Qing Le Mountain, located in the southeast of the Great Sui Dynasty, stretches 320 li south across the Yangtze River. Though not majestic or grand, it is a place of unparalleled scenic beauty. The eastern border of the Great Sui Dynasty extends for over ten thousand li along the coast. The only coastal area not under the Great Sui's jurisdiction is Dong Chu, but Dong Chu is a peninsula extending from the mainland in the northeast of the Great Sui, its area even smaller than the capital region of the Great Sui.
Qing Le Mountain, situated in the southern part of the eastern border of the Great Sui, is a place where beautiful scenery can be found in all four seasons.
Although Qing Le Mountain is not large, far smaller than the Wolf Milk Mountains, Kunlun Mountains, or Yanshan Mountains, its fame is in no way inferior to these mountains.
The reason is simple: Qing Le Mountain is home to the Yi Qi Temple, and within the Yi Qi Temple resides the True Man Xiao.
The emperors of the Great Sui Dynasty are proud and arrogant, as have all emperors throughout history. They cannot tolerate any country in the world surpassing the Great Sui. This ambition is precisely the reason why the Great Sui Dynasty remains vibrant and energetic since its founding. Every emperor of the Sui Dynasty harbored ambitions; the Sui Dynasty wanted everything that other places had, and even things that other places didn't.
The Mongol Yuan Empire had the Great Snow Mountain and the Great Wheel Temple, so the Sui Dynasty promoted the Qingyue Mountain and the Yiqi Temple.
The Great Snow Mountain housed the Great Wheel King, and the Yiqi Temple housed the Master Xiao.
Buddhism emphasized detachment from desires, but undoubtedly looked down upon the Sui Dynasty's Daoism. After all, everywhere else in the world except the Sui Dynasty was devout Buddhism. Even within the Sui Dynasty, Buddhists could build temples and preach after registering with the government, but the Sui people clearly held no respect for Buddhism. The Sui court's magnanimity stemmed from the emperor's greed.
Whatever other places had, the Sui Dynasty naturally wanted too.
The Yiqi Temple was built halfway up the mountain, accessible only by a single stone path of 2,999 steps. One more step led to the mountain gate, symbolizing the Three Thousand Great Paths. The stone steps were flanked by peach trees stretching from the foot of the mountain to its midsection. The fruit, though sour and not particularly delicious, had a unique flavor upon closer inspection. For years, a myth had circulated about peach trees covering the mountain overnight, peach blossoms blooming overnight, and immortal peaches ripening overnight—but there were no immortal peaches; it was merely a deceptive gimmick.
The Yi Qi Temple wasn't actually large. Counting from the abbot, Master Xiao, including the last generation of disciples, there were only eight hundred people. This number also had symbolic meaning. The Yi Qi Temple claimed to be the orthodox center of Taoism, and also claimed that all the world's wondrous arts originated here. However, people's hearts yearn for the Tao, and different paths lead to different destinations. Therefore, the eight hundred disciples were also called the Eight Hundred Paths, each following the orthodox path but cultivating their own, thus also called the unorthodox sects.
Eight hundred unorthodox sects, three thousand unorthodox paths… all originated from the Yi Qi Temple.
When the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty visited this place, knowing these symbolisms, he laughed heartily, praising Qing Le Mountain for its grandeur, saying that even the unorthodox sects and unorthodox paths were orthodox.
Although spring arrives early in Jiangnan, the peach blossoms were still far from full bloom. New green shoots were sprouting on the branches; looking at the tender buds, I even felt an urge to pluck a leaf and chew it.
Following the stone steps, a middle-aged man dressed in brocade robes slowly ascended. His age was indiscernible; he possessed a mature air and rather handsome features. He had a slight bluish stubble on his chin, but it didn't make him look unkempt. He was of medium build, neither fat nor thin, and walked with measured, measured steps.
In the Sui Dynasty, anyone wearing brocade robes was undoubtedly a person of high rank and official rank. Ordinary people, even those with immense wealth, were forbidden from wearing brocade robes. This was a matter of court etiquette; transgressing it would result in imprisonment and punishment.
The middle-aged man smiled, his expression amiable, admiring the mountain scenery as he walked. But upon seeing a few words inscribed on a large stone by the roadside, he immediately stopped and bowed respectfully.
"That's a piece of calligraphy His Majesty left behind three years ago when he visited Qing Le Mountain. We originally intended to move it to the main hall, but His Majesty said he saw this stone here and wrote a few words on it as he pleased. So let it stay here; why move it? If it has a spirit, wouldn't disturbing its cultivation be a grave sin?"
