Building a Taoist Temple
Soon, his figure vanished when no one was looking.
After Qing He Miao left, the old woman opened the ragged bundle with trembling, bony hands, her eyes filled with nothing but hunger for the food.
But just as she was about to eat some and then feed the child, a dark figure suddenly charged out from the side and slammed into her, sending her stumbling and sprawling to the ground.
At the same time, the ragged bundle in her arms vanished!
The man who had snatched the flatbread was just as skin and bones, with sunken eyes. Once he had it, he turned and ran.
But before he could get far, a figure appeared out of thin air beside him, without warning, like a ghost!
A powerful hand clamped onto his shoulder like an iron vise, then shoved down with sudden force!
"Thud!"
With a muffled thump, the man was slammed to the ground, dust billowing around him. The ragged bundle slipped from his hand and rolled away.
As expected, it was Qing He Miao, who had gone only to return.
It wasn't as though he were some youngster who had never been knocked around by society.
His experience in his previous life, combined with the understanding he had gained from his studies in this one, had given him a clear-eyed view of human nature.
Having witnessed such a scene, how could he not guess what might happen?
He had never gone far in the first place.
He had merely used the ability of his Stand, [Metallica], to manipulate the iron around him and bend light to a certain extent, producing an effect akin to "optical camouflage."
He had hidden silently to one side.
Wherever this "Yellow Fort" was, judging by the situation, he would probably have to deal with this area for some time to come.
Rather than wait passively for the covetous eyes and trouble that might come his way, he could seize this chance to establish his authority, killing a chicken to warn the monkeys.
That would make any later contact or inquiries easier.
But just as murderous intent rose in Qing He Miao's heart and he prepared to ask a few more questions before deciding whether to kill the man outright,
The man pinned firmly to the ground seemed to sense the danger.
After his initial panic, he neither struggled desperately nor begged for mercy. Instead, he strained to turn his head and wailed toward a narrow space formed by a collapsed earthen wall and several broken planks:
"What are you waiting for? Son, eat! Hurry and eat it!!"
Qing He Miao looked in the direction of his roar, and his heart jolted.
Curled up in that filthy, cramped gap was a half-grown child, his face so smeared with dirt that his features were almost impossible to make out.
The child stared back blankly with wide, bewildered, terrified eyes, seemingly unable to process what had happened.
The ragged bundle the man had fought so hard to snatch had rolled to a stop not far from the child.
The sudden sight made Qing He Miao's expression freeze. His plan had been going smoothly, and he had been ready to break his killing fast.
The arm whose hand was pressed against the man's back, over his heart, and could activate [Metallica] at a thought, also eased its pressure involuntarily.
As it turned out, Qing He Miao had not been knocked around enough by society.
Its depths were always lower than anyone who had never experienced them could imagine.
Qing He Miao made no move, but the old woman who had been knocked down struggled to her feet.
A ruthless look on her face, she ignored her pain and staggered toward the child.
On the way, she even strained to grab a rock from the roadside, her eyes fixed on the flatbread on the ground.
Chapter 29: Building a Taoist Temple
"Enough!"
Seeing that the old woman was about to reach the child, Qing He Miao snapped to his senses. A nameless anger flared in his heart, and a furious shout burst out.
He released the man who had snatched the flatbread, stood up, and looked around.
He saw pairs of eyes watching him, some numb, some greedy, and some merely observing.
His thoughts raced, and Qing He Miao released both [Red Hot Chili Pepper] and [Cream] at once.
The world of "Hua Jianghu: The Outcast" was, at its core, a wuxia world.
Though it had internal force, lightness skills, and esoteric arts, those accomplished in spiritual cultivation were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns.
Those capable of directly and effectively attacking the mind or soul were rarer still.
Every one of them was a top expert in the story.
Thus, he could be considerably less restrained in his use of Stands in this world.
Then, his face stern, Qing He Miao struck a seemingly casual, weightless palm toward an open patch of ground beside him.
At his command, [Cream] opened the enormous mouth that served as the entrance to its alternate dimension infinitely wide and swallowed itself whole!
It formed a spherical space of destruction centered on itself.
Following the direction Qing He Miao's palm indicated, it rolled forward, unstoppable, for about two or three meters.
At the same time, he sent [Red Hot Chili Pepper] racing behind [Cream] at tremendous speed, following a zigzag path!
Its body, invisible to ordinary people, scraped against the ground, deliberately kicking up clouds of dust, gravel, and debris!
So, to the people around them who were staring intently at Qing He Miao, this was what happened:
The young "Taoist," who had returned after leaving and whose methods were unfathomable, merely waved a palm lightly toward the open ground.
The next moment, a fierce wind suddenly swept across it, sending sand flying and stones rolling!
When the dust slowly settled, a trench a full two or three meters long had appeared in the ground!
The people around him had never seen such profound, uncanny kung fu before, and they were all horrified.
