"This is the correct address, she told me herself." I said earnestly, having memorized it several times in my dream, absolutely sure of it.
"You, you really dreamed of Xie Bi'an? Did she say anything to you? Is she here to claim your life?" the female Taoist priest asked nervously.
I shook my head, "No, I tore down her main gate. She wants me to pay for it, so she gave me this address and asked me to burn some paper money there."
Seeing that I wasn't joking, the female Taoist priest immediately became serious. She discarded the original brush and picked up a finer one. Instead of the ink from the old inkstone, she opened a small red bottle and dipped her brush into the red ink, respectfully writing the address on the paper money.
"Benefactor, what should I call you?" she asked again.
"Wu Chengfeng."
The female Taoist priest wrote my name at the end. She paused, thinking, and then asked me, "May I add my name? To indicate it was written on behalf of someone."
"Ah, go ahead," I said indifferently.
The female Taoist priest seemed ecstatic. With swift strokes, she wrote a line of small characters below my name: From Fengtian Prefecture, Leiyin Temple, written by Daoist Jingxiang.
This was not the end. On a new line, she wrote two sentences: Wishing Seventh Master, Auspicious clouds float over the purple pavilion, Spiritual energy overflows the black alley.
My education is limited, and I couldn't quite understand what she had written, only guessing two things: Firstly, this female Taoist priest's Dharma name was "Jingxiang," and secondly, "Seventh Master" seemed to be how the priest addressed her cousin. But wasn't her cousin female? Why "Master"?
No matter, I don't understand Taoist matters.
After finishing, the female Taoist priest used a sponge as big as an egg (a beauty blender?) to carefully dab away the excess red ink suspended on the characters. She then gently blew it dry. Afterward, she tied all the paper money together with a red thread and led me to a small courtyard behind the main hall. This area was likely off-limits to tourists, with no places for worship. The ground was artificial turf, soft to the touch, much like a football field.
In the eastern corner of the wall stood a weapon rack displaying many weapons. In the western corner, there was a wooden dummy, the kind Ip Man fought with, and a pull-up bar with a sandbag hanging from it, its surface so battered that the inscriptions were blurred.
"You practice martial arts too?" I asked.
"Yes. My body has been weak since childhood. I was taken to the hospital several times and almost didn't make it. My parents had no choice but to find someone with a unique insight to calculate my destiny. They said I had a 'Ziwei' destiny, inherently unsuited for the mortal world, and could only become a nun. So my parents brought me here with that insightful person. I've been training martial arts with my master since I was young to strengthen my body." The female Taoist priest lifted the hem of her robe and squatted beside a small stove by the wall, turning to ask me for a lighter.
I handed her the lighter. "That insightful person, is he the abbot of this temple? Is he not here?"
"Yes, my master has been traveling for over half a year. Recently, he should be in Jinling." The female Taoist priest lit the paper money and used a poker to carefully separate the sheets, ensuring complete combustion.
"What a coincidence, I'm from Jinling," I said, making small talk. "Your Dharma name is Jingxiang, right? What's your master's name?"
"That's a Daoist name, not a Dharma name," the female Taoist priest smiled. "My Daoist name is Jingxiang, Li Jingxiang. My master's Daoist name is Siming, Sun Siming."
Sun Siming! Mr. Sun!
That was the name of the old Taoist priest who gave me the Golden Light Charm!
I described Mr. Sun's appearance, and Li Jingxiang nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, that's him. Have you met my master?"
I cautiously looked around to confirm there were no cameras, then said, "Yes... the reason I've come to the Northeast can be considered thanks to him."
"What exactly happened?" Li Jingxiang finished burning the paper money, stood up, and asked curiously.
But I couldn't say. Based on my deductions, that old Mr. Sun was highly likely to be someone from Shakespeare's organization. If I told Jingxiang, or if Jingxiang knew I was here, and my secret base was just down the mountain, it would be a huge problem.
"Nothing, nothing," I said with a wry smile. "Just a chance encounter. By the way, when will your master return?"
"I don't know. Should I ask?" Jingxiang's small hand reached for her robe. Female Taoist priests have mobile phones too; I saw one earlier, a battered iPhone 14.
"No need," I waved my hand. "How about we add each other on WeChat? I might need your help again recently."
The female Taoist priest nodded, and we exchanged WeChat accounts.
I'm much better at manipulating people on WeChat because I can think before sending each message. When speaking in person, I'm afraid I might slip up.
As I turned to leave, I noticed the weapon rack again and casually asked, "Where did you get all these weapons from?"