The speaker was an elderly man in his fifties, dressed in a black Taoist robe, with a long beard and a whisk in his hand. He wore simple clothes and shoes, giving him a somewhat otherworldly air. However, his appearance was not good; he had triangular eyes and bushy eyebrows, and the closer one looked, the more sleazy he seemed.
But his status was undeniable, so no one judged him by his appearance.
He was none other than Master Xiao, the master of the Yi Qi Temple on Qing Le Mountain.
"So, Master Xiao built a pavilion here to shelter this stone from the wind and rain?"
The man in brocade asked with a smile.
"Lord Sanjin...you donated hundreds of thousands of taels of gold to repair an entire section of the city wall of Chang'an, for which His Majesty rewarded you handsomely. I built this pavilion for this stone, but my intention is exactly the same as yours—simply to flatter His Majesty."
There was only one Lord Sanjin in the Sui Dynasty, Wu Yidao, known as the richest man in the Sui. It was said that his wealth was enough to buy an entire province of the Sui. The Sui Dynasty's vast territory, divided into twenty-four provinces, was already larger than the territory of the Eastern Chu Kingdom.
Wu Yidao laughed heartily: "I am but a mortal, naturally inclined to flatter. But you, Master Xiao, are a cultivator..."
"Cultivators are still human."
Master Xiao smiled slightly: "Cultivators also need to eat, and also want a better life. Lord Sanjin understands how many virtuous people His Majesty's calligraphy, left in the mountains, will attract to the temple to offer incense."
"How mercenary!"
Wu Yidao said with a smile. "I'd like to be even more mercenary."
Master Xiao stopped and looked at Wu Yidao earnestly, asking, "The richest man in the world has come to Yiqi Temple, shouldn't he donate some incense money?"
Wu Yidao beckoned, and his attendant immediately stepped forward, handing Master Xiao a sandalwood box. Master Xiao's junior disciple quickly took it, finding the box rather light, and a hint of disdain crept into his expression. He thought to himself, "Even ordinary wealthy families donate more silver than this box. The richest man in the world is so stingy; he's certainly not as famous as he sounds."
"Master Xiao's words are worth a fortune."
Wu Yidao smiled. "The silver notes in this box are redeemable at any bank in the Sui Dynasty, without a penny less. However, smaller banks probably couldn't redeem this much silver."
"A truly magnificent undertaking."
Master Xiao sincerely praised, "Compared to repairing an entire wall of Chang'an, this is a truly grand gesture."
...
...
Back in his room, Master Xiao seemed like a completely different person from the one he had presented to others. After settling Wu Yidao, the richest man in the Sui Dynasty, and having shown him around half the mountain, Master Xiao collapsed onto his bed, rubbing his aching back and letting out a sigh.
"If it weren't for that ten thousand taels of gold, why would I have to keep smiling for so long? My face is practically stiff from smiling so much. I wonder if that brothel madam has some secret technique for practicing her smile all day."
A young Taoist boy took off his shoes, nimbly climbed onto the bed, and began to pound on Master Xiao's back. "You're already a renowned leader of the Taoist sect, why bother working so hard for a few coins? If word got out, wouldn't the people down the mountain, and even the people of the Sui Dynasty, laugh at you?"
"You don't know anything!"
Master Xiao flicked the young Taoist boy's forehead: "Do you like to eat meat?"
"Yes!"
"Where does the meat come from?"
"The butcher down the mountain brings it up."
"Is it free?"
"Of course not, I have to pay money."
"If I didn't have to entertain those high-ranking officials and wealthy families, would you still want to eat meat with the incense money sent by the common people down the mountain?!"
Master Xiao snorted coldly: "If you want to eat meat, you have to have the ability to earn the money to buy it. You can eat meat every meal because I'm always smiling and behaving like a fool." "You shamelessly asked for this? If you continue to be so ungrateful, I'll punish you by making you grow vegetables in the back garden. You'll only eat vegetables and tofu every day, let's see if you still dare to say such sarcastic things."
"But you are, after all, the leader of the Great Sui Daoist lineage..."
"Leader my ass!"
Master Xiao said, "If it weren't for His Majesty's competitive nature, wouldn't you still be following me, going from street to street telling fortunes? You joined me a little late, go ask your senior brothers, who hasn't swindled money from ordinary people? Who hasn't lied against their conscience for a few dozen copper coins? Those rich people, as long as they're happy..." "If you can get a few more coins, you'll naturally say the nicest things. This Qi Temple has only been built for ten years, and isn't it all because I lied to His Majesty back then, saying that Qing Le Mountain should be the place where the great Sui Dynasty's religion flourished?"
