Zi Yang

  As soon as they came out of the temple gate, they saw seven young Taoist priests and priestesses standing outside the main hall. They were all between 13 to 14 years old, each holding a wooden tray with neatly stacked new Taoist robes, shoes, and hats. Everyone's face was filled with joy.

  "Each of you return to your rooms and change clothes, they will tell you how to dress." Qingyangzi waved his hand at the crowd.

  Everyone responded in unison and turned back to their rooms, with the seven Taoist boys following separately.

  "The path is long, why are the colors of our clothes different from yours?" Mo asked as he took over the robe handed to him by Dao Tong. This robe was light blue in color, with a slanted collar and buttonholes made of fine fabric, with a black and white Taiji embroidered on the back, and five lines of eight trigrams embroidered on the front hem, revealing a sense of elegance amidst its solemnity, and a hint of mystery beneath its dignity.

  "What I'm wearing is a beginner's Qing robe, and what you're wearing is a formal Daoist robe." The little Daoist boy spoke up to explain, his face clearly showing envy.

  Mo Wen nodded slightly. They were the ones who had gone through rigorous screening to become the top disciples, and their special status allowed them to wear the Taoist robes directly.

  The Taoist boy serves Mo Wen without asking for more clothes, and at the same time explains to Mo Wen the method of tying his belt. Next is to change shoes and wear a crown, the shoes are black cotton shoes, light and comfortable, Taoists only wear crowns on formal occasions, usually only wearing headscarves. Since the next day will be the entrance ceremony, Wushan prepared for everyone is a formal yellow crown, which is the most commonly used Taoist crown. It's called Huangguan not because the crown itself is yellow, but it's an abbreviation of Huang Lao's crown. After coiling his hair and wearing the Taoist crown, he is finally dressed.

  Buddhist disciples do not agree with the Confucian saying that the body, hair and skin received from parents cannot be easily destroyed. They do not value their bodies highly, so there are no mirrors in Buddhist temples. However, Taoist temples have been deeply influenced by Confucianism, emphasizing rituals and etiquette, so they often have copper mirrors. After dressing properly, a young Taoist takes the copper mirror to reflect Mo Wen's appearance. Looking at himself in the mirror, Mo Wen feels a bit strange. Previously, he studied for the sake of gaining fame and fortune, never thinking that one day he would wear Taoist robes and become a Taoist priest. The huge change from being a student to becoming a Taoist in just a few months makes him feel like he is dreaming.

  "Friend of the Tao, is the size of the Taoist robe and shoes still suitable?" The young Taoist asked, putting down the copper mirror.

  "Very well, thank you, Little Daozhang." Mo Xiang cupped his hands and said. As their generations were not fixed, they could not be addressed according to the generations of Wuliang Mountain.

  "Once you enter the Taoist gate, you can't fold your hands, you have to kowtow. This is something you will definitely use tomorrow..."

  "Is that so?" Mo asked, his right hand grasping the thumb of his left hand, and his left hand grasping the back of his right hand. He had seen a young Taoist do this gesture in Qingping City before.

  "That's right, Master said that the movement of bowing implies the harmony of yin and yang, and the great way is round and through. However, your posture just now was not correct, there are three kinds of bowing: when greeting outsiders, both hands should be at the same level as the chin; when meeting fellow Taoists, both hands should be at the same level as the heart; and when meeting seniors, one should bend their body and have their hands at the same level as the knees." The little Taoist boy demonstrated while explaining.

  "Thank you for your advice, I've learned a lot." Mo Wen spoke words of gratitude.

  "Don't be polite, fellow Taoist, this is our duty. If you need anything in the future, just call me anytime, my name is Qingfeng, you can call me by my name from now on." The little Dao child said with a wave of his hand.

  "Fellow practitioners should show mutual respect, how can I order you around?" Mo Wen shook his head repeatedly.

