I am a wandering immortal in the mortal realm.

A man and an ox stood in the middle of the field, staring at each other silently, both looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

They seemed to harbor a deep-seated hatred for each other.

If it were just a pot of porridge, Shen Yuan wouldn't be so angry. But in the original owner's memories, he was actually indirectly killed by this fool.

The original owner's experiences were truly tragic.

He was originally a scholar, but because his tutor leaked the exam questions, he was unjustly implicated in the imperial examination fraud, lost his academic title, and could no longer participate in the imperial examinations.

Disheartened, he decided to become a monk, but because of his excellent literary talent, he caught the eye of the abbot and was recommended to go to Yuanjing to participate in the Taoist examination.

It should be noted that David has been in power for thirty years and has now had two emperors. Although the general direction is still to promote Taoism and suppress Buddhism, in reality, the control over Taoism has not been relaxed at all.

After all, the scene of 100,000 soldiers following Emperor Taizu in his uprising back then left a deep impression on the older generation.

With the establishment of the new dynasty, the status of Taoism rose accordingly. Today, it has long been designated as the state religion, existing alongside the nation.

Emperor Taizu conquered the world and had the magnanimity to accommodate the Daoist sect, but things changed with the new emperor.

After all, a new emperor brings a new court, and no one wants a behemoth capable of amassing 100,000 troops under their command.

Therefore, the first thing the new emperor did upon ascending the throne was to elevate the status of Buddhism and win over and suppress Taoism in the name of the Empress Dowager's devotion to Buddhism.

Then came the internal division within the Taoist community. The position of "National Preceptor" was created to lure them in, forcing the Zhengyi and Quanzhen sects into endless infighting, with neither side willing to submit to the other.

The Taoist sect wasn't stupid either; they naturally saw through the imperial court's scheme.

But just like Emperor Wu of Han's implementation of the Edict of Grace, it was a perfectly legitimate and open conspiracy, and they had no choice but to bite the bullet and get involved in the conflict.

It should be noted that even Confucius wanted to execute Shao Zhengmao, so the position of "National Preceptor" was no longer just an empty title, but an opportunity for one's own lineage to spread throughout the world.

This... is a struggle of the Dao, hence there is only advancement and no retreat!

Taking this opportunity, the imperial court seized all power to issue ordination certificates throughout the country, established the Daoist examination system, and strictly prohibited people from becoming monks or nuns without authorization.

Only by passing the Daoist examination can one receive the ordination certificate and talisman. Given the current literacy rate, this almost completely cuts off the source of disciples for Daoism, except for the lineage passed down through the master and disciple.

With the imperial examination system hanging in the balance, unless one truly loved cultivating Taoism, who would abandon the Four Books and Five Classics and prefer to study Taoist scriptures after becoming literate?

Where is the prestige of being a Taoist priest compared to being an official?

However, the Taoist sect was not entirely without the power to resist.

For example, the reform of the Taoist system, which prohibited those who had become monks from returning to secular life at will, improved the treatment of Taoists, and allowed those who excelled in the Taoist examinations to be appointed as abbots... These were all the results of the power struggle between the Taoist community and the imperial court.

Nowadays, the relationship between the imperial court and the Taoist sect is one of mutual exploitation and wariness, interspersed with countless open and covert struggles, far less intimate than when Emperor Taizu was in power.

The original owner was able to pass the imperial examination at the age of sixteen, which shows that he was a person of exceptional talent. Even though he switched to cultivation midway, his progress was still far beyond that of others.

Within a year, he was able to read the Taoist scriptures thoroughly. Three years later, he had a complete understanding of them, and his writings were eloquent and beautifully crafted.

Unfortunately, because he became a monk halfway through his life and had a background in the imperial examinations, he was viewed with suspicion by the Daoist community. At the same time, because he abandoned literature to pursue Daoism, he was disliked by the imperial court.

It was against this backdrop that he went to Yuanjing to participate in the Daoist examination.

Naturally, it became a victim of the conflict between the two families.

Even though he ranked first in the Dao examination, he was still banished to the long-abandoned Yiyuan Temple.

Furthermore, since he had no teacher and no sect to protect him, he couldn't even plead his case.

What's most disheartening is that, because he's not allowed to leave the monastic life without permission, he doesn't even have the right to refuse.

His path to officialdom through the imperial examinations was unsuccessful, and his future seemed bleak. In his despair, he gradually became self-destructive.

Once the will to die takes hold in one's heart, one's health deteriorates accordingly.

By the time they arrived at the temple carrying millet, they were already at their limit. Little did they know that the temple had been deserted for many years and had long been occupied by a takin.

The original body suddenly barged in, and the other party thought that its natural enemy had come. Without thinking, it rushed over and hit the first target.

And it was precisely this moment that sent the original owner of the body to his death, which led to Shen Yuan's transmigration.

……

"You killed someone and still dare to come back and steal food? You've got some nerve!"

Shen Yuan was not the original owner of this body. Although the other party had the title of "King of Murder in Qinling", he was not afraid at all.

If you ask what the benefits of transmigrating are, it's probably having inexhaustible energy, which makes him wonder if it's a natural talent or a perk for transmigrators.

Even when faced with such a behemoth, a strong urge to fight it lingered in my heart!

"Woof!"

"Woof!"

Upon hearing Shen Yuan speak, the takin also howled, its cries hoarse and mournful.

Thankfully it was broad daylight; if it were the middle of the night, people would probably think it was haunted.

After calling out, the takin stared at Shen Yuan with a silly look on its face.

The man and the ox seemed to be playing a game of "Red Light, Green Light," with the main theme being "If you call, I call too; if you don't move, I don't move either!"

