“Alright, give it to me.”
Seeing Wei Ping holding a bowl of medicine in his hands, he had been drinking traditional Chinese medicine recently due to his poor health.
“It’s a bit hot…”
Wei Ping watched his master drink the medicinal soup in one gulp. After finishing, Duan Wuyu handed the bowl back to him and asked, “Has your Martial Uncle Chang gotten up yet?”
Wei Ping smiled slightly, “I’ve already asked Junior Brother Zeng to invite Martial Uncle Chang to the refectory for breakfast later.”
“Good, let’s go together.” kanshu wu.xia
Duan Wuyu walked out of the small gate of the courtyard and headed towards the small courtyard where Chang Wude resided. Wei Ping followed and said, “By the way, Master, Martial Uncle Sima called me last night. He said he’ll be back this afternoon and needs to arrange the venue for the Ancestral Worship Ceremony.”
Duan Wuyu’s thin fingers pointed at him, “For the venue arrangements, you need to help your Martial Uncle Sima a lot. This is a grand ceremony that happens once every ten years in our Taoist temple. I have already sent invitations to the sect leaders of other factions, and many people will come to participate. So, you must pay close attention to the reception and don’t make any mistakes, understand?”
“Yes, don’t worry, Master. I will make arrangements,” Wei Ping nodded and smiled.
“Alright, you don’t need to follow me anymore. Go and be busy,” Duan Wuyu waved his hand and went to find Chang Wude alone.
“Yes, Master.”
Only then did Wei Ping stop, watching his master’s slender figure slowly leave. A sinister glint flashed in his narrow phoenix eyes…
“Junior Brother Wan, Junior Sister Nuolan, I’ll take you to see the back mountain.”
After having breakfast in the refectory, Li Zihang led Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan out. They passed through the back courtyard of the Taoist temple and saw many buildings built on the mountainside along the mountain path. “Those were all built by Martial Uncle Sima a few years ago.”
“Oh.”
Wan Yunting walked to the guardrail by the mountain and looked at the trees and mountains below, which were covered in white snow. The scenery was very beautiful, giving a sense of grandeur and the magnificent rivers and mountains.
“Let’s go, the scenery on the mountain is even more beautiful, and you can also see the Kunlun Mountains behind.”
With that said, Li Zihang continued to lead them up Mount Wuliang. Because the Wuliang Taoist temple was only built halfway up the mountain, it would take more than an hour to climb to the summit of Mount Wuliang.
“This back mountain is not open to the public. Only disciples of our Taoist temple can come here.”
Li Zihang led them up the only bluestone staircase on the mountain. There was accumulated snow and slippery moss on it, indicating that this path had experienced hundreds of years of vicissitudes.
“Why isn’t it open to the public?” Wan Yunting asked curiously. kanshu lai
“Because the back mountain is the burial ground of our past masters, so it is not open to the public,” Li Zihang turned his head and said to them.
“I see.”
Wan Yunting nodded with a smile and said, “Then can we go and pay respects to the past masters?”
“Of course, I was planning to visit Grandpa Gui anyway, so I’ll take you there,” Li Zihang said with a smile.
“Grandpa Gui?”
Hearing this address, Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan’s expressions froze. Li Zihang smirked and said, “You’ll know when we get there. Let’s go!”
Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan quickened their pace, following Li Zihang. The three of them chatted as they climbed the stairs. They saw that the surrounding trees were covered in snow, and they even encountered squirrels several times, jumping among the treetops and bushes. They looked very cute, making Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan take out their phones and couldn’t help but take pictures as they went up the mountain…
When they were nearing the summit, there was a fork in the road ahead. One bluestone path led to the left side of Mount Wuliang. Li Zihang called out, “Junior Brother Wan, that’s where the tombs of the past masters are buried. I’ll take you there first.”
“Okay.”
Wan Yunting nodded, and he and Kang Nuolan followed Li Zihang. He said, “You should have said something earlier before we came, so we could have brought some incense and candles.”
Li Zihang waved his hand and smiled, “Don’t worry, Grandpa Gui has them.”
Seeing this, Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan followed Li Zihang, walking on this winding, undulating bluestone path. It was only wide enough for two people to walk side by side, and in some places, there were ten-thousand-foot cliffs, and the path had no railings. Therefore, Wan Yunting would occasionally hold Kang Nuolan’s hand, asking her to pay attention to her footing…
“We’re almost there, it’s just ahead.”
Li Zihang pointed ahead. Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan glanced forward, and the three of them quickened their pace. Only then did they see that a large space had been carved out of the cliff face. Then they saw a very long stone platform carved inside, with many offerings placed on it.
And inside, the entire stone wall had nine layers. From the topmost layer, there was a spirit tablet. The eighth layer had three spirit tablets, the seventh layer had six, and as they went down, the number increased…
It could be seen that the Wuliang Taoist temple started with a single founding master, then three in the second generation, and then six in the fourth generation. As time went on, the Wuliang Taoist temple had more disciples and its disciples prospered.
“Junior Brother Wan, Junior Sister Nuolan, these are the spirit tablets of the past masters of our Wuliang Taoist temple,” Li Zihang said.
