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Human Sacrifice
The child who emerged from the temple had a smooth, bald head and bright eyes, resembling a pretty nun.
Upon seeing Mr. Chang, he burst into tears and threw himself into Mr. Chang's arms, saying with a hint of grievance, "Master, I thought you weren't coming back."
Mr. Chang laughed heartily and said, "Why did you shave your head like this? Are you planning to become a monk?"
The child replied, "No way! It was Zhang Jianzi from the Village who shaved it for me. With my head shaved, I can shine brightly at night when I come back, and I'm not afraid walking on the mountain paths."
I exchanged glances with Brother Five, both of us finding the child's words amusing. The child noticed us and asked, "Is this Brother Five? Is this Master’s new disciple?"
Mr. Chang replied, "His name is Yang Hao, a friend of mine."
The child said shyly, "Oh, I'm Douding."
"Douding," I greeted him.
Douding waved his hand and said, "No, no, it's just Douding, without any title."
We all laughed heartily at the little fellow's antics.
Mr. Chang turned to the temple and asked, "Disciple, where are your senior brothers?"
Hearing Mr. Chang's question, Douding's jaw quivered as if he might cry again. He said with a sense of grievance, "All my senior brothers ran away. When they left, they took the Merit box with them. I didn't let them take it; they even wanted to tear down the plaque of Qingliang Temple and sell the incense burner."
"Did they have no master?" Mr. Chang asked.
Douding shook his head and replied, "No. The Daoist Sect has strict rules: those who betray their master or ancestors will die; those who insult the preacher will be killed. They wouldn't dare."
Mr. Chang nodded and said, "You understand the rules well. It's all my fault for not coming back to see you for so long; without basic living support, anyone would leave."
Douding said firmly, "Master raised me; I won't leave."
"Master, my Douding is quite endearing. The villagers don’t mind sharing their meals with him. Your senior brothers are different; they should have cultivated some Dao Qi over the years. It shouldn’t be a problem for them to mingle in the secular world and make a living, as long as they don’t cause any trouble. After all, we are all orphans, and making a living is not easy."
Douding nodded and said, "Master, please wait a moment. I’ll go to the Meditation Room to get the candles and light them so that Ancestor Master knows you have returned."
Mr. Chang asked, "Why do you need to put the candles away? You can just leave them on the candlestick."
Douding replied, "You don’t know, Master. A while ago, I saw a big rat carrying a candle and gnawing on it. I chased it for quite a while before catching up. The rats on our mountain eat candles! Even Zhang Jianzi didn’t believe me."
With that, Douding walked into the darkness. After a short while, he emerged with two thick white candles lit in his hands and carefully placed them on the offering table in front of the statue of Laozi.
"Master," Douding continued, "the rats on the mountain are quite frightening. A few nights ago, one even crawled onto my stomach while I was sleeping! I was so scared! Several senior brothers weren’t around at that time, so I called Ergui and Panpan to stay with me for a few nights. But their parents later wouldn’t let them stay at the temple anymore because it’s dangerous up here. I didn’t feel there was any real danger."
Hearing this from Douding, Mr. Chang showed a hint of concern in his eyes. "You don’t need to be stingy with the candles. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to buy some things; we’ll get everything we need. By the way, has the temple fair already taken place?"
Douding replied, "Master, you forgot! Our Qingliang Mountain temple fair is held twice a year in spring and summer. The first one is on the twenty-fifth day of the second lunar month for Laozi's birthday. The second one is on the fifteenth day of the sixth lunar month when Laozi went up the mountain to enjoy the coolness and give teachings. The last one was held two months ago when Big Brother was still here; he presided over it before leaving."
Mr. Chang nodded and did not say anything further. Douding squinted his eyes into crescent shapes and smiled, saying, "You don’t know this, Master, but I was the one who gave teachings at the temple fair! The people from nearby villages call me 'Immortal.' My friends from Village are so envious!"
"Then my Douding has grown up!" Mr. Chang said as he pinched Douding's cheek.
Douding felt shy from the praise and scratched his head, saying, "I’m grown up now but without any official title."
This was how I first met Douding. That night he excitedly helped us set up our beds and worked until late before finally going to sleep. Just before sleeping, he secretly pointed at Five and told me, "Brother Yang Hao, Brother Five snores so loudly it’s unbearable! If he wakes you up, just pinch him; it works like a charm."
I made a 'k' gesture at him, and he chuckled before falling into a deep sleep.
