The Happy Farmer Wanderer-Chapter 352: The Amazing Taoist Priest_1

Li Qing rode his bike to the school.

The campus was eerily quiet, as students were in evening self-study at this time.

Only occasionally did the sound of a teacher explaining a problem drift out.

Li Qing entered the campus and headed straight for the logistics area.

The old building, erected in the last century, stood at the edge of the sports field, its outlines faint and indistinct.

Under the cloak of darkness, it took on an even more sinister air.

The entire rear section of the campus was almost without light, most of the area sunk into darkness.

In front of the logistics department’s gate, there was only a dim street lamp, illuminating just the area directly in front.

Li Qing listened to the shuffling of his footsteps and arrived in front of the wide-open building entrance, yet he suddenly hesitated.

This place, when viewed at night, indeed seemed a bit ghostly.

Standing in front of the building, Li Qing found himself tangled in indecision—to enter or not to enter.

And the whereabouts of the old Taoist priest were unknown, his trace completely unseen.

"Damn it, just go have a look, what’s there to be afraid of!"

Li Qing thought fiercely to himself, offering a pep talk, then stepped up the logistics department’s three-tiered staircase.

Clang!

He pulled the logistics department’s door shut and locked it again.

Better not to look, he’d deal with it tomorrow; it was more important to find the old Taoist priest first.

Li Qing muttered to himself, quickly checked to make sure the door was really locked, then headed straight away.

After that, he went around to the back of the logistics department’s building, trying to see if the old Taoist priest was there.

But there was no sign of the Taoist priest, not even a ghostly shadow.

"Maybe he went up to Purple Cloud Mountain!"

Li Qing thought about it and squeezed through a gap in the wall at the back of the sports field.

There, it was a shortcut taken by students.

After coming out, he was right on the main road leading up the mountain.

Li Qing looked up at the mountain, just as he was about to go up to check, when he suddenly became aware of someone at the shop opposite staring at him. He vigilantly looked over and, upon closer inspection, was instantly overjoyed.

"Old Taoist, what are you doing here?" Li Qing walked over quickly.

At this crossroad, there were two shops and a noodle house.

At the moment, the old Taoist priest was holding a bun in his left hand and a bowl of mutton soup in his right, voraciously enjoying his meal.

The old Taoist priest slurped a mouthful of the thick soup and said with a toothy smile, "What else could I be doing? Naturally, I’m eating!"

"Has the Taoist already come down from the mountain?" Li Qing asked curiously.

The old Taoist nodded his head, "Yes, came down. There was a little creature that ran off, no idea where it went!"

A little creature?

Ran off?!

"Taoist, do you mean there really was something unclean, and it even ran away?" Li Qing asked anxiously.

The old Taoist looked at Li Qing attentively and suddenly broke into a chuckle, "Don’t be so tense, those things, seeing you, would surely hide themselves well."

Li Qing felt a chill from that smile.

When this old Taoist spoke seriously, his words became markedly unusual.

"Taoist, can you be more straightforward? What exactly is my situation?" Li Qing pressed on.

He was nearly driven mad by this matter.

The old Taoist would say one moment that his fate was not good, causing trouble to himself and others.

The next, he’d claim that Li Qing had a destiny with Taoism and should go to the mountain to cultivate.

Now he’d added another claim.

But how could those unclean things possibly fear him, a mortal flesh and blood?

"The situation is exactly as it is, what else could I tell you? When the time comes, everything will naturally be resolved!" the old Taoist said harshly, biting into his steamed bun twice and taking a slurping sip of soup, "Don’t push me too hard, my friend. I really want to live a couple more years. Some things aren’t about willingness, but about the inability, young friend."

"The divine is everywhere, three feet above our heads; I can’t risk my life for the sake of my Taoist lineage—it’s not worth it!"

Li Qing felt a subtle enlightenment in his heart.

The old Taoist... simply couldn’t speak about it.

Who would have thought that one day he’d also encounter the notion that speaking too much might reveal the secrets of Heaven!

