This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 2 Chen Shi'an

into the night.

The once bustling Jingchen Temple has returned to its usual tranquility.

After Master left, this tranquility became even more profound.

The last wisp of smoke in the incense burner trembled and dissipated, while the eternal lamp on the offering table flickered, illuminating the yellowed account book in Chen Shi'an's hand and the letter his master had left him.

The boy sat cross-legged on the futon, reading page by page, accompanied only by the sounds of insects and the mountain wind.

[Liu Lin from the east village entrance: He delivered ten catties and eight taels of pork in the twelfth lunar month...]
[Zhenxitou Pharmacy: Poria cocos, Codonopsis pilosula, Atractylodes macrocephala, Astragalus membranaceus, Glycyrrhiza uralensis...]
Turning a few more pages reveals even more trivial details.

[Carpenter Wang: Repair three window frames in the east hall...]
[Tile builder Li: Repair twenty tiles for the west wing...]
These were all 'creditors' that Chen Shi'an knew well, mostly villagers from villages and towns at the foot of the mountain, and the account books mainly recorded accounts of goods.

Further on, you'll find mostly financial accounts.

[On July 16, 2013, 6000 yuan was borrowed from Xiang Kun]
The purpose of the money was not specified, but Chen Shi'an could guess where it went—a heavy rainstorm hit in July of that year, and the long-neglected west wall of the Taoist temple collapsed. A few days after the weather cleared, a new wall was rebuilt.

[......]
[Borrowed 8000 yuan from Lin Ming on March 6, 2018]
This was a bit closer to the present. Chen Shi'an remembered that in March of that year, almost all the tattered books and old stationery in the Taoist temple were replaced with new ones.

Every single item in the financial records was documented, yet none of them specified their purpose. However, Chen Shi'an knew exactly where each item was used.

Chen Shi'an didn't recognize almost any of the names on the list, but fortunately, they all had contact addresses and phone numbers, so he would have a way to repay the money.

Having spent eighteen years with his master day and night, he never imagined that his master would have a social circle he didn't know. It must all be old connections.

In Chen Shi'an's mind, his master had always been a strange and stubborn old man. Now, thinking about it carefully, he realized that the old man's life experience was probably not so simple.

Looking further ahead, the dates become fresher.

[August 9, 2023]
What happened last week.

[Borrow a degree from Lin Ming, tuition and fees for two years: 8000 yuan]
Chen Shi'an didn't know Lin Ming at first, but after seeing this, he could roughly guess who Lin Ming was.

I was stunned for a long time, feeling a mix of emotions.

Master, oh Master! You've managed to arrange everything perfectly, big and small, even during your long trip away from home!
The thick ledger records all sorts of things, almost all of which are for Chen Shi'an and this dilapidated Taoist temple. You have such heavy burdens on your shoulders, can the crane under your backside bear them...?

Chen Shi'an lit another incense stick, sat down, and picked up the last letter his master had left him.

He hesitated to open the letter, as if the old man would truly leave him once he finished reading it.

Just as I was pondering this, a soft meow suddenly came from outside the hall.

It was the old black cat from the temple. This cat was as lazy as its master, and it was common for it to disappear for three or five days at a time. But this time, it climbed up his Taoist robe and snuggled into his arms.

The master wasn't exactly a proper master, and the cat wasn't exactly a proper cat either; it was dark-skinned, ate a lot, and was fat, looking just like a piece of coal that could run and jump.

Chen Shi'an was picked up by his master, as was the cat.

Like Chen Shi'an, her name also contains the character "Shi," and she is called "Shi Mo."

Chen Shi'an wondered if his master had a particular fondness for the character "拾" (shí), but perhaps his master was simply not cultured enough to think of any other brilliant character.

By age, the cat is older than Chen Shi'an. Chen Shi'an doesn't know the exact age, but he knows that he and the cat were picked up by their master in the same year—however, at that time, he was still a baby who hadn't been weaned, while the cat was already a big cat.

Chen Shi'an scratched the black cat's chin, and the cat purred contentedly, closing its eyes.

I touched the cat's fur on its back; it was covered in pine needles and grass seeds. It must have gone to the back mountain again.

"You didn't steal Master's offerings, did you?"

"Meow."

"Shimo, Shimo, now it's just the two of us. I have to go down the mountain to study in a few days. Are you coming?"

"..."

The black cat didn't respond to him, but its tail curled around his wrist, its large amber eyes staring at the unopened letter in his hand.

Chen Shi'an opened the envelope.

The letter was written with a brush, the ink bleeding at the edges. The contents were written in a very literary style, clearly showing that the old man, who was not very educated, had put a lot of thought into writing it.

