Chapter 1898 - The Temple of the Five Immortals

The Temple of the Five Immortals

You gave the land to the Lingao Church ages ago! Cui Hantang thought bitterly. You foreign-worshipping lackey!

He thanked Liu Xiang profusely and exited the mayor's residence. When he reached the corner, he spat: "Petty man, drunk on his own success! Sweet words when he needs someone, cold shoulders when he doesn't. What a piece of work." But he couldn't help worrying: it seemed Liu Xiang bore a grudge over being embarrassed in front of him. Having just helped him solve the cult problem, and now receiving this bureaucratic treatment—who knew what the future held? What a headache.

Still, acquiring the Temple of the Five Immortals was no small matter. Liu Xiang's comment about it being "a bit run-down" was mere courtesy. The temple was in fact one of the largest Daoist complexes in Guangzhou, sprawling in size with numerous halls and chambers. Both inside and outside the city walls, it possessed countless temple properties.

Such a fat prize was naturally something Liu Xiang wouldn't easily relinquish. Given the restrictions of religious policy and concerns about appearances, he couldn't simply order the National Army to burst in and expel all the Daoists. Unfortunately for him, this particular temple contained no spirit tablets of current or past emperors, so Liu Xiang had no grounds to charge them with "opposing the Senate." Therefore, after entering the city, he had a gallows set up at the intersection in front of the temple gate, where people were hanged daily. Every few days, the temple was subjected to "sanitation inspections" and "household registration checks." A few sanitation police were posted at the entrance; any Daoist who spat or littered while stepping outside would be "strictly penalized." The old abbot couldn't withstand this harassment. Having also heard rumors that the Australians planned to "rectify religious landlords," he quietly gathered his trusted disciples, packed up the valuables, and fled.

With the people gone, the temple was classified as "ownerless." Though the old Daoist had absconded with all the property deeds and title documents, these had all been issued by the Ming—the Great Song naturally had no obligation to recognize them. The thousands of mu of land outside the city and the hundred-odd properties within it couldn't be taken along. Liu Xiang had new deeds drafted, and just like that, everything fell into the municipal government's hands.

Cui Hantang led Qingyun, Xiaoqian, and their party to take possession of the temple with considerable self-satisfaction. After the abbot's escape and the cutting off of funds, the remaining Daoists had scattered, each packing up and leaving. Only a few laborers with nowhere else to go still lived in the temple, receiving a small monthly stipend of money and grain from the municipal government to maintain the grounds.

When Cui Hantang arrived with his documents to "take possession," the laborers naturally dared not object. He had them lead the way on a tour of the temple complex and was very pleased indeed. Setting aside its grand scale and abundant buildings, the storeroom alone—filled with all manner of ritual robes, ceremonial implements, and the ten thousand-plus volumes of Daoist canon filling the scripture library—constituted a treasury. Among them, it was said, were numerous "lost secret texts."

"Old Liu's actually quite loyal..."

Seeing these rich stores, Liu Xiang rose slightly in Cui Hantang's estimation. Filled with excitement at having his own "piece of turf," he began calculating how to allocate the various buildings and chambers: which courtyard he would occupy, what renovations and modifications to make, and of course setting aside quarters for Archpriest Zhang and Archpriest Dai—propriety had to be observed...

Most importantly, I need Archpriest Dai to quickly issue me an appointment letter as head of New Daoism for Guangzhou—no, Guangdong—and abbot of the Temple of the Five Immortals! he thought to himself. Never mind the details—first occupy the territory!

Yet what concerned him most was something Archpriest Zhang had mentioned in a recent letter.

In that letter, Archpriest Zhang had instructed him to find, while staking out territory for New Daoism in Guangzhou, a suitable plot of land for establishing elementary and secondary schools affiliated with the New Daoist movement.

"...In the old timeline, each of Japan's religious sects ran their own primary and secondary schools. Not only do Catholicism and Protestantism have church-run schools, but even the various Buddhist sects have their own secondary schools. This is advanced experience we should emulate...

"...Considering that the Senate is generally hostile toward religious affairs, this plan should be kept confidential. During your time in Guangzhou, pay close attention to and acquire suitable plots, so that we may implement this when the time is ripe."

From every angle, this temple did appear to be a suitable location for running schools, Cui Hantang thought. However, establishing primary and secondary schools was probably off the table for at least ten years—setting up a training school for Daoist disciples might be more feasible.

A medium-sized motor-sail vessel docked at the Tianzi Pier. Over a dozen young people in blue cloth Daoist robes disembarked, both men and women, each carrying bundles of various sizes. Among them were several close-cropped young men in Zhongshan suits, carefully hoisting wooden crates. The group gazed curiously at Guangzhou city in the twilight haze. A pudgy Daoist hurried out from a sentry booth at the pier to greet them. The young man at the head of the group extended his hand:

"Archpriest Cui, good to meet you. I'm Fu Meng—I'm here to deliver the projector."

Cui Hantang didn't recognize Fu Meng, but from the way he addressed him, this was clearly an Elder. Judging by his youth, he was probably one of those middle-school students who had played hooky to join the transmigration.

While exchanging pleasantries, Cui Hantang ushered everyone into several sedan chairs, and the party headed straight for New Daoism's new home in Guangzhou: the Temple of the Five Immortals.

The temple stood in the western part of the city, not far from Purple Dawn Building. The place was in fact quite famous. In ancient times, besides Yuexiu Hill, there were three other ancient hills within the city: Poshan, Yushan, and Fanshan. Of course, to call them "hills" was an exaggeration—they were really just slightly elevated mounds. While Yushan had been leveled when the city expanded during the fourth year of Tianyou in the late Tang, the other two "hills" remained. Poshan, where the Temple of the Five Immortals stood, was home to the "Immortal Stone Grotto" scenic spot, one of the Eight Sights of the Ram City.

