Chapter 5: Chance Encounter

  The fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar is Shangyuan Festival.

  The sky was dimly lit, and dozens of young men and women from Tianjia Village at the foot of Taigong Mountain had already arrived. These devout believers carried incense sticks to burn in front of the Sanqing image, then respectfully handed over their donated goods to the Zhengzong Taoist priests.

  No need to trouble the master and his brothers with too many arrangements, the hardworking and simple villagers started to work busily, taking care of all the miscellaneous tasks such as starting a fire, cooking porridge, boiling water for tea, and preparing the sacrificial offerings. The backyard was filled with the sound of footsteps, but despite the hustle and bustle, everything was in order and not chaotic, clearly a result of tradition.

  The sky is bright, and the believers and pilgrims are endless. Crowds of people gather under the large cypress tree outside the temple gate to rest and wait for the auspicious time of worship. Among them are not a few wealthy landlords from nearby villages and respected elders. Brothers Chengzong and Chengyuan are busy offering tea to welcome guests.

  Under the guidance of Cheng Zong, Wu Ming did not ask for help and, considering his status as a fugitive, did not have the idea of joining in the fun. He took the sheep to the mountain early, reviewed the various plants and medicinal herbs he saw along the way, and then slowly started chopping firewood.

  After recovering from his injuries, Wu Ming made it a point to chop one load of firewood every day. As someone who had been born into a poor family for two generations, Wu Ming was unwilling to be a freeloader and couldn't bear the thought of living off others' charity, let alone repay the great kindness that had saved his life. Moreover, Wu Ming's diligent nature made him unable to tolerate a parasitic lifestyle, especially when he could continue to strengthen his physique through labor and adapt to his environment as soon as possible. After all, his journey in life was still long, and it wouldn't be limited to this small world.

  It's past noon, Wu Ming has unloaded the second bundle of firewood in the woodshed next to the sheepfold. The entire Taoist temple is now filled with swirling incense smoke and murmurs of chanting, it seems that **'s ritual has entered its final stage.

  The grand and magnificent Buddhist ceremony had no appeal to Wu Ming, he knew that he was not yet integrated into this society, and many times still lived in the world of his heart, still upholding his own worldview and moral view.

  Nowadays, this strong skin bag has not left Wu Ming with any memories, so he looks very light at everything that this skin bag has suffered. He is even unwilling to figure it out, so there is no resentment or grievance, let alone hatred.

  Wu Ming slowly savored the two pieces of fragrant roasted sweet potatoes, wiped away the sweat flowing down his face with a towel, picked up the axe on the ground and walked towards the nearby ginkgo tree. His tall and straight figure was full of energy, and his footsteps were becoming more steady and powerful.

  He came to the big tree and took a short rest, washed his face with a handful of cold mountain spring water, slowly drank it down, raised his head and let out a long breath, rolled up his Taoist robe and picked up the saw and iron hammer, continuing to build the small wooden house.

  Perhaps driven by professional knowledge, perhaps to build a sense of accomplishment and existence, or perhaps because he likes this beautiful place, Wu Ming decided to use his spare time to build a small wooden house here. The location is high and has a broad view, with its back against the mountain and leaning against a large tree, surrounded by streams and green bamboo, and the two mountains on either side are covered with lush rhododendrons. Whether in the morning or evening, whether it's sunny or rainy, being in this place allows one to experience the moving charm of nature.

  There is another important reason, two months ago, Cheng Zong conveyed the meaning of Bing Zhen Dao Chang to Wu Ming, and asked Wu Ming to cultivate on the mountain for a year. After a year, no matter what decision Wu Ming makes, he will follow the natural course.

  Wu Ming was deeply perplexed, but he couldn't refuse. After a period of consideration, he finally reluctantly agreed. For this, he spent more than a month preparing a large amount of wood and thick bamboo, peeling off neat pieces of pine bark to build his own space. Although the felling and construction took a lot of effort, it was a rare opportunity to put his professional knowledge into practice and adjust his restless and confused state of mind.

  The main body of the hut has been completed, and the wooden deck in front of the door has been assembled. Wu Ming pushed the bamboo and wood scraps and dry grass to the open space in front of the hut, took out a match to ignite the shavings, poked at the fire with a stick a few times until it grew stronger, sat down on the rocks by the stream to rest, gazing quietly at the pointed roof shape and the newly covered sturdy tree bark roof, mentally calculating the materials and labor needed for the next step.

  In the silence, Wu Ming vaguely heard footsteps approaching, looked up and was stunned for a moment, then tidied his Taoist robe and slowly stood up.

  Two women came to this place for some unknown reason. The woman walking in front was about twenty years old, with fair skin and a rare tall figure in this era. She had shoulder-length hair, wore a light brown woolen coat, and had a neat fringe under her arched eyebrows. Her eyes sparkled brightly, and her lips were slightly parted to reveal white teeth like jade. When she caught sight of the big man under the tree, her expression was extremely surprised.

  A plump-faced girl of sixteen or seventeen stood beside the tall woman, wearing a blue flowered padded jacket with deep blue trim and looking like a maid from a wealthy family. The look of surprise on her face flashed by, and she glared at Wu Ming, who was adjusting his long gown, somewhat annoyed. She took a step forward and loudly scolded: "What kind of wild Taoist priest are you? Seeing my family's young lady arrive, why don't you retreat and not understand etiquette?"

  Wu Ming was taken aback and thought for a moment before asking in return, "I don't know which prestigious family's young lady you are, how did you end up coming to my place to interrogate me?"

  "You..." The little maid was speechless, her small face flushing bright red with anger.

  "Xiao Zhen, don't be rash."

  The tall woman whispered to the maid beside her, took a step forward and bowed to Wu Ming: "Sorry, Taoist priest, my little treasure is young and doesn't understand things, I apologize for any offense, please forgive her."

  The beautiful woman's apologetic smile suddenly froze on her face, and a look of surprise appeared in her clear autumn water-like eyes.

  Others have apologized, and Wu Ming couldn't say anything more. He lightly coughed and gently advised: "Please return, the mountain path is steep and uneven, if you get hurt it won't be good."

  The beautiful woman lifted her hand to gently sweep away the bangs that had been blown messy by the mountain wind, and again politely apologized to Wu Ming: "I'm really sorry, we came to burn incense, saw the tall ancient tree and the red leaves over there, so we came over, disturbing the Taoist priest's quiet, please forgive us, we'll leave now."

  Two women turned and walked out a few steps, the little maid turned her head and glared at Wu Ming fiercely, supporting the beautiful woman to leave with a huff, muttering that Miss was too polite to the stinky Taoist.

  Wu Ming picked up a wooden stick, gently stirring the burning grass and wood, gazing at the thick smoke rising from the fire heap, lost in thought. In the blink of an eye, he forgot about the two women who had left, as if nothing had happened. However, his inner world was far from being as calm and peaceful as his outward appearance.

  Before that, he refused to collude with the vested interests and degenerates within the system due to his adherence to good conscience and professional ethics. With unwavering conviction, he fought back against the exclusion and covert attacks, boldly exposing the numerous dark secrets in the key projects under his supervision, which led to the ruthless persecution by interest groups, resulting in him being framed with the crime of "embezzling huge sums" and suffering brutal persecution in prison. All this forced him to reflect on his faith, ideals, and values that he had adhered to.

  Now, under the ghostly divine intervention, he was reborn as a human being in the chaotic Republic of China, where the flames of war were raging. The numerous skulls and pools of fresh blood made him deeply feel the helplessness and fragility of life. Moreover, the iron hooves of the Japanese invaders had already thundered, and there was no longer a clean land under heaven. Even his own Jiangxi was still plagued by endless war and unrest. The two major forces of the Nationalists and Communists were still engaged in fierce armed conflicts and power struggles, and the bloody purge had already begun in western, central, and southern Jiangxi. The social environment would become increasingly cruel and treacherous.

