Chapter 28: Blessing you with peace, success, happiness, freedom from illness, pain, and disaster...

"Excuse me, is this Chang Le Guan?" Chang Xile finally remembered that she still had important things to do. She had to find the other two as soon as possible, otherwise it would be dangerous to wait until dark to walk the mountain road. "I got separated from my friend. Do you know the way around here?"

The Taoist smiled but didn't answer. He stroked his beard and said, "I haven't asked yet, how did you get in?"

"Walking in, alternating from left foot to right?" Chang Xile pinched the brocade pouch in his pocket. Dai Shanyan had been silent for a long time, perhaps out of fear of the Taoist priest. Chang Xile could understand. After all, he had already died once; it would be a great injustice to be executed again.

The Taoist priest seemed dissatisfied with her answer and asked, "Didn't you look at the plaque before entering? This is the Laughter Temple, and in front of you is the statue of the Laughter Goddess."

Chang Xile was truly baffled. She took several steps back and retreated to the main gate. Once she saw where the plaque should have been, she pointed at the top of the gate and said unhappily, "Even offerings to the immortals should be done with care. Look, one side of the plaque has fallen off, and the vines have completely covered it!"

The Taoist priest immediately felt guilty upon hearing this. He didn't follow out to confirm. Instead, he stroked his beard again, pulled a scroll from the wooden chest behind him, and handed it to Chang Xile. "I only know how to get down the mountain. Take the map and return home quickly. This isn't the place for you."

Chang Xile took the map and examined it carefully. It was a sketch of simple lines, drawn crookedly. While the general layout matched Anping's, it was extremely simplistic and could only guide people down the mountain.

She thanked the Taoist priest but insisted, "I have to meet up with my friend. Do you know how to get to Chang Le Guan?" She had just checked, but her phone still had no signal. Anping had a map, and since he and Yang Guisi were together, they shouldn't get lost.

It was getting dark. Instead of searching aimlessly in the mountains and forests, it was better to head straight for the destination we had decided on from the beginning—Changleguan. Perhaps they had already arrived.

"You young people, why do you have to go to Changjin?" The Taoist priest seemed reluctant to mention this place. He rolled his eyes and grinned, "It's the same if you come to worship our Goddess of Laughter! She's very effective."

His expression looked strangely vulgar, like a street tout. He waited for Chang Xile to sneer or curse furiously.

Chang Xile, however, looked up, carefully examining the enormous stone statue of the Laughing Goddess. While majestic, the statue never made visitors feel insignificant. The Laughing Goddess lowered her eyes, gazing intently at each visitor. A closer look revealed a faint smile at the corners of the statue's mouth. Under her gaze, the clamor of the world seemed to subside.

Chang Xile didn't say anything. She just closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and moved her lips slightly, as if she was reciting something.

Grandma said that the content of the prayer cannot be read out loud, but must be made silently in the heart to God, otherwise it will not work.

Everything suddenly became quiet, even the sound of the wind stopped.

This prayer lasted a long time, but if anyone had listened to Chang Xile's inner voice, they would have discovered that she was repeating the same sentence.

Because my grandma also said: Don't be too greedy when making a wish to God. God's ears are filled with too many believers' voices. You have to concentrate on one thing every day for years before he can hear you.

Therefore, although Chang Xile didn't believe in God that much—at least not in the past—every time she encountered this situation, she would clasp her hands together and sincerely repeat the words:

“May I and those I love be safe, happy, and free from illness, pain, and disaster.”

Although the old Taoist priest couldn't hear what she was praying for, his expression suddenly became unusually calm. He quietly waited for Chang Xile to finish worshiping the statue, and then watched her open her eyes.

Chang Xile bowed again. "Anyway, thank you for the map." She turned and prepared to go find Chang Leguan herself. If this Lady of Laughter was truly as powerful as the old Taoist claimed, would she bless her and help her reach her destination safely? Would she also bless Anping and Yang Guisi?

The old Taoist suddenly called her.

"You still plan to go to Changleguan, right?" he asked.

"Yes." Chang Xile nodded.

She was too unlucky to just sit there and wait for good luck to come. She had to do something to feel at ease.

"Turn left when you go out, keep going straight, and when you see a huge rock, look up and you will find where you want to go." After the old Taoist said this, he walked into the inner room with a look of disappointment on his face.

Chang Xile was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening. She said happily, "Thank you! Next time I'll definitely bring some fruits and incense to fulfill my vow!"

It may not be polite to say, but this smile seems a bit decadent, otherwise it would not be so old-fashioned, and the old Taoist would not have recruited Chang Xile to worship the gods at his age.

In this case, Chang Xile thought that she could still visit from time to time in the future to add some popularity. She liked the feeling this place gave her.

The old Taoist watched Chang Xile skipping out the door and sighed softly, "It's better not to come next time."

Chang Xile followed the direction indicated by the old Taoist priest, and when he slowly walked out of the woods, he felt that the view in front of him suddenly opened up.

"I'm dying of suffocation. Finally I can speak." Dai Shanyan's voice came suddenly, scaring Chang Xile.

