Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Zhongnan Mountain, Liangyi Temple.

Cheng Shou was holding a lynx and a big yellow dog squatting at his feet, intently staring at the old TV with a new dishhead.

The screen is showing the classic TVB drama "Heart of Greed," in which a family is arguing fiercely over the inheritance. The elderly mother is sitting in a wheelchair, crying and wailing, while the sons confront each other, their faces red with anger.

"Look at this, look at this." Cheng Shou rubbed Da Li's cat head, full of emotion. "That's what you call filial piety. Filial piety breeds strength. To get a bigger share of the family fortune, he was willing to drive his own mother to the hospital and turn his brothers against each other. What incredible filial piety that must be!"

The big fox squinted its eyes and made a "gurgling" sound in its throat, it was hard to tell whether it was agreeing or just being perfunctory.

The big yellow dog was very supportive, barking twice and wagging its tail enthusiastically.

As the episode ended, the ending theme song began to play.

Cheng Shou swayed as he got up and put the big raccoon on the bamboo chair: "Let's go get some wild fruit. Don't wait for that brat to come back and complain that I didn't take good care of those beasts in the back mountain."

"Woof!"

The big yellow dog happily followed, circled around Cheng Shou's feet twice, and then rushed out of the courtyard gate first.

The lynx shook its fur, lazily stretched, and then lightly leaped onto the windowsill. From there, it flipped onto the roof, and after a few quick steps on the tiles, it jumped into the pine branches outside the yard.

It glided lightly among the tree canopies, following the old Taoist priest at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Cheng Shou walked slowly towards the back mountain with his hands behind his back, humming an off-key Qinqiang opera tune: "My lord... has broken through Youzhou City..."

The sound echoed through the mountains, startling several forest birds.

……

A section of rural road within the territory of Qinchuan County.

This rural road has been in disrepair for many years, and its surface is full of potholes.

Cheng Mo and Xia He walked side by side. The setting sun cast long shadows of the two of them.

Xia He walked briskly, glancing at the flocks of birds flying across the sky to her left, then at the swaying shadows of the trees in the forest to her right, her eyes full of curiosity: "Little Taoist, do you think there are any wild animals in the forest? Wild boars? Wolves? Or bears?"

Cheng Mo kept his eyes straight ahead: "There are pheasants and rabbits, and occasionally wild boars, but wolves and bears have been rarely seen in recent years."

"So, are we going to spend the night here?" Xia He's eyes lit up. "If any wild animals come, you'll protect me, right?"

"There's a village just ahead," Cheng Mo said, pointing to the faint smoke rising from chimneys in the distance. "We'll rent a room from a local tonight, and the wild animals won't be able to find you."

Xia He pouted, "Living in a house is so boring. Let's find an open space, build a fire, and sleep around it. Wouldn't that be wonderful? Listening to the insects chirping, looking at the stars, and smelling the fragrance of grass and trees..."

"Fire is prohibited in the mountains." Cheng Mo interrupted her reverie. "You'll get reported, and then the forest police will come and invite you for tea."

Xia He: "...Little Taoist priest, you're so annoying!"

Just then, a series of loud crashes came from behind.

The two turned around and saw a dilapidated freight van bumping along the potholed country road. Every time the van went over a pothole, it made a tooth-grinding metallic clanging sound, and the van swayed from side to side.

Strangely, despite the loud noise, the car didn't struggle at all and stubbornly continued to move forward.

Cheng Mo pulled Xia He to stand aside.

Xia He stared wide-eyed at the car: "You can drive in this kind of place? That's amazing."

Cheng Mo silently gave the driver a thumbs up. He'd driven on similar dirt roads in his past life, and ended up wrecking the chassis, breaking down on the spot. He'd eventually had to find a small excavator to get the car moving…

The bread cart screeched to a halt in front of the two of them.

The driver rolled down the window, revealing a middle-aged man in his forties with dark skin and an anxious expression: "Taoist priest! Why haven't you entered the village yet? The appointed time is almost over, hurry up and get in!"

Cheng Mo was taken aback, realizing the other party had misunderstood, and was about to explain—

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!" Xia He interjected, apologetic smile plastered on her face. "We were on our way to the village to perform a ritual, but our car broke down on the way, and we were really worried. Thank you so much, brother!"

When the driver saw Xia He's pretty face, he blushed and stammered, "Um...you guys get on first, I'll give you a ride."

Cheng Mo glared at Xia He and lowered his voice: "Don't use your superpowers on ordinary people."

Xia He tossed her long pink hair, looking completely innocent: "I didn't use any superpowers, I'm just naturally beautiful~"

Cheng Mo: "..."

The two still got into the car.

There were some sacks and tools piled up in the back row. The two squeezed into the front row, with Xia He sitting by the window and Cheng Mo in the middle.

The car restarted and continued to bump along the potholed road.

