Chapter 43: Daoist Incense Offerings and Their Many Rituals

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Chapter 43: Daoist Incense Offerings and Their Many Rituals

Because the fugitive had tried to steal a car, people were able to locate his whereabouts, and it wasn’t long before he was caught. Qin Zui specifically called to thank them, while the people at the municipal government couldn’t help but look at Yu Shenliu in a new light. It wasn’t because Yu Shenliu himself was particularly capable, but because they hadn’t expected the Chen Yuan beside him to be so deep and unfathomable. His abilities were simply too miraculous for comfort, so it was better not to offend him. What if they ran into some problem one day and needed his help?

Most people thought this way, which made Yu Shenliu sigh inwardly. After all the effort he had put into building up his own reputation, it seemed that letting Chen Yuan show his face had been far more effective.

However, Yu Shenliu wasn’t the kind of person to be narrow-minded. He wasn’t going to become twisted with jealousy just because the person he liked was better than him in some area. In fact, he was quite happy to see Chen Yuan get this far.

Since Chen Yuan had been a great help, and because he had also been frightened by what happened, Qin Zui and Xu Jiaohua invited Chen Yuan and Yu Shenliu to Yulei City as guests, partly to thank them and partly as an apology. Of course, everyone secretly understood that Yu Shenliu was merely an add-on to Chen Yuan’s invitation. Still, appearances had to be maintained, so Qin Zui and Xu Jiaohua had no problem extending an invitation to him as well.

That was why Chen Yuan appeared in Yulei City over the weekend, with Yu Shenliu shamelessly tagging along beside him, plus three extra burdens—Huo Jian, Huo Shu, and Sheng Kong. It happened to be the weekend, and none of them had anything to do. As soon as they heard they were going to Yulei City, they all piled in. After all, Yulei City was at least one of the tourist destinations very close to Jincheng City.

To be honest, Chen Yuan had a natural fondness for Yulei City. After all, Yulei City was, in any case, one of the birthplaces of Daoism, and Mount Luhan in Yulei City was a famous Daoist mountain. Whenever people talked about becoming a Daoist priest, this was often the sort of place they would think of going. Even transmigration novels online particularly liked having their protagonists travel to Mount Luhan, only to have an old Daoist suddenly call out to them, “Young lady/sir, please wait! I can tell from your extraordinary bones…”

As for everyone else, Chen Yuan wouldn’t dare say, but Huo Jian, who was looking around with an excited expression, had definitely entertained that exact fantasy before.

Otherwise, why would he have immediately demanded to become his disciple after discovering that he really did have some abilities? Wasn’t this kid thinking about having some kind of extraordinary encounter all day long?

At that moment, the group made their way up the mountain in grand fashion, following the mountain path toward the Daoist temple at the summit of Mount Luhan. The temple had a long history and could be said to have been an important site that witnessed the flourishing of Daoism in its day, so most people who came to Yulei City as tourists would visit it. Moreover, the Daoist temple at the summit of Mount Luhan enshrined the Taishang Laojun , and it was said that prayers made there were particularly efficacious. Burning incense and drawing lots at the temple were also very popular activities.

Strictly speaking, this could even be considered Chen Yuan’s line of work? From that perspective, Chen Yuan coming to a place like this was rather like crashing someone else’s turf. Still, although everyone found it a little strange, no one said anything, so in the end, the whole group went together anyway.

As they climbed, Xu Jiaohua introduced the sights along the way. Although she had only lived here for a short while since her husband had taken up his post here, everything she did made her seem like a hostess showing guests around her own courtyard, and her manner was quite pleasant.

What scenery could there possibly be before they even reached the temple at the summit? Wasn’t climbing a mountain just a matter of sweating?

If you thought so, you were wrong.

“That’s a cliff inscription over there,” Xu Jiaohua said. “When ancient people traveled through Mount Luhan and came up with particularly wonderful lines of poetry or the like, they would carve them directly into the mountain rock, creating a unique cultural landscape.”

“That tree is more than three hundred years old. Everyone thinks it has a spirit, so you can see the red cloth strips hanging from it. But actually, Master Chen probably knows a little more about this than I do, right? About this kind of custom?”

