Ning An's Wild Wish System

After several months of turmoil, he finally ironed out all the obstacles.

What he needed to do at home was to just sit back and collect money.

”Alright, open for business!”

As his words fell, the sound of firecrackers thundered.

And the onlookers waiting nearby swarmed in to buy tickets.

They weren’t a setup, but were drawn in by the online advertisements.

Among them were villagers from nearby, who came to see how the Daoist Temple they had worshipped since childhood had been blindly altered.

...

After traveling for half a year, Li Daocheng was in an exceptionally good mood.

In these six months, not only did he drink tea and discuss Dao with a few friends, but he also obtained a wealth of fortune.

And it was due to this fortune that he had to cut his travels short and hastily return to the Daoist Temple to prepare for meditation.

Once again setting foot on the path back to the Daoist Temple, Li Daocheng only felt even more joyous.

However, as he continued on, he sensed something was amiss.

With doubt in his heart, his pace unconsciously quickened.

The usual mountain path to Qing Daoist Temple was mostly deserted, except for a few villagers who came to worship the Immortals.

Yet, this time, the path was filled with people, most of whom were unrecognizable faces.

This made Li Daocheng a bit puzzled.

His Daoist Temple was in a remote area, not deep in the mountains, but still far enough from the nearest county that people seldom came.

The sudden influx of people today made Li Daocheng feel uneasy.

Just then, the exclamations of a few young people nearby caught his attention,

”I’m telling you, I’ve been to this Daoist Temple when I was little, and there lived a kind old man; he was really nice.”

The girl next to him rolled her eyes: ”Who cares about that, we’re here for sightseeing. Didn’t you say the incense and wishes at this Daoist Temple are effective? Don’t deceive us!”

The young man beat his chest confidently: ”Rest assured, even if Qing Daoist Temple’s incense isn’t as effective as Changchun Temple’s, it’s not far behind!”

The girl smacked her lips: ”Alright then, hope that’s true. The ticket is so expensive, if it’s not effective, we might as well have gone to Changchun Temple.”

Changchun Temple?

Wasn’t that a Daoist Temple of an old friend of his?

Li Daocheng was pondering this when he was startled by what the girl said.

Qing Daoist Temple was indeed his temple, where he had been practicing all his life, and he had never charged for tickets.

Isn’t this ruining Qing Daoist Temple’s reputation!

With this thought, Li Daocheng stepped forward:

”Excuse me, is the Qing Daoist Temple you’re talking about the one on the mountain?”

The young people spoke a few words and were about to move forward when they heard someone speaking behind them and turned their heads.

In their sight was an old Daoist with flowing hair and robes, with an air of the Immortal about him.

Immediately, the young man who had spoken first was excited: ”Grandpa Li, it’s you, you’re alive, you haven’t passed away!”

Li Daocheng squinted and recognized him as Old Wang’s grandson from the village below.

Back then, Old Wang was responsible for delivering offerings to the mountain, often bringing his grandson along.

His grandson was quite bright, and Li Daocheng, during his spare time, was willing to teach him a few things, and over time, they became familiar.

Later, when his grandson went to college and Li Daocheng went traveling, they lost contact.

But now, upon meeting again, they recognized each other quickly.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Li Daocheng expressed his doubt:

”Xiaowangtou, did you just say that Qing Daoist Temple charges for tickets? That’s impossible. I’ve lived there all my life, and the doors are always open for believers to come and go freely. What tickets?”

Before Xiaolitou could explain, the girl holding his arm jumped in to complain:

”Old Daoist Master, don’t speak nonsense. Qing Daoist Temple charges for tickets, and they’re expensive—250 yuan per person, even with a student discount, it’s still 125 yuan.”

Hearing this, Li Daocheng’s doubt deepened.

Tickets?

Charging 250 yuan?

How could that be!

Xiaolitou awkwardly explained: ”At first, I thought it was false news too, but when I checked the official website, there it was—a ticket section.”

Seeing they knew nothing more, after chatting a bit more, Li Daocheng turned around, face darkened, heading up the mountain.

Xiaolitou and the other young people exchanged glances and hastily followed him.

At the same time, they started a live broadcast, sensing that something significant might happen today.

However, as soon as he reached the mountain, before he could indulge in the familiar feeling, he was nearly deafened by piercing screams.

On the right side of the Daoist Temple, the small grove was gone, replaced by a plaza.

On the plaza stood various modern amusement facilities, crowded with thousands of people.

”Tired of climbing? Sign up here for a cable car down; 100 yuan per person, half-price for students, children, and the disabled~”

”Tourists buying tickets, please head to the ticket office on the left side of the Daoist Temple. No cutting in line, no crowding, civility starts with me.”

”Step right up, take a look. These are treasures consecrated by the old Immortal at the Daoist Temple, now on clearance sale—88 yuan, take it home!”

”Auntie over there, don’t run around. The tour bus is waiting for you, quick, get on, our group is about to depart.”

”...”

It was a while before Li Daocheng snapped out of the darkness that clouded his eyes.

”Is this my Daoist Temple?”

Shocked, Li Daocheng moved to enter the temple to see what had happened in the past six months during his absence.

However, as he reached the entrance of the Daoist Temple, he was stopped immediately.

”Stop, did you buy a ticket? No ticket, no entry!”

Looking at the voice, he saw a security guard in uniform, staring at him intensely.

”What? Buy a ticket?”

Li Daocheng still couldn’t accept these words.

His lifetime temple, now not only unrecognizable, required him to pay for entry?

With a sullen face, Li Daocheng said, ”Damn it! I have to buy a ticket to enter my own place?”

The security guard sneered disdainfully: ”Who do you think you are? Even if you’re the Emperor of Heaven, you need a ticket to get in!”

”Open your damn eyes wide!”

Suppressing his anger, Li Daocheng took out his Daoist Certificate from his pocket and slapped it on the metal turnstile: ”This is my Daoist Certificate, look at it clearly!”

”What’s wrong with you?”

The slap startled the female security guard nearby, who spoke impatiently:

”I don’t care who you are, even if you’re an alien, you need a ticket to enter the scenic area!”

The commotion attracted a crowd of onlookers.

After learning the situation from the bystanders, the crowd began to comment maliciously.

”Let me tell you, old man, you’re of a certain age. Don’t tell me you don’t know that you need a ticket to enter a scenic area?”

”It’s not that old people have become bad, but that bad people have grown old. If you find the ticket expensive, you don’t have to buy it to go in. Why abuse your age here?”

”No way, it’s the 21st century. How can someone still not buy a ticket? Given your age and demeanor, I bet your pension is more than ours, yet you refuse to pay?”

”You don’t understand. It’s the mindset of the older generation—they think if they can take advantage, they will, regardless of anything else.”

”From his dress, he seems to be a Daoist. Could he be from this Daoist Temple? I remember Daoists being nice.”

”Che, if he belonged to this Daoist Temple, would the security guards not recognize him? Besides, who told you Daoists are all nice? How many Wandering Daoists have you seen that are good?”

”...”

Hearing the sarcasm around him, Li Daocheng’s decades of composure failed.

”Fuck..., you beasts, momblers...”