  "Daoist friends are all fellow students of the Supreme Clarity, and later on they will thoroughly learn the wonderful methods of each school of the Supreme Clarity. If there is an opportunity to slightly point out one or two things, Qingfeng will benefit greatly." Little Daotong said respectfully.

  "That's natural." Mo Wen nodded and said, the respect of Xiao Dao Tong made him understand that he and the other six were different from ordinary Taoist priests, after the strict selection of the Six Passages, they enjoyed better treatment than ordinary Taoist priests.

  "Friend, this is a dustpan. Hold it with your left hand and tilt it slightly. When holding the dustpan, you can perform a one-handed salute." The little Taoist saw that Mo Xian didn't refuse, so he happily taught him how to hold the dustpan.

  "The path is long, I have seen monks holding a duster before, why is the duster a common tool for both Buddhism and Taoism?" Mo asked in puzzlement.

  "It wasn't like that before," said Xiaodao Tong. "I heard Master say that we used to use the duster first, and then they learned it from us."

  "The road is long, is there anything else you need guidance on?" Mo asked again.

  "The Taoist friend's status is revered, how dare I, a junior from the East Sea, point fingers? That's all, please let the Taoist friend leave, Qingyangzi Shifu is still waiting for you outside." The little Dao servant picked up the wooden tray and stepped aside to make way.

  "How long have you been in this profession?" Mo asked as he walked ahead.

  "The little Taoist boy said, 'I've been in the door for two years now.'"

  "How long will it take for someone like you to master magic?" Mo Wuji asked casually.

  "The Taoist doesn't distinguish between age, to enter the door you need three years of miscellaneous work, followed by three years of chanting scriptures, and then three years of meditation. It's only after ten years that one can take the verification test, and only after passing it can they learn the practice of Qigong." The little Taoist boy had a look of both disappointment and longing on his face.

  Mo Wen heard the words and nodded slowly, no wonder the previous screening was so strict. It turned out that compared to ordinary Taoist practitioners, they had saved nine years of foundation-laying in advance. Ordinary Taoist practitioners were like sprouts growing into saplings, taking ten years to mature, while they were like selecting good wood and grafting spiritual branches, needing to produce results within three years. Such rapid progress was no wonder why the requirements for the disciples' character and enlightenment were so high.

  Thinking of this, Mo couldn't help but have doubts in his heart. Why was the Upper Clear choosing its disciples so hastily? Could it be that something big would happen after three years?

  Returning to the East Temple gate, the crowd who had changed into Taoist robes were already gathered. Mo Xiang saw this and hastily quickened his pace, entering the queue.

  After inspecting the attire of the crowd, Qingyangzi led them westward, pointing out the courtyards along the way. Mount Wu Xiang had many small yards on its sunny slope besides the three main halls, where elderly Taoist priests lived. Not all Taoists had the opportunity to practice magic and strengthen their bodies; most were limited by their innate abilities and could only serve as cooks in the temple, never learning to write talismans or exorcise demons. As they grew older and couldn't attend early morning and evening classes on time, they were arranged by the abbot to live out their days in warm courtyards facing the sun.

  Mo Wen listened to Qingyangzi's introduction and nodded secretly. Before this, he knew very little about Taoism. After formally coming into contact with it, the first thing he felt was that Taoism had a strong sense of hierarchy, and everyone had an air of pride in their chest. They had kind intentions but were not overly benevolent. The existence of these courtyards made him understand Taoism better, which is that Taoism, like Confucianism, attaches great importance to filial piety.

  According to Qingyangzi, there are over 100 Taoist priests on Mount Wuliang. Xuan Yangzi is the most proficient in the study of the Shangqing scriptures and will later teach them to everyone. In addition, five other Taoist priests from different sects will come here one after another to teach people how to practice qigong, martial arts, alchemy, medicine, talisman writing, and altar construction - five Taoist skills.

