Traveling back to 1977

Chapter 837 Taking on Disciples on Behalf of the Master
"Third Master, I want to return to secular life."

Chen Fan picked up a large piece of braised pork, took a big bite and swallowed it down his throat. Then he picked up a wine bowl and took a big gulp. He wiped his mouth with a towel and said to Zhang Xuansong, "Take a look and see who is more suitable to succeed me as abbot. Make arrangements so that when Baiyun Temple celebrates the Jade Emperor's birthday, we can announce it to all fellow Daoists. It won't take up much time."

In any case, Zhang Xuansong could not become the abbot, mainly because the organization did not allow it, so they could only choose from the existing nine junior Taoist priests.

Although they haven't grown up yet, Chen Fan can't worry about that now. He can't keep Jiang Lili waiting forever.

At most, I'll support them from behind the scenes; it won't hinder Chaoyang Temple.

Watching him devour meat and drink wine, Zhang Xuansong said expressionlessly, "Has being the abbot prevented you from breaking your vows?"

Chen Fan picked up another piece of fish and sighed, "Eating and drinking is fine normally, but I'm turning 20 this year and I plan to get married, so it won't be good for me to continue being the abbot."

Upon hearing this, Li Shangde and Lin Yuanxiang both looked up, glancing at one and then at the other.

Is my little apprentice getting married?

Zhou Yali nodded repeatedly from the side, but didn't dare to say anything.

Zhang Xuansong was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but sigh, "Alas, why did Yushan follow Longmen back then?"

Originally, the Quanzhen School had no precepts. In fact, before Qiu Chuji, the entire Taoism was free of taboos. Apart from the three most basic precepts, namely, abstaining from wanton killing, stealing, and adultery, almost all the other rules were to guide people to do good, such as respecting the elderly and caring for the young, being filial to parents, and respecting elders.

They even have very basic environmental awareness, such as not setting fire to mountains at will, not cutting down trees indiscriminately except for normal firewood cutting, not draining ponds to catch all the fish, and not hunting small animals or pregnant female animals, etc.

Later, Qiu Chuji drew on the Buddhist precepts of novice monks, full monks, and bodhisattvas to formulate the "Three Great Precepts" of the Longmen School of Quanzhen Taoism: the Initial Precepts, the Middle Precepts, and the Heavenly Immortal Precepts.

At first, it was fine; it was just a secret transmission within a single altar, something to be done behind closed doors. But later, when it came to Wang Changyue, the seventh patriarch of the Longmen School, he felt that sharing joy was better than enjoying it alone. So he opened the door wide and gathered the Longmen School's disciples to conduct the "Hundred-Day Complete Three-Altar Great Ordination" at Baiyun Temple.

Anyone who wants to join the Longmen Sect must participate in this ordination ceremony, diligently study the rules and regulations, and pass the examination after 100 days of study before being issued an ordination certificate.

From then on, the Longmen Sect became famous and stood out among the Quanzhen School, even representing the Quanzhen School to some extent.

Looking at the other branches of Quanzhen, we see that they all come from the same patriarch, so why are you the most flamboyant?

So they followed the prescription and imitated it exactly, and from then on, the "Three Altars of Great Precepts" became the strict rules and regulations of the entire Quanzhen School.

The Zhengyi sect differs from the Quanzhen sect; they did not share a common patriarch and therefore did not follow the same teachings. Thus, the Zhengyi sect's doctrines are more in line with the early, original Taoist teachings.

There is another school, the "Southern Quanzhen," which is different from the "Northern Quanzhen." It learned half of the rules and regulations, but retained the "layperson" and "marriage" practices.

The term "lay Buddhist" refers to someone who practices Buddhism at home, and marriage is self-explanatory.

Strictly speaking, Chen Fan had already violated numerous rules of the monastic order. He hadn't even followed the first rule of becoming a monk, and he broke the rules against drinking alcohol and eating meat every day.

Since 1911, the ceremony of "completion of the three altars of the precepts in one hundred days" has been discontinued. In the last ten years or so, there has been no "teaching" of it at all, so no one cares whether or not one has broken the precepts.

Otherwise, decades ago, he would definitely have been expelled from the sect.

But now that the Religious Affairs Bureau is being rebuilt, Taoist associations, temples, and other religious institutions will also be restored, and some things will gradually return.

If he continues to act so recklessly, he will be dragging Chaoyang Temple down. As the "restorer" of Chaoyang Temple, he naturally cannot do such a thing.

