A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

Zhang Zhengdao sat in the main hall, deep in thought.

There are so many women in a Taoist temple; it just doesn't seem quite right.

I counted them carefully.

Hu Yunying was the master, Guo Lanying was the apprentice, Zhang Yuelian was an eight or nine-year-old little girl, and a female corpse whose name was unknown, either Shu Baimei or female corpse Shu Baimei.

The key point is that he's the only man in the Taoist temple.

You need to get two outhouses.

In fact, Zhang Zhengdao could abstain from grains, nourishing his body with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. It's not that he couldn't do it, but in this mortal world, if one is without the desires of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, how can one be called a human? And if one cannot be human, how can one be called an immortal?

Immortals are above humans, and humans are the foundation of immortals.

According to Zhang Zhengdao himself, it's about building a foundation, which is essentially about building a person. If this foundation of a person isn't laid properly, cultivating immortality is just a castle in the air.

Therefore, Zhang Zhengdao never suppressed his desire to be a good person.

Does this mean that from now on, Taoist temples will become a harem that binds one's entire life?

The idea suddenly struck him like lightning.

Looking back at the female corpse beside him, he felt his mindset had changed, and his eyes became... unfocused.

I can't think about it anymore, or something bad will happen.

"Go, go, go!"

Hurry up and head out to the top of Peach Blossom Mountain.

As soon as I stepped outside, I saw a group of people carrying a door panel up the mountain.

The leader was He Zhongzheng.

A monk lay on the door panel. He was covered in blood, but the blood had dried, and his chest was still rising and falling slightly, indicating that he was not dead.

"Master..."

Zhang Zhengdao waved his hand: "I know, bring it in!"

He Zhongzheng quickly directed the people he had hired to carry the door panel inside and place it in the backyard.

After the person was carried into the backyard, several women ran over to watch the spectacle.

The female corpse following behind Zhang Zhengdao looked at the dried blood and actually stuck out her tongue and licked her lips. Although the movement was subtle, it was still seen.

Zhang Zhengdao took a deep breath and endured it!

Hu Yunying also saw it, took two steps back to keep her distance from the corpse, and casually tugged at the sleeve of Guo Lanying, who was enthusiastically trying to help.

This silly girl, she's destined to be a mother, always worrying!

Didn't you see that you've got a blood-sucking creature living at home?

Zombies—old hands like Hu Yunying had heard of them before.

Especially in the gangs of western Hunan, there are such evil sects. It is said that they can also transport corpses and concoct poisons, so many people in the martial arts world dare not provoke them.

Fortunately, there weren't many of them, because not many people could actually cultivate to that level.

It is a rare species.

Zhang Zhengdao fed the monk a pill and then ignored him.

Turning to He Zhongzheng, he said, "Lord He, didn't we agree to meet tomorrow..."

"Seeing that he was dying but had risked his life to save us, we rushed him here..."

"Then I will ask Lord He to take good care of things tomorrow."

"sure!"

After exchanging some pleasantries, He Zhongzheng saw that the monk's complexion was gradually improving, so he bowed and took his leave. Zhang Zhengdao escorted the group to the door, where they bid each other a reluctant farewell.

Zhang Zhengdao returned to the backyard.

The monk was still lying down, and the little girl was feeding him water spoonful by spoonful.

Zhang Zhengdao glanced at it disdainfully: "Stop pretending!"

The monk got up and quickly put his palms together in prayer before Zhang Zhengdao.

"Amitabha Buddha, thank you, Immortal Master..."

"Are you here to be a monk or a Taoist priest?"

Upon hearing this question, the monk immediately perked up as if he had taken some kind of stimulant.

"Amitabha Buddha, I have come to become your disciple. Master, please accept my three kowtows and nine prostrations!"

This monk was truly kowtowing.

"Bang Bang Bang..."

The flagstones were all chipped and broken, and my forehead was swollen.

"Alright, stay here for now. But the back courtyard is for women. You're a monk... a disciple, so you'll have to build your own room. It's at the west end of the temple. We'll give you a room when we expand it later."

Zhang Zhengdao felt that if he wanted to expand and strengthen his business, he needed to make this kind of welfare housing allocation a necessity.

The reason they took in the monks was because they needed male labor for the large-scale construction of the Taoist temple later. Could they really rely on the few women currently in the temple? And there's even a female corpse—what could she possibly do?

"And... every day, we have to carry thirty buckets of water from the pond to the kitchen..."

The little girl jumped out.

"Dad, thirty buckets of water won't be enough; the large vat in the kitchen can only hold ten buckets."

Zhang Zhengdao: "Where's the rest of the water?"

"They picked it back again."

