Chapter 4: Ten Thousand Hus and Peaks Facing the Sky

Chapter 4: Ten Thousand Hus and Peaks Facing the Sky

Chapter 4: Ten Thousand Hus and Peaks Facing the Sky
"What's your name?"

"Chengyunqi, Bofu's Cheng, the cloud of floating clouds and mist."

Su Kong nodded and said, "From now on you will be my registered disciple. If you can stick to the Dao Heart Sect rules, one day you will have your heart palace opened up, be given a Dao name, and be registered in the family register, then you will be my disciple."

Although Yunqi didn't understand what the heart palace and the house record of life were, he still nodded in agreement.

"You are registered under my name. If outsiders ask, I will be able to answer the origin of the Dharma lineage. Let me teach you that our Sanqing Mountain was founded by our Patriarch Ge Hong in the Eastern Jin Dynasty. It has been more than 6,000 years since then, and has been passed down for more than 40 generations.

My Mingzhi Mountain is one of the eight branches of the Lotus Blessed Land of Sanqing Mountain. The first mountain master was named Zhan, his lay name was Biyun, his Taoist name was Shiming, and he was a fourth-generation disciple. My name is Sukong, and I am the 25th-generation disciple. Counting from the master Shiming, it has been passed down for 21 generations. If you can enter, you will be of the Xin generation, the 26th generation of disciples of Sanqing Mountain. "

Yunqi listened carefully and memorized everything in his heart.

"According to the rules of the mountain, all registered disciples live in the Wanhu Peaks. They can go to other peaks to listen to lectures in the first ten days of each month. The 16th, 22nd, and 28th are the days for sitting and discussing Taoism. When you go to Wanhu Peak, remember to get a class schedule. In addition, you must come to Meizhi Mountain from the 9th to the 15th of each month to report and learn Taoism with me.

In my sect, you can call anyone who teaches a lesson as your student master. When you have opened up your mind and entered it into my Mingzhishan Book of Life, you can call me your master. Do you understand?"

The clouds responded.

"Today is the eleventh day. As usual, I will teach you tomorrow. However, considering that you have just entered the mountain gate and the earth soul has traveled, you don't need to come this month. Take a good rest. In addition, you need to read "Ten Thousand Years of History", "Yu Zhang Xian Zhi", "San Qing Records", "Twelve True Classics of Inner Alchemy", "Tao Body and Life", "Ling Mingzi's Interpretation of Yin Yang and Five Elements", "Ling Shu Jing", etc. Oh, you also need to read "Tao Gate Prohibitions", "San Qing Law Precepts", "Tao Gate Standards and Customs" and so on."

Yunqi wrote down everything, and Taoist Sukong felt that he had said enough, so he asked Yunqi to wait there for Taoist Jihu to pick him up, while he returned to the cave first.

The clouds were no longer visible, and when Taoist Su Kong turned around, a look of relief suddenly appeared on his face, and he slowly let out a long breath.

Yunqi didn't know that from the moment he saw Taoist Jihu, his every move was revealed by Taoist Sukong's magic of flowers in the mirror and moon in the water. He was the first to step onto the cliff, remained calm on the cloud car, and did not panic when he saw Kuishan Jun. After arriving at Meiji Mountain, he was the first to step forward to accept the test.

Yunqi could not have guessed that he was the third person to come back to life within two quarters of an hour and choose to possess a bamboo stick since the founding of Meiji Mountain 5,000 years ago.

Yunqi is just a person standing in the same place, looking around at the mountains, with layers of peaks and lush greenery. He only feels that the mountains are far away and the sky is clear and the air is fresh.

Not long after, Taoist Jihu came back.

"Congratulations, young lay Buddhist. From now on, you will enter the immortal mountain. You will surely live a long and healthy life and enjoy endless blessings in the future."

Taoist Jihu smiled and bowed.

"Thank you for leading the way, Immortal."

The clouds replied.

But Taoist Jihu waved his hands again and again: "Since you have entered the mountain gate, you must not say the words of immortal. Just call me Taoist brother. Besides, you are registered under the name of Master Su Kongyu. When you enter the sect one day, your seniority will be much higher than mine. Then I will have to call you Little Taoist Master!"

Yunqi didn't know how seniority was calculated in the mountains, so he didn't say anything, but just smiled in response.

"Master Su Kongyu has received a registered disciple in his second recruitment, which is truly cause for celebration."

Upon hearing this, Yunqi asked, "Has the master ever recruited disciples before?"

"That's right, but I hadn't joined the sect at that time. I also heard about it. Twenty-eight years ago, forty or fifty people came to the Meiji Mountain to accept the examination of Master Yu, but none of them stayed."

Taoist Jihu said again: "I think Master Su Kongyu has already told you, now follow me to Wan Hu Peak."

The clouds will follow naturally.

Taoist Jihu summoned two more white clouds, and the two stepped on them. Seeing that Taoist Jihu was kind, the clouds asked tentatively:
"May I ask, Brother Dao, when will I be able to learn the skill of flying in the clouds?"

