Chapter 134: Comprehending the Dao

Qin Qing brought Mumu with her and once again made her way up to Baiyun Temple.

Her original intention was to check in on Wuyong.

On the way, she ran into Xinghe, who looked surprised. “It’s Friday. Wuyong went to work?”

“Is she fully recovered?”

“Not quite. She’s still recuperating. But she said the company needs someone in charge. Since you’re still in the hospital, she goes in for half-days every morning.”

“Take this one to get something to eat.” Qin Qing handed Mumu over to him, then took the fruit from Xiao Wu’s hands and passed it to him as well. “Since Wuyong’s not here, share these with the Daoist Masters. I’m going to find your master’s master.”

Xinghe happily took Mumu and the fruit and went off cheerfully.

At the free clinic, Daoist Wuwang wasn’t in the consultation hall. He was in the backyard, directing a few young disciples as they prepared medicinal herbs.

Even from a distance, a bittersweet aroma of herbs mixed with a hint of burnt sweetness wafted through the air.

Several young Daoist priests were emptying a large steamer, dumping out glossy black chunks onto a mesh tray and spreading them out evenly.

Daoist Wuwang, sleeves rolled up, spotted Qin Qing and trotted over to her.

He fired off questions in rapid succession. “Why are you here? How’s your health? I wanted to visit you, but when I sent Xinghe and Xing Cai to check in, they said there were plainclothes guards blocking outsiders…”

Qin Qing answered each one patiently.

Then she asked about Wuyong’s condition.

Wuwang replied, “She suffered some damage to her vitality, but it’s nothing serious. I’m personally making sure she takes her medicine and gets enough rest.”

“It’s my fault she got hurt.”

But Wuwang said, “Us old folks are actually grateful she was there. Better her with you than you facing those villains alone.”

He continued, “Little junior sister has had it too easy since birth. That’s not good for her cultivation. Originally, she went to help you so she could gain some worldly experience. This time, her body suffered, yes, but I can see she’s more spirited now. It’s been good for her. Don’t blame yourself.”

Since he’d put it that way, Qin Qing couldn’t say much more.

Wuwang waved her along. “Come, come, let’s go check on the clinic. Let the kids handle things here.”

Qin Qing hesitated. “Daoist Master, did Wuyong tell you about my current situation…”

After being discharged from the hospital, she had messaged Wuyong and explained her condition, asking her to pass it on to Daoist Priest Wuwang.

“You mean the Spiritual Resonance issue?” Wuwang waved it off. “Girl, it’s no big deal. Look at all the Daoists coming and going in this temple. How many of them were born with Spiritual Resonance? Some never sense anything their whole lives. Does that stop them from cultivating? From helping others?”

He stroked his beard. “In Daoist cultivation, we follow the natural flow. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. You’ve already helped more people than most. Misfortune may be the seed of fortune. This might be a blessing in disguise.”

He pointed to the herbs the disciples were working on. “Look at this polygonum root. Only after nine times steaming and nine times drying does it become good medicine. You’re only in your twenties. Your life is just beginning.”

Qin Qing scratched her face politely.

Wuwang huffed and glared. “What, you don’t agree with me?”

“I just didn’t expect you to be so good at giving motivational speeches. You must spend a lot of time online.”

“Hmph.” The little old man wasn’t pleased to hear that. “If you’re really that bored, come with me to the clinic. I’ll teach you the Daoist method of pulse diagnosis. At your age, it’s never too late to learn something new.”

Qin Qing said, “If I were going to learn something, I’d go study vegetarian cooking from Master Wutun. With my talent for food, I’d pick it up in no time. Then I’d rent a storefront in the city, open a restaurant, hire a few staff, and make money while lying down.”

“Heh…”

Wuwang chuckled at her.

“Then go find out which of Wutun’s disciples is good at cooking. He’s like a sealed gourd—full of knowledge but never speaks. Now look at my clinic. All my disciples are experts in the medicine.”

“Ah, I see. My apologies, truly…”

As she spoke, Qin Qing couldn’t help but laugh.

“What are you laughing at?”

Qin Qing draped an arm around the old man’s shoulder and pointed to the sky.

The sun had already risen quite high.

But it wasn’t blinding.

“Look at that sun. It’s round and plump, small and orange. Doesn’t it look like a freshly cooked dorayaki?”

“…”

Daoist Wuwang grabbed Qin Qing’s paw off his shoulder, adjusted his sleeves, and said, “Maybe I should check your pulse after all.”

“Hahahahaha…”

After making a round through Baiyun Temple, Qin Qing left with more than she came with.

Most of it was food and supplies the Daoist Masters had stuffed into her hands, saying she needed to nourish herself after such a serious injury.

Mumu took it upon himself to guard the haul. Even in the car, he kept one paw protectively on the bag.

Qin Qing hesitated to speak. She was genuinely afraid that when she opened it later, the food would carry a faint odor of dog paws.

In the end, she said nothing.

Instead, she opened a blessing pouch the Old Celestial Master had given her before she left.

Inside was a Big Dipper Talisman carved from lightning-struck jujube wood. On the back of the talisman were two lines of characters: *Spiritual Resonance lies not in the Celestial Eye, but in Guanyin’s ear.*

The Old Celestial Master had said that Wuyong wrote those words when she was twelve, after a failed divination.

That single divination had stumped young Wuyong for several months. She couldn’t find the method.

Later, she began sitting in the Hall of the Three Pure Ones every day, watching the incense-burning pilgrims.

One day, those two lines suddenly came to her.

From that moment on, the bottleneck she had hit—caused by her overly smooth path in learning the art of bone-setting—was broken. Her cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

That Big Dipper Talisman was made during that period.

The handwriting on the talisman still had a childish touch, but the insight it carried was something few could match.

