After five years of renovation, Master Qiu's Changchun Temple was officially completed.
Looking at the brand-new Taoist temple, Master Qiu respectfully offered three sticks of incense to the Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Master.
Li Xiangdong followed behind him, bowing sincerely as well.
After the ceremony, the two people came out of the main hall.
Li Xiangdong asked Master Qiu, "Now that your place is a member unit of the Taoist Association and has a plaque for a patriotic education base, why don't you take on more disciples?"
Master Qiu's eyes lit up. "What, you've changed your mind? You're willing to inherit my mantle?"
Li Xiangdong quickly stopped him, "Stop! Stop! Let's talk about serious matters!"
Master Qiu became bored again. "What important business is it? It's just burning paper money for you, isn't it?"
"Yes, yes, the country has produced too many new weapons this year, as well as spacecraft and such. Burn them all!"
Since Master Guo passed away three years ago, the task of burning paper offerings for the King of Hell has fallen to Master Qiu.
Because Li Xiangdong discovered that although this guy seemed unreliable, he actually had some real skills.
To ensure he wouldn't break his promise to the King of Hell, Li Xiangdong would always spend a lot of money to have Master Qiu burn paper offerings for him.
A raging fire engulfed a large number of paper offerings, burning for a full five hours.
That night, Li Xiangdong stayed at Changchun Temple.
A mountain spring was channeled into the backyard of Changchun Temple. Regardless of winter or summer, whether it is the rainy season or the dry season, this mountain spring always flows gently.
After dinner, Li Xiangdong sat by the mountain spring and played a game of Go with Master Qiu to aid digestion.
I don't know if Master Qiu was tired from burning paper offerings in the afternoon or from cooking dinner, but anyway, his great dragon was cut in half by Li Xiangdong.
Li Xiangdong clapped his hands and laughed, "Wow, I actually beat Changchunzi!"
Master Qiu threw down the black chess piece, rolled his eyes, and muttered curses under his breath.
Where is there any resemblance to a deity here?
"Master Qiu, don't forget you're a deity! You don't look like a celestial being at all right now!"
Master Qiu rolled his eyes. "Don't you know how I became a deity?"
Li Xiangdong picked up the chess pieces and continued to tease him, "No matter what, your reputation as a god is known throughout the country."
The key point is that many high-ranking officials and dignitaries now like to come to him for a fortune telling.
Master Qiu was initially very happy, after all, the fortune-telling fee was quite substantial, enough for him to live a life of luxury.
But after a while, he got annoyed.
"So annoying! So annoying! I have to entertain so many people every day, all of whom are already rich and powerful, yet they're still never satisfied!"
Master Qiu glared and puffed out his beard.
"So you're not going to watch it?"
Master Qiu chuckled, "Look! Why wouldn't you look? But I'll only be doing one divination per month from now on, the highest bidder wins!"
"Ha! Scarcity marketing!"
"I'm putting what I've learned into practice."
Master Qiu is a college graduate with a bachelor's degree in management.
After a long while, neither of them spoke; they just sat there quietly.
Listen quietly to the babbling brook in the mountains, the melodious chirping of unknown birds, the rustling of the wind through the treetops, and the footsteps of animals crossing the meadow...
After some time, Li Xiangdong suddenly felt compelled to ask a question, so he did.
"Old Qiu, do you know what rebirth is?"
Master Qiu kept his eyes closed and remained silent for a long time. Li Xiangdong stared at him for so long that he thought he had fallen asleep.
However, that's just how Master Qiu is; he'll pretend not to hear questions he doesn't want to answer.
Just when Li Xiangdong thought he wouldn't answer, he heard Master Qiu speak slowly.
"It's just an obsession."
Li Xiangdong pressed further, "Is it true or false? If rebirth is a person's obsession before death, then why does this reborn life feel so real every moment?"
Master Qiu casually flicked away a bee that had crawled onto him. “For example, you just killed my dragon. I’m not convinced, so I’ll play another game with you and then beat you to a pulp.”
"ah?"
"What do you mean, 'huh'? You're so stupid!"
Master Qiu rolled his eyes. "Are the chess pieces from the same set? Are you the same person? The more games you play, the more possible outcomes there are. Which outcome is fake?"
Li Xiangdong seemed to understand something, but he also felt that something was separating him from him, and he couldn't quite grasp the meaning clearly.
The more he thought about it and understood it, the less he could grasp it, and that special feeling from before seemed to drift further and further away.
Seeing his expression, Master Qiu smiled slightly, flicked his sleeves, and left, reciting, "The chess pieces remain the same, yet each game brings something new—"
Li Xiangdong was suddenly struck dumb, as if by lightning, and his mind cleared up.
Looking at Master Qiu's back now, he really did have a bit of an otherworldly air about him.
"Hey Lao Qiu, wanna drink tonight?"
Master Qiu's voice came from inside the house, "Moutai is alright, but Wuliangye is no good—"
End of article
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com