"I almost forgot about you." Chang Xile fished in his pocket and took out the brocade bag. He asked Dai Shanyan, "Why were you silent just now?"

"I'm scared." Dai Shanyan's voice was loud and clear, not sounding afraid at all. "How could I dare show up when there's such a huge statue there?"

Chang Xile hissed, gently pressed his fingertips to his ears, and asked curiously, "Why do I feel like your personality has changed after not seeing you for a few days?"

Even when she was in the hospital, she was still a very gentle and beautiful sick woman.

"I'm just too sick to speak, okay?" Dai Shanyan said. "After becoming like this, I feel like the pain that plagued me for years has dissipated like smoke. I feel so relaxed that I even want to sing 'Qinghai-Tibet Plateau'."

"Don't sing yet." Chang Xile didn't want to block her ears again. She put down her hands and stared blankly at the huge stone in front of her, on which were engraved the three words "Chang Le Guan".

Now, Dai Shanyan has to remain silent again.

Chang Xile carefully put the sachet away, took a deep breath, and walked uphill. The sun was setting, and night was about to fall.

If she was lucky, she hoped Anping and Yang Guisi would be waiting for her at her destination.

The popularity of Chang Guoguang was obviously more prosperous. A line of people in Taoist robes leisurely passed through the path inside the gate. A child was standing on the steps, sweeping the floor with a broom.

Chang Xile watched and suddenly thought.

Why aren't there any believers in such a nice place?

Changle Mountain is difficult to climb, but there's no shortage of people willing to challenge themselves. According to Chinese philosophy, overcoming all odds to worship the gods is a sign of piety.

But these were not important for the time being. Chang Xile was extremely tired after finding this place. She struggled to walk forward and asked the little Taoist boy sweeping the floor: "Hello, may I ask..."

She got stuck in the middle of her sentence because Yang Guisi didn't mention her master's name.

Fortunately, before she could figure out how to put it, the Taoist boy saw her attire and threw away his broom. He ran into the temple in panic, shouting, "Master, help me! Someone is coming!"

Chang Xile glanced down at herself in disbelief. Was her attire so unusual? She'd actually scared the child so much. She was so exhausted that she plopped down on the steps—it looked like someone cleaned them regularly anyway.

Chang Xile sat down on a chair, feeling a little awkward, and watched as the little Taoist boy brought her a cup of hot tea. The child couldn't hide his feelings, and his face looked like he was about to cry. This time, it wasn't because of fear, but because he was being scolded by his master.

"Shunian, please don't be rude. How can you yell at a guest who has come from afar?" The Taoist nun looked very kind. When she saw Chang Xile, she realized that she was exhausted from climbing the mountain, so she invited her to go into the temple to rest first.

The Taoist boy who called Shu Nian lowered his head even lower and muttered aggrievedly, "I'm sorry."

Chang Xile bowed her head and thanked the Taoist nun. She then touched the little Taoist boy's head and felt a prickling sensation under her hand, which seemed to be the roots of new hair growing out after he shaved his head. She smiled and said, "It's okay."

The Taoist boy raised his head and rubbed his head uncomfortably. He glanced at his master, and when he saw the master nod, his eyes suddenly brightened up again. He bowed happily to Chang Xile and ran out of the room.

The two watched the little Taoist boy walk away. The Taoist nun spoke first, "Shunian grew up in Changleguan and has never met outsiders. I was rude to you today. I apologize for him again."

"It's okay, it's okay! It's not a big deal, I don't take it to heart. Master, please don't scold him anymore." Chang Xile really didn't think there was anything rude about it. After all, it was normal for a child to make some noise.

"Children are at the age of learning to distinguish right from wrong. Even though you don't care, I still care." The Taoist nun said lightly, "Miss, I'm not a master, you can just call me Nian Ci. You must have suffered a lot along the way. I wonder if there is anything we can do to help you?" She didn't say any more pleasantries and got straight to the point.

Chang Xile recounted the story of how she and her friend got separated, but skipped the part where Dai Shanyan led the way for her, and asked An Ping and others if they had also been to Changleguan.

Apparently, Chang Xile's luck was as bad as ever. The Taoist nun pondered for a moment, then shook her head: "You're the only outsider who's been to the temple today."

"It's getting dark, and fog will form in the Changle Mountain forest, making it even harder to find you." Master Nianci stood up and said seriously, "I'll ask the people in the temple to look for you. We should be familiar with the roads here."

Chang Xile stood up and bowed to Master Nianci. She asked, "Is there anything I can do to help? Can I go with you to find my friend?"

Master Nianci shook her head. "You don't know the way. If you go out rashly, you might get lost again. Please describe your friend's appearance carefully so that we can use it to find him."

Chang Xile carefully explained Anping and Yang Guisi's clothing and facial features today, and she even drew a picture.

A young Taoist nun named Renxin looked at Chang Xile's painting and tried to summarize it: "A white-haired man and a woman with long black hair and three white eyes?"

"right."

A group of people set off in a crowd, and Chang Xile's somewhat abstract painting was placed on the table.