Chapter 6

Master Fang Yi's grave was located about a hundred meters up from the Taoist temple, on the steepest slope of Fang Mountain, which was already at a relatively high altitude.

Standing on the gentle slope, one could see the distant Qingliang Mountain, which resembled a crouching tiger, while the Zhong Mountain to the east looked like a reclining dragon. Together with the famous Tang River flowing at the foot of Fang Mountain, any feng shui master would recognize this as an excellent feng shui site at first glance.

This feng shui spot was not found by Fang Yi, but by the old Taoist priest, who had surveyed it long ago. He even dug his own grave, truly living up to the saying of digging a hole to bury himself. Fang Yi merely carried his deceased master to the grave.

"Master, I'm going down the mountain..."

Standing before the slightly raised mound covered with wild chrysanthemums, Fang Yi's expression was solemn. Having followed the old Taoist for over a decade, he had long regarded him as his closest person. Although Taoism emphasizes the cultivation of the mind, facing his master's eternal resting place, Fang Yi still felt a pang of sorrow.

"Old Taoist, I, the fatty, have come to see you..." Seeing Fang Yi's sad face, the fatty walked over, sat cross-legged on the ground, and said, "Old Taoist, fatty wants to discuss something with you, okay?"

"Fatty, what do you want to discuss with Master?" Fang Yi's attention was drawn to the fatty. When the master was alive, the fatty never discussed anything with him, and now that he had been dead for several years, even if there was something, the master could not agree to it.

"Hehe, Fang Yi, I think this place has good feng shui. I want to discuss with the old Taoist whether I can bury my father next to your master after he passes away?"

Although the fatty said this with a smile, his expression was very serious. As the saying goes, even if you haven't eaten pork, you've seen pigs run. Having grown up with the old Taoist, the fatty had a basic understanding of feng shui and could see that this was an excellent feng shui spot.

"About this, I think you should discuss it with Uncle Wei first..."

Hearing the fatty's words, Fang Yi couldn't help but laugh and said, "Uncle Wei is only in his forties this year. You're already thinking about finding a grave for him. If you have the nerve, go home and mention it to Uncle Wei and see what he says."

Fang Yi knew that the fatty's father was the village chief, a veteran Party member who deeply detested feudal superstitions. If it weren't for the old Taoist's medical skills and his frequent free treatments for the villagers, the fatty's father would have long dismantled the old Taoist's temple.

"What's there to discuss with him?"

Sure enough, when Fang Yi mentioned his father, the fatty's face turned sour. He knew that if he dared to mention feng shui to his father, his old man would definitely take out the thickest rolling pin and give him a good beating.

"Alright, fatty, I'll pay my respects to Master, and then we'll go down the mountain..."

After the fatty's antics, Fang Yi's sadness diminished. He then took out a gourd with a purple-golden hue from under his Taoist robe, uncorked it, and poured the wine in front of his master's grave.

"Master, this is the last of the monkey wine. When I have money, I'll buy Maotai for you, old man..." Fang Yi muttered as he poured the wine, but the fatty's mouth twitched in frustration, thinking that such good wine was being wasted on the old Taoist.

"Master, please bless me with good fortune..."

Fang Yi ignored the fatty. Having lived on the mountain for over a decade, he was about to leave, and he felt both excitement and unease. So he prayed at his master's grave, hoping that his master's spirit would ensure a smooth journey down the mountain.

"Alright, Fang Yi, let's go..." The fatty grew impatient after waiting for a while, pulled Fang Yi, and said, "Sanpao is waiting for us at home. If you dawdle, we might miss dinner..."

"Alright, Master, I'm leaving..."

Fang Yi nodded, knelt down, and bowed three times seriously. He then stood up, put the small wooden box on his shoulder, and took a lingering look at his master's resting place. He knew that once he left, he would enter a completely different life.

The emotions of a young person come and go quickly. After bidding farewell to his master, Fang Yi's mood improved. The early spring scenery of Fang Mountain was very beautiful, and the refreshing landscape easily made one forget their sorrows.

"Hey, Fang Yi, hurry up..."

Seeing Fang Yi suddenly crouching under a tree, the fatty couldn't help but cover his forehead. They had been walking for two or three hours, and they hadn't even seen the foot of the mountain, all because of Fang Yi's occasional actions.

"Fatty, these are the best mushrooms. Let's take more back..."

Fang Yi smiled and looked back, but his hands didn't stop, carefully picking over a dozen colorful mushrooms from the tree roots.

"Such bright colors, they might be poisonous..."

The fatty leaned in to take a look and muttered. Although he grew up in the mountains, he had been taught by his elders that the more colorful the mushrooms, the more toxic they were. So the fatty had always avoided such mushrooms.

