ryethenovel Chapter 1: Everything is ready, except for the Taoist priest.
Chapter 1: Everything is ready, except for the Taoist priest.
In April, the weather in Lin'an City is cool.
Birds flew through the forests of Qingyun Mountain.
Halfway up the mountain.
A dilapidated Taoist temple is faintly visible in the dappled shadows of the trees.
The plaque at the gate has long since faded.
Only the three characters "Qingyun Temple" could be vaguely discerned.
Inside the Taoist temple, Lin Jinian was wearing a faded blue Taoist robe.
He was struggling to put a palace door that was about to fall off back on.
Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead.
It slid down his handsome face and dripped onto the cracked bluestone slab at his feet.
"well……"
He let out a long sigh, filled with a sense of vicissitude that belied his twenty years of age.
Three months ago, his master, who had raised him, passed away.
Before leaving, the master held Lin Jinian's hand.
What he was rambling on about wasn't some mysterious Taoist method,
Instead, he was told that he must have enough to eat and that he must revitalize Qingyun Temple.
"Master, we're barely managing to eat, how can we talk about revitalization..."
Lin Jinian dusted off his hands and leaned against the cold doorpost, muttering to himself.
He inherited the Taoist temple, but also its liabilities.
For example, a leaky roof,
The tables and chairs were on the verge of falling apart.
And the rice container was completely empty.
The promise to revitalize Qingyun Temple is as heavy as Mount Tai.
The reality is that Lin Jinian first needs to solve his own basic needs for food and clothing.
With a thought, an ancient book shimmering with a faint golden light unfolded in Lin Jinian's mind.
[Incense and Taoist Texts]
[Abbot: Lin Jinian]
[Taoist Temple: Qingyun Temple (Dilapidated)]
[Incense Points: 0]
[Taoist Arts: The Five Internal Organs and Five Thunder Techniques (Introduction)]
[Talisman: None]
[Material implements: None]
This thing is called "The Book of Incense and Taoism".
It was when Lin Jinian was sorting through his master's belongings half a month ago.
It appeared after I accidentally touched an unnamed ancient book.
The appearance of Taoist books was accompanied by a thunder magic transmission called "Five Organs and Five Thunder Method".
And he directly mastered the first move: Bing Fire Yang Thunder.
Lin Jinian still remembers it to this day.
That night, he followed the methods in the Taoist book with some skepticism.
Making a hand seal, he recited a mantra towards a stubborn rock:
"Heaven and earth are boundless, and the universe borrows their laws. Fire of Yang, Thunder of Yang, by decree!"
As the last syllable fell, it felt as if the blood and energy within his body were being drained.
A warm current burst forth from my fingertips with a crisp "crack".
The blast created a crack in the rock, which was about half a person's height.
At that moment, Lin Jinian was completely dumbfounded.
He had only one thought in his mind: This is not scientific!
His master taught him from a young age, saying, "When it comes to the New Year's Festival, we are Taoists."
"But more importantly, we are citizens of the new era, and we must be scientific and reasonable."
"What the hell is this?"
"It reflects the ancients' fear and misunderstanding of unknown natural phenomena."
"Thunder is caused by the collision of positive and negative charges, will-o'-the-wisps are caused by the spontaneous combustion of white phosphorus, and we perform rituals for people."
"What we seek is peace of mind, and the preservation of a folk culture, do you understand?"
Lin Jinian certainly understood.
So how do you explain the fact that you can rub your hands together and see sparks?
Lin Jinian shook his head, trying to shake off these random thoughts.
Whether it's scientific or not is not important for now; what's important is:
Taoist texts say that in order to slay demons and monsters and increase one's reputation, one can obtain incense points.
But are there any demons or monsters left in this world now?
Lin Jinian didn't think about these things.
Instead, he skillfully pulled it from the wide sleeves of his Taoist robe.
I pulled out an old smartphone with a slightly yellowed screen.
He raised it and found a corner with the best signal.
On the phone screen, several notes lay in the WeChat contact list.
The contact person for "Grandpa Wang from Wangjia Village" and "Aunt Li from Qingshui Township".
For the past two weeks, he has been going down the mountain to offer prayers for the villagers.
I earned some pocket money from performing minor feng shui rituals, just enough to make ends meet.
The reward is either 100 yuan or 150 yuan.
Another order included twenty free-range eggs.
For the villagers, this was already a great show of sincerity.
Lin Jinian clicked on the last dialog box.
The note reads "Lin'an City, Bishuiwan Villa No. 17, exorcism".
This was the highest-paying job he had ever taken, a full 500 yuan!
That's enough for him to buy several bags of rice.
Lin Jinian stood up and dusted off his Taoist robe.
He went back inside and solemnly carried his tools of the trade.
A cloth shoulder bag containing a compass.
A few blank sheets of yellow paper, cinnabar, and a calligraphy brush.
Although he felt these were all just formalities, the clients liked seeing them.
Lock the creaking wooden door of the Taoist temple.
Lin Jinian took a deep breath of the fresh mountain air.
Turn around and walk down the bluestone path.
Let's revitalize Qingyun Temple, starting with these five hundred yuan!
The road down the mountain was long and tedious.
It took more than an hour of walking along mountain paths to reach the village entrance.
Then they boarded the rural bus, which only runs six times a day.
The car smelled of sweat, tobacco, and poultry.
