Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Before he could finish reading the letter, Cheng Dong's nose started to sting, and he couldn't hold back his tears.

If his brother and sister-in-law had scolded him in the letter, Cheng Dong might have felt better. But his sister-in-law didn't mention anything about what he had done and only expressed concern from beginning to end, which made him feel even more guilty.

After putting away the envelope, Cheng Dong punched his chest twice, still seemingly unsatisfied. Just as he was about to slap himself in the face, he heard Master Ding's voice behind him:

"Hey, you're crying and self-harming again. What's wrong? We sent you this huge package from home, and you're still not satisfied?"

At this moment, Cheng Dong was in no mood to explain anything to the other party. He wanted to send Master Ding away, but the other party clung to him like a leech, insisting on telling him all sorts of nonsense.

"At least you have family writing to you. Look at me, I'm all alone now. Not to mention here, even if I went back to my hometown, there's no one I can talk to..."

Seeing that the other party was going on and on, Cheng Dong raised an eyebrow and said, "Stop playing the victim here. If you really want to help me, teach me that acupressure technique. What do you say?"

"Kung Fu techniques are all external; the most important thing for a person is to 'cultivate Qi and comprehend the Dao.' Without comprehension, there is no understanding; once you comprehend, you understand everything. All things in the world, like the stars in the sky, have their own laws of motion. As the saying goes, the Dao follows nature, and Yin and Yang complement each other..."

Seeing that Master Ding was starting to ramble on again, Cheng Dong's head was buzzing. He waved his hand and retorted, "Oh, since you talk so much, how did you end up in jail?"

Upon hearing this, Master Ding explained without changing his expression, "Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise, and a blessing may be a misfortune in disguise; this is what is meant by the way of Yin and Yang..."

Master Ding evaded the real issue and steered the conversation back to the point, making Cheng Dong feel nauseous. He rolled his eyes at him and said, "Stop! Stop! I spent a few years in Songshan, and I've seen plenty of fake monks and Taoist priests there. You're going to say those same old 'turn misfortune into good fortune, disaster into auspiciousness, and adversity into prosperity' stuff. I'm sick of hearing it. Can't you come up with something new?"

"You're a smart kid, quick-witted and have a sharp mind, but you're lacking in wisdom. Fine, to give you some pointers and help you out, I'll make an exception and tell you about some of my experiences today."

As soon as he finished speaking, the exercise bell rang. At this moment, Master Ding pulled Cheng Dong to the wind field. Of course, he was going to talk about his past "glorious deeds." As for Cheng Dong, he thought he had nothing better to do, so he squatted down to the side and listened to the other man's rambling.

Before the reform and opening up, Ding Manqing was just a barefoot village doctor. Later, a formal medical clinic opened in the village, and no one bought his folk remedies and plasters anymore. In order to make a living, he tried to apply for a medical license, but because he offended the village secretary, he failed to get the license, and his family's small pharmacy was shut down by the authorities.

With his reputation ruined, how could Ding Manqing still live in the village? After much thought, he decided to go to another place to make a living. But just before he was about to run away, Ding Manqing accidentally discovered a hidden compartment in the closet of the old house. He was both surprised and delighted and immediately took out several ancient Taoist books treasured by his ancestors.

Ding Manqing had always been fond of the art of cultivating Yin and Yang, and now that he had obtained the cultivation manual, he plunged headlong into the path of immortality and cultivation. After several months of "seclusion," he had memorized several books perfectly, but his cultivation level had not improved by even a fraction!

Throughout the entire process, Ding Manqing never doubted the authenticity of the ancient book. He attributed his failure to his incorrect cultivation method. Perhaps inspired by a certain chapter of the ancient book, he resolutely chose to travel the world in hopes of mastering the technique.

From then on, the Shuangling area lost a local doctor, but the martial arts world gained a Taoist priest with his hair tied up, wearing a blue robe and carrying a yellow cloth bag. However, the blue-robed Taoist priest's mount was quite unusual, neither a donkey nor a horse, but a completely black "28-inch" motorcycle.

Having wasted most of his life, Ding Manqing remained single until two months ago when he arrived at Zhongnan Mountain, a sacred site of Taoism. That day, he went to the summit with a sincere heart to seek enlightenment, but upon reaching the entrance of the Taoist temple, he was stopped by a young Taoist boy. The boy asked him for a ticket, which he refused. The boy then tried to sell him the "Tao Te Ching," which he also refused. Enraged, the boy humiliated him and kicked him out of the temple.

At his wits' end, Ding Manqing wandered into a nearby village, where he happened to see an elderly man who had fainted on the ground. Ding Manqing went over, pinched his philtrum, and applied acupuncture, but the old man was already exhausted and died instantly.

The old man's son rushed over upon hearing the news, first beating Ding Manqing severely, then demanding compensation. Ding Manqing, whose pockets were practically empty, refused to pay, and was subsequently taken to the police station by the other party...

