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

Zhang Zhengdao didn't want to kill anyone; Heaven has a kind of benevolence... a virtue of cherishing life.

Qingfeng Guard: ...

As the gentleman once said, when you look through the official history books of feudal society, you'll see the words "benevolence, righteousness, and morality" written crookedly on every page. But if you look closely, you can see between the lines that the whole book is filled with the words "cannibalism."

So this society is a dog-eat-dog world, that's how it is.

When a society prospers, the people suffer. When a society falls, the people suffer. This is the true nature of society.

Ten men died, ten horses died, burned to ashes, and the world vanished. So it's all over now. Life goes on, doesn't it?

A day has passed, and nothing has happened.

Zhang Zhengdao took out a pen and ink in the backyard and wrote down in his notebook:

The year is over, on the evening of March 13th of the first year of the Jiqing era. During cultivation and introspection, an inner core appears within the body, radiating a perfectly round golden light. It seems to represent the perfect state of the Golden Core.

Once I swallow a golden pill, my fate is in my own hands, not in the hands of heaven.

The fantasy novels of his past life seemed to guide Zhang Zhengdao toward the realm he had imagined. Taoist alchemy also seemed to have some record of it, stating that the Golden Elixir was the perfection of the Great Dao.

If that's the case, wouldn't I have reached the state of perfect enlightenment?

Golden Core: ...

You can have whatever you want!

Zhang Zhengdao wasn't sure if this idea was reliable. In any case, fantasy novels presented one version of events, and Taoist classics presented another. Logically speaking, the Taoist immortals on Earth, like Chen Tuan and Lü Dongbin (one of the Eight Immortals), had only reached the perfected Golden Elixir stage.

God communicates with Heaven, and Heaven and humanity are one.

What about the Golden Core Path in this world? It can't be like the Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Deity Transformation, Void Refining, Body Integration, Mahayana, True Immortal, Golden Immortal, Taiyi, Daluo, Dao Ancestor, and the like in Xianxia novels, right?

Zhang Zhengdao was not yet familiar with this world, so he could only speculate wildly.

During the day, he merely killed a few mortals with ulterior motives.

What if you encounter a superhuman demon?

A few days later, after confirming that no one was causing trouble, Zhang Zhengdao was completely relieved. After all, those few bad apples were all government officials, and he was one of them.

This is tantamount to one's own people killing each other.

If the leader had shouted: "Fellow countryman, we're on the same side, don't shoot!"

I definitely won't wipe them out.

Their mistake was trying to kill someone to cover it up, which is wrong.

They started it.

According to Earth's laws, no matter how you look at it, my actions were in self-defense.

Having mentally prepared himself, Zhang Zhengdao didn't think he had done anything wrong. He had already morally judged these Qingfeng Guards.

After receiving fifteen taels of silver for free, Zhang Zhengdao felt quite wealthy.

After going down the mountain, I bought rice, flour, cooking oil, and a few books for leisure, intending to study the Yin-Yang harmony of this world.

The so-called cultivation of the Tao requires entering the mortal world, becoming an ordinary person, before one can become a Taoist, and only by becoming a Taoist can one become a True Person. Zhang Zhengdao believed that the first step in cultivating the Tao is to regard oneself as an ordinary person; without entering the mortal world, how can one transcend the ordinary and attain sainthood?

Basking in the sun, sipping bitter tea, lying in a recliner, reading a leisurely book, "The Grass Futon," and then flipping through "The Harmony Sutra," verifying each other's meaning, one can see the Great Way.

A man and a woman walked hand in hand up the mountain path.

"Sister, we only have five qian of silver left. The monk wants four taels of silver, can the Taoist priest really offer such a low price?"

The boy was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with a worried expression.

The woman was older, but had just come of age, and was beginning to show signs of a graceful figure. She wore simple clothes and a plain hairpin, had an oval face, and a hint of sadness and melancholy in her eyes.

Hearing the boy's words, she sighed, "We have to try, to give Father a proper burial!"

The siblings continued climbing.

Zhang Zhengdao sighed and set out some tea and snacks outside.

With his keen hearing and sharp eyesight, Zhang Zhengdao had already overheard the siblings' conversation. Although it was only five qian of silver, it was still a business deal. Things would get better gradually; as long as he performed this ritual well, he wouldn't have to worry about finding clients later.

Although we live in a prosperous era, the economy is declining and prices are quietly rising. Ordinary families used to be able to eat meat every other day. Now, they can only eat meat every four or five days.

The monks are insatiable; now they'll only perform a ritual for four taels of silver. Ordinary families, when someone dies, even if they hold a large banquet and collect gifts, only get four or five taels of silver after deducting all the expenses. This money all goes to the monks, leaving them with nothing.

In a downturn, affordability is the only thing that matters.

This is tantamount to advertising for yourself!

To boost brand awareness, Zhang Zhengdao decided to accept the order.

"Master Daoist—"

When the older sister arrived, she stepped forward and bowed.

Zhang Zhengdao said warmly, "You are too kind, layman. Five coins will suffice to perform the ritual for the deceased."

The older sister was immediately startled and returned the greeting: "The True Man is very powerful. My brother and I request that the True Man perform a ritual to help our father pass on to the afterlife. It is in the third house from the end of the west end of Linbin Town."

For a fee of five qian of silver, the Taoist priest would become a true immortal.

"Okay, I'll pack up!"