"Ha, you clever copycat!" Shen Yuanqi laughed, taking off his Taoist robe and sneer, "Come on, keep learning! If you've got the guts, take off your hair too, and I'll kowtow to you!"

The takin was stunned as it looked at Shen Yuan's tall and strong body.

In my memory, shouldn't this Taoist priest be frail and look like he could die at any moment?

It ran away from the Taoist temple because it was afraid after it killed someone.

Later, I missed my old home and decided to come back for a visit.

Unexpectedly, upon looking at it, I found I had gotten a free can of rice porridge.

Having grown accustomed to eating tree fruits and wild grasses, the sudden taste of cooked food was incredibly comforting.

Of course, none of this could compare to the astonishment of the oxen at the Taoist priest's miraculous resurrection.

Looking at him now, the Taoist is actually so strong that he probably wouldn't die even if he were hit ten times.

Niu Niu finally understood. The Taoist was playing tricks on it, deliberately trying to take over its lair!

Niu Niu was furious, but there was one more thing to do before that.

"Woof!"

"Woof!"

Two more howls followed.

The Taoist priest said two words, and the dog barked twice. In its life, the ox was no less than a human!

Then, the takin stomped its front hooves, making two "thump-thump" sounds, and lowered its body, surprisingly nodding at Shen Yuan like a human.

This isn't just a greeting or a gesture of friendliness. Shen Yuan had seen it on Douyin; when a takin makes this gesture, it's an invitation to a duel.

"Heh, if you hadn't gored someone to death, I wouldn't have transmigrated here!" Shen Yuan spread his legs, slowly lowered his center of gravity, stared at the takin without moving for a moment, stretched out his hands in a dueling stance, and said coldly, "I had a bright future ahead of me, and you ruined it all. Now you even dare to steal my porridge. Giving you a beating wouldn't be unjust!"

Come on!

Shen Yuan let out a loud shout, then his vision went black, and he was uncontrollably sent flying backward for two zhang before crashing heavily to the ground.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!"

Shen Yuan clutched his ribs, spat out the mud in his mouth, groaned in pain for a long time, and then slowly sat up.

Just now, he almost had the illusion that what was hitting him wasn't a cow, but a speeding dump truck.

"Were all oxen this strong in ancient times?" Shen Yuan thought, grimacing.

Although my ribs were aching, I was surprised to discover a fact—this body was ridiculously strong!

Even with such a powerful attack, it couldn't break through the defenses. If we were back in modern times, wouldn't MMA be able to take it down with ease?

On the other side, the takin stared in Shen Yuan's direction, its hooves pawing restlessly, and it made strange noises.

Niu Niu has already used 40% of his strength, and he's still unharmed. This Taoist priest is indeed cunning; he's just trying to trick my family!

"Woof!"

With a strange howl, the takin charged again.

This time it was faster, more powerful, and even brought with it a faint whistling wind.

Shen Yuan wondered if he was seeing things; he actually thought the ox seemed a little bigger.

In the midst of the crisis, he didn't have time to think. Instead of retreating, he advanced, seized the opportunity, and with a leap, like a hurdler, landed steadily on the takin's back.

The takin was startled and immediately began to swing violently, trying to throw the person off its back.

Shen Yuan felt as if he had fallen into a giant centrifuge, his brains almost being flung out. But he held on tightly to the takin's horn, no matter how much it jostled him, he wouldn't let go.

The man and the ox began a new round of struggle, but neither could gain the upper hand.

Although their endurance was evenly matched, one side was drunk and full, while the other was starving. As time went on, the balance shifted, and Shen Yuan eventually fell into a disadvantageous position.

Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, he lost his strength and, in the blink of an eye, was thrown into the main hall.

The takin, now enraged, spewed white breath from its nostrils, showing no intention of letting Shen Yuan go.

With a push of its hind legs, it charged forward like an arrow.

Shen Yuan was startled, and in his haste, he actually managed to grab a wooden sword.

He remembered that he was taking an essay exam at the time, and in the blink of an eye he arrived at this dilapidated Taoist temple, with a Taoist scripture and this wooden sword in his hand.

The sword is of unknown material; it feels slightly heavy in the hand, cool to the touch, and its blade is as black as ink, with a faint golden sheen.

The two sides were engraved with seal characters, and luckily he was a graduate of ancient literature, so he recognized the two characters immediately.

One is "binding the spirit", and the other is "slaying evil".

Apart from that, Shen Yuan has not yet discovered anything unusual.

But at this moment, he couldn't care less about anything else. He swung his sword and smashed it heavily down on the takin's head.

With a muffled "bang," the takin seemed to be paused, its body going from motionless to still, almost without any buffer.

Then there was another loud bang, and the ox fell to the ground, its four legs stiff.

"Is he... dead?"

Shen Yuan stared wide-eyed in disbelief. Finally, he poked the hole to make sure there was no movement, then collapsed to the ground in a state of lingering fear.

"call……"

He let out a long breath, and suddenly a thought struck him, as if some shackles had been removed, and his chronic illness had vanished. His mood instantly changed from irritable to peaceful.

Looking up, he saw what appeared to be a blurry Taoist figure smiling and greeting him from mid-air.

"Is she feeling that she has avenged him, so she has completely given herself to me?" Shen Yuan wondered uncertainly.

After all, even if the original owner wanted to die, he certainly wouldn't want to choose such a humiliating way to die as being gored to death by a bull, which is why he subconsciously influenced himself to fight the bull!

It is said that misfortune may be a blessing in disguise. Although this time it was dangerous, it was much simpler and more direct than the other consciousness hidden in the body.

Having gotten rid of a potential threat, Shen Yuan hadn't even had time to feel happy when suddenly, with a "poof," something seemed to exhale a long breath.

Turning my head, I saw that the takin had actually stood up again, albeit unsteadily.