(A big chapter of more than 4,000 words … Don't hit me if I don't update it tonight. It's Saturday. Xiaolong is trying his best to write … Sorrowfully escaping …)
Ignoring Hao Ren's reaction, Zhao Yanzi ran toward the Daoist Temple excitedly. Hao Ren carried his backpack and stepped into the Daoist Temple.
The golden eaves of the Daoist Temple absorbed the afterglow of the afternoon sun, and the entire Daoist Temple looked solemn and quiet.
Since the Daoist Temple was located on the top of the mountain and it was already afternoon, there weren't many tourists. Since there was no cable car, unless one was as physically strong and determined as Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi, they would have to climb the mountain early in the morning. That way, they would be able to reach the Taoist temple by noon and use the afternoon to get down the mountain.
That was why Zhao Yanzi and Hao Ren didn't encounter any ordinary tourists when they arrived in the afternoon. In the courtyard of the Daoist Temple, there were only a few young Daoist priests sweeping the fallen leaves. Even Zhao Yanzi, who was yelling outside the door, became quiet as soon as she entered.
The floor tiles of the courtyard were made of different colored bricks to form a big Tai Chi Diagram. In the southwest corner of the courtyard, there was an old and majestic ancient pine tree.
Hao Ren knew that this must be the thousand-year-old ancient tree that Zhao Guang mentioned. He walked over slowly with admiration in his heart. Since there weren't many tourists here, this ancient tree wasn't fenced off. It just grew quietly in the courtyard.
Hao Ren walked up and gently touched the old and sturdy trunk of this ancient tree.
Its outer bark was as hard and smooth as iron and stone. From the outside, it didn't feel like a piece of wood anymore.
Hao Ren quietly used the Spirit Concentration Scroll and sensed the nature essence nearby. He could actually feel a strong wood essence from the hard bark of this ancient pine tree.
The Dragon Core in his body seemed to be beating and resonating with this ancient tree. The moist and warm air flowed through Hao Ren's arm and into the interior of this ancient tree. The wood essence of this ancient tree also nourished Hao Ren's body.
Zhao Yanzi looked at Hao Ren quietly. She knew that Hao Ren must be feeling something at this moment, so she didn't want to disturb him.
After a full minute, Hao Ren withdrew his hand and exhaled deeply. The tiredness from climbing the mountain was gone. What was left was pure energy and vigorous vitality.
With reverence, Hao Ren slightly bowed to the ancient tree.
Seeing Zhao Yanzi staring at him, Hao Ren smiled at her and said, "Let's go."
Zhao Yanzi froze for a few seconds and replied, "Oh." Then, she couldn't help but follow him. When she stepped into the main hall from the courtyard, Hao Ren's smile appeared in her mind. Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.
Hao Ren didn't even realize that he was smiling at Zhao Yanzi so gently. He entered the grand hall and looked up at the statue of the Sanqing Sect Master that was a few meters tall. Then, he went deeper.
The entire hall was majestic and solemn. Hao Ren suddenly felt that it was worth it to spend so much time here.
Zhao Yanzi followed Hao Ren closely. She was a little scared when she saw the solemn expressions on the statues.
Passing through the main hall, they entered the second courtyard of the Taoist temple. On the east side of the courtyard, there was a stone house. Inside the stone house, there was an ancient stone tablet.
For some reason, after studying the ancient tree, Hao Ren suddenly felt that there was a reason why Zhao Guang deliberately mentioned the ancient tree and the stone tablet to attract them to the Taoist temple at the top of the mountain.
Hao Ren stood in front of the stone tablet and carefully read the words on it.
"The rope cannot be named, and it returns to nothingness. It is said to have no form, and the image of nothingness is said to be in a trance. You can't see its head, and you can't see its back. Adhering to the ancient Dao to control the present … "
Hao Ren tried his best and finally understood a few sentences.
Standing beside Hao Ren, Zhao Yanzi also silently read the words on the stone tablet.
"When a general wants to be weak, he must strengthen it; when a general wants to be weak, he must strengthen it; when a general wants to destroy something, he must strengthen it; when a general wants to take something, he must give it. It is said to be dim. The weak triumphs over the strong … "
The more Hao Ren read, the more he found it mysterious. Zhao Yanzi frowned, and it was hard for her to read it.
It was the Dao of controlling water.
Hao Ren suddenly felt a trace of clarity in his mind.
It was as if a kind of enlightenment was rising from the bottom of his heart, and it was about to break through his chest and reach his head.
Thinking about the vigor of the ancient tree, Hao Ren had the same feeling as when he used to solve math problems. It was as if he had found the clue and was about to solve a difficult problem.
Water nourishes all things. Water breaks through all obstacles.
Ding …
The bell rang out of nowhere and interrupted Hao Ren's enlightenment.
