Anyang City is medium-sized, with a population of 30,000 to 20,000. It is famous for its timber production. Outside the city, there is a canal where large flat-bottomed boats loaded with pine and fir wood are docked, and it is very busy.
In a remote alley in the south of Anyang City, near noon, a little beggar walked along the long stone road.
He walked and looked at the signs on both sides, and finally stopped in front of a "Bai Fu Incense and Candle" store.
The shop was small, with a pinewood counter behind it. The portly owner was yawning idly when he suddenly saw a little beggar peeking in. He immediately opened his eyes wide and shouted, "Hey, hey, get out, get out! This is a place to sell incense and candles, not a hotel. Go beg in the front."
Shi Feng looked at the man and said, "Are you Shopkeeper Song Jinfu?" The fat shopkeeper was startled. "Who are you? Do you recognize me?" Shi Feng looked around and saw that no one was around. He took out the nameplate from his pocket and placed it on the counter. The nameplate was originally the size of a palm, but Taoist Danyang cast a spell to shrink it to the size of a thumb.
The fat shopkeeper was startled when he saw this. He walked to the door in three or two steps, closed the door, hung up a "Closed" sign, and whispered, "Please come in." Shi Feng secretly grasped the sharp knife in his right hand and followed the shopkeeper Song into the inner room.
This room is where Shopkeeper Song eats and sleeps, and it is quite clean. Shopkeeper Song took out a disc-shaped object from the box and put it on the table. Shi Feng looked at it closely. The disc seemed to be made of wood, with some mysterious runes painted on it. Shopkeeper Song placed the nameplate on the magic plate, and the magic plate suddenly hummed, and emitted a soft white light for a while, which flashed and went out.
Shopkeeper Song quickly handed the nameplate back to Shi Feng, his tone immediately becoming somewhat fawning and polite. "I'm sorry, I'm shortsighted and I've offended you just now. What are your wishes?" Shi Feng said, "I'm going to Taiji Gate." Shopkeeper Song was a little confused. "This is the sect's point of communication. If you want to go back to the mountain gate, just go back. Why are you looking for me?" Shi Feng said, "Don't worry about it. Just arrange for me to go back to the mountain gate."
Shopkeeper Song held a low position and had no idea of Shi Feng's background, so he didn't dare offend him. He said, "Yes, I'll make arrangements right away. When will Your Excellency leave?" Shi Feng said, "Let's go immediately. Don't delay." Shopkeeper Song agreed and stood up to make arrangements. Shi Feng suddenly said, "Wait a minute!" Shopkeeper Song hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, please give your orders." Shi Feng felt a little embarrassed and said, "You have food here. It's okay if you eat before leaving."
In the afternoon, a carriage drove out of the south gate of Anyang City. Two strong horses galloped very fast, bypassing the Cao River and heading west to the Shigu Mountains. After more than an hour, they arrived at a small Taoist temple. The carriage stopped and two people, one fat and one thin, got out. The fat man pushed open the mountain gate, said a few words to the Taoist boy, and the two of them went straight into the Taoist temple.
In a sanctuary in the backyard of the Taoist temple, a skinny old Taoist holding a nameplate in his hand said in surprise, "This is the nameplate of Taoist Danyang. Where did you get it?" Shi Feng said, "I have to see Taoist Dao Chong to talk about this." The old Taoist looked at Shi Feng for a long time and said, "Little brother, you have no power, and you are not a disciple of Tai Chi. Why do you want to see Taoist Dao Chong? If there is anything, can this poor Taoist convey it to you?" Shi Feng just shook his head. The old Taoist asked him about his name and origin, but Shi Feng did not answer, but just said that he wanted to see Taoist Dao Chong.
The old Taoist thought for a moment and said, "How about this, little brother, you stay in the temple for the night. I will report to the sect and make a final decision. Shopkeeper Song, you can go back first." Shopkeeper Song, who was standing by, clasped his fists and said yes, then turned and left. Shi Feng hurriedly said, "Shopkeeper Song, please don't spread this matter." Shopkeeper Song knew that the other party was not an envoy of high rank and shook his head. "You are very considerate, child. I don't know this rule."
