Chapter 1: The Boy and the Fatty

In the mind of the young boy, a scene emerged: two years ago, perhaps due to the harvesting of crops at the foot of the mountain, a plump and large rabbit was driven up the mountain, and in its panic, it crashed headlong into the front of the temple, providing the boy with a delightful feast.

Jinling, located in the eastern region of China, at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, is adjacent to the river and near the sea

"How noisy, are you also bullying me?"

"Look, the rabbit my dad caught..." the chubby man raised his left hand and said, "Don't say I'm not loyal, I just got home yesterday, and this morning I brought you a rabbit. Hey, what are you up to?"

This figure is somewhat corpulent, and the horizontally developed body makes the mountain path appear even narrower. However, being overweight does not equate to clumsiness; the person's agility is quite commendable, as they climbed up the steps of about seventy to eighty meters in one breath, and upon reaching the top, they were merely slightly out of breath

Listening to the continuous chirping of cicadas from the large tree above, the young man furrowed his brows. Suddenly, he sprang into action, pushing off the ground with his feet, and swiftly landed three times on the trunk of the tree, which was as thick as his waist. As his body began to fall, he leaped off a branch, extending his right arm like a long ape, and with a swift motion, he caught the cicada that had not managed to fly away in the palm of his hand

"Don't be so impatient, I can see that you are almost starving. Do you want me to bring some food up for you..."

"Don't be so hasty, you won't starve without me..."

The young man turned his head and saw the plaque of the Taoist temple, a faint bitter smile appeared on his face. The last grain of rice left in the temple had been used by him to make porridge two days ago, a porridge so thin it could serve as a mirror. In three days, it would be completely empty, and today the young man had already run out of food.

Sigh, I... I didn't mean it, Yi Ge'er, can I still call you brother?

Yige, are you there? I have arrived

"Wuliang, that venerable one, I just replaced the battery yesterday. Am I going to have to take it to the city for repairs again?"

Why has that foolish rabbit not appeared again?

Since he was found outside the gate of the Taoist temple, which is located in Fang Mountain, the old Taoist priest allowed the boy to take the surname Fang. The boy was sleeping very soundly and comfortably when he was picked up, so the old Taoist priest bestowed upon him the single name Yi, thus he was named Fang Yi

"The Infinite Celestial Venerable, there are still three days left until the deadline set by Master for descending the mountain. Am I really going to starve to death like this?"

What must this child be like to be so hungry

Ah, I must say, your actions are rather swift, aren't they

Alas, alas, why has it stopped making a sound?

The temple of others is called Shangqing Palace, and you also call it Shangqing Palace, but this palace is not the same as that palace, you can't even get a meal here

The boy's eyes darted around, gazing at the distant wisps of smoke rising from the valley below. Unable to resist, he swallowed hard, but out of respect for his master's rules, he hesitated for quite a while before reluctantly sitting back down on the stone steps in front of the temple.

Certainly, the old Taoist was absolutely unwilling to admit that he had casually given Fang Yi a name. According to his explanation, the surname Fang was chosen in the hope that the young man would be upright and honest, while the name Yi was intended to express the hope that the young man would grow up to be extraordinary and stand out from the crowd

The stout man approached, and only then could I see clearly that he did not seem very old, at most around twenty years of age. His pair of squinting eyes were quite spirited, giving off an impression of shrewdness. However, that hint of shrewdness vanished completely when he smiled, replaced by a simple and honest expression that was no longer discernible.

Although both individuals were already eighteen or nineteen years old, they were clearly quite concerned about who was older and who was younger. Provoked by the young Taoist's words, the chubby one blurted out: "Come on, you don't even know what day you were born..."

"This is what you said, I didn't force you..." Upon hearing the words of the chubby boy, the young man's expression stiffened for a moment. Although he quickly smiled again, the chubby boy, who had grown up with him wearing split-crotch pants, still noticed the unnaturalness in the young man's demeanor

After the young boy conversed with the cicada for a while, he raised his palm and released the creature into the air. The sunlight filtered through the dense foliage, illuminating his face, revealing an exceptionally handsome visage with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes.

Regarding the youth, the fat man scoffed and shook his head, saying: "I, Fat Master, have also been a soldier; I can't be a farmer for my entire life, can I? This time I came out to work. By the way, I said you are younger than me, so stop pretending to be big in front of me. You should call me Fat Brother, do you understand?"

Jinling is surrounded by numerous mountains, including Purple Gold Mountain, Niushou Mountain, Mufu Mountain, Qixia Mountain, Tang Mountain, Qinglong Mountain, Huanglong Mountain, Zutang Mountain, Yuntai Mountain, Laosh Mountain, Lingyan Mountain, and Maoshan. Additionally, there are also scattered mountains within the city such as Fugui Mountain, Jiuhua Mountain, Beijige Mountain, Qingliang Mountain, Shizishan Mountain, and Jilong Mountain, creating a geographical feature characterized by abundant mountains, water, and hills.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying that "the wealth of the world comes from the southeast, and Jinling is its hub." With a civilization history of over 6,000 years, a city-building history of nearly 2,600 years, and a capital history of nearly 500 years, it is one of the four great ancient capitals of China, known as the "Ancient Capital of the Six Dynasties" and the "Metropolis of Ten Dynasties," and is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization

"Cut it out, who says I am younger than you? You were clearly born three days after me..." The young man said earnestly, "I am just one hour younger, and I am still your older brother. If you don't believe me, go back and ask your fat father..."

