Chapter 430: A Broken Statue, a Life Without Control
at the same time.
A certain time and space, a certain world.
At the foot of a towering mountain, two figures, one tall and one short, one old and one young, were walking on a muddy path in the mountain stream.
Walking in front was a young man, about twelve or thirteen years old, with delicate features and the air of a scholar. He was carrying a backpack, which contained some wooden tablets, bamboo slips, etc. that were inconvenient to carry.
A few steps behind was an old man, wearing plain cloth, leaning on a cane, with gray hair and a slightly hunched back. As he walked, he shouted, "Little guy, walk slower, I can't keep up with you."
Hearing this, the young man stopped and stood there waiting.
After the old man approached, he sat down on a piece of bluestone next to the young man and panted heavily, saying, "Take a break, take a break."
Seeing this, the young man put down his bag, took out a bamboo slip from it, and began to flip through it and read.
"Little guy, everyone knows that immortals are respected and Taoism is important. It is useless to read these books."
The old man glanced at the young man and said with a smile.
"Old man, you don't understand."
"For someone like me, the biggest dream is to go to Beijing to take the imperial examination, gain a good reputation, honor my parents, and live a good life. That's enough."
"Let the gods in heaven go, they have nothing to do with me."
The young man said as he read the book.
"I don't understand?" Hearing the young man's arrogant tone, the old man was also stunned for a moment, and then continued to ask: "Are you really not envious of the gods in heaven?"
"That's a soaring dragon, with vast immortal clouds, and it's free and unfettered."
After saying this, the young man shook his head: "I'm not envious."
"Then why did you come with me to the Black and White Mountain to worship the gods today?" The old man looked at the young man, trying to reveal his true thoughts.
Hearing this, the young man still did not put down the bamboo slips in his hand, and replied seriously: "My mother asked me to come."
"You know, I don't want to make my mother sad."
"He hopes that I will become an immortal and learn from you."
At this point, the young man put down the bamboo slips in his hand and looked at the old man with a strange expression: "Old man, are you really a Taoist?"
"I see you are out of breath after climbing a mountain."
Facing the young man's skeptical expression, the old man clapped his legs and laughed, "Hahahaha."
"Actually, you are still interested in cultivating immortals."
As soon as these words came out, the young man's cheeks turned red, and then he asked very seriously: "Old man, I want to ask you, after becoming a powerful immortal, can I freely control my future destiny?"
Because in the eyes of the young man, his demands are not high, he just wants to live his own life. He goes to Beijing to take the exam in order to choose a life that he can control himself without being interfered with by others.
Hearing this, the old man was stunned. A light flashed in his turbid eyes. He remained silent for a long time on this question.
Finally, he smiled and replied, "I will answer this question after we reach the top and worship the gods."
"Okay, let's go."
"Have you rested yet?"
The young man stood up and said to the panting old man.
"No hurry, no hurry, sit for a while."
After saying that, the young man glared at him unhappily. Although this old man had been in their village for several years and got along well with the uncles and aunts and was a nice person, he really couldn't understand why they thought he was an immortal?
Which immortal would be out of breath after climbing a mountain?
The old man sat on the bluestone, looking up at the top of the mountain, wondering what he was thinking about.
After resting for a while, the two continued to climb to the top of the mountain along the mountain road.
This mountain is called "Black and White Mountain".
Because every winter, when it snows, the top of the mountain is covered with snow, but no snow can be seen below the mountainside, forming a clear black and white picture, so it is called "Black and White Mountain".
However, the most important thing is not this, but the "divine view" on the top of the mountain.
It is said that there are statues of gods worshipped in the "Shenguan".
However, ordinary mortals cannot reach the top. Only with the guidance of an "immortal" can one reach the top.
This is also why the young man doubted whether the old man was really capable and whether he could really take him to the top.
They walked until dark and finally reached the summit.
The top of the mountain is a flat area with no trees, just a bare patch. All you can see are the rubble on the ground and the lonely Taoist temple.
This Taoist temple looks very dilapidated. Is it really the legendary "holy temple"?
The young man showed a puzzled expression.
Also, doesn’t it say in the books that one must have an immortal to lead the way to the summit of the Black and White Mountain?
But, the two of them came up easily, and he was the one walking in the front!
The old man clearly didn't play any role in leading the way!
Suddenly, the young man felt something cold on his face. He touched it with his hand and found it was a snowflake.
Is it snowing?
But it's summer now, why is it snowing?
The old man looked up at the falling snowflakes, his eyes as sharp as torches, as if he was peeping into the endless void and saw a certain picture, a certain scene. At this moment, a ripple finally appeared in his calm state of mind.
"Grandpa, it's only June, why is it snowing?" The young man asked puzzledly as he looked at the old man who was staring up at the sky in a daze.
Hearing this, the old man was silent for a few seconds before he slowly replied: "Snow is falling in June, someone is changing their fate."
After these words were spoken, the young man was stunned. He was confused and felt that the old man was talking nonsense.
"Come with me."
As he spoke, the old man walked towards the dilapidated Taoist temple in front, and the young man followed behind him.
The door of the Taoist temple was sealed and covered with dust, which showed that no one had been here for a long, long time.
The old man stretched out his shriveled hand and slowly pushed open the wooden door.
Crunch——
Accompanied by a sound, a breeze blew the snow and blew a snowflake into the Taoist temple.
After entering the Taoist temple, the old man took out three white candles from his sleeves.
Gently touching the wick, the candle was lit in an instant, illuminating the dim Taoist temple.
At this time, the young man following the old man also looked at the sculpture in front of him with the faint candlelight.
This sculpture is a seated figure wearing a simple Taoist robe.
The statue has its eyes closed, looking sacred and solemn.
The statue sits on a platform made of wood. If you look closely, you will find that the platform is made of half white jade and half black stone.
When the young man's eyes fell on the statue, he was shaken and wanted to worship it uncontrollably.
Then he put down the bag on his back and knelt down reverently to worship the statue.
At this time, the young man looked at the old man and asked in confusion: "Old man, aren't you kneeling?"
After these words were spoken, the old man remained silent, staring intently at the statue.
(End of this chapter)
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