier. They were sour, bitter and a little sweet. They didn’t taste good but were better than nothing.

While chewing wild fruits, he looked around.

There were some people traveling with them, but most of them were wealthy people who could hide in the carriages away from the wind and sun.

Those who don't have the conditions have already gone to the shade to rest for a while, planning to leave after this hot period.

A group of short-haired strong men in red shirts and black pants galloped past us, whipping their horses. They seemed to be some underworld force, and it should be quite powerful, because all the passers-by would actively avoid them when they saw them.

Qingxuan asked passers-by and found out that he seemed to be from Feiyuntang, but he didn't take it seriously. As long as they didn't provoke him, Feiyuntang or Tianyuntang had nothing to do with him.

But what he didn't expect was that he had an intersection with people from Feiyun Hall the next day.

A bloody intersection, or rather, a one-sided massacre.

(End of this chapter)