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.

gently stroking his long beard and asked with a smile, “Renard, do you recognize

Renard’s eyes and he choked up as he replied, “Master Alastair…

a slight nod, Gideon affirmed,

Stone was overcome with excitement, his gaze fixed on Gideon. He muttered, “Master Alastair, you appear younger than Renard now… Could it be… Could it be that you have truly discovered the secret

had recounted to them that the last time he had seen Master Alastair was in the

Evercloud Temple had been diligently practicing alchemy in their pursuit of the elusive Tao. Despite the unwavering

19th century. He had resided within the temple for over half a century until the 1940s. In his pursuit to become an alchemy Master, he had voyaged numerous times to the very edge of the gateway to Hell. However, he had never fully comprehended the fundamental nature of reiki. Disheartened, he had eventually

gained Mastery over aura. Over the 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 temple to ensure that its disciples remained unaware of his discovery of the

for days, but he