Chapter 123 Outside Kyoto
"Drive! Drive! Drive!"
In the evening, dust was flying on the official road and the sound of horse hooves could be heard.
I saw three tall horses galloping on the official road. The three people on the horses were all dressed in brocade clothes, and exquisite long swords were hung on the sides of the horses.
All three of them were young men, all of them were in high spirits and full of confidence.
Obviously, they are not of ordinary backgrounds.
"Master Zhou! It looks like we're going to miss the day! Why don't we find a place to rest for the night? How about heading into the city tomorrow morning?"
The blue-clad young man on the left shouted to the one in the middle.
Judging from the tone, among these three people, the one in the middle is the most noble, or has the highest status.
"It doesn't matter! I have an order! Just knock on the door!"
The young man in the middle was wearing a red robe and had a rather feminine face. He smiled slightly when he heard the words, and there was a hint of indifference in his words.
The man on the right, who was dressed in blue, couldn't help but remind him, "Master... Lord Zhou, we escaped secretly. If you use the order, then your father..."
Hearing this, the young man in the middle couldn't help but pull the reins, and the young men on both sides also stopped quickly.
"Then...what should we do?"
The young man in blue who spoke first said hurriedly, "There is a Taoist temple not far from the city. Jiaci goes there to burn incense every year. I have been there with her several times. I am familiar with the Taoist priest in the temple. We can stay there for one night."
"Very good!"
The young man in red's eyes lit up and he nodded to the young man in green, who seemed to be greatly encouraged.
"Master Zhou, just follow me!"
The young man in blue urged his horse to quicken its pace. Before leaving, he winked at the young man in blue on the other side, his expression full of complacency.
"Humph."
Seeing the first two spurring their horses away, the young man in blue snorted coldly and said, "What a scheming person! He went out today and wasted time everywhere. I'm afraid he was looking forward to this moment!"
"Enter your mother!"
The young man in blue cursed in dissatisfaction and urged his horse to catch up.
…………
"The Taoist temple here is derived from the famous Shangqing Palace in Xijing. The Taoist priest here is proficient in alchemy and serves Your Majesty in the Danyuan Conference all year round."
The three young men were leading their horses and looking at the Taoist temple of considerable size in front of them. The young man in green introduced it in a soft voice.
At this moment, the three of them were walking on the bluestone road in front of the Taoist temple. There were green bamboos on both sides, and in the dim evening, it seemed quiet and peaceful.
But it doesn’t feel eerie at all, instead it has a natural and relaxing feel.
Even people's mood improved.
"I know. Is it the Shangqing Palace, which was called the Xuanyuan Emperor Temple during the pre-Tang Dynasty?"
The red-clothed young man's eyes lit up and he asked softly.
"color!"
The young man in blue raised his thumb and said with a smile, "Master Zhou is absolutely right."
"It is nothing more than this to be well-informed and have a good memory!"
Hearing the praise from the young man in blue, the young man in red smiled embarrassedly.
Seeing this, the young man in blue became more and more unhappy.
As they were talking, the three of them arrived at the gate of the Taoist temple. The young man in green said before knocking on the door, "You two, this is a Taoist temple built by imperial decree. There are many rules inside. Even if I use the name of Jiaci, the most I can do is let you three stay for one night."
"But there are rules for staying overnight. You have to work."
"Whether it's sweeping or chanting, in short, you have to do something and can't just sit there doing nothing."
The young man in blue sneered when he heard this: "What a big rule! With Master Zhou here, we still have to do these things?"
The young man in blue seemed to have been waiting for this sentence for a long time, and said without any hesitation: "Have you forgotten that Master Zhou's identity is not easy to say in public?"
"What is this place? It's a temple built by imperial decree. The Taoist priests inside are all able to hear directly from the heavens!"
After that, he looked at the young man in red and said with a smile: "Master Zhou, no matter what work you do, I will help you, don't worry."
"That makes sense. When you live in someone else's place, you have to follow their rules."
Mr. Zhou nodded thoughtfully, grinned at the young man in blue, and said, "Thank you."
"hey-hey."
The young man in green ignored the gloomy expression of the young man in blue, turned around and knocked on the door of the Taoist temple.
"Tuk, Tuk, Tuk."
"Squeak..."
After just a few breaths, the side door of the Taoist temple opened a crack, and a middle-aged Taoist priest walked out with a friendly smile on his face.
However, after seeing the three young men in brocade clothes, he was stunned and couldn't help asking: "Who... is Fellow Daoist Jiang?"
"What is it, Brother Daoist Jiang?"
The young man in blue asked subconsciously.
This question also stunned the middle-aged Taoist priest. After looking the man up and down, he realized that he had recognized the wrong person, so he bowed.
"Blessed be the Immortal Heavenly Venerable, where do the three laymen come from?"
The smile on the middle-aged Taoist's face faded a little, and the friendly feeling disappeared.
The young man in blue didn't think much about it, and returned the greeting with his hands. Then he looked around, moved closer and whispered, "Master Taoist, I am the second son of Princess Fuqing. Not long ago, I came to your temple with my mother to burn incense."
"Oh, it's the young marquis. I'm honored."
