Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

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In the cave of Cheng Huihui in Changbai Mountain.

After finishing their meal, the mice diligently cleared away the dishes. Several large mice carried the bowls and plates to the kitchen, while others used their tails to wrap rags and wipe the table, moving very quickly.

Cheng Huihui was chatting away with great enthusiasm.

"Back in the day, your master was quite the troublemaker." Cheng Huihui took a sip of wine, his tail swaying, his eyes narrowing as he drifted into memories.

"Once when the two of us went to Beijing, we happened to run into Puyi, who was still in the palace. Your master somehow found out that there were several jars of fine wine in the palace, which were left over from the Kangxi era."

Cheng Mo became interested: "And then?"

"And then?" Cheng Huihui grinned. "Then I dug a hole, the two of us crawled in, and brought out thirteen jars of wine. That wine was really delicious. We drank it all night outside the city, and we almost couldn't get up the next day."

Xia He, who was listening intently, clung to Cheng Mo's arm and asked, "Was the palace not found out the wine was missing later?"

"So what if they find out?" Cheng Huihui flicked its tail. "Who would know we stole it? Besides, the Qing Dynasty was almost finished back then, who cared about a few jars of wine?"

Xia He nodded: "That's true."

Cheng Huihui took another sip of wine and continued, "There was another time when we had our eyes on Yuan Shikai's warehouse. I dug a hole in and carried out several boxes. When we opened them, hey, most of them were full of photos of Yuan Shikai."

Xia He burst out laughing.

Cheng Mo chuckled, "What's the use of that thing?"

Cheng Huihui's beard twitched: "Who says otherwise? Your master was so angry he was jumping up and down, saying that Yuan Shikai was too narcissistic, why did he keep so many of his own photos? Later we sold those photos as waste paper, and we got a few silver dollars."

Xia He laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

Cheng Huihui wagged its tail, a nostalgic smile on its face: "Back then we were young and dared to do anything. Thinking about it now, it's quite interesting."

Cheng Huihui paused for a moment, and a different kind of light flashed in Dou Dou's eyes: "Actually, your master and I stayed here for quite a long time back then. Your master met a girl here named Xiao Ying."

Cheng Mo was shocked: "Is that so? Why didn't Master mention this to me? Did my master's wife die in an accident?"

Cheng Huihui sighed: "Back then, the whole country was in chaos, and there was fighting everywhere. One day, in a county town, I saw a group of students marching. The girl leading them had two braids, was wearing a blue cotton jacket, and was shouting slogans until her voice was hoarse."

Cheng Huihui's gaze became distant.

"Xiaoying led a group of classmates to spread new ideas everywhere and called on everyone to rise up and resist. Your master's eyes widened the moment he saw her."

Xia He asked softly, "And then?"

"And then?" Cheng Huihui smiled. "Then your master acted like a fool, following people around every day. He followed them to marches, he followed them to hand out flyers, he stood guard at the door when they had meetings. Xiaoying asked him what he was doing, and he said: 'Protecting you all.'"

Cheng Mo and Xia He exchanged a glance, both seeing a smile in each other's eyes.

Cheng Huihui shook his beard: "Xiaoying is a courageous, idealistic, and hardworking girl. After graduating, she went to the countryside to run a night school, teaching farmers to read and write and spreading revolutionary ideas. Your master followed her, helping her move things, standing guard for her, and sometimes even helping her give lectures."

Cheng Mo asked curiously, "Master can also give lectures?"

"What's there to talk about? All he does is preach." Cheng Huihui pouted. "Once, Xiaoying asked him to talk to the farmers about something, and he went up and started talking about the Tao Te Ching, leaving them completely bewildered."

Cheng Mo couldn't imagine his master being such a hothead.

Cheng Huihui continued, "Later they got a red flag, and they were going to do something... I can't remember exactly. Anyway, it was a really big thing, and Xiaoying said it could change a lot of people's lives."

Cheng Mo thought of that group of people from back then, and of his master who was all alone, and still asked, "Was Master's wife... an accident?"

