Chapter 1: The Daoist Descends the Mountain

A string of Five Emperors coins hung high on the eaves of the dilapidated temple, the characters facing inward and the coin faces upward.

The mottled, thin string seemed unable to bear the heavy burden of the copper coins, much like this wild Maoshan temple, which was now guarded by only one person.

The walls were collapsed, the doors were ruined, and desolation filled the eyes.

The side room next to the main hall of the wild temple was pushed open with a creak, the poorly maintained wooden door emitting a teeth-aching sound.

A young Daoist in a cyan robe stepped out suddenly, the wooden hairpin binding his hair simple and ancient, which only served to highlight his clear brows, bright eyes, and elegant, refined demeanor.

Facing the faint morning sunlight, the young Daoist sighed up at the sky, seemingly unable to wake from the bizarre shock of his transmigration.

Where the hell did this bring him?

This former top public relations company boss from his previous life had been battling at a dinner table just a second ago, struggling to parry, when a glass of aged liquor went down his throat and into his belly, leaving him with a splitting headache!

When he opened his eyes again...

He had already possessed the body of the young Daoist in the wild Maoshan temple.

He closed his eyes, feeling the scriptures, prophecies, and Bagua principles filling the original owner's mind, which felt increasingly absurd and inexplicable.

A voice suddenly came from before the temple gate, inquiring: "Daoist Lu? Can we go now?"

"Wait a moment."

Seeing Lu Kuan focused his mind to digest the situation for a moment, looking at the production assistant before him, knowing this was the person coming to take his namesake to the film crew.

He turned back to the side room to pack his meager belongings, the original appearance of this mundane task surfacing in his mind.

Zhang Jizhong was filming the Zhou Xun version of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" in Wuxi's Water Margin City and needed a religious consultant.

The Daoists in the play belonged to the Quanzhen lineage, and all religious attire, language, and principles required guidance from a specialist.

But Maoshan was the ancestral court of the Shangqing lineage; after searching through dozens of large and small Daoist temples, they finally found his predecessor, a Quanzhen follower guarding a broken temple alone.

Of course, the cyan robe representing a mid-level Quanzhen master was also affordable and cost-effective for the crew; in any case, they just needed to ensure that the Religious Affairs Bureau wouldn't find any faults when the TV series was submitted for review.

The incense in the wild temple was withered, and the young Daoist was penniless; after a simple cleanup, Seeing Lu Kuan closed the temple gate and followed the production assistant toward the car.

Not far away, under the steps overgrown with weeds, sat a middle-aged man in rags, who looked at the approaching young Daoist and muttered to himself.

The former PR company boss ignored him, knowing this was a local mad Daoist who treated the sky as his quilt and the earth as his mat, living out his remaining years on the charity of others.

The mad Daoist habitually stepped forward to beg for food, but upon catching sight of the young Daoist's refined and clear eyes, he grabbed his forearm as if he had seen a ghost!

"Who are you?! You are not Seeing Lu Kuan!"

The "Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew's production assistant glanced over suspiciously and reached out to drive him away, but was stopped by the young Daoist.

"No need! He is just mentally unwell, let him be."

Seeing Lu Kuan looked at him indifferently, but his heart was surging with stormy waves.

The two stepped forward, and suddenly, two lines of delirious words accompanied by the morning Daoist rhythm came from the mad Daoist behind them.

"Startled to realize life is but a dream, refine the heart and do not forget the way home!"

The engine of the "Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew's Istana started; Seeing Lu Kuan looked through the car window at the lonely figure of the mad Daoist in the mountains, savoring his crazy words, and couldn't help but let out a long sigh.

Whether it is a dream of life or the current situation, it matters not.

Since he has come this way again, he must live differently.

——

A Su-B licensed Istana drove into Wuxi's Water Margin City and, after showing a pass, parked at the filming base next to "Qingming Shanghe Street."

The "Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew started filming the first scene, "Mu Nianci Rescues Yang Kang," here yesterday, attracting many fans to watch.

The crew's production assistant apologized with a smile as he got out of the car, leading a person from outside the secular world in a deep cyan Daoist robe, dodging the light rain as they hurried into the studio.

