Lanke Chess Edge
Chapter 158: This Is It

Ji Yuan and Qi Wen ate all the remaining dishes on the table together. Ji Yuan was mainly the one eating more, and Qi Wen was only watching.

Qi Wen turned to Ji Yuan as they were cleaning up the leftovers on the table, and asked him.

“Mr. Ji, is my master all right? What kind of wine did you give him?”

The only reason Qi Wen wasn’t anxious was because this person was Ji Yuan. If it had been someone else he didn’t trust as much, he would have suspected that the other party had drugged his master.

Ji Yuan used the soup pot as a trash can, and swept all the vegetable scraps, bones, and other remainders into it, trying his best to avoid Taoist Qingsong’s head.

“Help me pick up the oil lamp, I’ll wipe this side.”

“Ok.”

The bowls were stacked up and the table was roughly wiped down. Ji Yuan then turned to Qi Wen, who was about to put the bowls into a wooden basin to wash.

“The wine your master drank contains a lot of precious medicinal herbs. The medicinal properties of the herbs are quite strong, and the alcohol itself is strong, but drinking it is very good for the body. However, if one drinks too much at once, one would probably end up sleeping for three to five days.”

Qi Wen shrank his neck. Although the oil lamp in the kitchen was not all that bright, he nonetheless had clearly seen that it was him, Mr. Ji, who had poured all of that in his mouth.

However, Qi Wen immediately responded when he heard Ji Yuan’s words.

“Sleeping for three to five days? That long?”

“Yes, the medicinal power in the wine will seep into every part of your master’s body. Given his personality, he must have been beaten a lot over the years. Some of his old illnesses and injuries will be cured, and his body will be stronger than before.”

In truth, only Taoist Qingsong and Ji Yuan knew that the Taoist master had lost half of his life due to a divination. Although Qi Wen knew that there was some big problem with his Master’s fortune-telling, he had been kept in the dark as to Qi Xuan’s lifespan. Therefore, Ji Yuan only mentioned general subjects like good health.

However, Qi Wen’s thoughts turned to a different conclusion, and his face suddenly showed some excitement.

“Mr. Ji, is this that kind of rumored magical medicine used by people in the martial arts world? Something that can greatly increase martial arts skills or open up meridians or something, making someone a martial arts master?”

Ji Yuan was amused. Qi Wen must have heard too many tall tales from storytellers.

“Something like that, but your master doesn’t practice martial arts, so he can’t become a martial arts master.”

The two chatted as they tidied up the kitchen. Finally, they carried Taoist Qingsong back to the room, each standing to one side as they lifted him.

Even though Taoist Qingsong wasn’t all that fat, he actually felt quite heavy when Ji Yuan carried him; he had some solid skin and flesh, and therefore was more resistant to beatings.

The beds in the Taoist temple were not the common wooden beds that could be found outside, but were made of bricks. They were somewhat like kang beds,¹ but without the heating function. There were several layers of straw in the middle, and then bedding atop it. It was a long bed platform, with enough room for four or five people laying down. Now, it served as the common bedroom for the master and his disciple.

There was one other bedroom in the Taoist temple, which was similar in style. This was where Ji Yuan would be temporarily staying.

After making sure Taoist Qingsong was settled, Qi Wen took Ji Yuan to the other room. There was no dust as it was always kept clean.

Qi Wen brought out some straw and helped Ji Yuan spread it on the bed, then brought out another blanket.

People living at the foot of the mountain mainly relied on straw for kindling and fuel for fires. Every household in Bing Province had a straw shed, which was enough to burn until the season when the rice was ripe, and new straw could replenish it. However, here in Cloud Mountain Temple, the inhabitants used wood as fuel for the fire, so straw was mainly relegated to bedding.

The two worked together to prepare the resting place for Ji Yuan. Visitors were rare in this Taoist temple.

“Mr. Ji, our Cloud Mountain Temple is relatively simple, we must make do with this.”

Qi Wen tidied up the bed and scratched his head, a little embarrassed. The conditions here were indeed a bit poor, or at least, not as good as the inn room Ji Yuan had previously booked for the master and disciple.

