Chapter 31: The Old Daoist

The old ghost was an old Daoist Priest.

The kind with a Daoist temple.

But the Daoist Priest was already dead, the temple had already collapsed, and the statue of the Three Pure Ones had a great hole smashed in it, becoming a nest for snakes and rats.

Still, the old Daoist Priest had not left, guarding his broken-down temple in this desolate, uninhabited place.

The old Daoist Priest believed he had already cultivated into a Ghost Immortal, attaining the Great Freedom.

But Yu Youcai was quite disdainful of this.

He was just an ordinary old ghost; if that counted as a Ghost Immortal, then there would be tens of thousands of Ghost Immortals under heaven.

Still, this was only what Yu Youcai thought in his heart; in truth, he still held great respect for the old Daoist Priest.

On one hand, it was because although the old Daoist Priest was a bit eccentric, he truly was knowledgeable and well-read.

On the other hand, the old Daoist Priest counted as Yu Youcai's elder. When Yu Youcai was still very young, his grandfather had taken him to visit the old Daoist; the two were close friends, and the old Daoist Priest was very fond of him.

The old Daoist Priest was also a capable man. Having weathered countless ups and downs in life, he was still very long-lived, living a great many years. He only passed away when Shen Jianjun was born; by then he was already one hundred and thirty-five.

And Shen Jianjun is already over fifty this year, so the old Daoist Priest had stayed in this mortal world for nearly two hundred years.

That was why Yu Youcai called him Old Ghost.

When Yu Youcai found the old Daoist Priest, he was sitting cross-legged beneath a bodhi tree in meditation and contemplation of the Dao, and behind him stood his broken-down temple with its crumbling walls.

No one knew why he still stayed here, unwilling to leave.

Seeing Yu Youcai, the old Daoist Priest was also very surprised.

"It's been a long time since you last came here? Why do you want to visit me now? Have you already let go of the obsession in your heart and wish to leave?"

Yu Youcai shook his head. "No, I have something I wish to ask you about, Elder Daoist."

"Oh, you're already dead, and you still have something to ask me about?"

The old Daoist Priest rose, his body seeming to rest upon emptiness, and drifted lightly onto the bodhi tree—white hair, long beard, wide sleeves fluttering—an exceedingly fine appearance; beneath the moonlight, he truly looked like an immortal among men.

After the old Daoist Priest had put on enough of a show, he spoke again: "Go on then, what is it you need to ask me? Let's see if I can resolve your doubts."

Yu Youcai, who seemed quite used to the old Daoist Priest's ways, then said: "It's my grand-nephew. I ran into him on the road today, and he could actually see me."

"Eh?" The old Daoist Priest started in surprise upon hearing this, and drifted lightly down from the bodhi tree.

"He couldn't see you before?"

Yu Youcai nodded.

"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

"How could I possibly get that wrong? It's not the first time I've seen him since I died. A few years back, I even went to see him and stayed at his place for a few days…"

"If that's the case, then he can suddenly see you?" The old Daoist Priest knit his brows tightly.

Yu Youcai nodded again. "I'm worried something might be wrong with his health. He's still young—he hasn't even gotten married yet."

His face was full of worry, all of it concern for Shen Siyuan.

"Either he has gained some kind of fortuitous opportunity, or his life is not long to come," the old Daoist Priest murmured.

A body in decline, a person about to die—the Three Fires about to be extinguished—could indeed see ghosts, and might even foresee their own death in advance.

"That's exactly what I'm worried about. And on him, I didn't see the Three Fires either, but I saw his essence and qi were full and abundant, which doesn't look like someone about to die."

The old Daoist Priest was even more astonished upon hearing this, gave a flick of his wide sleeves, and drifted forward.

"Let's go, take me to see him."

Yu Youcai hurriedly followed behind.

Looking ahead, beneath the moonlight, the old Daoist drifted swiftly with wide sleeves fluttering in the wind.

Yu Youcai half-suspected the man had truly succeeded in cultivation and become a Ghost Immortal.

Because before his death, the old Daoist Priest was nothing like this. Back then, he was just like Yu Youcai himself now—on the brink of death, doddering and infirm.

But now his back was straight, he moved with easy grace, not a trace of old age to be seen—like a summer cicada that had shed its shell.

