Chapter 1899 - Swallowing the Whale

Swallowing the Whale

"No need to worry—this is all superstition, and we don't encourage it." Cui Hantang laughed heartily, then bellowed: "Jiang Ziya is here!"

Fu Meng had no idea what that was about. But the spectacle dampened everyone's enthusiasm for striking the bell, and they each returned to their rooms to sort their belongings and rest for a while.

Cui Hantang's current mood was rather like that of a nouveau riche showing off a newly purchased villa to his guests. Among the confidential mail that had arrived with this batch of visitors were two letters of appointment. One was from New Daoism, bearing the seal of Daoqianzi, the official stamp of New Daoism, and the authentication seal of the Religious Affairs Office. It formally appointed Cui Hantang as "Chief Priest of the Guangzhou Diocese and Abbot of the Temple of the Five Immortals." The second was from the Organization Department, appointing him "Chief of the First Section, New Daoism Division, Religious Affairs Office, concurrently serving as Superintendent of the Temple of the Five Immortals."

He admired these two appointment letters in his office, feeling quite pleased with himself. Having one's own territory really did feel different! Next, he had even greater plans to execute!

He was just calculating how to extract more benefits from Mayor Liu's imminent "religious reform" when Qingyun came to report that they had caught a "spy."

A spy, just days after moving in? Cui Hantang found this strange. Could this be retaliation from Master Shi's people? He said: "Bring him here!"

Before long, Qingyun and the others dragged and shoved a middle-aged man into the room. He wore a patched Daoist robe and a worn Dongpo cap that had burst its seams—looking quite destitute.

"Master, this is the spy. He's been lurking suspiciously on the streets outside the temple for several days now. I spotted him earlier, and today when he snuck in, I nabbed him." After speaking, she looked expectantly at Cui Hantang, her expression clearly saying Praise me!

Before Cui Hantang could speak, the man on the ground began crying out his innocence: "Great State Preceptor, I've been wronged, State Preceptor!"

Cui Hantang hastily called out: "Hold on, hold on! Our Great Song has no such thing as a State Preceptor. This poor Daoist is merely one of the directors of the Great Song's Daoist Council, hehehe."

The man didn't understand what "director" meant, but guessed it must be someone with authority, and quickly explained: "Director, please hear me out: this humble Daoist was originally a priest of this very Temple of the Five Immortals. After the abbot fled, there was no one to manage the temple, and I had no choice but to take my disciples to seek refuge with Abbot Liu at the Temple of the Three Primes. However, our traveling funds ran out these past few days, and we've suffered no small amount of abuse from the laborers there. When I heard that Perfected Master Cui was establishing a new sect here, I came specifically to join you. First, because I could not bear to leave my old temple; second, because a wise bird chooses its tree..."

"Ah, I understand now. So this Temple of the Five Immortals was originally your territory, and you've come back to stake your claim?" Cui Hantang suddenly comprehended.

The Daoist responded hurriedly: "I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare! In the past, this humble one was merely a priest of this temple. Perfected Master Cui's Daoist powers are profound—I could never hope to match them. How would I dare aspire to be abbot? I only beg that Archpriest Cui take us in and give my disciples and me a bowl of rice to eat. We will certainly work hard sweeping the courtyards..." As he spoke, his knees buckled as if to kneel.

Cui Hantang's original inclination was to avoid unnecessary complications. However, learning that this Daoist and his disciples numbered only three, and considering that he himself didn't speak the local language while his disciples knew little about Guangzhou, taking in a few locals could prove useful. He agreed on the spot—after all, with his numbers, he had nothing to fear from any trouble they might cause.

Cui Hantang waved his wide sleeve magnanimously: "Please rise, no need for such formality. Since you wish to stay at the Temple of the Five Immortals, we are family now. May I ask the honored friend's name? And how many fellow practitioners are still wandering outside?"

The scrawny old Daoist couldn't possibly kneel with Cui Hantang supporting him like this, so he took the opportunity to stand up. Doing his best to speak in Cantonese Mandarin, he replied: "Reporting to the Director, this poor Daoist—ahem—this humble one's secular name is Zhang Houdao. People call me 'Houdao Ren' (Honest One). Originally there were several dozen of us in the temple, but after the abbot fled, everyone scattered. Only I and two disciples remain, staying at the Temple of the Three Primes. There are also some young Daoists dispersed among various temples with nowhere to go, barely scraping by. But they fear the awesome might of the Great Song and dare not come over."

"Houdao Ren? Hehe, how interesting, hahaha!" Cui Hantang couldn't help laughing. The old Daoist didn't understand what amused him so, but could only join in with awkward laughter.

When his laughter finally subsided, Cui Hantang remembered the old man was waiting for a response. He quickly instructed the Daoist that his people could return, and told him to bring his disciples back as well. After Archpriest Houdao left, Cui Hantang's eyes rolled as he called Qingyun over to give her some instructions. She acknowledged and left the temple. Cui Hantang then summoned Xiaoqian, asking her to tidy up the vacant rooms and side chambers for the old Daoist and his disciples—there were plenty of empty rooms anyway.

Before long, Archpriest Houdao returned with two scrawny young Daoists in their teens. The young Daoists naturally had to perform their kowtows and pay their respects. Cui Hantang instructed Qingyun to lead them to get settled. Archpriest Houdao murmured a few words to his disciples, then headed out again.

He didn't return until lamplight time in the evening, with four young Daoist disciples carrying various large and small bundles following behind him. Cui Hantang had some ability in reading faces; a quick glance revealed no one of villainous countenance. He sent a young disciple to get them settled and kept only the old Daoist in the front hall for questioning.

