CHAPTER 406: CHAPTER 402: 10 FAST WAYS TO SOBER UP

Just as we reached the foot of the mountain, simply changing our angle, the ginkgo at the mountain’s peak was no longer obscured by trees. It presented itself fully to us, its bright golden color making it look like a crown atop the small hill.

"So big..."

Brother Nan blinked and said, "There’s a famous Ginkgo Village in Tengchong with a really huge ginkgo that’s also called the Ginkgo King, but I reckon it’s not as big as this one."

Zhou Li also looked up, taking out his phone to snap a photo.

Then they continued their leisurely ascent up the mountain.

Caiyun and Yi Province both have many large mountains, but compared to those where the clouds only reach halfway up, this hill was more like a mound, and they reached the summit in just a few minutes.

What met their eyes was an ancient ginkgo tree, robust and nearly perfect in shape, with leaves already a brilliant gold. Between the leaves, glimpses of the sky awash with rosy clouds were visible, creating an intoxicating beauty. The ground was carpeted with layers of golden leaves, constructing an enchanting scene that one might only expect in the lens of some famous photographers.

Below the tree stood a Taoist temple, complete with courtyard walls exuding an ancient charm. The plaque above the gate bore the words ’Changping Lookout’.

The temple gate was wide open. From this vantage, one could see a huge ancient bell hanging inside, albeit missing its hammer, and a few fallen leaves stuck to it.

A few chickens pecked at the ground outside the courtyard.

Two dogs lay at the front of the door.

This place had much more charm than Zhihong Guan and showed no sign of dilapidation. It really did have a bit of the ambiance of a Taoist temple from television shows.

Brother Nan leaned close to Zhou Li’s ear and said, "Does it kind of have a tourist spot vibe?"

Zhou Li just grunted in response.

But the place was too remote to be a tourist attraction.

The two humans and two demons approached the gate cautiously. Zhou Li noticed the two dogs suddenly becoming alert and watching them closely, baring their teeth slightly. He thought for a moment... He reached out to grab Brother Nan’s wrist and pulled him behind him.

It proved to be very effective.

The dogs’ expressions softened somewhat.

"Is anyone..."

Zhou Li was about to speak when he saw a young woman coming out of the temple.

She looked to be in her twenties at most, dressed simply, without makeup, but her natural beauty was still apparent, her skin just a bit darkened. But in Caiyun, with its strong ultraviolet rays, such a complexion was common without proper protection.

Carrying a basin of corn kernels, she seemed to have come out to feed the chickens.

At the same time, she noticed them.

Both sides exchanged glances.

Zhou Li quickly bowed his head and greeted, "Hello."

Brother Nan also popped his head from behind Zhou Li, his eyes lighting up slightly, and said sweetly, "What a pretty sister..."

The woman immediately showed a smile upon hearing that and then asked them, "You are...?"

"Oh, it’s like this—" It was Brother Nan, still behind Zhou Li, who spoke, gazing at the lovely young woman. "We originally planned to go to Tengchong for fun, but we ran into a traffic jam. So I checked the map to see if we could bypass the congested road, and somehow we ended up here. Then the road here was blocked too, and it’s getting dark soon, which really irritated me..." As he said this, he made an annoyed expression.

"This road was supposed to loop back around," the woman said with a slight smile. "But there was a flood recently which washed away the road ahead, and with the construction of the tourist area, it’s been completely sealed off."

"Exactly." Brother Nan paused. "Then I was just fuming by the side of the road, and suddenly I saw this big ginkgo tree over here, so we came over to have a look. And what do you know, we came across a Taoist temple. It’s quite fateful."

"It is quite fateful..." The woman smiled, grabbed a handful of corn kernels from the basin and scattered them on the ground, then asked them, "Are you going back tonight? It’s going to be dark soon."

"Going back now would probably mean more traffic jams," Brother Nan blinked.

"Since you’ve come, why not stay here for the night?" The woman said calmly, speaking almost like a character from a TV drama, for in reality, few people would talk to you so softly and with a smile. "If you don’t mind, that is."

"Would it be inconvenient for us to stay the night?"

"Not at all."

"Then we shall impose on your kindness!"

Brother Nan seemed quite happy.

Huai Xu watched the woman feed the chickens and blinked. "With all these ginkgo leaves on the ground the same color as the corn, can the chickens even find it?"

The woman laughed again and answered, "They’ll find it."

After scattering all the corn on the ground, she said to the group, "Come in and sit down, I’ll find you a room."

Seeing that Brother Nan was still standing behind Zhou Li, she looked down at the two dogs by her feet and said with a smile, "Don’t be afraid, they won’t attack people easily."

Brother Nan blinked again and, without arguing, followed her into the gate. "Are you a Taoist nun, sister?"

"I haven’t formally taken the vows. I’m just practicing here with my master."

"You’re so pretty, why are you practicing Taoism here?"

"I like it."

"That’s nice."

"How old are you two?"

"I’m 20, he’s 19," Brother Nan said, pointing to Zhou Li, but did not introduce Huai Xu, then asked, "Are you older or younger than us?"

"Older."

"I guessed so!"

"Is he your boyfriend?"

