Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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The weather in early summer was perfect, and the city Taoist Association had chartered two buses which could accommodate a total of thirty or forty people. In addition to people like Xie Lingya, there were actually not only Taoist priests, but also a small number of devout lay people.
The journey was far outside the province and the journey was extremely long. He sat in the car for several hours and only got off at gas stations or when eating.
But since he went out to ask questions, there was no reason to enjoy it. In the car, the Taoist priests discussed classics and rituals, which was quite interesting.
In the evening, they stayed in an ordinary hotel, usually a double room. Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan stayed in one room, while Zhang Daoting shared a room with other Taoist priests from the temple.
While waiting in the hotel lobby to get his room card, Zhang Daoting saw someone video calling him on WeChat. He clicked on it and saw that it was He Zun.
“What’s wrong, Xiao He?”
“Daozhang Zhang, is Teacher Xie at the Taoist temple? No one answered the phone.” He Zun asked.
“I’m with him. We’re not at the Taoist temple. His cell phone is out of battery.” Zhang Daoting said. Xie Lingya was squatting in the corner of the lobby waiting for his phone to get charged. “What’s the matter with you?”
He Zun said quickly: “I just have something to do. Please tell him, I have a classmate. The store he opened is not very peaceful recently. It seems that the land is unlucky. There was a murder in the house they bought. What should he do?”
He Zun had always been a loyal fan of Baoyang Temple, ever since he had come in contact with Xie Lingya, he had even posted some related things in this area from time to time in the circle of friends. As a result, his friends would ask him some questions in this area, and some relatives and friends from out of town would even ask him to purchase talismans on their behalf.
So whenever he encountered a problem, He Zun would ask around and see if he could resolve it by reciting sutras or going to a Taoist temple.
“Wait a minute, I don’t know about this either.” Zhang Daoting still lacked experience, “I’ve never been in a haunted house.”
He turned around and said hello: “Everyone, can I ask a question?”
He Zun was sitting on the sofa. Zhang Daoting turned around and shouted, and then dozens of Taoist priests swarmed into the screen instantly, with their heads piled up beside him and behind him. From his point of view, they all overflowed the screen.
He Zun: “…”
“A devout friend bought a haunted house and it’s a bit unsettling. Everyone, what’s the simplest and most effective way to deal with this?” Zhang Daoting asked.
A Taoist priest pinched his beard and said: “It depends on which method your friend’s friend prefers, whether it is talisman or Zhaijiao, whether it is to worship the Three Pure Ones or Zhenwu Emperor, or the more down-to-earth local city god’s land…”
He Zun thought, what are they doing outside with a large group of Taoist priests? Just looking at the sofa, he thought they were in someone else’s house. “It’s the simplest one.”
“It must be a talisman. It’s best to use a talisman.” Another Taoist priest said.
At this time, Xie Lingya also noticed the movement here. So, he jumped up and looked around, “Who is it? Who is it?”
“Brother, it’s He Zun. One of his classmates bought a haunted house. He just said it would be better to bury the talisman.”
Xie Lingya squeezed in, when he saw that it was indeed He Zun, he first teased: “You are almost becoming our agent. Go back to the temple and get a house-holding talisman to hold for a while first. When I get back, I will draw one for your classmate on a peach board. That is better. The way to bury the talisman is that at sunrise in the morning, the owner alone digs a hole about one foot in the east of the house, spreads it with yellow paper, and places the talisman on the yellow paper with the east side pointed at it and then cover it with soil.”
He Zun took the paper and took notes. When he looked up, he found that the Taoist priests on the screen were also nodding and had started discussing.
“…You guys have a good time.” He Zun was embarrassed enough to die.
They, a large group of Taoist priests, were very eye-catching from the moment they came in. They were just gesticulating and discussing the haunted house when a guest from the same hotel came over and asked, “Are you filming a movie?”
The Taoist priests couldn’t laugh or cry, especially the older Taoist priests, who all had long hair tied into buns and dressed in Taoist robes. They looked really different from ordinary people, especially when they appeared together in non-religious places.
In fact, when one or two Taoist priests went out on the street, passers-by can’t help but take a second look, let alone dozens of Taoist priests. No wonder people asked this question.
“You look at me like I’m filming?” Xie Lingya asked with a smile.
The man looked at him and said, “Isn’t it true, aren’t you the leading actor?”
Before Xie Lingya could answer, the man saw Shi Changxuan again, “Oh, you look like the leading actor too.”
Xie Lingya said seriously: “Tell me, which one of us looks like the male lead?”
Everyone said: “…”
The resident still thought about it, touched his chin and said, “It’s hard to say, they are all similar, otherwise you two could both be the male lead.”
Everyone: “…”
“Hahaha, you’re kidding!” Xie Lingya was also amused, “These are all real Taoist priests, including one of the two male protagonists, who is also a Taoist priest of Fire.”
