My name is Lu Changqing, a Taoist priest at Qingyang Temple. The temple is small, the incense is scarce, and the meals are meager. I usually scrape by helping people read their feng shui.
One night, thunder crashed from the heavens. A talisman drew down a bolt that struck our pursuers and gave rise to a legend.
From then on
The villagers said I could summon the Thunder God. The county folk called me an earthly immortal reborn. Martial artists hailed me as the “Celestial Master,” and even officials from the capital climbed the mountain to burn incense and pray over my talismans.
But who could have guessed…
The talismans I drew were just random scribbles made after biting my finger;
The Taoist robe I wore was the old priest’s discarded nightshirt;
And the “heavenly secrets” I spoke of were all made-up nonsense.
I wanted to avoid the crowds, but the incense offerings made me into an immortal.
I wanted to play at being a mystic, but the more I played, the more real it seemed.
When I finally decided to run away…
The talismans flew, the paper figures moved, and thunder fell from the sky. This time, it wasn’t a misunderstanding.
“When a falsehood is taken for truth, even truth becomes false. In the eyes of the world, I am already an earthly immortal.”
