Sword Roaring in the Sky

Chapter 46: Songyang Sect Master, Taiyi Temple Master

Sun Yanwan walked around the Taiyi Temple on Lingjian Peak and was very excited.

This Taoist temple is located near the top of Lingjian Peak, on a platform mountain covering dozens of acres. Tourists who have been to Mount Tai must have been impressed by the South Heavenly Gate, as the terrain here is similar.

Chen Yi, a Ming Dynasty councilor in Shandong Province, once composed a seven-character verse titled "Southern Heavenly Gate": Gazing into the twelve levels of the Heavenly Gate, I suddenly see something dancing in the air. A thousand feet high, no ladder needed, only a single hole wide enough for an arrow. Wind rustles the wings of a roc, sunlight ripples across the waves. I seek the gates of heaven, but no one asks, only the crimson clouds that define the imperial palace.

It’s just that Lingjian Peak is higher up and there is no Jade Emperor Peak.

This Taoist temple has seven or eight courtyards, and there are more than two hundred Taoists of Xuanhuang Dao. However, they believe in Xuanhuang Dao and are not disciples of Songyang School. They usually maintain the daily routine of the temple, sweep the courtyards, and pay homage to the Three Ancestors.

There are no Three Pure Ones in this world, there are only Taoist Ancestor Xuanhuang, Taoist Ancestor Taiqing, and Taoist Ancestor Yuhuang, who are the source of all Taoist sects in the world.

Zhang Qingxi brought his junior brother, paid homage to the Third Ancestor, and then took him down the mountain and headed straight for another main peak of Songyang, Dasongyang Peak.

Dasongyang Peak is the main peak of Songyang Mountain. It is not the highest, but it is the most majestic. There are many places for building Taoist temples. There are 28 Taoist temples from the foot of the mountain to the top. It is the Taoist temple of Wang Xuangui, the head of Songyang School, and it is also the main gate of Songyang School.

The road in the mountains was long. Although the two brothers did not do much, running back and forth between the two peaks wasted a lot of time. When Sun Yanwan met the master uncle, it was already evening.

When Sun Yanwan saw Wang Xuangui, the Wanderer of Chongyang, at the Du'e Temple on the Great Songyang Peak, he noticed with his sharp eyes that this master's face looked very bad. Sometimes it was waxy yellow, sometimes burnt green, sometimes amber red, sometimes brocade white, sometimes turtledove gray, and sometimes iris blue...

He couldn't help but wonder in his heart, "What kind of profound skill did this master uncle practice to make his skin so beautiful?"

Wang Xuangui, the wandering monk from Chongyang, was about to curse his second junior brother and that little guy surnamed Sun to death. However, he had to maintain his status as the head of a major sect, so he could only squeeze out a sentence through his teeth: "I approve of this matter."

"From now on, Sun Yanwan will be the master of Lingjian Peak and will be in charge of Taiyi Temple."

"The Taiyi Monastery Master must be a member of the Xuanhuang Dao. You should become... a disciple of your Sixth Uncle Master, and have him arrange for the paperwork to be submitted to the Records Office. Once the paperwork arrives, everything will be legally binding."

The inheritance of Xuanhuang Dao and Songyang School do not overlap, so to join Xuanhuang Dao, one has to find another master. Wang Xuangui originally wanted to impart the talisman himself, but he really disliked Sun Yanwan, so he pushed it to Yin Bailian, the sixth of the Seven Friends of Songyang.

The imperial court would not regulate martial arts sects, but the Xuanhuang Dao lineage was the orthodox sect under the jurisdiction of the imperial court's Shangdao Lu Si. Both the granting of certificates and the management of temples required formal documents. These miscellaneous matters happened to be under the jurisdiction of Yin Bailian, so they were just pushed aside at the same time.

Zhang Qingxi brought his fellow apprentice, thanked his uncle, and left the Du'e Temple. He saw Taoist nun Wei approaching with a smile. She said, "I just said a lot of good things to Master. Now that things are going well, I also have a share of the credit."

Zhang Qingxi smiled and said, "Of course I have to thank you, Senior Sister."

Nun Wei said, "It's already quite late. It will probably be late at night before you return to Lingjian Peak. Why don't you stay overnight at my Lingtan Temple and return tomorrow morning?"