However, this situation of waiting for a hare by the stump has only occurred this once in three years. Throughout these three years, the young man would glance at that large tree every day, but each time he was met with disappointment, as the foolish hare never appeared a second time.

However, with this connection, Fang Yi and the Fatty can be considered as having shared the same maternal milk, naturally feeling a sense of closeness. They have had a very good relationship since childhood. Sometimes, when the Fatty's father goes into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs, he would leave the Fatty at the Taoist temple, and the two children truly grew up together, almost like being tied together by a curtain of cloth.

Compared to the renowned mountains and rivers, the Shangqing Palace on Fang Mountain is undoubtedly a place that misrepresents itself, with only three to five dilapidated houses daring to call themselves the Shangqing Palace. For over a decade, it has seen no offerings; if it were not for the exchange of medicinal herbs and scorpions with the farmers at the foot of the mountain for some grain, the youth would have likely starved long ago

When the fat man walked into the temple and arrived at the backyard, he discovered that the rabbit he had brought was already eviscerated and skinned by the young boy, who had skewered it with a large tree branch. Meanwhile, in the shallow pit on the ground, the firewood had already begun to spark with flames.

Deep within the dense forest of Fangshan, there lies an inconspicuous Taoist temple. Were it not for the plaque at the main entrance, bearing the three characters "Shangqing Palace" inscribed with marks of axe and fire, one might not even discern that this is a place where mortals offer incense, even if the Three Pure Ones themselves were to visit.

Just as the young Taoist priest was feeling hungry and preparing to go up the mountain to catch some scorpions, a shout suddenly echoed from the path below the mountain. Accompanying the shout, a figure had already appeared on the irregular stone steps.

Although the saying goes, "A mountain does not have to be high; it is famous if there is an immortal," Fang Mountain, despite having a Taoist temple, lacks any immortal to be found. During the ten years of turmoil, the temple was once burned down, and later, due to years of neglect, it collapsed once more, becoming increasingly dilapidated.

The young Taoist muttered irritably, raising his hand as if to throw the radio out. However, after hesitating for a moment, he decided to put the radio away instead. After all, this device had accompanied him for a full ten years, and he had spent more than half of those lonely times relying on it.

Looking at the rabbit meat being licked by the flames, the young Taoist could not help but lick his lips and said in a mournful voice: "Fatty, you are really not being fair. It has been over a year since we went out, and I have been waiting every day for you to come up the mountain to bring me food..."

As the chubby man raised his left hand, he suddenly realized that the rabbit he was holding had changed hands. Moreover, before he could finish his words, the boy who snatched the rabbit turned and ran into the temple, and in the blink of an eye, there was no one in front of the chubby man.

The stout man shook his head with a look of pity, knowing that the young Taoist, bound by the rules of his master, was limited to a range of only a few square kilometers within this mountain. The daily necessities he required were exchanged with the villagers down the mountain, and running out of supplies was a frequent occurrence

Because the youth was still in swaddling clothes when he was taken in by his master, and although his master had lived for many years and was well-versed in the arts of yin and yang, the five elements, divination, and physiognomy, he had never raised a child and was utterly confused about the exact age of the youth at the time of his birth.

In fact, the overweight person was not wrong; this young Taoist really does not know the date of his birth.

"Hehe, let's see if you still call out, huh?" After it fell to the ground, the young man opened his palm and looked at the cicada in his hand, a smile unconsciously spreading across his face, and the unpleasantness caused by the broken radio just moments ago vanished into thin air

At that time, Fang Yi was at most two or three months old, so the old Taoist took him down the mountain and had the mother of the chubby boy, who had also just given birth, nurse Fang Yi. However, the countryside was extremely impoverished at that time, and after only three months of milk, Fang Yi was taken back up the mountain by the old Taoist to be fed rice soup.

After saying this, the chubby man realized he had misspoken and quickly raised his hand, cautiously glancing at the young man. The two had grown up together wearing split-crotch pants, and naturally knew each other's vulnerabilities.

Among these famous mountains, there is an inconspicuous small hill covering only a few square kilometers, named Fangshan. Fangshan is a not very high flat-topped mountain, which, when viewed from a distance, resembles a square seal, historically known as Yingshan. Although Fangshan is not tall, it still stands majestically due to its location on the plain.

"Hey, fatty, why are you only just arriving now? Where have you been for over a year? I have really missed you..." Upon seeing the newcomer, the young Taoist displayed a hint of joy on his face, and there was no trace of a monk's restraint in his words

Forget it, let you go...

Brother, I have been hungry for three days...

A young man, around eighteen or nineteen years old, dressed in a Taoist robe, is currently sitting on the steps in front of the Taoist temple, using his right hand to pat a radio resting on his left palm. However, apart from the hissing sound of static, the radio emits no other sound.