Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Days passed, and winter approached.
That evening, a rare visitor arrived at the temple. A carriage rumbled along the stone path.
Li Hong and Bear Kid were idly washing brooms in the mountain spring under the bridge, finding it quite curious. Before they could shout, the old Daoist's figure flashed and appeared at the entrance of the temple.
The thick brocade curtain was lifted, and a young man in splendid attire jumped down from the carriage.
The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old, handsome with bright eyes, dressed in luxurious embroidered clothing, and wearing a valuable collar adorned with gems around his neck. As he glanced over Li Hong and Bear Kid, his gaze did not linger for a moment but was directly cast upon the old Daoist.
Ordinary people might look down upon such a ragged and unkempt Daoist, but this richly dressed youth did not hesitate to walk straight to the steps and bow down on the ground, saying, "Zhao Xuan pays respects to Spirit Stone Daoist."
Spirit Stone Daoist's expression was unusually solemn as he clasped his hands behind his back and nodded, saying, "You are Zhao Xuan? Your talent is indeed remarkable. Go back and tell your master that I will take this child."
Behind the carriage followed four sturdy men on fine horses. The men seemed to be familiar with Spirit Stone Daoist. They all responded in unison, moving a delicate gilded lacquer box with a diameter of two feet from the carriage, saying, "This is a small gift from our master to the immortal teacher." Without further ado, they handed over the box and immediately mounted their horses to leave in haste.
The old Daoist turned around and waved at Li Hong and Bear Kid, instructing them, "Take him inside; he will share a room with you. No fighting allowed."
The boy did not even glance at his departing family members but continued to respectfully gaze at Spirit Stone Daoist. As soon as the old Daoist finished speaking, he clasped his hands and bowed respectfully, replying, "I will obey the immortal teacher's command."
Li Hong watched in astonishment; why didn’t this kid need to sign a Contract of Indenture?
After a few days, Li Hong finally understood why the old Daoist wanted them three to share a room. The usually quiet temple suddenly became bustling with activity as groups of children and youths arrived one after another. The youngest was ten years old, while the oldest was no more than fifteen.
Every day, Spirit Stone Daoist stood at the temple entrance, examining each boy and girl who came. Some were accepted on the spot while others were sent away with their escorts.
The escorts were quite strange and varied; some were dressed as Daoists, some as monks, others appeared to be martial artists from the rivers and lakes, and there were even soldiers clearly identifiable as part of Song Dynasty military attire. Additionally, some like Zhao Xuan were escorted by family members in groups of three or five. There were also about ten impoverished youths who had secretly followed others over mountains and rivers to arrive here. Those who had escorts were either taken in or sent away; overall, surprisingly most were accepted.
The small Azure Oil Temple suddenly became lively. In just ten days or half a month, over a hundred people had gathered—both male and female—with all rooms filled to capacity. Those who arrived later had no choice but to sleep on makeshift bedding. Lingpan Daozhang and Ling Shi Daozhang, who had been meditating in their rooms without coming out, also made daily appearances to help Spirit Stone Daoist select children and manage affairs at the entrance.
The two servant Taoist boys who didn't like to eat had no time to meditate in their room anymore; they were busy all day long. Li Hong and Bear Kid became their primary targets for tasks, and no matter what the matter was, they would always say, "Go find Li Hong and Li Xiong!"
Li Hong was extremely surprised and couldn't understand why such a small Azure Oil Temple would take in so many Taoist boys, both male and female. He secretly asked Zhao Xuan about it. However, Zhao Xuan looked at him as if he were an idiot, snorted disdainfully, and turned to leave.
Since it was impossible to get any information from Zhao Xuan, Li Hong shifted his focus to the other boys. Unfortunately, their explanations varied widely.
Some said they came to the mountains to learn the way as per their parents' orders to avoid the chaos of war; others mysteriously claimed that the famous "Lüliang Sword Sect" was recruiting disciples, and their parents had gone through great lengths to send them here; while some didn’t know the reason at all, simply stating that one day their families ordered them to pack their belongings, and they were taken away by a stranger to this place... In short, the explanations were strange and diverse, leaving Li Hong even more puzzled.