  From the old newspapers brought back by Cheng Cong and the news he heard, Wu Ming also learned that: Two weeks ago, Chen Cheng's 18th Army had completed its rest and replenishment and had left Yingtan to march south to suppress the Red Army; The chief of staff of the Nanchang campaign headquarters, Xiong Shihui, has taken office as the chairman of Jiangxi Province, and a battalion of soldiers has been stationed in Shangrao, where the local garrison brigade has launched a fierce campaign against bandits.

  For the current situation, Wu Ming has a sense of panic and helplessness. He finds that his meager historical knowledge is of no use in understanding the present. The turbulent and magnificent revolutionary era unfolding before him is full of danger and chaos. He knows that if he takes one wrong step, he may suffer an unexpected disaster. Any attempt to take advantage of the situation or be clever may introduce uncertain factors, which could lead to his own demise. This is also why he has not made a hasty decision so far; he needs more detailed and accurate verification and planning.

  The familiar sound of the bamboo clapper awakened Wu Ming from his reverie. He glanced at the sun, which was about to dip below the distant mountain peak, stood up quickly, gathered his tools, covered the dying embers, and strode towards the Taoist temple.

  Cheng Yuan closed the bamboo door of the sheepfold and saw Wu Ming, a few steps forward mysteriously said: "Brother Wu, do you know that among today's incense guests, who asked about your name?"

  Wu Ming was slightly surprised: "Not many people recognize me, are you a fellow villager from Wu's village?"

  "Not it, guess again." Cheng Yuan's innocent and mischievous smile was childlike.

  "I really can't guess."

  "She's a girl, and she looks really pretty! Hehe..."

  Wu Ming seemed to understand: "The person you're talking about is the rich young lady with shoulder-length short hair and a light brown coat, isn't it?"

  "Wu Dage is really clever." Chengyuan chuckled: "That beautiful sister with the surname Wang, before she left the mountain, quietly pulled me behind a pillar and gave me two silver dollars. Then she asked me: what do you call the young Taoist priest who works under the big silver apricot tree on the east side of the temple?"

  "How did you answer?" Wu Ming furrowed his brow, worried that his identity would be exposed and bring unnecessary danger.

  "Of course... I won't say, hehe! Master and Big Brother had already instructed me not to tell outsiders anything about Wu Da Ge, so I said I didn't know, then handed those two silver dollars to Master as 'incense money', don't worry, Big Brother, hehe!" A mischievous grin spread across Cheng Yuan's small face.

  Wu Ming shook his head and smiled, striding towards the side door with large steps. Cheng Yuan quickly followed, asking curiously as he ran why Wu Ming didn't continue to ask questions, and also mentioning that he saw Shifu and Shixiong talking to that beautiful sister, so Shizong must know which family she belongs to.

  Wu Ming didn't continue to bother with the matter, and after finishing dinner, he helped Cheng Zong's brothers clean up the backyard. Everything was done by the time night fell. Wu Ming washed up and lit the oil lamp to practice his calligraphy. An hour later, he came to the courtyard and continued his daily stake training, seemingly just like any other day, without anything out of the ordinary.

  The next morning, Wu Ming unexpectedly found that the front of his pants was wet and sticky, making him extremely embarrassed. The beautiful face in his dream reappeared in his mind and he couldn't shake it off. He quietly got out of bed and ran to the water pool in the yard, braving the cold to quickly take off his pants and pour a large bucket of icy spring water over his head.

  A gust of cold wind blew, Wu Ming shook his spirit a few times, let out a majestic yawn, causing the echo to reverberate loudly, and even the big rooster under the wall was frightened into loud crowing. The dawn arrived amidst the rooster's repeated calls.