There was heavy fog at the foot of the mountain, the room was damp, and the quilt was as cold as iron for many years, so Song You didn't sleep very well.
I go to bed early and get up early. If the quilt is comfortable, I can stay in bed for a while longer, but if the quilt is cold, I really have no idea of staying in bed anymore, so I might as well go up the mountain as soon as possible.
So I got up decisively.
When leaving the house, the palace lord led the children to start morning lessons. Tong'er was hardworking and had already boiled hot water. They said good morning to each other. Song You simply washed up and then respectfully thanked them and said goodbye. Originally, he wanted to give some money for food and accommodation, but the palace owner was unwilling, so Song You simply took it back.
This is the difference between Dayan Buddhism and Taoism.
It is convenient to stay at a Buddhist temple, but it is also natural to give money. It is more difficult to stay overnight in a Taoist temple, but if the temple owner sees you and nods his head, most of the time he will not charge you, and he will definitely entertain you with good food and drinks.
Song You is actually more accustomed to the former.
By the way, he asked the palace owner how to get to Fuqing Palace. After getting the answer, he took Sanhua Empress up the mountain.
The bluestone path along the way was covered with light white frost, and every step was a footprint, pushing through dew and cobwebs. Before noon, I had found Fuqing Palace.
There were no telephones these days, and Song You didn't know how to use paper cranes to pass messages around, so he had to pay a visit.
Climbing up the stairs, there was already a long way to go, and I lightly clicked the door knocker. After a few seconds, a little child came to open the door. Seeing that he was wearing Taoist robes but looked unfamiliar, the little boy saluted him respectfully.
"The Taoist priest is very friendly..."
"I am traveling to the Song Dynasty in Xiafulongguan. I have learned from many Taoists and came here to visit friends."
"May I ask who you are visiting for a long time? I would like to go in and report."
"Brother Guanghuazi," Song You said, "Fellow Taoist, just ask Song You to visit Fulong Temple."
"Brother Dao?"
The little child blinked his eyes.
Guang Huazi is the current palace master of Fuqing Palace. He is over sixty years old. The people who come and go on weekdays are all the masters and immortal masters of the major palaces on the mountain, all of whom are gray-haired masters. Look at the Taoist priest in front of him, who is only in his early teens at most, but he actually calls the palace master Taoist brother.
The little Taoist boy's face was very tender. He might have just entered the Taoist temple and had never heard the name of Fulong Temple, but he did not dare to neglect it anymore. He said wait a moment and hurriedly ran inside.
Not long after, the rhyme in the door stopped.
Then came the deafening welcome bell.
"Boom..."
Every time there was a bump, Sanhua Empress would tremble.
Soon, the sound of chaotic and hasty footsteps came from inside. When the door was opened again, a group of Taoists were already standing in front of them.
Empress Sanhua raised her head and stared blankly.
I saw the leader, Guanghuazi, with white hair but a rosy complexion and no wrinkles. He led a group of middle-aged Taoists to greet Song You. When they arrived, he bowed first and raised his head with a smile on his face:
"Fellow Taoist, long time no see."
"Brother Dao is in good health."
"Every year is getting worse..."
Guang Huazi quickly welcomed Song You into the mountain gate: "Fellow Taoist, come in quickly, it's very cold on the mountain."
"It's a little chilly."
"There's fire in there."
"Just right."
Song You tried not to be too polite and maintained the friendship that had been passed down for two or three generations.
The group of people walked towards the palace.
There are about a dozen middle-aged Taoists behind him, and there are even more younger ones. There are countless children blocked behind them. Overall, it seems that Fuqing Palace is gradually prospering. Except for the little child, everyone else knew the name of Fulong Temple. Some expressed respect, some expressed friendship, some kept peeking at Song You, and some looked at Sanhua Empress.
The elders didn't say anything, and the younger ones didn't dare to speak, so they just listened to Guang Huazi and Song You exchanging greetings as they walked.
"Fellow Taoist, are you out on a trip?"
"Finally, I was kicked out by Master." Song You said with a smile, "I happened to pass by Yidu and stayed in Yidu for a while. Before winter, I came over to visit Brother Taoist Cave Mansion."
"Hahaha……"
Guang Huazi laughed a few times, and suddenly felt a little emotional: "Time flies so fast. Pindao remembers the first time he met fellow Taoist, when he was still in his infancy. Pindao followed Master to Yinyang Mountain for the first time. You see, There were only Taoist Master Duoxing and Taoist Black Feather there, I remember that Pingtao was only in his twenties at that time, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
"time does not wait."
"Who is this……"
Guang Huazi seemed to have just seen the calico cat that had been following Song You. Although it was a cat, he did not look down upon it.
"The Sanhua Empress who is traveling with me."
"It turns out she is Empress Sanhua, a seasoned and polite person."
"Meow~"
Empress Sanhua stood upright and returned the salute.
There are still couplets at the entrance of the palace.
What is written is:
Good deeds are the most precious thing and can never be used up in a lifetime;
The heart is fertile land, and it can be cultivated for a hundred generations.
As usual, Song You stood at the door and read it silently.
When we got to the palace, we sat around the stove making tea.
Guang Huazi called all the Taoists in their twenties and thirties in Fuqing Palace and introduced them to Song You one by one. These people will take over Fuqing Palace in the future, and Song You is the only descendant of Fulong Temple. The continuation of this fate depends on the interactions of these young people.
Then he ordered people to kill chickens for meat, catch fish and buy sheep, pull vegetables and sell wine. He also ordered several children to pick the kiwi fruits that were just ripe in the mountains.
Needless to say, these Taoist priests are pretty good at their craftsmanship. They have a lot of free time on weekdays, so they probably work hard in this area.
After lunch, we played and sang Taoist music again.
The Taoist rhyme of Qingcheng Mountain is very famous. It is written in dialect and has its own system. Song You also sat and listened quietly to appreciate it. But Empress Sanhua couldn't listen and fell asleep on the futon.
After appreciating the Taoist rhyme, they sat together and chatted.
Don’t think that monks get together to debate scriptures, and Taoists get together to talk about Taoism. It is the same as two students getting together to talk to each other. It happens sometimes, but it is not a common thing. Most of the time, we just chatted like normal people and talked about light things.
"How long have you been traveling since you came from Yidu?"
Song You answered honestly: "I set off yesterday morning and arrived at the foot of the mountain when it was dark in the evening. The owner of Luqing Temple at the foot of the mountain was kind-hearted and stayed with me for one night. I went up the mountain this morning."
Someone on the opposite side immediately said:
"Good feet."
Song You looked up and saw that it was a Taoist priest he knew, a disciple of Guanghuazi. He had gone to Fulong Temple a few years ago. He was probably one of the candidates for the next palace master of Fuqing Palace.
At this time, I heard someone say:
"Fellow Taoist Song is a descendant of Fulong Temple. He travels more than a hundred miles a day, so it's no problem."
He is also a Taoist priest who has been to Fulong Temple.
Taoist sects do not care about their seniority, and the Taoists themselves are very casual. As long as there is no big difference in age and status, they can only be called Taoist friends. Therefore, even if they are disciples of Guanghuazi, they can just call Song You a fellow Taoist, and there is no need to go to another generation.
"It was just a coincidence that I met a group of merchants on the way and took me for a ride." Song You only told the truth.
"Anyway, fellow Taoist is tired from this trip. I have asked Izumo to prepare the best room for fellow Taoist. Fellow Taoist, please rest here for a few more days." said the Taoist priest who spoke first.
"Senior brother is right. Taoist friend has never been to Qingcheng Mountain, so we should let us fulfill our friendship as landlords." Another Taoist also said, "Please just stay here, Taoist friend, and I will let Yingfeng know tomorrow. It would be nice to take fellow Taoists to climb Qingcheng Mountain, where you can travel around and enjoy the autumn scenery of Qingcheng Mountain."
"..."
Song You thought for a while and looked at Guang Huazi.
The old Taoist smiled and said nothing else: "The master of Luqing Temple is kind-hearted and wants to stay as a distinguished guest in our palace. We at Fuqing Palace should return the favor."
Two middle-aged Taoists immediately responded.
Song You felt helpless and turned to Empress Sanhua and asked, "What do Empress Sanhua think?"
"Ms. Sanhua thinks it's good."
As soon as the voice came out, everyone's eyes lit up.
Since he is a practitioner of Taoism, he has naturally noticed how extraordinary this calico cat is, but he is only vaguely aware of it and can only judge from the details. It wasn't until the calico cat spoke that everyone was completely sure that this was indeed a kitten that had become a spirit. However, most of them have seen ghosts and ghosts before and are not too surprised.
Only the younger Taoist priest didn't know enough and his eyes widened for a moment.
Just listen to Song You say: "Since Sanhua Empress also wants to stay a few more days, then it is better to obey her orders than to be respectful."
"good!"
Immediately, a Taoist told the disciples behind him to catch more fish.
One person and one cat stayed here temporarily.
The guest rooms here are much better than those in Luqingguan last night. The rooms are large, clean and bright, and the bedding and everything are new. But it's not that Lu Qingguan neglected Song You, it was just that the conditions were limited. The scale and strength of Fuqing Palace are far beyond those of Luqingguan. Today I stayed in the best guest room in Fuqing Palace, and last night I stayed in the best guestroom in Luqingguan. From this point of view, there is no difference.
At night, two young Taoist priests came to see him.
A Qiandao named Yingfeng.
A Kun Dao named Izumo.
Ying Feng is tall, gentle and polite, has a bright and cheerful smile, and speaks with a Taoist charm, which is both mysterious and mysterious. He should be a prodigy who practices Taoism and should be liked by Taoists.
But Song You is a fake Taoist priest.
Izumo is a thin woman with fair skin and beautiful features. She looks even more delicate in a Taoist robe.
Song You is not willing to form this kind of relationship.
The two of them are each the disciples of the two Taoist priests yesterday.
Song You understood what was going on here.
It was obvious that the two middle-aged Taoists were strong contenders for the heir to the prosperous Fuqing Palace. They all wanted to be associated with Song You, which was a gentle way to improve their competitiveness. Guang Huazi knew what they were thinking and doing, but he didn't mind or stop them.
Song You didn't mind this approach either.
Think about it from another way, Fulongguan has been on good terms with Fuqing Palace for decades, and Fuqing Palace comes and goes every year. If Song You is on good terms with anyone and who he likes more, he can show it openly. If this person really takes over in the future, This Fuqing Palace, when he came around again, he was a good friend, and he felt more at ease.
It doesn't matter if this person isn't the one who takes over. Song You just expressed his liking according to his temper and did not interfere with the inheritance of the position of the master of Fuqing Palace. We will continue to get along with him as usual from now on.
Just interacting with people troubles him.
"Fellow Daoist Song, Senior Brother Yingfeng and I will take you to mountain climbing tomorrow." Izumo said as he looked at Song You. "Brother Daoist and I are very familiar with this mountain, and we will definitely be able to take you to have a good time."
"What time do you want to set off, Fellow Daoist Song?"
Ying Feng asked warmly and gently.
Judging from the atmosphere of getting along, the relationship between the two is not bad, and the dispute between the masters has not affected the friendship between them.
"The weather will be bad tomorrow, I'm afraid it will be difficult to climb the mountain."
"Oh? Fellow Taoist can predict the celestial phenomena?"
"Just a guess based on experience."
"Then let's see tomorrow. If the weather is good, we will call fellow Taoists early in the morning."
"Excuse me, fellow Taoists."
"Fellow Taoist, you and I have been friends for generations, and this friendship should continue."
"rational."
Song You saw them off.
The weather was really bad the next day, with cold rain coming in the morning and wind coming in the evening, and heavy fog in the middle. Song You had three good meals here again. It happened to be the beginning of winter, so it was perfect for practicing in the mountains.
