Xie Lingya was serious when he asked He Zun to invite his friends over for tea and snacks. He had put chairs and tables in the front yard recently, setting it up as a resting area, and bought more tea leaves. The visitors could order tea and melon seeds while they chatted.
The temple had no wors.h.i.+pers—alas, he could only rely on such means to earn some extra income.
He Zun was speechless for a while. But after thinking about it, he had to concede that people would rather agree to come over for tea than to pray in a temple, so he decided to change his promotion strategy.
Xie Lingya had been financially independent since starting university. Although the temple was short of money, there was no way he would ask his father for living expenses. Anyway, things weren't as bad as before—now, thanks to the business of selling melon seeds, he could afford to eat meat more often.
After some thought, Xie Lingya decided to change the empty plot in the backyard into a vegetable garden. It would allow him to cut down the expenses a bit, and save the money from Uncle He.
In the past, w.a.n.g Yuji grew melons and a variety of vegetables there. Xie Lingya used to help him tend the garden so he more or less knew what to do.
And so, when there was nothing to deal with in the front yard, Xie Lingya would farm in the backyard. To endure hards.h.i.+ps and live a simple life are signs of good character, he comforted himself.
He was busy farming when one of the tedrinking aunties came over to call him: "Xiao Xie, Xiao Xie, come, your colleague is here."
My colleague? Since when do I have colleagues?
Xie Lingya was puzzled. He put down the watering can, wiped his hands, and went to the front yard to have a look. There, he saw a man wearing Taoist robes. He looked to be in his thirties, thin mustache and a wispy beard adorned his face, and his hair was pulled up into a bun on the top of his head. He also carried a bag.
The bearded Taoist was taken by surprise when the auntie returned with Xie Lingya. Nonplussed, he said, "h.e.l.lo, can I speak with the abbot here?"
"The temple has no abbot at the moment. You can speak to me instead, Daozhang." Xie Lingya scrutinized the man, and couldn't help but feel that his facial hair was absolutely atrocious.
The priest hurried to say, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I would like to lodge here."
Taoist priests away from home could ask for accommodation in local temples; it was an ancient custom, though the rules changed through the ages. In modern times, a certified priest could live in any temple for up to three days for free. If they wanted to stay longer, they would need to pay the temple.
Xie Lingya was aware of the custom, but this was the first time he encountered the situation. There were extra rooms in the back, they just weren't tidied up yet. "Then please follow me, Daozhang. I'll let you place your luggage first, then clean up a room for you."
"Oh, thank you, thank you very much, little brother," the priest repeatedly expressed his grat.i.tude.
As Xie Lingya led him to the back, he asked casually, "I'm just curious, but in this area, Taihe Temple is much better known. Why didn't you go there instead?"
Not only better known, but the accommodations there would also definitely be better too.
The priest floundered. "This, uh… Taihe was too far away."
Suspicion rose in Xie Lingya's heart. He eyed the mustached priest for a moment, then stopped walking and said, "Oh come on, our temple is so poor and you still want to swindle us? Are you kidding?"
He lifted the edge of the priest's robes. On the inner hem were a few faint words, saying 'Longhu Scenic Area.' They could be noticed when he walked.
—Longhu Scenic Area was a tourist attraction in Niuyang City. It was a historic-themed market square, with the staff dressed in historical costumes, and actors playing roles as scholars, beggars, and fortune-tellers for added realism. There was, however, no Taoist temple there.
Xie Lingya had thought that the man's Taoist robes seemed to be of very poor quality… Well, naturally—it was just a costume, of course the quality was bad!
"No, wait, you misunderstood!" The moustache fumbled around, unsure whether to pull his clothes out of Xie Lingya's grip or to get out his ID first. "I am a real Taoist priest, I was just working there!"
Xie Lingya: "???"
What the h.e.l.l, a real Taoist priest working in a tourist attraction?
Suspicious, Xie Lingya carefully examined the priest's certificate. To his surprise, it turned out to be authentic. "Huh, it's real. But why were you working there?"
The mustached priest hung his head and replied dejectedly, "Because I am poor."
Xie Lingya: "……"
Xie Lingya: "For real? How poor can you be? You can't even afford a place to live?"
Then, the mustached priest told his tale of woe.