“Hey, it’s not bad, it’s not bad. I’ve lived in worse places. At least there’s a bed here. Well, it’s getting late. You should go back and get some rest.”

“Ah, I have to look after my master. I heard that drunk people will have a hard time at night.”

Ji Yuan waved a hand.

“Go ahead, there’s really no need to worry about your master’s condition. He will wake up on his own after a few days. Just prepare some cold water for him.”

“Oh… By the way, Mr. Ji, make sure to keep the doors and windows closed at night. Although it’s rare, sometimes animals like jackals will come to Yanxia Peak and roam around.”

“I know, I know!”

Ji Yuan replied indifferently.

“Mr. Ji, you are a skilled martial artist, but you still have to be careful. Don’t take it lightly!”

Seeing that Qi Wen adopted a lecturing tone, Ji Yuan had no choice but to bow and reply solemnly.

“Okay, thank you for telling me, little Taoist. I will definitely pay attention!”

Qi Wen left, embarrassed and rubbing the back of his head. Ji Yuan took off his shoes and sat on the bed. He could vaguely hear some noise coming from the opposite room. After sitting there for over a quarter of an hour, Cloud Mountain Temple finally became quiet.

Estimating the time, it was currently only the Xu hour now, which was equivalent to around eight or nine o’clock in the evening in his previous life.

There were wooden window shutters in the room, held open by wooden poles, through which one could see the starry sky.

Ji Yuan looked out the window, thinking about what had happened in Cloud Mountain Temple.

While chatting with the Taoist master and his disciple at the dinner table this evening, he learned that this Taoist temple had been built a long time ago by several of Qi Xuan’s Taoist ancestors, about forty or fifty years ago. They dried the bricks and carried them into place themselves. Later, they received help from the local gentry to finish building the temple.

Taoists generally liked to build their temples on high mountains because they were closer to the stars.

The Taoists of Cloud Mountain Temple, in addition to seeking inner peace and tranquility, also practiced health-preserving techniques for physical fitness, as well as some divination and crude exorcism methods. This divination was what they had been showcasing all this time, and the exorcism tricks actually sometimes came in handy.

During the golden years of the Cloud Mountain Temple, there were eight Taoists who practiced here. Now, only Taoist Qingsong and his disciple Qi Wen were left.

It wasn’t that all of the Taoists had passed away. In fact, the only temple inhabitants who had passed away in were Taoist Qingsong’s own master and his uncle. Most of the other Taoists simply left and never returned.

Some had gone down the mountain to get married, have children, and live ordinary lives, while others had disappeared without a trace.

Taoist priests here could married, and did not need to adhere to strict vegetarian practices; they only needed to fast on certain days. However, no Taoist would get married and return back up the mountain, and those who went down the mountain to start a family would no longer consider themselves Taoists.

“Is tranquility is hard to find, or hard to endure…”

Ji Yuan simply got out of bed, put on his shoes, opened the door, and went outside. The lights in the room opposite had been extinguished. The entire Cloud Mountain Temple was silent.

Ji Yuan looked up at the sky; the stars seemed so close, like he could almost touch them.

In this world, the North Dipper could also be found in the sky, a familiar sight to him in both lifetimes. The sun still rose in the east and set in the west, and the passage of time was about the same. However, the mountains, rivers, geography, and other conditions of this world were very different from those of his previous life. Even heaven and earth were far more vast.

Needless to say, this was something Ji Yuan would occasionally think about, but never truly understand.

“Ooh ooh… ooh ooh… ooh ooh…”

The cries of wild animals could be heard from the foot of the mountain. There was a sense of ease in these heights.

Ji Yuan looked to the east. The mountains before him were not as tall as Yanxia Peak. Most of the mountains that were higher than Yanxia Peak stood to either side of him. The sunrise could clearly be seen unobstructed from this peak, and a similar sight was present when looking to the west.

He gazed at the sky, the earth, the mountains, and the wind. After a long while of simply looking and feeling, Ji Yuan couldn’t help but sigh

‘This a good place indeed. This is it!’

1. A kang bed is a heated platform, under which is a heat source (usually a flue, channel connected to a fire through which heated air passes) and on top of which you can put bedding or sit and work.