Globe Trekker

Chapter 3 In the Cloudy Mountains
After a sudden winter rain, the sun broke through the clouds and shone on the earth, the clouds and mists in the mountains slowly disappeared, and the vast and rugged Taijin Mountain stood tall and clear.

Deep in the dense forest on the mountainside, the Taoist temple with gray tiles and yellow walls looms, the walls of the Taoist temple surrounded by giant trees are mottled, the gates with peeling vermilion paint are closed tightly, and groups of tits are shuttled and croaked among the treetops.

Outside the hut in the backyard, a young Taoist priest about [-] years old in a blue Taoist robe squatted in front of the charcoal stove, holding a thread-bound book in his left hand and concentrating on reading, while a long-handled bamboo fan in his right fanned leisurely.

The charcoal fire was burning vigorously, and the thin-mouthed crock pot on the charcoal stove began to emit steam, and the strong medicinal fragrance wafted around.

A pot of charcoal fire was also lit in the house. Wu Ming, who was lying on the low couch, had a high fever and his swollen face basically returned to normal. His broken left arm was fixed by three small pine boards. Under the warm quilt, his naked waist and abdomen Wrapped with clean gauze, the scarred legs and feet were covered with blue ointment.

Wu Ming, who had been in a coma for three days and three nights, woke up leisurely, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't open his eyes. In the long nightmares one after another, the bits and pieces of the future and the present life were repeated in his mind like images. He groaned in agony.

In the complex dream, the horror scene of Lao Song's head being smashed and a bloody mist appeared repeatedly, followed by the smiling face of Mr. Zhang wearing black-rimmed glasses, and when he pushed away headless corpses and crawled out of the deep pit. of extreme fear.

Footsteps sounded outside the house, and a thin old Taoist priest in a dark gray Taoist robe came to the door. The young Taoist priest quickly put down his books and fans, stood up and stood respectfully.

The old Taoist glanced at Wu Ming who was lying on the low couch in the room, then turned his gaze to the earthen jar on the charcoal stove, and gently stroked his half-foot-long gray beard and nodded slightly: "How is the patient's symptoms today?"

"Return to Master Uncle, the patient has been able to swallow the medicinal porridge, the swelling on the head and body has subsided, the stool is smooth, the high fever has gradually subsided, and the wound has begun to heal, but the eyes have not yet opened." The young Taoist priest has delicate features and a calm voice.

"Ah."

The clean-looking old Taoist entered the room, bent down to check Wu Ming's injuries, removed the yellow gauze from Wu Ming's head, wiped the ointment left on his right forehead, looked at it for a moment and nodded in satisfaction: "There is no need to wrap the wound on the head. , this person has a good physique, and it is estimated that he will recover after a period of recuperation. Adjust the prescription tomorrow and help him walk around every day."

"Yes!"

After the old Taoist priest left, the young Taoist priest brought in the soup and medicine in a porcelain bowl, waited for a moment to carefully feed Wu Ming the medicine with a spoon, and was careful and meticulous from beginning to end.

"thanks……"

The young Taoist priest who had just put down the bowl heard the words and turned around, and looked carefully at Wu Ming who opened his eyes and expressed gratitude: "Finally wake up, just wake up."

With the help of the young Taoist priest, Wu Ming sat up grinning, leaned against the head of the bed and took a deep breath: "You saved me, right? I remember being dazed when I climbed out of the deep pit, and I couldn't open my eyes or see clearly. I don’t know who the person who carried me was afterward.”

The young Taoist smiled slightly, moved a bamboo stool to sit in front of the collapse, and added a few knots of charcoal to the brazier: "I went down the mountain to buy, and when I passed the Taiping Mountain Col, I saw you crawling out from the roots of a big tree. Yes, your whole body is covered in blood, and your head is so swollen that you can’t see it. I carried you back without thinking too much. You’re welcome. Uncle Master often takes me down the mountain to treat pilgrims and villagers around us. It’s our duty as ascetics to save the suffering. .”

"Where is this? What's the master's name?" Wu Ming asked politely.

"This is the Taoist Temple of Praying for Truth in Taijin Mountain that my uncle Qingxiu has. My surname is Sun, and my name is Chengzong. My uncle's Taoist name is Bingzhen, and he is the deacon of the ancestral court of Longhu Mountain. After my teacher was promoted four years ago, my uncle received Ordered by the celestial masters in the ancestral court to repair the Temple of Praying for Truth, and hang the pot to help the world to promote morality."

