In the spring of 1981, after the Chinese New Year, Mu Lin prepared for a long journey. He wanted to see the world.
First, he restored the tombs of his great-grandfather and parents, bid farewell to the animals in the mountains, and then went to the village leader’s house to obtain a letter of introduction. In those days, without an ID card, traveling outside required such a letter. Without one, a person could be detained as a vagrant, questioned, and then sent back.
He told the leader that he wanted to go out. The leader thought Mu Lin, still growing, was suffering from hunger and preparing to beg for food elsewhere.
Feeling ashamed, the leader mumbled to Mu Lin, “Son, I haven’t taken good care of you and your great-grandfather these years. I’m sorry you’ve suffered! If you don’t mind, you can live with my family from now on!”
Mu Lin didn’t want to expose the misunderstanding directly, only insisting on leaving. The leader firmly told him, “Son! Don’t worry! As long as I have food, you won’t go hungry!”
Mu Lin knew the leader had seven children and only earned points through labor with his wife, so life was undoubtedly difficult. Yet, the leader could still say such words, showing a sense of righteousness greater than the sky.
Mu Lin had no choice but to tell the leader that he wanted to visit the teachers from the cadre school. If it weren’t for his firm belief to go out and broaden his horizons, he might have stayed.
After repeated unsuccessful attempts to persuade him, the leader said, “Son, then write 26 letters. Visit them on our behalf. If their lives have improved, they won’t mind feeding you one more mouth.”
The leader couldn’t write, and Mu Lin remembered the teachers’ parting words, not daring to trouble them, so he scribbled 26 letters without specific dates.
Seeing Mu Lin hesitating, the leader thought he was worried about the tombs of his great-grandfather and parents, and said, “Don’t worry, I’ll burn paper money for them during festivals.”
Mu Lin said, “No, Uncle, I just wanted to say you should send Er Gouzi and Tie Dan to school. Otherwise, look, there’s not even one person in the village who can write, let alone understand the higher-ups’ instructions.”
Mu Lin and the teachers believed that lacking knowledge was pitiful because it deprived people of the ability to think and change their fate.
The leader looked at Mu Lin for a long time before saying, “Son, it’s rare for you to be so righteous. Tomorrow, I’ll send them to school outside the mountains.”
With his last concern resolved, Mu Lin prepared to begin his wandering journey into the world. He always believed he should travel like ancient scholars, for he was a Confucian.
At night, at the county guesthouse—”Uncle, I want to check in.”
“Letter of introduction,” came the cold, mechanical reply.
“Oh! Kid, where are your adults?” this time, the clerk asked.
“Uncle, my adults went to the county to handle some business. After finishing, they left to save money. Uncle, can I stay alone? They sent me to sell herbs,” Mu Lin had no choice but to lie. After all, he was only twelve, 1.45 meters tall, wearing an oversized blue robe. No one would believe a child was staying alone.
“Selling herbs? From the production team?”
“Of course!”
“Alright, I’ll give you half price! Here’s the receipt. Shall I assign you a room now?”
“Thank you, Uncle!” After checking in, Mu Lin secretly chuckled. The next day, with the letter of introduction, he sold ten kilograms of Amomum and ten kilograms of Dendrobium. With the money, he first gave seventy yuan to the leader, explaining it was tuition for a group of kids. Then, he hurriedly bid farewell and set off on his journey alone.
First, he came to the Shangqing Palace, a place for worshipping Laozi and spreading the Zhengyi Dao teachings. By then, Mu Lin had changed into a neat yellow military uniform, wearing a yellow military cap and carrying a yellow schoolbag. Walking on the street, he blended into the crowd like a drop of water merging into the sea.
Mu Lin didn’t want to appear different. Entering the Daoist temple, people mistook him for a student wandering around, never imagining he was there to seek teachings. After a cultivator forms a nascent elixir, he must begin training his spiritual consciousness. Once the consciousness becomes substantial, it can control wind and rain. Moreover, bricks, wood, soil, and stones record part of the information from their consciousness training. He had discovered this by accident at the Xuqing Palace.
That time, he was preparing to leave and saying goodbye to Xuqing Palace. It was a cloudy day. Using his spiritual consciousness to search the palace, he wondered if he could find other treasures. He saw two Daoist shadows practicing breathing and martial arts. Startled at first, he later realized they were fragments of cultivation from his sect’s ancestors. After repeated training, he could see these images anytime. The number of images depended on the strength of one’s spiritual consciousness.
He found a quiet corner to sit down, expanding his spiritual consciousness to view the images. After a long time, he left, holding some talismans. “No profit!” he thought, ending this journey successfully.
His next stop was Mount Longhu (Dragon and Tiger Mountain) in the southwest of Guixi County. Originally named Yunjin Mountain, it was where the first Celestial Master cultivated the divine elixir of heaven. After the elixir was completed, a dragon and tiger appeared, hence the name. In Daoism, it is known as the thirty-second blessed land. Mount Longhu is where the Celestial Master’s descendants resided during the development of the Longhu sect, serving as the center of the Longhu sect and Zhengyi Dao. It holds an important place among Daoist sacred mountains.
Zhengyi Dao is one of the two major sects in later Daoism. Based on the long-term development of the Celestial Masters and Longhu sects, it centered around the Longhu sect and gathered various talisman sects into a major talisman sect. Formed in the mid to late Yuan Dynasty, it has continued to the present day. During the day, he saw the ruined temples and the Celestial Master’s Mansion turned into a school, feeling helpless inside. He hadn’t expected to meet any cultivators here, just holding onto a slim hope.
