Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Cheng Mo slowly put the bank card away and tucked it into the inner pocket of his Taoist robe.

After cleaning up the dishes and wiping the stove, he stood at the kitchen door, gazing at the familiar courtyard, the old main hall, and the crooked old pine tree, and sighed deeply.

Sighing, Cheng Mo first strolled towards the poultry shed on the back mountain.

Before we even got close, the area inside the fence became lively.

The speckled chickens led the hens to the pen, clucking and swarming, while the big white geese stretched their necks and honked loudly. The ducks huddled together, quacking and squawking. In an instant, the poultry house was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of people begging for food.

These creatures usually forage for themselves all over the mountains, but when the young Taoist priest is in a good mood, he often gives them extra food, perhaps a few tender wild vegetable tips or a few ripe wild berries.

Cheng Mo looked at the pairs of beady eyes staring at him expectantly, and sighed again: "Stop looking at me. Master sent me down the mountain. I probably won't be back for many years. From now on, you'll have to find your own food. Don't just wait here like an idiot for me."

The chickens, ducks, and geese tilted their heads and waited for a while, but when they saw that Cheng Mo's hands were indeed empty, they immediately lost interest.

The speckled pheasant grunted twice, then turned and paced off to dig for insects; the white goose shook its head and strode towards the water trough; the mallards were even more decisive, quacking and scattering, flapping their wings as they went to the pond.

The fence, which was just packed with people a moment ago, was now empty except for Cheng Mo, who was squatting there all by himself.

Cheng Mo: "...Hey! You bunch of heartless brats! Who usually saves their rations to feed you? Huh? They even think about you when they have some wild fruit! And you're already leaving?"

His response was the hen's triumphant "cluck-cluck-cluck" after laying an egg, the goose's "ooh-ooh" as it played in the water, and the ducks' cheerful "quack-quack-quack" trio.

Cheng Mo was speechless and choked with emotion. He waved his fist at the air and turned away from the fishpond in a huff.

The fishpond is located in a depression beside the Taoist temple. It is fed by mountain spring water, which is crystal clear. The grass carp and common carp in it have been raised for many years and are all very plump.

Cheng Mo dug for earthworms and plucked tender grass in the damp area by the pond, and soon he had a small pile.

He squatted on the bluestone by the pond, scattering handfuls of fodder and wriggling earthworms into the water.

The calm water surface instantly boiled over!

Fish of all sizes swarmed in, vying for food, splashing and shimmering in the sunlight.

"Eat up, eat more," Cheng Mo said, looking at the scene with the kindness of an old father. "For the next few years, you won't be able to eat so luxuriously. Be careful how you grow, or the pond will be full of weeds when I come back."

"Woof woof~~"

The cheerful barking of dogs grew louder as they approached. The big yellow dog kept at the temple suddenly appeared from some mountain hollow, running happily to Cheng Mo's side, its wet nose nuzzling against his hand, its tail wagging like a propeller.

This big yellow dog is a descendant of a stray dog ​​that Cheng Mo picked up from the foot of the mountain a few years ago. It has a wild nature and often runs around the mountains. Sometimes it ventures deep into the mountains and doesn't even return to the Taoist temple at night, but it always manages to find food and knows the way home.

Cheng Mo hugged the dog's head tightly, rubbing its fluffy ears and cheeks vigorously: "Big Yellow! You have to be smart and take good care of Master. He's getting old. If anything happens to him, remember to run down the mountain to find him, understand?"

"Woof woof!" Big Yellow licked his palm, its tail still wagging happily.

Cheng Mo, holding the dog's head, looked around: "Where's Da Li? Didn't she come with you again?"

Dali is a lynx, and it's unclear which cat in the village and a wild cat it's crossed. It's much bigger than a regular house cat, almost as big as a big yellow dog.

"Woo~" Big Yellow made a low growl in its throat, grabbed Cheng Mo's trouser leg, and gently pulled it towards the Taoist temple.

