Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

"I came to Yidu to visit an old friend. Now that I have sent the child home, it is not appropriate to disturb him any further."

The old Taoist priest unpacked his bag and drew three protective talismans for the Wu family in front of them, saying it was a return gift for the meal.

"Is Brother Taoist leaving?" Little Jasmine tugged at Zhuang Xing's sleeve with a hint of reluctance.

"Okay, I have to go now." Zhuang Xing patted her little head. "But I won't go far. I'll come to see you again in a few days."

He has always treated Xiao Moli like a younger sister. He has known Xiao Moli for two years, and when he looks back on the past, there are many memories.

Sending Xiao Moli home was a way of putting an end to one of his regrets.

The Wu family may not be extremely wealthy, but they are a well-off family. Little Jasmine is about ten years younger than her two older brothers, so she must be very loved in this family. There's no need to worry about her being alone in the future.

It just means I won't be able to see her as often in the future.

“Then it’s settled, Brother Taoist will come back to see me.” Little Jasmine raised her face.

"It's a promise, let's pinky swear." Zhuang Xing smiled and pinky swear with her.

Little Jasmine then skipped and hopped over to her older brother and hugged his leg.

Zhuang Xing and Daoist Qingxuzi then left the Wu family. He noted down the location of the Wu family's teahouse and followed Daoist Qingxuzi out of the alley.

Little Jasmine sat in her older brother's lap, waving her little hand from afar to bid farewell to the young and old Taoist priests.

...

"Master, where are we going now?" Zhuang Xing asked.

"Go to the White Horse Temple," the old Taoist priest said.

A layer of snow piled up on the eaves, and it continued to snow until the afternoon.

Is the White Horse Temple big?

"It's not as big as Xuanqing Temple."

Is that a Buddhist temple?

"Little Buddhist temple."

“A Buddhist temple…” This was Zhuang Xing’s first time visiting a Buddhist temple.

He followed the old Taoist priest and walked through the streets and alleys of Yidu.

The two men, dressed in Taoist robes, attracted a lot of attention, with most eyes turning to Zhuang Xing.

He felt that these people were attracted by his good looks. He had been a delicate and beautiful baby since he was a child. Even before he could speak, he had captivated a female knight-errant who wielded a sword to slay a tiger. In recent years, he had grown up a lot after cultivating his skills. Although he still had a childish look, his youthful spirit was even more evident.

If he had the idea, he could easily charm a bunch of female fans by creating a clover, four-leaf clover, or five-leaf clover pattern.

Thinking this, he and the old Taoist priest passed by a jujube tree.

Under the jujube tree, several children are playing games.

"Damn scoundrel! How dare you commit such atrocities in broad daylight! Take this!"

One of the older children was holding a tree branch in his hand.

Beside him was a child dressed as a monkey, making whimpering noises.

It's basically a game of good guys and bad guys, with some playing the bad guys and others playing the good guys.

These kinds of scenes are mostly from widely circulated stories.

Zhuang Xing's gaze drifted over there, but for a moment he couldn't figure out what they were acting out.

Xuanqing Temple is far removed from worldly affairs, and the affairs of the court and its villains are not widely spread. The reason for building a Taoist temple in such a remote place is for quiet cultivation. Zhuang Xing stayed on the mountain for several years and only read about the history of Dayu from some miscellaneous books.

The Yu Dynasty has only existed for about a hundred years, which is less than the lifespan of Xuanqing Temple, which has a history of about five hundred years. Before the Great Yu Dynasty, Xuanqing Temple had almost no contact with the government.

If the book is correct, the current emperor is only the third emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty, and his reign title is Yuanding, which means that from this year onwards, the world will be pacified and there will be no more wars.

This year should be the thirty-sixth year of Yuanding. At the beginning of the year, there were some battles in Dayu, but now, things have been mostly settled, and it is time for development.

I don't know which period of history these children are portraying, or what story from a children's book or storybook they are depicting.

He watched as a child was being chased and beaten. The child hopped on one leg, his left eye bound with a strip of cloth, as if he were playing the role of some kind of bandit with "one eye" and "one leg".

"Take this! Take this!"

The lead child chased after it back and forth, while the monkey actor next to him was very into it, occasionally scratching his armpits. Zhuang Xing found it quite amusing.

"Master, spare me! Master, spare me!"

The one-eyed Taoist priest, who had crouched down with his head in his hands and was filled with righteous indignation, showed no mercy and shouted, "Thief, prepare to die!"

A tree branch hit the boy with one eye, and he fell backward, his eyes rolled back, his tongue stuck out, and he lay on the ground pretending to be dead.

Then several children barked nearby, but the "Taoist priest" killed them all with a single sword stroke.

Zhuang Xing and the old Taoist priest both looked in that direction, and Zhuang Xing suddenly felt that this scene looked very familiar...

A monkey, a Taoist priest with a sword, a thief with only one eye and one leg, and a barking dog...

The old Taoist priest seemed to have figured it out as well, and he suddenly covered his mouth and chuckled.

Zhuang Xing hurriedly ran to the old Taoist's side; there were still quite a few people watching him.

"What are you laughing at, Taoist priest?"

"I remembered some happy things."

"..."

Zhuang Xing fell silent. He thought that he should change his clothes next time he went out in Yidu. He would go to the market tomorrow to buy a casual outfit and stop wearing the Taoist robe.

