“The train has arrived, please pack your luggage…”
Hearing the announcement, Jiang Wen shouldered his bag and walked out of the train station.
Arriving at the exit, a young Taoist priest in a Taoist robe attracted attention.
He held up a sign that read 'Jiang Zhenren of Jingxu Temple.' Passersby curiously looked at him, feeling a sense of novelty at the little Taoist priest's appearance in the train station.
Jiang Wen walked up to the little Taoist priest in a few steps, staring at him.
The little Taoist priest shook the sign, looked up, and asked him suspiciously, “Layman, is there anything I can help you with?”
This little Taoist priest was fair-skinned and quite cute. He just seemed a bit dull, with a purely innocent look.
Jiang Wen originally wanted to tease the little Taoist priest, but seeing the little Taoist's serious appearance while picking people up, he gave up on that thought.
He pointed to the sign and then pointed to himself: “I am the person you are here to pick up.”
“…Little Taoist priest, how old are you today?” Jiang Wen couldn't help but ask, sensing that this little Taoist priest was not a simple person.
“How do you usually live?” Jiang Wen asked curiously, knowing that small sects probably don't have much incense money, making survival a problem.
When Jiang Wen was asked where he was from, the Taoists ignored him after he said he was from Jingxu Temple.
“Ah! So you are Jiang Zhenren.” The little Taoist priest smiled, put down the sign, rubbed his sore arm, and respectfully bowed to Jiang Wen. “Jiang Yu, the thirty-fourth generation disciple of the Quanzhen Longmen sect from Qingcheng Mountain, greets Zhenren.”
Thinking of this, Jiang Wen struck up a conversation with the person sitting next to him, asking where they were from.
The other person told him that he was from Yunshan Temple in Yunshan, a place Jiang Wen had never heard of. Even such a remote Taoist temple could receive an invitation, indicating that this conference must be very grand.
“My master said I learn too fast, and told me to cultivate for two more years before directly reporting to their school.” The little Taoist priest said regretfully. “I also want to see what school is like, and if it's similar to our Taoist temple.”
Jiang Wen was also struggling with whether or not to choose a Dharma name, but he couldn't think of a good one for the time being. So, he decided to wait and see.
“Twelve years old this year,” said the little Taoist priest.
“I am the abbot of Jingxu Temple,” Jiang Wen replied.
“I know, little Taoist priest, you don't need to say it.” Jiang Wen held back his expression, feeling that asking further would be self-humiliating. “Keep the elixir, it's not poisonous. Eating it will actually benefit you. Consider it a greeting gift from me.”
“It's nothing, people living in this world definitely need to eat, drink, and excrete. As long as the means are legitimate, there's no need to feel ashamed,” Jiang Wen comforted him.
“Okay, thank you very much, Zhenren.” The little Taoist priest said happily.
“So you are a Zhenren in charge of a temple, greetings.” The Taoist quickly bowed.
“Oh, Master said I can't take other people's things!” The little Taoist priest hurriedly took the elixir, looking at Jiang Wen with a troubled expression. “And your elixir wouldn't happen to contain lead, would it? Master said not to trust those who refine elixirs, eating them will poison you.”
“It's not too late to change careers now, there aren't any strict rules,” Jiang Wen replied.
It was difficult for small sects to survive, so it was no wonder others snubbed them.
“I didn't study,” the little Taoist priest scratched his head in distress.
“Which school is your master from?”
“I heard it's a university with the same name as the capital, but I forgot which school it is.” The little Taoist priest scratched his head in distress.
“The organizer is quite thoughtful this time.” Jiang Wen couldn't help but praise upon hearing this. Before coming, he had checked the situation of previous conferences, where everyone paid for their own accommodation and sometimes even had to pay for their own meals, making it a self-service meal.
The Taoist from Yunshan Temple strongly agreed and chatted with Jiang Wen about the current situation of Taoists.
“The monks are doing better, Taoists are not so good.” The Taoist sighed. “If I had known, I would have become a monk instead of a Taoist.”
Seeing this exchange of interests within the Taoist community, Jiang Wen couldn't help but shake his head. After all, everyone has their own ambitions, and everyone still has to survive in reality.
“He's quite a good seedling, although he doesn't have spiritual roots, his talent should be good,” Jiang Wen muttered, looking at the little Taoist priest's back.
“Oh? Your master is quite pragmatic,” Jiang Wen felt a hint of surprise at the master mentioned by the little Taoist priest. He thought that all Taoists were obsessed with refining elixirs and believing in various alchemy and herbal medicine techniques.
Soon, he led Jiang Wen to the bus. After saying goodbye to Jiang Wen, the little Taoist priest went to pick up the next group of visitors.
Building a good relationship with Taoists from famous sects might lead to joining their sect in the future and enjoying high subsidies.
“I didn't expect the requirements to be a Taoist to be so high now? Even a . in chemistry is here?” Jiang Wen felt that the world was turning upside down. How could becoming a Taoist become so competitive? Why doesn't a . in chemistry find a good job and become a Taoist instead? “You are ambitious, what grade are you in now?”
This time, the association spent a lot of money to contract the accommodation and food for the participants.
“We are all people in the same situation, there's no need to be polite,” Jiang Wen said.
“Your surname is Jiang, and my surname is also Jiang. We must have been a family five hundred years ago,” Jiang Wen joked with the little Taoist priest, then took out a Marrow Cleansing Pill and handed it to him. “Seeing that you are destined with me, I will give you this Marrow Cleansing Pill.”
Moreover, every Zhenren has their own Dharma name, only special Taoists like Jiang Wen don't have their own Dharma name.
After all, different reputations bring different benefits.
Taoists with seniority or in power in the Taoist community are called Zhenren, which Jiang Wen learned from chatting with Master Chen.
“Why didn't you go to school?”
“Yes, my name has been Jiang Yu since I was a child,” the little Taoist priest said seriously. “Zhenren, please come with me, your accommodation has already been arranged.”
“Your name is Jiang Yu?” Jiang Wen was curious when he heard this surname.
People have levels, let alone Taoists.
“You are a grateful person. Come to my Jingxu Temple next time if you have the chance, maybe there will be some surprises,” Jiang Wen invited him, without saying anything more.
When the bus arrived in front of the hotel, a group of Taoists poured out like a school of fish. The scene was so wonderful that it attracted a large number of passersby to stop and watch.
Jiang Wen, wearing casual clothes, looked particularly different among the Taoists.
