Day had not yet broken. Mingled with a group of tourists, Ning Tao climbed up a flight of stairs slowly, heading for Mount Emei’s golden summit.

Emei had lovely scenery. It had always been a famous mountain since ancient times.

But Ning Tao could not enjoy its beautiful scenery. The dense crowds though were quite a spectacular sight.

It was early winter and the temperature on the mountains was very low. There was constant rain and a thin layer of ice had frozen on the stone steps. One could easily slip while climbing them. Along the road, peddlers were selling disposable anti-slip shoe covers, as well as preserved meat and hot sausages. The place was bustling with noise and excitement.

The people of Hua Country enjoy company. It was not important to them whether the scenery was lovely or not, but the place they visited must be crowded. To queue for an hour to use the public toilet thrilled them. Only then would they feel like tourists.

By the time he reached the summit, dawn had just broken. A glimmer of golden sunlight shone through the sky, illuminating Huazang Temple at the summit. For a brief moment, the golden light dazzled, overlaying the entire sky with a coat of gold dust. The statue of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra riding on an elephant was dignified, with kindly eyes and compassionate brows. His poise and composure would calm anyone.

Many people were worshipping Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, but Ning Tao only gave the statue a glance before walking past it.

By right, after becoming the owner of Sky Clinic, he ought to cultivate the ways of Heaven and believe in gods and demons. But he did not believe in these gods carved by idol makers or ghosts in folklore.

Striding past Bodhisattva Samantabhadra on the elephant, Ning Tao headed for Sunrise Deck behind Huazang Temple. His eyes were searching the crowds for Cixin’s presence. He asked himself, “This place is Mount Emei, isn’t it? But is it the headquarters of the Emei Sect? If it is, there are so many tourists here. How can the nuns in Emei Sect cultivate? If not here, then where?”

“Doctor Ning.” A kindly voice rang out from his side.

Ning Tao shifted his eyes to look. He saw the young nun Cixin, standing in front of a stall. She was clad in a gray nun’s habit, with a gray hood covering her head. Although the habit was loose and plain, it showed off her lovely figure to good effect.

The stall owner gave Cixin an ear of corn. Cixin paid him, and then ran with the corn over to Ning Tao’s side.

Ning Tao said, “Be careful. There’s ice on the ground and it’s slippery.”

It was only at that moment when he remembered she was a practitioner too. How would she slip so easily on a sheet of ice?

Cixin came to Ning Tao’s front and handed him the ear of corn. There was a kindly smile on her lips. “Doctor Ning, this is for you.”

Ning Tao smiled. “I’m not hungry. You eat it yourself.”

Cixin grinned. “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.” After that, she started gnawing the corn on the cob. She seemed to be relishing its taste.

Women are natural gluttons and love good food. But since Buddhists are vegetarians, she could only satisfy her hunger by chewing on an ear of corn.

Ning Tao glanced around him and then lowered his voice. “Young Reverend Cixin, where is your Master?”

“Follow me.” Cixin walked towards Sunrise Deck, nibbling on her ear of corn along the way. She significantly increased her speed of nibbling.

Sunrise Deck was filled with tourists, all snapping photos with their cell phones.

It was bustling with people. It must be.

Cixin led Ning Tao to go around Sunrise Deck. They set foot on a narrow stone pathway up the mountain.

Ning Tao followed behind Cixin, observing in secret. But other than lush green mountains and lingering mists around the peaks, he saw nothing else. He could not see any buildings erected by the Emei Sect. In the end, he gave up and turned to watch Cixin instead. Cixin’s back was elegant and dainty. Her buttocks were well rounded, fleshy and full. He gave them only one glance and turned his eyes away, mumbling to himself it was a sin to observe her so.

“Doctor Ning, I heard from a sister of mine that Liu Shiba is dead. His flea market is now closed. Is it true?” Cixin asked as she turned back and glanced at Ning Tao.

Ning Tao answered, “It’s true.”

“Who killed him?”

Ning Tao was about to tell her it was Hai Dongfang, but decided against it. Since the man was dead, it was not appropriate to harp on his crime. So he said instead, “I don’t know. But I have a WeChat group that you can join if you are interested in it. There are many practitioner friends there. You can sell or buy spiritual materials, as well as exchange knowledge on cultivation and alchemy. Sometimes, I will send out messages asking for certain spiritual materials. Anyone who wants me to repair his or her magic tool can message me.”

Cixin seemed persuaded, but she hesitated for a moment before saying, “I need to go back and ask my Master. She doesn’t allow us to use WeChat or Tiktok. She says these apps will disturb our meditative heart in Tao and hinder our cultivation.”

Ning Tao smiled. “Then I won’t add you in. There are indeed a lot of trash messages from practitioner friends. They even released some photos which aren’t suitable for kids. They will defile your eyes. Just call me if you need anything. Or send me a text message.”

Cixin nodded. Ning Tao’s phrase “aren’t suitable for kids” made her cheeks blush somewhat.

The two of them walked in the sunlight, the mountain path gradually becoming more rugged. After turning a corner, Emei’s golden summit could no longer be seen.

Beside the path, there was a standing sign which read: “Prohibited to tourists.”