So even though Zhang Xuansong was very reluctant, he could only remain silent and sullen at this moment.

We can't just let our precious apprentice never get married, can we? That's absolutely impossible.

After a long while, he finally said, "You're so smart, can't you think of a solution?"

Chen Fan held his rice bowl, swallowed the food in his mouth, and said, "What can we do? Unless we can modify the Quanzhen Sect's doctrines and directly delete or change some of its rules and regulations."

"If I were seventy or eighty years old, having cultivated Taoism for decades, I'd probably become a patriarch, and maybe I could even have a chance to challenge him. But now, forget about it."

There was a solution, but he couldn't say it out loud, otherwise it wouldn't taste right.

Zhang Xuansong pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly picked up his wine glass, took a big gulp, looked up and said with a smile, "Actually, I didn't want to become a monk again. I just couldn't stand those strict rules and regulations, but what can we do about the rules set by our ancestors?"

Then, while picking up some food, he said, "It's alright. I'll go to the temple later and see if those little guys are doing well. I'll see who we choose to be the abbot."

However, they used to be members of the Zhengyi sect. Although they are now registered at Chaoyang Temple, their Daoist affiliation hasn't changed. We still need to find Master Liu to hold a "coming-of-age" ceremony for them, officially transferring them to the Chaoyang Temple of the Yushan sect.

After saying that, his face was full of worry again. "Those little guys, the oldest is only seventeen or eighteen years old. They are not like you, whose Taoist skills and scriptures are outstanding. They can recite scriptures, but don't even think about discussing the Tao. Their Taoist skills are just starting out. What are we going to do?"

Chen Fan had no other choice but to say, "After we finish eating, let's go talk to Master Liu and see how the ceremony should be arranged."

……

"Actually, it's not impossible."

Master Liu wrapped his Taoist robe and cotton-padded jacket tighter around himself, put his hands in his sleeves, looked at Zhang Xuansong and Chen Fan who had come to visit, and said with a smile, "After all, the Abbot of Qinglian Temple is a highly accomplished master, and his Taoist skills are extremely refined. He has already reached the realm of a True Person, and he knows the scriptures by heart. All the Taoists in the temple are in awe of him."

If he were to return to secular life now, it would be a great loss to our Taoist sect.

"I have a way to allow the Abbot of Qinglian Temple to continue serving as the Abbot of Chaoyang Temple without violating the precepts."

Zhang Xuansong's face immediately lit up with surprise, "What method?"

Chen Fan glanced at Master Liu thoughtfully, but remained silent.

Master Liu laughed and said, “Whether it is Quanzhen or Zhengyi, they all worship the Three Pure Ones and honor the Six Emperors. In the past, there were sages who converted from Quanzhen to Zhengyi and vice versa. Even now, there are nine people like Lei Kongyun, and I myself am a Zhengyi, but I still entrust myself to Baiyun Temple.”

In times of emergency, one must act expediently; this is the best approach.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xuansong and Chen Fan both understood what he meant.

Sure enough, Master Liu said with a smile, "Why not ask Abbot Qinglian to change his affiliation to Zhengyi? With Abbot Qinglian's cultivation as a True Person, whether it is the Celestial Masters of Longhu Mountain, the Shangqing School of Maoshan, or the Jingming Sect of Wanshou Palace in Xishan or the Lingbao School of Gezao Mountain, they would all be more than happy to accept."

He paused for a moment, and seeing that neither of them showed any obvious objection, he continued, "At that time, the Abbot of Qinglian Temple can take over Chaoyang Temple in his capacity as a True Person of the Zhengyi Sect. The status of a True Person is comparable to that of a Celestial Master. Everyone will only be envious and will not attract any criticism."

This is actually a fairly common phenomenon in Taoism. When a Taoist temple declines, if a close Taoist friend learns of this, he can take over as the head of the temple.

Master Liu is currently the abbot of Baiyun Temple, and later became its head monk. Baiyun Temple is the ancestral temple of the Quanzhen Longmen School, but that doesn't affect his status as a member of the Zhengyi Sect.

Chen Fan glanced at Zhang Xuansong, and seeing that he didn't speak, he slapped his thigh. "That's settled then." The Zhengyi Sect was much simpler. For Chen Fan, as long as he didn't openly eat beef, black carp, wild geese, and dog meat, the other precepts were practically nonexistent. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he had no taboos.