His name was Zhang Daoting, which differed only by one character from Zhang Daoling, the legendary founder of the Way of the Celestial Masters, but their fates were like day and night.
Zhang Daoting was an orphan. He became a priest at eighteen. However, his temple was steadily losing wors.h.i.+ppers, to the point of having trouble affording meals. Barely a year later, he was politely invited to go out and find his own way.
Who knew you could be laid off in a Taoist temple?
In the eight years that followed, he went to many places, but any temple that took him in would fall onto hard times for various reasons, and he would have to leave again.
Last year, he drifted to Niuyang City. This time, instead of finding a temple, he simply went to work in the scenic area. He had successfully pa.s.sed the recruitment interview because he had an advantage over other candidates—he could recite Taoist scriptures.
The job was easy, he only needed to sit in the scenic area and take photos with the tourists. Food and lodging were provided by his employer.
However, the good times didn't last long. A few days ago, he fell asleep during work. Some tourists complained just as the big bosses came in for an inspection and he was fired on the spot.
In fact, he had been to Taihe Temple already. He stayed for three days, freeloaded for another one, but because he was too broke to pay for accommodation he had to leave again. Wandering about, he saw Baoyang Temple.
When Xie Lingya heard this sad story, he stared at the man with disbelief: "You were eighteen when you joined the temple and worked for eight years, so you are only twenty-six years old right now?"
But you look like thirty-six!
Mustached priest: "…………"
He touched his beard, saying awkwardly, "This was required by the scenic area… No, wait, aren't you concerned about the wrong thing?"
Xie Lingya let out an embarra.s.sed cough and asked: "Why are you so unlucky?"
"I want to know too. My master told me that my fortune is too poor. Maybe I was abandoned because I brought my parents bad luck," the priest said. "So, um, can I stay here for a few days, little brother? Just until I find another job."
Xie Lingya asked curiously, "Job? You don't plan to join another temple?"
Mustached priest: "I think I should stop jinxing people…"
Xie Lingya thought about his unlucky experience and sympathized. However, he felt something was off. "Wait, if your employer-provided food and lodging, how come you have no money? You can't even afford the lodging fee?"
Lodging in a temple was much cheaper than living in a hotel or renting a room.
"Oh…" The priest scratched his head. "I donated most of my salary to the orphanage. I was orphaned since young, I know how hard it is."
Xie Lingya was taken aback.
He took a closer look at the priest. Although the man's facial hair was unsightly, his eyes were honest, the nose was straight and the brows pointed downwards. According to physiognomy, having such facial features signified sincerity and reliability.
Mustache turned and noticed the newly planted plot of land. "Oh, you have a vegetable garden here. Let me help you water the plants."
Xie Lingya looked at him with a complex expression on his face. "Mustache Daozhang, actually, this temple doesn't have a Taoist priest right now. If you don't mind, you can stay."
Mustache: "…I am surnamed Zhang."
Xie Lingya: "……"
Xie Lingya: "Sorry, I misp.r.o.nounced. Uh, we are in a bit of a tight spot now. If you're willing to stay, we can start with free meals and lodging and a basic salary of 800 a month, rituals paid separately. Is that ok with you?"
Other than affluent big temples, the basic salary for priests at most ordinary temples was between a few hundred and one or two thousand yuan. For external work, they would earn some extra, like a commission.
Baoyang Temple was poor, so poor that Xie Lingya had to farm to save on expenses, but the money Uncle He gave would last for some time. This was a necessary investment—a Taoist temple must have a Taoist priest.
As for other issues…
Mustache: "You know about my bad luck, aren't you scared?"
"Not at all. A sage once told me that I have the talent to become an Immortal, great enough that I can lift the people to Heavens with me1Xie Lingya paraphrases an idiom which lit. says, “when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven” (fig. to ride on sb else's success; Once one man gets a government position, he can pull up his family/cronies too). MTL the site, it has some interesting stories." Xie Lingya said unconcernedly. "I don't think your bad luck is powerful enough to bring me down."
Mustache: "…………"
And to be honest, if Mustache wasn't so unlucky, he might not afford to hire him. After all, as the saying goes, "Man seeks the heights, while water seeks the lowlands;" Moustache had successfully obtained the Taoist priest's certificate, which one could only apply for after at least eight years of apprentices.h.i.+p.
The priest promptly said, "Please treat me kindly!"
