Dao Qi Wu Zang Guan Guan: I became a Daoist Master in the 1990s

Chapter 25 Returning to the Immortal Mountain!
Qi Yun was jolted awake by a bone-chilling cold that had penetrated to his very bones, no one knew how long he had slept.

He instinctively curled up, but felt a hard, cold surface beneath him, and his nostrils were filled with a strong smell of dust and a coolness unique to the mountains and fields, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees.

He suddenly opened his eyes!
The gray-blue light of the sky enveloped the surroundings in a hazy, indistinct way.

Broken walls and ruins, rotten wood and rubble, leaning and toppled beams and pillars...

A desolate and ruined wasteland!

Not far away, a huge, ancient-looking bronze alchemy furnace stood silently in the center of the ruins. Its body was covered with mysterious cloud and thunder patterns, which gleamed with a cold luster in the dim light of the day.

"What?!" Qi Yun sat bolt upright, his heart pounding. "This is... the Five Organs Observation?! I... I took a nap, how did I end up back on Immortal Mountain?!"

He looked around at the collapsed mountain gate, the stone foundation half-buried in the soil, and even the slope he had rolled down not far away... Yes!
That was the ruins of the Wuzang Temple that collapsed that night!

Silence, deathly silence, with only the whistling sound of the wind blowing through the cracks in the rubble.

A tremendous sense of shock and absurdity gripped him.

He stood up and carefully walked through the ruins, his feet treading on broken bricks and rotten wood.

His gaze swept warily over every shadow and every jagged rock.

There were no footsteps, no eerie stone statue, and no black-haired monster.

This ruin seems to have been completely abandoned by time, leaving only eternal desolation.

He walked step by step toward the enormous bronze alchemy furnace.

The furnace walls were cold and rough, covered with a thick layer of dust.

He reached out and pushed hard, but the alchemy furnace didn't budge.

He walked around the alchemy furnace, carefully examining every crevice and every pattern.

He scraped off a bit of the verdigris with his fingernail, revealing a deeper, darker green underneath; it was still a cold, lifeless object.

"Jade slips... fairy fire..."

Qi Yun had a sudden thought and tried to activate the warm Crimson Hunting Flame in his heart.

He focused his mind, and a faint warmth welled up from his heart, flowing down his arm to his fingertips. He extended his index finger and carefully touched the wall of the furnace.

No response.

Still no success!

He tried again to recall what the inside of the alchemy furnace looked like that night, to imagine the position of the jade slip floating, and to try to communicate with it through his mind... but all his efforts were in vain.

The alchemy furnace remained silent, like an unchanging, age-old rock, refusing to reveal any secrets.

"What exactly is going on?"

Qi Yun withdrew his hand, the warmth at his fingertips quickly dissipated by the chill of the ruins, his heart filled with confusion and a sense of defeat.

"What exactly is going on?"

He looked up at the gray sky, feeling utterly lost.

He couldn't stay any longer! He composed himself and began looking for a way down the mountain.

Guided by his memory, he walked toward the edge of the ruins, where there should have been a path overgrown with weeds.

The sky seemed a bit brighter than before; the grayish-blue was fading, revealing a hint of pale white.

As I walked down the road, my pace quickened, my only thought being to leave this eerie place as soon as possible.

The mountain road was rugged, but it was much clearer than the dense fog that had bewildered me that night.

As Qi Yun walked, he suddenly felt that something was wrong.

The surrounding scenery... seems increasingly familiar?

These trees, these stones... isn't this the path he took when he climbed the mountain? But... the direction seems a little strange?
He suddenly stopped and looked down—the “path” under his feet had somehow changed back into the worn-out dirt and stone mountain path of Shenxian Mountain!
He turned around in surprise.

What road is left behind?
There was only a steep cliff, shrouded in mist and with no bottom in sight!

It was as if he had just stepped out of thin air from that cliff!
"I...I'm back again?"

Qi Yun stood on the mountain path, the mountain wind blowing his... faded blue Taoist robe.

He looked down and saw that it was indeed the one Xuanjizi had given him! It wasn't a dream!
That Qingyang City, the old Taoist priest, the painted-skin ghost... are not just a dream!
How did I end up halfway up this sacred mountain after just one nap, wearing a Taoist robe?

