Volume Two, Step by Step to Victory, Chapter 18: Master Ziying
Although it was early, the post road was bustling with activity, filled with the sounds of mules, horses, cart wheels, and shouts. After traveling about seven or eight li, it gradually quieted down, leaving only the rumbling of cart wheels.
Ruan Bi lifted a corner of the bamboo curtain and saw a vast, fertile plain stretching as far as the eye could see. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and wisps of smoke rose into the air. Along the post road, the rice was half-ripe, and farmers wearing straw hats were working in the fields, creating a picturesque rural scene.
"Fifth Sister," the Fourth Sister called softly.
Ruan Bi turned to look at her.
The fourth sister said, "I haven't thanked you yet because my sister helped me that day."
"Such a trivial matter is nothing to worry about. Sister, you don't need to take it to heart."
The fourth sister lowered her eyes, twisted her handkerchief, and asked, "Fifth sister, am I... overestimating myself?"
That was a difficult question to answer. After thinking for a moment, Ruan Bi said, "My elder sister has an aunt and a younger brother, so naturally she has to worry about things more than her younger sister."
Thinking of Aunt Lin, who had been whipped thirty times, the fourth sister sighed sadly and said, "What's the use of worrying? It only makes things worse..."
Ruan Bi frowned slightly. She didn't know her well, and the topic wasn't easy, so after thinking for a moment, she simply stopped talking.
The fourth sister was very clever. She immediately relaxed her brows, took Ruan Bi's hand and said, "Let's not talk about this anymore... By the way, I heard that you want to learn embroidery again? Why don't you come to my room to do needlework together in the future? If you don't understand, I can give you some pointers."
Although she didn't understand why the woman was being so friendly, Ruan Bi knew that women in this era were indispensable in all aspects: virtue, speech, manners, and appearance. Since someone was willing to teach her, she was naturally willing to learn. She immediately thanked the Fourth Sister and said, "Then I thank you in advance."
"You're too kind, sister. We're sisters and live in the same courtyard, so it's only right that we look after each other."
"Sister is right."
The conversation ended, and the conversation fell silent.
The fourth sister's eyes flickered, and she said, "I got up early today and I'm quite tired. I'll take a short rest first. When we arrive, my sister will call me."
“Okay.” Ruan Bi nodded.
The fourth sister closed her eyes and leaned against the carriage wall, dozing off.
Ruan Bi simply rolled up the curtain halfway and looked thoughtfully at the scenery outside the window.
After traveling another ten miles, a large village appeared on both sides of the post road, with rows of houses and crisscrossing paths, and the faint sound of dogs barking could be heard.
Xiuzhi gently nudged Ruanbi, her face full of excitement, and whispered, "Miss, we've arrived."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Fourth Sister opened her eyes, lifted the curtain to take a look, and said to Ruan Bi, "Sister, there are quite a few houses near Yuxu Temple. Please lower the curtain."
Ruan Bi nodded, lowered the bamboo curtain, and asked, "Sister, have you met Master Ziying?"
The fourth sister shook her head and said, "No, Master Ziying is renowned far and wide, and not just anyone can meet him."
Ruan Bi wanted to ask more, but a long "whoosh" came from outside the carriage, and the carriage stopped.
The maids and servants who were sitting on the oxcart got off, took the footstools, and helped the two ladies and the young ladies off the carriage.
Ruan Bi looked up and saw a straight staircase leading to the mountaintop. At the summit, tiered pavilions and terraces were shrouded in mist, giving it a hazy, ethereal feel, reminiscent of a misty, dreamlike paradise. Wanting to see more, she was stopped by the steward who had already summoned eight sedan chairs. Peeking through the curtain, she saw stalls set up on both sides of the staircase by commoners dressed in simple cloth, selling all sorts of sweets, incense, seasonal fruits, and knitwear…
After passing through the archway and the mountain gate, everyone disembarked from their sedan chairs.
A Taoist nun in her thirties, dressed in green, came over, politely bowed to the First Madam and the Second Madam, exchanged a few pleasantries, and led everyone inside. After passing through several main halls, they arrived at a quiet little hall at the back, with three large characters inscribed on it: "Hall of Longevity".
Although the Hall of Longevity was small, it felt rather empty because it only contained prayer cushions and an altar. There were no statues in the hall, only a colorful painting on the north-facing wall. In the center of the painting was an immortal wearing an imperial crown, surrounded by a group of smaller immortals. Ruan Bi had visited some Taoist temples before and recognized the immortal wearing the imperial crown in the painting as the Emperor of Longevity, who also had another name: the Antarctic Immortal.
The nun in green invited everyone to sit on the prayer cushions. Several younger nuns served tea on lacquered trays, which were returned to the group after everyone had drunk their tea. A little while later, a younger nun brought in a silver basin with water, sprinkling a few drops on each person while murmuring incantations, presumably for a bath. Then the nun in green led the younger nuns out, and an older nun in a shimmering silver robe, carrying a whisk, entered. She walked straight to the altar and sat down, her low chanting beginning…
In the morning, I performed a longevity ritual to ward off illness and prolong life. After lunch, I performed a peace ritual to pray for blessings and gratitude.
After the Taiping Diet was finished, it was already 3:45 PM. Then, a Taoist nun came to lead everyone to the "Xichen Mountain Residence" in the backyard to stay.
After a long and tiring day, Ruan Bi was exhausted. As soon as she entered the house, she took off her shoes and lay down on the bed, watching Xiuzhi take out her belongings one by one.