Zhang Xuansong secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At present, this method is the most suitable. There is a big difference between Chaoyang Temple with Chen Fan and without Chen Fan. This small Taoist temple really can't do without him for a while, even if he is not in the temple all year round.

Now, only the lineage has been changed. As long as it's good for Chaoyang Temple, that's fine. Anyway, it won't affect his status as his master, so he naturally has no objections.

It was precisely because of this that Chen Fan agreed to retain his Daoist registration.

You can't just get married and then abandon your master.

But to be honest, it's time to put Chaoyang Temple's talent development plan on the agenda.

Just as Chen Fan was pondering, Zhang Xuansong looked at Master Liu and asked, "In your opinion, which sect would be more suitable for my disciple to join?"

Without hesitation, Master Liu replied, "The only ones worthy of the Abbot of Qinglian Temple are the Celestial Masters."

For most of ancient times, the Celestial Masters sect controlled all Taoist sects in the world. It was only in modern times that things went wrong, which led to the decline of the Zhengyi sect, and the Quanzhen sect took on the heavy responsibility of Taoism.

Now, the most suitable option for Chen Fan to leave Quanzhen and join Zhengyi is naturally the most orthodox Celestial Masters sect.

Chen Fan snapped out of his reverie, shook his head slightly, and said, "I'll pass on Longhu Mountain; its reputation is too big. I'm not willing to choose the other ones either; the reasons are all the same."

"During a downturn, things are naturally peaceful. But if the Daoist sects were to prosper again, with so many people and so many schemes within the major sects, conflicts would inevitably arise, which I don't like."

He turned to look at Zhang Xuansong, then turned back and smiled, "In the Zhengyi sect, are there any sects similar to our Chaoyang Temple, where the lineage is passed down through a single lineage?"

He is the only legitimate Taoist priest at Chaoyang Temple now. Even if you include Zhang Xuansong, there are only two. Isn't that a single lineage?

Upon hearing this, Master Liu frowned and thought for a moment before saying, "If we're talking about a sparsely populated lineage, it might just be my lineage left."

He spread his hands and said with a wry smile, “My family was originally a musician and dancer at the Guandi Temple in Qianmen. After the fall of the Qing Dynasty, we continued to practice and make a living in the Guandi Temple. We belong to the Qingwei Sect of the Zhengyi Sect and worship the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable of Qingwei as our ancestor. Now, I am the only one left in my lineage. If you want to pass on your lineage to a single person, it is through me.”

Chen Fan's eyes were already shining. As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't wait to ask, "Isn't the Qingwei Sect the orthodox school of thunder magic? How come Master Liu hasn't practiced it?"

Upon hearing this, Master Liu's face grew even more bitter. "Thunder magic is indeed the signature skill of the Qingwei School. I also have the original versions of the complete secret teachings, such as the 'Qingwei Yuanjiang Great Method,' 'Qingwei Shenlie Secret Method,' 'Qingwei Fasting Method,' and 'Qingwei Elixir Method.'"

However, starting from my great-grandfather, my Liu family has been in charge of the religious ceremonies at the Guandi Temple in Qianmen. Being right under the nose of the imperial palace and being the officially appointed musicians and dancers, with powerful and wealthy people coming to worship every few days, how could we have time to practice any thunder magic?
If you can successfully conduct all the rituals and avoid causing trouble, you should thank the Heavenly Venerable for his protection.

After saying that, he sighed and lowered his head.

The two people in front of him didn't see the smile that suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Still not hooked?!
Since the secret manual is all here, what else is there to say? Chen Fan immediately coughed and said, "Daoist Master, just tell me whether you'll accept it or not?"

Master Liu adjusted his expression, looked up at him, and frowned slightly. "Are you sure you want to leave the Celestial Masters Sect and the Shangqing Sect, those big sects, and come to my Qingwei Sect?"

Compared to the renowned Longhu Mountain and Maoshan, the Qingwei School is indeed much less famous.

Even though, in order to demonstrate the orthodoxy of their lineage, the Qingwei sect of Taoists claimed that they were descended from Yuanshi Tianzun, and then branched into the Zhenyuan, Taihua, Guanling, and Zhengyi sects, and finally the four sects merged to create Qingwei, it could not change the fact that they were classified as Zhengyi sect.

Chen Fan didn't care at all and nodded vigorously, "I'm sure."

