Chapter 1: The Youth and the Fatty

Jinling, located in the eastern region of China, lies at the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, close to both river and sea.

Since ancient times, there has been a saying: "All the wealth under heaven comes from the southeast, and Jinling is its meeting point." With over 6,000 years of civilization, nearly 2,600 years of city history, and almost 500 years as a capital, it is one of the four great ancient capitals of China. Known as the "Ancient Capital of Six Dynasties" and the "Metropolis of Ten Dynasties," it is an important birthplace of Chinese civilization.

Jinling is mountainous, surrounded by ranges on all sides, including Purple Mountain, Niushou Mountain, Mufu Mountain, Qixia Mountain, Tang Mountain, Qinglong Mountain, Huanglong Mountain, Zutang Mountain, Yuntai Mountain, Laoshan, Lingyan Mountain, Maoshan, and others. Additionally, there are Fuguishan, Jiuhuashan, Beijige Mountain, Qingliang Mountain, Lion Mountain, and Jilong Mountain scattered throughout the city, forming a landscape rich in mountains, water, and hills.

Among these famous mountains, there is a particularly inconspicuous small hill covering only a few square kilometers, called Fangshan. Fangshan is a not-so-tall flat-topped mountain, which from a distance looks like a square seal, and was called Yinshan (Seal Mountain) in ancient times. Although not high, because it stands on the plain, it still appears imposing and majestic.

Deep in the dense forests of Fangshan, there is a very unremarkable Taoist temple. If not for the plaque above the main entrance, bearing the three characters "Shangqing Palace" carved and burned into it, even the Three Pure Ones themselves might not recognize this as a place where mortals offer incense.

Although the saying goes, "A mountain need not be high; it is famous if there is an immortal," Fangshan, despite having a Taoist temple, has no immortals to be found. During the ten years of turmoil, the temple was once burned down, and later, due to years of neglect, it collapsed again, becoming even more dilapidated.

"Sigh, sigh, why isn't it working anymore?"

An eighteen or nineteen-year-old young man in Taoist robes was sitting on the steps in front of the temple, tapping a radio in his right hand against his left palm. But aside from the "hiss" of static, the radio made no other sound.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable, I just changed the batteries yesterday. Do I have to take it to the city for repairs again?"

the young priest grumbled in annoyance, raising his hand as if to throw the radio away. But after hesitating, he put it away instead. After all, this thing had accompanied him for a full ten years, and more than half of his lonely days had been spent with its company.

"Noisy thing, even you are bullying me now?"

Listening to the constant cicada cries from the big tree above him, the young man frowned. Suddenly, he sprang up, kicked three times on the tree trunk as thick as his waist, and as he was about to land, slapped a branch, stretched out his right arm like a long-armed ape, and with a swift grab, caught the cicada before it could fly away.

"Heh heh, let's see if you can keep making noise now?" Landing on the ground, the young man opened his palm and looked at the cicada in his hand, a smile spreading across his face. The annoyance from the broken radio vanished.

"Forget it, I'll let you go..."

After talking to the cicada for a while, the young man flicked his hand and released it. Sunlight filtered through the dense leaves, shining on his face, revealing a strikingly handsome face with sword-like brows and starry eyes.

"Other people's Taoist temples are called Shangqing Palace, and so is yours, but this palace is not that palace. I can't even get enough to eat..."

Turning around, the young man saw the temple's plaque and couldn't help but show a bitter smile. The last grain of rice in the temple had been cooked into porridge the day before yesterday—so thin it could be used as a mirror—and after three days, even that was gone. Today, the young man had run out of food.

Compared to the Shangqing Palaces on those famous mountains and rivers, the Shangqing Palace on Fangshan was nothing but a sham. With only a few dilapidated rooms, it dared to call itself Shangqing Palace. For more than ten years, there had been no incense offerings. If not for digging up medicinal herbs and poisonous scorpions to trade with the farmers below for food, the young man would have starved long ago.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable, there are still three days left before the deadline Master set for going down the mountain. Am I really going to starve to death?"

the young man's eyes darted around, and looking at the rising smoke from the distant village below, he couldn't help but swallow. But bound by the rules of his sect, after hesitating for a long while, the young man dejectedly sat back down on the stone steps in front of the temple.

"That stupid rabbit, why can't it show up again?"

A scene appeared in the young man's mind: the year before last, perhaps because the crops were being harvested below the mountain, a fat and big rabbit was driven up the mountain, and in its panic, crashed to its death in front of the temple, giving the young man a hearty meal.

But this "waiting by the tree for a rabbit" scenario had only happened once in three years. Every day for three years, the young man would look under that big tree, but each time he was disappointed. The stupid rabbit never appeared again.

"Ethan, are you there? I'm here..."

Just as the young priest was starving and about to go up the mountain to catch some more scorpions, a shout suddenly came from the path below. With the shout, a figure appeared on the uneven stone steps.