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

The old monk felt very wronged.

He died before he even saw the person.

He considered himself a master surpassing even the Grandmaster level, an existence originally invincible in the world. Driven by his lofty ideals and ambitions, he sought to seize power, secure the nation, and fulfill the grand vision of Maitreya Buddha in bringing peace to the world, saving humanity, and delivering all sentient beings.

Who knew that he would die before even getting started, without ever seeing his enemy.

The child sat beside the old monk's corpse, legs crossed, hands in a mudra, reciting the Diamond Sutra.

It's a pity that despite all the scheming he did in life, he was nothing more than a lump of rotten flesh after death.

After reciting the Diamond Sutra, the child said to the peach wood sword floating in the air, "Come with me!"

As he spoke, he walked towards the other side of the mountain.

The peach wood sword actually followed, floating past the child's head.

Alone with a sword, they arrived at a large rock on the mountainside.

The white-haired old man sat cross-legged on a large rock, muttering scriptures to himself.

"Sir, if you don't burn incense regularly and only seek help from Buddha in times of crisis, Buddha won't bless you."

The white-haired old man chuckled: "Whether it's a blessing or not is not important; I just want some comfort in my heart."

The child nodded: "The old man is right."

The white-haired old man looked at the child and said, "You're only four years old, you're far too precocious."

The child laughed: "What the old man meant was that precocious talent leads to an early death, and deep affection is short-lived, right?"

The white-haired old man forced a smile and said, "That makes sense. Look, you're facing a life-or-death situation today. If it weren't for the immortal saving you, you would probably be dead without a burial place."

The child laughed, "If there were no immortals, I would surely be a powerful being reincarnated as Maitreya Buddha, how could my life be in danger?"

The white-haired old man laughed heartily. He was just a child after all, oblivious to the old monk's scheme. This old monk used profound methods to make you precocious, to lure you towards Buddhism, to deceive you into believing you were the reincarnation of Maitreya. Did you really really think you were Maitreya?

He knew that the old monk, being a master of martial arts yet so patient and reserved, naturally possessed his own secret methods. He simply didn't want to fail at the last minute, having his plans ruined by a Taoist priest.

So-called Buddhas, so-called heroes, so-called emperors—once they die, all their deeds are nothing but dreams and illusions. Thinking about myself, I'm no different.

Did the emperor really not know that he had been framed by his political enemies? He was nothing more than a pawn to be discarded. No matter how much he did, it was all just to serve the imperial power. He was put on the throne when needed and deposed when not!

"as long as you are happy!"

The white-haired old man watched speechlessly as the child entertained himself.

The child said, "I'm going home. Where are you going?"

The white-haired old man said, "I was originally a prisoner, how can I parade around in public?"

“Then come with me to find my master,” the child said.

"Your master?"

The child grinned and said, "Master, I plan to become his disciple and give up being a monk."

Just then, a voice came from this side.

"I don't take on apprentices."

Zhang Zhengdao appeared halfway up the mountain, glanced at the white-haired old man sitting on the large rock, and then at the child. The peach wood sword above the child's head suddenly returned to Zhang Zhengdao's side.

Zhang Zhengdao caught it and tucked it diagonally into his belt.

"Grand Secretary Zeng?"

The white-haired old man turned around and faced Zhang Zhengdao, bowing respectfully: "Greetings, Master, it is indeed your disciple."

child:……

Zhang Zhengdao: ...

Shameless! Shameless! I've never seen such a brazen person who actually plagiarized my idea.

When a child gets angry, their cheeks puff out in a huff.

"No... I'm here to find my child."

Zhang Zhengdao quickly clarified: "I am not an apprentice."

Taking on apprentices? Ha! What's the point of taking on apprentices? In online cultivation and martial arts novels, what can apprentices do? Besides seducing junior sisters and senior sisters, they also have to spend your own money, consume your own pills, and buy weapons for them. They're useless in battle, but they're number one at eating.

The white-haired old man said, "It's alright, I'm willing to follow my master and build a thatched hut on the road next to Peach Blossom Temple."

Oh ho, so you're trying to cling to me now?

are you crazy!

Zhang Zhengdao grabbed the child's hand and said, "Let's go!"

They vanished without a trace.

The white-haired old man watched Zhang Zhengdao leave and let out a long sigh of relief. He sat listlessly on the large rock, as if he had used up all his strength.

I was terrified just now, I thought I was going to die.

In fact, the old monk had already investigated Zhang Zhengdao's background; he was betting on Zhang Zhengdao's character. After all, he had witnessed the incident of hijacking the prison cart on the official road, so he had some idea about Zhang Zhengdao's personality.

He's gambled his whole life on politics, and now he's gambling with his life.

In the end, I've been nothing more than a gambler all my life.

Lingzhou City, He Mansion.

He Zhongzheng's son has returned.

He Zhongzheng specially set off firecrackers at the gate of the mansion, saying it could ward off evil spirits. Then he welcomed Zhang Zhengdao to sit in the main hall, where he accompanied him.

The little boy He Xiuyuan was playing with a Luban lock on the side.

