Chapter 1: The White-Robed Daoist

Hu Zongren and Fu Yunni are both good friends of mine and Cai Jie. They got married a few months before Cai Jie and I did, and the rather poor proposal idea that Hu Zongren used was actually suggested by me. As two families with a very close relationship, the joyous occasion of me becoming a father naturally calls for a celebration together.

To be honest, since I met Hu Zongren in 2009, my understanding of his background has been quite limited. I only know that he is a disciple of the Yao Mountain Daoist sect, and his master is a reclusive elder from Yao Mountain. Although Hu Zongren has always been a bit eccentric, he is quite reliable when it comes to the transmission of the teachings of our sect. Apart from that, I do not know much about his past.

The man in the white robe said to the master of the observatory at that time, "If you do not mind my limited knowledge and low abilities, I would like to take this young man with me, allowing him to follow me as I travel and visit various places. I wonder if that would be acceptable."

This matter dates back to October 2011. At the end of the previous month, I officially transitioned from being a troubled youth in my twenties to entering the world of troubled middle age at thirty. Yes, I was thirty that year. This was originally a rather sad event, but during that month, I received a tremendous piece of news: my wife was pregnant.

Hu Zongren also smiled, and he continued, saying that the master of the observatory had originally been entrusted by his uncle to temporarily keep Hu Zongren by his side. It was likely that he did not intend to keep him for long. However, after Hu Zongren got into trouble, he found himself with a legitimate reason to do so. Moreover, with the white-robed Taoist stepping forward to take charge of Hu Zongren, he probably thought it was for the best, as it would avoid offending anyone. He only feared that Hu Zongren would harbor resentment towards him for some time. Thus, when the white-robed Taoist said this, the master of the observatory readily agreed.

In his world, just as he is in mine, we are good friends, like brothers. Even in our thirties, we often fight and brawl, yet this does not affect the bond of camaraderie between us. We have faced many dangers together and confronted numerous bizarre conspiracies. For me, this friendship forged in battle is invaluable. I have contemplated countless times the desire to write down his story, even though neither of us can be considered paragons of virtue, and despite the fact that we have not known each other for many years.

Hu Zongren stated that the most profound impression he had was when the Daoist in a white robe took him on foot along the old path to Emei. The Daoist asked him a question, saying that if no one were to pay attention to him that day and he was truly driven down the mountain, what would he do? Without a moment's hesitation, Hu Zongren replied, at worst, I would find a temporary job; I am young and strong, and I certainly won't let myself starve.

And this Daoist in the white robe ultimately became Hu Zongren's master; he is Xing Yazai

My name is Li Yifan, and I am thirty-two years old. Perhaps many people know me because of an unintentional act I committed last year, but in the entire story I am about to write, please remember that I am not the protagonist

On that day at noon, I personally cooked a meal. After everyone had a delightful feast at my home, Fu Yunni took Cai Jie out to bask in the sun and go shopping, while Hu Zongren and I stayed at home to continue drinking and eating.

Hu Zongren stated that he failed the entrance examination until his high school graduation. Subsequently, his family tried various means to persuade him to retake the exam for another year. During that vacation, he, along with a few friends, severely injured a child from another school.

Hu Zongren said that this incident had a particularly great impact on him. At that time, he believed he was arguing with those pilgrims to maintain the tranquility of the Taoist temple. Dressed in the robes of a young acolyte from their temple, he could not understand why the master of the temple wanted to expel him for this. Just then, an old man in a white Taoist robe walked out from the side room and said to the master of the temple, "This young man is full of vigor and has a stubborn nature. As practitioners of the Tao, we should retain those whom we believe to be talented individuals. However, for those who can clearly be transformed through education, why must we so resolutely reject them at the door?"

The white-robed Taoist said, in today's world, no one will starve to death. However, you are devoid of skills and knowledge; even if you find a job, given your temperament, it would be difficult for you to sustain it for long. You still have a considerable way to go before you mature. Hu Zongren thought that the old Taoist was once again looking for an excuse to subtly urge him to leave, and just as he was about to retort in anger, the white-robed Taoist pointed to the pond in the mountains and said, look at this pond, it contains water snakes, loaches, and eels; some are strong while others are weak. Hu Zongren thought that the old Taoist was again trying to find an excuse to subtly urge him to leave, and just as he was about to retort in anger, the white-robed Taoist pointed to the pond in the mountains and said, look at this pond, it contains water snakes, loaches, and eels; some are strong while others are weak. But these water snakes, eels, and loaches do not even have hands or feet, yet they understand the need to survive. You have hands and feet; do you only think about living by doing odd jobs?

I gave Hu Zongren a thumbs up and said, "Brother, you are truly strong. You dare to fight even in front of the ancestral master; it would be a pity if you didn't become a rogue." Hu Zongren replied that he had been feeling quite frustrated for a long time. The master neither taught him anything nor stopped him from doing anything, and he had never even mentioned taking on disciples. He felt indignant, thinking that it was already unfortunate enough for him to have to fight and run away, and now, upon arriving at this mountain temple, he was still not welcomed. Coupled with his own bad temper, he easily got into trouble wherever he went. Hu Zongren mentioned that he had been feeling quite frustrated for a long time. The master neither taught him anything nor stopped him from doing anything, and he had never even mentioned taking on disciples. He felt indignant, thinking that it was already unfortunate enough for him to have to fight and run away, and now, upon arriving at this mountain temple, he was still not welcomed. Coupled with his own bad temper, he easily got into trouble wherever he went.