Well, if Xie Lingya was not scared, why should he be?
The two cleaned up the room together, then Xie Lingya went to make noodles for Zhang Daoting. When he came out of the kitchen with the bowl, he saw the priest actually taking the initiative to water the vegetable garden.
"Have something to eat first," Xie Lingya called to him.
The man got up and put down the watering can. When he raised his face, Xie Lingya jerked in shock: "Who are you?"
Mustache… no, he couldn't be called Mustache anymore… Zhang Daoting touched his chin. "I shaved off my beard and mustache. You can't recognize me?"
"Now, I believe that you really are twenty-six years old," Xie Lingya said after a moment.
The corner of Zhang Daoting's lips twitched.
After the wretched facial hair was shaved off, both his appearance and temperament improved greatly—suddenly, he looked handsome and refres.h.i.+ng.
—But it was also a tangible demonstration of the strength of his bad luck. Take Xie Lingya, for example, he had always benefited from his good looks. The elderly visitors of the temple loved to chat with him, and when he worked on commission in the past, the clients usually gave him higher pay.
Xie Lingya had been wondering how to cover up Zhang Daoting's tainted history of working in the scenic area. But now, if the man was recognized, Xie Lingya would eat his slippers!
Zhang Daoting answered Xie Lingya's questions while eating noodles.
As a certified priest who had lived in so many temples in the past six or seven years, he was very familiar with Taoist cla.s.sics, customs, and rules. He also learned some rituals from the masters who were willing to teach him, but he had never presided over any.
Xie Lingya: "Can you draw talismans?"
Zhang Daoting s.h.i.+fted uneasily: "No."
He had a wide range of skills thanks to his many teachers, but because he never stayed in any temple for long, he hadn't mastered any; he could be called "a jack of all trades but master of none." The talismans and symbols were too numerous and complicated, he only had some superficial knowledge about them.
Due to what happened to the various temples he lived in, and his own bad luck, he believed there were things which couldn't be explained by science. The more he saw, the more profound and mysterious the world seemed to be.
Xie Lingya was simply asking. He shrugged and said, "It doesn't matter, I can."
Zhang Daoting: "……"
"Right, come here and let me touch you," Xie Lingya said.
He wanted to check Zhang Daoting's bones. While this person's luck was horrible, his character was decent. He probably wasn't talented enough to become his uncle's disciple, but perhaps he could be taught some skills, depending on circ.u.mstances. After all, he was a part of Baoyang now.
"???" Zhang Daoting swallowed the noodles in his mouth with some difficulty. He asked timidly, "Why…"
"I just need to touch you," Xie Lingya said carelessly, not intending to mention the matter of looking for an apprentice for now. That aside, examining Zhang Daoting was much easier than s.h.i.+ Changxuan—since Zhang Daoting was already a member of Baoyang Temple, Xie Lingya could do as he pleased.
Zhang Daoting nodded with trepidation: "All right."
After touching the man's chest, Xie Lingya had a pretty good idea about his apt.i.tude. He said, "Later, I'll tell you about the history of Baoyang Temple and other things to note."
Of course, the first thing they needed to discuss was how to gain more wors.h.i.+pers.
The regular visitors of Baoyang Temple soon noticed there was a priest here. This was something normal, however—what was strange was that the temple had none before. They didn't know why there were no priests in Baoyang, but now one finally appeared.
The priest was a handsome young man. After Xiao Xie brought him over to greet everyone, he introduced himself as Zhang Daoting
Most regulars were tea drinkers here to fetch water or nearby residents hanging out. They were quite intrigued by Zhang Daoting's young age and curiously asked him how was it like to be a priest.
Zhang Daoting talked about his daily routines such as reading scriptures, which segued into the topic of Baoyang Temple.
Someone said, "It seems Baoyang is quite old, but despite living in Niuyang for such a long time, I don't know much about its history."
Zhang Daoting smiled. "Our temple was founded in the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed during a war, then rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. The main G.o.d wors.h.i.+ped here is the Heavenly Venerable Thunder Deity of Supreme Unity, Spirit Official w.a.n.g."
"Spirit Official w.a.n.g? Which G.o.d is that? Don't you wors.h.i.+p the Three Purities?" someone else asked.
Zhang Daoting patiently introduced the Great Founder of Baoyang.
