"Old man, I accidentally got lost in the mountains and can't get down. Can I stay here for one night?" Xu Zhipeng didn't know how to address an old Taoist priest, so he used the title "old man" out of desperation. You can’t call it wrong.
The old Taoist priest was wearing a long robe that had been washed white. Naturally, Xu Zhipeng, a novice, didn't know if it was a Taoist robe. His hair was white and his face was ragged, his figure was stooped, and his whole body exuded an aura of decay. Xu Zhipeng couldn't help but feel nervous. Through the threshold, a long shadow was drawn under the dim light, which made his heart calm down. "He's just an old Taoist priest!"
"Haha, you are a welcome guest! Come in." The old Taoist priest chuckled, and the wrinkles on his face were gathered together, like the bark of an old tree, one by one, making people look scared that a mountain wind would blow him down. .
"Thank you, old man. I'll stay here for one night and go down the mountain tomorrow morning. Sorry for causing you any trouble." Xu Zhipeng felt pity and quietly approached the old man's left hand, so that he could quickly stand up if he lost his footing. Hold him.
The old Taoist priest glanced at Xu Zhipeng, and a glimmer of light shone through his cloudy eyes. It was so fleeting that no one could notice it, but the tree lines on his face seemed to have loosened a lot.
"Haha, lay people are also lucky. If today passes, you won't be able to knock on this door."
"Uh~, why is this?"
"Tomorrow is the big day for the old Taoist to become a Taoist. In these decades, there is only one old Taoist. If the old Taoist is gone, who will open the door for you, haha!" After the old Taoist said, he smiled again, very happy. .
Xu Zhipeng's brows furrowed, and he sighed in his heart, feeling that he had been unlucky for eight lifetimes during this period. Not counting divorce, he even asked for a place to live in the home of a dying person. I was very hesitant in my heart, but I didn't say it out loud.
"Taoist Master, are you joking? I think that although the old Taoist Master is old, he doesn't look like he will have to drive west tomorrow!" Xu Zhipeng said weakly, but these words seemed to be addressed to the old Taoist. , but more of it seems to be comforting oneself. Although he is approaching the age of forty, he has not experienced much about life and death. He still maintains a lot of awe and fear about it, and it is difficult to face it calmly, so when he first heard that the old Taoist was going to die tomorrow , fear filled his heart. It's just that this time is really not suitable for going down the mountain, otherwise I might just say goodbye and leave shamelessly.
The old Taoist priest smiled lightly and showed a happy face. "Hahaha, layman, can you guess the age of the old man?"
Before Xu Zhipeng could speak, he happily muttered to himself: "Old Taoist was born in the 25th year of Guangxu, haha, that is 1899 AD. It has been one hundred and twenty-four years since then. I am already 124 years old." At this age, human life is at its limit, what else is there to be dissatisfied about? What do you think?"
"Uh, haha, Taoist priest has a long life, which makes the younger generation envious." Xu Zhipeng complimented. "But what this junior admires more is the Taoist Master's heart. He looks down on life and death and is fearless. Unlike this junior, he lost the courage to go down the mountain as soon as it got dark. Haha~" Xu Zhipeng laughed at himself.
"You don't have to belittle yourself, lay people. Since ancient times, life and death have been important. Once you reach the age of the old Taoist, I'm afraid you won't be able to think as much as the old Taoist. Haha~" The old Taoist laughed heartily, and the wrinkles on his face were relaxed, which made people laugh. Looks a lot more energetic.
"It doesn't look like the oil has run out!" Xu Zhipeng thought in his mind and couldn't hide it anymore. "Actually, sometimes juniors also think that matters of life and death are no big deal. But I think the spirit of the Taoist master will not be a problem in a few years. Besides, look at this Taoist temple, you are the only one now. One person. If you go tomorrow, wouldn't this Taoist temple be abandoned? How can you bear to keep it?" Xu Zhipeng didn't know what he was talking about. When he said this, he felt a little bit crazy. , glanced at the old Taoist priest sheepishly, and stopped.
"Hahaha, fate has come and gone, and it has already arrived at its destination. But today I met the layman. I think it was fate. If the layman feels that this place suits you, you might as well stay for a few more days. If it doesn't suit you, You can go back tomorrow. If the Taoist temple is ruined, then let it be ruined!" The old Taoist priest was more open-minded than Xu Zhipeng.
Also, at his age, he can think about everything. How can he be like him, worrying about his livelihood all day long, so he will naturally worry about everything and find it difficult to let go of some things.
The old Taoist priest looked at Xu Zhipeng happily and saw that he didn't express anything, so he didn't care.
"It's a coincidence that the layman came here. Today, a kind guest brought two exquisite vegetarian dishes. I can't finish them all by myself, so it's a benefit to the layman." The old Taoist tremblingly moved away the rice cover and pointed. Pointing to the two plates of vegetarian dishes exposed. One plate was like assorted vegetables, and the other was vegetarian chicken. The two vegetarian dishes exuded a strong aroma of food, which made Xu Zhipeng, who was already hungry, salivate.
"The rice basket is hanging, and there is a bowl of rice in it. You can take it down yourself, layman. The old Taoist has no use for it. It just so happens that Bu Yu is destined, haha."
"Thank you, Taoist priest. You're welcome, junior!" Xu Zhipeng stopped being polite. He took off the rice basket by himself, took out the cold rice, picked up a piece of vegetarian chicken without hesitation, and devoured it.
"Eat slowly, no one will compete with you, haha! Being young is good~" the old Taoist priest chuckled, but did not remind Xu Zhipeng to eat slowly.
Xu Zhipeng finished a large bowl of cold rice in three mouthfuls. He touched his stomach and felt that he was about seven to eight times full. After saying thank you, he felt sleepy all over.
The old Taoist priest also noticed Xu Zhipeng's fatigue, so he took him to a room with a smile.
"The house is simple, so a layman can just live there for one night!"
"Thank you, Taoist Priest. As the saying goes, a mountain is not high. Immortals are famous. With Taoist Priest, you, the old immortal, are here. Even if it is a little simpler, the spirit of immortality is revealed both inside and outside. The residence of the immortals is not simple at all!" Xu Zhipeng was polite! road. He was originally a shy and dull person, and he didn't like to talk too much, especially with strangers, but for some reason, he didn't seem to feel too restrained when getting along with this old Taoist priest. As the old Taoist said, this may be fate!
This room is indeed too basic. One cabinet and one bed cannot accommodate too many decorations. The plaster walls have already looked mottled, and the powder has been peeled off in many places, exposing the gray and black bricks inside. Fortunately, the lights in the house are dim and not many details can be seen, otherwise more problems may be discovered. However, this didn't require him to think about it. He stayed for one and a half nights and made do with it.
It was just the dead of night, and even though he was exhausted physically and mentally, he couldn't sleep.
