The morning mist had not yet fully dissipated when the mottled mountain gate of Qingxu Temple gradually faded into the distance behind him.
Chen Yuanchu tightened the straps of his backpack. The stone steps beneath his feet were covered in a thin layer of green moss; every step carried a familiar, damp coolness. This was the place where he had lived for eighteen whole years, and it was also the starting point of his departure.
He did not feel much sorrow or nostalgia regarding this descent down the mountain; instead, it felt more like a routine business trip. His master was a lazy old Taoist who rarely moved from his spot, and Chen, having been influenced by him, had developed a homebody nature. Usually, his range of activity revolved around the temple. Had it not been for his master issuing a strict order for him to go down into the flashy world below and obtain a diploma, he probably could have continued to hole up on the mountain for another eight or ten years.
Chen Yuanchu fished out an old phone with a scratched screen from his pocket to check it.
This object was likely the most incongruous thing on his entire person. Up on the mountain, he often went half a year without remembering to charge it, but since he was entering the secular world, he had to bring this pass to modern society. The phone didn't have much memory, no fancy social media apps, and the signal was intermittent at best. For him, as long as it could tell time, make payments, and occasionally help his master buy cinnabar and medicinal herbs that couldn't be found on the mountain, the device was being put to its best use.
As for online socializing and short videos, those things were too far removed from him—far enough to remind him of the elementary school at the foot of the mountain that he attended for only one week before refusing to ever go back.
He was young then, but he felt the children around him were like a group of uncivilized apes, and the teacher was merely a mechanical repeater. Learning was too easy, which made it boring, so he simply returned to the mountain. His master let him be, neither forcing him to take exams nor forcing him to fit in with the crowd, allowing him to grow wild like grass amidst Taoist scriptures and alchemy furnaces.
Now that he was truly descending the mountain, Chen Yuanchu's mind was still set on completing his mission and returning. He felt no inferiority, nor any awkwardness; where his heart was, the scenery followed.
He even felt a bit arrogant, thinking that this wasn't just descending a mountain, but descending to the mortal world to undergo a trial.
After confirming the time, he shoved the phone back into his pocket. The signal bars at the mountainside had already cleared, but this had no effect on him; every blade of grass and every tree on this mountain was carved into his brain, requiring no navigation.
After walking for about an hour, the sun rose higher, and the outline of the village at the foot of the mountain gradually became clear.
The Cangwu Mountain Range was vast and extensive; Qingxu Temple was just an insignificant spot hidden in a fold of the northern ridge. To get to the city, one had to first go down to the village at the foot of the mountain, then transfer to a car to go to the town, then the county seat, and finally arrive at the city center—a journey that couldn't be completed without four or five hours of travel.
With his master not by his side, the journey felt somewhat empty. Fortunately, there was a living creature stuffed in his bag, so Chen Yuanchu began to chat idly with the black cat on his back.
"Fat Ink."
There was no movement in the bag.
"Xuanmo?"
"Meow?" A lazy cat sound came from the bag.
"Eat fewer mice and lose some weight; I can hardly carry you anymore."
As soon as the words fell, the black cat darted out from the side pocket of the backpack, landing lightly, hopping and skipping along beside him.
Chen Yuanchu shrugged his shoulders and found that the heavy weight of the backpack hadn't diminished at all. Only then did he realize that the heavy part wasn't the cat, but the set of books his master had forced on him: Ten Years of Hard Study for Top Honors.
"Don't run around blindly. Once you leave this mountain, you'll be a city cat. Behave yourself, don't let people say I raised a black monkey."
"Meow." The black cat responded perfunctorily, its tail held high.
"I heard city cats all eat cat food. Do you want to get some to try something new?"
The black cat completely ignored him and went off to chase butterflies in the grass by the roadside.
As the altitude decreased, the road down the mountain began to show signs of human habitation. Several farmhouses were scattered in view, and the barking of dogs could be heard in the distance.
Upon seeing that the newcomer was Chen Yuanchu wearing his Taoist robes, the large yellow dogs that had been barking furiously immediately fell silent, wagging their tails as they approached to curry favor—clearly, this Taoist had fed them quite often.
But when the black cat following close behind appeared, the dog pack instantly exploded, baring their teeth and barking wildly.
Xuanmo, however, looked completely unruffled, even deliberately walking under the dogs' noses to provoke them, letting the leash stretch taut while the dogs' teeth couldn't touch a single hair of his.
"Don't be a jerk, let's go," Chen Yuanchu called out helplessly.
The black cat then gave a haughty "meow" and followed his steps again.
Upon reaching the village road entrance, he happened to run into Auntie Zhang from the west end of the village, who was riding an electric tricycle to the town for the market, the carriage piled high with emerald winter melons.
"Auntie Zhang," Chen Yuanchu stopped to greet her.
"Oh, Chen Yuanchu! Early in the morning, where are you off to?" Auntie Zhang braked and asked enthusiastically.
"Going to the city to study."
"...Huh?" Auntie Zhang froze for a moment, clearly not expecting this Taoist to go study, but that didn't hinder her warmheartedness. "Want a ride? I'll take you to the town to catch the bus!"
Chen Yuanchu looked at the tricycle that rattled everywhere except the bell, and at the winter melons in the carriage bouncing wildly with the vibration of the vehicle, and waved his hand with a smile: "No thanks, Auntie. I'm afraid the winter melons on your car will get to the town before I do."
Declining Auntie Zhang's offer, Chen Yuanchu continued on his way. Not long after, Uncle Zhao from the town health clinic drove by in his white van and, seeing him carrying large and small bags, stopped to give him a ride.
The van snaked its way along the winding mountain road. Chen Yuanchu and the black cat watched the trees outside the window retreating rapidly, their shadows flickering.
"How is it? Not used to riding in cars, not getting carsick, are you?" Uncle Zhao asked, gripping the steering wheel.
"It's alright. Thanks, Uncle Zhao."
"Oh, it's on the way! Chen Yuanchu, how long will you be gone before you come back this time?"
"Hard to say. First, I'll take the college entrance exam, and we'll figure out the rest later. By the way, Uncle Zhao, my master put a lot of medicinal herbs on credit with you before. Don't worry, I will pay you back for him when the time comes," Chen Yuanchu said seriously.
"No need, no need!" Uncle Zhao waved his hands repeatedly, his tone sincere. "Previously, your master prayed for my son and handled my mother's funeral arrangements. He refused to accept any money, only asking for a bottle of glucose. How dare I charge you for those few herbs!"
Such an answer was within Chen Yuanchu's expectations. It seemed that the harmony shown by the creditors at the funeral that day wasn't fake; the debts his master owed had likely long been repaid with his abilities.
"Business is business, Uncle Zhao!" Chen Yuanchu insisted.
"Ai, you really are just like your master..." Uncle Zhao sighed and said no more.
Catching a ride saved a lot of walking. Chen Yuanchu got off at the station in the town. Uncle Zhao fished out a bottle of glucose from beside the driver's seat and handed it to him.
"Chen Yuanchu, I'll only take you this far. Go to the county seat first, then transfer to the city terminal. I'm not sure how you get to the school from there, but that shouldn't be difficult for you young people."
"Don't worry, Uncle Zhao, I know."
"And take this bottle of glucose to drink on the way."
"No need, Uncle, I brought water."
"Take it, take it. A Taoist drinks sugar water, his cultivation advances even further!"
"..." Chen Yuanchu accepted the bottle of glucose with a wry smile, watching Uncle Zhao's car disappear into the traffic.