The temple in this timeline had been built in the tenth year of the Hongwu reign (1377 CE), serving as a shrine of the grain spirits honoring the Five Immortals (the Five Grains). According to legend, during the reign of King Yi of Zhou, five immortals riding five goats with grain stalks in their mouths descended upon Guangzhou. They presented the grain to the people of Guangzhou, blessing the city to never suffer famine. After speaking, the immortals ascended to the heavens, and the goats turned to stone. Thus Guangzhou came to be called "Ram City" or "Sui City" (City of Grain). To commemorate the five immortals, people built this temple, sculpting statues of the five immortals riding goats for worship inside.

After alighting from their sedan chairs, the visitors beheld a north-facing Daoist temple with green glazed tiles, its main hall featuring a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof of delicate, refreshing elegance. Following the deep alley and climbing the steps, they reached the ceremonial gate, above which hung a large plaque inscribed with the four characters "Ancient Temple of the Five Immortals"—said to have been personally written by the late Prefect Dong. The temple complex was quite grand indeed, with over a dozen halls and chambers, including a spirit wall, memorial archway, mountain gate, central hall, rear hall, eastern and western studios, the Hall of the Three Primes, and covered corridors. Cui Hantang arranged for everyone to rest and take tea in a small room beside the ceremonial gate, then personally led them on a tour—since they were curious about the temple.

Past the gate was the central hall. In the twenty-first century, only the foundation and remnants remained, but in this timeline the central hall stood perfectly preserved—a majestic five-bay structure.

The central hall was locked shut at the moment. Cui Hantang led the group around the foundation to the rear hall. This rear hall spanned three bays measuring twelve meters wide, extended three bays deep for ten meters, and rose seven meters high. It featured a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof covered with green glazed tiles. The main ridge was decorated with meander patterns at each end, with two opposing, inverted ao fish figures in the middle and a treasure ornament at the apex. Carved on the main purlin were the characters reading "Twelfth day of the eleventh month of the sixteenth year of Jiajing in the Great Ming." The walls served as partitions, with latticed doors and windows that were ingeniously airy. The bracket sets were simple in decoration—exhibiting the distinctive local character of Guangdong.

On the eastern side of the rear hall, a piece of red sandstone protruded. Cui Hantang pointed to it: "Come, come, behold the temple's guardian treasure: 'The Immortal's Footprint.' This is an ancient site listed among the Eight Sights of the Ram City alongside 'Immortal Stone Grotto' and 'Cavern of the Five Immortals.'" Everyone pressed forward to look. They saw a large hollow in the rock surface filled with clear, still water—nothing particularly remarkable. Cui Hantang explained: "This is actually an erosion mark from the Pearl River's floodwaters in ancient times. Folk legend interprets it as a footprint left by one of the immortals."

"What? The Pearl River used to flow here?" Fu Meng found this incredible.

"That's right. Over a thousand years ago, the Pearl River flowed right past this Poshan, and this spot was a ferry crossing. In the Jin Dynasty, it was called 'The Ancient Ferry of Poshan.'" Cui Hantang was recycling information he had recently heard from Li Zhuoxian, presenting it now as his own.

"I see."

At the top of Poshan behind the rear hall stood an ancient structure in the style of a city gatehouse. Its base was constructed of red sandstone, rising seven meters high with a passageway through the middle resembling a city gate. Above it, a building with massive eaves formed a spacious, stately pavilion that appeared both majestic and elegant. There hung a great bell, suspended within the tower. The bell stood two persons tall with a diameter exceeding two meters. It appeared extraordinarily heavy, yet remarkably, it was suspended by only a single kudzu vine.

Seeing Fu Meng's astonishment, Cui Hantang explained: "Legend has it this vine is connected to Lü Dongbin. In ancient times, a high official was being carried through here in his sedan chair when the rope binding the carrying poles snapped. He ordered his bearers to find rope within half an hour and repair the poles. The bearers were frantically searching when an old man suddenly appeared by the roadside. The old man pointed to a kudzu vine on the rocky cliff and said: 'Use that vine.' The bearers thought the vine was too thin and short, assuming the old man was playing tricks. Then suddenly, the old man vanished. Only then did the bearers realize they had encountered an immortal. They hastily pulled down the vine to bind the poles. Strangely enough, the more they wound it, the longer the vine grew, only running out when the poles were thoroughly secured. At the post station, the bearers examined the vine carefully and found three characters carved at its tip: 'Lü Dongbin.' Only then did they realize it was a divine vine bestowed by Immortal Lü. Later, when Poshan established the Temple of the Five Immortals and built the great bell tower, they needed rope to hang the bell. The bearers donated the immortal vine, and that slender kudzu vine has suspended the several-thousand-catty bronze bell rock-steady ever since." Though everyone disbelieved the legend of Lü Dongbin, the fact that a single kudzu vine held up that massive bell was undeniable.

Fu Meng couldn't resist striking the great bell once. The sound rang out powerfully. The square well below the bell's mouth also hummed and trembled in resonance. Fu Meng was about to strike again when Cui Hantang stopped him: "This bell is used to summon help in emergencies such as fires. It produces resonance because the bell's mouth is positioned directly above the square well opening at the center of the base. When struck, the sound travels out through the arched gateway, spreading the bell's toll for ten li around. It is therefore forbidden to ring except in emergencies. There is also a saying that whenever this bell sounds, plague will sweep through the city—hence it is called the 'Forbidden Bell,' and this tower the 'Forbidden Bell Tower.'"

"Ah, have I broken some taboo then...?" Fu Meng knew Guangzhou had just experienced a plague outbreak and couldn't help feeling somewhat worried.

(End of Chapter)