Volume One: The Eight Coffin Field Chapter 81: The Ancient Temple of Mount Shangqing

Wanqing laughed for a long time before finally reciting, “Slowly ascending Shangqing Mountain, ah, I see the ancient temple. Longing for the one in my heart, I sit among the blossoming bodhi flowers.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Wanqing’s figure wavered and disappeared from the mirror.

At the same time, the flames of the two candles instantly diminished.

A fresh layer of mist spread across the mirror’s surface, making it once again blurry and opaque, like frosted glass.

Third Uncle let out a long breath and said to me, “Yangzi, pack up your things. Let’s leave this place for now.”

Once we left the attic, I couldn’t help but ask, “Are you really going to look for that wooden man, Yang?”

Third Uncle replied, “Of course. Wanqing’s heart is still entangled in that ill-fated love. Even in death, she hasn’t let go of her obsession. Perhaps she also resents the fact that the wooden man Yang escaped alone.”

I pouted, “But wasn’t she the one who saved the hero, letting the wooden man Yang escape on purpose? Why would she turn around and blame him?”

Third Uncle shot me a sideways glance, sighed, and said, “My dear nephew, as I’ve said before, your emotional intelligence is worrying. You really don’t understand women. What a woman says and what she does are often two different things. She may let the wooden man Yang go first, but once he truly leaves, she’s bound to feel a certain way about it. It’s simple—if Yang had found a way to talk things through with Wanqing at the time, maybe none of this trouble would’ve happened.”

I shrugged it off with a laugh, “You talk as if you understand women so well, but you’re just as single as I am! Back then, Yang and Wanqing were separated by life and death—there was no way for them to talk even if they wanted to.”

Third Uncle nodded, “That’s why we’re helping them settle things now. If we do it right, this whole mess will be resolved.”

I was taken aback. “You’re not serious, are you? I just thought of something—wasn’t the wooden man Yang from the third year of the Republic? That would make him over a hundred years old by now. His bones have probably turned to dust. How could we possibly find him?”

Third Uncle smiled mysteriously, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Even if Wanqing’s movements are limited, I’m sure she has some sense of the wooden man Yang. Whether he’s still alive or not, we’ll know once we go and see.”

No matter what Third Uncle said, I couldn’t quite believe we’d really be able to find this wooden man Yang.

But Third Uncle was adamant. As soon as we left, he called Xu Ruoxi.

I glanced at the sky—it was close to midnight. I hadn’t expected Xu Ruoxi to answer so quickly; she must have been anxious about the matter too.

On the phone, Third Uncle asked directly whether there was a mountain nearby called Shangqing Mountain, and if there was a temple on it.

I knew Third Uncle’s questions were inspired by Wanqing’s lines: “Slowly ascending Shangqing Mountain, ah, I see the ancient temple. Longing for the one in my heart, I sit among the blossoming bodhi flowers.” The meaning was straightforward enough—most likely, the wooden man Yang was in an ancient temple on Shangqing Mountain.

After hanging up, Third Uncle told me that about fifty kilometers from Linjiang there really was a Shangqing Mountain, with several ancient temples. Xu Ruoxi would come early the next morning to take us there.

I nodded. Since Third Uncle wanted to win over spirits with virtue, we had no choice but to take things one step at a time.

We drove back to the hotel. After several days, my wounds had nearly healed. At last, I enjoyed a hot bath and a good night’s sleep.

Early the next morning, Xu Ruoxi came to our door and personally drove us to Shangqing Mountain.

On the way, Xu Ruoxi explained that Shangqing Mountain had already been developed into a tourist destination. While it wasn’t famous nationally, it was well-known locally.

When Xu Ruoxi parked at the foot of the mountain, Third Uncle frowned.

Just as Xu Ruoxi said, Shangqing Mountain was crowded with tourists, and the parking lot was full. Even the entrance ticket cost over a hundred.

Third Uncle shook his head. “Is this really the only Shangqing Mountain around here?”

Xu Ruoxi nodded, “I don’t know about the rest of the country, but within several hundred kilometers of Linjiang, this is the only one.”

I asked Third Uncle, “Do you suspect the wooden man Yang isn’t on this mountain?”

He nodded, “The environment here is too chaotic—not suitable for spiritual cultivation. Even the mountain temples must be tainted by the smell of money now.”

Saying that, Third Uncle walked toward the mountain gate.

Beside the gate, many local farmers were selling specialties. Third Uncle struck up a conversation with them.

After a while, he returned, waved to us, and said, “Let’s go to the back of the mountain.”

Xu Ruoxi drove us around to the back. The roads were unfamiliar, so we had to ask for directions as we went, taking more than two hours to get around the mountain.

Unlike the bustling front, the back of Shangqing Mountain was lush and steep, with few inhabitants and almost no tourists in sight.

Third Uncle pointed to a peak, “The locals say the temples at the front were built later. On the back of the mountain, near the summit, there’s an ancient temple at least a hundred years old. But it’s quiet and rarely visited. If the wooden man Yang is still around, this is where he’d be cultivating.”

I nodded and looked up. The road ended here; from this point on, only a narrow mountain path remained. Shangqing Mountain wasn’t high, but it reached over two thousand meters above sea level. Climbing to the top would be no easy feat.

Third Uncle and I packed our things, ready to climb in search of the temple.

Xu Ruoxi hesitated to speak. Only then did I notice she was still dressed in a cheongsam and wearing mid-heeled shoes—the worst outfit for a mountain hike.

Third Uncle, irritated, waved her off, “Assistant Xu, you should head back. You knew we were climbing today—did you do this on purpose?”

Xu Ruoxi blushed in embarrassment, wanting to retort but holding back.

I quickly smoothed things over, “Assistant Xu, it’s fine if you go back. There aren’t many people here. You can wait for us in the village below, and if you don’t hear from us by tonight, find a place to stay. We’ll call you when there’s news.”

Xu Ruoxi nodded, eyes slightly red, and drove away in a huff.

I grinned at Third Uncle, “You’re always saying my emotional intelligence is low, but look at how you scolded her. With that attitude, you’re not much better with women yourself.”

Third Uncle waved his hand dismissively, “If I knew the way, I wouldn’t have asked her to bring us. Women—more trouble than they’re worth.”

Grumbling, Third Uncle took the lead, and I followed without daring to laugh.

The narrow mountain path twisted upward for over two hundred meters before abruptly fading away.

This was tough on us both—the path was choked with branches and undergrowth, and soon we were scrambling with hands and feet.

I inwardly complained—at this rate, we wouldn’t reach the summit before nightfall.

(End of this chapter)