Cheng Huihui picked up her wine glass and took a big gulp.

After a long while, Cheng Huihui finally spoke: "Later, the Japanese devils came."

"That was in 1931, on the night of September 18th. The Japanese suddenly attacked. We didn't realize what had happened until the next day."

"At that time, we were in the countryside, not far from Fengtian. Xiaoying said she wanted to go to Fengtian to see what was going on. Your master didn't want her to go, but she insisted on going. We couldn't persuade her otherwise, so we went with her."

Cheng Huihui's voice lowered.

"Halfway there, a plane suddenly flew overhead. Before we could react, a shell fell down... Oh no."

Xia He grabbed Cheng Mo's hand.

Cheng Mo suddenly realized, "Wait a minute, weren't you all together?"

Cheng Huihui took another sip of wine, her eyes somewhat glazed over.

"I reacted quickly back then, made a hole, and the three of us crawled inside. Your master and I had protective techniques, so although we were blasted senseless, we managed to survive. But Xiaoying..."

He shook his head.

"She's just an ordinary girl, how could she handle that?"

Cheng Mo fell silent.

Xia He also fell silent.

After a moment, Cheng Mo sighed, "No wonder Master loves watching those melodramatic mother-in-law and daughter-in-law dramas. He's fantasizing about growing old together with his wife."

Cheng Huihui was taken aback: "What the heck?"

Xia He pinched Cheng Mo's soft waist hard: "Little Taoist, how can you tease your master like that!"

Cheng Mo spread his hands: "What else can I do? I can go back and tell the old man, 'Oh dear, decades have passed, why can't you let go? Why don't you find another companion?'"

Xia He: "..."

Cheng Huihui spat out a mouthful of wine: "Hahahaha! Good lad, you've got your master's style back in the day!"

Xia He looked completely bewildered: "???"

Cheng Huihui laughed so hard his beard trembled: "After we buried Xiaoying, Cheng Shou was indeed heartbroken and angry for a while. The next morning, he said to me: Let's go."

"I asked, 'Where are we going?' He said, 'To kill the Japanese devils.'"

Cheng Huihui took another big gulp of wine: "Your master was incredibly ruthless when he killed the Japanese devils. We took advantage of the Japanese advance, leaving their rear vulnerable, and blew up several of their railways and burned down several of their warehouses. Thinking about it now, it was so exciting."

"Later, the Japanese devils were able to clear the rear and called in a lot of ninjas and supernatural beings. We couldn't hold out any longer, so we retreated south. By then, your master had almost recovered, and that's when I learned that meditation could be practiced in this way."

Xia He asked curiously, "Quiet skill? What does killing Japanese soldiers have to do with quiet skill?"

Cheng Mo seemed to be deep in thought.

Cheng Huihui smiled and told Xia He, "Cheng Shou later told me that after Xiao Ying sacrificed herself, he would practice meditation whenever he had free time. Eventually, he could practice while eating, walking, sleeping, and even while killing Japanese soldiers."

Xia He looked at Cheng Mo: "Can it really be like that?"

Cheng Mo curled his lip: "He's just bragging. The old man loves to brag. He even told me that his body and spirit have merged into one, that he has achieved oneness with heaven and earth."

Cheng Huihui was silent for two seconds, then waved her paw: "That's definitely bragging. I've never met that kind of person in my life."

Cheng Mo glanced at him sideways: "That's because you haven't seen enough." He thought of Feng Baobao.

Cheng Huihui stuck out his tail: "Believe it or not, I'll beat you up!"

Xia He patted Cheng Mo on the shoulder.

Cheng Mo made a zipping motion over his mouth, but couldn't help adding, "I'll show you around next time."

Cheng Huihui ignored him and continued talking about Cheng Shou: "Anyway, Cheng Shou really achieved the perfection of mind cultivation back then. He could calm his mind whether walking, sitting, or lying down. He could kill people as if he were saving them, and he was not attached to appearances."

Cheng Mo: "...That sounds more like he's gone mad."