Dragon's Origin

“If that’s the case, your conditions are worth considering.” The old Daoist finally spoke, nodding slightly.

Wang Sheng was secretly pleased. With the old Daoist nodding, the matter was basically half settled. Despite the old Daoist's talk of the various Abbots vying for power, they were exemplary in their respect for their teacher. As long as the old Daoist spoke, the other Abbots wouldn't cause too much trouble.

“Let’s talk about what just happened first.” The old Daoist, regardless of Wang Sheng's secret joy, was still pondering his own inner conflict: “You’re saying that they guide those pious men and women to burn incense and kowtow. Does that count as promoting Daoism?”

“Of course, it counts as promoting Daoism.” Wang Sheng affirmed emphatically: “The faithful come to the Daoist temple to burn incense and kowtow, seeking the blessings of Lord Lao. Ultimately, they still have the founding father of our Daoist school in their hearts, believing that our Daoist ancestor can bring them the life they desire. As long as the Daoists guide them slightly, pointing out the importance of good intentions, what’s wrong with that?”

Having said this, Wang Sheng couldn't help but give the old Daoist a small reprimand: “Old Daoist, you’ve achieved purity and non-action. You dislike those people for being vulgar and unbearable, hiding away and not even bothering to interact with them. If you don’t even communicate with people, what Dao are you promoting? In the end, after all your cultivation, aren't you just a loner? Even if your cultivation is higher than the sky and your seniority greater than everyone else, so what? In the end, you’re just a selfish person. Have you made Daoism more glorious? Or have you inspired more people to follow the Dao? What’s the use of only leaving the world without entering it!”

“So, I was wrong?” The old Daoist was rendered speechless by Wang Sheng's continuous barrage, not knowing how to refute. Despite being a powerful and unmatched Daoist master, he was defeated by Wang Sheng's unparalleled verbal skills.

“The Ancestor is not wrong, it’s just that our realm is too low to understand the Ancestor's profound intentions.” A familiar voice came from the entrance of the Sutra Depository. Wang Sheng turned his head and saw the Grand Abbot of the Old Lord Temple, the one directly in charge.

“Eavesdropping for so long, come in!” The old Daoist reprimanded without any politeness. With his seniority, reprimanding the Grand Abbot of the Old Lord Temple was no different from reprimanding his own grandson, with no need for formalities.

The Grand Abbot didn't care at all about being reprimanded by the Ancestor in front of an outsider. He walked in with a face full of smiles. Reaching the front, he cupped his hands and bowed to Wang Sheng, his eyes filled with gratitude, but he said nothing.

Wang Sheng and the old Daoist were sitting on either side of a square table, with wine and dishes in the middle, the cups and plates in a mess. The Grand Abbot didn't mind at all, reaching out and pulling a chair to sit beside them.

Seeing Wang Sheng and the old Daoist looking at him, the Grand Abbot smiled, reaching into his robes and producing a pair of chopsticks from who knows where. He reached out, picked up a slice of meat, and chewed it with relish.

The eyes of the two people watching from the side widened. Was this the proper and conventional Grand Abbot they knew? While they were still surprised, the Grand Abbot produced a cup in his hand and said to Wang Sheng: “Come, pour some wine for me to taste.”

Wang Sheng did as he was told and filled the cup. The Grand Abbot took a sip and smacked his lips, nodding and saying: “This wine and meat, sometimes it's just better than vegetables!”

After speaking, he turned to Wang Sheng's side, smiling at Wang Sheng and saying: “Sir is right, how can you let go of something you've never picked up? Thanks to Sir today, I can barely say that I have picked up these words 'wine' and 'meat'.”

The old Daoist looked the Grand Abbot up and down for a long time before nodding and saying: “Now when I look at you, I finally find you much more pleasing to the eye.”

“Thank you, Ancestor!” Facing the old Daoist's praise, the Grand Abbot still thanked him respectfully.

“Enough with the formalities. Since you heard what we were saying, what do you think of this young man's request?” The old Daoist was not polite at all, helping Wang Sheng to press the Grand Abbot.

“I agree.” The Grand Abbot agreed without hesitation: “What Sir said makes sense, and our Daoist school owes Sir a great favor. I have no reason to disagree.”

“Aren't you afraid that those experts, having seen the world, won't come back?” The old Daoist continued to press, as if Wang Sheng was no longer involved.

“What does Sir say?” The Grand Abbot still showed the demeanor of a calm and measured general, making people feel very comfortable.

“Sifting through the sand to find gold, those who don't return are just sand.” Wang Sheng smiled, answering philosophically: “Gold is still gold after all. Besides, even if they don't come back, those traces of Daoism on them will always influence the people around them. It's not just lecturing every day that promotes Daoism. Teaching by example is better than teaching by words!”

“Hey! You're taking all the credit and saying all the nice things.” The old Daoist was amused by Wang Sheng again: “In the end, my Daoist Old Lord Temple will only be left with a reputation for not being content with loneliness and planning to come out and dominate, and may even be attacked by the masses.”

“I'll take the blame for that.” Wang Sheng said without hesitation: “Anyway, the Old Lord Temple definitely has experts that outsiders don't know about. These people change their clothes and become guards of my Marquis's mansion. Who can say anything? Besides, even if the Old Lord Temple doesn't say it, don't outsiders know that the Old Lord Temple has many experts?”

Why has the Old Lord Temple been able to stand for thousands of years? It's not because of good intentions, but because of generations of experts. Without these experts guarding the place, the Old Lord Temple would have been swallowed up long ago. How could it have survived until now?

Everyone understands the principle. The old Daoist only cares about the reputation of the Old Lord Temple. This is also the old Daoist's only weakness. His own reputation doesn't matter. He has drunk alcohol, eaten meat, and even been a red-brand killer, but the reputation of the Old Lord Temple cannot be tarnished.

With the important matter settled, the three of them stopped talking about serious matters and instead ate, drank, and chatted about gossip. The Grand Abbot even specifically told Wang Sheng and the old Daoist about how prosperous the Three Purities Temple is now and how the three holy statues are worshiped. The old Daoist couldn't stand hearing this before, but today it tasted different.

In the end, while the Grand Abbot was also there, the old Daoist solemnly told the Grand Abbot that the Tai Chi Fist, the Nine True Words, and half of the 《Dao De Jing》that he learned from Wang Sheng would be slowly passed down in the near future, allowing the Grand Abbot to find suitable people to learn them.

“There's also Tai Chi Fist? What kind of boxing is this?” The Grand Abbot had heard of the Nine True Words, but never of Tai Chi Fist. The old Daoist hadn't mentioned it before, probably because he felt that he hadn't fully understood it yet, so he hadn't passed it down.

“This was also taught to me by him.” The old Daoist pointed to Wang Sheng, then said to Wang Sheng: “Why don't you let him see it? You can perform it once, and I still have some doubts that I can help this old man resolve.”