Cixin did not even give it a glance and strode past that stone sign. They continued ahead, Ning Tao following her. The mountain path under their feet began to descend. After another half a kilometer, the mountain path came to an end. In front of them was a precipice.

Cixin stood by the edge of the precipice. A sea of clouds and mists was before her.

Ning Tao stretched out his neck and looked, but other than swirling clouds and mists, he could see nothing.

Cixin said, “Our Emei Sect is just below. Mount Emei used to be our property, but my master gave it away. Master says that as nuns, we should not follow the crowd and make money. So she made us all move down below. We eat rice and vegetables we grow ourselves. We even weave the clothes we wear.”

Ning Tao praised her Master. “Reverend Miexin is indeed a noble nun of great integrity, unlike the abbot of some monastery. If anyone wanted to earn money, they wouldn’t have joined the cloister, would they? Wealth and valuables are things of this world, but most mortals simply cannot give them up.”

Cixin eyed Ning Tao, unable to conceal the joy in her eyes. “Doctor Ning, I like listening to you. I’m sure my master will like your words too.”

Ning Tao smiled. “Then let’s keep in touch and converse often.”

Cixin’s cheeks for some reason started to redden. She suddenly remembered something and hastily bent down, reaching out to grab a rope at the edge of the precipice.

It was not a steel rope or a hemp rope coated with tung oil, but a rope woven from vines. Leaves were still growing on it and it looked alive.

“Doctor Ning, we have to slide down. Can you?” Cixin looked at Ning Tao, her eyes somewhat worried.

Ning Tao said, “No problem. You go first and I will follow you.”

Cixin nodded and then suddenly leaped forward. In the twinkling of an eye, she had vanished into the clouds and mists.

Ning Tao stepped forward and grabbed the vine rope. Suddenly, in his mind, he recalled having once read about a spiritual material called the Heaven-reaching Vine in the Compendium of Spiritual Materials. It was commonly used to refine pills and needed for many lower-grade elixirs. It had the medicinal effects of expanding one’s meridians. The Heaven-reaching Vine was rumored to grow to a spectacular height, reaching into the heavens. But it was just a rumor and not likely to be true. But its uses for refining pills were widely recognized in the practitioners’ world.

Ning Tao did not leap forward like Cixin, Instead, he wound the Heaven-reaching Vine around his legs and then grabbed it with both hands. He released his hands and then gripped the rope again, sliding down at a measured speed.

He slid two to three thousand meters down. The lower he slid, the thicker the rope. Later, it became a towering tree on which Ning Tao could actually run. Just before reaching the bottom of the chasm, Ning Tao finally saw this place.

It was a miniature basin surrounded by mountains, with a nunnery in the middle and farmlands, rivers and forests encircling it. The golden sunlight of dawn swept across the sky, as clouds and mists lingered in the basin. This place really seemed like a secluded paradise, a fairyland on earth.

Ning Tao could sense the presence of spiritual energy, but it was sparse. But it was already quite difficult to achieve this degree of spiritual energy. One must know that very few places on earth actually had spiritual energy. Independent practitioners, or practitioners and demons from minor sects, could never cultivate in places like this.

Cixin was already waiting by the Heaven-reaching Vine. Behind her were a few nuns, one holding a hossu. She seemed to be some notable personage from the Emei Sect.

Ning Tao slid down from the Heaven-reaching Vine and mimicked Master Fakong’s action. “Amitabha. Good day to you, Reverends.”

The few young nuns started to titter.

The middle-aged nun holding the hossu glared at the young nuns. They immediately shut their mouths and stopped their titters.

Cixin introduced her. “Doctor Ning, this is my Senior Sister. Her Buddhist name is Ci’en.”

Ning Tao put his palms together. “Good day to you, Reverend Ci’en.”

Ci’en chanted Buddha’s name. “Amitabha. Greetings to you, Doctor Ning.”

Cixin next introduced the young nuns to Ning Tao, and Ning Tao likewise greeted them. In the process, Ning Tao realized that these nuns bearing the syllable “Ci” belonged to just one generation after Reverend Miexin’s. He deduced that Cixin must be Reverend Miexin’s last disciple, just like those described in Xianxia novels.

Ci’en said, “Doctor Ning, you are our guest here, but I need to remind you to turn off your cell phone. Taking photos here is prohibited. When you leave this place, please keep its location a secret. This is a place for Buddhist meditation and cultivation. We don’t wish to be disturbed by the outside world.”

Ning Tao nodded. “I won’t even breathe a word. Please rest assured.”

“Alright. Please let me keep your cell phone for the time being.” Ci’en extended her hand to Ning Tao.

Ning Tao smiled, took out his cell phone, and handed it to Ci’en.

Ci’en turned off Ning Tao’s cell phone and put it away. She said, “Doctor Ning, please come with me.”

Ning Tao followed this group of nuns.

A muddy path led to the temple in the middle of the basin. Nuns were working in the fields by the pathway, sowing, weeding and picking vegetables. There were also nuns practicing in the forest, some executing swordplay, others doing breathing exercises cross-legged on trees. Still others were practicing lightness skills in the woods. The nuns here had merged with the heavens and the earth. They formed a scenic picture, natural and fresh, full of enchanting touches.

How would mortals working a nine-to-five job experience such a life?

Life in this world is no more than a dream. The vast majority will not awake even at their deaths.