Chen Yuan looked at the tree Xu Jiaohua was pointing at and nodded. “Ah. In folk customs, hanging red cloth means that the tree has, in a sense, shed its identity as an ordinary tree and become a guardian spirit. Of course, I don’t know what the reality is, but people will tie strips of cloth belonging to themselves to trees as a way of praying for blessings and so on. This custom exists in many regions. It’s not limited to trees; unusual stones and the like can receive the same treatment.”

Listening to Chen Yuan’s explanation, Xu Jiaohua smiled gently. “As expected, a professional really does explain it more clearly.” She was flattering him. Then she pointed toward a gap beneath the rocks along one side of the path. “And what about this? Haven’t you found it strange as we’ve been walking? Why are there so many little branches standing in the gaps beneath the rocks?”

Huo Jian leaned over to take a look and asked Xu Jiaohua, “Yeah, I was wondering about these branches just now. Are they meant to support the rocks above and prevent landslides?”

“It’s pretty obvious those little branches couldn’t possibly hold up the big rocks,” Sheng Kong commented from the side.

Actually, at first Chen Yuan had thought that, given Sheng Kong’s personality, he and Huo Jian should get along quite well. Both were straightforward, outgoing types without much scheming, so they should have hit it off. Yet in reality, Sheng Kong and Huo Jian always seemed to be competing with each other in some way. Even Chen Yuan found it rather helpless to watch. He had no idea what was going on with them.

Huo Jian shot Sheng Kong a look before turning his eyes toward Xu Jiaohua, waiting expectantly for her answer.

“I actually didn’t know either. Later, I looked it up online, and apparently it’s a Tibetan Buddhist method of praying for blessings, similar to piling up stones.” Xu Jiaohua explained what she had found. “But the strange thing is, although there are quite a few ethnic minorities in Yulei City, Mount Luhan is a famous Daoist mountain. So why would they use something from Buddhism here?” She shook her head. “That’s why I think this probably isn’t the right answer. But I’ve asked quite a few locals, and they don’t know either. A lot of people put these little sticks there simply because they see others doing it and follow along.”

Hearing this, Yu Shenliu looked at Chen Yuan. When it came to things like this, Chen Yuan probably knew the answer. If even Chen Yuan didn’t know, then there was probably no need to investigate it too deeply.

Noticing Yu Shenliu’s gaze, Chen Yuan curled his lips. “The climate here in Xishu is humid, so people who live here for a long time are prone to rheumatism. That’s why people in Xishu have a habit of eating chili peppers. At the same time, this is also reflected in local customs. They believe that propping a branch beneath a rock means ‘having support,’ like Pangu, who held up the sky above and stood firmly on the earth below, so that one’s back wouldn’t bend and one wouldn’t suffer from back pain, while rheumatism would also be relieved.”

With Chen Yuan’s explanation, everyone suddenly understood. But could this be considered metaphysics appearing everywhere in everyday life? They had simply come out sightseeing, and they had stumbled across an example just like that.

“Just… a little more. We’re almost… almost at the top.” Huo Shu was panting as she climbed, utterly exhausted. She didn’t exercise much normally, and she liked to drive even when going somewhere nearby, so this climb had really worn her out.

“Are you all right?” Sheng Kong half-supported Huo Shu, looking very concerned. Well, perhaps a little too concerned. To everyone present, the meaning behind it was obvious.

“Hey, hey, hey! Stay away from my sister!” Huo Jian bristled.

That was the real reason Sheng Kong and Huo Jian didn’t get along.

The others exchanged amused looks and couldn’t be bothered to interfere, continuing upward.

Following the stone steps, they finally reached Laojun Pavilion at the very top. Even from a distance, they could smell the incense in the air. The area was bustling with activity: people selling food, people resting beside stone tables, people taking pictures.

They walked straight ahead and entered Laojun Pavilion. Inside stood the gilded statue of the Taishang Laojun, enshrined high above them. Below it, people knelt on prayer cushions, offering incense and praying. A merit box stood beside the entrance, with a young Daoist standing nearby watching people put money into it. A little farther to the side were several tables, with several Daoists seated behind them, interpreting fortune sticks for visitors.