The next day, the old Taoist led Shi Feng to a secret room. The room was ten feet square and empty except for many runes carved on the ground, with a groove in the middle. The old Taoist took out a crystal stone and placed it in the groove. He muttered a few spells and cast a spell with his hands. Suddenly, the magic circle on the ground hummed clearly, and streams of light swirled, emitting a light several feet long. The old Taoist walked to the center of the magic circle and said, "Little brother, let's go."
Shi Feng hesitated for a moment, but still stepped in. The old Taoist cast another spell, and the two figures became blurred and gradually disappeared.
Shi Feng felt dizzy and opened his eyes again, he and the old Taoist were already in a pavilion halfway up the mountain. Under their feet was still a magic circle similar to the one just now. Two people stood outside the pavilion, one was a middle-aged man in his forties, and the other was only seventeen or eighteen years old. When they heard the sound of the magic circle, they both stood up. When the middle-aged man saw the old Taoist, he clasped his fists and said, "Senior Brother Yu!"
The old Taoist also returned the greeting and said, "So it is Junior Brother Lin who is on duty today. I have been ordered by the sect to take this child back to the mountain." The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Yes, the steward of the Deacon Hall has already given the order this morning." As he spoke, he took out a token from his arms and muttered something.
Shi Feng saw that everyone was halfway up the mountain, facing a deep valley filled with mist and clouds, making it impossible to see anything. After the middle-aged man finished reciting, the token pointed at the white mist, and the mist swirled, revealing a passage.
The old Taoist pulled Shi Feng and said, "Let's go." Shi Feng felt his body lighten as the old Taoist flew over and pulled him into the white mist.
In a flash, I found myself on solid ground. I looked up and was shocked. There was no fog in front of me. I was standing at the foot of a mountain. Facing me were continuous peaks, pavilions and towers in the distance, and immortals flew across the sky from time to time.
It was already autumn, but the mountains were covered in a profusion of flowers, shaded by ancient pines, and the fragrance of flowers, plants, and trees was refreshing. Shi Feng secretly praised himself, thinking this was the blessed land of immortals!
The old Taoist secretly laughed at Shi Feng's silly look.
Shi Feng saw a huge rock in front of him, shaped like a lying cow, with three large seal characters "Tai Chi Gate" engraved on it, and a few lines of small characters engraved below. Looking carefully, it said "The five elements are difficult to distinguish, good and evil are difficult to distinguish, inside and outside are difficult to condemn, right and wrong are difficult to resolve, love and hate are hard to abandon."
He didn't understand what it meant and didn't dare to ask. The two of them just stood there in silence. After a cup of tea, a man came up the mountain path. He was a young man in his twenties with a handsome appearance. The old Taoist bowed and said, "Senior Brother Zhou." Senior Brother Zhou returned the greeting and said, "Thank you for your trouble, senior brother. Leave the person to me." The old Taoist nodded and turned to leave.
Senior Brother Zhou looked at Shi Feng and said, "Let's go!" He led Shi Feng all the way up the mountain path. He walked very fast, but his feet were extremely light. Shi Feng followed closely all the way and was soon out of breath. Senior Brother Zhou neither turned back to scold him nor helped him. He just stopped and waited when Shi Feng could not keep up.
It took them a whole meal's time to walk. Fortunately, Shi Feng was used to climbing mountains and crossing ridges since he was a child, so he managed to keep up. The two of them had now reached an open area at the top of the mountain. In front of them stood a white jade archway, more than ten feet high, with the words "Yinxianmen" written on it. Further ahead was a large area of pavilions and houses with carved railings and painted buildings, which was extraordinary.
Senior Brother Zhou led Shi Feng into the eastern courtyard. Many people along the way, all in white robes and green belts, greeted Senior Brother Zhou. Senior Brother Zhou simply nodded and ignored them. Shi Feng thought to himself, it seems Senior Brother Zhou holds a high position within the Taiji Sect.
Arriving at the inner courtyard, an old man with a black beard came out to greet them. He bowed and said, "So it's Brother Zhou who has come to visit." He was older than the young man surnamed Zhou's father, but he addressed him respectfully as "Brother." Brother Zhou said, "Brother Chen, don't be polite. Please arrange a guesthouse for this child to stay."