"So, Taoist priest, I won’t run into any trouble, will I?" Li Qing asked.

"Do I need to say more? With all these entanglements with numerous women, trouble is inevitable; it’s predestined. You better repent and plan ahead," the old Taoist said, shaking his head and wagging his finger.

The old Taoist had already discussed this matter with him many times, and Li Qing had long made up his mind.

No matter how difficult the path ahead may be, he would not give up his current life.

However, at that moment, he suddenly remembered something, and quickly asked, "Taoist priest, once when I was napping at the logistics department, I had a very strange dream."

"I dreamt of a city built in the clouds, with celestial music all around. I even heard two words clearly, one seemed to be ’nine’, and the other ’array,’ but the pronunciation was very strange."

The old Taoist’s face changed abruptly, and he sighed, "Indeed, a person close to the Dao. Such a trifle and yet it prompted a dream of the Cloud Platform Immortal Realm, unbelievable."

"Taoist priest, what do you mean by ’a person close to the Dao’?" Li Qing asked in astonishment.

"Ah, haven’t I been telling you? You’re fated to follow the Dao. That’s roughly what it means," the old Taoist stroked his beard and pondered for a moment. "Come, I’ll teach you a hand technique. Learn from me!"

After saying that, he suddenly flipped his palm and formed a complex hand gesture.

Li Qing imitated with difficulty and managed to mimic the gesture, "Taoist priest, what’s this for? Is it related to that dream I had?"

"Spirit Official Technique. Whenever you encounter unrest in your heart or jumbled thoughts, form this gesture and silently recite those two words you heard in your heart, remember, do not alter their pronunciation," the old Taoist instructed.

"As for your dream, it isn’t anything bad; on the contrary, it’s a good thing."

"A great boon!" the old Taoist declared, eyes bulging, emphasizing every word.

Li Qing was somewhat baffled.

Why couldn’t he feel the great benefits?

Scratching his neck, Li Qing let it go, figuring that as long as it wasn’t bad news, it was fine.

He then asked, "By the way, Taoist priest, do you know how to save people?"

He suddenly remembered Xiao Shu, who had rendered the doctors and the Qi Family helpless.

Perhaps this enigmatic old Taoist priest could save Qi Mengru’s son.

"Do you know what a Taoist is? Mountains, medicine, divination, physiognomy—it’s all essential!" The old Taoist lifted his wrinkled eyelids dismissively and said, "Don’t doubt a Taoist’s medical skills."

"But I don’t have a license to practice medicine, so... I don’t know medicine!"

Li Qing almost choked on this twist of words.

Such an irreverent old Taoist!

He ignored the old Taoist’s remarks and said straightforwardly, "Taoist priest, do you remember that little boy we met before? After you left, he suddenly passed out and his face turned frightfully black."

"And right before he fainted, he shouted out. I heard it clearly; it was an adult’s voice."

The old Taoist’s eyes suddenly sharpened, "That little scoundrel, playing a trick of muddling throughpublic while sneaking through the secret path with this old Taoist."

"Let’s go!"

The old Taoist priest grabbed hold of Li Qing’s arm and stood up, striding toward the foot of the mountain.

"Are you going to save him? Let’s go to the school first, and then we can ride a bike there!" Li Qing quickly called out.

"No need!" The old Taoist gave a mysterious smile, and holding Li Qing’s arm, he started to stride.

Li Qing was being tugged along at a normal walking pace by the old Taoist.

But he could clearly see the scenery on both sides zipping past in a blur.

The speed was countless times faster than him riding a bike.

"Taoist priest, is this some kind of Divine Skill?" Li Qing asked nervously, swallowing hard.

"What Divine Skill? If you exercise more, you could also move this fast. Do you feel like following me to the mountain now?" the old Taoist asked, grinning with his darkened teeth showing.

Li Qing immediately dismissed the thought of asking for guidance, "Nah, let’s forget about it. I feel quite good as I am now."

Yet he was certain, this was definitely the legendary, formidable Divine Skill.