They shakily escorted Lin Jinian to the Lin'an West Bus Station.
Stepping out of the station, Lin Jinian was dressed in a blue Taoist robe, his hair was tied up in a bun, and he wore a pair of cloth shoes.
In this bustling, modern metropolis filled with skyscrapers, it stands out as an oddity.
Passersby cast curious and surprised glances at them.
Lin Jinian was already used to it and walked calmly to the bus stop.
Check the bus stop sign and wait for the bus to Bishuiwan Villa Area.
On the bus.
A trendy young man wearing headphones saw Lin Jinian.
His eyes lit up, and he moved closer.
"Hey buddy, which character are you cosplaying with?"
"Wang Ye? Or is he a Taoist priest from some game?"
Lin Jinian calmly replied, "I am Lin Jinian of Qingyun Temple, and I am not a cosplayer."
"Taoist priest?"
The young man paused for a moment, then looked him up and down.
His gaze turned somewhat strange, then he lowered his voice and said, "Dude, take my advice."
"What era are we living in? There's no future in being a Taoist priest."
"Look how popular those temples are, and the monks all drive BMWs."
"It seems your Taoist sect has somewhat... declined, huh?"
Lin Jinian did not speak, but simply nodded slightly.
Yes, Taoism has been in decline for a long time.
All he can do now is guard his own little corner of the world and protect the Qingyun Temple left behind by his master.
……
Meanwhile, in the Bishuiwan villa area.
Inside a luxuriously decorated detached villa,
A pretty girl is sitting in front of a makeup mirror.
Jiang Rongrong is a live streamer specializing in outdoor adventures on the Douyu platform.
Her live stream ID is "Bold Rongrong is not afraid of ghosts".
Her best friend, Song Qiaoyun, was helping her apply a pale, white foundation.
In front of them, a phone was fixed on a phone stand, broadcasting live, with comments scrolling across the screen like flowing water.
"No more adventures today? Rongrong's become a beauty livestreamer?"
"This makeup... is she going to be in a horror movie? I love it!"
"Holy crap, this is a huge villa! Rich lady, I'm starving, I need food! Streamer, is this your home?"
"Don't think about the rest. Rongrong said that this is her cousin's house in Shanghai, and she comes to stay occasionally."
"Could I ask for my cousin's WeChat? I genuinely want to discuss interior design styles with her!"
Jiang Rongrong looked at the comments and a playful smile appeared on her lips.
She said to the camera, "Family, we're not going on an adventure today."
"Recently, there have been many fake masters posing as Taoist priests and monks to swindle money."
"Today, I'm going to take you on a unique prank and debunking live stream!"
Jiang Rongrong paused, her voice carrying a hint of mystery and excitement:
"I paid a young Taoist priest, who was supposedly from a Taoist temple in the mountains, and claimed to be able to read feng shui and exorcise evil spirits."
"My best friend Qiaoyun will greet him first."
"I'll tell you a made-up backstory to enhance the scary atmosphere."
"Then, when he started pretending to 'perform the ritual'..."
Jiang Rongrong gave the camera a sly smile and pointed to her increasingly pale makeup.
"I'll make my grand entrance as the victim!"
"Let's see how scared this little Taoist priest will be."
The atmosphere in the live stream room was ignited.
"High-energy warning! The young Taoist priest is in danger!"
"Rongrong is awesome! Waiting for the scammer to be exposed!"
"Be careful, streamer. What if you run into someone really capable?"
"You're overthinking it. If they were truly capable, they wouldn't need to perform rituals to make money; they'd be immortals by now!"
Jiang Rongrong saw this comment.
She couldn't help but chuckle, her eyes full of disdain.
"Who would travel this far to have an exorcism performed for a few hundred dollars?"
"These days, anyone who wears a Taoist robe dares to call themselves a Celestial Master."
"I think he's just a recent college graduate who can't find a job and is just trying to make a living."
Song Qiaoyun chimed in from the side.
Holding up his phone and showing his chat history to the camera:
"Exactly, look at his WeChat profile picture."
"It looks like a blurry landscape photo taken with an old-fashioned mobile phone, so outdated."
"I just sent him my location, and he was still asking if there are any buses running around here."
"Oh my god, that's hilarious! A master who doesn't even own a car!"
"He's probably going to be so scared of us that he'll wet his pants, and then we'll have to take him to the station."
The comments section erupted in cheers:
"Haha, Rongrong, you know how to cast actors."
"The 'Bus Master'? I can picture it!"
"I'm just waiting for the scammer to be scared to tears, to let him know how treacherous society can be!"
"Don't go too far, streamer. What if you scare someone so badly that you have to pay for their medical expenses?"
Jiang Rongrong waved her hand, looking completely indifferent:
"Don't worry, scammers these days have great mental fortitude."
"We're helping him 'gain some experience' this way,"
"Let him know this job isn't easy, he should get to a factory and tighten screws sooner rather than later, hahaha!"
"I'm already looking forward to the little Taoist priest's terrified expression! Brothers, let's get the gifts out there!"
Jiang Rongrong watched the increasing number of viewers in the live stream and the occasional gift effects flashing on the screen.
The smile on his face grew even brighter.
Traffic, here it comes!
She checked the time and said to Song Qiaoyun:
"Qiaoyun, that guy should be here soon, right?"
"Get ready and go to the door to greet our 'guests' today."