[Are Daoist priests all this fashionable these days? Wow, that's impressive!]
[You know what, this Daoist priest does look quite familiar; I think I've actually seen him on social media before.]
[Let's have a PK between the streamer and him, and see who has more fans and is more popular.]
Ma Ke hasn't been streaming for very long, and he doesn't have many followers yet; he's only managed to accumulate less than 2,000 followers through hard work. Although the number is small, each and every follower is very important to him.
Moreover, in his mind, even if a Daoist priest from Clear Breeze Temple did a live stream, he could only attract a few hundred viewers at most.
So, with the thought of spoiling his fans and satisfying his vanity, he couldn't help but ask Jingting's live stream account, "What's your live stream account name? We can follow each other!"
Jingting logged into her own livestream account directly in the background, right in front of Ma Ke's friends in the livestream room.
Now not only Ma Ke saw his number of followers, but even the viewers in Ma Ke's live stream could see it clearly.
Ma Ke remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was practically going crazy: What kind of place is Clear Breeze Temple, a place teeming with hidden talents? How come an ordinary Daoist priest has nearly 50,000 followers in his livestream?!
Jingting seemed quite modest. "I don't have many fans in my live stream, but my little master's live stream has more. By the way, Clear Breeze Temple also has another account about flowers, plants, and traditional Chinese medicine; you can follow it if you're interested."
Ma Ke felt utterly exhausted. Being humiliated and humiliated in front of everyone was bad enough, but to have his own livestream advertised on his channel was unacceptable. This Daoist priest had no martial ethics whatsoever! However, Ma Ke only grumbled inwardly and didn't dare say it aloud, because he had witnessed the two Daoist priests practicing Tai Chi Chuan downstairs. Ma Ke was afraid that he might say the wrong thing on someone else's turf and get beaten from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain.
Fortunately, Ma Ke's food arrived quickly.
This time it was a plate of stir-fried pork with green peppers and a plate of dry-fried green beans. Both were very ordinary dishes, nothing surprising.
Ma Ke didn't eat, but decided to wait. Fortunately, the wait was worthwhile, because the next dish served was crayfish and salt and pepper ribs. The crayfish even came in two flavors, one with thirteen spices and the other with garlic.
This time, Ma Ke didn't hesitate and ordered all three dishes, plus a large portion of rice. He filled his plate to the brim and started looking for a seat.
Although the canteen at Clear Breeze Temple has been renovated, it is still small and has only about ten tables, which are already full.
So many people found a place to eat in the courtyard, either squatting or sitting. Ma Ke was lucky enough to find a stone stool to sit on. Although he had a seat, Ma Ke couldn't help but complain about the dining environment at Clear Breeze Temple: "It's pretty terrible, there's not even a decent place to sit. If the food isn't good, I probably won't come back next time."
Because he needed to eat, Ma Ke simply set up the camera on a tripod, placed it aside, and started eating.
Eating crayfish requires wearing gloves, which is relatively inconvenient, so he tried the salt and pepper ribs first. The freshly cooked ribs were still slightly hot to the touch, fried to a golden brown and fragrant perfection. With a gentle tear, the meat and bone separated smoothly. Each bite was bursting with meaty flavor, accompanied by a hint of salt and pepper. Ma Ke used to be a mukbang streamer, unable to resist commenting after just one bite, but this time, he devoured the entire rib before finally saying with lingering satisfaction, "Delicious!"
Viewers in the live stream:
[It must be really delicious. Because when I'm eating something delicious, all I can think about is finishing it quickly, and I don't even have time to talk.]
[Hilarious. It reminds me of another food vlogger I follow. She'd hold a piece of meat in her hand, showering it with compliments, but she wouldn't eat a single bite.]
Ma Ke quickly devoured the entire plate of salt and pepper ribs before starting to peel the crayfish. He had a special trick for peeling crayfish: he could peel them off with his mouth without using his hands.
He's eaten a lot of crayfish, and used to love them, but he hasn't had them in a long time. So before eating them, he thought they wouldn't be as good as salt and pepper ribs, but he was surprised to find that the crayfish were incredibly fresh and the meat was firm. Most importantly, the crayfish sauce was fragrant and spicy, with a hint of numbing sensation, creating a wonderfully rich and complex flavor experience.
If salt and pepper pork ribs are perfect with water, then this thirteen-spice crayfish is perfect with alcohol.
Ma Ke couldn't help but ask Jingting, "Master, does your temple serve wine?"
Jingting: "Yes, we do. Plum wine, homemade. Would you like to try some?"
Ma Ke: "Wow, that's amazing! Your Daoist temple can even brew its own wine!"
Jingting the smiling face, "Our Clear Breeze Temple is capable of anything."
Ma Ke: "..." You're just bragging!
-
Ma Ke eventually ordered a bottle of plum wine and then ate his fill of lobster with it. After finishing, he even had the urge to take a nap in the Daoist temple.
Although the Daoist temple was crowded, it wasn't particularly noisy; it was quite quiet overall. And perhaps because it was located near the mountains, it was not only cool, but the air felt fresher than in the city. Most importantly, there was a large tree in the temple courtyard, providing ample shade, so even sitting in the courtyard, it wasn't too hot in the sun. In short, it made you feel lazy and didn't want to move at all.
