Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

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Cheng Mo and Xia He followed the middle-aged man up the mountain.

After going around the playground and through a teaching building, a bluestone path appears ahead.

The road was narrow, just wide enough for two people to walk side by side. The trees on both sides were very tall, their branches and leaves completely blocking out the sky, with only a few rays of light leaking through the gaps in the leaves.

After walking for about ten minutes, the view suddenly opened up before me.

A large open space, paved with bluestone slabs, with moss growing in the cracks between the slabs.

Bamboo was planted around the open space, and the bamboo leaves rustled in the wind.

A number of people were already standing in the open space, chatting in twos and threes.

Cheng Mo glanced at them and saw about forty or fifty people dressed in various ways: some in Tang suits, some in casual clothes, some in monk robes, and a few dressed in brightly colored clothes, as if they came from some ethnic minority village.

Cheng Mo glanced at them and noticed that the Qi aura emanating from these people was quite strong.

The middle-aged man led Cheng Mo and Xia He to an open space, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Master Cheng, please make yourselves at home. If you need anything, you can come to me anytime."

After saying that, he stepped back.

Cheng Mo and Xia He stood at the edge of the square, watching the crowds coming and going.

Xia He whispered, "Little Taoist priest, do you know these people?"

Cheng Mo shook his head: "I don't know any of them."

Xia He laughed: "Then what do we do?"

Cheng Mo said, "If we don't know each other, let's get to know each other."

He pulled Xia He to a young man wearing a red traditional Chinese jacket. The man was in his early twenties, with a robust build, regular features, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. He was holding a teacup and talking to someone next to him.

Cheng Mo spoke up: "You're from the Fire Virtue Sect, right?"

The young man turned around and glanced at him: "Yes, who are you?"

"Liangyi Temple, Cheng Mo." Cheng Mo clasped his hands in a fist and palm salute. "What's your name?"

The young man put down his teacup, clasped his hands in return, and said, "I am Hong Bin, the disciple of Huodezong."

Cheng Mo's eyes lit up: "So you're Hong Bin, the Little Fire God? I've heard so much about you."

Hong Bin scratched his head and grinned, "Oh, Brother Cheng, you're too kind. I'm nothing but a little fire god. It's just my fellow disciples calling me that."

Cheng Mo looked him up and down, then said seriously, "But do you Fire Virtue Sect people who play with fire often burn yourselves?"

Hong Bin's smile froze.

Cheng Mo continued, "I've heard that the biggest fear in the fire-playing profession is getting burned. Have you ever set your clothes on fire while practicing? Have you ever burned off your eyebrows?"

Hong Bin's face began to darken.

Cheng Mo continued, "But you're so strong, you should be able to grow back even if you get a layer burnt, unlike those skinny guys, who just lose their skin once they're burned."

Xia He slapped Cheng Mo on the back: "Little Taoist! If you can't speak properly, then don't speak."

Cheng Mo turned to look at her, his face innocent: "I was just asking out of curiosity."

Xia He ignored him and turned to Hong Bin with a smile, apologizing, "Brother Hong, please don't mind him. He's just not good with words; he didn't mean it."

Hong Bin took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "It's okay, it's okay."

Cheng Mo patted Hong Bin on the shoulder: "By the way, doesn't your Huode Sect have a senior brother? I heard he's incredibly powerful, the one who's with Wang Zhenqiu..."

Hong Bin's face turned completely dark, and he turned and left.

Cheng Mo called out from behind, "Hey, don't go! I haven't finished talking yet!"

Hong Bin didn't turn his head and walked very fast.

Xia He patted Cheng Mo again: "Little Taoist! Why did you bring this up!"

Cheng Mo looked completely innocent: "I just remembered to ask."

Xia He rolled her eyes: "Your ability to bring up the most sensitive topics is getting better and better."

Her pretty face changed, and she adopted a gossipy look: "Although I'm also very curious about what happened between that senior brother and the blond guy~"

Cheng Mo chuckled twice and turned to look at a monk in a gray robe next to him.

The monk, in his early thirties, wore a string of prayer beads around his neck and listened quietly with his hands clasped together.

Cheng Mo walked over and asked, "Are you from the Tantric sect?"

The monk nodded: "This humble monk is Tashi Zhending, a follower of Tantric Buddhism."

Cheng Mo asked, "Does Tantric Buddhism involve chanting scriptures? How long do you chant each day?"

Tashi said, "It depends on the individual's practice; some chant for two hours, some for four hours."

