It was already morning now. The chance to watch the sunrise from the top of Julong Peak had definitely been missed.
But the two did not mind. They had seen all sorts of sunrises many times before. They did not lack this one from Laoshan.
They exchanged their tickets, took the tourist shuttle bus, and then rode the cable car. First, they wandered around the most famous Julong Peak scenic area, took photos, and checked in.
Then, after descending from Julong Peak, they arrived at the main target of this tour, the Taiqing scenic area.
This was the core area for Laoshan’s Taoist culture. Taiqing Palace, Shangqing Palace, Mingxia Cave, and so on were all newly built, with vibrant colours. They looked high-end, grand, and upscale.
But…
“No immortal vibe at all.” Lin Wan shook her head.
Although she had not yet cultivated true Taoist qi, with the aid of two jade essence pills, her martial dao blood energy was incredibly dense. It was stronger than most cultivators. Not to mention a century of cultivation, fifty or sixty years was no problem.
So, in her eyes, these Taoists were all weaklings. Where was the need for the cautious, careful approach she once thought was necessary?
“I was right, was I not?”
“Spot on!”
A quick kiss. Some people nearby had to swallow another mouthful of dog food.
“So, what do you say? Are the stories in Liaozhai Zhiyi true or false?”
At this point, the two were not following any tour groups. They were wandering freely and had just arrived at a spot about the Laoshan Taoists.
“Pu Songling was from Lu Province. Many of his stories are set in Lu Province. Among them, the ones about immortals and Taoists focus the most on Laoshan. And Laoshan is an important branch of the Quanzhen Longmen sect in Taoism.”
Lu Zheng rubbed his chin, “The Laoshan sect was also the earliest Quanzhen sect to integrate the Zhengyi dao’s rituals for fasting, prayers, and exorcisms. Naturally, it involves all sorts of Taoist talismans and incantation methods, so…”
“So… what?” Lin Wan’s eyes sharpened. She asked hurriedly.
“So…” Lu Zheng nodded thoughtfully, “Of course, I have no idea either.”
“Tch,”
A few tourists nearby who had been eavesdropping on Lu Zheng’s bragging let out a collective sigh and dispersed.
Looking at the people who scattered, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
They did not know that the ordinary-looking, handsome young man in front of them was now probably more powerful than most of the Taoists written about in Liaozhai Zhiyi.
“No matter what, we are cultivating Taoist methods. When we come across a Taoist temple, we still have to pay our respects,” Lin Wan said.
“Naturally.” Lu Zheng nodded.
Ordinary people might not know, and even most modern professional Taoists might not accept it.
But Lu Zheng truly knew. The Three Pure Ones of Taoism really existed. Even most of the famous immortals in the Taoist scriptures were real.
They simply no longer appeared in the modern world for various reasons.
But was it because they could no longer see this place for various reasons, or because there was no spiritual energy here and they were too lazy to look? And would they remember to look again in the future?
The key point was, would they notice this place because he had connected the two realms?
One had to know, even in the Da Jing Dynasty, with major sects spanning thousands of years, inheritances from upper realm immortals and Buddhas were endless and appeared from time to time.
Had not Master Wansong been playing chess with Chisongzi just a year ago? A devil had only descended in true spirit a few decades ago.
In other words, the world of the Da Jing Dynasty was still in the sight of upper realm immortals, at least with some connection.
Lu Zheng was cautious, but immortals and Buddhas had vast divine powers. He had no confidence he could hide from them.
He relied on the jade seal in his mind to shuttle between realms. They could descend in true spirit between realms or impart teachings in dreams with their own power.
The gap was immeasurable.
What if some big shot discovered him in the Da Jing Dynasty side, then followed the trail back to the modern world? It was entirely possible.
So, paying respects in advance was very necessary.
If the intention was sincere, the immortals would definitely know. Then, would that not make for a solid backer?
Thus, Lu Zheng paid respects to immortals upon seeing them. From the moment he entered Taiqing Palace and saw the statues, he performed full prostrations, meticulously.
Lin Wan knew Lu Zheng’s abilities. Seeing him so devout, and she had not even mastered the skills yet, how could she be any less devout?
So she followed Lu Zheng’s lead, paying respects to immortals with full prostrations.
The Taoists in the palace and fellow tourists were stunned. They did not expect this golden boy and jade girl-like young couple to be such loyal fans of traditional Chinese culture.
They arrived at Taiqing Square. Nowadays, with the upper levels having eliminated old malpractices, there were no so-called high-priced incense sticks. Prices were all cheap. But Lu Zheng still bought the most expensive kind and lit it with Lin Wan to pray.
They did the same at Taiqing Palace, and naturally at Shangqing Palace and Mingxia Cave too.
After touring the Taoist culture area, they took a boat out to sea for a spin, then returned to shore and continued north on the tourist bus.
The next spot was the Buddhist culture area, with Huayan Temple.
“Why does Laoshan have a Buddhist temple?” Lin Wan was a bit confused.
Lu Zheng shrugged, “Mountains in ancient times were not private property. If you could build a Taoist temple, you could build a Buddhist one too. And Buddhism broadly accepts believers, so it is better at persuasion.”
In the Da Jing Dynasty, Taoism’s overall strength was stronger than Buddhism’s, but that did not mean Buddhism was weak. At least, when some big shots mentioned certain eminent monks, they were still respectful.
Besides, outside the Central Plains, Buddhism had many Buddhist kingdoms in the West. Though their internal doctrines were chaotic and contentious, their overall strength was not weak at all.
So, you could dislike Buddhism, but you had to respect it.
Huh? Why did this phrasing feel so familiar?
But Lu Zheng was a Taoist disciple and had not learned any Buddhist methods. So, visiting the temple here, he was not as solemn as before.
A bow and clasped hands sufficed for courtesy.
After a quick tour, they continued north. The next and final concentrated scenic area was Yangkou.
There was also a newly built Taoist temple here, Taiping Palace.
They paid respects to the God of Wealth and Emperor Wenchang, then to Mazu. With that, the trip was complete.
“It is a pity time is limited. We could only visit these concentrated spots. The other attractions and temples in the mountains could not be reached.”
Laoshan was vast, so there were many guesthouses and hotels around for stays. One could spend a few more days to tour carefully.
It was a shame they only had one day, but they had seen most of the sights.
“Maybe the attractions deep in the mountains have more immortal vibe,” Lin Wan said.
Lu Zheng hugged Lin Wan and laughed, “Once you cultivate the Taiyuan Xuanshu and achieve qi refinement, we can fly back together to tour. Then, we can show a miracle or two for fun.”
“Do not mess around!” Lin Wan patted Lu Zheng, “You think there is not enough trouble up top already!”
Though neither had said it, they knew the rain incident last time had definitely been secretly recorded. If it happened a few more times, what if the higher-ups really mistook it for spiritual energy revival?
So, they needed to stay low-key.
Just then, a chaotic shout suddenly rang out.
“Ahhh! Look, look!”
“A helicopter!”
“The helicopter is out of control!”
“It is crashing over!”