"What? You want me to go back? Okay, okay, I'm leaving now." Cheng Mo patted the dog's head, stood up, took one last look at the gradually calming ripples in the fishpond, and followed Da Huang back.

As soon as you enter the Taoist temple courtyard, you see Cheng Shou sitting in his well-worn bamboo chair, with a dusty coarse cloth bag in his arms. At his feet, a chubby lynx is curled up in a ball, dozing off with its eyes half-closed.

Hearing footsteps, Cheng Shou didn't even lift his eyelids, and slowly said, "It's almost time. If we dawdle any longer, we'll have to walk in the dark to get down the mountain."

Cheng Mo pouted and walked closer: "...Master, you're really ruthless. You just kicked me out without giving me any time to adjust."

"Buffer my ass!" Cheng Shou finally lifted his eyelids, glanced at him, and casually tossed the cloth bag in his arms over. "Stop talking nonsense, grab your things, and get going."

Cheng Mo took the cloth bag, opened it, and saw a half-new indigo Taoist robe and a set of dark gray casual sportswear with the tags still on.

"Once you're down the mountain, buy yourself a few more changes of clothes," Cheng Shou said calmly. "Don't always flaunt your Taoist robes in public. Times have changed. To cultivate oneself in the world, one must first 'enter the world.'"

Cheng Mo picked up the Taoist robe and looked at it, then glanced at the casual clothes, muttering under his breath, "If you didn't want me to wear a Taoist robe, why did you bring one for me? It takes up space."

"What are you whispering about?" Cheng Shou's ears were sharp. "Why so many questions! Did you say goodbye to those hairy beasts on the back hill and the little fish in the pond? If you said goodbye, hurry up!"

"Master, don't forget to feed the fish on time after I leave. Don't feed them too much, once a day is enough," Cheng Mo said, holding the cloth bag in his arms.

"Keep an eye on those chickens, ducks, and geese on the back hill. If you're too lazy to deal with them, just pick some tasty wild fruit and throw it in, or have Big Yellow carry it over... Oh, and don't chop any firewood, use the induction cooker!"

"Also, I'll go down the mountain and talk to Uncle Li about giving him some money every month so he can bring you rice, flour, oil, and fresh vegetables every few days. You shouldn't always be eating pickled vegetables..."

"Alright, alright! Stop nagging like an old woman!" Cheng Shou waved his hand impatiently, interrupting his rambling.

"I'm way healthier than you! I survived all those gunfire back in the day, you think I'd starve to death on this mountain? Get lost! Just looking at you annoys me!"

Cheng Mo was speechless, clutching the cloth bag, and slowly moved towards the outside of the temple, looking back every few steps.

As he reached the door, he turned back and called out, "Master! I'm leaving! I'm really leaving!"

"Hurry up!" Cheng Shou simply raised his hand and waved it, as if shooing away flies.

Cheng Mo finally turned around and stepped onto the path leading down the mountain. His figure was gradually obscured by the trees and disappeared at the end of the winding mountain road.

In the courtyard of the Taoist temple, only the sound of pine trees rustling, birds chirping, and the occasional barking of Big Yellow remained.

Cheng Shou remained seated in the old man's chair, motionless.

After a while, he reached out and picked up the lynx that was dozing at his feet, stroking its smooth fur.

Tears streamed down his face and landed on the cat's back.

"Tell me about this brat..." Cheng Shou's voice was hoarse and choked with emotion, "I raised him for eighteen years, caring for him every little thing... and he just left without even looking back... I raised him for nothing, what an ingrate..."

The big raccoon raised its head, looked at the old Taoist's tear-streaked face with its cat eyes, then looked in the direction of the mountain path, its face full of speechlessness, let out a soft "purr" in its throat, and then buried its head back down.

The big yellow dog happily circled the old man's chair, its fluffy tail wagging like a windmill. Every now and then, it would push the chair leg with its head and make a low "woof" sound, and occasionally it would look up at its owner and bark twice.

……

The mountain path leading down from the mountainside where Liangyi Temple is located to the village at the foot of the mountain is rugged.

