This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 3 Taoist Priest Descends from the Mountain
On the way down the mountain, Chen Shi'an stopped and lingered from time to time.

This was the first time he had ever looked so closely at the place where he had lived for eighteen years.

Master was a lazy Taoist priest who stayed in the mountains, and Chen Shi'an was no different. The farthest place he had ever been in his life was just the outskirts of a small town at the foot of the mountain.

The master and his apprentice usually rely entirely on their own two legs to get around. Their largest activity range over the years is a circle drawn with the Jingchen Temple as the center and a four-hour walking distance as the radius.

Unlike many of his peers who grew up immersed in mobile phones, computers, online social networking, and games, Chen Shi'an has been learning Taoist practices, studying doctrines, reading classics, and cultivating his character since he can remember. These experiences have shaped him to a great extent and made him who he is today.

It would be a lie to say he's not curious about the outside world; but it's also not necessarily true that he's eager to go out and see it.

Even though he was already on his way down the mountain, Chen Shi'an was probably still thinking about 'taking a trip, getting a diploma, and coming back to stay in the mountains.'

Chen Shi'an took out his phone and checked the time.

This thing is probably the only thing about him that doesn't match his overall demeanor.

He can stay on the mountain for a year or two without touching his phone, but in modern society, you really can't go out without a phone.

Chen Shi'an just doesn't use mobile phones much, not that he doesn't know how to use them, unlike his master, who genuinely doesn't understand this little gadget.

The phone is a very old smartphone with only 32GB of memory. To a heavy user, this amount of space wouldn't even be enough to install two games, but for Chen Shi'an, it's sufficient for checking the time, making calls, taking photos, using maps, and making payments.

Chen Shi'an doesn't use popular apps like WeChat, Douyin, or QQ. Firstly, he doesn't have many contacts, and secondly, he doesn't have that much data.

You're lucky if there's even electricity in this remote mountaintop; who's going to install a wired internet connection or turn on Wi-Fi?

However, Chen Shi'an still has Alipay. Occasionally, when there are strange items that can't be bought locally, Chen Shi'an will help his master buy them online.

As for deliveries up the mountain? Don't even think about it. They're basically delivered to small shops at the foot of the mountain, and you have to go down and pick them up yourself when you have time.

Ordering takeout is out of the question. This place is already remote, and there's no takeout available, not even in the villages at the foot of the mountain, let alone on the mountaintop.

To be honest, Chen Shi'an actually attended primary school.

I attended a primary school at the foot of the mountain with only about ten students.

But he only attended for a week and never went back.

Firstly, it's inconvenient to go to school; it takes one or two hours just to walk from the mountaintop to the village primary school.

Secondly, perhaps because he matured early, in Chen Shi'an's eyes, children of the same age were like some kind of monkey-like creatures, their clear eyes full of stupidity, unable to understand what was being said or how to solve problems, and fond of doing silly things to attract the attention of adults. Even teachers were nothing more than slightly more sophisticated parrots.

Perhaps because the lessons were too easy, he became bored and simply dropped out of school, never to return.

The master didn't force him, but simply let him have his way as always.

Looking back now, the master may have been a qualified master, but he was completely clueless when it came to raising and taking care of children. If this were the standard of modern parents, Chen Shi'an, who dared to skip classes when he was only in elementary school, would have been spanked a lot!

Having never received nine years of compulsory education, not being addicted to mobile phones, and living a secluded life in the mountains year-round—life that is unimaginable to his peers—is just the most ordinary daily routine for Chen Shi'an.

Now that he's about to go down the mountain to experience the vibrancy of the big city, Chen Shi'an doesn't feel any awkwardness, inferiority, or unease like other children from the mountains.

Where your mind is, that's where the scenery will appear.

Chen Shi'an even arrogantly felt that he was not descending the mountain, but descending to the mortal world.

After glancing at the time, Chen Shi'an put his phone back in his pocket.

There were still some scattered signals at the top of the mountain, but once you got to the middle of the mountain, the signal bars disappeared completely.

If not for local villagers, it wouldn't be unusual for tourists to get lost in such mountains.

Chen Shi'an naturally didn't need navigation. It was already seven o'clock in the morning, and he had been walking for almost an hour without realizing it.

After walking for another half hour, we'll be almost at the village at the foot of the mountain.