The middle-aged Taoist nodded, not too surprised, because in Kyoto, where one brick was thrown, there would be several royal nobles.
"It's like this. I was on an outing with two friends and forgot that I missed the time to enter the city. That's why I came here and hope to stay for one night."
The young man in blue explained in detail, then bowed and said, "Master, please be kind enough to open the door and give us a place to sleep."
After saying that, he quickly added: "Of course, we also understand the rules of the temple, and we will definitely not embarrass the Taoist priest."
The middle-aged Taoist thought for a moment after hearing this and said, "In this case, it is not a big deal to stay overnight. Please wait for a while, three laymen."
After saying that, the middle-aged Taoist turned around and shouted, "Qing Ling, Qing Ju, come here."
Soon, two little Taoist boys came over to pay their respects.
"I've met my uncle."
"Well, you two take these three lay Buddhists to the guest hall. After settling them down, take them to chant sutras while they wait for the meal."
The middle-aged Taoist arranged it.
After all, he is the son of a nobleman, so it is not good for him to do hard work.
Besides, Princess Fuqing is so well-paid in incense money every year that we can’t let her child eat ashes.
"Yes."
The two Taoist boys nodded in agreement and welcomed the three young men in brocade clothes into the Taoist temple.
Just as he was about to close the door, the middle-aged Taoist's eyes suddenly lit up and he hurriedly said, "Wait!"
After saying this, he straightened his clothes and walked out of the Taoist temple quickly.
The three young men also stopped and looked over curiously.
On the bluestone road where the three of them came from, there seemed to be a figure walking slowly among the green bamboos.
"You have to beg in every possible way for me to enter the temple, even using your highness's name. The Taoist priest will only agree reluctantly."
The young man in blue asked anxiously, "Why is it that someone else has come now and the Taoist priest has come out to greet them?"
"What do you know? The people who came here are probably high-level practitioners from other temples."
The young man in blue glanced at him with disdain and said, "Didn't you hear the Taoist priest say that he was waiting for a Taoist priest named Jiang?"
Ignoring the two people's bickering, the young man in red stood on tiptoe to look curiously.
"Hahahahaha!"
"Blessings and Immeasurable Heavenly Lord!"
The middle-aged Taoist priest laughed loudly, and his voice came: "Daoyou Jiang sent a message early in the morning, and the Golden Crow arrived just as it was setting in the west. This time, I have been kept waiting for a long time!"
From afar, a warm and clear voice sounded.
"I encountered some small things on the road, which delayed me for a while. I hope you can forgive me." As he spoke, the middle-aged Taoist priest walked towards someone.
The three of them looked at it intently and were all stunned.
That person was not some high-level practitioner, but a young man who looked similar to himself and others.
The young man wore a black cloak on the outside, and a Taoist robe with a green background and white eight-diagram pattern on the inside, and a lotus crown on his head.
When the young man in red saw it, his eyes lit up.
I saw that the young Taoist's hair bun was a little messy, with two or three strands of hair hanging down mischievously in front of his forehead, making him look more unrestrained.
He is handsome, intelligent, and tall as a pine tree, like a jade tree standing in the wind.
There was a red wooden sword hanging on his waist. His eyes were bright and clear, which was very attractive.
On his shoulders, there seemed to be a hint of lapis lazuli light faintly visible.
"Crash..."
The green bamboo was blown by the wind, and the young man came against the wind with light steps, as if he was about to take off with the wind in the next moment.
The young man in red couldn't help but stare in a daze, muttering to himself.
"I am a man of mountains and waters in Qingdu, and God has endowed me with a carefree and unrestrained character."
"I once approved the rain and wind vouchers, and I also wrote the moon and cloud chapters..." (paraphrased, don't complain about the timeline not matching, I know this is a Southern Song Dynasty poem...)
As he was reciting the poem, the young man in red murmured, "The banished immortal from heaven is nothing more than this."
The two young men at the side looked at each other and saw the unwillingness and a sense of crisis in each other's eyes.
"What happened to Brother Jiang Daoist?"
The middle-aged Taoist ignored the young men and just asked with a smile.
Jiang Lin stroked the Zhenwu sword on his waist and said with a smile, "Chengxin Ruyi Pavilion."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, the middle-aged Taoist frowned and said, "It seems that there are also dirty things in Kyoto. I have to ask the Taoist master to come out and clean it up."
"It's not that serious. If you ask me to help you with such a small matter, wouldn't you and I be too useless?"
Jiang Lin said with a smile.
"makes sense."
The middle-aged Taoist nodded in agreement and went to the Taoist temple to greet Jiang Lin.
"Open the front door!"
"Squeak..."
Before he finished speaking, the main gate of Shangqing Temple opened wide.
The middle-aged Taoist stepped aside to guide him, and said with a smile: "Brother Jiang, please come in. The abbot is already waiting in the Taiqing Hall."
"Brother Dao, why didn't you say so earlier?"
Jiang Lin was stunned for a moment, then took off his black cloak, straightened his clothes, and then walked into the gate of Shangqing Temple.
