The mountain was lush and green, and the valley was deep and tranquil.
In the dense forest outside Xuanzhen Temple, a young boy dressed in a short blue robe suddenly stood up from the ground. He quickly felt around his body, and then his face lit up with joy as he exhaled a long, relieved breath.
Seventy years without… well, that part of his life was finally over.
"What to do next… This time, breaking the mystery of my fetal origins wasn't much different from my first life."
"Li Fu, Daoist name Shaochong, almost fifteen years old."
"By my reckoning, more than a hundred years have passed since my last life, and now, this is my third life in this world..."
Bai Yichen mused, memories flashing through his mind as he scanned his surroundings. He noticed that the room was decorated in an old-fashioned but elegant style. It seemed his circumstances in this life were not too bad.
His status in this life was indeed not low. Not only was he not born into a poor family, but as a child, a passing Daoist from Xuanzhen Temple had recognized his extraordinary potential and taken him back to the temple as a disciple.
Good!
It seemed his preparations in the previous life hadn't been in vain. Xuanzhen Temple was one of the organizations he had identified through the Heishi organization as potentially connected to immortals.
Unfortunately, at that time, the circumstances weren't right, so he had sent in a sleeper agent trained by Heishi, ordering them to ensure that the infiltration would continue across generations. He had used similar methods with other organizations, all to lay the groundwork for his next reincarnation's anchor point.
Of course, if he hadn't reincarnated into one of those forces, he had already devised several contingency plans. But now that things had worked out, there was no need to dwell on them.
The reason he operated this way was that, after awakening in his second life, Bai Yichen realized that he hadn't reincarnated directly into a member of the Heishi organization, but rather into a palace eunuch who was closely connected to it.
This led him to speculate that reincarnation was not strictly bound by the anchor point. It could be influenced by the passage of time and changes in power structures, resulting in variations.
Just like his current situation—although it seemed he had no connection to the Heishi organization, the Daoist who brought him back was, in fact, a sleeper agent of the Heishi organization. He was being secretly trained as the next-generation infiltrator.
Yes, in this life, he had become a sleeper agent.
However, after a few years of training him, the Daoist retired and returned to a secular life.
A sleeper agent who retires?
Moreover, no restrictions or control measures had been placed on him, the little agent. Perhaps because over a hundred years had passed, and the Heishi organization had gone through multiple changes, they no longer took the original orders very seriously. Especially since his previous life ended abruptly, leaving no time to arrange any contingencies.
Fortunately, the Heishi organization maintained its tradition of training sleeper agents just in case, which by a stroke of luck, allowed him to reincarnate into this body.
Bai Yichen's goal had always been to uncover the greatest secrets within Xuanzhen Temple, which coincidentally aligned with his original mission.
But how had it come to this—where he was fulfilling his own orders?
He calmed himself.
Bai Yichen looked at the basket beside him and recalled that the reason he had come out to collect herbs was because the master he had apprenticed to had passed away.
That master was the steward of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall in Xuanzhen Temple. Two months ago, while transporting goods to another province, he encountered a group of bandits. After a clash, he was gravely injured, and although he made it back, he died before having a chance to settle his affairs.
This left Bai Yichen without his greatest support, and he was stripped of many of the resources he once had. Even tasks that were previously done for him were now things he had to handle personally.
It was in this sorrow that he awakened.
"It seems that the Xia Dynasty is about to fall."
By this point in his life, the Xia Dynasty had already lasted more than two hundred years. Based on the three-hundred-year cycle of feudal dynasties he had observed in his previous life, it was clear that the dynasty's fate was nearing its end.
During the decline of a dynasty, natural disasters and social turmoil were common. It would be dangerous times ahead.
He needed to quickly gain the strength to protect himself.
For the time being, the Heishi organization couldn't be relied upon, so he would have to maneuver within Xuanzhen Temple.
With that thought, Bai Yichen carefully relied on the herbal-gathering skills he had learned as a tenant farmer's son in his first life, cautiously avoiding any dangerous areas. After completing the errand, he put considerable effort into finding several herbs required for cultivation, breaking them into small, manageable pieces to carry with him.
After resting for a moment to regain his strength, he picked up the bamboo basket and began heading back toward Xuanzhen Temple.
After passing through the dense forest, he soon saw the familiar stone path. About forty-five minutes later, he reached the main road in front of the temple gates.
The mountain path wound upwards, finally leading to a long set of stone steps, numbering in the hundreds.
At the top of the stairs stood an imposing gatehouse, about two zhang (approximately 20 feet) tall. The three golden characters "Xuanzhen Temple" gleamed in the light of the setting sun.
Xuanzhen Temple was large, covering an area of over a hundred acres, and it occupied the entirety of Qingkong Mountain. It was well-known in the region, a flourishing Daoist temple with a steady flow of worshippers.
"Junior Brother Shaochong, you're back." The two gatekeeping Daoists politely greeted Bai Yichen as he returned.
Bai Yichen returned the greeting before stepping into the temple.
Although he had lost influence after his master's death, he had always treated others with kindness and never used his position to bully anyone. Because of his young age, most people in the temple were still quite friendly toward him. Even the menial tasks were only assigned to him after his mourning period.
After all, this was a Daoist temple, and the atmosphere was still relatively decent. It seemed that his plans might actually have a chance of succeeding.
Xuanzhen Temple had been established for over five hundred years, with a history spanning ten generations of leadership.
Currently, the temple housed around a hundred people, including realmen (senior Daoists), masters, Daoists, novice Daoists, and a few secular workers.
Time had left its mark on this grand temple.
The ancient blue bricks and red tiles were worn and weathered. In many places, the paint on the walls had peeled, and moss had grown in the cracks.
It was as though the temple itself was telling the story of its long history and its neglected state of disrepair.
But according to what he knew from his previous life, Xuanzhen Temple was still one of the top powers in the Qingzhou region.
Although it didn't open its doors to disciples like other martial sects, it always had innate martial experts residing there, ensuring its position of authority in the area.
Furthermore, Qingzhou had a strong tradition of Daoist worship. Xuanzhen Temple was a frequent site of pilgrimage for high-ranking officials and noble families, maintaining strong ties with the upper echelons of society.
However, there was a sense of decline, perhaps related to the broader decline of the Xia Dynasty itself.
...
After entering the temple, Bai Yichen quickly made his way through several halls and courtyards to the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, where he handed over the herbs.
After paying his respects, he exchanged a few words with the Daoist on duty, confirmed the task, and then set down the basket before leaving.
By this time, the sky had grown dark. He hurried to the dining hall, but there were only a few people left, and the pots were cold, with only a few leftovers remaining.
Bai Yichen rubbed his stomach, thinking that he had delayed too long collecting herbs today, and reluctantly went to serve himself food.
"Senior Brother, come quickly!" A small, excited hand waved at him.
"Junior Brother Shaoyuan, why are you here?"
He walked over and saw a bowl of rice on the table with a few pieces of braised pork on top.
"I noticed you hadn't returned by the afternoon, so I saved you a meal."
Bai Yichen didn't stand on ceremony with his little junior brother and started eating heartily.
"Were you practicing your stance exercises today in the temple?" he asked between bites.
"I was, Senior Brother. But I also heard from the other senior brothers that the new steward master of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall is about to be appointed."
He raised an eyebrow and said, "That's normal. After all, it's been more than a month since Master passed away. It's about time they settled it."
After finishing his meal, Bai Yichen patted his little junior brother's round head and comforted him, "Don't worry, we are still formally registered as Daoist disciples."
Although he said this, he wasn't sure what the new steward master would do after arriving, which made him realize he needed to speed up his plans.