Daoist Cen couldn't resist boasting, "We're already expanding the temple into a new one. Maybe once it's completed, the abbot will give me a position as a hall master!"
Only after finishing speaking did Daoist Cen realize that Yun Zhaozhao and Jingting had arrived without him noticing. He had spoken so loudly that Yun Zhaozhao must have heard him. Realizing this, Daoist Cen's face instantly turned red, and he stammered, "Master... Master, well, I was just bragging to my classmate, I didn't really want to be a hall master or anything..."
Yun Zhaozhao understood. "I get it. When you're out in the world, you give yourself your identity. Say whatever you want, I'll just pretend I didn't hear it."
Jingting: "Bragging, huh? I know this stuff! Just say that the abbot of our Clear Breeze Temple is on a rotating system, and it'll be your turn soon. Then, when it's your turn, the first thing you'll do is poach your classmate from his temple. Don't let him do anything, just make him follow you around all day, calling you 'Greetings, Abbot! Greetings, Abbot!' If his voice isn't loud enough, he has to do it again; if his emotion isn't sincere enough, he has to do it again."
Daoist Cen: "..."
Yun Zhaozhao, standing to the side, said, "You know what, this is indeed a good way to kill time. Why don't we ask the abbot to start this matter with the Jingting?"
Jingting: "..." What does it mean to lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot? This probably describes him perfectly.
Chapter 58
The offline Tai Chi activities at Clear Breeze Temple quickly spread from person to person. At first, it was just some Tai Chi enthusiasts like Grandpa Bai Mengjie practicing behind Daoist Cen and Daoist Mao. Later, many young people who love excitement also joined in, and it gradually evolved into a grand event where everyone practiced Tai Chi together.
Clear Breeze Temple's grounds were already small, and with so many people practicing Tai Chi, the courtyard became a bit too crowded. So, after getting Yun Zhaozhao's consent, Daoist Cen and Daoist Mao simply moved their Tai Chi Chuan practice to the park square in front of Clear Breeze Temple.
Because this is one of the few free activities at Clear Breeze Temple, and there are many participants, every time Yun Zhaozhao stands on the steps of Clear Breeze Temple and looks at the group of people practicing Tai Chi on the lawn with great enthusiasm, she has the illusion that she is training troops.
The offline activities at Clear Breeze Temple have become incredibly popular, leading to an increase in the number of livestreamers Clear Breeze Temple hype.
Ma Ke was one of them.
He was originally a food vlogger, spending his free time searching for popular restaurants online and then doing food reviews and live streams for his viewers. Being a food vlogger is actually very hard work, but then again, what job isn't hard these days? So Ma Ke never complained and just worked diligently every day.
He originally came to Clear Breeze Temple Clear Breeze Temple for its food. Online reviews from netizens who had visited Clear Breeze Temple Clear Breeze Temple gave it high praise. One netizen even raved about a bowl of vegetarian noodles, saying it was the best thing ever. So Ma Ke decided to try it out and showed up at the entrance of Clear Breeze Temple with his live-streaming equipment.
His live stream was different from Jingting's; it started broadcasting as soon as he got on the bus, so he hadn't seen Su Mian yet. Instead, he saw the grand scene of everyone practicing Tai Chi at the entrance of Clear Breeze Temple.
Ma Ke, being quite amusing, couldn't help but tease his fans, "Did I accidentally wander into the Shaolin Temple? No, there are even more people practicing martial arts here than at the Shaolin Temple. I didn't see this many people when I went to the Shaolin Temple last time."
Because of his mukbang (eating broadcast) work, Ma Ke is a bit chubby. Most netizens just think he eats very realistically, unlike some mukbang streamers who get thinner the more they eat. However, a few fans of Ma Ke advise him to take care of his health.
Seeing so many people practicing Tai Chi at the entrance of Clear Breeze Temple, these loyal fans urged Ma Ke to join in. Ma Ke is known for spoiling his fans, so upon seeing the comments, he actually took his phone and went upstairs.
While eating, Bai Mengjie habitually took out her phone to scroll through videos. Perhaps because she had searched for Clear Breeze Temple before, two consecutive videos were about Clear Breeze Temple, but Bai Mengjie didn't pay much attention and casually swiped past them. As she was swiping, she stopped because she saw her maternal grandfather on her phone.
Bai Mengjie thought she was seeing things, so she stared intently at the old man on the screen for a while and realized it was indeed her grandfather. It looked like they were in a park, as he was practicing Tai Chi with a group of people!
Bai Mengjie knew that her grandfather loved practicing Tai Chi and was very supportive of it, so she didn't think much of it and assumed it was a public fitness activity organized by some park. She even checked the streamer's ID and found it was " Ma Ke Takes You Around the World to Eat."
Bai Mengjie: So it's not a national fitness event, but a food event? But what does food have to do with Tai Chi?
Bai Mengjie was completely baffled when she heard the streamer named Ma Ke say, panting, "Alright, alright, I can't dance anymore. Those who are interested can come and dance next time. I'm going to take a look inside Clear Breeze Temple now."