Hu Zongren took another sip of wine and said to me that it was the first sentence spoken by the Daoist in a white robe that left him in shock. For someone like Hu Zongren to understand the principles is not an easy task, unlike the accommodating nature of the *Tu* and *Shu* of the *Yijing*. He told me that at that moment, he felt an unprecedented respect for the Daoist in front of him

He told me that he initially just went to help out and gather people, but as he started hitting, he discovered that he particularly enjoyed the feeling of beating others, and he couldn't stop. He used a wooden stick as thick as his wrist to strike someone's neck, ultimately breaking the stick. The most foolish part was that after he finished, he proudly tossed out a line, "I am Hu Zongren; if you are not convinced, come find me," presenting himself as if he were a big shot in the underworld

On that joyful day, everyone drank quite a bit, feeling tipsy but not drunk, and the two of us began to share our childhoods. It was the first time I learned about his past directly from him; previously, the most intriguing story I had heard was from Hu Zongren's mother, about how he accidentally fell into a latrine and ended up with a mouthful of excrement.

Unfortunately, the child who was beaten has a father who is a relatively powerful construction contractor in Yilong, with many connections in the underworld. That very night, the father made it clear that if Hu Zongren was not found to provide an explanation, he would not rest until he did. Hu Zongren stated that his father had passed away that year, leaving only him and his mother at home. Upon learning that her son had gotten into trouble, Hu's mother hurriedly sought connections to communicate with the other party's parents, but they refused to engage. Fearing the situation, Hu's mother entrusted Hu Zongren to her husband's cousin, who is also Hu Zongren's uncle, asking him to stay there for a while until the storm passed before returning. Hu's mother mentioned that she is a teacher and, being a woman, she believed they would not make things difficult for her.

I asked Hu Zongren how this matter was handled later. He said that the master of the temple still came out to protect his own, and although those few pilgrims were overbearing, they ultimately did not dare to cause trouble in the temple. At that time, Hu Zongren was still a young child, and it was not very appropriate for him to be calculating about the situation, so for those few people, the matter ended up unresolved. However, the master of the temple said that he could no longer accept a child like Hu Zongren, so he planned to send him down the mountain.

I couldn't help but laugh; after all these years, this guy's personality hasn't changed in the slightest. To be frank, he has actually become even more extreme than before.

Hu Zongren said that at that moment he felt entirely wronged, thinking that he probably wasn't as disliked as he believed, and he was actually unwilling to accept the punishment from the master of the temple. At that moment, the Daoist in the white robe stood up to speak for him, which brought him a sense of comfort. Simultaneously, his stubborn temper flared up; having originally knelt on the ground to accept his punishment, he suddenly stood up with his head held high and disdainfully said to the master of the temple, "Since you do not wish to keep me in your temple, then I shall not remain here either. The world is vast; who would want to stay in your Daoist temple where you never even add salt to the vegetables!"

Hu Zongren told me that he was born into an intellectual family. Both of his parents were middle school teachers, and logically speaking, someone like him should not have spent many years dealing with ghosts and making a fortune from it. Hu Zongren's hometown is Yilong County in Sichuan Province, which is the birthplace of Marshal Zhu De. Hu Zongren said that perhaps it was due to his fate, but he has never been fond of studying since childhood. However, whenever there was an exam, he always managed to pass somehow, so despite his consistently low grades, he never faced the danger of being held back or expelled from school. Hu Zongren mentioned again that perhaps it was due to his fate, but he has never been fond of studying since childhood. However, whenever there was an exam, he always managed to pass somehow, so despite his consistently low grades, he never faced the danger of being held back or expelled from school

Hu Zongren told me that later he learned that the old Taoist priest before him belonged to the Yao Mountain sect of folk Taoism. He had spent most of his life wandering from place to place, not participating in any religious management organization, living freely and contentedly. The Yao Mountain sect is affiliated with the Xuanyuan Society, a folk Taoist organization that venerates the Yellow Emperor Xuanyuan and is committed to revitalizing the national religion

Hu Zongren said that at that time he was just a young lad. Although he had been exposed to Daoist texts for a short period, it was indeed brief, and he had not encountered anyone willing to genuinely teach him. Therefore, prior to that, his understanding of Chinese Daoist culture was extremely superficial. However, after the white-robed Daoist took Hu Zongren with him, they consecutively visited several famous mountains such as Emei and Tiantai. During this time, they shared meals and accommodations, and the white-robed Daoist did not teach Hu Zongren anything about Daoism or its practices, nor did he mention anything about apprenticeship. Instead, he continuously asked Hu Zongren about his past life, such as why he did not attend school, why he ran away, whether he missed home, and so on.

I smiled and asked Hu Zongren, "Those days must have been quite unbearable for you, right?" Hu Zongren replied, "Indeed, it felt like each day lasted a year. Later, one day I was feeling very restless, and a few pilgrims who had come up the mountain were making a loud commotion in the temple, using foul language. Unable to stand it, I went to remind them. As a result, a few words were miscommunicated, and a fight broke out.

At this point, Hu Zongren raised his glass and took a sip. I understood his character; he probably seldom reminisced about that absurd period of his life, even with Fu Yunni, he might rarely share such memories. He continued to say that his distant uncle had only returned to Sichuan in recent years and was currently settled in Chengdu. Before that, he was a Taoist practitioner, but he refused to tell me the specifics of his teachings. Hu Zongren mentioned that it was precisely during that time of evasion that he first came into contact with Taoist culture through his uncle. Although the time was short, his uncle said he had potential, so he secretly introduced Hu Zongren to a master he knew, without informing Hu's mother. This led to a significant conflict between Hu's mother and his uncle. The master was a Taoist priest from Qingcheng, who initially said he wanted to assess Hu Zongren's character. He had him follow him around all day, without giving him any tasks or paying him any attention, just observing what he did all day.