Chapter 303: 303
The path behind Mount Xiaoyun was secluded and winding . Visitors were considered rare in these parts . Most places did not have accessible paths either 一 there was only a small pathway that a person could barely pass through in between the dense thicket and rocky walls .
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Yan Liqiang followed the herb gatherer’s guidance through the path behind the mountain . He was searching for the daoist temple that the herb gatherer mentioned while progressing forward . Eventually, he caught sight of the temple nestled in a remote cove behind Mount Xiaoyun .
Truthfully, Yan Liqiang wasn’t really sure whether this daoist temple was the White Dragon Temple that the daoist priest named Fang Beidou mentioned that day . However, there were only a handful of daoist temples in Mount Xiaoyun . The other temples were famous and well-known . If this daoist temple wasn’t the White Dragon Temple, then Yan Liqiang didn’t know where else the White Dragon Temple would be located .
Yan Liqiang had already made up his mind . If this daoist temple wasn’t the White Dragon Temple he was looking for, then he would go back right away, give up the search for that daoist priest, and disregard the thought of whether that daoist priest was truly deceiving him or not .
In the hillside outside of the daoist temple, there were two vegetable gardens that were surrounded by bamboo fences . There were several plum trees planted beside the vegetable gardens as well . In the nearby distance, there was a brook where the water was made to stream directly into the garden through a small irrigation canal . Although the crops weren’t growing luxuriantly, they were flourishing nonetheless . The scenery in front of him was somewhat rustic, which also indicated that someone inhabited this daoist temple at the same time .
The temple was built just beside the vegetable gardens . The dark red color of the exterior wall had already mottled terribly . There was a damaged rock above the original entrance to the temple where the front structure had already disappeared . With some difficulty, he could see the word ‘temple’ on the incomplete signage .
The entire temple wasn’t huge . Looking at it from the outside, there only seemed to be about four or five rooms .
The gates to the daoist temple were open . The paving slabs were unusually clean, as if they had just been washed just a few moments ago .
Yan Liqiang walked inside without hesitation after he had observed the appearance of the daoist temple .
Before he could take ten steps further into the gates, the view of a courtyard appeared in front of him . There was a luscious and sturdy old pine tree in the courtyard with a number of birds chirping on top of it . Below the tree were a stone table and two stone stools, where a stove was placed on top of the table, bubbling with boiling water . There were two tea sets placed beside the stove too . The daoist priest whom Yan Liqiang met the other day was wearing a set of plain white robes as he stood right under the pine tree while gazing at Yan Liqiang with a smile . There wasn’t an expression of surprise on his face, as if he had already known that Yan Liqiang would come to this place .
“Please excuse me for not going out to greet you when you came to visit . I can only welcome you in good faith and serve you some tea that I have picked from the mountains…”
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Yan Liqiang’s gaze then shifted toward the arranged tea sets on the table with a shocked expression on his face . He decided to come here today spontaneously and did not detect anyone following him after he went up into the mountains . How could this daoist priest have known that he was coming?
This daoist priest seemed to be the only person inside the temple .
“How did you know I was coming?” Yan Liqiang asked while walking toward the pine tree .
“When a magpie cried in the courtyard this morning, I felt a jolt in my heart and knew that an honored guest would come visit based on a quick calculation . Because of that, I made a small preparation!” The daoist priest explained as he watched Yan Liqiang approaching closer before sitting down . It was only then that the priest smiled and sat down as well . With the boiled water, he made Yan Liqiang a pot of tea and continued, “This wild tea goes well with the spring water from the mountains . There’s a special taste to it…”
As expected, this daoist priest was quite resourceful . However, in the eyes of an ‘experienced’ person who had stopped being ostentatious for many years, the priest’s pretentious method was like child’s play to Yan Liqiang . Yan Liqiang took a cursory glance at the bubbling tea leaves inside the cup and undoubtedly did not drink it . Instead, he glared at the daoist priest . Slamming his palms on the table, he quickly reversed roles and said, “That’s it, let’s cut this nonsense . I did not come here to look for you just to experience rural tourism . Let me keep it straight . What is the meaning behind the confusing things you said to me that day? I don’t understand it at all, not even half of it . I came to Mount Xiaoyun today out of curiosity and to verify whether you are a lunatic or a trickster . I will give you fifteen minutes to convince me of your bullsh*t and then tell me why you approached me in the first place . If you can’t finish your explanations within this time frame, I will leave immediately and never come back to look for you again!”