At night, he returned to the Celestial Master’s Mansion, expanding his spiritual consciousness. He only wanted to gather information about cultivation left behind by those who had attained enlightenment. His spiritual consciousness covered the mansion, and images of several cultivators practicing internal alchemy flashed through his mind, deepening his understanding of cultivation. However, the external alchemy practice was elsewhere. When he finally reached the cave after great difficulty, he knew he had made another major discovery.
Perhaps due to some past upheaval, no one had entered for nearly three hundred years. The cave’s treasures were especially abundant. When he stored a storage bag filled with medicinal herbs, dozens of jade elixir bottles, two elixir furnaces, and seven or eight Daoist scriptures and alchemical texts into his ring, he barely contained his inner excitement. He almost wanted to shout, “I hit the jackpot!”
He knew this wasn’t the time to take the elixirs. Only after his spiritual consciousness became substantial and his physical strength was tempered to a certain degree could he take the elixirs, aiming to achieve the golden elixir path and then pursue higher realms. He searched these places for a long time but found no cultivators, not even any practitioners. Perhaps everyone was secretly practicing at home without much success, so he naturally found nothing. Even if he did find someone, he wouldn’t return the treasures to their sects, as he was still at the age of collecting scraps.
His next goal was to first go to Shennongjia, then to Wudang Mountain, out of Sichuan into Tibet, then to the northwest, entering the Inner Mongolian grasslands to the northeast, and finally touring inland cities.
Thus, Mu Lin traveled, searching for people, treasures, sightseeing, and collecting herbs. In his own words, he was on a journey of scholarly exploration to Linchuan Ancient City, known since ancient times for its cultural prosperity, outstanding people, and natural beauty, earning it the reputation of “the land of scholars.”
After touring these scenic spots, Mu Lin casually visited a traditional Chinese medicine shop to sell some wild herbs he had collected, replenishing his travel funds. (What? Wild herbs need to be dried, don’t you know about Xuqing Palace?) Fortunately, the letters of introduction he had obtained earlier now proved useful.
After lunch, Mu Lin strolled on the sidewalk, when he heard the sound of gongs.
Then came the voice: “Dear uncles, aunts, ladies, and sisters! At home, we rely on parents; outside, we rely on friends. Today, our family has come here and met with hardship. My wife’s illness has drained all our money. My three sons and I are here to perform for you. Please, those with money, help with some cash; those without, help with your presence. Contribute a little for our travel expenses to treat my wife’s illness. Children, let’s begin!”
Pushing his way in, Mu Lin saw a father and his three sons performing.
The older boy, about thirteen or fourteen, first performed the Great Hong Fist. The younger one, looking only six or seven, performed the Arhat Fist. At that time, the movie “Shaolin Temple” had just been released, and the crowd cheered. However, due to the difficult living conditions, few people gave money, only a few cents.
The two younger boys then performed a routine with a single saber against spears, but still, few gave money. Some people had no money, felt embarrassed to watch for free, and began to leave.
At this moment, the father hurriedly said, “Friends! Those with money, help with some cash; those without, help with your presence. Without a special skill, I wouldn’t dare ask for your help. First, watch the children’s throat-locking spear technique!”
The father picked up the spear, placing the shaft against his abdomen and the tip against the child’s throat. The two of them exerted force, and the spear shaft bent. The younger boy took the copper gong to collect money. Feeling pity for the children, people threw in quite a bit of money, food coupons, and cloth coupons.
After a rest, the father said the youngest hadn’t shown his special skill yet and now would demonstrate spitting an iron ball. The younger boy breathed deeply and swallowed an iron ball slightly smaller than a table tennis ball (letting people feel it to confirm it was real). A noticeable lump, more prominent than a voice box, was visible in his throat.
The older boy held a tray to collect money. After two rounds, they had some gains. He didn’t go for a third round, perhaps unwilling to let Tie Dan torture his younger brother’s throat for too long. The younger brother spat out the iron ball, which flew two or three meters. People’s hearts, which had been in their throats, finally settled. The older boy picked up the wet iron ball. The younger brother rinsed his mouth and, in a hoarse voice, thanked everyone. The crowd gradually dispersed.
Mu Lin stayed behind, watching the family of four pack up their props. The mother’s face was pale yellow. The father looked at Mu Lin warily and said, “Friend, we didn’t visit the local authorities properly, our mistake! We’ll pay the required fee now.” Saying this, he began to take out money.
Mu Lin said, “Uncle, it’s not like that. If you trust me, can I treat your wife’s illness?”
The father looked at Mu Lin, hesitating for a long time before saying, “Nephew, thank you for the trouble!”
Mu Lin secretly chuckled, “Hehe, finally caught a few people to study the effects of the medicine.”
In the village, Mu Lin could only treat illnesses, but couldn’t test the effects of the pills. After all, everyone was from the same village, and he feared harming someone, so he dared not ask anyone to try the medicine. Moreover, his great-grandfather wouldn’t let him show off in the village. Animals taking the medicine sometimes gained strength or ran faster, but since animals couldn’t speak, he couldn’t know the intermediate effects, so he eventually gave up. On his journey, whenever he saw someone sick, Mu Lin wanted to treat them, but upon seeing he was just a little kid, they gave up, leaving him feeling helpless.
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