It turned out that "Houdao Ren's" family had been temple Daoists for generations, with his grandfather's generation already serving in this very temple. By the standards of that lineage, he was quite versed—not only was he reasonably literate, he could actually recite several Daoist scriptures. This was quite an anomaly among the late Ming's lay Daoists. As far as Cui Hantang knew, apart from the Celestial Master Tradition at Longhu Mountain, the Zhenwu Temple at Wudang Mountain, and the then-powerful Quanzhen Sect, most other Daoists were essentially amateurs. Not only could they not cultivate, they barely knew any Daoist classics. Few could even recite the Daodejing or Huangtingjing—essentially just landlords and farmers wearing Daoist robes.

This "Houdao Ren" was not only versed in the Daodejing, Huangtingjing, and Xuehujing, but was also skilled in talismanic arts, physiognomy, and feng shui geomancy. Against the backdrop of the era's general decline in Daoist practice, he was like a goose appearing amidst chickens.

This man could be very useful indeed, Cui Hantang thought. At the very least, he could be delegated to handle many Daoist ceremonies and rituals, sparing Cui the effort of doing everything himself. As for the rituals that Daoqianzi had modified beyond recognition—with Archpriest Houdao's level of mastery, relearning them shouldn't prove too difficult.

That night, Archpriest Houdao stayed up late to pay his respects to Cui Hantang, presenting him with a "Treatise on Guangzhou's Feng Shui." Cui Hantang flipped through it and felt "most gratified." Seeing his keen interest, Archpriest Houdao cautiously inquired about Cui Hantang's plans for protecting Guangzhou's feng shui and dragon veins.

Archpriest Houdao had originally hoped to use this topic as his stepping stone to advancement—new regimes, after all, especially valued the idea of "receiving Heaven's mandate."

However, at the mention of dragon veins, Cui Hantang's expression soured. Not only had Liu Xiang been noncommittal about his suggestions, but according to Archpriest Dai E's telegram, even Lingao headquarters had people attacking him for promoting feudal superstition, making alarmist claims, and "caring about ghosts rather than the common people." This had triggered yet another debate about the value and significance of religion, resulting in a thick special issue of the Qiming Star (Morning Star). The religious affairs sector in Lingao was left thoroughly embarrassed. Director Wu had complained at length to Archpriest Dai, saying they were "making trouble for no reason," "will eventually get us all implicated," and that he had to "draw a clear line" with them...

Seeing Cui Hantang's displeasure, Archpriest Houdao wisely refrained from pursuing the topic further. He did, however, receive several books on The Complete New Daoist Rituals.

"Study and practice these well with your disciples."

"Yes, yes. Thank you, Abbot, for bestowing these precious texts."

Afterward, over a dozen of the temple's scattered former Daoists gradually returned, one after another, seeking Cui Hantang's shelter. Most were lower-ranking priests who had possessed little savings. Sent to become Daoists as children, their skills amounted to little beyond serving their masters, cleaning, and serving as extras during ceremonial performances. After scattering, they scraped by however they could, taking shelter in various temples or with acquaintances among the wealthy households.

Charity food was hard to eat and wouldn't last forever. Now, hearing Archpriest Houdao's news, they came flocking back. Cui Hantang took them all in.

And so the various parties settled into the Temple of the Five Immortals. Every morning, Cui Hantang led the disciples in practicing Taiji boxing, Taiji sword, and meditation in the small plaza before the temple's central hall. After returning to their quarters, they studied cultural subjects. Following Australian custom: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday were for Lingao's Cultural Education editions of Elementary Physics, Elementary Biology, and Elementary Geography; the Ministry of Health's compilations Traditional Chinese Medicine Knowledge and Simple Treatment Manual; Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday were for studying the Daodejing, Qingjingjing, and Huangtingjing—naturally including the editions revised by Archpriest Zhang Yingchen. Afternoons featured rotating lessons in practical skills such as "painting," "calligraphy," "medicine preparation," "musical instruments," "massage," and "handicrafts." Weekends were devoted to physical exercise. Leisure time occasionally included "basketball," "badminton," and "singing Daoist ballads" for entertainment.

The temple's miscellaneous affairs were also managed by the disciples on rotating shifts, with daily duty rotations. In the temple's vacant spaces, vegetable gardens were cultivated, with disciples taking turns at gardening. Before long, the entire Temple of the Five Immortals was running in perfect order—much to the surprise of Liu Xiang, who was busily preparing his religious reform initiative.

"I didn't expect this Archpriest Cui actually had some real skills," Liu Xiang remarked.

Cui Hantang himself was kept busy on multiple fronts: drilling the Lingao disciples and the newly "recruited" Daoists in the rituals for the memorial ceremony, particularly the jiao ritual. He was determined to stage the grandest jiao ceremony Guangzhou had ever seen. To this end, he had even sent letters to all the temples within the city, requesting they simultaneously establish altars for their own jiao rituals.

At the same time, he was preoccupied with preparations for establishing the "Guangzhou Municipal Daoist Federation"—indeed, he was already calculating how to unify all of Guangzhou's Daoist community under his control.

This project was something he had personally lobbied for, though naturally it had required some unsavory dealings with Mayor Liu. The general principle was that Mayor Liu would seize the temples' properties: the vast lands, the rented shops and residences... New Daoism, in turn, would use the Daoist Federation as the vehicle to bring these temples under a new management system, thereby gaining complete administrative control over the old Daoist temple network.

(End of Chapter)