The ten or so boys who had quietly followed others shared similar stories. Some were beggars, while others had lost their families due to war and were wandering by the mountains. Seeing many people heading into the depths of the mountains, they thought that following them might offer a chance at survival. So regardless of anything else, they followed along. By sheer luck, they were indeed taken in by the temple, where they were fed and clothed every day, feeling as happy as Li Hong once did—like a mouse falling into a rice jar. As for everything else, they remained completely unaware.
More and more people arrived; the small temple was nearly bursting at the seams with numbers continuously rising, reaching over two hundred. The two servant Taoist boys assigned many tasks to Li Hong, keeping him so busy that he had no time to ponder these questions.
As the weather grew colder and fewer carriages arrived at the entrance, just when Li Hong thought no one else would come, a final carriage appeared.
This carriage was quite different from others, but Li Hong couldn’t quite pinpoint what made it so unique. Regardless, he felt this way upon seeing it, especially when he saw the person inside.
It was a very beautiful young girl.
She looked no older than eleven or twelve, with features like a painting. She wore a simple white robe dress with an unusual long coat that was hard to describe. This coat was extremely light; at first glance it appeared silver, but upon closer inspection, it subtly shimmered with Five-Color Radiance.
As the girl stepped down from the carriage, a gust of mountain wind blew by, causing the corners of her beautiful long coat to flutter gracefully behind her. Against her snow-like complexion and ethereal figure, she resembled a legendary fairy in that moment.
The Spirit Stone Taoist stood at the stone steps of the temple entrance and simply said three words upon seeing her: "You have arrived."
The girl clearly recognized him as well and smiled sweetly as she greeted him: "I have met Spirit Stone Daoist."
Her sweet smile was like the first ray of dawn on a snowy mountain; in an instant, all things unattainable seemed to fade away. At that moment, she appeared as if she were truly a person of this world.
She glanced over and saw Li Hong standing nearby. She smiled lightly at him and followed the Spirit Stone Taoist into the temple. As they brushed past each other, Li Hong caught a faint floral scent that was indescribably pleasant, somewhat reminiscent of osmanthus but lighter, elegant, and refreshing.
The temple was bustling with people. As the young girl made her way through the crowd, everyone fell silent and stared at her. The girl remained composed, still wearing a gentle sweet smile, her light footsteps following the Spirit Stone Taoist into the third courtyard. The old Taoist commanded everyone to stop.
Li Hong stood outside the porch, listening intently. He heard the old Taoist take out a key to unlock the only closed room, and the two entered and shut the door behind them.
He was taken aback—it was the haunted room! That room was currently the only one unoccupied; what could the old Taoist want with that girl?
Soon, the old Taoist emerged alone from the room, turned back, and locked the door with a key. Seeing Li Hong dazed at the porch, the old Taoist shouted, “Zhao Xuan and Li Xiong are still out back chopping firewood. You go get their chopped wood inside quickly to prepare dinner! With so many people here, when will they get to eat if you don’t hurry? Go!” He strode over and pushed Li Hong forcefully.
As he was pushed along by the old Taoist, Li Hong's mind was in turmoil.
Having observed coldly these past few days, he felt that the old Taoist didn’t seem like a bad person; at most, he could be unreasonable at times. If someone suggested that the old Taoist intended harm to that girl, he would find it hard to believe. But if he wasn’t intending harm, why did he lock her in that haunted room? Was it possible that the empty room wasn’t haunted but specifically reserved for this girl? If that were true, why was she locked inside alone?
The questions in his mind grew more intense. Finding an excuse, Li Hong stepped out of the kitchen. Noticing that the old Taoist was absent, he quietly slipped in front of the locked room and listened carefully for any sounds inside.
It was eerily quiet within; there were no signs of anyone being inside. After entering, the girl had vanished.
Comment 0 Comment Count