The Xuanyue Mountain range covers a vast area, and the inconspicuous Jingchen Temple is nestled in a fold in the northern part of the mountain range.

To get to the city, you first have to go down the mountain to the village, then take a bus or walk to the town, then take a 40-minute bus ride to the county seat, and finally take another 40-minute bus ride to the city. The whole trip takes at least four or five hours.

With his master not by his side, walking such a long distance alone was fine at first, but after a while, he inevitably felt lonely.

Fortunately, he had a cat in his bag, so Chen Shi'an started rambling to the black cat.

"Fat Ink".

"..."

"Picking up ink?"

"Meow?"

"Could you eat less rats and lose some weight? I can hardly carry you anymore." The black cat didn't say anything, but jumped out of his backpack and hopped around beside him.

The cat landed, but the weight of the backpack didn't decrease.

Chen Shi'an then realized that the heavy thing wasn't the cat, but the set of "Five-Year College Entrance Examination and Three-Year Simulation" in the bag.

"Don't run around. Once we're out of this mountain, you'll be a city cat. Behave yourself and don't let people see you and say I'm raising a black monkey."

"Meow."

"I heard that cats in the city eat cat food. Do you want to get some to try?"

"..."

The black cat got annoyed with him and stopped paying attention to him.

Chen Shi'an walked along, talking to himself. Gradually, the path down the mountain became more lively.

Occasionally, a few farmhouses would appear in the field of vision, and the barking of dogs could be heard in the distance.

When the young Taoist priest approached, the big yellow dogs squinted and wagged their tails again, clearly indicating that they were old friends with Chen Shi'an.

But when the black cat approached from a distance, the big yellow dogs immediately bared their teeth and barked wildly.

The black cat remained remarkably calm, even deliberately walking up to the big yellow dog in a provocative manner, letting the leash tighten and the dog bark all around, yet the dog's teeth couldn't touch it an inch.

"Stop being a jerk and get out of here."

"Meow."

As I passed the village entrance, I ran into Aunt Li from the west end of the village riding her electric tricycle to the town market to sell vegetables. The back of the tricycle was full of winter melons.

"Aunt Li."

"Hey, Shi'an! Where are you going?"

"Go to study in the city."

"……what?"

The peasant woman didn't quite understand, but that didn't stop her from being cheerful and enthusiastic. She said, "Want a ride? Auntie will take you to town to catch a bus!"

"No, Auntie, I'm afraid the winter melons in your truck will arrive in town before I do."

Chen Shi'an smiled and waved his hand to decline. The tricycle made noise everywhere except for the bell. The sideboard of the cargo bed was tied with wire. When Aunt Li twisted the throttle, the whole vehicle shook like it was having a seizure. The winter melon in the cargo bed was jumping around and looked like it was about to roll off and hit his feet. There was no room for anyone to sit.

In the end, Uncle Wang from the town clinic gave him a ride.

The white van snaked its way along the mountain road, and Chen Shi'an and the cat watched the trees rushing past the window.

"How are things? You're not used to riding in a car, so you don't get carsick, right?"

"It's alright, thank you, Uncle Wang."

"Hey, it's just a side trip! Shi'an, how long will it take you to get back from your trip down the mountain?"

"Who knows? Let's get into university first, and then we'll see what happens next. By the way, Uncle Wang, my master borrowed a lot of medicinal herbs from you before. Don't worry, I'll pay you back for him later."

"No, no! Your master prayed for my son and helped my mother with her funeral arrangements. He refused to accept any money, only asking for a bottle of glucose. How could I possibly charge you for my meager medicinal herbs!"

Chen Shi'an had anticipated this answer. It seemed that the amicable atmosphere among the creditors at the funeral that day was genuine; his master had probably already paid off all the debts he owed through his abilities.

"One thing at a time, Uncle Wang!"

"Hey, you're just like your master..."

Having gotten a ride, which saved Chen Shi'an a lot of trouble, Uncle Wang drove him to town and took him directly to the station.

"Shi'an, I'll leave you here. First, we'll go to the county town, then transfer to the city bus station. I'm not entirely sure how to get to the school, but that shouldn't be too difficult for you young people."

"Don't worry, Uncle Wang, I know."

"And take this bottle of glucose; drink it on the way."

"No need, Uncle, I brought water."

"Take it, take it! Taoist priest, drinking glucose will make your magic power last longer!"

"..."

(End of this chapter)