Zhang Qingxi said with a smile, "Senior Sister's is a women's temple. How can it be convenient for two men like us? We should find another senior brother and stay at his Taoist temple for the night!"

Taoist nun Wei laughed and said, "You two haven't even grown up yet, why are you trying to avoid suspicion?"

"Well, then! I'll take you to Junior Brother Sima's Ziyou Temple!"

Zhang Qingxi didn't refuse this time. He followed this senior sister through the mountains for half an hour and arrived at a very quiet Taoist temple. Nun Wei knocked on the door, and a boy came out. Seeing her, he was startled and shouted, "Master, Master! Uncle Wei is here." Nun Wei laughed and said, "This boy is so unruly. Why is he running away when he sees me?"

A moment later, a Taoist priest in his thirties floated out. Seeing Zhang Qingxi, he was startled and shouted, "Junior Brother Zhang, why are you back in the mountains? Are you going to participate in the sect's competition?"

Nun Wei said, "Junior Brother Zhang will not be participating in this competition."

The Taoist heaved a sigh of relief and said, "That's great."

Nun Wei said disdainfully, "You are so useless! Why are you afraid of Junior Brother Zhang?"

Taoist Sima complained, "I now have disciples and grand disciples. If I lose to my junior fellow apprentice who is almost twenty years my junior in a competition, how will I save my face?"

"It's not like I lost to my senior brothers, nor was it like I lost to a fellow disciple of the same age."

Taoist Sima complained for a moment, and when he heard that Zhang Qingxi was staying here, he exclaimed, "Junior Brother Zhang, it wouldn't be a problem for you to stay in my temple for a year or two. Why would you need Senior Sister Wei to send you here?"

"My grandson was so scared that he was running around. I thought Senior Sister Wei was drunk and couldn't find any other excuse to cause trouble, so she came to my Ziyou Temple."

Taoist nun Wei ignored him, gave Zhang Qingxi a few words of advice, and left.

Taoist Sima welcomed Zhang Qingxi and Sun Yanwan into the temple and then asked about Sun Yanwan's background. Zhang Qingxi repeated the story he had used to trick Taoist Nun Wei. Taoist Sima also felt that this junior fellow must be Uncle Zhang's illegitimate child. He thought to himself, "Although I have a suspicion, I must not mention this to anyone, lest it offend Uncle Zhang's reputation."

"This Junior Brother Sun has been learning martial arts for three or four years, but his cultivation level is still only this high. In the future, his cultivation level will probably be only at the fourth or fifth level. I'm afraid he won't be able to manage Taiyi Temple. I'll send some of my disciples and grandchildren over there to help them and find a good way out for them."

"After all, Taiyi Temple is located on Lingjian Peak, and it's very popular. It's much better than my Ziyou Temple."

Taoist Sima still had to prepare for the Seven Clans Martial Arts Competition, so after arranging accommodation for the two, he said goodbye and left.

When Sun Yanwan returned to Songyang Sect for the first time, she felt that everything was new and fresh. It was not like the big sects in some martial arts novels, full of intrigue. Although the head master looked unhappy, it was probably because he had a grudge against the master and wanted to offend others, but the other senior sisters Wei and Sima were much more friendly. When they spoke to senior brother Zhang and herself, they always showed a sense of "intimacy".

He settled down and followed his daily assignments, practicing the Meridian Sutra. Just as he was about to practice the Golden Tendon and Jade Bone Fist a few more times before going to bed, he heard an old man's voice outside the door: "Thank you, young Taoist priest!"

The voice was very familiar. He pushed open the door and saw Sun Yunhe as expected.

This veteran "master" of the Tianji Sun family was quite delighted to see Sun Yanwan, and thought to himself, "So these two are Sima Erlong's disciples."

Sun Yanwan smiled and said, "Senior, why are you staying here?"

Sun Yunhe replied, "Nan Meng's eldest sister is Madam Wei's apprentice. Now that she's returned to the mountains, she naturally wants to pay her respects to the master. She brought her sisters to stay at Madam Wei's Lingtan Temple. My granddaughter also went to pay her respects to Grandmaster Wei and was also invited to stay overnight. I'm an old man, so I had no choice but to be arranged to come here. I didn't expect to meet you."

(End of this chapter)