Zhao Yanzi, who was immersed in her thoughts, was also startled.
Hao Ren turned around and looked at his phone. He realized that he and Zhao Yanzi had been standing in front of the stone tablet for half an hour!
The fallen leaves had covered their heads and shoulders, and the little Daoist priests who were cleaning the yard had gone back to rest.
Only Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi were left in the spacious yard.
"It's getting late. Let's go back," Hao Ren said.
"Ok …" Zhao Yanzi responded obediently. It seemed like her mind was still immersed in the words on the stone tablet.
Hao Ren reached out his hand and patted the fallen leaves off her hair and shoulders.
This unconscious action caught Zhao Yanzi off guard. She was surprised, but she also felt a little sweet.
"This guy is actually nice to me," she thought. Zhao Yanzi thought to herself.
Hao Ren didn't think too much about it. He lowered his head and patted the fallen leaves off his clothes before leading Zhao Yanzi out of the front door.
The dusk seemed to have come especially early in the mountains. The sun was shaking in the distance, and the last few rays of light were struggling to support the sky. It seemed like … the sky was about to turn dark.
"Let's go down the mountain quickly," Hao Ren didn't dare to delay and urged Zhao Yanzi.
Zhao Yanzi pursed her lips and blamed Hao Ren for not showing any tenderness to the fairer sex. However, she didn't dare to delay and followed Hao Ren down the mountain obediently.
The way down the mountain seemed to be easier than when they went up the mountain. However, due to the weakening sunlight, the steps under their feet were not as clear, and they walked more slowly and cautiously.
The mountain path paved with bluestones was like the strings on a musical instrument, while the flowing water in the mountain stream was like a musical note, plucking the rhythm of the mountain. Waves of refreshing and gentle mountain wind passed through the tree branches, making a soft rustling sound.
As they walked, they paid attention to the movements around them. It seemed like they had a deeper understanding of the simplicity and nature that the Daoist Sect advocated.
The Daoist temple and pavilion in the distance were hidden deep in the lush green trees, quiet and deep. These buildings were borrowed from nature and blended with the entire forest, making people suspect that there were indeed peerless masters living in seclusion in the mountain.
Hao Ren admired the surrounding scenery and walked along. Suddenly, he thought of Zhao Yanzi. When he looked back, he found that she had stopped moving at the very back.
"Hey …" Hao Ren put his hand on his mouth and formed a loudspeaker as he shouted at her.
Hearing Hao Ren calling her, Zhao Yanzi didn't walk forward. Instead, she sat down.
"What the hell …" Hao Ren quickened his steps and walked back to her. "Why did you stop?"
Zhao Yanzi pouted and turned her face to the side.
Hao Ren thought that she couldn't walk anymore, so he sat down beside her and rested. However, he didn't understand the little girl's mind at all. He only cared about going down the mountain and almost ignored Zhao Yanzi. Although Zhao Yanzi didn't say anything and insisted on following him, she felt wronged.
"You can't walk anymore?" Hao Ren couldn't help but ask her when she didn't get up and the sky was getting darker.
"If I had a dragon core, I would have gone down a long time ago. Who would care about you!" she said angrily.
Hao Ren realized that he was in a hurry to go down the mountain and neglected this little girl's physical strength. Zhao Yanzi's parents asked him to take care of her, but he didn't care about her at all. He was in a hurry to go up the mountain and down the mountain.
"How about …" Hao Ren thought for a moment and said, "I'll carry you?"
"Bah! Who wants you to carry me! "Zhao Yanzi stood up angrily and walked down the mountain.
"Hey! Slow down! "Hao Ren was afraid that she would fall, so he hurried to catch up.
He had a little understanding of this little girl's mind now. She said that she didn't need his care, but Hao Ren really didn't care about her. She became really unhappy again.
One of them quickened his pace while the other guarded the other. Like the black and white colors of Tai Chi, they intertwined and meandered down the quiet mountain path.
However, no matter how fast they walked, the sky inevitably darkened.
"You! Hurry up! " Zhao Yanzi was really anxious when she saw that there were still two hours to go down the mountain, and the last trace of the sunset was gradually disappearing.
"This way or this way?" Hao Ren held the map and asked in the dim light. The closer they were to the mountainside, the more scenic spots and crossroads there were.
"This way, of course!" Zhao Yanzi pointed to the left.
"Oh, then it must be this way!" Hao Ren walked to the right. After Zhao Yanzi gave him the wrong directions three times in a row, Hao Ren didn't trust her sense of direction anymore. Whenever her intuition pointed him in the right direction, Hao Ren would go in the opposite direction.
Zhao Yanzi was furious, but she didn't trust her own sense of direction. She could only follow Hao Ren. Strangely, every time Hao Ren chose to go in the opposite direction Zhao Yanzi pointed, it was the way down the mountain.
