"I know, my second uncle told me that when he died, but you're not Taoist priests!" the middle-aged man said, scratching his head.
"What did Mr. Ding say to you?" Song Hao asked hurriedly.
"When my second uncle died, he said that a Taoist priest from Shangqing Temple might come to our house someday and asked me to pass on a message," the middle-aged man said.
"Although I am not a Taoist priest, the abbot of Shangqing Temple is my Taoist master. My master sent me here to find Master Ding. I wonder what message Master Ding left behind?" Song Hao asked with delight.
“That’s right.” The middle-aged man nodded and said, “When my second uncle was dying, he said that if any Taoist priests from Shangqing Temple came looking for him, he should tell them that what they wanted was kept at Ta’er Monastery and that they should go to the monastery to find a lama named Wusang, who would pay them.”
"That's great!" Song Hao and Tang Yu were both delighted. They had heard of Ta'er Monastery, a famous Tibetan Buddhist monastery, when they passed through Xining, and had even seen it on a map.
"Uncle, do you know what Mr. Ding did before he passed away?" Song Hao asked, his mind already filled with many questions.
The middle-aged man shook his head and said, "I don't know. My second uncle has never done any proper work in his life, nor has he ever married. He's been living alone since he was an adult. Because there's an old house here, he only comes back once every few years. He stays for a while and then leaves again. Seeing that he's in such a bad state, no one in the family asks him anything; they just let him fend for himself."
Song Hao and Tang Yu were astonished upon hearing this. It was truly unbelievable that a folk healer, so highly regarded and trusted by his master Xiao Boran, had not only led a life of wandering and hardship, but even his own clansmen did not know what he did.
Song Hao and Tang Yu were filled with boundless respect for Ding Fengjie. He was a man of his word; though he died, he had not failed his master Xiao Boran's trust by entrusting the book "Qi Fang Yan Chao" to Ta'er Monastery. This collection of folk remedies was likely the culmination of Ding Fengjie's life's work as a traveling physician. The extent to which his master Xiao Boran valued this man and this book was evident.
"Uncle, thank you for relaying Mr. Ding's message!" Moved, Song Hao took out all the cash he had on him, about four thousand yuan, and handed it to the middle-aged man, saying, "Uncle, this is what my master told me to give to Mr. Ding's family to thank Mr. Ding for keeping his promise."
"This...this is terrible!" Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man was surprised and hesitated.
"Just accept it. Also, I want to tell you that Mr. Ding was a great traditional Chinese medicine doctor during his lifetime!" Song Hao said.
"Second Uncle can heal people?" The middle-aged man looked puzzled.
Song Hao put the money in the middle-aged man's pocket and said, "Uncle, could you take us to pay our respects at Mr. Ding's grave?"
The middle-aged man did not refuse, and said with excitement, "Great! I didn't expect that my second uncle had friends like you before he passed away."
Led by Ding Fengjie's nephew, the group arrived at the Ding family cemetery on the back hill. Beneath a mound lay a truly unknown itinerant doctor.
Song Hao and Tang Yu bowed three times before Ding Fengjie's grave.
"Mr. Ding!" Song Hao murmured to himself, "Thank you for keeping your promise to my master. I will go to Ta'er Monastery later to retrieve the book 'Miraculous Prescriptions and Verified Formulas,' which embodies your life's work. Although I don't yet know how much of a role and influence this collection of folk prescriptions will play for Tianyi Hall in the future, your trustworthiness is truly admirable! Here, I would like to express my gratitude to you in advance!"
After descending the mountain and bidding farewell to Ding Fengjie's nephew, Song Hao, Tang Yu, and Liu Baogen drove back to Yanshi Village.
"There really was such a person in Mulian Village! He was very trustworthy; even after all these years, he didn't forget to keep the things he entrusted to you safe until he died," Liu Baogen said with admiration.