"Young Daoist, please wait a moment, I will go notify the producer and director."

"Okay."

Seeing Lu Kuan stood in the studio, reaching out to block the sparse raindrops.

Returning to 2001 as if waking from a big dream was just like the light rain on the stone-paved street and the rising mist before his eyes—

Trying to ponder the past, it was as empty as a dream, with ten thousand kinds of joys and sorrows, gathering and scattering like smoke.

At this moment, in the noisy and complex film crew, against the bustling background, the young Daoist, who seemed out of place like a Daoist entering the red dust to refine his heart, with his clear and refined bones and crane-feather cloak, attracted the attention of two waiting actresses.

You stand here watching the scenery, and the people watching the scenery are also watching you not far away.

"Young Daoist, are you from our crew?"

A delicate and soft inquiry made him turn his head, and what met his eyes were two beauties in ancient costumes with bright eyes and white teeth.

Zhou Xun's figure was light, her features exquisite and lively, and her temperament and silhouette could be called the essence of heaven and earth.

Jiang Qinqin was even more delicate and cute, her ink-black eyes filled with affection, and her nose as straight as a peak, living up to the stage name "Shui Ling" given to her by Qiong Yao.

"Greetings to you both, my name is Seeing Lu Kuan, and I am the religious consultant invited by your crew."

Zhou Xun and Jiang Qinqin looked at each other and simultaneously looked up to size up his face as he turned back.

His face was thin and sharp, his pair of star-like eyes distant, deep, and bright.

Although the cyan Daoist robe was old, it could not hide his tall and handsome figure; instead, it added a touch of otherworldly aura.

Jiang Qinqin was a girl from Shancheng, straightforward in temperament, and she sized Seeing Lu Kuan up and teased: "Your appearance is better than many male stars. Coming to the entertainment industry, you must be able to make a living."

Seeing Lu Kuan had indeed worked in the entertainment industry in his previous life, but he was just a boss of a PR company.

From the Beijing Film Academy to the University of Southern California in his previous life, his dream of being a director was shattered time and time again, and he had no choice but to make a living this way, never expecting to actually make a name for himself.

Until he died suddenly at the dinner table and transmigrated back more than 20 years ago...

Zhang Jizhong and director Ju Jueliang were discussing the script in the temporary office set up by the crew, and hearing the commotion outside, they also looked over.

"Fanyao, is this the young Daoist from Maoshan? He's a bit too young!"

Producer Meng Fanyao said cunningly: "Director Zhang, on one hand, we are doing this for Feng Shui, and on the other hand, we still have to do the accounting. We definitely have to find someone who is high-quality and inexpensive!"

Good heavens, he had only heard of accounting-type vanguard commanders; he never expected there to be an accounting-type Daoist used for taking kickbacks here.

Any movie or TV series involving religious parts must be approved by the relevant departments; this was just scraping money from investors in the name of religious consultant fees.

Ju Jueliang was from Xiangjiang and believed most in these strange and supernatural tales in the crew, so he immediately smiled: "Old Meng, this money cannot be saved. There have been quite a few troubles recently."

Zhang Jizhong sighed inwardly; it was more than just a few. The troubles of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" had not stopped since the day filming started.

From the food poisoning incident when the "Legend of the Condor Heroes" crew rushed to Saihanba to start filming in August, to encountering a typhoon after moving to Peach Blossom Island.

After the original director Wang Rui was fired by Zhang Jizhong due to filming progress issues, director Ju Jueliang, who had directed the 92 Xiangjiang version of "The Book and the Sword," became the firefighter.

He originally thought that after these natural and man-made disasters, it would be smooth sailing, but he didn't expect Li Yapeng to cause trouble again.

Last night, Brother Jing and Rong'er were relaxing at the Tang City Dance Hall in Wuxi when they got into a dispute with a group of merchants from Yancheng and beat them up.

The news was blocked by Zhang Jizhong; fortunately, there was no self-media in this era, so it hadn't spread yet.

The rain outside the studio was getting heavier. Seeing Lu Kuan entered the temporary office to sign the contract, and Zhou Xun and the others were also called in to discuss how to clean up the mess.

On one side was a serious conversation around the stove, and on the other was the light flipping of paper manuscripts.

