I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

"Greetings to you two devotees!"

The Taoist bowed respectfully and spoke softly, his voice clear and melodious, like the moon in the mountains and flowers in the forest.

"My God, not only is he handsome, but his voice is so beautiful too!"

The woman's heart pounded, and her gaze toward the Taoist priest grew increasingly ardent. If she weren't so incapable of convincingly portraying a delicate, graceful figure, she would probably have already possessed the spirit of Xi Shi.

Even so, compared to her former spoiled and unruly nature, she appeared much more elegant and serene, with an indescribable shyness hidden deep in her eyes.

The man had never seen his sister act so girlishly before, and immediately realized something was wrong: "Oh no, my sister is possessed! This Taoist priest is indeed a monster!"

In a moment of urgency, his fear subsided considerably, and before the woman could answer, he had already stepped forward and spoken first:

"Where did you come from, Taoist priest? How did you end up in our Yiyuan Temple?" The attitude wasn't very good, and the tone was rather harsh.

"Fourth Brother!" the woman turned and gently scolded, then glanced at the Taoist priest out of the corner of her eye, seemingly afraid he would be angry, and chided, "You're being very rude!"

The man, who was already full of complaints about his sister, didn't argue when he heard this. Instead, he crossed his arms and stared intently at the Taoist priest inside the door.

"Fourth Brother, you...!!!"

The woman was so angry at her brother's shameless behavior that she almost fell backward. She was both ashamed and furious, and her almond-shaped eyes were practically spitting fire.

Just as he was thinking about how to reprimand him, he heard the Taoist priest suddenly speak.

"So that believers may know that I have come from Yuanjing, received the precious ordination certificate and the jade book, and am now the abbot of Yiyuan Temple."

"What?" the man exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. "You...you say you're the abbot of Yiyuan Temple?"

"Absolutely genuine!" The Taoist nodded slightly.

How can you prove it?

The man remained skeptical, muttering to himself, "This Taoist temple has been abandoned for over a decade. What's the imperial court doing sending an abbot here all of a sudden? Are they just bored and have nothing better to do? Tch, with that kind of spare money, they might as well gamble with me!"

In a flash, he looked at the Taoist priest and coughed lightly, saying, "Taoist priest, there are no outsiders here, so just tell the truth. Anyway, the temple is already in such a dilapidated state, even if you take it over privately, we won't say anything!"

"Fourth Brother!" The woman slapped her brother and hurriedly said, "Please don't be offended, Daoist Master. My brother is always outspoken and sometimes rude. If he has offended you, please forgive him."

"It's nothing!" The Taoist priest shook his head gently and smiled, "I have official records and ordination certificates with me. If you don't believe me, you can come in and check them one by one!"

"Good heavens, that smile is just too irresistible, it's so sweet it's killing my heart!" the woman screamed inwardly, but on the surface she pretended to be nonchalant. "Master, you flatter us, we don't disbelieve you!"

Seeing the Taoist's certainty, the man was taken aback and said, "Taoist, are you serious?"

The Taoist priest patiently replied, "I have already made myself very clear, and all the documents are in the temple. You are welcome to inspect them at any time, after all, official records cannot be forged!"

"Fourth Brother!"

The woman gripped her brother's sleeve, afraid he would say something inappropriate again.

"Hehe..." The man came back to his senses, chuckled, and waved his hand, saying, "That's not necessary. I was just too surprised. The Taoist temple has been deserted for too long, and when someone suddenly moves in, anyone would be curious."

"That's human nature, I can understand!" The Taoist nodded, then looked at the brother and sister and asked, "May I ask your names, and what brings you here?"

Before the man could speak, the woman stopped him and answered first, "My surname is Zheng, and my given name is Baozhu. I'm from Linquan Town at the foot of the mountain. This is my fourth brother, named Baojuan. We originally went up the mountain together to gather herbs today, but we were caught in a sudden downpour. When we saw smoke rising from this place, we came out of curiosity..."

The Taoist priest glanced into her medicine basket and nodded: "That's right, it was indeed I who was starting a fire to cook just now!"

"Ah?" Zheng Baozhu was immediately a little embarrassed. "Is the Taoist priest cooking? I...we might be...disturbing your meal?"

The Taoist priest smiled faintly and shook his head, saying, "No."

