mijobooks Chapter 25 Address
Chapter 25 Address
The old village chief tapped his pipe to extinguish the cigarette, his cloudy old eyes showing a hint of surprise.
"It is indeed I, the humble Taoist."
"well……"
The old village chief sighed, gazing at the calm river surface, his voice somewhat hoarse:
"This river eats people."
When I was your age, I heard an old story told to me.
"They say there's a wronged ghost trapped at the bottom of this river."
"That was during a famine years ago; a stranger from out of town fled here."
"I was so hungry I couldn't stand it anymore, so I went down to the river to catch fish, but I got a leg cramp and drowned."
"Nobody cared at the time, and the body just sank to the bottom."
"Ever since then, every ten years or so, the river would churn for a while, and a few substitutes would have to be dragged down to be buried with it."
"We all call it the water ghost looking for a substitute."
After the old village chief finished speaking, Lin Jinian looked thoughtfully at the river.
Looking for a stand-in?
He had heard many such folk tales.
Most of these are rumors, or they are just meant to scare children away from the water.
But the black handprints on Erzhuzi's feet were real.
Since we can't sense any yin energy, there's only one way: wait and see.
Anyway, he doesn't have anything urgent to do right now.
This is a good opportunity to see what this thing is all about.
……
Meanwhile, Lin'an University.
It was during the long break between classes, and the lecture hall was noisy.
Jiang Rongrong sat in the back row, took out her phone, and sent a WeChat message to Lin Jinian.
"Buzz—"
Lin Jinian felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, took it out and looked at it.
Jiang Rongrong:
Master Lin, my roommates and I have discussed it and are thinking of visiting your Taoist temple.
[By the way, let's see if we can soak up some of that "divine aura," haha! Could you please tell me the exact location of the Taoist temple?]
Lin Jinian typed his reply on the screen:
First, take a bus to the West Bus Station, then transfer to a bus to Ningxing Town.
After getting off at the final stop, walk about one kilometer to reach Wangjia Village.
Ask for directions when you enter the village; just follow the bluestone path uphill.
After thinking for a moment, he added:
If you arrive at a place where you don't know the way,
[I'm sending this message in advance; if I'm free, I can come down the mountain to pick you up.]
After sending the message, Lin Jinian looked at the willow leaves falling in the wind above his head and couldn't help but feel a little emotional.
"It's been so many years..."
"Apart from the occasional elderly person from the village who comes to ask for a talisman,"
"No outsiders have ever come to Qingyun Temple since then."
"Weren't the last two strangers who came here those two lost hikers from three years ago?"
He asked for a bowl of water and left in a hurry.
It's quite a rare thing that a group of city dwellers are now taking the initiative to come.
In a classroom at Lin'an University.
"Wow! They're back!"
Jiang Rongrong excitedly showed her phone screen to Song Qiaoyun, Chen Xue, and Li Zhiwei who were sitting next to her.
"We need to change buses, that sounds like it's quite far."
Chen Xue glanced at the route and hesitated.
"This trip will probably take most of the day."
"Oh, what's there to be afraid of about the distance! We're going to see a master! Showing some sincerity is only right!"
Li Zhiwei rarely took the initiative to express her opinion, and her eyes were full of expectation.
"And the Taoist priest even said he could come down the mountain to pick us up! How thoughtful!"
Jiang Rongrong chuckled.
"So when is it?"
"This weekend?"
"No, I don't have time..."
The four girls huddled together, chattering away, which quickly attracted the attention of the students around them.
This class was a combined class for two classes, with the girls gathered together and the boys clustered together as well.
"Rongrong, what are you talking about? You seem so happy?"
A girl with a ponytail in the front row turned around and asked curiously.
"We're discussing when to go hiking and exploring!"
Jiang Rongrong felt this was a great opportunity to promote Amway.
She skillfully opened her phone's photo album and clicked on the edited video:
"Let me show you something cool! This is based on my and Qiaoyun's personal experience, absolutely true!"
Several girls gathered around to take a look and immediately let out a series of soft gasps.
"Wow! That Taoist priest is so handsome!"
"Is this really not behind-the-scenes footage from some period drama? The lightning effects are so realistic!"
"That aura... amazing! Which Taoist temple is this from?"
The girls' gasps drew a larger crowd.
Several boys in the back row also heard the commotion and craned their necks.
I glanced at it.
"Tch, what handsome Taoist priest? It's probably just Jiang Rongrong creating some kind of publicity stunt."
A boy with dyed brown hair curled his lip in disdain.
He continued playing his 5v5 game with his head down.
But Fu Hong, who was next to him, didn't say anything.
Fu Hong is a boy who wears black-rimmed glasses and looks very refined.
I stumbled upon Jiang Rongrong's videos when she had over 3 followers.
He looked at the face and thought, "Is this a classmate from another class?"
Fu Hong casually clicked "follow".
I occasionally watch her live streams.
He had watched the later clips and edited videos of the live stream.
Hearing the discussion, I couldn't help but chime in:
"I think...that video is pretty real."
"Look closely at the lighting and the monk's flying motion. It would be difficult to achieve such a natural effect with special effects and wire work."
"Moreover, the Taoist priest's micro-expressions were really spot on; it didn't seem like he was acting."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a boy next to him chuckled and patted Fu Hong on the shoulder:
"Hey Lao Fu, have you gone crazy from reading too much?"
"These days you still believe in thunder magic? And Taoist priests exorcising ghosts?"
"I can make you a hand-crafted nuclear bomb myself, if I'm willing to pay!"
Several boys around them also joined in the laughter:
"Yeah, Lao Fu, don't be so naive."
"I bet you've fallen for that beautiful Jiang, haven't you? You're just indulging in her charms?"
Fu Hong's face turned bright red, and he opened his mouth to retort.
But not knowing how to say it, he could only adjust his glasses.
He muttered something under his breath:
Anyway... anyway, I think it's true.
……
The sun was rising higher, approaching noon.
The old village chief knocked on his pipe, stood up, and patted the dirt off his backside:
"Young man, it's already noon. Even if you're not hungry, I have to go back for lunch."
"Take care."
Lin Jinian smiled as he watched the old man leave.
He remained seated cross-legged under the willow tree, closing his eyes to meditate and circulating his energy.
Not long after, Zhou Mengjian came running over in a flurry, carrying a large bamboo basket.
"Master Lin! Are you hungry?"
He put the basket on the ground and lifted the white cloth covering it.
A rich aroma of meat wafted over instantly.
"The old hen we just killed at home has been stewing all morning; it's so tender and mushy!"
"And this, these are some bok choy I picked from my own garden, freshly stir-fried. Please try them."
As Zhou Mengjian spoke, he deftly set out the bowls and chopsticks.
He looked at Lin Jinian's thin frame,
I deliberately used chopsticks to pick up that large, glistening chicken leg.
He wanted to put it into Lin Jinian's bowl, but his hand was only halfway there when...
But suddenly his movements froze.