"It's fine. These mushrooms are only found in early spring and are very delicious..."

Fang Yi smiled. Compared to the fatty, he was truly a child of the mountains. He was very familiar with every plant and tree, and naturally knew which mushrooms were poisonous and which were edible.

"Well, there won't be any more opportunities to pick them in the future..." The fatty shook his head helplessly and let Fang Yi pick the mushrooms. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, Fang Yi's bamboo basket was full of various mushrooms.

"Hua Zi, where did you get these? Who is the person with you?"

At the foot of the mountain, they encountered more people. Some were working in the fields and looked at Fang Yi curiously, clearly intrigued by the handsome young man in the Taoist robe.

"Uncle Niu, this is my friend, the apprentice of the old immortal on the mountain..."

The fatty smiled and greeted the villagers. When they heard about the old immortal, their faces relaxed. The old Taoist used to visit the village almost every week, and many people had been cured by him.

"The apprentice of the old immortal is here? Hua Zi, I still have a wild boar's hind leg at home. Come, let's go home, and I'll give it to the little immortal to taste..."

The mountain people were very simple. Hearing that Fang Yi was the old Taoist's apprentice, Niu Bo, who was working in the rice field, climbed up and pulled Fang Yi, wanting him to go home with him.

"Uncle Niu, no need. We agreed to go to Sanpao's house. He has already prepared dinner and is waiting for us..."

The fatty knew that years ago, Niu Bo's youngest son had been frightened and had a high fever for three days. It was the old Taoist who came down the mountain and cured him. Every time the old Taoist came down the mountain, Niu Bo would bring out the best things from his home.

"Alright, but you must come to my house for lunch tomorrow..."

Niu Bo let go of Fang Yi but still looked at him and said, "The old immortal was a good person, but he passed away too early. Little immortal, if you have the chance, please take me to his grave to burn some paper money..."

"Uncle Niu, I'll remember that..." Fang Yi nodded. Although he knew his master often treated people around Fang Mountain, he didn't realize how well-liked he was. Even years after his death, the villagers still remembered his kindness.

"Let's go, we should go to my house first..."

Seeing Fang Yi's attire, the fatty frowned and said, "Let's go to my house to change clothes. Otherwise, if you go to the city like this, people will stare at you like a curiosity..."

Although Taoism has a long history in China, for city people, Taoists mostly appear in TV shows and books. If Fang Yi went to the city dressed like this, he would definitely attract a crowd.

"But... but I am a Taoist. What else should I wear besides a Taoist robe?"

Hearing the fatty's words, Fang Yi was taken aback. He had worn this outfit since he could remember and had tied his legs for over a decade. Taking off the Taoist robe made him feel lost.

"Who said you are a Taoist?"

The fatty said irritably, "Just because you grew up with the old Taoist, you're a little Taoist? Fang Yi, since you're going down the mountain, you need to keep up with the times. Even Taoists can leave the order. Don't argue, let's go home and change clothes first..."

The closer they got to the village, the more familiar faces they encountered. The fatty was already tired of explaining, and he didn't want the villagers to look at Fang Yi with curious eyes.

"Dad, I'm back..."

The fatty's house was at the entrance of the village. After entering the yard surrounded by a fence, the fatty kicked the barking dog and saw his father, Wei Dahu, coming out of the house, making him shrink his neck.

"Where have you been running around?" Before the fatty's father could finish his sentence, he saw Fang Yi and paused, hesitating, "Hua Zi, is this... Little Fang Yi from the mountain?"

"Uncle Wei, it's me..." Fang Yi stepped forward, took off his basket, and said, "Uncle Wei, I just came down from the mountain and didn't bring anything. I picked some mushrooms for you, they are all fresh..."

Although he grew up on the mountain, Fang Yi understood the principle that politeness never hurts. He had picked the mushrooms to bring to Sanpao, but since they were at the fatty's house first, he naturally gave them as a gift.

"You, you came and brought something?"

Wei Dahu walked up to Fang Yi, looked him over carefully, and nodded, "Hmm, you look better than Hua Zi and are polite. It's a pity that your master held you back..."

Speaking of Fang Yi, he had a deep connection with the Wei family. When he was a baby and lacked milk, he drank the fatty's mother's milk, so he had been familiar with the Wei family since childhood. When Fang Yi was six or seven years old, Wei Dahu had gone up the mountain to find the old Taoist, hoping to send Fang Yi to school.

However, the old Taoist did not let Fang Yi go down the mountain and gave a reason that made Wei Dahu furious, saying that Fang Yi would face a bloody disaster if he went down the mountain. Wei Dahu was so angry that he almost had people dismantle the old Taoist's temple.

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