Seeing their pitiful, soaking appearance, he offered them a place to rest: "I don't think this rain will stop anytime soon. If you two believers don't mind the simple nature of the temple, you can come in and take shelter from the rain."

"May I?"

Zheng Baozhu's eyes lit up, and Zheng Baojuan beside her also looked expectant.

Spring rain is like oil; it feels sticky and damp when it falls on you, which is really uncomfortable.

The Taoist priest did not answer, but silently stepped aside, making his stance clear.

"Thank you, Daoist Master!" Zheng Baozhu bowed respectfully and then asked, "I do not yet know your esteemed title; may I ask that you reveal it?"

"Greetings, Layman Zheng!" The Taoist turned and led the way, replying as he walked, "I am not worthy of your title. I currently have no Taoist name. You may call me by my secular name, Shen Yuan."

"Shen Yuan, Shen Yuan..."

Zheng Baozhu silently chewed twice, nodding to herself, as if she had already engraved the name in her heart.

Seeing his younger sister like this, Zheng Baojuan knew perfectly well that she was infatuated with a boy. As they passed each other, he couldn't help but let out a soft hum.

"Virtue!"

Zheng Baozhu was in a good mood and didn't bother to argue with him. She just rolled her eyes and, seeing that Shen Yuan was about to walk away, she took light steps and jogged after him.

Only after entering the Taoist temple did the two realize with shock that the internal condition of the temple was far from optimistic, seemingly much more dilapidated than the external one.

The side halls on both sides have all collapsed, and only the main hall remains. Even the bronze incense burner at the entrance of the main hall has disappeared. Even if worshippers come, there is probably no place for them to offer incense.

No wonder the gates are always closed in broad daylight!

Zheng Baozhu felt extremely distressed: This is no Taoist temple, it's practically ruins! How could someone as refined and elegant as Master Shen be allowed to suffer here?

Zheng Baojuan was also looking around. He had only heard of it before but had never seen it in person. He was taking advantage of the opportunity to take a closer look!

"Master Shen, this Taoist temple is in such a dilapidated state, you must have suffered a lot!" Zheng Baojuan said casually.

Zheng Baozhu glanced at her brother, as if to say that this man had finally spoken a sensible word.

Shen Yuan laughed and said, "It's not bitter, it's not bitter. As the saying goes, 'Under the humble gate, one can find shelter; amidst the flowing water, one can find joy even in hunger.' I currently have both clothing and food, which already surpasses countless worldly desires!"

Zheng Baozhu was deeply moved and touched by the other person's contentment with a simple life. She couldn't help but feel a deep respect and earnestly said, "Daoist Master, your cultivation is truly remarkable. I have learned a great deal!"

Shen Yuan glanced at her, shook his head, and chuckled wryly.

Only Zheng Baojuan, oblivious to the situation, stammered, "This... how can this be considered learning? What are you all muttering about?"

Zheng Baozhu was speechless and said irritably, "Fourth Brother, I always tell you to read more books, but you always shirk your responsibilities and complain about the trouble. When you encounter problems, you just ask around."

The Taoist priest just spoke of a famous poem from the Book of Songs, meaning that even a leaky house can provide shelter, and a flowing spring can make one forget hunger. It aims to teach people to be content with what they have and not to be greedy or covetous…

Shen Yuan nodded approvingly.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Baozhu was filled with immense joy.

Zheng Baojuan curled his lip, unconvinced, and said, "What do you mean by being content with what you have? Why not enjoy the good life instead of choosing a miserable one? Isn't that just crazy?"

Zheng Baozhu glared at him and retorted, "The Daoist priest is of profound virtue; how could he be like a vulgar person like you?"

"We all have one nose and two eyes, we all need to eat, poop, and fart, so why am I considered an ordinary person?"

Zheng Baozhu was furious. She stomped her foot and cursed, "You...you...you're so vulgar!"

Seeing this, Zheng Baojuan dared not provoke him any further. He gave a soft snort and turned to ask Shen Yuan, "Master Shen, you be the judge, am I right?"

Zheng Baozhu immediately stopped talking and looked at Shen Yuan in front of her. She heard him laugh and say, "What Layman Zheng said makes a lot of sense. Taoism emphasizes acting according to one's nature and being content with one's lot. Of course, one can live in a magnificent house or a humble abode. True cultivation is about being content with poverty without being happy with it!"

"Hehe, now I understand!" Zheng Baojuan smiled smugly and raised an eyebrow at his younger sister.

