I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping
Chapter 649 - 527 There is a temple in the mountains

Chapter 649: 527 There is a temple in the mountains

The mountain road was not particularly rugged, but without any development, it was challenging for the average person to traverse.

Of course, for young people in their prime, this bit of hardship was nothing to fret about.

There was even less need to say anything about Lan Peizhi, who walked as if on level ground.

Nevertheless, Jiang Chen couldn’t help but think back to the affluent tycoon he had encountered by chance earlier.

For an elderly man who needed support just to walk, climbing a mountain was certainly no easy matter.

What kind of person could motivate the richest man in Lingnan to undertake such a strenuous pilgrimage?

The primeval forest may not have held much aesthetic appeal, but Jiang Chen was full of zest, anticipating the "scenery" that lay ahead.

Lan Peizhi was the silent type, quietly climbing upwards.

Jiang Chen lagged a step behind, leisurely and content.

A mountain need not be high; it’s famed if immortals dwell.

A body of water need not be deep; it’s divine if dragons reside.

Why rely on the artifices of heaven?

The delicate and graceful figure ahead was already the most captivating landscape in the world.

Though the mountain was not high, the path finally widened, and the two continued on foot for over twenty minutes.

As the forest thinned out, what appeared above was a structure surrounded by mounds of earth.

It seemed to be—

A Daoist temple?

The yellow mud wall was low, barely two meters high, and an average adult man could probably climb over easily, with paint peeling from the wide-open gate.

A crooked sign hung on the door. The inscription was blurred and only the characters "里" and "观" could faintly be discerned.

There once was a mountain.

A temple within the mountain?

Jiang Chen guessed and then couldn’t help but laugh at himself.

He had thought that there would be a hidden realm on the mountain, only to discover such a scene.

Forget about a mystical realm; even the name and the environment seemed carelessly fashioned.

However, it was evident that this extremely simple Daoist temple was their destination.

Lan Peizhi had already stopped.

Jiang Chen hesitated to speak, but before he could utter a word, a sigh of half-drunken stupor wafted from within the yellow mud wall.

"Who awakens first from the great dream? I’ve always known my own life," came the sigh.

Perhaps because the place was so quiet, that not-so-deep voice carried an unreasonable penetrative power, traveling great distances.

Jiang Chen looked towards the temple gate, raised an eyebrow, and swallowed the words that had reached his lips, opting to remain silent.

Lan Peizhi resumed her steps.

Jiang Chen followed closely, cautiously stepping over the rotted threshold, behind this Blood Guanyin.

This was indeed a Daoist temple.

There were a few small houses on either side of the central clearing, with the main hall in the middle, where the statues of the Three Purities were enshrined.

Below the Three Purities statues, an elderly man with eyes closed and white hair sat, the environment was dilapidated, but his Daoist robe was spotless as if taking a brief rest, with a wine gourd lying on the table beside him.

Jiang Chen held his breath and concentrated, not daring to underestimate the situation.

As expected.

This drowsy old Daoist must be the fabled immortal he had heard about several times.

"This morning I saw a peacock flying south and guessed that guests were to arrive," the sigh continued.

Peacock?

There were peacocks on this desolate mountain?

The old Daoist suddenly opened his eyes.

There was no dramatic scene where light flashed brilliantly.

The elderly Daoist’s gaze was calm, even a bit tipsy, as he regarded the man and woman outside the hall, without any surprise. His eyes quickly scanned their hands, then flashed with undisguised disappointment.

"Pei Zhi, a rare visit from you, why come empty-handed? Even if you were to bring a couple of bottles of pine flower wine from the mountain’s base, that would be nice," he lamented.

"Have you grown too old to walk the paths?"

Lan Peizhi responded calmly.

"Not at all, not at all," the old Daoist conceded with a touch of embarrassment, then apologetically said, "It’s just that the incense business hasn’t been thriving lately, and I’ve run up quite a tab. I couldn’t very well ask for more."

Jiang Chen’s train of thought crashed, his eye twitching.

What kind of immortal was this?

The old Daoist pushed himself up from his chair.

Sitting down, one wouldn’t notice, but upon standing, it became clear that the old Daoist was very tall, at least 1.85 meters. Although his current age was unclear, when he was younger, he must have been a tall and handsome man.

"Young man, are you here for a fortune-telling or to inquire about your love life?" he asked, looking at Jiang Chen with a squint and a smile. He had the appearance of a hermit sage, yet Jiang Chen felt uneasy as if the old man’s gaze was sizing him up like a plump sheep.

At a loss for how to respond, he remained silent.

"Rest assured, my divination is fair to both young and old. Since you came with Pei Zhi, I can give you a friend’s rate, one gold per reading. How about it?"

One gold?

Jiang Chen was at a loss, not knowing the value of that currency unit, and could only stand awkwardly in place, looking somewhat stolid.

"The young man doesn’t trust my abilities?" the old Daoist observed, noting Jiang Chen’s silent stance and sporting an expression of disbelief. He then straightened his face solemnly. In another setting, such as a famous immortal mountain, he could well be mistaken for a revered Daoist master.

"I’ll give you a reading for free, and if it’s inaccurate, there will be no charge," he declared without room for argument, fixing his gaze on Jiang Chen, his eyes suddenly sharpening as he pinched his fingers into a mystic gesture and mumbled to himself. A few seconds later, he said unhurriedly, "Since childhood, you’ve been mischievous with a restless nature, because of the upheaval in your family. But then you turned over a new leaf, studied diligently, and thus passed your examinations..."

Thunder resonated in the silent place!

Watching the old Daoist recount the story, Jiang Chen’s pupils constricted in disbelief.

He had always thought fortune-telling and geomancy were just tricks used by street performers to deceive.

But who could have known it could be so accurate?

Could it be that Lan Peizhi had informed him in advance?