The years when I explored the fairyland.

Chapter 35: Socializing, recruiting apprentices on behalf of teachers
You may ask, what has Chu Zhou been doing these days?
He could only say that "socializing" was also a very tiring thing.

Yes, when the Xue family was being attacked by everyone, Wei Jinkui, like a true elder, took Chu Zhou to wander among the major families and forces in Baisha City.

They first visited the county magistrate, following the most formal procedures, presented their visiting cards, and had a meal with the county magistrate, who looked plump and bookish.

It took only half an hour, and they chatted about family matters and past experiences, without mentioning anything about the Xue family or Baisha City.

But some things have been decided in an invisible tacit understanding.

From now on, Xuanzhen Temple belongs to the county lord’s faction, and both sides will prosper and suffer together.

Then Wei Jinkui took the lead and started inviting people to drink in the martial arts hall in the name of Tieqiang Martial Arts Hall.

For example, the county lieutenant Wang Fulu, a martial arts practitioner who looked quite old, was efficient and had a hot temper. When he saw Chu Zhou, he was so disgusted.

But Chu Zhou didn't tolerate him. After a few words, the two started fighting. Although neither of them used deadly moves, they fought for a hundred rounds before Wei Jinkui separated them.

Then, Old Man Wang became very talkative.

The county lieutenant's duties were military affairs, construction supervision and corvée labor, and he had under his command the eight hundred most regular soldiers in the entire Baisha City.

Therefore, this position is also a military position, and naturally likes to speak with force. Since Chu Zhou has shown enough strength, he also showed respect.

As for the chief clerk, it is Gu Jianming from the Gu family. He looks like a young man in his twenties. He seems to have no scheming because of his superior life. He likes to pretend to be cultured and always holds a folding fan in his hand, no matter what the weather is like.

Of course, he might not really be a scheming person, but Wen Xiucai's achievements were real, and he was promoted to the position of chief clerk after his father retired.

As for the Gu family, they may not be as old as the Xue family, nor as well-established as the Wang family, but they have people behind them!

It is said that the Gu family in Baisha County is just a branch, which separated from the Gu family in Chishui Prefecture only a few decades ago.

Relying on this relationship, even if Gu Jianming is really stupid and dumb, there are still many people willing to take him out to play.

And this Gu Zhubu seemed to be very interested in Chu Zhou, especially in the secret technique. He kept asking questions about this aspect, which made Chu Zhou very annoyed.

Next is the wealthy Zhao family, the same Zhao family where the one-horned ghost caused chaos and took the life of Taoist Xuanzhen.

Last time, although Taoist Xuanzhen had his head cut off, the one-horned ghost also disappeared, which was considered an alternative way of solving the problem.

It is worth mentioning that Mr. Zhao from the Zhao family is also one of the most advantageous competitors for the position of county magistrate this time.

Then there are several martial arts schools, such as the Sky Eagle Martial Arts School, the Wu Family Martial Arts School, the Black Lion Martial Arts School, the Spirit Bird Martial Arts School, etc.

These martial arts schools are all peers of the Iron Spear Martial Arts School. Although their strengths vary, the masters of the martial arts schools are at least at the Bone Training level or above, and are more or less connected to larger sects behind them.

When a group of martial artists get together, there aren't so many twists and turns. After meeting, they just shake hands without thinking twice and exchange words to learn about each other's martial arts skills.

As long as they have enough strength, they will have the right to speak; if they don’t have enough strength, then there is nothing worthy of their respect.

In this regard, Chu Zhou was beyond reproach. With his perfect body tempering, he could even fight against a martial arts master who practiced internal organs.

There’s actually not much to say about these.

However, after joining hands, Chu Zhou gained a lot from the exchanges between the masters of various martial arts halls, their performances, and their discussions on the different martial arts styles and experiences in practicing martial arts, and he also saw many kinds of martial arts techniques.

When it was Chu Zhou's turn, he originally wanted to promote his own martial arts philosophy, but was interrupted by Wei Jinkui.

Chu Zhou still remembers the look he gave him at that time, which seemed to be saying, how dare you say anything?

In any case, after meeting these people, I became familiar with the upper echelons of Baisha City.

First, Wei Jinkui entertained these people, and then they invited him back. This went on and on, with just eating and drinking every day, which made Chu Zhou helpless.

He doesn't like this kind of socializing, but this is life. Before you have absolute strength that surpasses everyone else, you have to learn the ways of the world.

Of course, eating and drinking is one thing, and negotiating is another.

They are not as particular as the county magistrate, who just talks about business at the dinner table.

For example, how many fields does the Xue family have, where are they located, which families are they close to, how many shops do they have, and how many industries are they involved in.

For example, which store is the most profitable, which industry is easy to get involved in, which street has the most traffic, which rent can be collected the most, etc.

