Chapter 34

Inside the Banshan Hall, the master-disciple ceremony, which seemed complicated but actually didn't have much to it, had reached its end.

The temple's ancestor was called the Banshan Daoist.

Lin Jue and the young girl knelt on the prayer mats in front of the ancestor's statue, their expressions solemn.

A colorful cat lay lazily at the ancestor's feet, curiously staring at their actions while feeling bored, already starting to yawn.

Daoist Yunhe stood at the very front.

"From today on, you are the twelfth-generation successors of my Fuqiu Temple. Although I met Qingyao first, it is only from this moment that she has become my disciple. As for the affinity with me, Lin Jue came first, so the two of you will be ranked according to age: Lin Jue is the senior brother, and Qingyao is the junior sister."

"The disciples understand."

Lin Jue said very calmly.

"The disciples understand."

The young girl behind him followed his lead.

Seven Daoists sat on both sides.

These seven people looked relatively normal at first glance, but the middle-aged Daoist on the far left, who was the eldest senior brother, was perhaps just back from digging soil, with muddy feet. Another was drowsy, one was full of the smell of wine, and one was tilting his head, playing with the tail of an orange cat beside him, looking even more bored than the cat on the altar.

Only Daoist Yunhe's expression was the most solemn.

"I cultivate the Yin-Yang Spiritual Arts and walk the Yin-Yang Great Dao. Besides that, the ancestor left seven supernatural arts in our temple, which are Alchemy, Bean Soldiers, Gathering Beasts and Calling Birds, Medicine, Fu-Ji, Magic Tricks, and Grinding Stone.

"Later, as our temple's successors traveled the world and made friends, the supernatural arts in our temple far exceeded these seven, but we still continue the tradition, focusing on these seven.

"Therefore, throughout the generations of our temple, most generations only take eight disciples. Except for the first one who will inherit Fuqiu Temple and needs to learn all seven, the other seven disciples mainly and necessarily cultivate one of them.

"This time is an accident. I went down the mountain intending to take one last disciple, but I didn't expect to meet the two of you."

The old Daoist swept his gaze toward them:

"Although this is an exception, the tradition left by the ancestor must still be followed. It just so happens that I am old and my body is getting worse, and teaching two is inevitably a bit overwhelming. You two should choose one to inherit this last method of Grinding Stone, which I will teach personally. As for the other, you can learn whatever you want; you can go find your senior brothers, you can come find me, or you can learn Grinding Stone from me.

"Is there anyone who volunteers?"

The old Daoist asked them as he spoke.

The master-disciple ceremony had finally reached a point where they had to make a decision.

Everyone knew that being taught personally by the master was definitely a better thing, so this volunteering was naturally not volunteering to learn from him, but volunteering to give up the opportunity.

The young girl lowered her head in silence.

But Lin Jue felt that her eyes were secretly looking at him.

"..."

Lin Jue couldn't help but find it funny.

No wonder this little girl had been so diligent and unwilling to be weaker than others along the way, competing with him for every bitter and tiring task. She had met the master a few days before Lin Jue, so she likely knew or guessed this long ago, and perhaps from that time on, she had the intention of competing with him, her "senior brother."

It was only human nature.

Perhaps in her eyes, the reason he gathered firewood, made fires, fetched water, and asked for directions on the road was also because he had similar intentions.

Later, she actually started competing with him.

Thinking back to how she often sized him up on the road, gritting her teeth to follow him when he climbed the mountain without stopping, and when he moved a large rock washed down by summer rain on the road, she was shocked while gritting her teeth and using all her strength to move another rock, often getting very tired, Lin Jue suddenly felt it was quite funny.

She really was a smart little girl.

But how could he compete with her?

"Master, Xiao Xiao Shimei is younger, so let's give this Grinding Stone method and the opportunity to be taught personally by Master to Xiao Xiao Shimei."

"Have you decided?"

Daoist Yunhe's voice came from the front.

"I have."

Lin Jue couldn't help but look to the side.

He happened to meet the little girl's surprised eyes.

She seemed very incredulous.

Lin Jue saw this and couldn't help but think—

What is this little girl thinking now? She wouldn't think he was playing hard to get, would she? Or is she wondering why he competed with her like that along the way if that was the case?

"Good! This is the style of our Fuyun Temple!" Daoist Yunhe said, "Since that's the case, you can choose any other one from these seven supernatural arts, or something else. It's just that you must learn one of the seven. Once you've chosen, go find the corresponding senior brother. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me. But then again, although I am old and have cultivated for a few more years, my learning is quite messy, and my attainments in any one sect may not necessarily be much stronger than those of your senior brothers."

"The disciple understands."

"Good lad." One senior brother also said, the one who was still smelling of wine and seemed to have a hangover, "My Bean Soldiers can scatter beans to make soldiers. If you want to learn this, you can come find me tomorrow afternoon. If you want to drink, you can also come find me. Don't come in the morning; I haven't woken up yet."

"If you want to learn alchemy, you can come find me."

Several senior brothers seemed quite enthusiastic and spoke up one after another.

"Many thanks, senior brothers."

Lin Jue thanked them sincerely.

"According to the rules and traditions, upon entering the Daoist sect, one should take a Daoist name. Usually, if it's two characters, you add one in the middle; if it's three, you change one in the middle. We are the Spiritual Arts Sect, and in the eyes of the Talisman Sect and the Alchemy Sect, we are more like a wild sect. The rules are not that strict, but we still take one."

The old Daoist continued, waving his hand to knock down the colorful cat that had climbed onto the Banshan ancestor's statue:

"This year it's the turn of the character 'Fang'.