Fang Beidou seemed to have been choked by those words . The smile that was on his face a moment ago suddenly became stiff . He stared at Yan Liqiang, which was followed by Yan Liqiang relentlessly staring back at him . Both men continued to gaze at each other without making a peep for about two minutes before Fang Beidou finally let out a sigh and put down the kettle in his hand . Afterward, he took out a silk sachet from his chest and placed it on the table . As he pushed the sachet toward Yan Liqiang, he spoke in a relaxed manner .
“My master left this silk sachet for me before he passed away . You can open it and take a look inside!”
Yan Liqiang glanced at Fang Beidou without any attempt to hide his suspicion . He did not open the silk sachet right away . Instead, he pinched the sachet first . As he did so, he realized there weren’t any sharp objects or poisonous insects inside but only a piece of paper . It was only then that he opened the sachet and took out a neatly folded piece of paper before he unfolded it to reveal the two sentences written on it .
“A young man in green will enter the West Glorious Gate in the afternoon of the 28th, with marigolds in his hand . The Will of Heaven is indeed everchanging — a man’s world is mutable, seas become mulberry fields . ”
These two sentences were the exact words that Yan Liqiang heard the other day .
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“What’s the meaning of this?” Yan Liqiang asked Fang Beidou .
“This is what my master entrusted to me before he passed away last year!” Fang Beidou became dejected as he answered, “Before he died, he told me that a calamity will plague the Great Han Empire in four years . Countless people will turn to ash during this catastrophe . There will be an endless and horrific war and man-made misfortunes after the tragedy that exceeds natural disasters by a hundred fold occurs . In the next fifty years, there will be the danger of extermination to the hundreds and millions of Chinese descendants . And the only thing that can change this all is one person . This person has been liberated from the physical world and is not restrained to the numbers, thus he has the ability to change destiny . This person is the only one who can change everything . When my master was done, he then gave me this silk sachet to open during the 4th lunar month this year . When the time came, he said I would be able to follow the words inside the silk sachet and find that person…” Fang Beidou looked at Yan Liqiang with a determined look, “On the 28th, I arrived early at the West Glorious Gate of the Imperial Capital and waited . It wasn’t until the afternoon that I saw you in green with marigolds in your hands while walking into the city . This is why I followed you . You are that person…”
F*ck!
Yan Liqiang was stunned . He looked at Fang Beidou before turning his gaze toward the silk sachet in front of him, unable to believe what he had just heard . However, if the entire thing turned out to be an act, how could the person directing this act possibly know about the calamity that would befall the Great Han Empire in four years? How could this person predict that he would be wearing green clothes while holding marigolds as he entered the city from the West Glorious Gate? If this person truly had such a talent, was there anything else that he could not do in this world? If so, why would he need to make a fool out of a nameless nobody?
After half a day passed, Yan Liqiang finally gulped down his water and inquired, “Who is your master?”
“My master is Su Baiya, the greatest sorcerer of the Great Han Empire, proprietor of the star observation platform in the Imperial Capital, and the imperial astronomer of the Great Han Empire . Originally, my master told me last year that he still had at least ten more years to live in the future . However, when he was doing a night observation of the stars, he discovered that the stars were unusual . There was an omen of great evil to the entire future of the Great Han Empire as well as the danger of the extermination of its people . Because of that, he exhausted ten years of his lifespan to predict the whereabouts of that change of destiny…” Fang Beidou answered while two drops of tears rolled down on his cheeks…
Yan Liqiang sighed, “I’m afraid your master made a mistake . Even though I consider myself decent among my contemporaries — in fact, a bit stronger than the others… I still don’t have that kind of capability!”