[My dear disciple Shi'an, seeing this letter is like seeing you in person. This morning, I watched the clouds drift westward and knew my time was near. I will soon depart on my crane, but there are some things I still need to explain to you…]
The letter was both long and short.

Chen Shi'an read it slowly, and before he knew it, he had read it three times.

My master's dying instructions can be summarized in just a few points:
1. Don't let the incense in the temple go out, even if he is the only one offering incense;
2. If one has the ability, the palace can be repaired, but not rebuilt;

3. Go down the mountain for a walk, see the world, and it would be best to read a book. As Taoists of the new era, we should not only understand metaphysics but also science.
4. Don't disturb your master's peaceful cultivation in heaven unless necessary;

5. Remember to pay back the money the temple has owed over the years;

[My dear disciple Shi'an, you are the one I trust most, and the one I worry about most.]
[Go forth into the mortal world, a thousand fathoms deep; do not lose your true self. Go forth, go forth!]
Suddenly, the sound of raindrops falling on leaves was heard. The black cat turned its head, but there was no rain outside. When it looked up again, it saw the boy with tears in his eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks and falling onto the letter in his hand.

"You old geezer, you have no culture but you try to be sentimental. I, Chen Shi'an, am your apprentice who has learned 99% of your skills! What else do you have to worry about with all this fuss? ... You win... You win!"

Chen Shi'an carefully put the letter away and placed it under his pillow along with the account book.

After his master left, he would be in charge of everything from now on.

For a moment, I felt somewhat lost and uneasy.

But soon, Chen Shi'an's thoughts became clear.

The first matter is inheriting the Taoist temple.

In the afternoon, the association's staff also said that in order to legally and compliantly inherit the Taoist temple, he was still missing one diploma.

The old man raised and taught him, all so that one day he could inherit the mantle. No matter how dilapidated the Jingchen Temple is, how could his and his son's place be taken by others?

Since I'm going to go down the mountain to experience the world anyway, I might as well take the college entrance exam on the way.

How difficult can it be to read a book?

Something that happens casually while traveling.

And then there are those accounts.

The classification in Master's ledger also shows that the always stubborn Master clearly distinguishes these debts.

While accounts for goods and accounts for finances are separate, there are still accounts related to personal relationships; every single item in these accounts involves human connections.

Chen Shi'an calculated that the debts he had accumulated over the years amounted to about 108,000 yuan. It didn't seem like a lot, but for someone who had no concept of making money, it was a considerable sum.

Although I haven't seen my master repay anyone's debts over the years...

But Master is right, we can repay the debts gradually, slowly, and in a planned manner, but we cannot not repay them at all! This is a matter of principle!
So let's put the debt matter on hold for now.

There was still 24,000 yuan in the card his master left him. He would need money to travel down the mountain, and he couldn't just silently pay it all back and then starve...

After all, he is still a long way from the so-called "abstaining from grains" realm!

Today is August 16th, and there are less than half a month left until the admission notice is issued on September 1st.

I don't know when I'll be able to return after this trip down the mountain to study.

Tomorrow I'll go to the back mountain to collect some pine needles and weave a new fly whisk;
Before repairing the palace, we must first secure the threshold of the west wing.
After several days of rain, the overgrown weeds in the yard need to be cleared away...

……

Half a month passed by in a flash.

While Chen Shi'an was doing these things, the annual start of the autumn semester arrived without him even realizing it.

On the morning of August 31st, Chen Shi'an, having changed into a new Taoist robe, prepared to set off down the mountain to travel and study.

As the young Taoist priest stood at the mountain pass with his luggage on his back, the lingering morning mist still trickled down the stone steps.

He turned back and took one last look at Jingchen Temple.

The oil lamp in front of the newly erected memorial tablet flickered, and incense ash fell down in a rustling sound, like someone waving silently.

"Master, I'm leaving now. Contact me in a dream if you need anything."

"..."

"You really left!"

Chen Shi'an bowed to the empty hall and then walked down the mountain without looking back.

A mountain breeze swept through the old locust tree, rustling its leaves.

The dew-covered weeds occasionally dampened his clothes.

The canvas bag on my shoulder swayed gently, and I could hear a cat purring inside.

The young Taoist priest descended the steps one by one, bathed in the morning light.

The mountain mist gradually dissipated, revealing a brand new world in the distance...

(New book release~ Please add to your favorites, recommend, vote for monthly tickets, and keep reading~! The theme of this new book is travel in the human world, starting with the protagonist going down the mountain to study. The genre is still urban life, with youth, romance, and growth. I hope both new and old readers will support me! Thank you all!)

(During the new book period, there will be two updates daily, with fixed update times at 11:00 AM and 5:00 PM!)
(End of this chapter)