Ma Ke couldn't help but confide in his netizens. "I take back what I said earlier about not coming back next time. I think this place is still worth a visit. Even if you don't come for the food at Clear Breeze Temple, just to take a break is worth it. Wait a minute, I think I saw a beautiful woman."
As Ma Ke was talking, he turned the camera around, and Yun Zhaozhao appeared in the frame.
Yun Zhaozhao came to find Jingting. When she saw Ma Ke pointing his phone at her, she didn't pay much attention and even smiled and waved at Ma Ke. Ma Ke subconsciously imitated Yun Zhaozhao and waved back.
Once everyone had gone some distance, Ma Ke couldn't resist rushing over to Jingting and asking, "Master, who is that beautiful woman who was talking to you just now from Clear Breeze Temple?"
Jingting: "You mean that one from earlier? That's the abbot of our Clear Breeze Temple."
Ma Ke blurted out, "... Master, shouldn't the Master be a venerable old man with a white beard? How can she be such a young and beautiful woman?"
Jingting: "Because the old-fashioned Daoist temples have all closed down, the remaining temples and their abbots are all very young. After all, it's the world of the young now."
Ma Ke: "..." You know what, that actually makes a lot of sense.
Chapter 59
Jingting these words was so "outrageous" that although Ma Ke and the others in the live stream laughed, their peers felt that Clear Breeze Temple, a small Daoist temple, was far too arrogant.
Of course, even if a major Daoist temple like True Yang Temple feels that Clear Breeze Temple is acting arrogantly, it will not actually have a direct conflict with Clear Breeze Temple. After all, the status and position of a major Daoist temple are what they are. If they really go against a small Daoist temple like Clear Breeze Temple, it would be lowering their status and making a fool of themselves. They would not do that.
However, there are always some Daoist temples, neither large nor small, that automatically interpret Jingting Jingting's words as a veiled criticism.
Among these, the Embracing Bamboo Temple, where Daoist Huaijin resides, is the most prominent example.
As for why Embracing Bamboo Temple reacted so strongly, Daoist Huaijin's instigation was undoubtedly a contributing factor.
As a classmate of Daoist Cen and Daoist Mao, Daoist Huaijin had only been at Embracing Bamboo Temple for less than three months. Logically speaking, he was still in the internship stage and his understanding of Embracing Bamboo Temple was still superficial. However, he was very good at reading people and understood human relationships, so he got along well with the senior brother of Embracing Bamboo Temple Senior Brother Leng, Daoist Leng, and could barely speak to him.
Daoist Huaijin had always wanted to find an opportunity to subvert Clear Breeze Temple and give it a taste of its power, but he knew he couldn't do it on his own. So he decided to trick Senior Brother Leng into going with him.
Just then, news of the Jingting stream reached him. After watching the Clear Breeze Temple live stream, Daoist Huaijin went to Daoist Leng and added fuel to the fire, saying that the Daoists at Clear Breeze Temple all said that it's now the era of the young, and that senior Daoists like Daoist Leng, who are complacent and lack ambition, will definitely not be able to compete with the young people and will be eliminated by the times...
Daoist Leng diligently handled all the affairs of Embracing Bamboo Temple for his master. Even if he had no merit, he had worked hard. However, Clear Breeze Temple not only disrespected their master, but also accused them of being old-fashioned and conservative. This Daoist Leng so much that he almost cursed them on the spot.
Taking advantage of the opportunity Daoist Huaijin said, "I don't know where small Daoist temples like Clear Breeze Temple suddenly came from. They clearly have no foundation, yet they dare to make a fuss everywhere. I think they've just seen too little of the world and lack experience. I heard my master say before that Daoist sects can exchange ideas and learn from each other, contributing to the development of Daoism together. Why don't we take this opportunity to send a visiting card to Clear Breeze Temple? Ostensibly for exchange, but actually..."
Daoist Huaijin didn't say the last sentence aloud, but those who understood understood: he was going to Clear Breeze Temple to teach them how to be good people.
Although Senior Brother Leng was slightly tempted after hearing this, he was still hesitant. His original intention was to go to a grand temple like True Yang Temple to exchange and learn from each other. People naturally strive to improve themselves! There's no reason for him to go to a place inferior to his own Daoist temple to exchange and learn from.
Seeing Senior Brother Leng's hesitation, Daoist Huaijin immediately used a strategy of retreating to advance. "If you really don't want to go, then forget it. Anyway, Clear Breeze Temple isn't talking about you. We'll just stay here and guard our Embracing Bamboo Temple, and let Clear Breeze Temple be as glamorous in front of others and spread their heresies as they please..."
Senior Brother Leng instantly grasped the key point. "Is Clear Breeze Temple doing quite well lately?"
Daoist Huaijin spoke frankly, "Although Clear Breeze Temple is not one of the most famous Daoist temples, it is very well-known online. Many people who don't know much about Daoist culture only know Clear Breeze Temple and not our Embracing Bamboo Temple."