"If you're going to invite someone, you must show the proper courtesy."
"If he wants you to invite him in person, Father, then prepare every courtesy and make the trip to Qingping Mountain yourself."
"Let him strike you or scold you if he wishes. You must show your utmost sincerity and persuade that Daoist priest to come."
Recalling his daughter's instructions, Zhang Qingyun could not help sighing.
They truly had no one they could turn to now; even their safety was far from assured. Otherwise, why would they need to seek out some backwoods Daoist?
But Zhang Qingyun also knew he had no room to bargain, so he had taken great pains to prepare quite a few fine gifts.
He had only one hope: that the Daoist on Qingping Mountain possessed some genuine ability and would not make his journey a wasted one.
At that moment, Jiang Sheng was meditating and cultivating in the Daoist temple on Qingping Mountain.
The temple was small, but exceptionally serene and elegant, very much in keeping with Jiang Sheng's tastes.
Facing south with its back to the north, the temple had not only front, middle, and rear halls, but also several guest rooms, a dining hall, quiet cultivation chambers, and other facilities. It was thoroughly equipped.
One could say that, small as a sparrow was, it still had all its vital organs.
Jiang Sheng was currently meditating in the front hall, where a portrait of the Penglai Dao Sect's founding patriarch was enshrined.
Melons and fruit were laid out on the incense table before the portrait, and three sticks of sandalwood incense burned, sending up wisps of smoke. Wearing an azure Daoist robe and a Daoist crown, Jiang Sheng sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, reciting his daily lessons.
Outside the front hall, a few birds landed from time to time and tilted their heads to watch the Daoist. There was no noisy chirping; they were unusually quiet.
It was as though this place formed a world of its own.
The deep mountains were secluded and still, the Daoist temple tranquil and refined.
Wisps of sandalwood fragrance drifted out of the hall, rising as bluish smoke that gathered above the temple without dispersing.
Drawn to it, birds settled quietly on the temple's eaves; drawn to it, beasts lay down docilely outside.
Birds and beasts of every kind, even those that were normally mortal enemies, crowded obediently together, listening to the Daoist softly reciting within the temple.
Jiang Sheng was expounding on the cultivation method he practiced. Besides the Dao Sect elders' explanations and interpretations, his teachings included many of his own insights into the method and the natural world.
Jiang Sheng possessed an excellent disposition and extraordinary comprehension, so the elders had always held him in high regard.
After he forged his Dao foundation, the sect bestowed upon him the Purple Mansion Realm section of the Heaven Generates Water Scripture, enough to cultivate to the perfection of the Purple Mansion Realm.
The complete Heaven Generates Water Scripture was an advanced cultivation method that pointed straight toward the Nascent Soul Realm.
Jiang Sheng even knew that the Heaven Generates Water Scripture was merely one volume of a certain fundamental cultivation method belonging to the Dao Sect.
Time passed swiftly during cultivation. After completing that day's lessons, Jiang Sheng said softly, "That will be all for today. Off you go."
As though they understood the Daoist's words, the birds and beasts departed obediently, without the slightest disorder.
All living things possessed spiritual awareness. Jiang Sheng enlightened them, and naturally, they knew to be grateful.
Each day, Jiang Sheng had no need to trouble himself searching for food; birds and beasts brought him fresh melons and fruit of their own accord.
Jiang Sheng placed all these offerings before the patriarch's portrait. He himself had just about reached the point where he could forgo ordinary food; taking in the purple qi of dawn and the flowing nectar of moonlight each day was enough.
Yet such peaceful days never lasted long.
On only the third day after Jiang Sheng drove Tian Guofu and the others away, the magistrate of Qingshan County really did come calling.
Led by Tian Guofu, Zhang Qingyun set off up the mountain with gifts at daybreak and reached the temple halfway up Qingping Mountain around seven to nine in the morning.
Pointing at the temple, Tian Guofu said, "Your Honor, Daoist Jiang cultivates here. This used to be the Mountain God Temple, which was occupied by that vicious tiger that had become a spirit."
"After Daoist Jiang slew the vicious tiger, this humble one joined forces with Qingping Town's gentry and common folk to build this temple for him."
