Chapter 270 The Taoist Priest is Back
The fabric of his Taoist robe was more drapey and flowing than before.
Sensing her gaze, he turned to the side, a perfectly ordinary smile in his eyes.
He didn't seem surprised at all to see Song Chunxue here.
The shopkeeper was very polite. He bowed slightly, smiled, said something, and then turned to go inside to greet the customers.
Then, the Taoist priest put his hands behind his back and watched Song Chunxue walk down the steps toward her.
For some reason, Song Chunxue's eyes welled up with tears when she saw her senior brother appear before her again.
It felt like seeing a long-lost relative, or perhaps the most important person in my life.
At that moment, she realized with absolute clarity that it was her senior brother who had pulled her out of that quagmire of suffering, allowing her to live a peaceful life she had never dared to dream of before.
Her senior brother was her guiding light, the one who led her to a brighter future when she was facing a dead end.
He stood before her with a faint smile on his face, like an ordinary old friend.
"It's sunny and bright today, with no wind or rain. Did you see a ghost? Why are your eyes wet?"
He bent down and took out two snow-white handkerchiefs from his sleeve, one embroidered with orchids and the other with bamboo.
"People in the Central Plains are so rich. Street vendors are selling handkerchiefs for ten coins for two. I like bamboo, so here's an orchid for you."
He handed the handkerchief to Song Chunxue, and perhaps seeing that she was losing control of her emotions, he lowered his voice slightly, "Wipe yourself off, and your senior brother will take you to eat roast chicken."
Song Chunxue took the handkerchief and looked at the exquisitely embroidered handkerchief, and couldn't help but laugh, "I didn't cry or anything, but what kind of material is this? Why is it so smooth?"
"Silk, of course it's smooth."
"Senior brother is lying to ghosts. Silk ones are only ten coins for two, and you can't even necessarily buy linen ones." Song Chunxue carefully examined the handkerchief in her hand. "It's very beautiful. I'll take it home and enshrine it."
The Taoist priest walked ahead, turning to look at him helplessly, "Your senior brother has money, he can just buy more when the handkerchief wears out, it won't break."
“That’s different. This silk probably wouldn’t even cost a hundred coins. I’ll just embroider two pieces next time.”
The Taoist priest raised an eyebrow. "Oh ho, Junior Brother can embroider?"
Not to be outdone, Song Chunxue retorted, "Oh ho, you underestimate me, huh? Let's go to the cloth shop up ahead and get two feet of nice silk and brocade, and see if I can embroider it."
As they were talking, the Taoist priest stopped in front of a tavern, intending to take Song Chunxue to eat roast chicken.
Song Chunxue was wondering what she would do with the money; she could make it at home anyway.
But looking at my senior brother, he's dressed differently from before, his hair is clean and neat, and his hair ornament is made of jade. He must have made a fortune somewhere.
She didn't stand on ceremony and followed him around, eating and drinking for free.
They sat down by the window, enjoying the gentle spring breeze.
The person opposite her was her senior brother, and Song Chunxue felt exceptionally calm.
"Now that your senior brother's matter is resolved, has Master scolded you for arbitrarily recognizing a junior brother?"
The Taoist priest placed the whisk on the table and poured two cups of hot tea.
"No, he also said that when there is an opportunity, he would like me to take you to visit him and make up for the formal apprenticeship ceremony. Master also praised you for your courage, saying that it is rare for a junior brother to be able to calm down and learn to read and draw talismans even when his child is old."
As he spoke, the Taoist priest took out a small brocade box from his wide sleeves.
"This is a talisman your master gave you."
Song Chunxue was curious and noticed that the patterns on it looked a bit strange, but as she looked at it more, she recognized them.
The talisman, so intricate yet so smoothly drawn, was the one she had always wanted to learn but never knew where to begin—a talisman to sever unwanted romantic entanglements!
"Master is truly amazing; he even knows what kind of talisman I need most." Song Chunxue happily accepted it. "Please thank Master for me. I will definitely take good care of him in the future."
The Taoist priest smiled and said, "My master guessed that you would say that, and asked me to tell you that cultivating yourself well and maintaining your original intention is the greatest way to show your respect to him."
As he spoke, Master Zhang couldn't help but lift his legs and sit cross-legged on the wooden chair.
"Yes, I've been meditating and circulating my qi these days, but I don't know about the eight extraordinary meridians that my senior brother mentioned. I feel like something's missing, and I'm thinking of asking him for guidance when he comes back."
"That's easy. I'll find you a diagram tomorrow. Medicine and the art of healing are inseparable. You need to start learning about acupoints and meridians so that you can practice with ease."
At this point, the dishes my senior brother ordered were served, along with a pot of warmed wine that smelled like apricot blossom wine.
"How's the talisman drawing coming along?"
The Taoist priest pointed to the spicy diced chicken on the table and said, "Roast chicken is not as good as this. I temporarily changed two meat dishes for you. There is also a braised pork knuckle that has not been served yet."
"Thank you for your hospitality, senior brother," Song Chunxue said with great anticipation upon hearing about the braised pork knuckle. "I'm quite skilled at drawing lucky charms now, and I've even sold ten of them."
"oh?"
Master Zhang asked curiously, "Who's the fool with so much money who bought ten tickets without fear of losing money?"
Song Chunxue retorted, "Didn't my senior brother say I have good fortune? You even wanted a painting from me before, have you forgotten?"
"You have a good memory," Master Zhang poured two glasses of wine, handed one to her, and said casually, "Then give me a few."
Song Chunxue had been waiting for him to say that, and she took out a cloth bag from her bosom that was specially used to hold talismans.
"There are ten inside, I'll give them all to you."
Master Zhang's lips twitched slightly. "Do you think my senior brother is as greedy as you, asking for ten at a time? Why don't you give him a hundred?"
"From now on, when someone buys something, give them a maximum of two tickets, one is best, understand?"
Song Chunxue held out her hand, "Then give me the rest."
"Smack!"
The Taoist priest held the cloth bag heavily in his hand. "There's no reason to take it back; it's bad luck."
Seeing him quickly tuck it into his clothes, Song Chunxue couldn't help but chuckle, but she refrained from laughing out of politeness.
They chatted about this and that for a long time, and the pot of wine was emptied.
Song Chunxue drank five cups and felt that her alcohol tolerance had increased. At this moment, her face was not hot and her heart was not flustered. She even felt a little happy.
Just as she finished eating, took a sip of wine, and gazed contentedly out the window, she saw someone dismount from a horse not far away, staring straight at her as they walked towards her.
"Oh no, Senior Brother," Song Chunxue hurriedly said, "Someone might come and cause trouble later. Don't take it to heart, he..."
"Song Chunxue, and who is this man?"
As she spoke, Mei Yang angrily pushed open the door to the side room.
Instead of staying home after being stabbed, he ran up the stairs so fast that his lips turned white when he leaned on the door frame.
"Oh?" The Taoist priest looked at Song Chunxue with great interest. "You know what, junior brother's peach blossom is not bad."
"..." Song Chunxue sighed, wondering if he was just watching the show.
"Unfortunately, after today, it won't be peach blossom season anymore." The Taoist priest stood up. "This believer, it's a pleasure to meet you. I am a Taoist practitioner, and Song Chunxue is my junior brother. She is now a Taoist disciple."
Mei Yang looked at Song Chunxue in astonishment, "Are you really cultivating Taoism?"
Although she has not formally become an apprentice, she meditates and learns to read every morning and evening, and she can now diligently practice the incantations, which is much more serious than those perfunctory monks.
“That’s right, that’s why I’m so strong. If you want to cultivate, you can become my disciple.”
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