The entire mountain seemed to be devoid of people, and it was getting quieter and quieter. Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi's footsteps became clearer and clearer in the dark.
As the sun went down, the beautiful scenery became gloomy and scary. After all, Zhao Yanzi was a little girl, and she was a little scared in the deep mountains and forests. She didn't walk as fast as before, and she didn't dare to rush in front. She gradually walked side by side with Hao Ren.
Hao Ren guessed what she was thinking this time, and he took the initiative to hold her soft little hand. He didn't want to take advantage of her, but he was worried that her legs would tremble and accidentally roll down the mountain.
The darker it was, the slower they walked. Before they knew it, it was already seven o 'clock. However, according to their speed in the dark, they were at least two hours away from the foot of the mountain.
In this mountain, except for the signal towers near the Taoist temples, there was almost no cell phone signal on the other roads. Hao Ren and Zhao Yanzi had no choice but to continue down the mountain.
The mountain path was winding, and they sometimes went up and down. Sometimes, they couldn't figure out whether they were walking up or down the mountain, but they felt like they were getting closer and closer to the foot of the mountain.
"Hey, are we going to starve to death here?" Holding Hao Ren's hand, Zhao Yanzi couldn't help but ask.
"If there's really nothing to eat, I'll eat you first," Hao Ren said to her.
"You …" Zhao Yanzi wrinkled her nose and looked at Hao Ren angrily. She couldn't help but feel a little less scared.
Time ticked by, and it was already eight o 'clock at night. The foot of the mountain was still far away from them.
In the mountain, the birds chirped strangely. Zhao Yanzi had no one to rely on, so she could only lean on Hao Ren and hold his hand tighter.
Hao Ren wasn't familiar with the mountain, and he didn't bring a flashlight. He could only turn on his phone and use the weak light to illuminate the path by his feet, hoping that he wouldn't miss a step and roll down the mountain with her.
Some strange insects were emitting golden light. They weren't fireflies, but they were lying on the mountain wall softly.
Zhao Yanzi was very afraid of insects, so she leaned on Hao Ren and held his hand tighter. She regretted following Hao Ren to the top of the mountain, and now they couldn't go down the mountain in the middle of the night.
"Hey, how can I walk with you holding me so tightly?" Hao Ren turned and asked her.
In the dark environment, Zhao Yanzi's eyes shone brightly on her tender face, making her look very beautiful and lovable.
"I … I'm not afraid. I just feel a little cold, "Zhao Yanzi argued tenaciously and inadvertently confessed.
Hao Ren tightened his grip on her slippery palm. He was determined to go down the mountain and continued to walk forward.
After searching in the dark for more than an hour, they finally saw the light on the flat ground at the foot of the mountain. The brightly lit hotel also appeared in front of them.
"We're almost there!" Hao Ren pulled her and suddenly sped up. His phone was almost out of battery, and the light on Zhao Yanzi's phone was too weak. If they were any later, they would really be trapped in the mountain.
Zhao Yanzi also let out a sigh of relief and subconsciously sped up.
Finally, after about ten minutes, they arrived at the entrance of the scenic area.
Zhao Yanzi's palms were all sweaty, which showed how nervous she was on the way down the mountain.
Now that the danger was over, she realized that she had been holding Hao Ren's hand for a few hours, so she suddenly pulled her hand out of Hao Ren's.
"You take my kindness for granted." Hao Ren sighed when he saw her extreme behavior.
"Who allowed you to hold my hand!" Zhao Yanzi said with conviction.
Hao Ren didn't bother to explain to her. His stomach was growling, and all the snacks in his backpack had been eaten on the way down the mountain.
He walked to the hotel, and Zhao Yanzi followed him with a complicated expression. In fact, she knew that she really relied on Hao Ren when they went down the mountain. If Hao Ren didn't take her down the mountain, she really didn't know what to do.
However, she didn't want to admit that she relied on Hao Ren to get down the mountain. She believed that even if there was any danger, her parents would be able to save her.
When they returned to the foot of the mountain, it seemed like their alliance was immediately broken. Zhao Yanzi's face was stiff as if Hao Ren owed her a million dollars.
Seeing that Zhao Yanzi didn't want to talk to him, Hao Ren didn't want to talk to her. He wondered if it would be a little weird to stay in the same room with her dad tonight.
They returned to the hotel one after another and went into their respective rooms. Hao Ren, who was exhausted, was surprised to find a note left in his room. "Zi's mother and I are going to visit a friend nearby, and we might be back late."
Ding-dong … Ding-dong …
The doorbell of Hao Ren's room rang.
He ran to open the door and saw Zhao Yanzi biting her lip awkwardly. "Um … Can we go out for dinner?"
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