The Demonic Taoist Priest Emerges from the Mountain

Ning Jinrou looked at me.

"Aren't you waiting for your father to come back?"

she asked curiously.

I nodded and smiled: "There's still a long way to go. Solving the problems in Liuweng Village is the most important thing right now. Besides, we're just going out for a stroll, it won't take much time."

Upon hearing what I said, Ning Jinrou stood up.

She has a decisive and efficient personality.

The two of us walked out of the house together.

I ran right into my dad, who was walking back home.

"Children, where are you going?"

My father looked at Ning Jinrou and me with a puzzled expression and asked.

"Oh, we want to get familiar with the surroundings and enjoy the scenery. The mountains and rivers here are beautiful, and the air is fresh."

I responded to my dad with a smile.

My father didn't suspect anything.

He came up and patted me on the shoulder, saying, "Remember to come back early. If you don't know the way, just grab any passerby and say you're my son, and they'll bring you back."

My dad gave a simple, honest laugh.

I nodded, feeling a warm feeling in my heart.

Having a village chief as a father is pretty cool.

However, Ning Jinrou frowned.

I once told Ning Jinrou about my father.

So she also knew that my father hadn't been doing very well all these years.

But why has his/her identity changed like this?

She couldn't figure it out.

Actually, I don't understand it either.

She and I walked along the path leading to my house.

I wasn't wandering aimlessly along the way.

Based on my memories from the dream, I followed the path to the threshing ground where Master Qin once held his ritual.

But as soon as I arrived at this place, my eyes immediately squinted.

The threshing ground I remembered has completely changed.

A temple was built on what was originally a large open space.

This temple looks quite old.

With its yellow tiles and red paint, it stands out incongruously among the stone houses.

"What's wrong?"

Seeing the change in my expression, Ning Jinrou asked in confusion.

"I don't remember this temple."

"I don't intend to hide it from Ning Jinrou," I said, pointing to the temple.

Ning Jinrou smiled.

"You've been gone for over ten years, it's normal for things to change a bit."

she said.

I nodded, not paying too much attention.

Seeing that the side gate of the temple was open, they suggested, "Why don't we go in and take a look?"

Ning Jinrou paused for a moment.

"We are practitioners of Taoism, this is a Buddhist temple, is this appropriate?"

I scratched my head.

In our time, religious beliefs were very strict.

I don't know where these rules came from.

Taoist priests are not allowed to enter Buddhist temples, and monks are not allowed to enter Taoist temples. Oh, and for a few foreign religions, the rules are even stricter.

"You know you're a Taoist practitioner, so why are you acting like a secular person? All religions in the world are one family; there aren't so many rules."

I chuckled and tapped Ning Jinrou on the forehead.

After spending some time together, my relationship with Ning Jinrou has improved significantly, and no one takes such intimate gestures to heart anymore.

Ning Jinrou pouted, gave me a disgruntled look, waved her fist, and said in a cute but fierce tone, "Believe it or not, I'll beat you up!"

Upon hearing this, I shrank my neck sharply.

I really can't beat Ning Jinrou right now.

Amidst laughter and playful banter, we both stepped into the temple.

As soon as we entered, we saw a large release pond.

Fish and turtles swam contentedly in the pond.

Facing the main entrance of the temple is a statue of Maitreya Buddha in front of the release pond, flanked by the Four Heavenly Kings.

Behind the release pond is the well-known Mahavira Hall.

In front of the main hall, there is a large incense burner.

The incense burner was filled with burning incense.

Even though we've just entered through the side gate, we can already smell the strong aroma of incense.

Two candle holders were placed on either side of the incense burner.

Strangely, the incense burner was blazing with incense, but there wasn't a single lit candle in the candle holder.

I made a mental note of it, and then walked into the temple with Ning Jinrou.

As I turned the corner, I suddenly saw a monk sweeping fallen leaves on the ground with a broom.

This monk was strange; his eyes were covered with a black cloth strip about two fingers wide.

It seemed to sense that someone was coming.

The monk stopped what he was doing.

He made a Buddhist gesture of respect to us with one hand.

"Amitabha Buddha, what brings you two benefactors here?"

The monk inquired.

Ning Jinrou and I exchanged a glance after hearing this.

The monk spoke in a very strange way.

When ordinary people come to the temple, the monks are usually very polite.

But this monk was quite something; the first thing he did was ask us what we were doing here.

"Just looking."

I responded.

The monk smiled.

"This temple I guard is too small to accommodate you two fellow Daoists."

After he finished speaking, he made a gesture of invitation.

This clearly means they've given you the boot.

Ning Jinrou, who was standing to the side, immediately frowned.

I stopped myself from speaking.

"We have disturbed the monk's practice. Since we are not welcome, we will leave."

After saying that, I pulled Ning Jinrou away from the temple.

Behind him, the monk stopped sweeping.

Even with her blindfolded eyes, she seemed to be able to see, watching Ning Jinrou and me leave.

After leaving the temple.

Ning Jinrou's face was as cold as ice.

She said somewhat angrily, "Who are these people? They won't even let me look!"

Then she looked at me.

"So this is what you mean by 'all religions are one family'? You treat them as one family, but how do they treat you?"

"You've been put through this wringer since you came in, and you really put up with it? If you hadn't stopped him, I would have given him a few lightning talismans and taught him a lesson in respect!"

Seeing Ning Jinrou's angry expression, I suddenly burst out laughing.

Why are you so angry?

I asked jokingly.

Ning Jinrou rolled her eyes at me.

How can I not be angry?

She asked me a question in return.

I touched my chin and hummed in agreement.

"I'm really angry. How about we burn this temple down?"

I looked at Ning Jinrou.

Unexpectedly, Ning Jinrou's eyes lit up immediately.

"OK!"

She was somewhat eager to try.

My lips twitched violently twice, and I tapped Ning Jinrou's forehead again.

"Hey grandma, did you only grow breasts and no brains? I said I'd burn them, and you just burned them like that!"

Ning Jinrou, rendered speechless by my tapping, grimaced at me and said, "If you tap my head again, I'll make sure you're childless!"

However, as soon as she said this, Ning Jinrou covered her mouth, her face turning red instantly.

I burst out laughing.

Then, I looked at the sky.

"Let's go back for lunch!"

Ning Jinrou was stunned for a moment.

"Is this how you just leave the matter of this temple?"

She followed behind me, pressing me for an answer.

"We can't just let it go like this."

This time, I wasn't joking.

From the moment I saw that monk, I already felt that something was wrong with this temple.

But now is not the time to take action. I need to get more information about this temple before I can decide what to do next!