Upon hearing the words " Clear Breeze Temple," Bai Mengjie instantly understood the question that had puzzled her for so long.
Because no matter how unreasonable something is, it instantly becomes reasonable once it's connected to Clear Breeze Temple.
Clear Breeze Temple is the eternal god in this cross-industry field!!!
-
Ma Ke continued walking in with his phone, introducing Clear Breeze Temple Clear Breeze Temple to netizens who hadn't been there before. "There's a pond here, with quite a lot of fish. They look very fresh, like they'd be perfect for braising or steaming... Over here is a rockery with steps leading up. Hmm, let me go up and see what's on top..."
The Daoist temple of Clear Breeze Temple is not built on flat ground, but on a hillside. So you have to climb a flight of stairs to enter each courtyard. Normally, these stairs wouldn't be too difficult for Ma Ke, but firstly, he hadn't eaten breakfast at all in order to come and check out the store today, and secondly, he had practiced Tai Chi Chuan in the square for a while before entering. So these few stairs were almost killing him.
I originally thought that the second courtyard after passing the artificial hill would be the place to eat, but it turned out that the second courtyard was just a place to burn incense and pray for blessings. Of course, there was food, but it was just some pastries sold in the shops, which didn't fit the theme of his food vlog.
At this moment, Ma Ke practically wanted to kneel down before Clear Breeze Temple: "I feel like coming to Clear Breeze Temple for a meal is more difficult than going to the Western Paradise to retrieve Buddhist scriptures!"
Typically, the worse off a streamer is, the more schadenfreude netizens tend to be. Therefore, there weren't many people feeling sorry for Ma Ke in Ma Ke livestream; most viewers were just laughing. Some were even praising Clear Breeze Temple for its clever money-making scheme, arguing that first they made everyone jump around at the entrance, then they made them climb dozens of steps. Even people who weren't thirsty or hungry couldn't resist buying more food and drinks – isn't that a clever way to make money?
Ma Ke wholeheartedly agreed, "I think so too. Putting aside everything else, this abbot is definitely a shrewd and calculating old Daoist priest."
However, some netizens quickly corrected Ma Ke in the live stream:
[I vaguely remember seeing a news report before that said the abbess of Clear Breeze Temple was a very young woman, and if I remember correctly, she was quite pretty!]
Of course, these words were quickly drowned out by the sea of comments in the live stream, and Ma Ke didn't see them.
Ma Ke rested against a bamboo grove in the second courtyard for a while, watched everyone burning incense, and then continued walking towards the third courtyard. This time he finally arrived at the Clear Breeze Temple's dining hall, because he could already smell the aroma of the food.
Before Ma Ke arrived, he thought the area in front of Clear Breeze Temple was where the most people were practicing Tai Chi Chuan, but seeing the line of people standing in front of the temple's canteen, he realized that this was the real busiest place in Clear Breeze Temple.
Actually, there were many people burning incense and praying in the second courtyard as well, but even with so many people, Ma Ke could at least see where the incense burner was. But now, seeing the huge crowd at the entrance of Clear Breeze Temple Temple's dining Clear Breeze Temple, Ma Ke could barely make out what the dining hall even looked like, let alone see what kind of food it was serving for lunch.
Ma Ke had visited other Daoist temples or Buddhist temples before, and almost all of them would prepare a menu for diners, allowing them to order the dishes they wanted.
But Clear Breeze Temple seems different. First, there's no menu at all; second, you can't order food. However, the good thing is that the food is all cooked to order, and customers can only choose what's cooked in a big bowl.
Ma Ke was quite curious about this business model, and even had a hint of anticipation. "Come on, let's line up and see what kind of dish we'll cook when it's our turn!"
The head chef in the cafeteria is always the Daoist Chang Kong. Occasionally, his apprentice from University A comes over, and the two of them cook together. But the person serving the food at the cafeteria entrance isn't fixed; whoever has time gets to serve. For example, today Daoist Cen and Daoist Mao are outside teaching Tai Chi, so it's Jingting's turn to serve.
Jingting has now mastered a set of skills in serving food; her hands don't shake and her eyes don't get blurry. Although Clear Breeze Temple doesn't allow ordering food, you can eat as much as you want, as long as you can handle it.
So the food was served very quickly.
Sometimes, when guests encounter dishes they don't want to eat, they will consciously step aside and let the next person finish before waiting for the next dish.
Anyway, although there were a lot of people, it was Ma Ke's turn very quickly.
Ma Ke had a camera on his head, which many shopkeepers were reluctant to accept, so while waiting in line, he proactively asked Jingting for his opinion, "Hello, Daoist priest, may I do a live stream later?"
Ma Ke said he almost thought he'd have to explain live streaming to these hermit Daoist priests living in the mountains, but it turned out he didn't need to at all, because Jingting calmly told him, "Sure, I stream for fun all the time anyway."
Not only was Ma Ke surprised, but the viewers in the live stream were also taken aback: