Chapter 27: Songfeng Pavilion

  Qingxu and Xiaoshi walked along a small path up the mountain, with gravel paving the way winding upwards. The cypress trees on both sides were dense and lush, and Xiaoshi said as he walked, "Big Brother Master, are we going to Qingming Peak?"

  Qingxu walked ahead and said, "If you want to go up Qingming Peak, you don't need to climb the mountain. We're going to Songfeng Temple now, where you'll be living later."

  "Ah!" exclaimed Xiaoshi, "But Master Brother, don't I live on Qingming Peak?"

  "Of course not, I've said it before. Only the sect leader can live in the Qingming Palace on Qingming Peak, and except for me, the eldest disciple who can attend to him, other disciples are only allowed to go up to Qingming Peak when they are closed for cultivation. Usually, they practice in the Taoist temples on the various peaks of Kongtong Mountain. Our two Shifu are on Chi Xia Peak to the left of Qingming Peak, and you, little Shidi, are cultivating at Songfeng Temple on Mingyue Peak to the right of Qingming Peak."

  Xiao Shi Tou was taken aback, "How can it be so complicated? I'm about to become a Taoist priest at Songfeng Guan!" He then asked, "Master, will I be the only one living at Songfeng Guan?"

  Qing Xu nodded slightly in front of him and said, "Now it's just you alone. Before, it was your Second Master Qing Hua who was there. After he went missing, Song Feng Guan has been empty ever since."

  "Second senior brother!" Xiaoshi said to the missing Qinghua senior brother, somewhat curious. He asked, "Senior brother, do you think second senior brother can come back?"

  Qing Xū sighed softly, and Xiao Shí Tóu couldn't see the deep worry on his face from behind, but his voice was very calm. "Qīng Huá will definitely come back! Little Shī Dì, look, we've arrived at Sōng Fēng Guān."

  The little stone quickly walked a few steps forward and came to Qingxu's side, suddenly brightening up. The winding mountain path under his feet had reached its end, and in front of him appeared an open space, only about 100 square meters in size. A dozen or so tall pine trees with trunks as thick as two people embracing and heights of seven or eight zhang occupied most of the space. In that small area, a Taoist temple was barely standing there.

  "That's Songfeng Pavilion, and this is the top of Mingyue Peak."

  Xiao Shi Tou was taken aback, thinking to himself "Ming Yue Peak is the highest peak! It only took less than an hour to reach the top after starting from the foot of the mountain!" He looked up at Qing Ming Peak beside him, which still seemed just as tall. This Ming Yue Peak must be shorter by comparison. Then he looked over at Song Feng Guan, which was actually not very big, and its main gate was only slightly larger than those in Chi Jin Town.

  Qingxu led Xiaoshi to the front of Songfeng Temple, and Xiaoshi carefully examined it again. The two vermilion doors were slightly old-fashioned, with a line of words on each pillar at the entrance: "The wind enters the ear, clears the mind and forgets emotions," "The bright moon shines on the temple, all things are natural." It had a somewhat ethereal and otherworldly feel to it. On the black wooden sign above the door, in gold lettering, was written "Songfeng Temple".

  Pushing open the door, a fragrance wafted into his nostrils. A large incense burner stood in the courtyard, with wisps of smoke curling up from it. Three sticks of incense as thick as fingers and three feet long seemed to have just been lit. Someone had recently burned incense here. Qingxu was taken aback. Normally, he was the only one who came to sweep and burn incense. The courtyard was spotless, clearly having been swept recently. Concentrating his senses, he heard someone in the Sanqing Hall. This was strange - could it be Master? Qingxu shook his head, impossible! Master wasn't so diligent.

  "Xiao Shi Tou looked up blankly and said, 'What's wrong, Big Brother?'"

  "It's nothing, there are people in the house."

  Xiao Shi Tou heard it and said "Someone's here! It can't be Master, right?" As soon as he thought of Master, his mood became slightly excited.

  Not waiting for Qingxu to speak, several coughs were heard from the Sanqing Hall, as if there was something stuck in his throat that he couldn't get out for a while, and it sounded stuffy! After coughing a few more times, he finally felt comfortable. Qingxu and Xiaoshi looked at each other, both seeing the surprise on each other's face. Who is this?

  This person had yet to be seen, but his voice was heard first. In the midst of the two's astonishment, one person slowly walked out from the Three Pure Halls.

