I gently patted Xixi's arm to indicate that it was okay.
I'm not a reckless girl, so I was aware of the risks of going behind the door.
But since we're already here, we have no choice but to trust this uncle.
"Xixi, wait for me here, I'll go and see what's going on," I said to Xixi.
Xixi didn't let go, holding my arm tightly: "No, we have to go together. How can I let you go in alone? We'd still be friends!"
Looking at the stubborn Xixi, I couldn't help but feel moved.
In my short life of just over twenty years, Xixi has been my only good friend.
No matter how dark the world is, she is like my little sun, illuminating my whole world.
I smiled and nodded: "Then let's go in together."
So, I took Xixi with me and we went through that small door.
As I walked through the small door, I was amazed by the view behind it.
A ray of warm sunlight shone on my face, and the view behind the door was so beautiful and refreshing.
There stood a row of bronze swords, about a dozen in total, inserted into stone scabbards at different angles.
There's also a small fountain in the courtyard.
That's right, it's a spacious courtyard!
Inside the courtyard, next to the fountain, there was a very large tree of unknown species.
The branches are as thick as my four thighs, and the main trunk requires four people to encircle it.
The leaves are also very lush, like an afro.
The green trees and vines seem to reach for the sky.
Further inside, there is a circular, open space.
I took two steps back and looked at it from the side; there was a Tai Chi symbol drawn on it.
The outer ring also bears sixteen large characters: Gan Kan Gen Zhen Xun Li Kun Dui, Xiu Sheng Shang Du Jing Si Jing Kai, which is particularly striking!
Further inside, there are two large halls, arranged at a 90-degree angle.
One door faces south, and the other door faces west.
Let's call it the main hall and the side hall for now.
Looking inside from the main hall entrance, there is a table against the north wall, with two chairs on each side.
Judging from its appearance, it must be for entertaining guests.
Just as I was about to step inside, my eyes involuntarily turned to a spot not far from the doorway, and I was immediately speechless!
There, a coin-operated children's rocking horse was placed.
That's right! It's one of those rocking cars where your dad's dad is called grandpa!
It still features the Lazy King from the Green Green Grassland, which is quite eye-catching!
At that moment, I was completely shattered!
Such a magnificent courtyard, such a formal inner hall, such an imposing Bagua diagram, and yet, at the very end, you put a children's rocking horse here? What the heck is that?!
The stark contrast left me speechless, so I covered my head and tried to gather my thoughts.
At that moment, I was completely stunned.
When Xixi saw the rocking horse, she ran over immediately, quickly took out a one-yuan coin from her wallet, and put it into Lazy King's Ice Cream Hairstyle.
The next moment, the lazy king's voice rang out: "Little friend, are you holding onto the handrail properly?"
Xixi nodded excitedly, her face beaming, "Hold on tight! Hold on tight!"
A few seconds later, the Lazy King's voice rang out again: "Get ready, I'm about to begin!"
"Don't underestimate me just because I'm a sheep; sheep are incredibly clever!"
Xixi sat in the rocking horse, pointing her little hand forward: "Go! Defeat the Big Bad Wolf and marry the Red Wolf!"
I stared at Xixi with a blank expression, feeling my IQ steadily declining.
The uncle walked out of the main hall. He was now wearing a Taoist robe, but it didn't look like the one in Uncle Ying's movies.
Instead, it resembled the plain striped robes worn by people in ancient times, except that the cuffs and back were embroidered with Bagua (Eight Trigrams) patterns.
The uncle had a smile on his face as he looked at Xixi, who was having a great time on the rocking horse, as if he were looking at his own daughter.
I looked at the uncle, and his eyes told me that he must have his own story.
That story might be very painful!
The middle-aged man seemed to notice me looking at him, and quickly looked away, chuckling dryly, "Ah, haha, it's good to be young."
"I miss my younger days so much!"
Seeing the somewhat forlorn look on the older man's face, I felt a mix of emotions: "You were young once too, weren't you?"
The uncle paused for a moment after hearing my words, then burst into laughter: "Hahaha, yes, there's nothing to regret. I've also experienced youth and lived through that period of my life."
"Alright, let's get down to business."
"As you can see, regular customers don't usually come into this courtyard."
"As you've probably guessed, the antique shop is just a front. My true identity is a Taoist priest from the Shangqing School of Maoshan!"
I covered my mouth in surprise. I never imagined that the Maoshan Taoist priests, whom I had only heard about on television, actually existed in reality.
This undoubtedly changed my perception of the world.
As a high-achieving student, I have always advocated the principle of prioritizing science.
These tales about ghosts and spirits are just stories to be listened to.
I never imagined that one day something like this would happen to me.
The older man noticed that I wasn't speaking and figured out what I was thinking:
"This line of work isn't as exaggerated as you think. It just involves some basic Taoist techniques that ordinary people don't know."
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