While that deterrent still held, Qing He Miao swept his gaze over the people around him, who had fallen silent as cicadas in winter, and said coldly:
"Stay here. Wait for me to return."
The moment he finished speaking, he paid no mind to whether everyone around him had heard and suddenly sprang into motion!
He left the scene as fast as he could.
To do so, he even equipped [Red Hot Chili Pepper] in his Stand slot, strengthening his body directly without sparing the electricity.
"Crackle—!"
A faint crackle of electricity flickered through the air, and after a few flashes of movement, Qing He Miao had already darted far away.
After turning past several piles of junk and rubbish, he made sure no one could see him.
With a thought, he chose to exit the instance.
His whole body vanished like a drop of water merging into the sea.
The next moment, he appeared in a tree on the mountain behind his home. He immediately jogged down the mountain and back to the house, where he began rummaging through chests and cupboards.
At last, he found several packets of old-fashioned egg cakes in Grandpa Qing's room.
He also picked up his old thermos with its blue plastic casing and ran to the water jar. Unscrewing the lid, he filled it to the brim with cool water, which glugged as it poured.
Only then did he pull the door shut again, activate the system, and choose to return to the "The Outcast" instance.
He reappeared at the corner where he had vanished earlier.
Qing He Miao quickly composed his expression and steadied his breathing.
Then, looking completely at ease, he returned to the spot in a few bounds, moving no slower than he had when he left.
He ignored the wary, increasingly frightened gazes around him.
First, he bent down, picked up the dusty pieces of flatbread from the ground, brushed them off, and handed them to the man who had snatched them and was still slumped on the ground.
Then he pointed at the child, who was still trembling in the gap:
"Give it to him. You two eat now."
Next, he turned to the old woman, who had long since dropped the rock, and tossed her the old-fashioned cakes he had hurriedly wrapped in homework scratch paper and tucked against his chest.
"Yours. Eat. Right here, in front of me."
With that, he paid no heed to the filth on the ground and sat down cross-legged not far from the edge of the mark left by the combined efforts of his Stands.
The man and the old woman stared blankly for a moment, then dared neither hesitate nor entertain any other thoughts.
The man fumbled to stuff the flatbread into the child's hands, then shakily grabbed a strip and shoved it into his own mouth.
The old woman tore open the scratch paper with trembling hands, grabbed a cake, and wolfed it down.
Sure enough, they ate too quickly, choking on the dry, hard food until the whites of their eyes showed.
Seeing this, Qing He Miao unscrewed the lid of his plastic thermos and handed it straight to them.
Because the water jar was kept indoors, it had not frozen even at this time of year beyond the pass, and was not too cold.
The man and the old woman were overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. They took the thermos carefully and drank in small sips to wash the food down, then continued swallowing desperately.
Throughout the whole process, Qing He Miao sat quietly cross-legged.
Only when someone nearby began to stir with intent would he occasionally raise his eyes and glance indifferently in that direction.
The trench beside him still held a lingering threat, and no one wanted to take a palm strike like that.
Their thoughts were snuffed out at once.
And so, under Qing He Miao's invisible deterrence, the man, the child, the old woman, and the infant hurriedly got all the food into their stomachs, leaving not even a crumb.
Afterward, they respectfully held out the empty thermos to him with both hands.
"I am Qing Miao, a Taoist. From childhood, I traveled the world with my master, contemplating Zen, cultivating the Tao, and seeking to understand the heart of heaven. Now, at my master's command, I intend to return home and cultivate in seclusion."
Qing He Miao stood up and took the thermos. Without looking at them again, he turned to address everyone around him. His voice rang clear as he sent it out with qi, doing his best to ensure that enough people could hear:
"But passing through this place, I found its mountains and rivers blessed with outstanding people and spiritual energy, its feng shui excellent. It is a fine place to lodge and cultivate for a time. I became absorbed in it and lost my way for a while.
"Since fate has brought me here, I intend to stay for a few days and leave behind a little of my humble Taoist tradition. I need a quiet, simple place to serve as the beginnings of a Taoist temple."
He paused, swept his gaze over the ramshackle shelters and numb faces, and changed tack:
"Before I entered the Taoist order as a child, I came from a prominent clan, a renowned local family with a modest fortune. Although what I gave away just now was all the food I had on me, I have no shortage of money or provisions. I shall send a letter today, and they will arrive tomorrow.
"I fear I shall need your help with the construction. Anyone who can gather firewood or fell trees, knows a little carpentry or masonry, or is willing to lend their strength may come here again tomorrow!"
When he finished, the previously deathly silent, numb crowd erupted in a clamor of murmurs and whispers they could not suppress.
A few of the bolder ones seemed about to step forward and speak to him.
But Qing He Miao paid them no attention. Carrying his thermos, he left at an unhurried pace.
After walking some distance, he did not immediately leave the instance.
Instead, he used [Metallica]'s concealment ability again and silently doubled back, hiding in the shadows and watching quietly for a long time.