"Your name is Lin Jue, so your Daoist name will be Lin Fangjue.

"Qingyao's Daoist name will be Liu Fangyao.

"Just remember it. Usually, no one calls it, and we don't write green or blue chapters, so it's not used.

"As for the Daoist title, that is something you take for yourselves. When you are older and have achieved success in your cultivation, and can clearly see what you have done, your heart, and your achievements, then take one based on those."

The old Daoist waved his hand.

"The master-disciple ceremony is over. There are two rooms; each of you go choose one. Go to the foot of the mountain in a few days to ask a tailor to make your Daoist robes. There are two meals a day, one in the morning and one in the evening; just listen for the bell. In addition, you must go to the Banshan Hall before dawn every morning for morning lessons and chanting. If there is anything else or if you want to learn any arts or pass on the Way, I will come to call you. Your eldest senior brother will tell you the rest."

"Understood."

"Understood!"

The young girl still followed Lin Jue's lead, but her attitude was better than Lin Jue's.

The old Daoist turned and walked inside.

Several senior brothers did not disperse, but stood up and surrounded them, looking at the two junior brother and sister as if they were rare sights.

"Do you remember my name?"

"How old are you?"

"How did you meet Master and get accepted as disciples?"

"Stop making noise, stop making noise, don't scare the junior brother and sister." Eldest Third Third Shixiong Lu Wu said with a gentle expression, "Don't mind them, come with me first and choose your rooms."

There were more rooms in Fuqiu Temple than guest halls, all on both sides of the temple. At this time, the senior brothers had cleaned up two rooms:

One was a proper room, because according to the old Daoist, the tradition of Fuqiu Temple had always been like this: one master and eight disciples per generation, so the number of rooms should be fixed. This room was obviously more exquisite, with a wardrobe, bookshelf, desk, and chairs in addition to the bed, as well as hooks for hanging clothes, so it should be very comfortable to live in.

The other looked like a converted guest hall, with only a bed and a square table that looked like it had been put in temporarily.

"You choose for yourselves."

The eldest senior brother handed the choice to them.

But what was there to choose?

The little junior sister looked at Lin Jue, her eyes widening, and she opened her mouth, just about to say she would give the better room to this senior brother, when Lin Jue had already walked into the second room with his book satchel on his back.

"Alright, you live in this one. But don't be in a hurry; if you need any utensils, just call your sixth senior brother, and he'll make them for you on the spot. They might even be better than the ones in our rooms." The eldest senior brother said, "And don't be afraid of troubling him; he loves the craft of mortise and tenon joinery and takes pleasure in it."

"Just find me."

A Daoist who looked to be in his twenties said.

"Many thanks."

Before the master-disciple ceremony, the old Daoist had told them the names of each senior brother.

Sixth Third Third Shixiong seemed to be named Huang Shiyu, mainly studying Fu-Ji.

Second Third Third Shixiong was named Yan Yan Xuan Yi, who looked relatively quiet and mainly studied alchemy; Third Third Third Shixiong was named Li Miaolin, full of the smell of wine, mainly studying Bean Soldiers; Fourth Third Third Shixiong was named Hu Mengjin, mainly studying the method of Gathering Beasts and Calling Birds. It was said that the clouded leopard napping in the Daoist temple today was his good friend;

Fifth Third Third Shixiong was Jing Qi, who studied medicine. He didn't know what the difference was between his medicine and the medicine of ordinary doctors at the foot of the mountain; Seventh Third Third Shixiong was named Leyou, mainly studying magic tricks;

"We are all senior and junior brothers, why be so polite."

The eldest senior brother told them some precautions in the temple, about the Spiritual Arts Sect, where the dining hall and kitchen were, how to address and bow to pilgrims and other Daoists when going out, and what they had to do every day. He didn't say much, but it was relatively detailed.

The other senior brothers didn't leave either, all watching them from the side. It seemed the atmosphere of the Daoist temple was not cold at all.

Lin Jue felt calm and stable in his heart, so he naturally remembered everything.

The little girl, like anyone else who came to a strange place at this age, felt unstable, nervous, and anxious in her heart, so naturally, she couldn't remember anything and just pretended she had.

"You rest first."

"Remember to eat when the bell rings."

The many senior brothers then dispersed one after another.

Lin Jue and the little junior sister looked at each other and smiled slightly before walking back to their rooms.

He put his book satchel in the corner of the wall, looked around the room, took out a few books, including the ancient book, and placed them under his pillow. He also put his wood-chopping knife and whistle stick in the corner, took out his clothes, folded them, and placed them next to the pillow. The remaining dry food was placed on the square table. After having a few miscellaneous items and a few things of his own, he looked at this simple room and felt a sense of peace.

What was there not to live in?

This was much more spacious than his room in Shu Village.

Lin Jue simply lay on the bed.

But he couldn't help but ponder in his heart.

It seemed that cultivating the Dao was not a simple matter, and cultivating in a Daoist temple had other miscellaneous tasks to do. However, it was much better than wandering the world alone, seeking a path of cultivation with fear and trepidation, and having no roots or basis.

It was just that according to his newly accepted master, he didn't have many years left to live. And the tradition of Fuqiu Temple was that once the master died, the other disciples had to go down the mountain. He didn't know what kind of way out they had, but anyway, only the eldest disciple could stay on the mountain to inherit the Daoist temple, become the temple master, and then take his own disciples to pass on the supernatural arts of Fuqiu Temple.

By this calculation, he could also stay on the mountain for a few years.

"When you arrive, settle down."

Lin Jue made up his mind to strive to learn all the cultivation spiritual arts and supernatural techniques of Fuqiu Temple within these few years.