Heavenly Dao Temple, Mount Mao Daoists

"Idiot."

A-You leaned against the doorway, lazily fanning himself as he let out a disdainful snort.

In his eyes, this young man was probably some spoiled rich kid who had run away from home and been sweet-talked silly by a slick real estate agent.

Spending so much money on a patch of worthless land, then having to handle paperwork, pay deed taxes, build a house, and renovate it—the total cost would be enough to buy a proper villa somewhere much nicer.

Why bother coming here?

This public housing estate was old and run-down, with all sorts of people living here. It was noisy during the day and chaotic at night. It really was not a good place. Any normal person with even a little money would not want to come here.

The agent rubbed his hands together, his face wreathed in smiles as he asked in somewhat clumsy Mandarin, "By the way, sir, what kind of building are you planning to construct here? We can help you handle all the paperwork."

"A temple. A Daoist temple, something like that," Huang Bai answered casually.

Of course, he knew these agents would skim another layer of profit from the deal. He did not care about that little bit of money. It had all blown in on the wind anyway, so spending it did not hurt.

The agent froze for a moment, then his eyes lit up even brighter.

"A Daoist temple? Sir, are you a Daoist priest?"

"More or less." Huang Bai nodded. "I'm from the Mount Jinhua lineage in Jiangsu-Zhejiang. But I don't have a Daoist certificate, so I'm not sure whether I can get approval to establish a Daoist temple in Hong Kong."

The agent slapped his chest loudly.

"Don't worry, sir. In a place like Hong Kong, nothing can't be settled with money."

In truth, this was not an easy matter to handle. He knew that perfectly well.

But when it came to a wealthy patron who spent money so freely, even if something was difficult—or downright impossible—he had to smooth things over first.

Huang Bai smiled after hearing that.

"Easy enough. If the approval comes through this time, I'll pay double the market rate for your service fee. And when it comes to construction and renovation afterward, I'll leave those to you as well."

"Great! Godfather, I'll get it done for you within three days!"

"A Daoist temple?"

A-You, who had been leaning there lazily, perked up the moment he heard those words. Even his drooping eyelids opened a little wider as he began to study Huang Bai seriously.

A Daoist priest?

A Daoist temple?

These days, never mind young people—even among the elderly, few sincerely burned incense or worshipped Buddha.

The incense offerings at temples had dwindled year after year, and most Daoist lineages had nearly died out. This young man looked barely over twenty, yet he wanted to open a Daoist temple in a place as expensive as Hong Kong?

Now that was interesting.

A-You narrowed his eyes and watched for a long time, but he still could not make up his mind.

"Does he really have skill, or is he just putting on an act?"

At the very least, Huang Bai looked far too young to be a true cultivator who had endured hardship and weathered the years.

A-You did not keep staring. Customers soon came into the restaurant, so he had no choice but to put the matter aside and head into the kitchen to cook.

By the time Huang Bai had finished dealing with the paperwork, it was already getting late, so he simply walked into the restaurant.

"Boss, one serving of beef chow fun, and a bowl of soup."

"Sure, wait a moment."

It was long past mealtime, and there were not many people in the restaurant. Huang Bai was the only customer left.

A-You moved efficiently, stir-frying a large wok of chow fun in just a few motions. He served one portion to Huang Bai first, then placed the remaining portions on the table one after another.

He carried one plate over and sat down to eat. The other three plates remained untouched, arranged neatly with a bowl and chopsticks set before each one.

Whoosh!

A gust of chilly wind swept in through the entrance.

Several pale-faced ghosts slowly walked up to the table. After sitting down, they said nothing. They merely inhaled softly toward the chow fun, gradually drawing the food's vital essence into themselves.

Fortunately, ordinary people could not see ghosts. If regular people saw such a sight, they would be frightened out of their wits.

A-You was clearly long accustomed to it. Without even raising his head, he continued eating his chow fun, as though several familiar customers had simply come into the restaurant.

He had done this deliberately.

He was feeding ghosts, but he was also testing Huang Bai.

If this young man truly had some cultivation, he should at least notice something strange.

Yet to A-You's disappointment, Huang Bai's expression remained unchanged from beginning to end. He sat there with his head lowered, eating noodles as though he had seen nothing at all.

"Looks like he's a fake Daoist." A-You felt a little disappointed.

After Huang Bai finished eating, he stood up to pay.

"Boss, how much?"

"Twenty-five dollars." A-You answered casually. "Make it twenty. We'll be neighbors from now on anyway. My name is Chen You. Everyone calls me A-You."

Huang Bai nodded and took out some change to hand over.

"Thanks, Brother You. My name is Huang Bai. Just call me A-Bai."

After greeting him, he turned and left.

A-You smiled and said nothing more, lowering his head to continue eating his chow fun.

As he ate, his movements suddenly stopped.

When Huang Bai had handed over the money just now, his hand seemed to have... deliberately avoided the ghosts by the table.

An ordinary person would have passed directly through their shadows, but Huang Bai had genuinely avoided them.

A-You raised his head and watched Huang Bai's retreating figure for a long time without speaking.

"Interesting..."