Zhang Zhengdao: ...

That's true, the kitchen doesn't need that much water. We didn't think that much about it when we assigned tasks. After thinking about it, we reassigned the tasks.

"Still thirty buckets of water. Ten buckets for the kitchen, ten buckets for the peach grove, and ten buckets to water all the flowers and plants around the Taoist temple."

"it is good!"

Monk Yuanjue readily agreed.

He's an expert at this!

The compulsory courses for becoming a monk are diving, chopping wood, and sweeping the monastery.

Without further ado, the monk, a true practitioner, preferred to temper his mind through physical hardship. He picked up the water buckets from the temple and headed to the pond.

Then it stayed still over the pond.

The water shimmered, its surface like jade, as if the rippling waves contained... something he couldn't understand either.

I was absolutely stunned; I had this urge to jump in and take a bath. But I had to suppress it. If I actually jumped, my master would probably think I was a demon and kill me.

He glanced back at the little girl who was also carrying a load of small buckets.

May I drink it?

The little girl glanced at him, feeling strangely that this monk was odd. "What are we carrying water for? Isn't it for drinking?"

"Don't you drink tea?"

The monk nodded: "I know how to drink tea!"

The little girl nodded: "Thank goodness, the monk didn't die of stupidity; he still knows how to drink tea. Goodbye!"

After saying that, he decisively picked up the buckets, filled them with water, and left.

The monk was bewildered. He touched his bald head, feeling as if he had been scolded, yet also as if he hadn't.

The monk's injury was actually quite simple, unlike a burn; one pill would suffice.

The reason I agreed to the monk's request was that the male-to-female ratio was one issue, the lack of suitable monasteries and the availability of men to fill the gaps was another, and most importantly, the monk was very devout in his pursuit of the Tao.

Because of their sincere desire for enlightenment and their simple-mindedness, they were deceived by the cult.

Fortunately, he realized his mistake and listened to advice.

Seeing the monk and the little girl go to fetch water, Zhang Zhengdao felt relieved. Turning his head, he saw the female corpse, who seemed to have some regret about the monk's departure, and licked her tongue.

Alas, a corpse, now it's trending towards becoming rigid.

"Everyone, disperse. Let's prepare dinner!"

Zhang Zhengdao waved his hand, preparing to return to his room.

Hu Yunying asked, "Should we prepare vegetarian food?"

Zhang Zhengdao: "When did you switch to a vegetarian diet?"

Hu Yunying: "Didn't a monk come to the temple at home?"

Zhang Zhengdao said, "What kind of monk takes a Taoist priest as his master? Now you remember this is a Taoist temple, right? You're a woman, and you're living here without a care in the world..."

Hu Yunying ran away in a flash.

Early the next morning.

Zhang Zhengdao was ready. He had changed into a new Taoist robe, shaved his face, and neatly groomed his beard. He opened the front gate and the middle gate, preparing to welcome the offerings up the mountain before the Taoist gate.

Linbin Town was already bustling with activity.

The three families gathered in Linbin Town.

Such a grand event also attracted the magistrate of Dao County to come in person. Whether it was He Zhongzheng or Ye Daoyuan, they were both people he wanted to befriend, so how could he possibly treat them lightly?

This grand event was made all the more solemn by the arrival of the county magistrate.

Linbin Town was never poor, and its people enjoyed lively atmospheres.

It wasn't even this lively during the Lantern Festival.

It wasn't just people from Linbin Town; merchants and gentry from neighboring villages and towns, as well as those who came all the way from Daoxian County to support the county magistrate, also came.

For a time, the sound of drums and music filled the air, creating the impression of a prosperous era.

How could such a bustling scene in Linbin Town possibly escape Zhang Zhengdao's notice?

This momentum must be effectively publicized.

A procession had already formed in the square of Linbin Town, led by He Zhongzheng, Ye Daoyuan, the magistrate of Daoxian County, and the cook from Zuixianlou Restaurant. Following closely behind was He Zhongzheng's son, He Xiuyuan.

"set off!"

The magistrate of Daoxian County is, after all, the official in charge, so it is best for him to issue orders.

Suddenly, drums and music began to play, and they set off up the mountain amidst the din of music.

The vast crowd stretched out like a long snake.

Lin Bin really enjoys watching a spectacle, and quite a few people followed him up the mountain along the way.

Sister-in-law Gui and Lu Xiaohua, who did odd jobs for her, followed her up the mountain, flitting through the crowd like butterflies, selling bottles of fermented rice and bags of peanuts.

Lu Xiaohua also had a little idea: she wanted to go up the mountain to see the Peach Blossom Temple.

This was her first time visiting Peach Blossom Temple.