There’s a run-down Taoist temple near the Laoye Temple area on the Aotai Trail. Only one Taoist lives there year-round. My Taoist name is Ye Xuanzi, but the old farmers and aunties down the mountain all call me Yezi. I usually go down to take the villagers’ pulses and treat their leg problems, and I can handle minor ailments with ease. Before my old Taoist master passed away, he told me that my fate belonged to yin, and that I should wait until I was past twenty-eight before leaving the temple. The old Taoist taught me everything he knew. Before he died, he also tossed me a book called the Heart-Clearing Formula, saying it was the supreme Taoist cultivation method, and told me to practice it well. He said I could only go down the mountain once I had mastered it. He also said that a Taoist should never let others bully him, and should follow the natural course of the Way... There’s just one month left before I leave this lonely mountain temple, so I’m getting ready to pack up and head down the mountain.