Someone said bluntly, "To be honest, I've never heard of him."
In the perception of non-believers, famous and powerful Taoist G.o.ds were like Emperor Zhenwu, Lü Dongbin, and so on. Although Spirit Official w.a.n.g was the Supreme Protector G.o.d of Taoism, he was not well-known.
Moreover, Zhang Daoting said that Spirit Official w.a.n.g's statue would be placed in the first hall near the entrance of Taoist temples, which sounded as if the G.o.d was just a glorified doorkeeper.
Baoyang Temple's lack of wors.h.i.+pers was not unrelated to their venerable founder. In Queshan Province, there were but a few temples dedicated to Spirit Official; nowadays, people were more likely to wors.h.i.+p the famous G.o.ds.
"Spirit Official w.a.n.g is the Supreme Protector G.o.d of Taoism who can drive out evil spirits and suppress demons. Hmm, perhaps this is a bit too abstract, so let me give you an example," Zhang Daoting said.
"I'm sure everyone is familiar with 'Journey to the West.'2“Journey to the West” – a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is one of the Four Great Cla.s.sical Novels of Chinese literature. There's a ton of adaptations and works inspired by it (e.g. Dragon Ball). When Sun Wukong wreaked havoc in the Heavenly Palace, no one could stand in his way. When he finally broke in the Jade Emperor's Hall, it was Spirit Official w.a.n.g who stopped him, though their fight ended in a draw. 'Journey to the West' is just a novel, but why did the author set the two to be tied? It is precisely because Spirit Official w.a.n.g is the Taoist G.o.d with the highest combat power!"
Spirit Official w.a.n.g made only a brief appearance in "Journey to the West," so he did not leave much impression. However, thanks to Zhang Daoting's explanation, everyone had a sudden realization.
They might've not known Spirit Official w.a.n.g but everyone knew the story of Sun Wukong. The image of Spirit Official w.a.n.g instantly became clearer.
Who would have expected the Spirit Official to be so powerful? It turned out he was among the strongest G.o.ds in the Taoist pantheon. No wonder Baoyang Temple was dedicated to him.
After Zhang Daoting's explanation, everyone was relieved—they no longer felt the main G.o.d of Baoyang was uncool.
"Spirit Official w.a.n.g not only exorcises evil but also has other duties. He is a thunder G.o.d and a fire G.o.d.3There is quite a lot of thunder and fire G.o.ds in Taoism, it's more like a job description than unique t.i.tle. There is even a apparently. Even our G.o.ds are bureaucratic. He can bring rain and sun, and cure plague and poison. He is also tasked with investigating wrongdoings and maintaining the order of the mortal realm. The Yongle Emperor, the third emperor of the Ming dynasty, was a devout follower of Spirit Official w.a.n.g. He even had an altar dedicated to the Spirit Official in his sleeping chambers," Zhang Daoting said. "If you have a patient at home, you can recite the name of the Spirit Official, asking him for help, or burn incense before his statue and bring home a Spirit Official Charm."
It got mystical from there on, the type of "if you believe, it's real and if you don't believe, it's not."
Everyone present came to Baoyang to hang out, and many still drew water from the temple well. Even if they weren't believers, they naturally wouldn't say anything inappropriate. There were also people interested in such things; now that Baoyang finally had a priest, they were quite willing to listen to him speak.
For example, the neighbor of the newspaper store owner Sun Fuyang and friend of his mother, Mrs. w.a.n.g, listened with rapt attention and actively asked questions.
Zhang Daoting smiled and chatted with her. He patiently taught her how to use the Spirit Official Charm and explained which points she should pay attention to.
Mrs. w.a.n.g listened and nodded. Finally, she asked about the types and prices of the talismans available in the temple, but it was just a casual inquiry. She felt the priest was too young and besides, she always got talismans at Taihe Temple during the Spring Festival.
She lived close to Baoyang Temple but had never come here to wors.h.i.+p before. It was only recently that she lit incense for the Three Purities as a courtesy when she visited with her friends. For her, Taihe's name was more reliable.
As Mrs. w.a.n.g talked with Zhang Daoting, she scratched the mosquito bites on her body.
Zhang Daoting noticed her actions. "Auntie, are there many mosquitoes in your area?"
Mrs. w.a.n.g replied, "Yes, and my family lives on the first floor. You simply can't get rid of them—every time you think you swatted them all, you see more flew in."