The room we stayed in was the Disciples' Quarters of Qingliang Temple. There were more than ten beds lined up inside, so Douding, Five, and I shared this space together. Mr. Chang was supposed to sleep in the Disciples' Quarters as well, but Douding insisted that Master should sleep in his own room instead. Unable to argue with Douding, Mr. Chang ended up sleeping in his own room next door.
I often remembered watching movies about Shaolin Temple monks sleeping in their Disciples' Quarters and practicing martial arts every morning; back then, I longed to become a monk at Shaolin Temple. Although I wasn’t sleeping there now, at least I had entered a Taoist temple.
However, Qingliang Temple felt slightly cold and desolate under the night sky.
Although it was late summer, Qingliang Temple lived up to its name, feeling quite cool, and most importantly, there were no mosquitoes.
After cultivating Dao Qi, a practitioner of Taoism would be surrounded by a refreshing aura. Weak insects like mosquitoes could sense this presence and naturally kept their distance.
I closed my eyes, uncertain about what the future held.
Although Mr. Chang had told me about my biological parents, I understood that they had no choice but to abandon me at Futu Ridge. After more than twenty years of aimless wandering and ignorance, suddenly learning so many truths made me feel less afraid.
I was also someone who cherished memories. I missed my mother, thought of Huzi, and remembered Zhou Manman, who had given me an uncertain promise before disappearing into the morning sun. My heart felt slightly bittersweet.
At dawn, I heard some movement outside the window. Looking through the glass, I saw Mr. Chang carrying a Medicine Basket as he walked along the wooden path outside. I called out to him, and seeing that I was awake, Mr. Chang stopped by the window, thinking I had something to say.
At that moment, Wuhe and Douding were still sound asleep. I quietly got up and stepped out of the Meditation Room.
“Mr. Chang, where are you off to so early?” I asked.
Mr. Chang replied, “I’m going to Yaowang Mountain to gather herbs for you. The stock of medicine in the temple has run out; it’s likely all been taken by those youngsters who came down from the mountain to trade for a living. You’d better sleep a bit longer; otherwise, you’ll regret it tonight.”
“Why don’t I go with you to Yaowang Mountain? It would be nice to pay my respects at the former residence of Medicine King Sun Simiao,” I suggested.
“You can’t go,” Mr. Chang said. “Yaowang Mountain is dozens of miles away; with your stamina, it would take you half a day just to get there. Besides, it has been a desolate mountain for decades now. Sun Simiao’s Medicine King Hall was destroyed during the calamity; the books inside were either burned or stolen. After the urban-rural reforms, the villagers there have all moved away; there’s nothing much to see.”
After finishing his words, Mr. Chang dashed down the stone steps with remarkable speed. By the time he reached the foot of the mountain, he was even running across the lotus pond in front of Qingliang Temple on lily pads.
Following Mr. Chang's advice, I returned to bed for a little while longer. When I woke up again, it was already noon; surprisingly, I found myself sprawled out in bed again in the afternoon when I caught a faint aroma of cooked rice.
Walking along the long corridor of Qingliang Temple towards the backyard, I saw Douding squatting beside the stove with a spoon scooping rice porridge from a large pot. The porridge contained a few pieces of leafy vegetables that had been boiled until soft.
Seeing me awake, Douding said, “Brother Yang Hao, you’re awake!”
I nodded and asked, “You can cook for yourself?”
"Douding said, 'Of course, I was raised by my master. After he passed away, a few of my senior brothers cooked for me. Later on, I had to rely on meals from various families. Sometimes, when it was my turn to eat at a family that had something going on, I could only go back to the temple and cook for myself. The rice in the temple is running low, so I can only make some Rice Porridge. These vegetables are all grown by me; they're quite fresh.'
'Then I must taste your cooking. When Brother Five wakes up, let him drive outside the mountain to buy more food. He has money, so we won't have to worry about food in the future.'
'Really?' Douding asked, somewhat incredulous.
'Of course it's true.'
'Is there meat?'
'You can have whatever meat you want.'
'You better not be lying to me.'
'I would never lie to you.'
Douding laughed heartily and then extended his finger, saying, 'Let's make a pinky promise.'
I was a bit surprised; I often saw children making pinky promises in Bright Moon Village. Back then, Huzi would look down on them for playing such childish games.
I linked my finger with Douding's, and we shook our fingers as we recited, 'Pinky promise, hang it up; we won't change for a hundred years.'"
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