All of the above are Master Ding's true circumstances. As for how he told Cheng Dong, that's probably another version. He most likely portrayed himself as a highly accomplished Taoist master who helped people in need. That's not surprising; people always want to beautify themselves.

"According to you, the old man's death had nothing to do with you. His son should be thanking you, so why did he report you to the police station?" Clearly, Master Ding's explanation had not fooled Cheng Dong. Since he had noticed the flaw, he immediately pointed it out.

"The old man's lifespan is coming to an end. If I forcibly prolong his life, it will be a loss, a loss!" Perhaps stumped by the question, Master Ding uttered some nonsensical words that no one could understand.

Cheng Dong was very clever. Seeing that Master Ding didn't want to dwell on the matter, he simply changed the subject, "Master, where are your ancient books? You made them sound so mysterious, I'd like to learn from them..."

"Haha! I burned the original manuscript long ago. As for the contents of the book, I have already mastered them and memorized them." Master Ding pointed to his head and said smugly.

"So after all that talk, there's no way to prove it!" Cheng Dong said with a cold snort.

"Don't underestimate me, kid. You'll gradually find out how powerful I am..."

Hearing the other party trying to flatter him again, Cheng Dong snorted coldly. Just as he was about to say something, Master Ding preempted him. Master Ding opened his left hand and then used his right index finger to write on his palm, "Lao Cheng Dong, oh, eighteen strokes. This even number is Yin. Hmm... you have a twin brother, right?"

Cheng Dong had never liked fortune-telling or divination, and now that he heard the other party had made a mistake, he sneered and said sarcastically, "You old rascal, you're just playing tricks! Let me tell you, I don't have a younger brother, I only have an older brother!"

"Hmm, that's right. Your brother's name has one more stroke than yours, so it should be nineteen strokes. His name is Lao Chengxi, right?" Master Ding said, squinting at Cheng Dong.

Cheng Dong was taken aback for a moment, and was about to ask something when Master Ding put his index finger to his lips, signaling him not to interrupt. "East, west, south, and north, east is the eldest, and you are the second oldest, yet your name contains the character 'Dong' (East). Could you tell me who gave you that name?"

"Oh my! I didn't expect you to guess my brother's name correctly!" Cheng Dong laughed and began to tell the other person about the origin of their names. "Our names were given to us by our second uncle from the neighboring village. Originally, I should have been called Lao Chengxi. That year, when the village was filling out the household registration, the accountant wrote my brother's and my names backwards. My mother thought it was too much trouble to change the household registration, so she never did. Later, when I went on a long trip, people called me by my ID card, so I switched my names with my brother's..."

After Cheng Dong explained the whole story, Master Ding stroked his chin thoughtfully. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, and he burst into laughter. "Good fortune and misfortune are all in those two words, 'things.' Change your name, and your fate changes too. This truly is the workings of Yin and Yang!"

"Oh! So, according to you, my brother and I have to change our names back?"

Seeing Cheng Dong's words, Master Ding waved his hand and said, "Absolutely not! What is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force. A person's fate is a gamble; how can you change it just like that? I advise you to let nature take its course..."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Dong's face showed a strange expression. He wanted to say something, but Master Ding had already slipped away from the wind field. When he returned, he had a thread-bound book called "Qigong Secrets" in his hand.

"Why practice Qigong? Because only by practicing Qi can one nourish one's destiny, and with good fortune, one can defy fate and change one's destiny. Furthermore, there is a connection between the celestial bodies and the human body. By infusing Qigong into the body, one achieves unity with the universe, and ultimately, one can attain the Great Dao..."

Seeing that the time was ripe, Master Ding began to brainwash Cheng Dong. He went on and on, trying to extract some benefits from him, just like the Taoist boy in Zhongnan Mountain who sold the Tao Te Ching.

"After all this talk, you just want me to buy your book! So, how much?" Cheng Dong wasn't the kind of person who was brainless; he immediately saw through Master Ding's scheme.

"Talking about money is vulgar. If you're willing, you can become my disciple. Once you've entered the gate, you'll naturally learn those techniques of grappling and acupressure. However..." Master Ding squinted, pinched his chin, and then stopped talking.

"But what?"

"There must be a ceremony for becoming a disciple. Just kowtow to me three times and give me two winter coats." With all the groundwork laid, Master Ding finally revealed his true intentions.

Having been in the underworld for so long, Cheng Dong was well aware of this kind of swindling. He suddenly stood up, flicked the other person on the head, and then ran back to his cell.

"I'm not giving you a formal apprenticeship gift! Here's a 'snap' on your head for you! Hahaha!"

Master Ding hadn't expected to be tricked by his fellow villager. He scratched his head, his eyes darting around, and shouted at the retreating figure in the distance, "Hey, hey, hey, you don't have to kowtow! At least share some of the food your family sent you with me..."