A top star in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also a Taoist priest.

Chen Shouyi led Zhang Ruonan through the moon gate next to the main hall and into the backyard.

Shouzhu led the way, turning back to explain as they walked, his mouth never stopping:

"Benefactor Ruonan, this is the main hall, where we usually perform rituals. That's the west side hall, where our master receives worshippers. The back courtyard is where we live—"

"Just go your own way," Chen Shouyi reminded him from behind.

Shouzhu chuckled and obediently turned back to walk properly.

Zhang Ruonan followed half a step behind Chen Shou, walking and looking around as they went.

The Zifu Temple under the moonlight was much larger than she had imagined. The bluestone path was bathed in a faint silvery-gray light, and the pine and cypress trees on both sides swayed gently in the night breeze.

There was a faint fragrance in the air, mixed with a hint of crisp herbal scent.

After turning through a moon gate, you'll see a row of houses with blue bricks and gray tiles.

The exterior walls have clearly been renovated, with neatly grouted brickwork, and several warm yellow lanterns hang under the eaves.

Shouzhuo pushed open the door to one of the rooms, reached out and touched the switch on the wall, pressed it, and the light came on.

"Mr. Ruonan, this room faces south and has the best natural light."

Zhang Ruonan stepped inside, her eyes widening slightly.

The room was much larger than she had imagined, with a solid wood bed placed against the wall, the sheets and duvet cover neatly folded.

Opposite is a desk and a chair, on which sits a lamp, a kettle, and a potted plant.

An old elm wood wardrobe stood in the corner, with a faint Bagua (Eight Trigrams) pattern carved on the door.

The window was half open, and the night breeze made the curtains sway slightly. The low rustling of the pine trees could be heard outside.

This is completely different from the image of the ancient temple deep in the mountains in her mind.

Chen Shouyi leaned against the doorframe, watching her look around, and smiled:

"How is it? Better than you expected?"

Zhang Ruonan turned around and nodded a little shyly: "Much better!"

Chen Shouyi glanced at her expression, smiled, and said nothing more.

He simply couldn't get used to that kind of austere life. He didn't care what other Taoists did, but he couldn't bear to live the kind of life where he had to boil water to take a bath and shiver to keep warm in winter.

In the first year after he transmigrated, he renovated everything that needed to be changed. Not to mention his own living quarters in the backyard, the renovation of the water and electricity system and the furniture for this guest room alone cost tens of thousands.

"Oh, right." Chen Shouyi turned and went out for a bit. When he came back, he had a laptop in his hand. It wasn't new, but it was well-maintained.

"This is for you to use when you're bored and want to watch TV shows. The network cable port is by the bed, and the Wi-Fi password is zifuguan666."

"..."

Zhang Ruonan looked at the computer. She opened her mouth, as if to say something, but in the end, she only managed to utter one sentence:

"Master, our Taoist temple... is quite modern."

"We also need to keep up with the times," Chen Shouyi said, turning and walking to the door.

"The restroom is at the end of the corridor. If you need anything, just tell Shou-Zhou, and he'll come down the mountain to buy it for you tomorrow."

"No need, no need, everything is fine." Zhang Ruonan quickly waved her hand.

Chen Shouyi placed the computer on the desk and then checked the things in the room.

The bathroom faucet was working properly, and there were disposable toiletries and several new towels on the windowsill.

"The shampoo and shower gel are under the sink, they're new. Are any else missing?"

Zhang Ruonan quickly shook her head: "We have everything we need."

Chen Shouyi nodded: "Then get some rest. You don't need to get up too early tomorrow morning. I usually get up at five o'clock to meditate, so you don't need to come with me. Shouzhuo will prepare breakfast."

Zhang Ruonan responded, and Chen Shouyi turned and left the room, closing the door behind him.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, took a soft breath, and her gaze swept from the desk to the curtains before finally settling on the laptop on the desk.

She reached out and touched the keyboard, then pulled her hand back.

After sitting alone for a while, I stood up and started packing my luggage, folding my clothes one by one and putting them into the closet.

As soon as Chen Shouyi opened the door to his room, Chen Yao's video call request popped up.

He glanced at the time; it was just past ten o'clock. Yao Mei's timing was pretty accurate.

He pressed the answer button, and on the screen, Chen Yao was wearing a white nightgown with her hair down, clearly already in bed.

"How long have we been here?"

"We just arrived."

"Have you forgotten something?"

Chen Shouyi leaned against the headboard and pretended to ponder for a moment: "No, I don't think so."

Chen Yao narrowed her eyes: "You said you'd message me, did you?"

"Just about to be dispatched." Chen Shouyi remained expressionless.

"You're lying!" Chen Yao's voice rose a notch. "I've been waiting for an hour!"

"The signal is bad in the mountains."

"You just said last time that the internet speed at Daoguan is very fast!" Chen Yao didn't believe it at all, but he wasn't really angry.

She moved her phone closer to the pillow, shifted to a more comfortable position, and began pressing Chen Shouyi about the situation at the temple:

What's the room like? Is the Taoist temple cold? Did Shouzhuo go to pick him up?

Chen Shouyi responded casually, occasionally amused by the level of detail in her questions.

The conversation lasted for nearly two hours, ranging from the furnishings of the Taoist temple to the progress of her filming that afternoon, and then to Zhang Ruoyun's unfortunate incident of being punished by Director Xu for wandering around with a thermos cup.

It wasn't until Chen Yao let out a long yawn, his eyes almost closing, that he reluctantly said, "I'll talk to you again tomorrow."

"Go to sleep."

"Mmm." Chen Yao rubbed her eyes. "Goodnight."

Chen Shouyi hung up the video call, placed his phone on the bedside table, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The spiritual energy circulated slowly through the meridians, and after several cycles, the person became completely calm.

The next morning, Zhang Ruonan was awakened by the sunlight.

She turned over with her eyes closed, and instinctively reached for her phone to check the time. She fumbled around on the bedside table for a while before remembering where she had slept the night before.

She opened her eyes and saw an old elm window frame with plain-colored curtains hanging from it, and lush green pine branches outside the window.

What time is it?

She picked up her phone and glanced at it; it was 8:11.

Zhang Ruonan was stunned for a moment, then suddenly jumped up from the bed.

Oh no, oh no, oh no, I got up this late on the very first day!

Yesterday, Shouzhuo told me that he and his apprentice get up at five o'clock every morning to do morning prayers. As an assistant, it's really inappropriate for me to get up so late on my first day.

She hurriedly put on her slippers, ran into the bathroom, brushed her teeth, washed her face, and combed her hair, then opened the door and ran out.

Zhang Ruonan quickly walked through the moon gate along the route she had taken the night before, and saw two people sitting at a stone table in the courtyard from afar.

Shouzhuo was carrying a plastic bag and placing things on the table, which contained several cups of soy milk and a few fried dough sticks.

Chen Shouyi was sitting opposite him, talking to him.

"Let's leave it at that for now. Contact your brother later and have him arrange for someone to come over and submit the budget as soon as possible."

"Alright!" Shouzhuo agreed readily. "But Master, do we have enough money right now?"