Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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After being discharged from the hospital, Father Xie went home to recuperate. Before leaving, he glared at Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan, warning them not to be too arrogant.
Xie Lingya had originally intended to come out to everyone, but now, thinking it over, he decided to postpone it to avoid upsetting his father.
His father already knew, and Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan had even gone to great lengths to tell their uncle the truth.
Wang Yuji was so shocked he nearly fainted. “What? What?!”
He had no children of his own and treated his nephew like his own son. He also adored the talented disciple he later took in. And now he was being told these two were together?
If it were a man and a woman, his first thought might be to offer his blessings, but these were two men! Wang Yuji was completely bewildered.
Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan kowtowed, startling Wang Yuji awake.
He hesitated, saying, “Get up…”
Unlike his father, Wang Yuji was naturally easygoing, and being a cultivator, he saw more than just modern society and life in general.
Xie Lingya probably knew his uncle loved him and wouldn’t strongly object, but he hadn’t expected him to accept it so quickly. It seemed his acceptance had increased since becoming a City God.
“Thank you, Uncle. We’ll definitely help you find more apprentices,” Xie Lingya said ingratiatingly.
Wang Yuji thought about how Xie Lingya had initially gone to Shi Changxuan to find him an apprentice, but things had turned out differently. He couldn’t help but chuckle, “Just don’t find more boyfriends.”
Xie Lingya & Shi Changxuan: “…”
Xie Lingya said awkwardly, “That’s a bit…”
Shi Changxuan seemed thoughtful. Indeed, Xie Lingya had touched many people. If he hadn’t insisted on teaching Xie Lingya the art of face reading…
Xie Lingya said pitifully, “My dad doesn’t agree.”
Wang Yuji said, “Your dad’s thinking is a bit…” He looked at Xie Lingya’s expression and added, “It’s okay. If he keeps refusing, I’ll go find him!”
Xie Lingya quickly said, “Just send him a dream. My dad is injured, and if his spirit floats over, he might be scared and fall again.”
Wang Yuji: “…Hmm.”
Xie Lingya felt relieved. His uncle had already accepted it, so he could just let his dad keep pestering him. It seemed there was nothing more to worry about.
Several days later, Xie Lingya led some of the Taoist priests up the mountain, and they took turns soaking in the hot springs.
The Taoist priests always wore their robes, except for Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan, who were allowed to wear casual clothes. The other Taoist priests, however, were surrounded by onlookers upon entering the scenic area.
A major feature of this scenic area was the presence of the renowned Pure Land Buddhist master, Lian Tan, which attracted many Buddhist believers from the surrounding area to burn incense. The Taoist priests’ wandering around the area drew considerable attention, especially from the Buddhists.
“Any normal person, knowing there are fellow Taoists stationed here, would probably avoid suspicion, right?”
Just then, Master Lian Tan personally came out, greeted each of the Taoists, and led them to have tea. Of course, it was at the hot spring resort, not the Buddhist temple.
Those who followed gossip might recall that a few months ago there was news of monks and Taoists cracking down on a cult, including Master Lian Tan and the local Taoist temple to which these Taoists belonged.
Besides the recruited monks, Lian Tan also brought his personal disciples: one was Tan Xing, whom they had met before, and the other was Lian Tan’s newly accepted disciple, with the Dharma name Tan Qing.
Tan Qing was only nineteen years old, and it was said that Lian Tan had chosen him at a Buddhist academy.
Master Lian Tan couldn’t hide his pride when introducing Tan Qing, “Tan Qing was adopted by a Zen master in a small mountain temple when he was young. Later, the Zen master passed away, and Tan Qing went to a Buddhist academy. He has exceptional wisdom and an outstanding memory. In just one day, he can memorize an entire scripture he has never read before, and he never forgets it!”
The Taoists looked at Xie Lingya; their teacher Xie also possessed this ability.
Tan Xing also sighed, “On the day we first met, Master asked his junior brother about ‘water,’ and the junior brother replied, ‘Heaven sees precious and magnificent water, the human world sees clear water, fish see it as a den, and ghosts see it as pus. All beings see water differently. The important thing is not the water, but the mind; all phenomena arise from the mind.'”
The phrase “all phenomena arise from the mind” coincided with the Taoist theory.
Although everyone was unfamiliar with Buddhism, they understood the sentence and nodded in agreement.
Tan Qing, at such a young age, could utter such a verse; this level of understanding was just like their teacher Xie.
Tan Xing: “That’s why Master took the water radical and named him Tan Qing.”
Tan Qing stood to the side, a handsome little monk. Hearing his senior brother praise him, he put his hands together and bowed.
Lian Tan changed the subject again. They would be stationed in Zhuyang from now on and would have to deal with Xie Lingya quite a bit. Fortunately, they were all acquaintances, had fought together, and their cultivation levels were similar, so there was no tension. As they chatted, Lian Tan was called away. As the abbot of the newly opened temple, he was naturally very busy. Xie Lingya and the others were just there for fun, so they didn’t disturb each other.