Just then, a muffled coughing sound came from outside.

"Cough, cough cough..."

A pale, thin, tall man slowly walked in. His entire body seemed to carry an air of sickness.

It was Zhong Jiu.

"A-You, what's with that expression?" He sat down by the table and said casually, "Bring me egg fried rice."

"Coming."

A-You responded as he poured oil into the wok and spoke.

"A new neighbor just arrived. He's pretty interesting."

"What neighbor?"

"You'll find out sooner or later."

A-You did not continue, merely smiling.

After saying that, he glanced at Zhong Jiu again. The other man's face was gloomy, his coughing growing worse and worse. He looked as though something were draining him hollow.

A-You knew Zhong Jiu had recently been dabbling in some shady things.

But A-You himself had left that line of work many years ago and could not be bothered to interfere anymore.

The police could handle illegal matters, while ghost officials could deal with the affairs of the underworld.

Why should someone who had long since washed his hands of it go looking for trouble?

Over the next half month, the construction site became bustling with activity.

Huang Bai spent lavishly, pouring money into it like water, and the project naturally progressed at great speed. Before long, the outline of the Daoist temple had taken shape.

The nearby residents discussed it over tea and meals, saying that a new Daoist temple had opened in the neighborhood, with an impossibly young Daoist priest stationed there.

Outside the restaurant, Zhong Jiu held a strangely scented cigarette between his lips and watched the Daoist temple gradually taking shape in the distance, his gaze somewhat gloomy.

"A-You, did you find out?"

"What deity does that place worship?"

A-You leaned against the doorway, fanning himself as he answered lazily, "I asked around. It's not Mount Mao, nor is it any local incense tradition. I heard it belongs to the Mount Jinhua lineage."

The moment Zhong Jiu heard that, he could not help laughing.

"So it's Wong Tai Sin's lineage."

"At such a young age, instead of learning something proper, he's trying to establish his own sect. He's got some nerve."

A-You looked toward the still-under-construction plaque, but his tone was more serious than Zhong Jiu's.

"That kid has some real ability."

"I still can't tell how deep his cultivation is, but he isn't all show."

After saying that, he turned to Zhong Jiu, his tone becoming heavier.

"A-Jiu, I don't object to you raising ghosts."

"Our lineage has always had that skill. But don't take crooked paths, and don't touch anything illegal or harmful. Once you get involved with wicked arts, it won't just ruin you—it'll also disgrace our sect."

Zhong Jiu listened impatiently and waved his hand.

"I know, I know. You really talk too much."

As he spoke, he coughed several more times and turned to leave.

A-You watched his back, a trace of complicated emotion flashing through his eyes, but in the end, he said nothing further.

A few days later, the Daoist temple finally put up its sign and officially opened.

Huang Bai simply set out several tables and invited the nearby residents and neighbors to a lively feast.

"Everyone, eat as much as you like. Don't be polite. If there isn't enough, we'll bring out more."

Huang Bai stood at the entrance greeting people with a smile, looking every bit as festive as a newly opened temple should.

The interior arrangement of the Daoist temple bore some resemblance to that ancient temple.

Above the altar, there was no statue of any particular deity. Instead, there stood a spirit tablet.

There was no divine name on the tablet either, only a talisman that resembled birds and insects, yet also cloud patterns. It carried an ancient, solemn air, and the longer one looked at it, the more indescribably profound it seemed.

Huang Bai stood before the altar and looked at everything, feeling fairly satisfied.

According to the information provided by the Heavenly Dao Temple, as long as enough incense offerings accumulated here, corresponding incense power would also arise at the ancient temple.

He would have to slowly test this method out.

At that moment, A-You's voice sounded behind him.

"What a strange temple."

"No deity statues, no divine names. A-Bai, which god do you worship here?"

Huang Bai turned around and saw A-You and Zhong Jiu standing one behind the other at the entrance.

This time, A-You did not speak as casually as before. Instead, he first made a solemn gesture of respect.

"Mount Mao Daoist priest Chen You greets a fellow Daoist."

"Mount Mao Daoist priest Zhong Jiu!"

Huang Bai did not slight them either, returning the greeting with cupped hands.

"Mount Jinhua, Huang Bai."

After speaking, he looked at the spirit tablet on the altar and explained, "The Heavenly Dao Temple does not worship any specific deity. It worships the Heavenly Dao, so there is no need for divine statues."

A-You's eyes visibly shifted after hearing that.

"So that's how it is. This is my first time seeing something like this."

Zhong Jiu stood to one side, studying the temple's layout from the moment he entered.

After looking around, he gradually relaxed.

There was no ritual altar he recognized, no altar soldiers, no great formation, and no intense fluctuations of divine power.

Apart from that strange spirit tablet, it did not look like the gateway of any major sect.

It seemed that even if this Daoist Huang really had some ability, it probably was not that profound.

With that thought, Zhong Jiu's expression relaxed as well.

The three chatted at the entrance for a while before the two martial brothers got up to take their leave.

Before leaving, Zhong Jiu added politely, "Come visit my place when you have time."

Huang Bai smiled meaningfully. "There will be an opportunity."

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