Zheng Baozhu was furious, but when she thought that the person who refuted her was Shen Yuan, her anger instantly subsided, and she felt a sense of admiration instead.

"Yes, Master Shen is a learned and sage-like figure. How could I, a country girl, who has only had a few days of schooling, possibly worthy of arguing with him?"

Upon thinking of this, she suddenly became shy again.

Upon seeing this, Zheng Baojuan couldn't help but wonder: Is our sister not quite right in the head?

As they spoke, the three entered the main hall, where several prayer cushions were placed. Just as rumored, there were no statues of gods enshrined there.

On the altar, however, were written the two large characters "天地" (Heaven and Earth).

The group sat down on the prayer mats, and Shen Yuan said, "The Taoist temple is simple; only the main hall is waterproof. Why don't you two rest here for now?"

"Please don't say that, Daoist Master. We are already extremely grateful that you took us in to shelter from the rain," Zheng Baozhu said politely.

Zheng Baojuan looked around and suddenly asked, "Daoist Master, why don't you have any statues of deities in your temple?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Yuan glanced towards the altar, a half-smile playing on his lips: "How does the layman know that this humble Taoist has not made offerings?"

"Did you make offerings?" Zheng Baojuan was taken aback, then looked at the empty altar again and said, "No!"

Zheng Baozhu also looked over, somewhat puzzled.

Shen Yuanze laughed and said, "Taoists revere Heaven and Earth. I have already made offerings to Heaven and Earth. Tell me, which god or Buddha dares to stand before Heaven and Earth?"

"So that's how it is!"

Zheng Baozhu was immediately struck by a thunderbolt; what she had seen and heard today completely overturned her previous impression of Taoists.

Looking at Shen Yuan again, I couldn't help but feel even more awe.

Zheng Baojuan shook his head: "Daoist Master, this is not good, not good!"

"Oh, why do you say that?" Shen Yuan asked curiously.

Zheng Baojuan said, "Ordinary people come to the Taoist temple to offer incense, seeking peace of mind. But you, Taoist priest, don't even place the statues of the gods. They'll only feel that you're being perfunctory. How can they possibly feel at peace?"

"Indeed!" Shen Yuan didn't argue, but instead echoed, "Most people are ignorant; sometimes, the great principles of heaven and earth are indeed less effective than clay or wooden sculptures!"

Zheng Baojuan was delighted to see how easy he was to talk to, and immediately pressed his advantage, asking, "Does the Daoist priest wish to revitalize the Yiyuan Temple?"

Shen Yuan asked with a smile, "I wonder if the layman has any solutions?"

A sense of unease crept into Zheng Baozhu's heart, and sure enough, she heard Zheng Baojuan say, "I think you should learn from the Jade Emperor Palace, make more statues, make large statues, and preferably use more gold leaf... I know a friend who is particularly skilled at making statues..."

"Fourth Brother!"

Zheng Baozhu quickly spoke up to stop him, preventing him from continuing his nonsense.

However, the Taoist temple was indeed dilapidated, and she couldn't help but ask, "Taoist Master, this temple has been abandoned for so long, why would the imperial court send you here? Did you offend someone?"

Shen Yuan smiled without saying a word. He knew the reason very well, but he didn't want to explain it to outsiders.

Zheng Baozhu was a little disappointed when she didn't get an answer. Actually, she was afraid that Shen Yuan wouldn't be able to endure the austerity of the Taoist temple and would leave in a couple of days.

After all, the Taoist temple was in such a dilapidated state that it was practically uninhabitable, and even if it were to be repaired, the cost would be considerable.

The Taoist priest didn't look like a wealthy person.

After a pause, she asked the question she had always wanted to ask.

"Now that you've become the abbot of Yiyuan Temple, will you... leave again in the future?"

It was just a simple sentence, yet it seemed to touch a chord in Shen Yuan's heart.

He gazed at the pattering rain outside, his eyes heavy, as if traversing mountains and rivers, yet revealing a deep sorrow...

Zheng Baojuan saw it clearly, and his heart was touched. He seemed to be infected by it, and he almost shed tears.

A moment later, Shen Yuanqing's clear voice drifted to my ears.

"I shouldn't go any further... I can't go back!"

The mountains and passes are difficult to cross; who will mourn the lost traveler? We meet by chance, strangers in a foreign land.

Who could have predicted that one day they too would become one of those lost souls?