Lian no longer had the heart to talk with his father. After seeing the office activities concluded, Lian "fled" from his father's workplace with a gloomy expression.
But as Lian stood up to leave, he felt his father's eyes flickering towards him, intentionally or not.
"So what?" Despite the feeling, Lian felt no unease. "It has nothing to do with me."
Walking down the street, Lian looked up at the slightly clearing sky, where large white clouds gathered on the horizon.
At first, Lian thought of just going to school, but as he approached, he suddenly remembered that his mother had already requested leave from the school.
Besides, if he left without saying goodbye, his mother would undoubtedly search everywhere.
And the school would undoubtedly be the first place his mother would look.
Lian had no desire to see his parents at this moment.
Turning around, he saw the rooftops of Xiang Temple in the distance.
"When people are lost, they often turn to religious beliefs." Lian understood this all too well.
"I met a Taoist priest the other day, and today I encountered something so exciting. Could it be that Taoist Priest Pingshan is the one destined by heaven to answer my questions?" Lian's mind raced, and he unconsciously headed towards Xiang Temple.
"Little boy, you need to buy a ticket to get in."
Lian looked up and saw a ticket window at the entrance.
The woman selling tickets was in her thirties, heavily made up. Not only did she look unattractive, but she seemed rather intimidating in the dim light of the room.
"Do I need a ticket here?" Lian was a little confused.
"Of course, this is a cultural relic protection site. If you want to visit, you have to buy a ticket." The woman's thin lips casually spat out melon seed shells, and she looked at Lian with disdain.
Lian felt in his pockets; he only had a few bills, and he wasn't sure if they were enough.
Just then, the woman buying the ticket screamed. Lian looked up and saw Taoist Pingshan appear in the ticket room. He had just removed his hand from the woman's buttocks and was looking at her with a smile.
"You pervert Taoist, do you want to die?" The woman, clearly displeased with Taoist Pingshan's "sneak attack," glared at him fiercely.
The Taoist, in typical shameless fashion, said with a smile, "Sister Zhang, I know this guy. I'll give you a free ticket."
"You said it's free, but who do you think you are?" The woman didn't budge.
But then she screamed again. Taoist Pingshan's right hand tightened around her waist."
The woman hurriedly pushed him away, giving him an amused sidelong glance.
She turned away and remained silent.
Just then, Pingshan emerged from the main entrance of the Taoist temple, smiling and welcoming Lian into Xiang Temple.
When Lian entered the temple, he saw that Xiang Temple was true to its name. Auspicious cloud carvings and pictures were everywhere. Even the new roofs and frames were decorated with the same cloud designs.
Pingshan led Lian around the temple for a few turns before arriving at his residence. A sign reading "City Taoist Association, Branch X" hung at the entrance.
Seeing this, Lian's depressed mood eased slightly, and he couldn't help but ask Pingshan, "Oh, you're still working for the Taoist Association. You're on the government payroll. Is this all just a trick?"
Pingshan, upon hearing this, became serious: "I've been practicing fasting and performing rituals at Longhu Mountain. I'm a real Taoist!"
"Which sect? Quanzhen, Zhengyi, Lingbao, Shangqing, Shenxiao..." Lian asked.
Pingshan looked surprised: "Good boy, you know all that? Not bad, not bad. You got it right first. I'm from the Quanzhen sect."
"A disciple of Wang Chongyang." Seeing Pingshan showed no dissatisfaction, Lian became a little flattering.
"Longhu Mountain is the Zhengyi sect. Why are you holding fast and praying there?"
After that, the two, one older and one younger, looked at each other with disdain and laughed uncontrollably.
Entering the room, Pingshan made Lian a cup of tea. He didn't treat Lian like a child at all, but rather showed every courtesy to a guest.
"I didn't expect you to come visit me today, just yesterday. It's beyond my wildest dreams."
Taoist Pingshan looked at Lian with interest. Lian lowered his head, preoccupied with something, but it was clear that the Taoist before him was not the right person to talk to. Besides, this was a family scandal, so how could he reveal it to an outsider?
"It's nothing much. I just wanted to chat with you, Taoist priest," Lian said hesitantly.
Pingshan, an experienced man, could see that Lian was hesitant.
However, Pingshan also understood that he shouldn't carelessly delve into other people's inner secrets, so he casually changed the subject.
"You've read the book of toa, haven't you?"
"Yes, I've read it once," Lian nodded.
"Any insights?" Pingshan asked.
"It's like this..."
"This young man is teachable..."
As darkness fell, Lian turned and waved to the Taoist priest Pingshan, who had escorted him. He then walked toward the street corner.