Unraveling in a second, then reassembling in a second—it's tedious and boring. He also has to listen to his father's endless ramblings on and on.

"I have prepared a generous gift for the immortal..."

Finally got to the point.

Zhang Zhengdao perked up and drank the tea in his cup in one gulp.

"Five hundred taels of silver... no, eight hundred taels... bring me one thousand taels of silver..."

He Zhongzheng gave the order loudly.

Zhang Zhengdao quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait, wait."

He also wanted to collect cash, but he had to stop it for the sake of the construction of Peach Blossom Temple.

"What's wrong, Daoist Master? To be ungrateful and fail to repay kindness is something even a gentleman would despise..."

He Zhongzheng immediately felt that the Taoist priest had an otherworldly air about him, unlike ordinary mortals.

I knew you gentlemen were both good-looking and had pleasant voices.

Zhang Zhengdao suppressed his joy and said, "Alas, I have a small Taoist temple on Peach Blossom Mountain in Linbin Town, Daoxian County, Lingzhou Prefecture. It has been in disrepair for many years and is in a dilapidated state. The golden statue of the Taoist Ancestor in the main hall has even lost its paint... As a disciple of the Taoist Ancestor, I am very ashamed. I had no choice but to come out and hope to rebuild the golden statue of the Taoist Ancestor..."

Then he whispered to He Zhongzheng, "You just need to... do it like this... is that feasible?"

He Zhongzheng nodded in admiration after hearing what Zhang Zhengdao whispered in his ear.

"Master Dao is truly a master. In that case... how could I, He, dare disobey?"

Zhang Zhengdao nodded and smiled.

“However, you must accept this travel expense.” He Zhongzheng took out a few silver ingots from the plate and handed them to Zhang Zhengdao. “To refuse it would be to look down on me.”

Having said all that, Zhang Zhengdao tucked the silver into his sleeve.

The two shook hands and said goodbye.

He Zhongzheng escorted Zhang Zhengdao all the way to the door, watching him drift away and disappear from sight, before turning around to see his precocious son staring at him.

"The Taoist priest has left, what are you still looking at? Let's go back!"

The child said, "Father, I want to become the Taoist priest's disciple."

He Zhongzheng was startled and quickly covered his son's mouth with his hand. He looked around in a panic and said, "I dare not say that."

He was a monk before, and now he's a Taoist priest.

This is clearly intended to wipe out the He family line.

"Some Taoist priests can get married!" This child knows a lot.

"No!" He Zhongzheng's attitude was firm.

The child said, "Alright then, Amitabha, benefactor, this humble monk must return to his quarters to chant sutras!"

After speaking, the child bowed and slowly walked towards his own courtyard like an old monk.

He Zhongzheng: ...

We were chatting so well just now, I thought everything was fine, how did it suddenly turn into a monk's tale? He was just thinking about becoming a Taoist priest, this kid...

He quickly followed, saying, "Child, stop fooling around... Or... let's talk this over..."

Zhang Zhengdao felt that he was an unorthodox Taoist priest, and that taking on disciples would be misleading them. What if they didn't learn anything and then asked him for a refund?

Yes, you have to pay to take on apprentices.

Zhang Zhengdao suddenly had a flash of inspiration: he could charge money for taking on apprentices.

This approach is somewhat similar to the approach used in running a school.

For example, Lanxiang?

The child's line of thought, and even the old man's decision to become my apprentice, didn't seem to have considered this point.

Among the industries on Earth that make money quickly, running a school is definitely one of them.

They charge tuition.

The cafeteria can charge for meals, the shop can sell goods, and all kinds of teaching materials are free, right? And then there are accommodation fees, water and electricity fees, laundry fees, air conditioning fees, hot water fees…

As Zhang Zhengdao walked, he suddenly slapped his thigh.

However, the Taoist temple still needs to be expanded first.

If the Taoist temple doesn't expand, how many people can it accommodate?

Zhang Zhengdao strengthened his resolve and planned a road for his Taoist temple. Moreover, this road complemented the temple's expansion.

Later, when the Taoist temple was expanded and tourism was developed, and more disciples were taken in, the disciples would serve as free order keepers, free tour guides, free sanitation workers, garbage collectors, canteen cooks, waiters, and so on.

Then we use a series of rules and regulations to regulate them.

We will implement the attendance and clock-in system.

Sigh, I've finally ended up looking like the fat abbot of Shaolin Temple on Earth.

No, no, let me think about it again...

While walking through Lingzhou City, Zhang Zhengdao found himself in such a dilemma.

Everyone says that if you have the right methods, making money is easy.

Hehe, this world has its own order. Even Superman gets beaten down by society sometimes. This is also how, in *Journey to the West*, when Bodhi Patriarch's disciples, who practiced immortality techniques, heard that Sun Wukong had learned the somersault cloud, the original text reads: "Upon hearing this, Bodhi Patriarch's disciples chuckled and said, 'Wukong, you're so lucky! If you know this trick, you can work as a courier, delivering documents and reports, and find food anywhere!'"

Haha, so what if you know magic? So what if you can somersault?

All they want is a government job!