"My lord, I really can help you. I'm not as delicate as you think," Lanqin said, looking up. She even regretted coming to this mysterious and treacherous mountain with Fourth Master in the dead of winter.
Looking at the little woman's pleading eyes and earnest words, the Fourth Master felt a slight softening in his heart. However, when he thought of Lanqin lying in his arms with her eyes closed, and the scene of him almost going crazy, the Fourth Master did not want to experience that panic and helplessness again.
"No, I don't want anything to happen to you, otherwise I won't be able to control myself. I promise you, I will definitely come back safely!" Fourth Master said solemnly, holding Lanqin's shoulders with both hands.
Lanqin wanted to say something, but Fourth Master pressed his lips to hers, and then Fourth Master kissed her, instantly burying Lanqin in a secret and passionate kiss.
The following day, after instructing Su Peisheng to take good care of Lanqin, Fourth Master took Ling Feng and Zhou Haotian out.
After Lanqin got up, she would go over to check on the child named Gouwa from time to time, only to find him still unconscious. The woman didn't make a fuss; she just stayed by his side, patiently waiting for Master Zhou to return.
"Auntie, why hasn't Gouwa's father come?" Lanqin accompanied the auntie. She was now waiting for Fourth Master to return, just as she was waiting for Master Zhou.
"Oh, Gouwa is a poor child; his father died a long time ago." The aunt didn't seem too sad when she mentioned this.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought up such a sad thing. That auntie is raising a child alone, it must be very difficult for her,” Lanqin said. She had wanted to ask the auntie more about the Taoist priest, but when she heard the auntie mention the child’s father’s death, she felt a little apologetic and didn’t ask any more questions.
"It's nothing. Anyway, it's not a good thing that guy is alive. He might even drag me and Gouwa down with him," the woman said.
Lanqin was surprised by her words and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"
"Well, that's a long story. We all rely on the Quanzhen Sect here. In fact, all the mountain people here depend on the Taoist priests on the mountain for their livelihood. For example, the mountain needs vegetables, water, food, firewood, cloth, and even night soil, all of which require people. The Quanzhen Sect members don't do these things; they're all busy refining elixirs," the auntie said.
"Alchemy?" Lanqin asked, frowning.
"Yes, let me tell you. Those people on the mountain keep saying they want to practice some kind of golden elixir so they can live forever!" the aunt whispered to Lanqin.
"Auntie, how did you know?" Lanqin asked the woman in surprise.
She chuckled softly, "Because I'm a night soil collector. I go back every few days. My deadbeat husband used to go up the mountain with me to collect night soil, but who knew he would steal some kind of elixir and come back dead a few days later."
“Since Gouwa’s father died after consuming the Taoist’s elixir, why didn’t you report it to the authorities? Why did you let him die like that?” Lanqin looked at the seemingly honest and simple woman with disbelief.
The woman seemed to have her secrets exposed by Lanqin, a look of pain flashing across her face. She then said, "Alas, we rely on the sect for survival. His father stole food from others, how can we report him to the authorities? Besides, those officials are all consuming elixirs, they won't care, and might even punish me. His father is already beyond saving, and if I lose this job, how will Gouwa be fed?"
Lanqin fell silent. Although the woman's words were unpleasant to hear, they were indeed the truth about the lives of ordinary people like them.
"Great God, please take this." Lanqin asked Sihua to fetch some silver and handed it to the woman.
"Oh dear, what is this? I can't accept it. I shouldn't accept something I haven't done right by." The woman saw Lanqin trying to give her silver, but she refused to accept it.
“Gouwa has no father, so consider this my donation to send him to school. Auntie, now that the child is better, please use this money to send him to school,” Lanqin said.
"Oh my, you are such a kind person, madam. Master Zhou here is a very kind man; he treated my illness without charging me any money," the aunt said.
"Auntie, those Taoist priests are so focused on refining the elixir, how do they support the entire sect?" Lanqin asked.
"Naturally, it's all about selling these elixirs. All those high-ranking officials and nobles come here seeking these elixirs in order to achieve immortality," the auntie said.
A bead of sweat slid down Lanqin's forehead. In her memory, the Quanzhen Sect was a sect that valued martial arts cultivation and had a sense of social responsibility. Founded in the Song Dynasty, it had a history of nearly a thousand years. Wudang Mountain had always been the ancestral home of the Quanzhen Sect. Although their sect didn't accept as many disciples as before, they had managed to preserve the Quanzhen Sect's name and pass it down through generations, a remarkable feat. But she never imagined that some members of the Quanzhen Sect today would practice alchemy for personal gain; it was truly despicable.
"Do all the Taoist priests inside practice alchemy? Is no one practicing martial arts anymore?" Lanqin asked.
"From what I see, not many people practice martial arts anymore. The sect's four disciples are now in charge of the sect's mundane affairs, and they're all alchemists. It's said they even compare their golden pills to each other. Of course, there are also failed golden pills. For example, my husband stole a failed golden pill and consumed it, which is why he lost his life," the auntie said.
Lanqin's mind went blank. This time, she and Fourth Master had come here, and she was afraid they would be drawn into their internal strife.
"Madam, are you going into the mountains also to seek the elixir of immortality?" the aunt asked.
“Of course not. We were just passing through and decided to visit the centuries-old Taoist temple on the mountain. I didn’t expect that they would now focus on refining the Golden Elixir instead of martial arts,” Lanqin quickly replied.
"Ah, actually this is just what the current sect leader is keen on. It wasn't like this before," the woman said.
"What was it like before?" Lanqin asked.
"They used to practice martial arts and cultivate their minds and bodies every day. But since more than ten years ago, the sect suddenly started refining elixirs," the aunt said.
"Auntie, do you know if anyone objects to taking elixirs like this?" Lanqin asked.
"Master Zhou objected, so he left that place and moved here to treat our illnesses," the auntie said.
"The Daoist Master objects?" Lanqin was quite surprised. "Is this the reason why Daoist Master Zhou turned against the Quanzhen Sect?"
The woman nodded and said, "Master Zhou doesn't believe in those things. He says there's no such thing as immortality in this world, but none of his followers listen to him."
"Auntie, how exactly does Master Zhou make a living? I see that although this clinic is simple, the buildings are complete, and it has all the equipment to treat the villagers," Lanqin asked.
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