Ji Hu smiled and said, "It's not difficult to ride on clouds. As long as you have breath, it's as easy as drawing a talisman, or opening a cloud house or a water palace, and you can summon clouds and rain. If you really can't do it, just spend money to buy it."

The Taoist priest was indeed friendly, and Yunqi became a little bolder. "May I ask what is food qi, what is a cloud house, and what is a water house? Just now, Master Sukong asked me to open the heart house, what is that?"

Taoist Jihu still had a warm smile on his face. "The Cloud House is the throat, the Water House is also called the Kidney House, which refers to the kidneys, and the Heart House is also called the Fire House, which refers to the heart. These are the foundations of cultivation. I'll take you there later. You'll know after you borrow a few books to read."

"Ok."

The two of them rode the white clouds and flew eastward along the Eastern Sky Road. Feeling the strong wind on their faces, the clouds frowned:

"Brother Dao, Wanhu Peaks is separated from Meiji Mountain by the entire Dongping Mountain. I live in Wanhu Mountain. If I rely on my own strength to go to Meiji Mountain, I'm afraid it will take several days and nights to get there."

Taoist Jihu laughed loudly, "That's right, that's right. Lotus Blessed Land is the farthest from Xiaowan Mountain. If you are registered under the Lotus Eight Veins, it will be very tiring to travel every day. Most of the predecessors of the Eight Veins lived at the foot of the Blessed Land when they were registered, and returned to Xiaowan Mountain at the end of each month, haha."

However, Cheng Yunqi breathed a sigh of relief, "That's good too. If we're just at the foot of the mountain, it won't take too much time."

Hearing this, Taoist Jihu laughed again and said, "But building a hut at the foot of the mountain is not as convenient as building one in Xiaowan Mountain. Later, people figured out many convenient methods, some of which are still used today."

"Appreciate further details."

"First, you can rent or buy cloud racks. The sect has collected Yinshan's special cloud-making skills. Among them, the cloud for walking on a sedan chair can be used by mortals. You can buy or rent it. Second, you can rent cows and cranes. The Qingniu Palace and the Yellow Crane Cave in the sect have cows and cranes that can be rented and ridden."

"Then how do you calculate the price?"

"It's hard to calculate the cost of a cloud carriage. If you buy it, it'll cost at least a dozen taels of silver, and at most several hundred or even a thousand taels. If you rent it, it'll cost a few taels of silver a month. A green ox and a yellow crane also cost a few taels of silver a month, but you have to pay for their food and fruits."

Yunqi was puzzled, "Could it be that the outside world uses silver as money just like the mortal world?"

Ji Hu said with a smile: "Junior brother, you said it the other way around. Of course, the mountain people first used gold, silver and copper as money, and then the mortal world also used gold, silver and copper. However, the two are very different. The gold and silver in the mortal world are dead things without spirituality. The gold and silver in the mountains are not only rare, but also have more magical uses. You don't need to ask too much. The three books "Scenery of the Universe", "Elemental Gold Theory" and "Chatting about the Origin of the Three Treasures Furnace" are from the simple to the complex, which is enough for you to read."

Yunqi nodded, thinking that when he first entered the fairy mountain, he would be like a newborn baby who didn’t understand anything. He guessed he could only read books.

While we were talking, Wanhu Peak came into view. The densely packed rock peaks stood tall, like thousands of hu pointing to the sky, extremely steep. But if you pay more attention to the green pines between the rocks and the clouds outside the peaks, you will feel that these peaks are like bamboo shoots clustered in the green fields after the rain, full of vitality.

As they got closer, they saw countless buildings and houses climbing up the cliffs of the peaks, in various colors of green, yellow, ochre and purple. The peaks were connected by aerial bridges, and people were coming and going, making it very lively. The two of them anchored at a hilltop to the east of the peaks. There was a suspended wooden path extending from the cliff, going straight into the clouds, like a pier by a large lake.

"Hey, Xu Huai, why are you back? Oh, could this be the new junior fellow apprentice?"

As soon as the two landed, they were seen by passers-by, who immediately came up to them and greeted them.

"Yes, I received an order from the Ministry of Civil Affairs to go outside the mountain to pick up new people for Master Su Kongyu of Mingzhi Mountain and earn some money. This is Master Su Kongyu's registered disciple, Cheng Yunqi. Yunqi, this is Deng Wanchun, who entered the sect a few years later than me. He is a registered disciple of Toujian Mountain. Now that his magic power is full, it is only a matter of time for him to open a residence. Maybe he will leave the mountain in a few days."

Deng Wanchun was not tall, but he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, and he looked kind. He bowed and said, "Greetings, Brother Deng."

Deng Wanchun returned the greeting and said, "So I am the new Taoist priest from Meiji Mountain. If you have any questions, you can come to Jiyouyuan in Shuise Street to find me."

Yunqi even said he didn't dare, "Brother Daoist, you are joking, just call me Yunqi."

The man looked back at Taoist Jihu and said, "Xu Huai, it seems that the nickname given to you by Master Jianci Yu is indeed correct. You are now calm and generous, and your voice is much louder. You are no longer the person who couldn't utter two words for three days in the past few years."