Yu Youcai also knew the saying that form is born from the mind. He had seen many ghosts who, because of karmic ties they could not suppress, lost control of their desires and became monstrous in shape.

He didn't know if the old Daoist Priest was in the same situation, but others changed for the worse—how could he change for the better?

Shen Siyuan naturally knew nothing of this. He had already returned home, eaten dinner, and was chatting idly with his father.

He couldn't come right out and talk about Grand-Uncle's matter, so he only probed from the side.

"Dad, when I went back to Yu Family Village today, I took a walk around the village and passed by the place where Grand-Uncle used to live. The house is already broken down and overgrown with weeds. Should we have it repaired?"

"Repair it for what? Your Grand-Uncle had no children. After he passed, that piece of land was reclaimed by the village," Shen Jianjun said.

"Oh, I see."

Huang Huijuan peeled an orange and stuffed it at him, saying: "What, are you thinking of going back to the countryside to live in the future? If you really have that idea, just stay at Lin Family Slope. The house doesn't need rebuilding. Besides, after your grandmother passes on a hundred years from now, her place will certainly go to you too…"

"That's not what I meant." Shen Siyuan peeled an orange segment and tossed it into the air.

"I was just thinking about Grand-Uncle."

The husband and wife fell somewhat silent at this. They weren't ungrateful people either, and naturally remembered Grand-Uncle's kindness.

"Can you tell me about Grand-Uncle? I was pretty young back then, and don't remember a lot of things clearly."

"He's already dead—what's the point of talking about that useless stuff?" Shen Jianjun said.

"I want to know." Shen Siyuan said earnestly.

"A person mustn't forget their roots. Siyuan is right about this," Huang Huijuan said.

Only upon hearing this did Shen Jianjun open his mouth and begin telling Shen Siyuan about Grand-Uncle.

"Your Grand-Uncle, when he was young, was a very capable man. He did business, ran ships, served as a soldier, fought in wars…"

"In this respect your dad is a lot like him—neither of them were the settled type, always liked to stir things up," Huang Huijuan said from the side.

Shen Jianjun did not deny it, and nodded: "They do say a nephew takes after his maternal uncle—that saying is absolutely true."

"When I was little, your Grand-Uncle was very good to me. Conditions in the countryside were generally poor back then, but your Grand-Uncle always found ways to get food, to fill my belly and your grandmother's, while he himself starved till he was nothing but skin and bones…"

"Then what about my great-aunt? Why did she pass away so early?"

"Difficult childbirth. Back then, medical conditions were poor; both mother and child died. This was your great-uncle's greatest sorrow. Later, no one wanted to mention it, so they said your great-aunt passed away from illness..."

While they were speaking, Huang Huijuan stood up and retrieved a rusted iron box with large patches of peeling paint from the room.

"Inside are some of your great-uncle's personal effects. After he passed away, we couldn't bear to throw these things away, so we kept them."

Hearing this, Shen Siyuan took the box with great curiosity.

Opening the iron box, the first thing that came into view was a neatly stacked bundle of letters.

Besides that, there was an instructor's badge, several Yuan Datou silver coins, a few bullets, a medal, and various miscellaneous small items.

"They are all correspondence letters with comrades-in-arms," Shen Jianjun said, glancing at them.

But Huang Huijuan, standing nearby, heard this and said, "Not necessarily."

"What do you mean?" Shen Siyuan asked, somewhat surprised.

Hearing this, Shen Jianjun looked at Huang Huijuan and said displeasedly, "Why tell the child these things?"

Huang Huijuan heard this and said indifferently, "Siyuan is already so grown up; is he still a child? Since he wants to know about his great-uncle's past, then tell him everything."

Huang Huijuan turned to Shen Siyuan and said, "After your great-aunt passed away, your great-uncle did consider remarrying. At that time, there was a young Miss who liked your great-uncle very much..."

"Then why didn't he marry her later?"

"Because of the generational difference; your great-uncle didn't want people to gossip about him," Shen Jianjun said.

PS: New book follow-up reading and monthly tickets are really too important; only reaching a certain quantity will get the next recommendation, so I kneel and beg, please cast your monthly tickets if you have any, thank you~