Tan Qing and Tan Xing stayed behind to exchange a few words. Xie Lingya saw that the little monk’s eyes were clear and bright and couldn’t help but tease him: “If you go down the mountain, come visit me.”
Tan Qing was stunned for a moment and said, “…I, I’m not comfortable going in, am I? Can I visit you at home?”
Ordinary people exchanged pleasantries and visited each other’s homes when they had time, there was nothing wrong with that.
Xie Lingya told the monk to come visit sometime, which caused a big problem. Tan Qing didn’t know how to refuse, so he squeezed out a simple “I’m paying a visit.”
“Hahaha,” Xie Lingya laughed.
Tan Xing said, sweating, “My junior brother is honest, Mr. Xie, please don’t tease him.”
Most people Tan Qing’s age were in university, some might even be working, but Tan Qing grew up in a remote temple with his master and focused on his studies at the Buddhist academy. Even now, his first cell phone was given to him by Lian Tan.
Seeing Tan Qing’s behavior, everyone thought they had expected him to be a monk like Teacher Xie in Buddhism, but he was so pure. It seems that someone as mischievous as Xie Lingya was rare.
Well, thinking about having a monk as capable as Teacher Xie… never mind.
Xie Lingya then inquired about Tan Qing’s studies. He himself was exceptionally talented, so he deeply sympathized with Tan Qing’s concerns about his studies. He learned quickly and could even manage the Taoist temple. Tan Qing, on the other hand, didn’t have that many responsibilities, and Lian Tan even told him not to push himself too hard.
“It’s alright, when you rest, just surf the internet. You used to have such a simple life, you probably haven’t even watched the 1982 version of Journey to the West, have you?…” Xie Lingya even taught him how to use a mobile phone.
Tan Xing peeked over and saw that the TV series Xie Lingya had collected for Tan Qing, besides “Journey to the West,” were all things like “Legend of Shaolin Temple,” “Ji Gong,” and “Bodhidharma”…
Tan Xing: “…………”
Tan Xing hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping himself. Logically speaking, monks should be pure and detached from worldly desires, but firstly, his junior brother was really talented, and secondly, his childhood was really miserable. Not to mention the 1982 version of Journey to the West, his junior brother didn’t even recognize the annually broadcast “Princess Pearl.”
The worst part was that when they came to Zhuyang together, his junior brother stared at the toy car of the child next to him on the train for a long time, such that his master felt sorry for him and even wanted to buy him a toy set.
Thinking about how disciplined his junior brother usually was, strictly adhering to his schedule, and incredibly efficient, Tan Xing couldn’t bear to interrupt him. Besides, monks are human too; there’s nothing wrong with watching TV. Many temples even have websites; monks use the internet to stay informed, but everything is done in moderation. And this particular drama even features monks… his junior brother will probably be thinking, “There’s a plot hole in this show!” after watching it.
….
Xie Lingya said goodbye to the young monk, exchanged phone numbers, and went to his room.
Tang Qi probably didn’t mean anything by it; he just felt that since he and Shi Changxuan were close, arranging only one suite for them was a good deal.
Yet, he pretended to be upright, chatting with others first, as if he had no intention of going back to soak in the hot springs for two.
“Teacher Xie, did you do this on purpose? Introducing a genius little monk to watch TV dramas, what if he gets addicted to them? Religious wars are terrifying!”
“Hahahaha, yeah, yeah, it’s a conspiracy, isn’t it?”
Xie Lingya exclaimed, “Am I that kind of person? Even his senior brother didn’t object, I’m really malicious, I just introduced him to ‘The Legend of the Eight Immortals’ and ‘Zhang Sanfeng’!”
Everyone: “…”
Seeing that things were going well, Xie Lingya said, “You guys are thinking wrong, I’m completely innocent, I’m going back.”
Everyone didn’t care and waved goodbye.
Xie Lingya went back and took off Liu Lingtong and Guailong[1], then went to remove Phytolacca God from Shi Changxuan’s shoulder. He was sitting on the sofa reading a magazine, looking rather serious, subtly indicating Xie Lingya not to rush.
Xie Lingya grinned and went into the bathroom first.
Half a minute later, Shi Changxuan slowly stood up, his ears slightly red, and quickly walked in.
As soon as the door opened, Xie Lingya opened the window— it was a mountain view room— and brought in a fox, shouting, “How did you get in! Come on, let’s soak in the hot springs together, it’s been so long since I’ve petted a fox!”
Shi Changxuan: “…”
….
Outside the door.
Phytolacca God: “Hehe.”
The author has something to say:
The solemnity of Tian Jianbao is from “The Theory of Following the Righteousness”.
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[1] The docile dragon will now be called Guailong (as it is shorter and gives the cute little snake a name).