Yinshan Record

Chapter 544 Asking for Directions While Climbing the Mountain Leads to Disaster (Part 2)
The head monk, with a cold expression, led his fellow disciples, who looked more like bandits than monks, to surround them.

This was the best solution he could come up with in a split second.

The inexplicable appearance of the blasphemous phrase "Heaven destroys the broken beam" on the temple gate screen wall is more than just a scandal; if word got out, it would be enough to bring disgrace upon everyone in the temple.

Fortunately, the screen wall has been torn down; all that remains is to suppress the news.

The fellow monks in the temple were all fine, but the only troublesome ones were these guests who insisted on making the pilgrimage. Fortunately, they were also江湖人 (jianghu people) who ran illegal businesses. Now that the important person was at the foot of the mountain, and this small Sheshan Mountain wasn't particularly tall, it wouldn't be long before the important person and their guards would ascend the temple. At this point, there was no time to kill them and silence them.

The best option for the abbot was to calm them down, invite them to the guest hall and keep them under surveillance, and then decide what to do next after the dignitaries had finished their worship.

Whether to escort them down the mountain or kill them to silence them, there is room for maneuver.

"Esteemed benefactor, now that we have such an honored guest, why don't you rest in the guest room for a while?"

The senior monk spoke politely and respectfully.

Su Che smiled slightly, naturally agreeing.

Now, Young Master Su is a prominent figure in Jiankang City. The news that he stepped into the palace, defeated the young prodigy of the Xie family, and forced the head of the Jingye Division to flee in disarray has not only spread throughout Jiankang, but is now the hottest news in the entire Central Plains.

Even the Northern Dynasty emperor in Luoyang couldn't help but ask Grand Tutor Yuwen, who had been plotting his usurpation at some unknown time, during court assemblies if he knew who the newly emerged Su Che, the Third Prince of the Southern Dynasty, was.

Of course, how Grand Tutor Yuwen responded is unknown to outsiders.

Dragons bring rain, tigers bring wind.

Although Young Master Su is a rising star among the new generation in the Central Plains, he is not a heartthrob, and not everyone may recognize his face.

Of course, if they were people from the palace, they would definitely recognize them.

Su Che's visit to Sheshan was actually driven by three motives.

The first reason was to chat with his trusted confidants, Lu Bai and Zhu Yi, about future arrangements. The second reason was to pay homage to the ancient site and see what the altar left by the old lion looked like back then.

Of course, the most important thing is to try to calm your mind and observe.

Not bad.

Huang Tiandao's Daoist temple in this world, nominally Su Che's office, is the Zhixin Temple, located on Sheshan Mountain, connected to a group of Buddhist temples. It's actually quite obscure; compared to the mountain full of bald men, very few people know that the prestigious Huang Tiandao's Daoist temple in this mortal world is actually located here.

It's strange that they would seek out these bald men who are busy making a living in the world of fame and fortune, when there are true immortals right beside them.

Young Master Su gently waved his folding fan, unable to come up with a solution for the moment.

Perhaps people in this world have always been like this.

Sending these monks the four characters "Heaven Destroys the Broken Beams" can be considered a way of giving them a chance to reflect on their own path of spiritual practice.

Young Master Su was a kind-hearted person who did good deeds anonymously. Since he had seen the old lion's old temple, he did not linger. He directly called over Zhu Yi and Lu Bai, and the three of them quietly left the temple and walked slowly into the depths of Sheshan Mountain.

Of course, before leaving, we had to give these masters some of their calligraphy as a gift.

"No wonder cultivators avoid this mortal world; wine, women, wealth, and power are the worst enemies of ambition. Even though it's the legacy of the ancient Buddha, they can't even see through your illusions, young master. While your illusions are indeed skillful, this is still..."

After walking only a few steps, Zhu Yi was moved to speak.

He praised Su Che's illusion technique as superb. Although there was a bit of sycophancy involved and it was just a little flattery, the fact that the Third Young Master Su could set it up so easily was truly remarkable.

However, the senior monks in the temple don't even have the means to guard the place, yet they still pretend to be a Buddhist temple. They are truly shameless.

“Buddhist practice emphasizes a path of faith, vows, and actions, but in general, it is about sowing widely and reaping little. If you have millions of disciples, it is considered a success if you can cultivate a few true Buddhists.”