  Everyone was overjoyed, except for Mo Wen, who frowned and shook his head. Although these Taoist skills were fascinating, the time given to learn them was too short. It was not an easy task to master six Taoist skills, including the Shangqing Scripture, in just three years. Not to mention the strictness of the instructors, but also the fact that there would be three exams during the three-year period. Time was pressing, and each sect's leader would definitely teach very quickly. Those who were not talented enough would not be able to understand even with hard work.

  On the road, there are occasionally Taoist priests passing by. The eyes of these Taoist priests looking at everyone are still quite kind, but some Taoist priests also have jealous eyes. No matter which school or sect, they are not all good, and when these Taoist priests enter the door, they do not undergo such strict screening as Mo Wen and others.

  Mount Wuliang has a scripture hall for reciting scriptures, a venue for practicing martial arts, and a Sword Tower for storing Taoist ritual instruments. When Taoist disciples travel the world, they can only choose two types of weapons: one is the duster, and the other is the long sword. The sword is a gentleman's instrument, neither killing nor slaughtering indiscriminately. As for the instruments used in rituals, such as peach wood swords and golden swords, they are only used to deal with evil spirits and demons, and not used when fighting against humans.

  Apart from this, the Taoist priests of Mount Wudang also practiced martial arts and spell-casting techniques. The methods of cultivation of the various schools of Upper Clarity are roughly the same, but each has its own strengths. Inviting masters from other schools to come and transmit their skills not only allows the disciples of Upper Clarity to learn superior magical techniques, but also serves another purpose: if a disciple fails to pass the final three trials and is eliminated, they can choose to go to any school to continue their cultivation. Although these people are eliminated, they are still talented individuals who are sought after by the masters of various schools; they have learned all the methods of Upper Clarity, are intelligent and wise by nature, and have a kind heart. Given time, they will certainly become the master of a school.

  "Old master, old master." When the crowd reached the middle of the mountain, a shout came from the dining hall on the west side.

  Don't ask about the sound of footsteps turning back, only to see that the person who came was actually Old Five. At this time, it was just the moment when the partners were getting up, and Old Five had a waistband wrapped around his waist, holding a large spoon in his hand.

  Qingyangzi saw the situation and knew that the master and servant had something to say, so he led the others to slowly leave.

  "Lao Wu, hasn't anyone bullied you?" Mo Wen asked with a hint of guilt, having cultivated his own Daoist techniques while turning Lao Wu into a cook.

  "No, I'm fine here." Lao Wu looked up and down at Mo Wen, who was wearing a Taoist robe.

  "Really? If someone bullies you, just tell me and we'll leave." Mo Xun said to Lao Wu, no one doesn't like being superior in cultivation and magic, but this absolutely cannot be established on the basis of Lao Wu suffering.

  "They know our relationship and that I can cook, so they're all extremely nice to me." Lao Wu said with a smile.

  "That's good." Mo Wen nodded and said. In fact, he and Lao Wu had already lost their home and had nowhere to go. If they really left here, he didn't know where to go.

  "Old Five, dinner's ready." Just then a small, dirty-faced boy ran out and shouted to Old Five.

  "Old master, I'll go back first." Lao Wu heard the voice and turned around to run. Mo Xun stood on the spot nodding secretly, it seems that Lao Wu was telling the truth. In less than two days, he was entrusted with the "great responsibility" of being in charge and even became a "brother".

  Lao Wu left, and Mo Wen quickly followed Qingyangzi and the others. At this time, Qingyangzi was explaining to everyone that although the Upper Clarity sect did not prohibit meat, they did not eat beef, dog meat, tiger fish, or wild goose, because these four animals respectively possessed the virtues of loyalty, righteousness, filial piety, and chastity. The Daoists respected their virtues, so they did not eat them.

  Everyone turned back when they reached the outer hall of the temple. At that time, there was a Taoist priest inside who was having his evening lesson and it would be inconvenient to disturb him.

  Not long after returning to the East Hall, the dishes were brought up. Dinner was pancakes and tofu. At this time, tofu was a rare thing, but Mo Wen only took one bite and put down his chopsticks, and he was so hungry that he couldn't eat anymore...