Crooked Gourd Taoist

In order to get a better understanding of the situation.

His face betrayed nothing as he replied in a tone neither warm nor cold:

"Since the local steward has invited me, this poor Taoist naturally has no reason to refuse. Please."

Though they had said they would "speak in private," the two really did not go far. After just two or three steps, they stopped at the foot of a half-collapsed earthen wall nearby.

The two burly men Huang Liu had brought stationed themselves on the outside, effectively giving them privacy.

Huang Liu wore a professionally courteous smile as he opened with a probing question:

"May I ask where your immortal home is, Taoist priest, and which school you studied under? From what blessed land have your travels brought you here?"

He was still trying to sound out Qing He Miao's background and origins right from the start.

Qing He Miao gathered the words he had prepared long ago.

But he had no intention of honestly telling the whole truth. With a tranquil expression, he made a joke:

"I am a man of the mountains and wilds, taught by a nameless little school not worth mentioning. As for where I came from, naturally, I came from whence I came."

The smile on Huang Liu's face stiffened slightly. Clearly, he had not expected such an answer. It was practically a Zen riddle, a way to brush him off.

But he was an old hand at dealing with such matters and had anticipated this possibility. He quickly adjusted his attitude, and his smile grew natural again.

"A clever answer, Taoist priest. I am truly too dull to appreciate it. Then may I ask where you intend to go?"

"Naturally, I'll go where I'm going."

Seeing that the other man had actually taken the bait like a straight man in a comedy act, Qing He Miao added his reply with the hint of a smile.

"Heh heh, Taoist priest, you truly are not a man of the mundane world."

Huang Liu gave two dry chuckles. He knew the other man was highly guarded and unwilling to reveal his true background, which was only natural.

But wasn't this exactly what he did?

So he stopped pressing about his origins and moved on to the matter at hand:

"I hear you intend to build a Taoist temple here and establish a lineage. That is a good deed. May I ask how much land you wish the temple to occupy? How many people will it need? Will you need to recruit Taoist priests, temple workers, servants, and the like?"

This brought them into a gap in Qing He Miao's knowledge.

Who the hell knew what a proper ancient Taoist temple in the Tang dynasty needed?

How many regular personnel did it require?

He was the young hall master of a chuma immortal hall, and even his own was just a small hall with three members: his master, himself, and the old immortal.

Even if he were to strike out on his own and set up a hall, he wouldn't know how to do it!

Much less do a Taoist priest's work.

At this point, he couldn't just answer whatever the other man asked. Qing He Miao began asking questions of his own:

"What does this have to do with you? Could it be that this entire mountain falls under your jurisdiction? Who are you? Do you hold any official post here bestowed by the imperial court?"

"You speak too seriously, Taoist priest. Naturally, this land does not belong to me. However, my master has a modest footing in these parts and has long been acquainted with the gentlemen of the county. He has some influence with them."

Huang Liu faltered at the questions, then smiled and said:

"If you truly intend to settle here and cultivate in peace, Taoist priest, we shall be neighbors from now on. As the saying goes, a close neighbor is better than a distant relative. If you need anything with regard to choosing a site, materials, manpower, or... documents for dealing with the authorities, wouldn't it be splendid if we could look after one another and make things easier?"

Sure enough, they were local snakes.

He couldn't refuse to give them face now.

Otherwise, they would always suspect he had come to seize their territory.

Qing He Miao understood the implication behind the other man's words.

Invite him to a feast, chop off his head, or take him in as a dog—the same old three options.

He pondered for a moment and decided to eat the feast without paying first, to see what the other party wanted:

"All this poor Taoist seeks is a quiet, humble place that can shelter me from wind and rain and house the Three Pure Ones. As for staffing the temple, the usual arrangements will suffice."

At this, a glint flashed in Huang Liu's eyes, and the smile on his face instantly grew even more genial. He hurriedly cupped his hands again.

"Your desire to cultivate apart from the world, without longing for its splendor, truly fills me with admiration, Taoist priest! However, if you really wish to find a secluded place to cultivate in peace, I happen to have a location in mind. It is not far from here and might save you much trouble in choosing a site. Why not come and see it for yourself?"

When he had finished, he paused briefly, discreetly watching Qing He Miao's reaction.

Qing He Miao equipped [Cream] in his Stand slot and prepared to leave the instance at any moment. Then he gave a slight nod, looking utterly at ease.

"I would be glad to hear more."

Of course he was going.

Whether the people approaching him meant well or ill, either way, it was a good thing for him.

This poor Taoist... pfft!

My great saber has long been thirsting for blood.

Seeing that Qing He Miao had not refused, Huang Liu's smile widened. He turned and beckoned to the side.

At once, someone led two donkeys out from behind a lean-to.

The donkeys were strong and healthy and looked reasonably docile.

"Taoist priest."

Huang Liu extended a courteous invitation:

"The mountain paths are difficult. Please ride a mount."

Qing He Miao glanced at the donkey and shook his head.