Taoist Jihu's face suddenly turned red. "Why are you still talking about the past?"

Deng Wanchun laughed and said, "I won't delay your work. I'll treat you to a drink when I open my office."

After saying that, he left.

Feng Jihu responded with a smile and continued walking into the mountains with the cloud.

The scenery in the mountain was slightly different from what Yunqi had imagined. There was no need to say much about the strange rocks, cypresses, sea of ​​clouds and pine waves, but among them, there were houses and courtyards lined up one after another. Yunqi walked on the mountain road. On the right side of the road were houses cantilevered on the cliff, and on the left side were caves formed by digging into the mountain. The houses were in rows and the caves were in strings, like a market place in the sky.

"I'll take you to the Capital Affairs Office to choose a place to stay and get some supplies."

The two men walked along the winding mountain path and met many of Feng Jihu's acquaintances. They all greeted him with a smile. When they heard that Cheng Yunqi was a registered disciple of Meizhishan, they all called him "Little Taoist Priest" at the same time, which made Yunqi quite embarrassed.

They came to a cave with a red door. Above the door hung a plaque with the words "Duwuyuan governs Wanhutfeng and Qiansan Districts" written on it. When they walked in, they found a cave-like space with a large area. There were many holes densely carved on the stone walls, and things were placed inside. Opposite the door was a wooden desk, behind which sat an old Taoist priest who was taking a nap.

"Master Yao!"

Feng Jihu woke up the old Taoist priest with a loud voice. The old Taoist priest looked at Feng Jihu and laughed, "It's you, the taciturn boy, who's back."

"Master Yao, is there an empty room in Bingkun's yard?"

"It's empty, it's empty. It's the room you used to stay in. No one can stand Bing Kun's snoring except you."

Feng Jihu smiled when he heard this, and turned around to ask Yunqi, "Yunqi, is your snoring so terrible?"

Cheng Yunqi shook his head. He didn't care about this.

"Then I recommend you to choose Bingchen Courtyard on Lantern Street. It is the residence I lived in when I registered my name. There are only two rooms in the courtyard. My best friend lives in the west room now, and the east room is empty. What do you think?"

"Thank you, Brother Dao, for the arrangement."

Yunqi thanked him immediately, knowing that Feng Jihu was going to arrange for someone he knew to take care of him.

Feng Jihu smiled and said, "Master Yao, this is a new generation of registered disciple of Meizhi Mountain. His name is Cheng Yunqi. Please arrange for him to live in Bingkun's courtyard."

"Oh? It's Meiji Mountain."

The old Taoist priest took a deep look at the clouds and said, "The selection of disciples at Meiji Mountain has always been mysterious. It is rare to hear of a disciple without a residence. It seems that Wanhu Mountain has a new young Taoist master."

As the old Taoist priest spoke, he took out a white jade waist pendant with green tassels from the wooden drawer under the table and placed it on the table.

"Little Taoist, please tell me your name."

"Replying to the Taoist Priest, I am Cheng Yunqi, the Cheng of Bofu, the Yunqi of the mountain clouds."

"Hand out."

The cloud did as it was told.

The old Taoist priest put his finger on the cloud and drew out a drop of blood. He used the blood as ink and his finger as a pen to write a few runes in the air, and then pinched the seal into the jade pendant.

Yunqi took a look and saw several blood-colored runes growing inside the white jade pendant.

Feng Jihu explained: "This is Yun Li, and it has your name on it. From now on, this waist jade will be your certificate in the sect, so keep it carefully."

Yunqi nodded and took the jade pendant.

"Okay, now go to the left seventh cave to get the uniforms for registered disciples. Take one each of inner garment, outer robe, hairpin, socks, shoes, and towel. Then go to the right sixth cave to get two sets of regular clothes. You can choose the style yourself. When you take them, just stick the waist jade on the cave entrance."

Yunqi agreed and walked to the edge of the stone wall with the jade pendant in hand to look for it. The stone wall was full of small holes two feet square. No one knew where the light came from in the holes. There was a layer of air film at the entrance of the holes, which shone brightly under the light, like grease poured on the water.

Through the air membrane, you can see things in the cave, including crowns, hats, robes, hairpins, etc. In addition to daily clothes, the most common things are bottles, jars and talisman paper.

The cloud of gas quickly came to a stone wall marked with Zuo Qi. He randomly found a nearby one and stuck the jade pendant on the air film. The air film immediately dissipated. He took out a stack of clothes from the cave, which included: a sky-blue Taoist robe, a stack of white inner clothes, an ebony Taoist hairpin, a pair of straw-yellow hemp shoes, and a long white scarf.

Following the same method, he went to the Right Sixth Stone Wall. There were many more styles of clothing here, but Yunqi didn't waste long and quickly took two sets, namely:
A silver outer robe with black star spots, a pure white inner garment, a black scarf, and a pair of cloud-patterned cloth shoes;
A pure lake blue outer robe, a light peach colored lining, a purple scarf, and a pair of cloud pattern cloth shoes.

After Yunqi got the things, he said goodbye to the old Taoist priest and followed Taoist priest Jihu out.

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(End of this chapter)