Cheng Mo thought for a moment: "Do you ever fall asleep while chanting scriptures?"

Zaxi's lips twitched slightly: "...No."

"Then what's the point of you reciting it? Will it get you to heaven?"

Tashi took a deep breath: "Reciting scriptures is for cultivating the mind, not for ascending to heaven."

Cheng Mo said "Oh," and then added, "That's about the same as a regular monk chanting scriptures."

Tashi: "...This humble monk is just an ordinary monk."

Cheng Mo was taken aback: "Aren't you a follower of Tantric Buddhism?"

Tashi said, "Esoteric Buddhism also involves monks."

Cheng Mo said "Oh," and nodded thoughtfully: "Then what exactly is the difference between you Tantric monks and ordinary monks?"

Zaxi opened his mouth, unsure how to answer this seemingly simple yet convoluted question.

A middle-aged man in a blue cloth robe came to Tashi's rescue: "The Tantric school cultivates enlightenment in this very life, while the Exoteric school cultivates gradual enlightenment; their paths are different."

Cheng Mo turned to look at him.

The man was in his forties and carried a bamboo basket on his back. Several centipedes crawled out of the basket and peered around the edge.

Cheng Mo glanced at the centipedes and asked curiously, "Is this a technique from the Five Immortals Sect?"

Cheng Mo continued, "Do these centipedes crawl onto your bed when you're sleeping?"

Yang Wan said, "No, they have special cages."

"Will the cage be able to hold them? Centipedes can squeeze through cracks, right?"

Yang Wan's lips twitched: "...It can be locked up."

Cheng Mo chatted idly with the people in the room. Some of them knew he was Cheng Mo from the Liangyi Temple and took the initiative to greet him. After exchanging pleasantries, they dispersed.

Xia He leaned close to Cheng Mo's ear and whispered, "Little Taoist priest, you're quite popular."

Cheng Mo whispered back to her, "That's because they pinned the blame for Chen Jinkui's affair on me."

Xia He thought for a moment and nodded: "That's true. If you don't have any skills, who will pay attention to you?"

As the two were talking, a young man dressed in black approached, cupped his fists and said, "Master Cheng, I am Tang Wenlong. Several senior members of our sect invite you inside for a detailed discussion."

Cheng Mo nodded and pulled Xia He along.

Tang Wenlong glanced at Xia He, said nothing, and turned to lead the way.

The three of them crossed the open space and walked along a stone path. Osmanthus trees were planted on both sides of the path. They had not yet bloomed at this time of year, and their leaves were a bright green.

After walking for about five minutes and turning a few corners, an old building appeared ahead.

With its blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and two plaques hanging at the entrance, one reading "Meeting Hall" and the other "No Unauthorized Personnel Allowed".

Tang Wenlong pushed open the door and gestured for them to enter.

Cheng Mo and Xia He went inside.

The council chamber was quite large, with more than a dozen chairs, and several people were already seated.

Inside sat an old man with gray hair, deep wrinkles on his face, wearing a dark gray robe, and holding a cup of tea in his hand.

There were several other people sitting nearby, some old and some middle-aged.

Cheng Mo didn't recognize any of them.

However, that didn't stop him from greeting everyone with a smile: "Hello everyone, I'm Cheng Mo from Liangyi Temple, and this is my girlfriend, Xia He. Please take care of me."

Xia He nodded in agreement: "Hello everyone."

Tang Qiushan walked over with a smile and took Cheng Mo's hand: "Young Master Cheng, it's an honor to meet you. Please have a seat."

Cheng Mo was pulled to sit on a chair by him, and Xia He sat next to him.

Tang Qiushan pointed to the people present and introduced them one by one: "This is Zhang Wang, an elder of our Tang Clan. This is Tang Ming, in charge of training the disciples. This is…"

Those being introduced all stood up and bowed.

Cheng Mo clasped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Elder Zhang; greetings, Brother Tang Ming..."

Zhang Wang was a thin, old man with completely white hair, but his eyes were bright. He looked Cheng Mo up and down and asked, "Young Daoist Cheng, how is your master's health?"

Cheng Mo nodded: "He's fine, he can eat and sleep well, but he always loves watching melodramatic dramas."

Zhang Wang's lips twitched: "...He still watches that?"

"They watch it every day and still say the screenwriter's skills are lacking, that it didn't fully portray the family relationships."

Zhang Wang coughed twice, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.