The Young Daoist Monk

There was a mountain called the Mount Qingxia. The path leading up to it was a windy, twisted trail paved with stone steps covered in wet moss.

A middle-aged man in his thirties was sweating profusely, beads of sweat trickling down onto the stone steps – he was clearly exhausted from the hike.

He paused for a moment, as he wiped the sweat off his forehead with the lapel of his Chinese jacket. In front of him was a luscious green forest. As the leafy branches danced to the wind, the dark green roof tiles unveiled and came into sight, faintly discernible.

After another fifteen minutes of hiking, he could finally see the ancient building standing deep in the mountains. Uncovering it from its mysterious veil, the ancient building could then be seen in its entirety.

Behind him was a serene bamboo-lined path and ahead of him was a slope of peacefully rooted pine trees. He could not help but notice the stark contrast - a run-down Daoist temple was right in front of him.

Despite its simplicity and the remoteness of its location, the Daoist temple was surrounded by an air of mystique. Fascinated by the sight before him, the man felt refreshed. The fatigue from the climb slowly faded away.

He took a deep breath and sent sweet, fresh air deep into his lungs. Mustering the little energy that he had left, he dragged himself to the entrance. Most of the red paint on the door pillars did not withstand the test of time and had long chipped and weathered off. Strange enough, the signboard – an inscribed tablet hanging on top of the door - retained its color.

The name of the temple - Qingxia Temple, was inscribed clearly and neatly on the signboard. The inscription was neat, each stroke showcased the Daoist author's detachment and independence. 

Flanking each side of the door was a set of Chinese couplet, 'Heart as free as the clouds; Mind that flows like running water'.

Judging from the ink, it was obvious that the couplet was a recent addition. The calligraphy was expressive and unrestrained.

The man was not well-versed in literature and art but even he could tell that there was something special about the couplet. What exactly, he could not put his finger on it; the couplet just had a certain je ne sais quoi.

Grabbing onto the iron ring attached to the door, the man knocked and was taken aback by the unexpected loud collision. Out of courtesy, he knocked again in a gentler and less abrupt manner.

Shortly after, the door swung open.

A young Daoist monk around thirteen or fourteen years old stood by the door. He gave off a whiff of herbal medicine, the scent was almost pleasant.

The young Daoist monk had neatly shaped and delicate facial features. He was slightly on the thinner side. Even though he had put on an oversized puffer jacket, the man could tell that he was frail. His face had a yellowish undertone, hinting at possible underlying health concerns.

He used to go by the name Li Feng. More precisely, his soul did not belong to this world. He was a doctor on Earth. He used to run a clinic and had considerable income. On top of that, he owned a car and a house. He might not be considered a winner in life but undeniably, he led a good life.

With that said, the repetitive lifestyle got boring after a while.

He was driving home that day. At the junction, he got into an accident. By the time he was awake, he realized that his soul was in a different body.

Having transcended time and space, he realized that not every time traveler was that lucky.

Three months ago, he became the new owner of this body, Shen Lian. Seeing it as a fateful encounter, he decided to assume Shen Lian's identity as a token of apology of sorts to the actual owner of the body.

The real Shen Lian had an impressive background – his mother was the daughter of the reputable Shen family, wealthy merchants based in the State Capital of Qing. His mother was pregnant with him when she was seventeen and unmarried. No one knew who the father was and his mother would not breathe a word about it.

She insisted on giving birth to him.

Her premarital pregnancy did not sit well with her father, Old Master Shen. Despite his anger, Old Master Shen could not bear to disown his only daughter.

Unfortunately, Shen Lian's mother died young. She passed away two years ago.

Shen Lian could not imagine life with the Shen family without his mother. He did not feel belonged there and people would call him a 'bastard' behind his back.

Having made up his mind, Shen Lian approached Old Master Shen and his two uncles. He offered to leave the Shen family as a substitute monk in order to pray for the good fortune of Shen family.

The concept of substitute monk was not new to reputable houses and families. Though, substitute monks were usually the children of servants. In spite of everything, Shen Lian was still a descendant of Shen family, he did not have to volunteer. Not surprisingly, Old Master Shen agreed to his request.

After all, the Shen family had amassed a considerable fortune. It was a common local practice for daughters of the family to inherit some part of the fortune. A daughter's inheritance would be passed on to her by way of dowry, of which she would have complete access and control.

Dowry was usually given to daughters when they reached a marriageable age. By the time she gets married, most of the land title would already be in her name.

When Shen Lian's mother was impregnated out of wedlock, she was not banished from the Shen family out of Old Master Shen's love for her. Though, a big part of the reason was that if she were to leave the Shen family, she would bring with her fortune of considerable size.

After the death of his mother, Shen Lian inherited the fortune as of right. Even though Old Master Shen and his two uncles were nice to him, he could not help but be worried – who knew when his two aunts would brew up something sinister! He was painfully aware of the fact that upon his death, his inheritance would be reverted back to the Shen family as of right.

Shen Lian's uncles each had children of their own. Despite the kindness that his uncles had shown him, he was never part of their family. His uncles would definitely love to leave their own children some sort of inheritance.

As Shen Lian was young when he decided to leave the Shen family to become a Daoist monk, these factors were not part of his consideration. He was merely driven by his pride and reluctance to depend on others. Even more so, he had discovered a book of martial exercises. It was something that he found when he was sorting out his mother's belongings. Apparently, the book was from his father. He could not help but wonder why his mother did not give the book to him.

In order to practice the martial exercises, Shen Lian was keen to find a private place, a place of his own.

The Shen family was incredibly wealthy. The Qingxia Temple along with Mount Qingxia belonged to them. This was exactly why the Shen family felt it was safe to send Shen Lian there.

If Shen Lian were to be addicted to the ways of Daoism and decided to stay a Daoist monk, the Shen family could not be more pleased.

The villagers living at the foot of the mountain were in charge of maintenance. Ever since Shen Lian came to the Qingxia Temple, the villagers had been sending over food and clothes. 

On special occasions and during festivals, servants from the Shen family would bring Shen Lian something – a gesture to show him that he was not forgotten.

Shen Lian had plenty of time on his hands as he was living alone on Mount Qingxia and did not have to worry about daily chores and his meals. The villagers would help out with the chores, and he hired someone to take care of his meals. After all, the Shen family had plenty of cash to spare. Therefore in his free time, Shen Lian could indulge in researching into the book of martial exercises that he found.

The book of martial exercises was known as 'The Mastery of Senses'. A book of several thousand words, it focused on a method of sensing the spirit, strengthening the power of the spirit, and improving on the astuteness of the psyche and the swiftness of one's response. When the spirit attained a certain level of strength, it would be able to break through from the Baihui point and bring forth out of body experiences. In short, the book was filled with various inconceivable and abstruse notions.