The young Taoist replied slowly, and then asked kindly: "The layman's name is Gao? Your accent sounds like a local, right?"

Wu Ming hesitated: "My name is Wu Ming, and I am from Wujia Village, Huanggu Town. I was framed as a bandit and locked up in the county jail. The Communist Red Guards broke into the county and released me. I fled with a group of people in a daze... Then, That's it."

The young Taoist looked into Wu Ming's eyes kindly: "So that's how it is! Yesterday I went down the mountain to the city to do some shopping, and saw a row of human heads hanging on the row of pillars in front of the street tax office, and there was a notice posted on the bulletin board, saying yes* *Riot and prison robbery, many people died, officers and soldiers in the city patrolled everywhere, people were panicked, the county government office and several big households were burned, it turned out that this is really the case.”

Wu Ming had nothing to do about it. Knowing that the young Taoist didn't fully believe what he said, he thought about it for a moment and asked worriedly, "Will I implicate you?"

"It doesn't matter. We are teaching Taoism far and wide. The whole Jiangxi and even the north and south of the river, from celebrities and dignitaries to the three religions and nine streams, will not embarrass us. There are many rich gentry and officials in the surrounding counties and towns. They are the ancestors of our Dragon and Tiger Mountain. The registered disciple of the court will definitely not come to the Qizhen Temple to embarrass you, so you can rest assured to stay and recuperate."

After finishing speaking, the young Taoist priest stood up, bid a few farewells, and left. He came to the door of the scripture storage room in the middle hall and announced in a low voice. Claiming to be surnamed Wu and named Wu Ming, he is from Wujia Village, Huanggu Town, Dongmian, and he said he escaped from the prison in the city with a group of people."

Taoist Bingzhen stopped writing: "That's right, otherwise we can't explain the dozens of headless corpses on the Taiping Mountain Col. From this point of view, this person is quite honest."

"Uncle, do you want to go to Wujia Village?" The young Taoist was very careful.

Taoist Bingzhen looked at the sky outside the window: "It's getting late, don't be in a hurry. Although I haven't been to Wujia Village for a while, I still have a little impression of this person, but I don't know why he has encountered this. Remember this He is dull-tempered and taciturn, but he is very filial to his mother and the elders in the village. He is not an evil person. By the way, yesterday your junior brother said that he said a lot of incomprehensible nonsense before his fever disappeared, and he seemed to be speaking official language?"

The young Taoist nodded: "Yes, he said it again last night. It was vague and unintelligible, but he could distinguish the official language mixed with the local dialect. After thinking about it, I really can't figure it out."

Daoist Bingzhen thought for a moment and shook his head slightly: "Let it be, and you don't need to deliberately explore, he has woken up, and he will figure it out sooner or later. After you change his medicine at night, grab the five-day medicine and tell your junior brother to take care of it." He, tomorrow morning, you will go down the mountain with me, first go to Huanggu Town to see some patients, and then go to Wujia Village by the way."

"Yes." The young Taoist asked hesitantly, "Uncle Master, Layman Wu is not a member of the Communist Party, is he?"

"I can't say for sure, everything has to be clarified. Now it is a chaotic world where fish and dragons are mixed, wars are raging, mountains and rivers are changing colors, and evil is rampant.

In the early morning of the next day, Wu Ming, who woke up early, struggled to get out of bed. Taoist Chengzong led a 12-year-old Taoist boy in with a bowl of hot medicinal porridge.

Chengzong put down the bowl and went up to help Wu Ming, led him to the hut, then went to the pool in the courtyard to wash and wash, went back to the room to serve Wu Ming to drink the medicinal porridge, patiently told the little boy, and then went to the Wu Ming apologized and left.

It rained for a while in the middle of the night last night, and now the mountains and plains are shrouded in a cloudy mist, and the birds outside the Taoist temple are singing and the roosters are crowing. With a whitish robe, he put his feet into the cotton shoes, and walked out of the hut slowly step by step, stroking his aching arm.

"Give."

Xiao Daotong's crisp voice sounded, and a crutch cut from a tree branch was delivered to Wu Ming's hand: "Senior brother told me to walk around with the layman in the morning and evening, so that it can relax the muscles and unblock the collaterals."