"That technique hasn't been taught yet!"

Qi Yun felt a pang of frustration. He sighed helplessly, determined his direction, and continued down the familiar mountain path. The early morning forest was filled with the crisp chirping of birds, the air carrying the cool scent of dew, and everything was so peaceful as if nothing had happened.
-
At the foot of the mountain, in Zhao Village, smoke was just rising from the chimneys, and the sounds of roosters crowing and dogs barking filled the air—a typical morning scene.

Under the old locust tree at the village entrance, several men were eating their breakfast from rough porcelain bowls, chatting idly.

A sharp-eyed boy glanced unintentionally at the path leading to the back mountain, and the bowl in his hand fell to the ground with a "clatter," spilling the bright yellow corn porridge all over the ground.

"A ghost...a ghost!! A college student! The college student is back!!!"

The boy, his voice distorted, pointed at the figure walking down the path at the end and howled at the top of his lungs.

That shout was like pouring a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil, and the whole village erupted in chaos!

"What?! Xinmin's college classmate?"

"We've been looking for them for days without a trace."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Did you see it clearly?"

"Quick! Go and have a look!"

On the ridges of the fields, in the courtyards, at the entrance of the kitchen... men and women, young and old, swarmed towards the village entrance like startled wasps.

A hoe, a carrying pole, and a fire poker, held in hand, served both as a source of courage and as weapons.

The figure was getting closer.

He wore a strange, faded blue robe with wide sleeves that fluttered in the mountain breeze.

The hair... it's short! And that face... isn't that Qi Yun, Xinmin's classmate from the big city?!

"It's really him!"

"Good heavens! It's a college student!"

"What are they wearing? Are they opera singers?"

"People are still alive!"

A wave of astonishment, elation, and disbelief surged forth.

At the front of the crowd, a man suddenly rushed out and darted to Qi Yun in a few steps, grabbing his arm tightly.

The man's eyes widened as he sized Qi Yun up and down, as if trying to confirm whether the person in front of him was a person or a ghost: "Comrade Qi... Comrade Qi? Is it really you?! You... where did you come from? This... this outfit?"

Immediately afterwards, more people gathered around, chattering away, their voices almost drowning out Qi Yun:
"College student! You're finally back! I was so worried about you!"

"Where have you been for the past five days and five nights?!"

"Xinmin is going crazy! He's led his men to search every inch of the mountains!"

"The government has even sent a search team! They've been looking for you for three days! They all thought it was you..."

"This garment...my mother, you haven't really...you've really met a deity, have you?!"

"Tell me quickly! What exactly happened?"

Just then, a hoarse, tearful shout came from behind the crowd: "Make way! Make way, everyone!!"

Zhao Xinmin, like a mad bull with red eyes, pushed through the crowd and staggered over.

His hair was a mess, his eyes were sunken, his beard was unkempt, and his Zhongshan suit was wrinkled and covered in mud. He was nowhere near as presentable as a groom.

He froze when he saw Qi Yun, who was surrounded in the middle and dressed in a strange Taoist robe.

His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but only a "hoarse" sound came from his throat. He suddenly lunged forward, grabbing Qi Yun's shoulders with terrifying force, his fingers shaking: "Old Qi! Old Qi!!"

His voice was hoarse, thick with nasal congestion and lingering fear, "You...you fucking...scared me to death!!"

Tears finally spilled from the eyes of this man who had been a groom and then served as the "search and rescue team leader" for a few days.

Looking at the haggard, ecstatic, and tearful face before him, Qi Yun felt a mix of emotions.

He composed himself, his face showing confusion and exhaustion: "Xinmin... I... I don't know either."

That day on the mountain, I think I got lost. I was so tired and sleepy that I somehow fell asleep in the woods.

I woke up...it was already daylight, and I was in the woods at the village entrance.

He looked down and tugged at his Taoist robe, his brows furrowing even more deeply, his face full of confusion. "This robe... I don't know where it came from. I woke up wearing it. It's really strange."

(End of this chapter)