"No need. This poor Taoist is used to traveling far and wide and can still walk well enough. This creature would only slow me down."

As a modern man in both his lives, how could he possibly know how to ride one?

Besides, even without equipping [Red Hot Chili Pepper],

his current level of qi cultivation alone made him a far better walker than an ordinary person. A mountain path was nothing to him.

Chapter 33: Crooked Gourd Taoist

Seeing this, Huang Liu did not insist, though a barely perceptible trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He then ordered his men to take the donkeys back, keeping only one.

With Huang Liu and Qing He Miao at the head and the two burly men bringing up the rear, the group left the filthy place and headed toward the mountain woods to the west.

The mountain path was rugged and covered with dead branches and fallen leaves. Fallen trees and exposed, oddly shaped rocks blocked their way from time to time.

But none of it posed much of an obstacle to Qing He Miao or the burly men Huang Liu had brought.

Qing He Miao walked lightly, his breathing long and steady, looking quite at ease.

"Taoist priest, less than ten li west of here, on the sunny southern slope of these mountains, lie the ruins of a Buddhist temple from the previous dynasty. The locals all call it 'Old Monk Rock.'"

Bouncing on the donkey and breathing in short gasps, Huang Liu continued looking for chances to talk and explain, trying to draw closer to him:

"They say it enjoyed offerings of incense in the Northern Dynasties, and later flourished for a while under our own dynasty. But when the wars came, it fell into disuse again. Though the halls are somewhat dilapidated and have gone unrepaired for years,

the main wall foundations and stone platforms are still sturdy, and the location is good too, with a mountain at its back and water in front. The feng shui is excellent, and a clear spring and stream run beside it. With just a little repair and tidying, it would make an excellent, peaceful place for cultivation."

The group climbed along the mountain path without going very far. No sooner had they rounded the first hill than the view suddenly opened up before them.

Looking from the side, they could see that the southern slope was relatively gentle. Amid the withered yellow desolation, the outlines of ruined walls were indeed visible.

It did look like the remains of a temple.

Several stone wall foundations of uneven height stood stubbornly upright, covered in dead vines and moss, outlining the approximate bounds of a courtyard.

In the center, they could still see a stone platform that was clearly the foundation of a hall. Enormous pillar bases, carved with indistinct lotus patterns, lay scattered across it.

In one corner, half of a toppled stone stele was buried in the earth.

Dead grass grew wild all around, nearly swallowing the ruins.

Even the little stream Huang Liu had mentioned was almost impossible to make out unless one deliberately looked for it.

All Qing He Miao saw as he looked around

was dead grass and broken stones everywhere. It was hard to find even a level, clean place to set foot.

Rather than "a place for cultivation that needed only a little repair," the scene was more like a wasteland that needed extensive clearing and rebuilding.

It might even be more economical to find another place and build anew.

Still, it suited him perfectly.

There was no chance of him giving alms. Not in this lifetime, not before he became an immortal and a god.

Those people he had seen earlier might have looked pitiful,

but the more that was true, the more they would be left with nothing but their animal nature once their humanity had been worn away by their circumstances.

Give them the slightest chance to survive, and they would become docile sheep.

Likewise, if one had no strength and they caught sight of the slightest weakness, they would be the fiercest jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards.

This chaotic world had nothing to do with them, and they weren't to blame.

But he wasn't the one who had made a mess of the world either!

This was more than a thousand years ago, the realm of Li Tang. There was absolutely no point expecting Qing He Miao to be the sucker who took the blame.

The man himself, Li Xingyun, might still be leisurely practicing the Loving Couple Sword with his pretty junior sister on scenic Mount Qingcheng right now!

He was even from the same hometown as Lady White. The more Qing He Miao thought about it, the fucking angrier he got.

"Hmm, though this place looks desolate, it is peaceful enough. It will do. Let's settle on this place, then."

Since things had come to this, Qing He Miao went along with the suggestion, nodding as he spoke.

He then turned to Huang Liu and asked about practical matters:

"I wish to establish my place of cultivation here. May I ask from whom I should purchase the land deed? And which government office must I notify?"

"You worry too much, Taoist priest! This is abandoned land with no owner. It has lain deserted for who knows how many years, and no one has paid it any mind for ages. There is no need to buy it, and no one to sell it."

This was exactly what Huang Liu had been waiting for him to say, and his manner grew somewhat eager.

"As for the authorities... in a poor, remote place like this, as long as you don't stir up too much commotion, who cares whether there's an extra Taoist temple or a roof tile missing in some mountain hollow?

If you truly have taken a liking to this place, Taoist priest, my Huang Family would be willing to offer what little help we can. We can provide some manpower and materials to assist you, and form a good connection while we're at it. What do you say?"

Naturally, this was no time to weaken his position.

Qing He Miao waved a hand, his expression calm, as though it were all a trivial matter.

"It is only a small expenditure of manpower and materials. This poor Taoist can manage it himself. There is no need to put your household to the expense."

Huang Liu immediately seized the opening and asked with feigned curiosity: