Chapter 8 Hasty Response

  Carrying the truth, Dao arrived at the village on the second day in the late afternoon. After dinner, the Buddhist ritual to deliver the spirits of the dead began.

  The memorial hall had already been arranged by the village elders, with offerings of fish, meat and fruit neatly placed on the altar. The candlelight flickered and incense wafted through the air as the deceased's family members, dressed in mourning attire, knelt beside them, their faces filled with sorrow and grief.

  After the drumming stopped, the banner was raised, and the Zhenzhen Taoist in a bright yellow robe with a purple gold crown appeared under the escort of the elderly, and the crying sounds around him stopped. Hundreds of old and young villagers surrounded him in a large circle with solemn expressions.

  Among the instrumental sounds, Zhen Dao Ren put the Dharma bell and the ancient peach wood sword on the Dharma table, as if unintentionally glancing at Chong Zong and Wu Ming who were wearing neat Taoist robes on his left side, with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

  Cheng Zong played the cowhide drum and a row of small cymbals with ease, while Wu Ming, who had never participated in any Buddhist events before, was surprisingly in charge of the copper gong and copper cymbal. Although his playing level was not yet satisfactory, he managed to keep up with Cheng Zong's beat without making any obvious mistakes, and his sense of rhythm was quite good.

  This unexpected discovery made Zhen Dao Chang quite surprised, guessing that it was passed on by Cheng Zong to Wu Ming, and couldn't help but reveal a hint of a smile.

  Wu Ming happened to look towards Daozhang Pingzhen, saw the rare smile of Daozhang and was stunned for a moment. The copper cymbals in his hand went out of tune, making a sudden and awkward sound, which made Daozhang Pingzhen so annoyed that he turned around and no longer looked at Wu Ming.

  Cheng Zong saw his master uncle's gloominess and Wu Ming's distraction, found it amusing, couldn't help but lower his head to secretly laugh, the work in his hands didn't slow down half a beat.

  The half-hour-long Buddhist ceremony opened Wu Ming's eyes, and the Taoist priest's peach wood sword and bell dance was dazzling. At over 50 years old, he still had a slender figure and wielded his sword with ease, his long breaths chanting scriptures in a rhythmic tone, accompanied by the different beats of the Buddhist music, like heavenly music, making all the spectators admire and respect him greatly.

  The Buddhist ceremony came to an end, and someone offered incense tea and handed over a towel. The true Taoist sat politely in the uppermost Taishi chair, savoring the fragrant tea, and whispered to the village elders surrounding him. Chengzong and Wu Ming were still sitting on the grass-matting cushion, drinking fragrant tea and whispering to each other.

  It's not surprising that Wu Ming didn't feel out of place, having lived in the Qi Zhen Temple for over half a year, he had become quite familiar with the temple's monthly rituals and ceremonies, which included percussion performances. Although this was his first time on stage, he was just winging it, but thanks to Cheng Zong's last-minute guidance, which lasted for over two hours, Wu Ming's exceptional learning ability allowed him to perform decently.

  Furthermore, the Qi Zhen Guan is a small Taoist temple, with only three people including the master and apprentices. Naturally, it does not have the grandeur of the Longhu Shan ancestral hall of the Zhengyi Sect, which has over 300 people in its orchestra, nor does it need to use dozens of instruments such as bamboo silk and strings to perform dozens of traditional tunes. Generally, a Taoist temple or a traveling Taoist priest's home altar is very simple, only requiring a few simple ritual objects such as a sword, cymbals, drums, and bells to satisfy the needs of general rituals.

  After resting for a moment, the Buddhist ceremony continued, and Wu Ming's freshness and sense of accomplishment soon slowly disappeared, making him sweat profusely and his arms tense.

  After the three-wheeled Buddhist ceremony, it was almost midnight. The ceremony came to an end and they took a two-hour break before eating. Cheng Zong pulled Wu Ming along saying let's go eat something or else we won't make it through the second half of the night. Wu Ming suddenly felt a bit dizzy. Cheng Zong explained that this was still a simple Buddhist ceremony for ordinary people, if it were a wealthy and noble family, it would at least last three days and nights.

  It turns out that being a Taoist priest isn't so easy after all. Wu Ming couldn't help but feel secretly relieved: Thank goodness, I'm just a fake Taoist priest!

  On the third day, in the morning, after a Buddhist ceremony ended, the funeral procession began. After completing the complicated rituals, firecrackers went off, and sixteen strong men lifted up two coffins amidst wailing sounds. The villagers lined up in a long queue holding paper figures and horses, and marched towards the western hill of the village.

  Bing Zhen Dao walked at the front of the procession, shaking his ritual bell and chanting to himself. Cheng Zong and Wu Ming followed behind him. Along the way, Cheng Zong scattered paper money and recited scriptures in response to Bing Zhen Dao's commands. Wu Ming held a flagpole as thick as an arm and waved it high, consoling himself amidst the wailing and firecracker explosions: "I've gained some experience too."

  The funeral was over by noon, and the village's only street had set up a banquet. Master Zhengzhen and Chengzong, Wu Ming naturally became the target of everyone's gratitude.

  With a sincere and reverent heart, they raised their cups to pay respects to heaven, earth, and the spirits. The banquet immediately began. After three rounds of wine, the atmosphere gradually relaxed, and four village men came to Wu Ming's side with wine bowls in hand, thanking him with gratitude. The reason was that this afternoon, their seriously injured brother finally woke up and could drink half a bowl of thin porridge amidst his groans, and the villagers generally believed that he would be able to keep his life.

  Wu Ming humbly responded, attributing the credit to Cheng Zong, which also got Cheng Zong drunk with three bowls of wine. The Han people repeatedly thanked Cheng Zong, who was not good at speaking and laughing, and then returned to Wu Ming's side, insisting on drinking another bowl with Wu Ming. They called out "Wu Daozhang" one after another, making Wu Ming's face burn with embarrassment, as red as a cooked crab shell. Fortunately, he could use the wine to cover up his awkwardness.

  The Abbot of the Zhengzong Temple, who was sitting at the same table with the village elders, saw it and quietly asked someone to call Chengzong over. He then asked Chengzong in a low voice what had happened. Chengzong thus reported the events of that night three days ago when he saved the person truthfully.

  He was secretly shocked and asked Chengzong in a low voice: "So to speak, it seems to be the surgical method of Western medicine. Where did he learn it from?"

  "I don't know, the night before last when I asked him about it, Wu Da Ge's answer was very simple. He said something like 'subconsciously' made him do it, feeling that he should do so. From the treatment process, Wu Da Ge's technique was very clumsy, not like he had learned it before. Maybe it's really like what he said, rather than letting someone die, might as well take a gamble with courage. Cheng Zong didn't hide anything from Wu Ming, and Wu Ming didn't say much either. Anyway, the person is still alive now, but even if he survived, one leg was crippled."

  "Go ahead."

  "Yes."

  Cheng Zong responded with a single word and didn't leave: "Master Shu, there's something I'd like to report to you. Wu Da Ge wants to take this opportunity to enter the city and buy some books."

  "Let him go quickly and come back quickly, you stay behind, after dinner there is one more Buddhist ritual, finished we have to hurry back. By the way, does he have money on him?"

  "Some people think buying a few books is enough."

  After finishing lunch and putting away the tables and chairs, the sky suddenly changed its face. A cold wind passed by, and then a gentle, silent rain began to fall quietly.

  Cheng Zong borrowed a bamboo hat and raincoat from the village head's home and handed them over to Wu Ming, instructing him that if time was not enough, he didn't have to take a detour through Tianjia Village, and could directly take the shortcut back. Wu Ming nodded and said that coming and going would be over 30 miles, and there was no other way.

  Tianjia Village is about 15 miles away from the county town. Wu Ming walked on the winding dirt road for nearly two hours and arrived in the city at almost four o'clock in the afternoon.

  It was unclear whether it was due to the continuous light rain or the fact that the Nationalist Party's regular army had already withdrawn from Shangrao and rushed to southern Jiangxi to suppress the Communists, but the streets in the city were empty and quiet with few pedestrians. Two patrol soldiers from the guard battalion, wearing cotton hats and carrying Hanyang rifles, approached Wu Ming, who was wearing a Taoist robe under his raincoat. Their cold faces showed a hint of respect, and as they passed by, one of the soldiers even nodded slightly at Wu Ming.

  Wu Ming arrived at the "Wen Xuan Ge" shop opposite the county middle school, which specialized in selling paper, pens, ink and books. He took off his bamboo hat and raincoat and put them on the wooden rack by the door. The shop assistant recognized Wu Ming, who had come with Cheng Zong several times before, and quickly came over to greet him: "Master, please go inside, it's been a while since we last saw you, take your time looking around, I'll go make you a cup of tea."

  "Thank you!"

  Wu Ming browsed for a moment in front of the neatly arranged bookshelf, and the shopkeeper had already brought over a cup of steaming hot tea. Wu Ming thanked him softly, took the teacup in his hand, and continued to search for the books he needed while drinking.

  There were no other customers in the shop, and the shopkeeper followed Wu Ming, politely introducing to Wu Ming: "At the beginning of the month, after the suppression army that was resting locally left, we brought a batch of new goods from Zhejiang. There are several new books on the top shelf on the right side of Daozhang, take a look and see if they suit your taste."

  "No wonder it's much quieter in the city than last time I came. It turns out the troops have left." Wu Mingxin said with a smile.

  "Yes! Those foreign officials and soldiers are really annoying. During their stay, they made the whole city complain, and the people dared to be angry but not speak out. Fortunately, our shop sells cultural goods, which uneducated people can't afford or use, so we didn't suffer much loss. Other shops were miserable, though - those officials and soldiers would take whatever they wanted by force, and beat people at the slightest disagreement. It was terrifying for all the merchants in the city, and several wine shops and pawnshops didn't dare open their doors.

  Now it's better, with only a few hundred soldiers from Nanchang left behind to assist the county security team with recruiting and training. They're busy inspecting the surrounding towns every day, saying they'll leave after completing the recruitment. So the city is much more peaceful now, and all the shops are reopening one by one."

  Perhaps because there were only a few customers today, the shop assistant was extremely enthusiastic.

  Wu Ming finally chose a set of eighteen provincial maps published by the Central Survey Bureau during the Yuan Shikai era, and a newly published "Twenty Years of National Revolution" from the Shanghai Commercial Press. The shopkeeper wrapped them up in cowhide paper with a flourish, exclaiming, "You're really knowledgeable, sir!"

  After paying the money, Wu Ming carefully put the book into his Taoist robe and nodded goodbye. The shopkeeper ran a few steps ahead, diligently helping Wu Ming put on his rain cape and handing him his bamboo hat with both hands. Wu Ming took the hat, glanced up at the hazy sky, and strode away.

  Outside the city, it was still drizzling, and on the grayish land, there were hardly any human figures in sight. The sky had gradually darkened. After walking four or five miles, Wu Ming, wearing a bamboo hat and carrying a raincoat, remained steady in his footsteps, almost without feeling tired. He knew that this physical strength was due to half a year of hard training in the mountains, thanks to Cheng Zong's careful teaching.

  A high-wheeled, mule-drawn, black-canopied carriage came galloping from behind and soon overtook Wu Ming who was walking on foot. The carriage left two wheel tracks as it continued to move forward. Wu Ming looked up and saw that the two women in the semi-enclosed carriage were actually the ones who had trespassed into his territory on the Double Ninth Festival day.

  The woman in the carriage also saw Wu Ming standing by the side of the road, but because Wu Ming was wearing a bamboo hat and a rain cape, neither of the two women recognized him.

  The mule cart gradually disappeared into the distance, Wu Ming continued on his way, walking for about a mile when two strong horses came galloping towards him. Wu Ming's heart skipped a beat in shock and panic, before he could think of how to respond to any possible questioning, he saw the two horses stop more than twenty meters ahead, with the two soldiers wearing gray uniforms and big caps on their heads reining in their horses and turning around in circles.

  "Take a closer look?"

  "That's right! Fourth brother, the little girl on the mule cart is really pretty, like a young lady from a wealthy family. Even that little servant girl looks lively and lovely. We brothers have been working hard for so long, why should we miss this good opportunity?"

  "Haha! Alright, let's catch up. There's a broken temple two miles ahead, let's have some fun and then talk about it later. Anyway, we'll be leaving this small place in just a few days, haha! Let's go!"

  Two horses galloped after the mule cart like flying, Wu Ming deliberated for a long time and finally lifted his legs to chase after it in big strides.

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