Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 141 Walking Under the Moon

Before he finished speaking, Qi Yun's right hand shot out swiftly, his five fingers slightly spread, and gently pressed on Zhang Songnian's Baihui acupoint on the top of his head!
Zhang Songnian felt his whole body stiffen. Before he could react, a hot but not violent stream of energy had already entered his head from Qi Yun's palm and poured down into him!
The heat flow was like molten lava, yet it carried a strange vitality, instantly sweeping through the limbs and bones, cleansing every meridian.

The Yin-Yang cold energy that had lingered in his body for eighteen years, like a bone-deep ailment, melted and disintegrated like snow meeting boiling water in the face of this scorching torrent, turning into wisps of gray-black foul energy that were forced out of his body through his pores!

Intense sensations of soreness, numbness, pain, and itching came in alternating waves. Zhang Songnian trembled violently, drenched in sweat, but gritted his teeth and remained silent.

A few breaths later, the heat suddenly receded, and Qi Yun withdrew his palm and retreated.

Zhang Songnian suddenly felt a lightness throughout his body, as if a heavy burden had been lifted, and an indescribable feeling of comfort and ease flowed through his entire body.

The previously stagnant dantian spontaneously generated a weak yet pure true qi, which slowly circulated along the meridians, nourishing the qi and blood that had been deficient for many years.

His hair was still white, but the ashen look on his face had vanished, and his eyes had become much brighter.

"The evil spirits within you have been removed, and your chronic illness has been cured."

"Now that you have firmly established yourself in the realm of ordination and possess true qi, diligent cultivation in the future will naturally nourish your qi and blood, and prolong your life," Qi Yun said calmly.

Feeling the long-lost lightness and strength within his body, Zhang Songnian was so excited that he could hardly contain himself. He bowed again, his voice choked with emotion, "Thank you for your life-saving grace, Daoist Master!"
Song Nian…I will never forget him!

Qi Yun raised his hand in a gesture of support: "No need for formalities. In that case, let's get going."

The two immediately extinguished the campfire and, under the moonlight, headed north.

On the way, Qi Yun told them that their destination was Nanping Mountain in Yongzhou.

After a moment's thought, Zhang Songnian said, "I have been to Yongzhou several times when I was traveling in my early years."

Nanping Mountain is located in the southwest of Yongzhou. I am fairly familiar with the route and can guide the Taoist priest.

He paused slightly, his tone becoming somewhat solemn: "But Daoist Master, the situation in Yongzhou is not comparable to that in Liangzhou."

Last year, Yongzhou suffered from a severe drought for several months, with crops failing to survive. People were unable to pay their taxes, and countless villages were forced to flee into the mountains to become bandits.

The imperial court is currently at war with the Northern Chen dynasty and is unable to send troops to quell the rebellion, resulting in deserted roads, rampant banditry, and utter chaos there!

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun gazed at the deep night ahead, the moonlight outlining the cold, hard lines of his profile, and simply said, "It's alright."

The two figures gradually disappeared into the vast night.

Since last year, the Yongzhou region has been like an old man whose life force has been drained, completely collapsing.

The months-long drought had drained the land of its last moisture, leaving the fields cracked, the crops withered, and the wind that blew up not waves of wheat, but clouds of yellow dust that stung the face.

Along the official road, one could often see the corpses of the dead, their flesh withered and clinging to their bones, their eyes sunken, staring blankly at the gray, sunless sky.

The wild dogs and vultures had grown quite plump, and they weren't afraid of people from afar, only staring at them with their glowing green eyes and letting out low growls.

Sparse groups of refugees, like stalks of rice eaten by locusts in autumn, were scattered crookedly along the desolate official road.

Most of them were pale and thin, with numb eyes. Every step seemed to exhaust all their strength. They just moved forward instinctively, not knowing where they were going or why they had to keep going.

Wang Shuanzi and Li Ergou were two of these countless withered figures.

They were originally farmers from Dawangzhuang in the southwest corner of Yongzhou. The village had about a hundred people, but after fleeing famine, only the two of them remained, barely breathing. Driven by hunger, they ate tree bark and grass roots, even swallowing clay, which caused several of their fellow villagers to die from bloating.

What kept them from collapsing was the information leaked by a group of like-minded people passing by.

Further west, into the mountains, there's a place called "Qingwei Temple." The Taoist priests there are kind and righteous, willing to take in refugees, and supposedly... there's food there!

The word "food" was like the strongest anesthetic, temporarily numbing the gnawing hunger in their bodies, keeping them clinging to their last breath, and as they slowly made their way towards that faint hope in the west.

As the sun set, the sky quickly darkened, and a cold wind swept through, chilling one to the bone.

Ahead, by the roadside, the outline of a dilapidated building could be vaguely seen. On the crooked lintel, there seemed to have been a "temple" character, but it was now blurred and indistinct.

Most of the courtyard wall has collapsed, revealing the equally dilapidated main hall inside.

"Brother Shuanzi, shall we... shall we rest here tonight? I really... really can't walk anymore." Li Ergou's voice was hoarse and dry, like a broken bellows being pulled.

Wang Shuanzi licked his dry, bleeding lips, squinted at the dilapidated temple, where there seemed to be flickering firelight and moving figures.

He nodded and grunted in agreement.

The two supported each other, stumbling and trudging into the temple courtyard.

The situation inside the hall was slightly better than outside; at least there were still a few tiles overhead to provide some shade.

In the corner, several bonfires burned, and about twenty or thirty refugees huddled around them, all dressed in rags and pale-faced.

When they saw someone else come in, most of them just glanced up numbly, then lowered their heads again. No one spoke, and the atmosphere was deathly still.

Wang Shuanzi and Li Ergou found a corner against the wall and slid down against the cold stone wall.

Exhaustion and hunger overwhelmed them instantly, and Li Ergou almost immediately began to snore. Although it was snoring, it conveyed a sense of utter exhaustion.

Wang Shuanzi forced his eyelids open and looked around.

These people also seem to be heading towards the realm of subtlety.

But that look in his eyes... Wang Shuanzi felt a chill run down his spine for no reason. It wasn't just numbness; there seemed to be something else hidden deep inside, something that sent shivers down his spine.

He dared not think too deeply, tightened his tattered clothes, leaned closer to Li Ergou, and drifted off to sleep.

Wang Shuanzi was awakened by an extremely rich aroma of meat, though he didn't know how long he had slept.

The aroma was incredibly overpowering, penetrating his nostrils and shooting straight to the top of his head, completely waking up the dormant cravings in his stomach, causing them to writhe wildly and secrete a sour liquid that burned his throat and stomach.

He suddenly opened his eyes, greedily inhaling the air, and looked in the direction of the fragrance.

In the center of the main hall, a large, old iron pot had been set up at some point, with firewood burning brightly underneath. The pot was bubbling and boiling, and the thick, white meat broth was steaming. The irresistible aroma was coming from there!
The listless refugees of the daytime were now gathered around the pot, their eyes gleaming with an almost beastly green light as they stared intently at the rolling chunks of meat inside, swallowing their saliva incessantly.

Wang Shuanzi swallowed subconsciously, but only felt a dry and sore throat.

He suddenly felt an emptiness beside him, and when he touched the side next to him, his heart skipped a beat!
Li Ergou has disappeared!

(End of this chapter)