Guest: “…Really?”
“Do you think this looks like a wig? You have to work so hard to shoot a movie that you even grow long hair?” Xie Lingya pinched Zhang Daoting’s bun and showed it to him, and the man believed it.
The resident said, “Oh, sorry, sorry, I thought they were filming.”
Later, the resident asked where they were from, what they were doing, and asked to take a photo with them. It felt very strange.
Xie Lingya: “We will ask Daochang Zhang to take a photo. He is very experienced.”
Zhang Daoting: “…”
….
After the room was opened, Xie Lingya took a bath, lay on the bed, and accidentally fell asleep.
When Shi Changxuan came out from the shower and saw that his hair was still wet, he went to call out but paused when he saw that the man was already asleep.
Phytolacca God: “Hmm…”
Shi Changxuan stuffed it into the bedside drawer.
Phytolacca God: “…”
I’m very aggrieved, it just uttered a modal particle.
Shi Changxuan took a towel and put it on Xie Lingya’s head. His fingers touched his cold ears and couldn’t help but move them down, resting on his cheeks. Because of the lying posture, his cheeks were bulging. Shi Changxuan touched the soft flesh and his expression softened a little.
But he soon woke up and took advantage of the situation to hold Xie Lingya’s arm and push it twice, “Dry your hair before going to bed.”
After that, Shi Changxuan went to wipe his hair himself.
“Well…” Xie Lingya turned over and saw Shi Changxuan with his back to him, his expression a little confused.
Xie Lingya was a very slow person. He would turn a blind eye to some facts when they were put in front of him, but sometimes he was so sharp that he could detect the truth behind the scenes with just a few words in another person’s sentence.
He was not asleep just now, and he felt Shi Changxuan touch his face in a daze.
This action made Xie Lingya feel a little strange. He had obviously slept on the same bed and been hugged, but this action made Xie Lingya feel weird.
He couldn’t see Shi Changxuan’s eyes, but he felt that Shi Changxuan seemed to be carrying some emotion when his fingers slowly slid over his face. It even seemed that just because he couldn’t see it, he felt it more deeply, which shocked him and subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
He must be asleep, right?
Xie Lingya wiped his wet hair and pressed down the strangeness.
…
The next day, the group continued to set off.
After half a day’s drive, they finally arrived at the city where their first destination was. They got off the bus and had lunch before heading into the mountains on the outskirts of the city. Taoism emphasized the connection between heaven and man, and Taoist temples were generally built on mountains. There were not too many weird cases like Baoyang Temple.
A group of Taoist priests entered the restaurant and almost filled the empty seats. As before, everyone was used to being looked at by passers-by.
While they were eating, an old monk walked in from outside the gate. He looked up and was stunned. First, there seemed to be no seats, and second, the people occupying the seats were all Taoist priests.
“There’s still a seat over there. This… this master, why don’t you ask if you can share a seat?” the waiter greeted.
There were so many people eating at this point, in this place, and the old monk didn’t seem to mind very much and nodded.
The waiter walked to Xie Lingya’s table and asked if the master could share a seat.
Seated at this table were Xie Lingya, Shi Changxuan, and another layman. The waiter probably didn’t know that they were also Taoist priests.
Although they were not of the same religion, they were in the same boat. It was convenient for them to go out and interact with others. Xie Lingya and the other two looked at each other and nodded.
The old monk came over and sat down, clasping his hands and saying thanks.
After a meal, the old monk clasped his hands together in greeting, paid the bill and left.
He had only been gone for a while, when Xie Lingya also paid the bill. He stood up and took a look and saw that there was a mobile phone on the old monk’s seat. He seemed to have left it behind.
“The monk just left his cell phone.” Xie Lingya took the cell phone and said, so everyone came out of the hotel and looked around. The monk’s robes were quite eye-catching in the crowd.
“Master! Monk!” Xie Lingya shouted twice.
However, it was quite noisy on the street, so the monk didn’t seem to hear him. The other Taoist priests also shouted together and chased a few steps forward.
“Monk! Monk, don’t leave!”
Passers-by looked sideways.
The old monk finally heard it. He turned around and groped up and down again. Wasn’t it right? He dropped his phone and hurried back. The Taoist priests also stepped forward to greet him.
“Thank you, thank you all…”
The old monk came closer. He was old, and he was still out of breath after walking fast. When he was holding his mobile phone, he came face to face with Xie Lingya, and he felt that he looked familiar. He had this feeling when he first glanced at him in the restaurant just now. Now he felt it even more keenly when he looked at the other’s face. He was holding his waist and thinking, have I seen him somewhere before?
——It was this scene that was seen by a passerby who didn’t know the truth. He just took a photo and uploaded it on Weibo:
“Oh sh*t, I was passing by XX Road and saw a monk surrounded by Taoist priests. Should I continue going home or stay and watch the fight? Woolen cloth!”
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