  He was a Taoist priest, with a thin and slender body, not very tall, wearing a wide blue Taoist robe that made him look even thinner. His face was gaunt, but his eyes were spirited, with a broad forehead, thin lips, and a slightly hooked nose. He looked to be in his thirties, and he smiled at the two of them.

  Judging from his appearance, physique and demeanor, this person is just an ordinary Daoist.

  Xiao Shi Tou saw this person, no matter how he looked, there was nothing extraordinary about him. He felt a little disappointed, is this really my Shifu? Why doesn't he have the divine aura that Lao Die said?! No! Da Shixiong didn't react, and when he took another look at Qing Xu, he also had a surprised expression, asking "Da Shixiong, is this Shifu?" But in his heart, he thought Qing Xu was not saying anything.

  Qingxu heard the words and was about to say something when he heard the Taoist speak first, "Fellow Daoist Qingxu, is this your younger brother?" The tone of voice didn't have that earlier "phlegmatic" feeling, but rather a refined and elegant flavor of a man of the Way.

  Qing Xū slowly came back to his senses and hastily said "Exactly, how did fellow Taoist end up here?" He also found the other person's appearance strange.

  The Taoist priest laughed and said, "Your master Guangyin Daochang sent a message at noon saying that his third disciple will arrive today, so let me help clean up the Songfeng Temple to make him more comfortable!" After finishing speaking, he chuckled again.

  Xiao Shi Tou thought to himself, "Master is really amazing, he even knew I came to Kongtong Mountain today. Who is this Taoist priest? Even Shifu doesn't say anything."

  Xiao Shi thought for a moment and then said, "Thank you, fellow Taoist. Little brother, this is Mu Xin Dao Zhang, the master of Bai Yun Guan at the foot of the mountain, he's a friend of our master."

  Nam Wo shook his head and said, "No, no, Guangxian Zhenren is a senior fellow, saying that we are friends would be an exaggeration on my part! I have always admired the pure cultivation of the Kongtong Sect's Daoist priests and their profound conduct. This is just a small matter, Qingxu Daoyou is being too polite."

  Qingxu then said to Xiaoshi, "Younger brother, Muxin Daozhang is also a man of the Way. In the future, you can go to him for guidance."

  The little stone nodded in agreement, thinking that since he was a friend of his master, he would also know the Tao. It's really true that you can't judge a person by their appearance; who would have thought that this dry and withered Taoist priest was also a cultivator of the truth?

  Mushin Dao Ren didn't say anything this time either, and he also seemed to be carrying himself with the air of a Daoist master. He looked at Xiaoshi for a while, then said, "The eyesight of Guangxian Daozhang is indeed not bad, little Dao friend has never cultivated any Dao techniques, but his whole body is filled with spiritual energy that presses upon people, truly a fine material and beautiful quality!"

  Xiao Shi Tou was delighted to hear this and immediately felt that Mu Xin Dao Ren was indeed a friend of his master, with great insight. Qing Xu seemed unwilling to talk to Mu Xin Dao Ren much, but since he had helped him, he couldn't not respond, so he chatted with him casually for a few sentences. Mu Xin Dao Ren turned out to be quite talkative and asked Xiao Shi Tou how he came to Kongtong Mountain in the courtyard. Xiao Shi Tou now felt that Mu Xin Dao Ren was also quite good, so he said some things about his past.

  Muzi Daoist and the two of them chatted for a while, finally saying "I think it's getting late, I'll take my leave. Little fellow, if you have time in the future, come find me at Baiyun Temple and we can have a good chat!"

  "Okay, I'll definitely come find you if I have a chance," said Xiaoshi Tuo. "I'll see you off."

  Qing Xū finally waited until it was time to see off the guests, and he hurriedly accompanied Xiao Shítóu to send Mù Xīn Dào Rén to the door. Mù Xīn Dào Rén said "No need to see me off, no need to see me off!" and said a few more words before strolling down the mountain.

  Xiao Shi Tou saw off Mu Xin Dao Ren and found that Qing Xu's complexion was not right, so he asked "Big Brother Master, is something wrong with Mu Xin Dao Ren?"

  Qing Xū shook his head and said, "That's not it, he's just too troublesome, once he starts talking, he can't stop."

  Xiao Shi Tou also felt that Mu Xin Dao Ren's words were quite numerous, but they were interesting. He asked again, "Big Brother Master, does he know the Taoist way? Which sect is he from?"

  "He has lived in Kongtong Mountain for many years, his cultivation is quite good, and he's knowledgeable about many things. If there's anything you don't know, you can ask him. As for which sect he belongs to, I'm not sure."

  "Xiao Shi Tou said 'Hmmm... when can I see Master then?' That's the most important thing."

  As soon as the sky turned dark, he said, "Let's go tomorrow! Take a good rest today and I'll take you to Qingming Peak early tomorrow morning."

  The little stone knew it was urgent and couldn't wait any longer, at this time his stomach started growling again.

  "Let's eat first, shall we? Mu Xin should have prepared food by now."

  As expected, some food was found in the kitchen, but it was all raw. Qing Xu said to Xiaoshi, "Little brother can only cook for himself on the mountain now, you haven't cultivated Taoist skills yet, and three meals a day are indispensable, so take care of yourself from now on."

  The little stone didn't worry, instead laughed and said "Big Brother Master, you forgot that I grew up in a familiar meat shop. Today let you taste my craftsmanship!"

  Qing Xū was a bit skeptical and said "Really? You're only twelve years old and you can already cook?"

  The little stone looked at the things in the kitchen and found them to be quite complete, the food was not bad either. He said "You'll know my skills soon, now you go light the fire, I'll pick the vegetables!"

  Qingxu also wanted to see if Xiaoshi was bragging, so the two of them got busy. He lit a fire while watching Xiaoshi's movements. What he saw was incredible - Xiaoshi's vegetable chopping skills were swift and agile, his knife work was even more impressive, and when he started cooking, Qingxu was shocked to the point where his tongue was hanging out. It turned out that Xiaoshi was indeed a master chef, with his ladle flying up and down, oil splashing everywhere, and in no time at all, four dishes and one soup were on the table.

  Xiao Shi Tou clapped his hands, looking very pleased with himself, and said with a smile, "Big Brother Master, try some! To be honest, the only decent meal I had on this entire journey was at Wang Bo Lou in Lanzhou City. The rest is not even worth mentioning!"

  The aroma of the food wafted up, making their mouths water. Although cultivators were supposed to be pure and desireless, they weren't gods after all - this meal was still going to be eaten. As soon as Xiao Shi Tou finished speaking, he picked up his chopsticks. The food was truly delicious! Qing Xu hadn't expected that Xiao Shi Tou's cooking skills would be so impressive, if judged by realm, it would definitely be at the Taiqing Mixed Yuan Realm level. He ate and praised, while Xiao Shi Tou feared that he would finish all the dishes, so he just nodded silently. In an instant, all four dishes and one soup had entered the two men's stomachs.

  Comfortable! Two swollen round bellies leaning on chairs, unable to move.

  After a while, Qingxu said "Little brother, your skills are not bad. From now on, I'll often come to Songfeng Temple to have meals with you."

  "Alright, I have a lot of signature dishes, I'll make them for you and Master later."

  Qing Xū nodded slightly and said, "We'll be collecting here tomorrow, let's go back to the bedroom to rest!"

  Songfeng Temple is not very big, outside the Sanqing Hall, there are only four or five rooms. Out of the kitchen, came to the courtyard, now it's already night, a crescent moon hangs in the sky. The clear and cold moonlight spills on the ground, the mountain wind blows gently, making the branches of the pine trees tremble slightly, Xiaoshi remembered two sentences outside the temple gate, which is really very fitting.

  Qingxu took him to a bedroom and said, "Little Shidi, you'll be staying here from now on. Go to sleep early, I'm a bit tired too!" After finishing speaking, he even let out a yawn, turned around and left.

  Xiao Shi Tou flopped onto the bed, smelling a scent of bedding that had been sun-kissed, thinking "Mu Shi Dao really is thoughtful." Then he thought of Zhao Wu Jin, who hadn't spoken since seeing Ming Dao, and softly called out to him several times. Zhao Wu Jin didn't respond, probably because he was practicing his skills.

  I'm so tired! My eyes can't stay open, and I fell asleep without even changing my clothes. The moonlight and the dim light of the room are no different, faintly shining through the window, and the cool breeze starts to wander on my body again, it's so comfortable! In my dream, I met a Taoist with an extraordinary face and a gentle demeanor, smiling at me, this must be Master!