Zhang Daoting smiled again. "In that case, you can consider bringing home a mosquito-repelling talisman."
"……" Everyone who heard this was speechless. Say what? A protective talisman was one thing, but mosquito-repelling talisman?
Even a superst.i.tious woman like Mrs. w.a.n.g was shocked: "This… does it work?"
These days most temples sold protection amulets and fortune-changing charms, but no one had ever heard about a mosquito-repelling talisman. Somehow, it felt improper.
Zhang Daoting answered her question with his own: "Do you see any mosquitoes in our temple?"
Everyone was stunned for a while—indeed, for the past two days, it seemed there were no mosquitoes in Baoyang!
They hadn't noticed before, but now that Zhang Daoting mentioned it, they realized it was true. Those who had been here for several hours were the most convinced: "I did think it was weird I wasn't bitten even once!"
Even so, most people found it hard to believe that the lack of mosquitoes was due to the effect of a talisman as Zhang Daoting claimed.
In the end, only Mrs. w.a.n.g and a few tea drinkers decided to buy the mosquito-repelling talisman. Zhang Daoting's a.s.sured att.i.tude convinced Mrs. w.a.n.g a little, and she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
The others bought it out of curiosity since it only cost twenty yuan anyway. Besides, didn't they regularly draw water from the temple's well for free? It was only right they returned the favor and supported this dest.i.tute Taoist temple!
Zhang Daoting went to the back to get the talismans. Well, actually, he found Xie Lingya and said, "Boss, three mosquito-repelling talismans."
In the beginning, he called Xie Lingya "little brother," but after he found out that Xie Lingya was, in fact, the owner of Baoyang Temple, he quietly changed it to "Boss."
"Heh, I knew that mosquito-repelling talisman would definitely be popular in the summer." Xie Lingya quickly drew three pieces. This talisman was one of the results of his recent research, and the reason the temple was mosquito-free since two days ago.
Xie Lingya was deeply impressed by the effect of the Good Appet.i.te Spell he'd used on the well. At this stage, most of the people visiting Baoyang weren't believers; they would probably be more interested in practical spells useful in daily life, which was why Xie Lingya focused on them.
Like this mosquito-repelling talisman. The average Taoist priest probably didn't know about it. It was a result of the research by a priest named w.a.n.g Ziran from the Ming dynasty, known for allegedly having the ability to control thunder and rain. He was also a wors.h.i.+per of Spirit Official w.a.n.g and might have had some connection to Baoyang Temple.
The mosquito-repelling talisman was one of minor talismans. As the name suggested, it only solved a minor, trivial problem. Official temples wouldn't sell this kind of charm nowadays because they gave the impression of frivolity. In actuality, the many Taoist sects had countless skills and spells, from petty to very powerful.
The mosquito-repelling talisman was only twenty yuan. The prices of the other types of charms and amulets were set according to prices in other temples, ranging from fifty to five hundred yuan per piece.
Zhang Daoting came just in time—now that the temple had a priest, it finally could receive wors.h.i.+pers.
Xie Lingya naturally made use of the opportunity and had Zhang Daoting promote the talismans since the priest was more suitable for it. He himself worked behind the scenes as the supplier. With his speed, any talisman could be completed in five minutes at most.
—This was a major reason why Xie Lingya later became known as Niuyang's Human Talisman Printer.
Translator's Notes: “A sage once told me that I have the talent to become an Immortal, great enough that I can lift the people to Heavens with me” – Xie Lingya paraphrases the idiom 一人得道，鸡犬升天, which lit. says, “when a man achieves the Dao, his poultry and dogs rise to Heaven” (fig. to ride on sb else's success; Once one man gets a government position, he can pull up his family/cronies too). MTL the site, it has some interesting stories. “Journey to the West” – a Chinese novel published in the 16th century during the Ming dynasty and attributed to Wu Cheng'en. It is one of the Four Great Cla.s.sical Novels of Chinese literature. There's a ton of adaptations and works inspired by it (e.g. Dragon Ball).“He is a thunder G.o.d and a fire G.o.d” – There is quite a lot of thunder and fire G.o.ds in Taoism, it's more like a job description than unique t.i.tle. There is even a apparently. Even our G.o.ds are bureaucratic.