Wu Ming smiled at the childish Xiaodaotong: "Thank you! What's your name?"

"My name is Chengyuan."

Xiao Daotong was very sensible, and gently helped Wu Ming into the yard.

"Why are your sleeves and trouser legs wet? Did you go out?" Wu Ming observed carefully.

Xiao Daotong glanced down at his wet trouser legs, raised his head and replied with a smile: "I got up at the beginning of my life, practiced with my brother for half an hour, then drove the sheep up the mountain, and came back after cutting a basket of grass. Get on the dew."

Wu Ming pondered for a while before he realized that "Maochu" was just after five o'clock in the morning, and he was quite impressed: "You do this every day?"

Xiao Daotong rubbed his frozen red hands and replied: "No, if it's raining, you don't need to herd the sheep. Later, I have to add oil to the Sanzhen of the front hall. After finishing my homework, I will decoct the medicine for you, and then do it." meal."

Wu Ming nodded gratefully, raised his eyes and asked as he walked, "Master Chengyuan, how many people live in your temple?"

When Xiao Daotong heard Wu Ming call himself master, he giggled happily: "It's just me, master, senior brother, and two other senior brothers. They all went down the mountain to travel."

"Are there many people coming to burn incense?" Wu Ming asked again.

Cheng Yuan put away his smile and shook his head in disappointment: "I heard from senior brother that there were many pilgrims in the past few years, but there have been fewer in the past two years. Senior brother said that the world is in chaos now, and many people in the villages and towns below the mountain are not full. They usually come to pray for blessings and fulfill their wishes during festivals. "

Wu Ming was quite sad: "Yes! This world is really chaotic, and it's not easy! Master Chengyuan, where is your hometown?"

Cheng Yuan was stunned for a moment, then looked down and lowered his head, the two buns on the top of his head were a little messy: "I don't know, I have followed Master since I was a child. I used to be in Longhu Mountain, and I came here later."

"Eh? Oh, I'm sorry!" Wu Ming sincerely apologized.

Cheng Yuan raised his head, and a rare arrogance appeared on his face: "Senior brother Chengzong, like me, also picked it up. My senior brother Chengzong is very smart. He can recite the "Tao Te Ching" at the age of five, and he began to learn it at the age of six. "Hundred Herbs Classic", practiced with my uncle who passed away when I was seven years old, and usually copied scriptures and wrote letters for my master. In the past few years, I have been teaching me to read and practice Kung Fu in Qizhen Temple, and I have given it back to me. He talked about a lot of new things outside the mountains. Brother Chengzong had been on a large ship. At the beginning of the year, he had the honor to follow his masters and uncles to Zhenjiang and Hangzhou Hongdao to meet friends. The experience was great. The master said that when I grow up, I can go out and travel. "

After Wu Ming heard this, he stopped involuntarily, looked at Xiao Chengyuan who was full of hope and encouraged him in a low voice: "I believe you can do it, Chengyuan, you are very smart, and you will have great promise in the future."

"Really?" Cheng Yuan fixed his black and white eyes on Wu Ming.

"Really, when I was your age, I was not as smart as you, I didn't learn martial arts, I stuttered, and I couldn't even cook." Wu Ming smiled for the first time, as if recalling worry-free worrying childhood.

Cheng Yuan smiled happily, his red face was really cute, he smirked for a while as if he realized something, he said "I'm off to work", turned around and ran towards the nave, stopped suddenly after running a few steps, turned around He said loudly to Wu Ming: "You, you are like a big brother!"

Wu Ming leaned on his crutches and asked with a smile, "Really?"

Xiao Chengyuan turned around excitedly and ran away, disappearing in the back door of the nave.Wu Ming held back his smile and stood for a long time before shaking his head and continuing to walk.

The warm sun broke through the mist and illuminated the earth. After walking around, Wu Ming, who was covered in sweat, came to the pool. He put down his crutches and sat on the stone slab. Looking up at the blue sky and wandering white clouds, he felt melancholy suddenly.

After a long time, Wu Ming let out a long sigh, wiped the sweat off his face with his sleeve, and bent down gently to wash his face with water. When his fingertips approached the surface of the water, the strange face floating in the faint clear water made Wu Ming's whole body stiff and his mind flustered.

This reflected face...why is it like this...

(End of this chapter)