Backpackers unfamiliar with the terrain will need at least two hours; even the able-bodied villagers at the foot of the mountain, who walk faster, will need an hour and a half.

Cheng Mo, on the other hand, could go up and down the mountain as easily as walking on flat ground, and a round trip would take less than an hour.

But today, he walked particularly slowly, his gaze lingering on every familiar tree by the roadside, every distinctive rock, and every angle from which the eaves of the Taoist temple could be seen.

It's as if I want to etch the mountain breeze, the sound of the pines, the birdsong, and every inch of scenery that has been steeped in eighteen years into my mind.

No matter how reluctant or slow the pace, the outline of the village at the foot of the mountain finally became clear before my eyes.

Suddenly, a realization dawned on Cheng Mo: entering the world wasn't just about getting involved in mundane life, but also about the unease and uncertainty of being away from home.

Old man, I think I understand now.

The guard dogs of several households at the entrance of the village were the first to spot Cheng Mo, and they started barking in unison.

But as Cheng Mo approached, the mongrel dogs, yellow dogs, and black dogs immediately recognized the young Taoist priest. Their barks turned into friendly whimpers, and their tails wagged happily. Some of the puppies, who had just been weaned, even rolled around and tried to lick the hem of his Taoist robe.

"Go away, go play somewhere else." Cheng Mo smiled and pushed the overly enthusiastic puppy away.

Villagers gradually opened their courtyard gates to peek out, and upon seeing Cheng Mo, they all greeted him with smiles.

"Hey, young Taoist Master Cheng, you're coming down the mountain?"

"Mowa, running errands for your master again?"

"Is Master Cheng still in good health?"

Cheng Mo responded with a smile:

"I'm going down the mountain to take care of some business." "Master is doing well, eating and sleeping well."

"Aunt Zhang, the melons in your vegetable garden are growing really well this year!"

Without stopping, he walked straight to the courtyard of a house with blue bricks and gray tiles at the east end of the village. The courtyard was clean and tidy, and a shiny tricycle was parked at the door.

"Uncle Li! Are you there?" Cheng Mo called out.

Uncle Li's real name is Li Shoucheng, the same "Little Li" that Master Cheng Shou mentioned.

Their family is considered an old household in the village. Since the generation of Master Cheng Mo, they have had dealings with the Liangyi Temple on the mountain.

The poultry and fish fry that were initially brought up the mountain behind the Taoist temple were mostly arranged by Old Li's family.

By the time of Li Shoucheng's generation, the relationship remained close. Li Shoucheng often went to town to sell the vegetables and mountain products he grew himself, and on the way, he would also bring along the eggs, duck eggs, and goose eggs he had collected at the Taoist temple to sell together, earning some money, which was a stable source of income as a gofer.

The courtyard gate creaked open, and a middle-aged man with a stocky build, ruddy complexion, and around fifty years old came out carrying a half-full bamboo basket. It was Li Shoucheng.

The basket contained some fresh green vegetables and potatoes still covered in mud.

Upon seeing Cheng Mo, his face immediately lit up with a smile: "Young Daoist Cheng! I was just heading out to the market. Are you also going to town?"

Cheng Mo nodded: "My master asked me to replace the TV dish, saying that there are fewer channels now and the snow is so heavy that it's hard to see people."

Li Shoucheng put the basket on his shoulder into the tricycle and said with a smile, "That's perfect! It's market day in town today, there's bound to be vendors selling these. After I sell these vegetables, I can buy some snacks for my little one. Shall we go together?"

"Okay, thank you, Uncle Li," Cheng Mo replied.

"No trouble at all, it's on my way," Li Shoucheng said, getting on his tricycle. "Get on."

Cheng Mo got into the back of the tricycle.

The tricycle drove along the dirt road in the village toward the highway leading to the outside world.

The verdant green of Zhongnan Mountain gradually stretched out behind us, forming a dark blue-green barrier, and the faint eaves of the Taoist temple on the mountaintop finally disappeared from sight completely.