Chapter 157: Aftermath

"Master!"

"Master!"

Many Daoists rushed into the Moving Mountain Hall together.

I saw the old Daoist sitting cross-legged. Except for lowering his head, there was no abnormality from usual, and his beard and hair were clean, his face was rosy, and he seemed to be smiling, but his vitality and cultivation had faded rapidly.

"Master!"

Everyone was happy and having fun, but suddenly it was like this, and they didn't react, and they were at a loss.

Only the eldest senior brother seemed to have known it for a long time, and was the calmest, immediately saying: "Don't panic, Fourth Junior Third Shixiong, please ask a friend to go to Xianyuan Temple and invite Daoist Wangji!"

"Yes! Hurry up and invite Daoist Wangji!"

"Good!"

The fourth senior brother ran out in a hurry.

A sound of a bamboo flute, a falcon came, and flew to Xianyuan Temple with a letter.

According to the customs here, when someone passes away, they have to invite the most virtuous and prestigious people among relatives, friends, and neighbors to preside over the aftermath. At this time, when Master passed away, the first thing everyone thought of was Daoist Wangji.

Looking at the Moving Mountain Hall at this time, the eldest senior brother also learned the ability to know people and fate, probably because he had known it for a long time, so he was the calmest. The second senior brother was calm by nature and soon calmed down. He just walked up and tidied up Master's Daoist robe and appearance. The third senior brother just sighed. The fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh senior brothers who returned to the Moving Mountain Hall all felt sudden and stood there at a loss.

The junior sister stood at the door of the hall, looking dull.

Lin Jue couldn't help sighing.

"Brothers and sisters, don't be sad. Master knew about today long ago, and you and I have long noticed it in our hearts, so why shed tears?" The eldest senior brother said, "It's time to do things."

Everyone turned to look at him.

In a trance, Lin Jue had some feelings when he first went up the mountain. At that time, he and the junior sister were restless and at a loss, and the eldest senior brother was also like this, finding a bunch of things for them to do.

It happened to be in this Moving Mountain Hall.

Then I heard the eldest senior brother say:

"Second Junior Third Shixiong, you go to write a letter to inform many junior uncles and Master's old friends. Third Junior Third Shixiong, you take some gifts and go to the mountain to ask the bird and poultry spirits for help in sending letters. The road is not easy to find, please ask them to take more care."

The second and third senior brothers went out.

"Fourth and Fifth Junior Brothers, go and lift Master's coffin out and wash it. Sixth and Seventh Junior Brothers, sweep the courtyard and arrange the temple," the eldest senior brother said, pausing. "If you don't know how to arrange it, wait for Daoist Wangji to come, and then ask him for advice."

"Good!"

"Junior brother and junior sister, you prepare the vegetarian meal," the eldest senior brother said, then looked at the cats waiting outside, "I'll go receive the Fourth Grandmother first."

"Understood."

Lin Jue patted the junior sister on the shoulder.

The junior sister turned around dullly and followed him, walking out of the gate of the Moving Mountain Hall, still looking back, but after taking two steps past the door, she couldn't see the scene in the hall.

Lin Jue's mood was complicated and indescribable.

This is his fifth year on the mountain.

Coming to this world, the elder he has spent the longest time with is undoubtedly this master, and whether it is his own character or how he treats him, there is nothing to say. Just talking about his feelings for him, I am afraid it is better than his uncle, aunt, and cousin.

However, in a hurry, if he said that his heart was sad like a spring, there was no, more of it was a dull reluctance and regret and confusion.

I don't know if it's because there was preparation in his heart, or because things came too suddenly that he didn't react.

I don't know how the junior sister is.

But what I know is that in this world, Master is probably the first person to treat her well.

"Peng..."

The fire in the stove rose.

Daoist Wangji of Xianyuan Temple only took a short time to come here. Looking at Daoist Yunhe who had passed away, he didn't say anything, just calmly commanded the senior brothers in the temple, followed local customs and Daoist rules, and made trade-offs according to the Daoist's nature, and did his best to handle Master's aftermath.

Other Daoists of Xianyuan Temple arrived later, then the Daoists of the Dan Ding Sect of Jiulong Temple that Lin Jue had only seen twice, and then the Daoists of other Daoist temples in Mount Yishan that they had almost never seen.

There were beasts in the mountain standing at the door or jumping on the courtyard wall and eaves, watching the hall quietly. There were also birds coming, mostly stopping on the roof, and some standing on the pine in the courtyard, sending off the old Daoist.

There were also many mountain spirits and monsters coming.

There was a clear breeze around the beam, unwilling to leave for a long time.

The eldest senior brother took care of them. No matter what thoughts the two had at this time, all kinds of emotions were hidden in this small kitchen. The busy senior brothers in the courtyard, the guests who arrived one after another, the hurried footsteps and the conversation and discussion of different voices seemed to be blocked outside.

There was also a colorful civet cat running into the kitchen, jumping into the junior sister's arms, as if accompanying and comforting her.

The fox was also by Lin Jue's side.

After a long time, he heard the junior sister call him:

"Third Shixiong brother."

Lin Jue was cooking vegetarian food, looked up at her, saw her expression still dull, her eyes clear, scratched her head and asked him: "You say, is this me dreaming?"

Guarding the spirit for seven days.

It is not to chant scriptures for transcendence, not for the soul to return, nor to follow secular etiquette to show outsiders the filial piety of the disciples to the master, but simply to wait for old friends.

During the seven days, seven junior uncles arrived one after another.

There are both the second junior uncle that Lin Jue has seen, and six junior uncles that he has never seen. The farthest one is thousands of miles away, and he rushed back within a few days.