Half an incense stick later, Baozhen called from outside the door: "Fifth Miss, the First Madam requests your presence."
"Xiuzhi, you don't need to follow me. Pack your things and get some rest," Ruan Bi said as she got out of bed, put on her shoes, and left the room. Baozhen stood waiting on the white rock, while the second young lady stood under the eaves not far away, looking at her with a strange expression, as if she were gloating, but also a little disgusted and fearful.
Baozhen took Ruanbi's hand and said, "Fifth Miss, please come with me." As she spoke, she walked towards the courtyard gate.
Ruan Bi was taken aback and asked, "Didn't Mother want to see me?"
Baozhen said with a smile, "That's right, but the First Madam isn't in the room; she's with Master Ziying."
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat.
Leaving Xichen Mountain Residence, walk east for about twenty or thirty meters, and you'll find another courtyard. On a stone next to the gate, four large characters are engraved: "Fushu Retreat". Upon entering the courtyard, the first thing you see is a cluster of banana trees, arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern, their tall branches casting long shadows, with several rows of houses hidden among the banana leaves.
Baozhen led Ruanbi to a refined house and stopped, saying, "Fifth Miss, please wait a moment while I go and inform Madam."
Ruan Bi nodded and watched Bao Zhen push the door open and go in.
A moment later, the First Madam came out with Baozhen. Standing a short distance away, she looked at Ruan Bi with a strange expression and said, "Fifth Girl, you go in. The Master is waiting for you."
Ruan Bi took a deep breath, pushed open the wooden door and went inside, whereupon the light suddenly dimmed.
The room was neither too big nor too small. Against the north wall was a pit, on which sat a small table with several scriptures and an incense burner. On the east wall hung a wooden Tai Chi diagram, and on the west wall hung a calligraphy scroll inscribed with the words "Leaving the Realm, Forgetting the Dust." In front of the pit were two large prayer cushions. On the eastern cushion sat a Taoist nun in her forties, wearing a crown, with a fair complexion and delicate features. She held a whisk in one hand and performed the Three Pure Ones Mantra in the other. She was presumably the Immortal Ziying.
Ruan Bi bowed to her and sat down on the prayer mat in front of her.
Master Ziying looked at her and said, "It's been two years since I last saw you. You've grown into a beautiful young lady."
Ruan Bi was taken aback. The Fourth Miss said she hadn't seen him, but could it be that she had? It wasn't impossible. So she said, "The real person's appearance is indeed ageless, and her charm remains unchanged."
Master Ziying remained silent for a moment, then said, "Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable, I lied just now. I have never met you before, and this is truly our first meeting."
Ruan Bi's heart skipped a beat, but her expression remained unchanged. She looked at her calmly and asked, "What is your intention in playing tricks on Ruan Bi?"
Master Ziying said, "You know perfectly well what's going on."
"I don't know, please enlighten me, sir."
"May the Amitabha Buddha vanish, evil spirits be banished!" Master Ziying chanted a verse aloud, then suddenly waved his whisk.
The whisk brushed past Ruan Bi, and a faint, chilling wind seemed to seep into her pores, reaching deep into her soul, as if lifting it up. In the blink of an eye, the wind vanished without a trace, and the floating sensation dissipated, returning her to her original position. But Ruan Bi's heart began to pound involuntarily.
Master Ziying gazed silently at Ruan Bi, then slowly withdrew his whisk. "Amitabha, young lady, do you still recognize me?"
Ruan Bi raised her eyebrows and sneered, saying, "You recognize him? Isn't he the Ziying Immortal who can predict life and death and foresee the future? Bah! What kind of immortal is he? He has neither wisdom nor insight."
Master Ziying looked at her with slight confusion and said, "Strange." He closed his eyes, made a few finger gestures, then opened his eyes again and asked, "Where did you come from, young lady?"
"From where it came from".
"Why did your personality change so drastically after your illness, and why do you not remember your past?"
Ruan Bi asked, "Does the Master know why I fell ill, and how long has it lasted?"
Master Ziying shook his head and said, "I don't know."
Ruan Bi said, “I used to be weak-willed and was falsely accused, which caused me to fall seriously ill. I was bedridden for a month and a half, and my family didn’t visit me once, and even my maids ignored me… During that month and a half, I thought about it day and night and made up my mind that I could no longer be as cowardly and incompetent as before. After I recovered, I did become decisive and ruthless, but who knew that my family would think I was possessed by a demon…”
Master Ziying asked, "Then why can't you remember your past?"
“Those sordid old stories, every time I think of them, my heart burns with rage, but what's the point of remembering them?”
"The young lady is indeed eloquent, but what she says is unreasonable."
"Really?" Ruan Bi raised her eyebrows and asked, "Then I have to ask, does a real person want to be a Taoist nun from birth?"
Master Ziying looked at Ruan Bi with a puzzled expression.
"What kind of shock was that? That made the true man see through the illusions of the world and enter the Taoist path..."
Master Ziying's expression changed almost imperceptibly.
"...From a woman of the mortal world to a female Taoist priest, has the true nature of a person changed?"
Master Ziying lowered his eyes.
"...Master, what difference is there between you and me? If you want to exorcise demons, why not start with yourself first?"
After a long while, Master Ziying looked up at Ruan Bi and smiled slightly. "What a sharp tongue you have. I understand now. Go ahead, young lady."
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