Legend of the Immortal from Strange Tales

“Master, you left so decisively, but please don’t leave the heavy task of reviving this temple to me.”
Standing before the old priest’s grave, Yi Fan sighed. He picked up the half bottle of aged wine, poured a little out carefully, then promptly closed it again.
He couldn’t be blamed for his stinginess; the entire temple was so destitute that only an old master and he remained, barely able to feed themselves. This bottle of wine had been left behind last year by a group of scholars on an outing, and he’d never had the heart to drink it.
Who could have guessed that after being set aside, it would become a parting gift between the worlds of the living and the dead? The old priest hadn’t enjoyed much in life, and even in death could only take this half bottle with him.
On the way back, a light rain began to fall. Following the muddy path, Yi Fan soon came to a wooden sign that read “Rear Mountain of Lanruo Temple.” He looked ahead with a complex expression. Between the interlacing trees, the outline of a vast temple gradually emerged.
The mountain was not high, but that temple was the famed Lanruo Temple, celebrated throughout Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Its incense flourished, a thousand monks resided there, and countless pilgrims came daily to pay their respects.
Having lived in this world for two or three years, Yi Fan still could not figure out exactly where he was. Many places were the same as in his previous life, but he recognized none of the dynasties.
The only thing familiar was that temple—Lanruo Temple, known in his previous life thro