"Yes." Brother Nan beamed. "The three of us were classmates in high school and even ended up at the same university. Since it’s a long weekend, we thought we would go out and have some fun."

"Only to run into a traffic jam..." the woman added for him.

"Exactly!"

Zhou Li walked quietly beside Brother Nan, listening to their conversation while taking in the interior of the Taoist temple.

The temple was quite spacious and clean inside. The courtyard had several fruit trees and was home to many flowers and plants, with the stone cauldrons bearing the marks of time. It seemed there were no other homes nearby; the silence was extraordinary. At the moment, only the voices of Brother Nan and the woman floated in the air. Zhou Li wondered why such a young girl would stay here, and it was obvious that she wasn’t a Heavenly Master like Zheng Zhilan. No Heavenly Master was older than Zhou Li.

Immediately, the woman shouted inside—

"Master!"

"We have visitors!"

Before long, an Old Daoist with a hunched back and hands clasped behind him walked out from one of the halls. He looked even older than the elder of Zhihong Guan, walking with some difficulty, his body shrouded in twilight.

The woman introduced them, "This is my master, the abbot here at the temple. His Taoist name is Changwei."

"Does Taoism also use the title ’abbot’?"

"The title ’abbot’ originated in Taoism; Buddhism adopted it later," the woman explained softly. "If you aren’t sure what to call him, just call him Temple master."

"Temple master," they greeted him one after another. Even Tuanzi meowed a greeting.

The Temple master nodded to each in turn, then tilted his head and asked, "Where does the young layman come from?"

His voice was already quite raspy, somewhat indistinct, and the tilting of his head was a gesture often seen in older people, due to declining hearing, needing to get closer to hear clearly.

"We are People of Yi Province, studying in Chunming, and ended up here unexpectedly during our travels," Zhou Li explained. Since he had met the elder of Zhihong Guan before, he felt a sense of affinity with Daoists, which made him smile. "I also know an elder of an observatory in the remote mountains of my hometown."

"Oh, oh, oh..." The Temple master listened and nodded, his reaction seeming a bit slow. It was possible he heard but did not quite catch everything, so after listening, he needed a moment to understand what Zhou Li had said.

"Which temple is it?"

"It’s called Zhihong Guan."

"I don’t know it..."

"It’s a very small Taoist temple, with just the elder there," said Zhou Li.

"I was also the only one here originally."

"Really?"

"Ah..."

"Yes, originally it was just him. I came here three years ago," the woman explained. "But I heard that there used to be a lot of people here."

"Is that so..."

Zhou Li was somewhat surprised.

Changping Lookout was much larger than Zhihong Guan, and it appeared to be much more orderly and had recently been renovated. Of course, it couldn’t compare with those famous temples, but it did not seem like a tiny temple with only two people either.

"What is the young layman’s honorable surname?" the Temple master asked again.

"My surname is Zhou, my name is Zhou Li."

"I’m Li Nan."

"Huai Xu."

"MEOW."

"Oh, oh, oh, very well, very well..."

"You all can sit for a while, or you can look around the temple, or even light some incense sticks. I need to go prepare dinner," said the woman and then added, "I am Dai Peixue, my Taoist name is Xuanqing. Since we are in a Taoist temple, you can call me Xuanqing."

"Master Xuanqing," Brother Nan grinned, "Do you need any help?"

"I’m not quite a ’Master’ yet. Let me find you two rooms first. Follow me." Master Xuanqing smiled. "Today is Mid-Autumn Festival, have you had mooncakes yet?"

"A few days ago."

Master Xuanqing led them to the lay guests’ quarters, a place specially for accommodating pilgrims, although it seemed unlikely that there were many pilgrims here.

Master Xuanqing pointed to a room and said to Zhou Li and Brother Nan, "You can stay here, right?"

Then, pointing to the room on the right, she said to Huai Xu, "This layman can stay in this room."

Zhou Li immediately showed a look of embarrassment.

At this moment, Huai Xu had already naturally taken off his backpack. He handed it to Zhou Li and stepped into the room on the right, saying as he went, "All right, I’ll stay here, right next door to them both..."

Zhou Li was at a loss for words.

This old monster...

Meanwhile, Brother Nan had already stepped into the room. Seeing only one bed, he didn’t seem to mind. He casually threw his phone on the bed, walked back out, and saw Zhou Li standing stunned at the doorway. He punched him. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing..."

"Is it comfortable holding that bag?"

"UMM..."

So Zhou Li also put his bag inside. When he looked back out the door, he saw that Brother Nan had already walked away with Xuanqing, which made him feel extra nervous.

...

Sitting on the bed, his mind filled with random thoughts.

A moment later, he quietly took out his phone.

Baidu—

What to do if a girlfriend with a super good figure who is very pretty wants to sleep with me?

10 quick ways to sober up: watermelon juice, fresh grapes, tea, tofu...

Watermelon juice for sobering up: Watermelon juice is a natural ’White Tiger Decoction’ (a classic Chinese medicinal formula); on one hand, it can accelerate the expulsion of alcohol, avoiding its...

...

Zhou Li quietly closed the webpage.

Baidu, as expected, is crap.