“No, you do . You definitely have it . My master is never wrong!” Fang Beidou’s eyes were red as he looked at Yan Liqiang with confidence that exceeded that of Yan Liqiang’s, “My master said you have been liberated from the physical world and are not restrained to the numbers . You can do what ordinary people can’t do, which means you must have the ability to change the world…” Fang Beidou said as he stood up immediately to straighten out his clothes before kneeling to Yan Liqiang, “Fang Beidou respectfully greets my lord!”
“What are you doing?” Yan Liqiang was startled and swiftly jumped up from the stone bench .
“My master wanted me to acknowledge you as my lord as soon as I met you and help you alter the incoming catastrophe of the Great Han Empire…”
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Yan Liqiang abruptly raised his voice and said, “Hey hey hey . First things first . The money I earn is only enough for me to spend . Don’t assume you can make me pay you to do things just by following me around . Besides, your master is making me do something that is beyond my capabilities . Let me repeat this, I don’t have the capability to do that…”
“Does that mean you will watch hundreds of millions of Chinese people die and not show sympathy when you see countless people lose their lives? Are you reluctant to save them?” Fang Beidou stood up and vehemently glared at Yan Liqiang . When Yan Liqiang saw the agitated expression on his face, he realized that he had no idea how many days those words had been buried deep inside his chest .
“I’m leaving . Just treat it like I didn’t even come today and did not hear those nonsensical things you said . Take those words and tell them to the Emperor or the Grand Chancellor . Telling me is useless . I am just a mere Yingyang Commandant…” Yan Liqiang said as he continued to walk toward the exit of the daoist temple, “Who knows if you are telling the truth or lies, or trying to lay trouble for me…”
Fang Beidou’s silhouette flashed and instantaneously appeared in front of Yan Liqiang, blocking his path . He gritted his teeth and glared at Yan Liqiang with an agitated expression, “What do you want me to do to make you believe me?”
“Do you acknowledge me as your lord?” Yan Liqiang asked in return to his question .
“Yes!” Fang Beidou solemnly nodded .
“Since I am your lord, are you going to do whatever I tell you to do?” Yan Liqiang asked again .
“Yes!” Fang Beidou gave a solemn nod once more with a holy glow on his face, “For the sake of granting hundreds of millions of people in the Great Han Empire a chance to live, whatever my lord asks me to do, I will do it . Even if I have to sacrifice my life or smash my body into pieces, it will be worth the effort!”
“Fine, I will give you your first order!” A smile curled up on Yan Liqiang’s face as he continued, “Strip now and wear nothing, do not hide your face either . You will run from here to the Imperial Capital city today, then make one round around the city butt naked while shouting ‘I love you, Cui Hua . I love you Cui Hua…’”
Fang Beidou froze instantly…
Yan Liqiang’s order was a direct reproduction of the scene in ‘The God of Cookery’ where Stephen Chow’s character made Tang Niu excrete in front of everyone just outside the elevator, but it ten times more difficult than the movie scene itself .
Upon seeing Fang Beidou’s dull stares and quivering lips, Yan Liqiang shook his head and sighed, “Then how about this… let’s not make things difficult for each other . Just carry on your life as a daoist priest, drink your tea, and live an idle life . When you feel that the Imperial Capital is not a safe place to live, just run somewhere far after four years and continue living in seclusion . Meanwhile, I will continue my life as a Yingyang Commandant, cultivate my martial arts, and pick up girls . I will do everything that is within my power . Henceforth, we will go our separate ways…”
When Yan Liqiang was done, he left the daoist temple and went down the mountain .
Yan Liqiang returned to the inn where he left Snowstorm Cloud and paid money to retrieve the steed . Afterward, he rode on Snowstorm Cloud and headed back home .
Just as he left Mount Xiaoyun a few moments ago, Yan Liqiang heard a commotion . Countless people and women in particular were screaming behind him on the public road . When he turned his head around, he saw a naked man with disheveled hair dashing across the road while frightening the crowd along the path, especially a number of young women who had come out for a walk . A handful of people screamed while covering their eyes with fright . Some even fainted on the spot .
“I love you, Cui Hua! I love you, Cui Hua…!” A naked man screamed as he ran past Yan Liqiang like a gust of wind . He even used his lightness skill to hasten his speed like a fleeing horse…
Sh*t, he was serious…
Yan Liqiang almost fell off his steed from the shocking situation…