"Yes! Although we didn't see the person, we've found the whereabouts of what we wanted. This result is truly unexpected!" Song Hao exclaimed.
"The Ta'er Monastery is in Huangzhong County, not far away. Are you going today?" Liu Baogen asked.
“Yes!” Song Hao said.
"Why don't you stay and enjoy Qinghai Lake for a few days? I'll keep you company," Liu Baogen urged.
"Thank you, Baogen. We must take care of this matter first, and we'll come again when we have the chance," Song Hao said.
"Yes!" Tang Yu said regretfully, "Qinghai Lake is so beautiful, but we didn't have time to see it. But we will come again in the future."
Upon arriving at Yanshi Village, Song Hao and Tang Yu bid farewell to the Liu family and then went to say goodbye to Gao Mingda. Liu Baogen and Gao Mingda stood at the village entrance to see them off, and Tang Yu drove away. Glancing back casually, Tang Yu saw Liu Baogen talking to Gao Mingda, and Gao Mingda raised his leg as if to kick him, but Liu Baogen ran away laughing.
“This Gao Mingda is quite the old rascal!” Song Hao shook his head and laughed.
Tang Yu smiled and said, "This person's longevity is due to his knowledge of health preservation methods, but it is also related to his open-minded attitude."
Song Hao nodded in agreement.
Kumbum Monastery, located in Huangzhong County, southwest of Xining City, is one of the six major monasteries of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism in China. It is a complex of Han and Tibetan architectural styles, perched high on a mountainside, creating a magnificent and imposing sight. The monastery is filled with ancient trees and numerous stupas, and is known for its "Three Wonders": butter sculptures, murals, and appliqué embroidery. The large and small golden-tiled temples and the main scripture hall are the monastery's iconic buildings. Thousands of lamas dedicate themselves to spiritual practice, their chanting never ceasing throughout the day.
The magnificent architecture, the solemn Buddha statues, and the murals with exotic styles all amazed Song Hao and Tang Yu, who were visiting the Lama Temple for the first time.
The two men toured the place briefly, then inquired of a lama about the Usang Lama, requesting an audience. They were then led to a room to wait.
More than an hour later, a middle-aged lama with a square face, large ears, and a strong build walked in.
"You're looking for me," the lama said calmly.
“You are Master Wusang!” Song Hao quickly stood up.
Wu Sang nodded, sat down to the side, glanced at Song Hao and Tang Yu, and then remained silent.
“It’s like this, Master Wusang,” Song Hao said. “You know Mr. Ding Fengjie from Mulian Village by Qinghai Lake, right?”
"So what!" Wu Sang said expressionlessly.
“We were asked by an old friend of Mr. Ding to visit him today, but Mr. Ding has already passed away. He left a verbal message for his family, asking us to come to Master Wusang at Kumbum Monastery to retrieve something he had entrusted to you,” Song Hao said.
A barely perceptible glint flashed in Wu Sang's eyes as he said calmly, "Is that so? I don't know anything about it!"
Song Hao and Tang Yu were taken aback upon hearing this, quite surprised.
“Please think it over carefully, Master Wusang. Mr. Ding did indeed entrust something to you,” Song Hao said.
Lama Wusang looked Song Hao over again, then shook his head slightly and said, "He must be mistaken. No one has ever left anything with me."
“Master, that’s not right. Monks are supposed to be honest and not speak falsely. If it weren’t for Mr. Ding’s last words, how would we have found this place? If you don’t want to admit this, we will find the abbot of the temple to uphold justice,” Tang Yu said coldly.
Upon hearing this, Lama Usang calmly replied, "Do as you please." With that, he got up and left.
"You..." Tang Yu was furious upon seeing this.
Song Hao quickly stepped in and said, "Don't rush into this matter. Let's think of another way."
The two then left Kumbum Monastery and found a guesthouse to stay in. Tang Yu was so angry that she didn't eat dinner and sat in her room sulking.