Su San joked, "Besides, they left the Buddhist order back to their ancestors. The fact that they've ended up like this is thanks to the efforts of the later monks."

Zhu Yi and Lu Bai smiled upon hearing this. The commotion the old lion caused at Xuanshan was so great that anyone with eyes could see that this ancient Buddha who used to jump around had fallen into the demonic path and ultimately died.

For cultivators, falling into demonic possession signifies a shameful end. From then on, they are no longer the person who once sought transcendence, but have become the puppets and objects of demonic cultivators. As for someone like the old lion who willingly fell into demonic possession...

Who knows if they truly became demonic in pursuit of advancement, or if they had already been corrupted by the Demon Lord long ago, yet still think they are being clever enough to take a risky gamble based on determination and perseverance?

In just a few words, a magnificent mountain path came into view ahead. The moss-covered stone steps turned left and right, following the contours of the mountain and heading deep into the Sheshan Mountains, layer upon layer, as if reaching straight into the clouds.

Beside the mountain path stands a stone tablet with a large character "止" (stop) engraved on it.

As Su Che looked at the mountain path, a strange sense of familiarity arose in his heart.

When I first ascended to the heavens and faced those magnificent, boundless palaces, I felt exactly the same way.

This is a resonance from the depths of Taoism, a natural sense of familiarity arising from the transmission of the same lineage.

It seems this is the path to the contemplation of stillness and tranquility.

"You all wait here, I'll go up and take a look myself."

Su Che gave a soft instruction, and Lu Bai and Zhu Yi naturally agreed.

Although Lu Bai and Zhu Yi lived nearby, this was not a place that could be casually given to them to look around.

Like Huang Tiandao, Zhixin Guan (止心观) is a Dharma connection obtained from Yulizi, and is not something that belongs to oneself.

The stone steps are covered with thick moss, and the sprawling trees almost block the mountain path. The mist that permeates the mountains is refreshing yet has a desolate feel that keeps people at a distance.

Su Che continued forward.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a mountain gate came into view in the distance.

Although it's called a mountain gate, it's just a bamboo and wood structure, seemingly a crude work by the village craftsmen. However, the three characters "Zhi Xin Guan" on the wooden plaque hanging at the top are like strong, powerful strokes, revealing an extraordinary air.

From a distance, the buildings here appear simple and unadorned, seemingly just a place for some village Taoist priests to enjoy themselves. However, upon closer inspection, one can see that the Taoist temple is connected to the earth's veins, subtly conforming to the laws of heaven and earth, and its spiritual energy is contained yet not revealed.

Like the finishing touch in a masterpiece of ink painting, it is not explicitly written, yet it echoes the entire work, silently delivering a thunderous roar.

It truly is a celestial grotto, a perfect place to escape the mortal world.

"Infinite Heavenly Lord."

At the mountain gate.

An old Taoist priest dressed in hemp robes held a nearly bare whisk in his hand. He flicked the whisk lightly and bowed forward in a Taoist salute.

"Just now, the temple was filled with dazzling spiritual energy. I thought it was a master from our sect descending to the mortal world, so I hurriedly went to the mountain gate to greet him. Only then did I see that it was the abbot who came."

With perfect spirit and abundant energy, one can establish a firm foundation and control.

Su Che glanced at the old Taoist priest who appeared to be half-buried in the ground; this man was actually a cultivator who had achieved the Core Formation stage. The Third Young Master Su felt a mixture of disappointment and delight.

What pleased him was that although the Taoist priest before him was wiry and poorly dressed, he was, after all, a man of supernatural powers who had cultivated the Elixir of Immortality. Huang Tiandao was not entirely without influence in the human world, and his own abbot was not a lone commander.

The disappointment stemmed from the fact that although the fellow Daoist before him possessed perfect spirit and energy, the divine light in his eyes was dim, and a faint aura of death lingered around him, suggesting that he was nearing the end of his life.

“This morning, a decree was issued from within the sect, appointing a disciple of Master Wei to take charge of the temple. I was overjoyed to hear that the abbot had taken up his post, but I did not expect that some time had passed before the abbot finally arrived.”

The old Taoist priest Lu Chuan had a look of joy on his face as he gestured for Young Master Su to come inside.

"Third Young Master, is that rope you sent back then still working well?"

(End of this chapter)