The driver glanced at the two of them in the rearview mirror a few times, chatting casually: "Where did your car break down? Where are your ritual implements? How can you perform a ceremony without them?"

Xia He quickly answered, "The two of us were riding a tricycle, and the tire came off. There were accomplices ahead of us, and they were driving a car with weapons. They've probably arrived already."

Cheng Mo: "..."

With Cheng Mo standing between them, the driver, no longer facing Xia He directly, seemed to have returned to normal and asked with a puzzled look, "Little girl, are you also a Taoist priest?"

Xia He: "No, I was just helping out."

The driver suddenly realized: "Oh, you're here to mourn? A pretty young girl like you mourning is really touching, the family will definitely be satisfied."

This time, Xia He was speechless: "..."

Cheng Mo: "Hehehe."

Xia He patted him on the shoulder and whispered in his ear, "What are you laughing at? We'll make you perform a ritual later, then we'll see what you do."

Cheng Mo said calmly, "I never said I was here to perform a ritual."

The driver, with his sharp ears, overheard: "Weren't you here to perform a ritual?"

Xia He answered again, "Of course! He's just shy. He's too young and he's not comfortable with this kind of thing. He's afraid he won't do it well."

The driver suddenly realized, "Oh, that's how it is when you first come out. You'll get used to it after a few more times. Let me tell you, Master Wang is the most famous person for miles around. If you learn from him, you'll definitely broaden your horizons."

Cheng Mo: "...Thank you."

The car bumped along for another ten minutes or so before turning onto a narrower dirt road, where the outline of a village came into view.

A large crowd had gathered at the village entrance, and the sounds of mourning music and weeping could be faintly heard.

The driver parked the car outside a house and jumped out, exclaiming, "We're here! Hurry up, they've already started!"

Cheng Mo and Xia He got off the bus.

A mourning tent was set up in the courtyard, wreaths were placed there, people came and went, and the air was filled with the smell of incense and paper money.

A middle-aged man dressed in mourning clothes saw the driver and hurried over: "Li Laosan, you're finally back! Did you buy all the incense, candles, and paper money?"

"Everyone's here!" The driver unloaded several large bags from the car. "We also gave two Taoist priests a ride; they said the car broke down."

The man in mourning clothes looked at Cheng Mo and Xia He, paused for a moment, then warmly grasped Cheng Mo's hand: "Daoist Master, you've worked hard! You've worked hard! Old Daoist Wang was just asking why the helpers hadn't arrived yet. Please come in, please come in!"

Cheng Mo: "Um, actually we..."

Xia He nudged his waist from behind and whispered, "We're already here, it's mealtime, aren't we going to eat?"

Cheng Mo's lips twitched.

The man in mourning clothes was already pulling him into the courtyard: "Taoist priest, this way please. Take a rest and have some tea. After Master Wang finishes this ritual, it will be your turn."

Since he was already there, Cheng Mo decided to make the best of it and followed along.

Xia He suppressed a laugh and followed behind him.

Inside the mourning hall, an elderly Taoist priest with gray hair and beard held a peach wood sword, performing the Seven Star Steps while chanting incantations. He was surrounded by a circle of solemn-looking villagers.

Cheng Mo and Xia He were seated on a bench nearby, and someone brought them two cups of tea.

Xia He leaned close to Cheng Mo's ear, her warm breath tickling his ear: "Little Taoist priest, do you know how to perform rituals?"

Cheng Mo picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said expressionlessly, "No."

"So what do we do later?"

"Act according to the situation."

"How do we adapt to the situation?"

Cheng Mo glanced at her: "Aren't you good at wailing? You can cry later, and I'll chant sutras."

Xia He: "...I won't cry either!"

"Then why did you admit it so readily just now?"

"I was just trying to hitch a ride!"

As the two were whispering to each other, Old Wang, the Taoist priest in the mourning tent, finished his ritual and stopped. The man in mourning clothes quickly stepped forward, whispered a few more words, and glanced at Cheng Mo.

Old Master Wang nodded, but a look of doubt appeared on his face.

He gripped the peach wood sword, strode up to Cheng Mo, sized him up, and asked in a low voice, "Who are you? Where is Xiao Sun?"

Cheng Mo stood up and bowed respectfully: "Daoist, you misunderstand. We were just passing through and hitched a ride with that man. He mistook us for your helpers."

Old Master Wang's brows furrowed deeply: "That young Sun! He promised to arrive before 3 PM, and it's almost dark and he's still nowhere to be seen! I can't get through on the phone either, really..."

He paused, then looked Cheng Mo up and down more carefully: "I see you're wearing a Taoist robe, are you a proper Taoist priest?"

Cheng Mo nodded: "I'm a disciple of the Liangyi Temple on Zhongnan Mountain. Do I need to show you my Taoist certificate?"