Chapter 379: (2): Omen
Xu Yuanxia was rather delighted with the decision to visit the Golden Osmanthus Temple. After all, this temple was closed to the public all year round, meaning that outsiders were unable to visit and experience its impressive nature. There were rumors in the Azure Phoenix Nation claiming that the rain of osmanthus flowers in White Water Temple had actually originated from the ancient trees located at the back of the Golden Osmanthus Temple, all of which were thousands of years old. An immortal traveling around the world had also visited the temple and pointed at the osmanthus trees, saying that these were osmanthus trees from the moon.[1]
The yellow earth bull hadn't entered the rock cave to seek shelter with the group, and this was because it was a demon. In other words, it was possible that the cultivators from the temple might suspect it of being involved in this incident. If that happened, then Chen Ping'an would be forced to explain many things to alleviate the suspicions and worries of the Golden Osmanthus Temple.
Fortunately, the earth bull was well aware of how things worked with cultivators from the mountains. Laying in the mountain forest far away from the stone cave, it used its mind's voice to inform Chen Ping'an that it would burrow into the ground at the foot of the mountain and wait for them there. Unless an earth immortal scoured the area, it was very unlikely that anyone would detect its presence. Chen Ping'an told the earth bull to be careful, and to run up Azure Waist Mountain if it encountered any trouble. Chen Ping'an would naturally step forward to explain the situation.
The Golden Osmanthus Temple was located at the top of Azure Waist Mountain, and the muddy mountain path made it especially difficult to reach it. From the foot of the mountain to the temple at the peak, the widest section of the mountain path could only accommodate three people walking side by side. Thus, one didn't need to dream about going up the mountain in a horse-drawn carriage. Judging from this, it was very clear that the Golden Osmanthus Temple was indeed quite unwilling to interact with the outside world.
When visiting the Green Goat Palace atop Clear Realm Mountain, Chen Ping'an and the others had needed to climb the Cinnabar Staircase. of more than three thousand steps. This staircase was even more magnificent and majestic than the staircases decorated with cloud dragon engravings in the imperial palaces.
The Golden Osmanthus Temple wasn't large, and it could only accommodate forty to fifty Daoist priests. While climbing Azure Waist Mountain with their juniors and descendants, the various groups of people from the cultivation world had hired people to build simple thatched cottages at the waist of the mountain so that they could rest there. The Golden Osmanthus Temple didn't stop this.
Upon seeing how easygoing the temple was, some observant people from the cultivation forces of the Azure Phoenix Nation decided to hire several dozen strong young men to directly build proper dwellings at the waist of the mountain. Moreover, these dwellings were no inferior to the inns found on the busy streets and alleys of bustling cities.
The Golden Osmanthus Temple was a relatively uncommon type of temple found in the mountain forests. According to what the handsome Daoist priest revealed during their casual conversation, the assets of the temple didn't fully belong to the branch of Daoism that they belonged to. Moreover, apart from the Daoist priests who were temporarily staying in the Golden Osmanthus Temple to cultivate, those who became disciples of Temple Master Zhang Guo would also receive formal recognition from the imperial court of the Azure Phoenix Nation later. They would become official immortals. In fact, this was probably the fundamental reason so many powerful forces and wealthy clans from the cultivation world were willing to rush over to Azure Waist Mountain with their juniors and descendants.
Only the larger Daoist temples would have all of the relevant positions filled, with three overseers, five masters, and eighteen heads. However, there were only forty to fifty Daoist priests in the Golden Osmanthus Temple, so there was naturally no need to be so stringent and fill all of these positions. Apart from Temple Master Zhang Guo, there were only two or three supervisors and a similar number of bookkeepers in the temple. The handsome priest was called Xu Borui, and he was in charge of the drum in the Golden Osmanthus Temple. Even though the temple was small, the drum and the bell naturally couldn't be neglected.