After seven days, the coffin was lifted up the mountain.

Walking out of Fuqiu Temple up the mountain, there is a small inconspicuous road, which does not lead to the top of the mountain, but to a forest behind the mountain. There are already many graves here. The new ones can still see that they are graves, and the old ones have long become an uneven piece of ground.

This is the burial place of the ancestors of Fuqiu Temple.

When the noisy mountain wind came, the clear beating sound was blown far away, and the disciples lifted the coffin and left.

There were many eyes watching silently in the forest on both sides, and countless birds were stopping on the branches on the left and right, accompanying them step by step to this place, and more than a dozen cats were also following in a long string behind.

"This is it." The eldest senior brother pointed to an ordinary grave full of green grass in front, the gate of the mountain had been opened, and there was only a square hole inside. "This is what Master built himself."

Seeing his calm expression, Lin Jue couldn't help thinking, will he build one for himself in many years?

"Drop the coffin!"

Daoist Wangji shouted.

Many disciples carefully lifted the coffin over, but just when they were ready to put it down, a strange thing happened—

No matter what, the coffin couldn't be put down.

"Eh?"

"What's going on?"

"Does Master still have any unfulfilled wishes?"

Everyone was a little puzzled.

Lin Jue was also one of the coffin lifters. At this time, he only felt that the coffin was a thousand jin heavy and a thousand jin heavy from the ground, neither lifted nor put down.

"Pu pu pu..."

A crow flew over and landed on the eldest senior brother's shoulder.

Lin Jue recognized that it was the one that had led him and the junior sister to Xianyuan Temple.

Just when everyone was puzzled, they suddenly felt movement in the mountain forest behind them. Looking back, an old monk in a gray monk's robe was running wildly against the steep slope and stepping on the treetops.

The old monk looked sad and sorrowful, tired, but in a hurry.

"My old brother..."

As soon as he landed, he immediately supported the coffin and cried, his voice extremely sorrowful.

With a "guang dang" sound, the coffin finally landed.

"So that's it..."

Lin Jue looked at this old monk and knew in his heart.

This should be the old friend that Master went to see after he finished the Great Ritual of Qiyun Mountain and knew that his longevity was not much, even if he was thousands of miles away?

The old monk's voice became more and more sorrowful.

Everyone seemed to be infected by it, and the feelings of sorrow and sadness surged one after another, all shedding tears.

The snow on Mount Yishan melted in just a few days.

Daoist Wangji and the Daoist friends of Xianyuan Temple, and the Daoists of various Daoist temples in Mount Yishan have left one after another, and the junior uncles are also about to leave.

"We people who cultivate the Dao, although we have not achieved true Dao, we have also seen through life and death. Going and coming are the same, the true nature is clear, the wind collects and the clouds disperse, the moon is in the blue sky, it is just a dream waking up and resigning from the world, nothing great."

The second junior uncle's rough voice said very calmly to many young Daoists:

"Third Shixiong brother's big event is over, we won't stay much, so we will leave. We have written on paper where the several junior uncles live and practice. I have drifted for most of my life, and last year I found a Daoist temple, ready to accept an apprentice to settle down and wait for death. When you settle down, you can send us a letter, at least know where each other is, not to mention walking around, you can help each other if you have anything."

"Understood."

"You also need to practice well." The second junior uncle said.

"Jiangnan is still good, the outside is already chaotic, be careful in doing things, and save yourself." The third junior uncle said.

"Need to remember the Dao of Yin-Yang balance, don't follow your master's old path." The fourth junior uncle exhorted.

"Sigh, why bother to seek such high cultivation, live this life well, a hundred years is better than a thousand years, it can be considered cultivation." The fifth junior uncle is a woman, sighing and saying.

"..."

Several junior uncles left one after another, and they all had some explanations.

Finally, it was the friend Master made when he was young, called Master Mingxiang. He put his hands together to everyone and said: "This poor monk lives and practices in Qingji Temple, Fu Guang County, Lingnan. If you go to Lingnan, you can come to find this poor monk."

"Third Shixiong, walk slowly."

"Amitabha."

The last guest also left.

Only the brothers remained in Fuqiu Temple.

"Sigh..."

The eldest senior brother sighed: "Brothers, don't be impatient, stay with me for a while on the mountain. If you leave, only I will be left here."

"Good."

Many brothers agreed.

So they stayed with him for a period of time on the mountain, and when the temperature in the mountain gradually warmed up, it was finally time to part.

"Brothers, although it is difficult to go down the mountain, Master has also prepared some retreats for you." The eldest senior brother looked lonely and took out some things like land deeds and letters, "Master and junior uncles found a total of four Daoist temples and two temples."

Everyone checked silently.

Daoist temples are generally larger, temples are smaller, and most temples have a main god, so the choice is narrower, but it is also more worry-free.

Daoist temples can accept apprentices, temples are suitable for settling down, Daoist temples are suitable for quiet cultivation, and temples are suitable for retirement.

However, there are only six in total.

"You choose, I am destined to follow the second junior uncle's path and enjoy the Jianghu. After you choose, I will write it down. When I drift to your vicinity, I will come to find you," the third senior brother had already walked out of the sadness and said very freely, "When you arrive at the place, remember the delicious food and fun in the local area first, don't have no place to enjoy when I arrive at your place."

Lin Jue also stood in place, his hands hanging down and motionless.

The junior sister was the youngest and at a loss, so she had to look at him quietly.

The eldest senior brother also looked at Lin Jue. ===== CHAPTER 158 =====