Since it's not inside Xuanqing Temple, there's no rule that you have to wear a uniform.

...

After walking for a while, Zhuang Xing finally spotted a temple.

"White Horse Temple..."

This temple was built in the heart of the city and its incense is very popular.

Even long after noon, a steady stream of pilgrims could still be seen.

The smoke from the furnace drifted into the sky, and he could see it from several streets away, where many people were dressed in fine clothes.

Although Master Qingxuzi said it was a small Buddhist temple, not as big as Xuanqing Temple, in reality, Baima Temple was quite spacious.

The fact that Baima Temple occupies such a prominent position in Yidu speaks volumes about its strength. At least when it comes to making money, Baima Temple is quite adept, probably much more so than Xuanqing Temple.

But Zhuang Xing also knew that there were no gods or Buddhas in this world. The so-called manifestations of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were just some high monks showing off their skills. Those who believed in gods and Buddhas could only pray for peace of mind.

"Master, are we just going in like this? Won't we be kicked out if we're wearing Taoist robes?" Zhuang Xing asked the old Taoist.

"Taoist priests and Buddhist monks aren't enemies, so why are they chasing us away?"

As the old Taoist priest spoke, he strode forward, and Zhuang Xing hurriedly followed.

At the entrance of the White Horse Temple stands a white horse sculpture, carved from fine white stone. It is lifelike and the same size as a real horse, with a monk riding on it. If behind it were a monkey with a pointed snout and monkey cheeks, a pig demon with a big belly, and a laborer carrying a carrying pole, then they could go on a pilgrimage to the Western Paradise. Unfortunately, there is no such sculpture.

Zhuang Xing arrived at the entrance of the Buddhist temple. The temple had three gates. The main gate in the middle was tightly closed, while the smaller gates on the left and right were open. Pilgrims entered through the left gate and exited through the right gate.

The door in the middle is called the Empty Door. Zhuang Xing saw it in "Xiaochuang Youji". This door is usually not opened, and it is only opened when a famous high monk comes.

When a high-ranking monk enters through this door, it is called "entering the gate of emptiness." If other unrelated people try to force their way through, it is considered an offense, a lack of etiquette, and they will be asked to leave.

Zhuang Xing followed the old Taoist priest and entered the temple through the left gate. At the entrance, there were many open-air incense burners, and many people were worshipping Buddha and burning incense.

Further ahead was the Mahavira Hall. The old Taoist priest did not enter the Buddha Hall, but instead found a young monk who was receiving worshippers and said, "I am looking for Abbot Yin Chan. Please inform him that Qing Xu Zi from Xuanqing Temple has come to visit."

The young monk said, "The abbot has gone out to perform a religious ceremony and will not be back for several days. Knowing that you were coming to visit, the abbot specially reserved a courtyard for you, saying it was the same room as before."

"Is that so..." The old Taoist stroked his beard. "Then I'll take my leave of you."

"Please follow me, Daoist Master." The young monk bowed and led the two along the path from the incense burner.

Once we got here, there were no more pilgrims, and it became much quieter.

After walking for a while, the young monk led them to a small courtyard. Although the courtyard was inside the Buddhist temple, it also had a door leading to the streets and alleys outside.

The small courtyard was very well maintained, much more so than the Wu family's courtyard. In addition to bamboo and plum blossoms, there were also artificial hills and water features, and the fallen leaves were swept clean. They were very attentive to their guests.

Chapter 123 Things Have Changed

After bowing, the monk left the courtyard, saying he would come back to inform Abbot Yinchan when he returned.

Only Zhuang Xing and the old Taoist remained in the courtyard. Zhuang Xing went inside to look around. Although the house was small, it had everything: a kitchen, a woodshed, a hall, a bedroom, and an elegant study. Through the paper-covered window lattices, one could see ink paintings of landscapes hanging inside.

“We’ll stay here for the time being in Yidu. Go and put your things away. Before it gets dark, we’ll go out and buy some more things.” The old Taoist priest casually chose a bedroom.

"Understood, Daoist Master."

Zhuang Xing then went to another bedroom. There were three bedrooms in the house. He chose the one closest to the woodshed. As soon as he entered the room, he saw a bed against the wall, with the quilt and pillows neatly folded and placed on the bed.

The ground was covered with blue bricks, and the roof was made of blue tiles and elm wood beams. He put down the bamboo box, took out some silver, and went to the courtyard to meet the old Taoist priest.

The two left through the door in the alley. Although it had snowed, there were still quite a few people outside. It was the quiet time of the afternoon, and many people were sitting in teahouses, drinking tea and chatting, creating a lively atmosphere.

Zhuang Xing followed the old Taoist priest through the streets and alleys. The old Taoist priest was quite familiar with this area. Along the way, he also encountered some acquaintances who greeted him.

"Master Qingxu, it's been a long time since I've seen you."

"It's been a while since I've been here."

"Before her mother passed away, she was still talking about you."

Has Granny Li passed away?

"The funeral was held the year before last. A monk from Baima Temple performed a Buddhist ceremony, and then he was laid to rest..."

"Please accept my condolences. I will definitely visit you another day."

"We must prepare a feast for the Taoist priest. If it weren't for his great care for us back then, we would have drowned in the river..."

...

There are quite a few conversations like this.

Not only the abbot of Baima Temple, but also these ordinary people from the city were the Taoist priest's friends.

"The Taoist priest knows many people," Zhuang Xing said.