From beginning to end, Jiang Lin and the middle-aged Taoist priest did not look at the three young men who were watching the fun on the side.
The middle-aged Taoist was too lazy to look, and Jiang Lin was simply tired.
Along the way, from Qiyun Mountain to the outskirts of Kyoto, it is more than 1,500 miles.
At the beginning, Jiang Lin told the evil spirit in Chengxin Ruyi Pavilion in Taiping Town, begging for his help to rob and kill him.
And Chengxin Ruyi Pavilion was indeed worthy of its name. Along the way, Jiang Lin encountered at least two thousand and ninety evil spirits.
Part of this is because the world is indeed in chaos, but the rest is...
I can only say that when it comes to being stubborn, Chengxin Ruyi Pavilion is the one.
Jiang Lin sighed in his heart and walked into Shangqing Temple.
Looking at the surrounding environment and the Taoists who came to play, Jiang Lin sighed for the umpteenth time along the way.
Look at others, and then look at your own shabby Taoist temple.
What a difference.
You know, Jiang Lin's financial resources are basically equal to the conscience of Chengxin Ruyi Pavilion. What? Chengxin Ruyi Pavilion is full of evil spirits and has no conscience?
Isn't that right? Jiang Lin doesn't have any money either...
Therefore, along the way, Jiang Lin relied entirely on hanging up signs in various Taoist temples to "eat and drink for free". When there was no Taoist temple, Jiang Lin even had to compete with Xiao Qingluan for food.
Almost every Taoist temple that has a sign on the road is bigger and more luxurious than Jiang Lin’s Taoist temple.
This further strengthened Jiang Lin's determination to make money.
Apart from this, Jiang Lin’s biggest gain was that he discovered that it seemed that his seniority in the Taoist Ten Directions Forest was quite high?
Apart from those rare Taoist masters, those of his generation are basically high-level Taoist priests from various major lineages, or pillars of the sect.
This also gave Jiang Lin a lot of convenience. He didn't have to mention his master every time he placed an order. He only needed to burn a talisman in advance, and any legitimate Taoist temple would not refuse.
And they will be very considerate and arrange for people to wait in advance, just like now.
However, it was the first time that I saw the abbot waiting for me.
As Jiang Lin was thinking this, Laojun Temple was already right before his eyes.
The Shangqing Temple is a branch of the Shangqing Palace in Luoyang, and the deity it worships is naturally Laozi.
"Please come in, fellow Taoist. The abbot is waiting in the hall."
The middle-aged Taoist stepped aside to give instructions.
"Thank you, Brother Dao."
Jiang Lin nodded, straightened his clothes again, and then walked in.
The lights in Laojun Temple were always on. In the entire hall, there was only a skinny figure facing the statue of Taishang Laojun, chanting scriptures silently.
When Jiang Lin saw this, he stepped forward, took out three agarwood sticks, and knelt on the empty cushion.
"Disciple, Jiang Lin and Jiang Xuanying of the Northern Emperor's lineage, pay homage to the Supreme Lord Lao."
Jiang Lin bowed three times meticulously, stood up and inserted the incense in his hand into the shrine, and then bowed three more times.
After doing all this, Jiang Lin stood up and bowed to the old Taoist priest who seemed to be resting with his eyes closed and his mind focused.
"Junior, meet the Taoist master."
The abbot of Shangqing Temple is naturally a Taoist priest.
This Taoist priest had a gaunt face, white hair and beard, and wore a black Taoist robe with white Bagua patterns. He always had a kind smile on his face.
"Ah."
Hearing Jiang Lin's greeting, the Taoist priest woke up as if from a dream, opened his eyes and raised his hand.
Suddenly, eight cushions were moved over and made into a simple bed.
"are you tired?"
Taoist looked at the stunned Jiang Lin and said with a smile: "1,500 miles, there are evil spirits everywhere. I have killed them all the way, and it is time to relax."
"Have a good sleep, and we'll talk about it when we wake up."
After saying that, seeing that Jiang Lin was a little hesitant and confused, the Taoist raised his finger and pointed at him with a smile.
"Your personality is totally different from that bastard Jiang Dongqing."
"He wouldn't care that much."
Jiang Lin was even more stunned when he heard this, and couldn't help asking, "Do you... know my master?"
"I can't say how familiar it is."
The Taoist stroked his beard and said with a smile: "It's just that I hung out with him for a while when I was young, and did some things like knocking on widows' doors at night and peeping at young wives."
Hearing this, Jiang Lin scratched his head a little embarrassedly. So his master was so abstract when he was young?
Wait, Shangqing Temple, should be Quanzhen, right?
Jiang Lin suddenly thought of something and looked at the Taoist priest in front of him.
The Taoist master saw what Jiang Lin meant, smiled playfully, winked mischievously, and said, "At that time, I had not yet received the precepts."
After that, he said seriously: "Don't worry, there are no outsiders here, Laojun is right in front of you, just go to sleep peacefully."
Hearing the Taoist's voice, Jiang Lin nodded.
Lying on the mat, Jiang Lin could see the compassionate eyes of Laojun just by turning his head. He felt extremely at ease and fell into a deep sleep soon.
(End of this chapter)