The atmosphere made Chen Yuan feel like a fish returning to water.

Chen Yuan took a deep breath, catching the scent of incense, and couldn’t help smiling faintly.

He had grown up in a Daoist temple. Everything here felt familiar and comforting.

To ordinary people, there was really little difference between a Daoist temple and a Buddhist temple. Both had incense and candles, offerings placed before the altar, people drawing fortune sticks and having them interpreted, merit boxes, and even pools where people tossed coins for merit. Aside from the deities they worshipped being different, there didn’t seem to be much else to distinguish them. In reality, however, even something as simple as incense differed greatly between Daoism and Buddhism.

Both Daoist and Buddhist incense served the purpose of honoring the gods, but the two absolutely could not be used interchangeably. Buddhism placed great importance on sandalwood, but in the Daoist schools, the smoke from sandalwood was considered too dense and hazy, not “upright” enough. It was believed that it could prevent ordinary people’s thoughts from reaching the divine, and instead make it easier to attract other things. Chen Yuan had no idea whether these claims were true, but having been raised by his old Daoist master, he naturally followed Daoist standards.

He immediately took out some money and bought a bundle of incense from a nearby stall, taking out three sticks. These symbolized the Three Pure Ones, the patriarchs of Daoism. People nowadays know that incense is burned in sets of three, but not many know where the practice comes from.

Chen Yuan lit the three sticks of incense. When he saw that the flames at their tips did not go out, he gently shook them to extinguish them. At a time like this, one should never blow them out with one’s mouth. In Daoist rituals, that would be considered disrespectful.

Once he had taken care of the incense, Chen Yuan stepped forward. First, he held the incense with both hands and bowed until it was level with his forehead, completing the bow. Then, in front of the prayer cushion, Chen Yuan knelt down, left side first and then right, holding the incense in front of his chest. He silently recited something in his heart before stepping forward to place the incense. The three sticks had to be inserted upright, with no more than one inch between them.

At this point, a middle-aged Daoist priest standing in front of the statue had already noticed Chen Yuan’s actions. Compared with the others, who would kneel on the cushion for a while, light their incense, stick it in, and leave it at that, Chen Yuan rather stood out. Wasn’t this the standard Daoist way of offering incense?

After offering the incense, Chen Yuan returned to the prayer cushion and made three bows before stopping. He then naturally straightened himself, supporting himself on the ground with the fingertips of his right hand while placing his left hand over his heart. He rose first on the right and then the left, before bowing once more. Only then was the ritual complete.

“Are you a Daoist believer, young friend?” Unable to resist asking after watching the entire sequence flow as smoothly as water, the Daoist priest spoke up. From the familiarity of Chen Yuan’s movements alone, it was obvious that he had not simply learned this method of offering incense somewhere. He had clearly been accustomed to doing it this way for many years. During all the time he had spent attending Laojun Pavilion, he had only ever seen one person whose movements were this professional.

Chen Yuan looked up at the Daoist priest and casually made a Taiji hand seal, which served as his answer.

Seeing the gesture, the Daoist priest became noticeably more enthusiastic and called out repeatedly, “Daoist friend, shall we go over there and have a chat?” It almost felt like two people from the same hometown had run into each other. It was very worldly. But in this era, monks wrote books and Daoist priests went online, so what was so strange about recognizing a fellow Daoist?

Chen Yuan was happy to walk with the Daoist priest to the red pillar beside the main hall and chat for a while. There was a warmth in meeting someone from the same profession that he could not find elsewhere.

“Which school of practice are you from?” the Daoist priest asked as soon as they arrived.

Chen Yuan shook his head. “I was raised by my master. I never received an ordination certificate, so I suppose you could say I practice as a layperson.”

The Daoist priest nodded, indicating that he understood.

“I saw that there are people interpreting fortune sticks over there, but I didn’t see any moon blocks. Isn’t something missing?” Chen Yuan brought up the subject, mentioning what he had noticed earlier. Technically, a temple could have a deity statue without offering fortune sticks, but something like moon blocks should definitely be there.

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