The main principle is to be concise and get things done.

Before the siblings could react, Zhang Zhengdao had already finished packing.

Bring all your tools for making a living.

Ritual robes, guiding banners, ritual bells, wooden fish, whisks, ritual mirrors, ritual gongs, the Ten Courts of Hell diagrams, peach wood swords, etc.

They locked the gate of the Taoist temple and even added a special blessing.

Actually, it's fine if you don't lock it. In the Taoist temple, even rats throw down two copper coins when they pass by. Who would come to steal anything?

The path up the mountain was overgrown with weeds.

The siblings were completely bewildered the whole way.

I initially thought that five qian of silver would require a lot of haggling, but to my surprise, this Taoist priest didn't even haggle over the price. Could I have encountered a fake Taoist priest? But then again, that seemed unlikely, because the priest only asked for five qian of silver, as if he knew he only had five qian of silver.

If I didn't possess great magical powers, how could I have known that I had wrapped several layers of loose silver in a handkerchief?

As if in a dream, the two siblings led the Taoist priest home, stumbling along the way.

The house was made of mud bricks and thatched with straw; a thin coffin was placed in the main room.

The neighbors, with their meager food and wine, gathered to handle the funeral arrangements, a testament to the grief of the siblings.

Zhang Zhengdao drank coarse tea, ate simple meals, and set out his tools to get to work. He put on his Dharma robes and crown, raised his hand to ring a bell, and chanted the "Taiyi Jiuku Duren Jing" (Scripture of the Great Unity Who Saves People from Suffering).

After reciting it three or four times, he called on the siblings to kowtow.

They did this several times before taking a break.

Because of the ritual for the deceased, a full set of rites had to be performed that night, so they went to rest in a room inside the earthen house.

When the time of Xu (8 p.m.) arrives in the evening, the ritual begins.

The process involved jumping through the five directions, tying the Yuan Lantern, visiting the ten palaces, crossing the Golden Bridge, and sending off the gods. After the entire process was completed, the surrounding villagers clapped their hands, and everyone shouted "Bravo!"

After all, this dojo was originally completed by several people working together.

But Zhang Zhengdao did it all by himself, and he did it quite well. In particular, his tumbling and leaping movements were like many figures working together. Who wouldn't shout "Good!" when they saw it?

He truly is an enlightened sage!

With that final cry of "Imperial Decree!", flames shot into the sky, making it seem as if a true deity had descended to earth, spewing forth Samadhi Fire. The neighbors clapped their hands until they were raw.

Rural people just love to watch a good show.

This is far more entertaining than the chaotic banging of monks' chimes, cymbals, and gongs, and the unison chanting of sutras. Even ordinary theatrical troupes can't compare.

However, the siblings' family was poor.

On the third day, they invited villagers to act as the Eight Vajras to carry the coffin and bury the deceased.

Zhang Zhengdao led the way, holding a banner and chanting sutras as he walked, followed by someone carrying a basket and scattering paper money. The younger brother rode on the coffin, while the older sister followed behind, weeping and kowtowing all the way.

Upon arriving at the burial pit, Zhang Zhengdao sprinkled lime, chanted scriptures, drew talismans, and uttered the words "Imperial Decree." The coffin was then lowered into the pit, and the siblings wept uncontrollably.

After the burial, Zhang Zhengdao had nothing else to do.

The debts had already been settled, so he instructed the siblings to offer incense at home every day, and after the seventh day after the death, to burn the deceased's clothes in the southwest corner. Then the family would be at peace, and life could continue as usual.

The siblings thanked Zhang Zhengdao profusely and saw him off.

After this incident, the news spread throughout the town. It turned out that there was a Taoist priest at the Peach Blossom Temple on nearby Peach Blossom Mountain.

Although he looks young, his skills are undeniable.

Especially that dojo, it was absolutely spectacular...

This time, they've gained some fame.

Zhang Zhengdao had achieved his goal and was naturally very pleased. Although the pay wasn't much, the advertisement had been successfully launched.

On the way back, I bought two jin of braised pig's head meat and two jin of liquor in town, planning to celebrate when I got back, sit and drink slowly, and live a more comfortable life.

He now possesses some Taoist magic, so there shouldn't be any powerful demons, immortals, or Buddhas appearing in this small mountain village. After all, big shots wouldn't bother with small places.

On the seventh night after the death of their father, the siblings' father.

After offering food and wine and burning clothes, the siblings went home and grieved for a while before going to bed.

However, after the older sister went to sleep that night, she vaguely noticed that there was another person in the house, sitting in the main room, looking at her and her younger brother and smiling.

The older sister was shocked and hurriedly asked, "Has Father returned?"

The old man nodded and smiled, "It is indeed Father who has returned to see you two siblings."

The older sister hurriedly asked how things were going over there.

The old man smiled and said, "Fortunately, you managed to invite an enlightened immortal to perform a ritual for my father. When we arrived at the Yama's Palace, Yama even asked about the person who performed the ritual for me. They talked intimately, and Yama even gave me a job as the local earth god of this Linbin Town. You siblings can rest assured, I will surely protect you and bring you wealth and prosperity!"

After saying that, the old man disappeared.

When they woke up, they saw their younger brother had also come out of the room. The two siblings talked and realized they had had the same dream. They were overwhelmed with emotions.

Only then did I realize I had encountered a true immortal.