Zhang Qingyun studied the temple, then suddenly spotted venomous snakes coiled before it and hungry wolves prowling nearby!
Looking again, he saw eagles and other birds of prey perched atop the temple walls!
Was... was this really a Daoist temple?!
As Zhang Qingyun surveyed it in bewilderment and suspicion, he suddenly realized that ordinary sparrows, wild rabbits, and other creatures were right beside those fierce beasts and birds of prey.
Yet there was not the slightest conflict between these creatures. Even with sparrows and rabbits delivered right to their mouths, the predators showed no intention of pouncing on them.
Every creature quietly found a spot of its own and gazed into the temple.
Suddenly, the sound of scripture recitation arose within. Wisps of bluish smoke rose from the temple, turning into clouds and mist that wreathed the air above it.
As the recitation began, Zhang Qingyun's anxious heart suddenly grew calm. The tangled thoughts troubling his mind subsided as well, leaving his thoughts incomparably clear.
Only then did Zhang Qingyun understand why so many birds and beasts had gathered before this temple. Daoist Jiang Sheng was no ordinary Daoist priest—he possessed great abilities and mighty spiritual powers!
This Daoist had an extraordinary background!
Without realizing it, Zhang Qingyun lost some of the disdain he had felt toward Jiang Sheng.
Whether Zhang Qingyun's attendants or Tian Guofu and his companions, everyone listened quietly to the recitation, their expressions utterly peaceful, as though their souls were being washed clean.
The scriptures recited in the Penglai Dao Sect's daily lessons all possessed wondrous effects.
The passage Jiang Sheng was expounding on today, for instance, could soothe the spirit and still the mind, bringing clarity to both body and heart.
When the recitation ended, Jiang Sheng's clear voice came from within the temple. It was not loud, yet it sounded beside everyone's ear. "That will be all for today. Off you go."
At those words, the birds and beasts dispersed.
Only then did Zhang Qingyun come to his senses and hurriedly beckon his attendants forward.
Upon reaching the temple entrance, Zhang Qingyun could finally make out the inscription on its plaque: Qingxuan Temple.
Taking a deep breath, he straightened his clothes and headwear. Now certain that this journey had not been in vain, Zhang Qingyun intended to adopt the best possible attitude to persuade Jiang Sheng to leave the mountain.
Thus, Zhang Qingyun bowed deeply. "I am Zhang Qingyun, magistrate of Qingshan County. Having heard that an accomplished master of the Daoist Tradition lives in seclusion on Qingping Mountain, devoting himself to cultivation, I have come to pay my respects. Forgive the intrusion."
Yet silence fell within the temple.
Zhang Qingyun remained bent in his bow, his expression souring. He was a dignified county magistrate, here to invite someone personally, yet he was being treated with such contempt!
But he also understood the stakes of this visit, so he swallowed his resentment and continued waiting.
Only after a long while did a voice come from within the temple. "This humble Daoist is a man of the wild mountains. I wish only to cultivate here in peace, undisturbed."
"If you have no business here, Your Honor, please return."
Hearing this, Zhang Qingyun hurriedly said, "Please do not be angry, Daoist. I was at fault before and have come especially to apologize."
As he spoke, Zhang Qingyun had the Scarlet Blossom Fruit gifts brought before the temple, then said with utmost sincerity, "In truth, I have come to ask you to leave the mountain."
Jiang Sheng's cool voice rang out once more. "Could it be that Your Honor cannot understand this humble Daoist's words?"
Shame and anger churned in Zhang Qingyun's heart.
With Tian Guofu, the other wealthy gentlemen of Qingping Town, and his own attendants all present, Jiang Sheng was giving him no face whatsoever. Zhang Qingyun could not help wanting to flick his sleeves and storm away.
But in the end, Zhang Qingyun thought of his ambitions, of his own future and his daughter's...
Finally, he hardened his heart, gritted his teeth, and forced himself to his knees.
The curtain has risen, gentlemen! Please bookmark, recommend, and keep reading. If you could help Lin Yuan spread the word and share this story, Lin Yuan would be endlessly grateful. Thank you all for enjoying what Lin Yuan writes. Lin Yuan bows in thanks.
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