Wan Yunting nodded and looked up at the spirit tablet on the ninth layer. It was written in traditional Chinese characters, and due to its age, the writing was somewhat unclear. However, Wan Yunting could still make out the characters “Qiu Xuan”!
“Grandpa Gui, Grandpa Gui, are you in there?”
To the right of the spirit tablet was a stone door only about 1.6 meters high, with a dirty curtain hanging on it. Li Zihang dared not enter. After calling out twice, the curtain was lifted, and an old man with white hair and a sallow, aged face walked out. He wore a black Taoist robe and was very thin, like an old steed resting in the stable.
Especially the sharp gaze in the old man’s sunken eye sockets. When he raised his eyes and glanced at Wan Yunting, it made his heart tremble violently. He felt as if the old man’s sharp gaze could see through his inner thoughts, making him feel fearful and humble himself, maintaining a respectful posture.
“Grandpa Gui, have you had breakfast?”
Li Zihang went up to support the old man and asked with a smile.
“Mmm…”
The old man, referred to as Grandpa Gui, did not give the impression of being an immortal like the Abbot Duan Wuyu. He was more like an ordinary old man living in seclusion in the mountains. He pointed at Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan and chided Li Zihang, “Why did you bring outsiders here? Don’t you know the rules of the Taoist temple? Take them and get out.”
The old man suddenly became angry, startling Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan. Li Zihang quickly said, “Grandpa Gui, please don’t be angry. They are not outsiders. They are direct disciples of Martial Uncle Chang.”
Grandpa Gui’s wrinkled old face froze. Li Zihang said, “He is Chang Wude, Junior Brother of my Master, you know? I and my Senior Sister invited him back this time.”
“Hmph, so it’s him.”
Grandpa Gui seemed to have opened a long-sealed memory, then he walked to a nearby chair and sat down, saying, “Then why don’t I see him come up to see if this old man is dead or not?”
“Oh, Grandpa Gui, look at what you’re saying.”
Li Zihang crouched down and knelt on the ground like a grandson, placing his hands on Grandpa Gui’s legs and smiling, “Perhaps Martial Uncle Chang will come to see you later.”
“Nonsense.”
Grandpa Gui took out a dry pipe from his black Taoist robe. The pipe was tied with a tobacco pouch. He slowly opened the pouch, scooped out some tobacco, and packed it into the bowl of the pipe. Li Zihang immediately picked up a box of matches from the stone platform, struck one, and personally lit Grandpa Gui’s pipe…
Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan stood in front of them, honestly watching this scene without speaking.
Grandpa Gui took a couple of puffs and slowly exhaled the smoke, which filled the air. Then he said, “That brat left the sect without permission for a woman. Over forty years have passed in the blink of an eye. If he had even a shred of conscience, he should have returned earlier.”
Li Zihang didn’t dare to respond to this.
Grandpa Gui raised his eyes, sizing up Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan, “Are you two his disciples?”
“Yes.”
Wan Yunting nodded, and then he and Kang Nuolan bowed and smiled, “Hello, Senior…”
“Hmph.”
Grandpa Gui snorted, turned to Li Zihang, and asked, “Is only your Martial Uncle Chang back? Has your Martial Uncle Gongsun Xiuliang returned?”
Li Zihang’s expression froze. He turned to look at Wan Yunting and said, “Grandpa Gui, Martial Uncle Gongsun is no longer alive!”
“What?”
This statement made Grandpa Gui’s narrowed old eyes widen instantly. He turned and stared directly at Li Zihang beside him, scaring him so much that he suddenly fell to his knees. Grandpa Gui couldn’t believe it. “You said he died?”
Let alone Li Zihang, even Wan Yunting and Kang Nuolan felt a powerful aura emanating from Grandpa Gui’s frail body at this moment, like a massive boulder pressing down on their hearts, making them feel oppressed and breathless.
“Martial Uncle Chang said…”
Li Zihang was so scared that he knelt on the ground, trembling.
“Go and call Chang Wude here. I want to ask him personally how Xiuliang died,” Grandpa Gui’s old face became terrifyingly grim, his old eyes wide open, and he shouted sternly.
“Martial Uncle Zong…”
Then they saw Abbot Duan Wuyu leading Chang Wude and Yang Jingyi over. Chang Wude hurried forward and knelt directly in front of Grandpa Gui, kowtowing and shouting, “Martial Uncle Zong, I, Chang Wude, have returned to visit you.”
“Chang Wude, how dare you come back?”
Grandpa Gui’s old eyes glared at him furiously and he reprimanded him sternly.
“Martial Uncle Zong, please calm your anger. I indeed have no face to return. Please punish me, Martial Uncle Zong.” Chang Wude’s forehead was pressed to the ground, begging for forgiveness.
Grandpa Gui pointed at him with his pipe and asked sternly, “I ask you, is Xiuliang really dead?”
“Yes.”
Chang Wude still didn’t get up, gritting his teeth.
“How could that be? How could he die before this old man…”
Grandpa Gui, upon confirming that Gongsun Xiuliang was truly dead, suddenly his old eyes became tearful. His thin body trembled beneath the wide Taoist robe.
Chang Wude, kneeling before him, and Duan Wuyu, standing beside him, wore somber expressions and sighed slightly. They clearly knew what status Gongsun Xiuliang held in Grandpa Gui’s heart!