"Ah?"
The young Taoist was startled and couldn't help but ask, "Why haven't I heard you mention this before?"
"It's not something to brag about, why talk about it? Go, pour your master a cup of water."
Master Xiao sat up, took off his socks, rubbed his aching feet, and then inserted his index finger into the spaces between his toes, rubbing back and forth. His expression immediately became incredibly interesting. Looking at him, it was as if rubbing his toes was the most pleasurable thing in the world. At this moment, he showed none of the demeanor of a leader of the Daoist tradition.
Just then, a voice outside softly asked, "Is the Master here?"
Master Xiao was startled and hurriedly put on his socks and shoes, straightened his clothes, and said, "This humble Taoist was just reading the Tao Te Ching and had some insights. I was about to discuss them with Marquis Sanjin when you arrived. Please come in."
Wu Yidao walked in with a smile, then frowned. "This Tao Te Ching seems to have a rather peculiar flavor."
Master Xiao smiled awkwardly and gestured for his young apprentice to serve tea.
Wu Yidao stood to one side, looking at the landscape painting on the wall. After the young apprentice left, he suddenly turned around and bowed respectfully to Master Xiao. Master Xiao quickly stepped forward to help him up, smiling, "Lord Sanjin donated a large sum of money for incense offerings, and I haven't even thanked you yet. Why are you bowing first?"
"To be honest, Master, I came to the mountain this time with a favor to ask."
"Please speak, Lord Sanjin. I will certainly not refuse anything I can do."
Wu Yi stood up, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Then I'll be direct and not beat around the bush… I have a daughter… who is of marriageable age. I recently heard from people in the palace that His Majesty remembers my contribution to the repair of the Chang'an city walls and intends to summon my daughter to the palace as a concubine. My daughter… she is unruly, and I'm afraid that if she enters the palace, she will anger His Majesty." "Having brought trouble upon myself, I wish to ask..."
"To take your daughter as a disciple?"
Master Xiao frowned. "But Daoist disciples can marry..."
"It's alright. I'll just say my daughter is devoted to the Dao and has vowed not to leave Qing Le Mountain until she has achieved mastery. His Majesty can't be too hasty. Besides, although my daughter's aptitude is mediocre, I had someone test her; of the 128 acupoints in her Qi Sea… 122 are open."
"Take her!"
Master Xiao nodded almost without hesitation. "If His Majesty asks, I will naturally find an explanation."
"Thank you!"
Wu Yi was excited and bowed to Master Xiao again.
"But... life in the mountains is harsh and cold; I'm afraid your daughter won't be able to adapt."
Master Xiao sighed. "I'll donate another five thousand gold coins."
Wu Yidao pulled a stack of silver notes from his sleeve and placed them on the table: "This should be enough for my daughter's food and expenses for three years."
"Since your daughter is so sincere, how can I close the gates of the Great Dao?"
"If His Majesty asks..."
Xiao Zhenren waved his hand: "Don't worry, it's not like I haven't lied to His Majesty before..."
Just then, a group of six people descended from Qing Le Mountain. Four men and two women, travel-worn.
Among the six, a burly man over two meters tall stood out. He had a broadsword the size of half a door strapped to his back, its cold light gleaming. At the front was a man in black, unarmed, his face grim, staring blankly at the mountain gate's stone steps.
An old man had a pair of cymbals hanging at his waist.
A bald, muscular man carried an iron rod.
The two women, one unarmed, the other carrying a sword.
"Is this the Yi Qi Temple on Qing Le Mountain?"
The burly man with a deep, resonant voice couldn't help but ask, "That Master Xiao is renowned throughout the land, a leader of the Daoist sect in the Great Sui Dynasty. I don't know about other places, but in the Great Sui, he's comparable to the Great Wheel King… If we just barge in like this, will he take us in?"
The cold, beautiful woman holding a sword curled her lips into a smile: "If he doesn't take us in, I'll kill one of his disciples every day. Even with eight hundred disciples at Yi Qi Temple, it'll take a while to kill them all."
"No."
The stunningly beautiful woman in a long black dress shook her head and slowly knelt before the stone steps: "I sincerely seek the Dao; how could Master Xiao not take me in? If I can enter the mountain gate, you won't need to fight every day. I've come to beg; you don't need to interfere."