Qin Qing shook her head with a laugh.

These Daoist Masters were all experts at serving up chicken soup for the soul, one more skilled than the next.

She carefully put away the talisman wood.

Then she pulled out her phone and tapped on a blue app.

After logging in, she switched the main toggle to [On].

In an instant, a flood of messages poured in, making her phone lag for a second.

The app was a “safety gate” Zhang Yao had installed for her. It controlled who could contact her through her phone.

This was her first time using it. After waking up in the hospital, she had turned it off right away.

So during this time, only she could reach out to others. No one could initiate contact with her.

Now that the restriction was lifted, she stared at the red notification dots with 99+ on several apps and felt a headache coming on.

Bracing herself, she started replying to messages one by one.

She stayed busy the entire time.

The next morning, Qin Qing got up early and took Mumu with her to the studio.

They were both recovering patients—she couldn’t let Wuyong shoulder everything alone.

She hadn’t told anyone in advance.

She planned to do a surprise check on the staff.

When she arrived, the front desk was empty.

She’d seen in the work group chat that there was a meeting today. She figured that’s where everyone was.

She walked deeper into the office and soon heard voices coming from one of the rooms.

But it wasn’t a full meeting. She only heard Qin Fanghao and Wuyong talking, and it sounded like they were arguing.

What?

A staff member daring to talk back to Wuyong?

She moved closer. The meeting room door wasn’t fully closed.

The conversation came through clearly.

Wuyong said, “This is a great opportunity. You need to think it through. If you miss it, who knows when the next one will come. Don’t let emotions cloud your judgment.”

Qin Fanghao replied, “If I could get this opportunity once, I can get it again. But the company needs me now. I can’t just leave.”

Qin Qing heard Wuyong chuckle. “What, you don’t trust me to handle things?”

“You know that’s not what I mean. With the boss like this, even if all I can do is serve tea and clean the floors, I still won’t leave.

She’s the greatest benefactor I’ve ever had. If it weren’t for her, I’d still be drifting through life in a daze. Maybe one day I’d have hit rock bottom and ended it all.

She gave me a job, let me do what I’m good at. Without her, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

Wuyong said, “That’s exactly why I think your boss would want to see you reach greater heights.”

Just then, a male voice chimed in, “Daoist Priest Wuyong is right…”

Was that He Xu?

Wait, what does He Xu have to do with this?

Qin Qing stood right outside the door, blatantly eavesdropping.

A passing employee spotted her and looked thrilled, about to greet her, but she silently waved them away.

Then she paused. Something felt off.

She was the highest-ranking person here. Why was she sneaking around like this?

But the conversation inside was getting intense, and it was about her. What if she went in and they stopped talking?

So she crouched by the wall for a while, piecing together the full story from their conversation.

It turned out to be about the novel Qin Fanghao had written.

Come to think of it, did Qin Fanghao have some kind of jinxed crow aura? She just had to write about a nighttime attack, and that very night, she and Wuyong really got ambushed…

Shaking off those random thoughts, Qin Qing kept listening.

With her and Wuyong’s approval, Qin Fanghao had registered as an author on a web novel platform known for its wild ideas and uploaded her work.

She had a healthy stockpile of chapters, and in just a short time, her novel was already climbing the rankings.

Meanwhile, He Xu had submitted her physical manuscript to a few directors.

One of them liked it. He had a gap in his schedule and offered a good price, so he submitted a project proposal to the company.

He gave Qin Fanghao two options for collaboration.

First, a high-priced buyout of the adaptation rights. She’d have no involvement in the film production.

Second, she could join the crew and serve as the screenwriter. The director would even bring in an industry veteran to mentor her.

The director clearly preferred the second option.

He saw the vibrant world she’d created and recognized her potential. Plus, the novel wasn’t finished yet. Having the original author write the script would be ideal.

She’d not only learn how to write for the screen but also get to observe how a film was made. It was probably something she’d dreamed of.

Everything had been going smoothly.

No one expected the bottleneck to be Qin Fanghao herself.

She had learned about the attack, and about Qin Qing losing her powers.

The stubborn girl was now overwhelmed with guilt and remorse. All she wanted was to stay and atone.

Qin Qing was both amused and touched.

She sighed.

Then pushed open the door.

Qin Fanghao, who was seated facing the door, shot to her feet the moment she saw her.

“Boss…”

Qin Qing walked over and gently pushed her back into her seat.

“Everything they said is exactly what I would’ve said.”

“Boss, I owe you so much…”

“Ugh…” Qin Qing cut her off. “Don’t use words like that. They make me uncomfortable. People come and go—that’s just fate. If you really feel grateful to me, then don’t stay behind in my name.”

She pretended to be annoyed. “What, are you trying to make me look bad? People will say I’m petty and holding back my employees’ careers.”

Wuyong chimed in too, “You should go. Go happily. Rise high. That’s the best way to honor the one who discovered your talent.”

Qin Fanghao finally gave in.

She agreed to resign and join the production crew to learn.

Even as she said yes, she couldn’t stop crying.

Qin Qing: “…”

She had no choice but to change the subject to distract her.

Qin Qing asked, “In your story, what happens to the main character in the end? Have you figured it out yet?”

Qin Fanghao sniffled and said, “The Daoist Lineage Heir inherits the mantle, becomes the Sect Leader and Celestial Master, and rises to the top of the Taoist Sect. The Genius Fate Master comprehends his own path, founds his own sect, and becomes a grandmaster.”

Qin Qing clapped with mock enthusiasm. “Not bad, not bad, I like that ending. Just waiting for you to bring the story to the big screen. Next time we meet, I might have to call you Screenwriter Qin, or maybe Director Qin…”

But inwardly, she thought, *Phew… good thing it’s just a story. If I had to found a sect myself, wouldn’t that be exhausting?*