Master Liu looked at him, and after two seconds, a bright smile appeared on his face. “Since that’s the case, then this old Taoist will take advantage of the situation today and accept a high-ranking disciple for my Qingwei Sect. However, this old Taoist is not very knowledgeable and dares not be the master of Qinglian Temple. Today, I will accept a disciple on behalf of my master, and we can address each other as fellow disciples from now on.”

Chen Fan blinked, a hint of embarrassment on his face, and laughed, "That's not necessary. You're not much younger than my master, so it's fine for you to become my disciple."

Just as Zhang Xuansong was about to speak, Master Liu waved his hand and said, "The accomplished are the teachers. How can one knowingly accept a disciple when one is not as capable as the master? It's settled then."

Then, Master Liu invited the high-ranking priests of Baiyun Temple to witness the ceremony, where he accepted Qinglian Daoist as a disciple on behalf of his master.

The "crowning ceremony" of Quanzhen and the "ordination ceremony" of Zhengyi are both essential initiation rituals, even for those changing positions.

From this day forward, Qinglian Daoist of the Yushan School of the Quanzhen Sect has become Qinglian Zhenren of the Qingwei School of the Zhengyi Sect.

However, their branch was in a rather unfortunate situation. Not only did they only have two people, but one of them was affiliated with Baiyun Temple and the other with Chaoyang Temple. They didn't even have their own temples or monasteries.

But this is not important.

After the ceremony ended and the other high-ranking priests dispersed, Chen Fan immediately approached Master Liu and whispered, "Senior brother, where is our family's secret manual?"

Master Liu smiled slightly, turned around and left, saying, "Come with me."

Chen Fan immediately followed behind.

Watching his disciple run off with someone else, Zhang Xuansong frowned, rubbing his chin, and wondered to himself, "Will my precious disciple be able to get his hands on all the secrets of thunder magic?"
This is a secret technique of the Qingwei Sect that even the Grandmaster had coveted. In terms of thunder magic, only the Shenxiao Sect can compare with the Qingwei Sect. Even the Celestial Masters Sect of Longhu Mountain and the Shangqing Sect of Maoshan are slightly inferior.

If my apprentice can get his hands on it, I can at least have a look at it myself.

As for practicing it, that's impossible. Whether this thunder technique is an internal cultivation skill or a so-called divine magic, it's definitely based on force and power. He's already quite old, and it's good enough that he can maintain his current state. How could he possibly practice something so forceful and powerful?
……

"Wow, this is truly extraordinary. If I had practiced this method when I was a child, I don't know if I would still be alive today."

Zhang Xuansong tossed the Qingwei School's secret manual that his disciple had brought back back, saying, "You should practice it yourself; I can't handle it."

Chen Fan took the book, put it aside, and continued reading the ancient text in his hand. Without looking up, he said, "Leaving aside things like praying for rain and subduing demons, the Thunder God of War, and the True Martial Emperor, the so-called Thunder Magic is actually based on internal cultivation, supplemented by external rituals as psychological suggestion. It emphasizes sincerity within and being moved by Heaven, cultivating internally and expressing it externally. It is a very domineering skill and can also be considered a type of internal alchemy."

After reading a few more pages, he looked up and smiled, "Not bad, not bad. This change of allegiance was worthwhile. With these manuals, I can increase my strength by at least 30%."

Zhou Yali, who had been keeping a low profile, couldn't hold back any longer. "I heard Lili say that Grandpa Yang from Tai Chi School, Grandpa Zhao from Tongbei School, and Grandpa Han from Xingyi School all said that your kung fu is already the best in the world, and even if you improve it by another 30%, you'll still be the best in the world. What's the difference?"

Chen Fan slowly turned his face and said earnestly, "Comrade Yali, don't you know the principle of self-transcendence?"
And also, just because they say I'm the best in the world doesn't mean I'm the best. Who knows what kind of monster might be lurking in some hidden corner?
One should be humble. I'm just a young Taoist priest, the kind who's about to get married. Don't mention any kung fu or anything like that later.

Then, looking at his three masters, he said, "Well, if there's nothing else, we'll head back now. We'll come back with my uncle and the others after the Spring Festival."

Li Shangde gently pointed at him and said, "Tomorrow is Laba Festival. Cook a pot of Laba porridge before you leave tomorrow morning."

Chen Fan's lips twitched slightly. "Fine, then."

(End of this chapter)