Ju Jueliang couldn't hold back his temper and whispered a suggestion: "Director Zhang, the crew has indeed been plagued by trouble recently."

"How about... we ask this young Daoist to take a look at the way forward?"

Zhang Jizhong tilted his head and looked at this young Daoist who was all show and no substance, not holding much hope either.

But since Ju Jueliang brought it up, he couldn't just reject his face.

"The rain is heavy outside, and filming is temporarily impossible anyway, so let's give it a try."

Ju Jueliang was humble and polite, stood up to chat with him for a few words, and then invited him over to talk.

Zhang Jizhong looked at the overly young Seeing Lu Kuan and asked curiously: "Young Daoist, how old are you, and what is your Daoist name?"

The words were polite, but his attitude didn't take him seriously at all.

An accounting-type Daoist, cheap goods are never good, so how much respect could there be?

Seeing Lu Kuan said sternly: "Director Zhang, I am nineteen this year."

As for the Daoist name...

"You can call me Changfeng."

Although he wasn't meeting the Old Heavenly Master today, he would just temporarily borrow the name of Wang Ye from Wudang.

A Daoist name is either bestowed by a teacher or a posthumous title from a disciple.

The original owner of this young Daoist inherited the mantle of his deceased master and personally received the Daoist lineage; although the incense of the broken temple was almost cut off, he could be considered a flower blooming in a crack in the stone.

Relying on this cyan Daoist robe and a glib tongue to engage in some swindling and fortune-telling, he barely managed to support his livelihood.

Now that he had been possessed by an extraterrestrial demon, and was still a clever PR boss, it was estimated that it would be even harder to distinguish truth from falsehood from now on.

Several people in the room savored this unusual Daoist name, which felt completely different from Pure Yang or Changchun, and coupled with his otherworldly temperament, a sense of religious mystery arose spontaneously.

Meng Fanyao turned back and closed the door: "Daoist Lu, the crew has had many troubles recently. Do you think you can adjust the Feng Shui layout for us?"

Seeing Lu Kuan was indifferent for a moment, standing tall, looking at the hazy light rain outside the house, and shook his head: "This is against the rules. I am only responsible for the religious affairs of the crew, and I will not ask about the rest."

Zhang Jizhong was naturally calm, and Xiangjiang director Ju Jueliang stepped forward and apologized with a smile: "Please, Young Daoist, don't hesitate to give us some pointers."

Seeing Lu Kuan nodded slightly and took out his hands.

Actually, he was just warming them up; the winter in the Jiang-Zhe-Hu region was really not a place for humans to stay, and the cold magic attack was well-deserved.

Jiang Taigong goes fishing, and those who are willing take the bait.

Since the fish were eager to try, why shouldn't he give some pointers?

The young Daoist's expression was solemn, and he measured the ground with his steps, occasionally stopping to observe the layout, and occasionally focusing his mind to perceive the energy.

He pointed his finger at a direction: "The Northeast Gen position is a mountain, which means stability, but the energy field here is slightly chaotic."

"And this corner of the wall, diagonally opposite the main filming position, is actually a sharp-corner evil spirit. The evil spirit is rushing directly, which is easy to cause accidents. We must be cautious!"

Seeing Lu Kuan glanced at the stacked prop boxes through the window frame: "These weapon props should be placed in the Qian position to highlight the masculine righteousness and resist evil spirits. But now they are disorganized, leading to chaotic energy and scattered spirits."

Everyone in the room was surprised, Zhou Xun and Jiang Qinqin's eyes were shining, while the crew members below Zhang Jizhong were half-believing.

The young Daoist with the bones of a fairy sighed: "It is almost full of mistakes everywhere."

He stood at one spot: "This is the center of the whole house, called the Taiji point. The position where the main gate is relative to the Taiji point is the upper trigram, and the position where Director Zhang sits is the lower trigram, which is used to determine the good or bad luck of wealth and officialdom."

"Due is in the west, Kan is in the north, upper Due and lower Kan, this is the Kun hexagram."

Ju Jueliang was the most superstitious, his face pale, and he was already a little impatient: "What is the solution?"

"Great ominousness!"

(End of chapter)