The Charismatic Charlie Wade

Gideon trailed behind the Young Taoist priest as they made their way to the side hall of the middle courtyard in Evercloud Temple. The hall functioned as the temple’s living room, exclusively used for hosting high-ranking guests such as abbots, supervisors from other Taoist temples and distinguished pilgrims who had made substantial donations to the temple.

According to Taoist internal protocols, Taoist priests were allowed to pay short visits to other temples, but they had to take precautions to authenticate each other’s identities to prevent any deceitful acts of tourists and worshipers.

As a result, the Young Taoist found that in order to communicate any news from inside, he had to maneuver through numerous levels of hierarchy, which proved to be more difficult than he had initially expected.

Twenty minutes later, an old man clad in Taoist robes rushed over, a mix of delight and surprise written on his face. He rushed through the packed room, darting a quick glance at Gideon before coming to an abrupt stop at the threshold, transfixed as if under a magical trance.

This person was the current head of Evercloud Temple, known as Renard Stone. Renard was the Taoist name bestowed upon him by his Master when he adopted him as a child. Ever since his early days, his Master had addressed him by this name. After assuming the position of supervisor, he added the word ‘Stone’ to his name.

his long beard and asked with a smile, “Renard,

welled up in Renard’s eyes and he choked up

a slight nod, Gideon affirmed, “It’s

muttered, “Master Alastair, you appear younger than Renard now… Could it

told by Renard. Renard had recounted to them that the last time he had seen Master Alastair was in the late 1950s. Now, nearly seventy years later, the real Gideon Alastair stood before them looking younger than Renard himself. They couldn’t help but believe

often mentioned in martial arts tales, was one such example. For centuries, the Taoist priests of Evercloud Temple had been diligently practicing alchemy in their pursuit of the elusive Tao. Despite the unwavering commitment

the very edge of the gateway

years, he had returned to China several times, assuming different identities, but he had never set foot in Evercloud Temple. He had intentionally avoided the

had procrastinated for days, but he knew he couldn’t delay any longer. With the Lord’s impatience, he would give him an