Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 132 Eighteen Years Ago
Qi Yun stood still, the mountain wind blowing against the hem of his clothes, but it could not dispel the turbulent waves in his heart.

Eighteen years ago? Baiyangpo? The Temple of the Five Internal Organs Coffin?

These words, put together, were like a rusty key, thrusting into the lock of his memory, only to stir up an empty echo, unable to unlock anything.

The timing doesn't match at all!
He last left this world twenty-two years ago, which is four years ago!

However, Master Songfeng clearly stated that Qi Yun's name and appearance are the same!
Could it be that eighteen years ago, there was another Taoist priest who looked exactly like him, had the same name, and even had the same temperament?

The idea was so absurd that he wanted to laugh at himself, but the old Taoist Songfeng's excited, almost trembling expression and his unwavering gaze were completely genuine.

What made his heart sink even more, as if gripped tightly by an invisible giant hand, was the name "Temple of the Five Internal Organs Coffin"!
The two words "five internal organs" held extraordinary significance for him, as heavy as a thousand pounds!

That's his lineage, his roots!
Could this bizarre "coffin temple" be related to his theory of the five internal organs?

Qi Yun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his turbulent emotions. His gaze sharpened as he stared directly at the old Taoist Songfeng, his voice carrying a hint of urgency that he himself was unaware of.

"Fellow Daoist, are you sure it was eighteen years ago? And it was... the Temple of the Five Organs? You just mentioned the Temple of the Five Organs Coffin?"

Songfeng Laodao was taken aback by Qi Yun's series of questions. Looking at Qi Yun's surprised and doubtful expression, his excitement was gradually replaced by great confusion.

"It's absolutely true, Master Qi!"

The old Taoist priest, Songfeng, spoke with absolute certainty.

"It was eighteen years ago! As for the Five Organs Temple... When I entered it back then, after escaping, I caught a glimpse of it and saw the three characters 'Five Organs Temple' written on the lintel deep inside."

But its appearance… alas, its shape is strange, entirely black, high at both ends and low in the middle, resembling a huge black coffin lying on a barren mountain, hence the locals call it the 'Coffin Temple'… Taoist priest, you… you really don't remember?”

He looked at Qi Yun cautiously, his mind racing: Master Qi's cultivation is far superior to mine, and can be described as unfathomable. Logically speaking, his memory should be better than mine, so how could he have no recollection at all?

Could it be that he went astray in his cultivation, suffered a qi deviation, and lost some of his memories?
Yes, that must be it! Otherwise, there's no other explanation!
Qi Yun frowned, his eyes filled with an unfathomable mystery.

He slowly shook his head, his tone solemn: "I have no recollection of this matter."

Fellow Daoist, please tell me again what happened back then, in every single detail! Don't omit any detail!

Seeing Qi Yun's unprecedentedly serious expression, the old Taoist Songfeng immediately suppressed the subtle disappointment he felt due to the other party's "forgetting," and replaced it with a sense of tension.

He composed himself, a mixture of reminiscence and lingering fear on his face, and slowly began to speak.

"Alas, it all happened eighteen years ago."

At that time, my cultivation was shallow. I had just accidentally obtained half a scroll of the Dharma lineage left by my predecessors in an unnamed cave in Qingfeng Mountain, eighty miles north of Wuling County.

He has reached the threshold of cultivation and has acquired some real skills.

Upon returning to his hometown, he gained a small reputation in the nearby towns, and wealthy families often invited him to consult on feng shui and exorcise evil spirits.

"At that time, people were blinded by greed and were quite ignorant of their own limitations."

The old Taoist priest Songfeng looked ashamed. "I remember it was early autumn. It rained heavily for several days in a row, with lightning and thunder. It was terrifying."

Not long after the rain stopped, astonishing news spread that a temple had appeared out of nowhere on a deserted slope on the southern slope of Sanyang Mountain, a place the locals called "Baiyang Slope," after a night of thunder! "Appeared out of nowhere?" Qi Yun caught the word.

“Exactly!” Old Taoist Songfeng nodded emphatically. “The villagers all say it looks like it fell from the sky or grew out of the ground. It wasn’t there the day before, but after the rain cleared up, the dark temple was standing there!”
This was such a strange event that people from all around came to see what was going on. There were all sorts of explanations: some said it was a manifestation of the mountain god, some said it was the reappearance of an ancient temple from a previous dynasty, and some even said it was a celestial palace that had fallen to earth...

I was also invited by a curious local gentry, who said he wanted to see if it was auspicious or inauspicious.

His eyes deepened, as if he had returned to that afternoon eighteen years ago when even the sunlight seemed to carry a hint of chill.

When we arrived at Baiyangpo, we saw a large crowd gathered there, pointing and commenting.

That temple... tsk, just looking at it gives me the creeps!

The entire structure is made of a black stone that I have never seen before. It is dull and lifeless, as if it can absorb all the light from the surroundings.

Its form is by no means an ordinary temple or monastery. It has no flying eaves or brackets, no carved beams or painted rafters. It is just an extremely simple... coffin that has been magnified countless times!

Slightly upturned at both ends and sunken in the middle, it lay silently amidst the weeds and rocks, exuding an aura of deathly stillness and eeriness!

“The strangest thing is that there’s no door to this ‘coffin temple’!” Old Taoist Songfeng said, his tone becoming more serious. “Where there should be a door is a seamless black stone wall, perfectly fitted together!”
There were no windows; the entire building was sealed off like a stone box.

Some audacious busybodies even swung hoes and pickaxes to try and break it open, but sparks flew everywhere. The black stone wall was harder than refined iron; not even a white mark was left!

"Back then, some people were saying that this was probably not a good thing. But there were always those who didn't believe in such things." Old Daoist Songfeng lowered his voice, with a hint of coldness in it. "Two rough men from the village who came to watch the excitement, confident in their skills, actually tried to climb over that ten-foot-high wall and go inside."

The first one, having just climbed onto the wall and glanced inside, seemed to have his soul instantly ripped out. His eyes were fixed, and without uttering a sound, he plunged inside with a thud!

"The people outside were terrified and desperately called his name, but it was like a bottomless pit inside, with no echo at all."

The second man, unconvinced, grumbled and climbed up as well, but the result was exactly the same! He looked inside, then, as if possessed, he fell straight in and died without a sound!

"At this moment, everyone panicked! Someone shouted, 'This temple eats people! It's a temple of evil gods!' The crowd exploded and ran down the mountain crying and screaming. They didn't even dare to look back to pick up their shoes when they lost them... In the blink of an eye, only this Taoist priest and a few others with weak legs who couldn't run were left on the barren slope."

The old Taoist priest swallowed hard and continued, "I was also terrified at the time, but when I looked at that strange temple, I had a different thought in my mind."

I think that heavenly thunder is the essence of the righteous energy of heaven and earth, how magnificent is it?

If it were truly an evil spirit, how could it appear amidst thunder and torrential rain?

This thing is indestructible and can bewitch people's minds; how could it be an ordinary thing?

Could it be... the remnant of an ancient lineage that has long been lost, reappearing in the world due to changes in the energy of heaven and earth?
Its inherent lineage surely surpasses the half-scroll of Dharma transmission that I, a humble Taoist, happened to obtain!

The old Taoist priest's face showed even more shame as he said this: "Once greed arises, it is difficult to control."

I followed the crowd down the mountain, saying that it was an evil temple and advising people to stay away, but I had already made up my mind.

We're going to raid the Coffin Temple at night!

(End of this chapter)