And, the most important point is the part they care about and the price they need to pay to get it!

There are only so many good things. If you take 10% more, I will have a little less. There is always a need for constant negotiation and compromise.

Therefore, a banquet is also a process of discussion and bargaining, and it is also a precursor to division. You may have to show your muscles and use some tricks.

Chu Zhou was indifferent. As the county lord's chief minister, his share was fixed and no one dared to take it.

However, he also discovered that in the entire Baisha City, any industry with some money-making potential was controlled by this group of tycoons.

The common people just do some menial jobs, or get some money from the rich and powerful, in order to make a living.

Not only that, but there are gangs on almost every street, and we have to take some money from them too.

In a sense, life is really not easy for these ordinary people.

As for Chu Zhou?

He almost became a commoner before, but now, he is also one of the "rich dog owners".

Oh, that's okay!
In any case, after more than ten days of eating, drinking, socializing, and Wei Jinkui's selfless help, Chu Zhou was able to initially integrate into the upper circles of Baisha City. So far, Xuanzhen Temple had its own reputation in Baisha City.

Chu Zhou, an eighteen-year-old martial artist who has mastered the art of bone training and the current abbot of Xuanzhen Temple, is known as the Little Taoist Priest Chu by everyone and is considered to be well-known in Baisha County.

……

Time has passed, and before we knew it, it is already March.

All things are reviving, grass and trees are growing new, buds are sprouting on branches, and the wind blowing in the air has a bit of warmth.

At this time, a new grave was built next to the grave of Taoist Xuanzhen. The words "Dong Bo" were engraved on the tombstone. No one knew what his original name was.

In front of the tombstone, three kinds of sacrificial animals were neatly arranged, as well as fruits, cakes and other items. There were also two bottles of good wine, which were poured by Chu Zhou in front of the grave.

Xu Cheng, Yi Huai and Fan Tiehu stepped forward one by one, kowtowed and saluted with solemn expressions.

The doorman Dong Bo had of course been buried a long time ago, but Chu Zhou had never come to pay his respects. He was just waiting for this day, waiting for the Xue family to be destroyed and the century-old family to be ruined, before he felt he had the nerve to come here.

Standing in front of the tomb, Chu Zhou remained silent. After standing quietly for a while, he said, "There are already two tombs here, and I don't want to add more in the future.

So, you better be careful when you are out there in the underworld!"

"Got it, Big Brother!"*3
"Then let's go. There is a ceremony waiting for us at Xuanzhen Temple!"

……

The renovation and expansion of Xuanzhen Temple took more than a month, cost nearly five hundred taels of silver, and employed a team of fifty craftsmen before it was finally completed.

The new Xuanzhen Temple is not magnificent, but it is deep and quiet.

At the end of the Chi Road, there is an archway suddenly appearing among the mountains. It is made purely of stone and is not very grand. Only the two stone lions in front of the archway make it look majestic.

After passing the archway, there is a brand new bluestone road. Going up all the way, after walking up a hundred or so steps, you will reach the vermilion gate of Xuanzhen Temple.

After entering the gate and passing the front yard, you will arrive at the front hall of Xuanzhen Temple. On the plaque there are three big characters written - Lingguan Hall.

The deity worshipped here is a nine-foot-tall, mighty and ferocious god with a red face, an eye on his forehead, three wide-open eyes, jagged fangs, angry hair and beard, and he is wearing armor and holding a whip.

It was the head of the Lingguans, Wang Lingguan.

The surrounding murals are decorated with clay sculptures and stone carvings of various shapes, all of which are in mighty postures, holding swords, spears, and halberds.

There are eighteen in total, and they are the eighteen strong men under Wang Lingguan.

After passing the front hall and entering the central courtyard, the first thing you see is an incense burner as tall as a person. It is said that Taoist Xuanzhen spent a huge amount of money on this incense burner, which was made of pure iron.

Directly opposite the incense burner is the main hall of Xuanzhen Temple, where the main deity worshipped is Emperor Xuanwu.

This one, also known as the Heavenly Lord of Subduing Demons, the Great Emperor Black Tortoise of the North, has two generals, the Turtle and the Snake, under his command, and is best at eliminating demons from the world.

Xuanzhen Temple is really not big. The so-called main halls are just these two, and there are only these two gods enshrined there.

Further back is where Chu Zhou and his friends live. There is a row of houses, a kitchen, a canteen, a toilet, and a stable. It is considered the backyard of Xuanzhen Temple.

Then, at Chu Zhou's request, another courtyard was added, that is, a large area was leveled behind the residence.

He built an attic, cultivated a flower garden, transplanted a large tree for summer cooling, and built several houses.

When there are no conditions, it's fine. Chu Zhou can't ask for too much. But when there are conditions, he is unwilling to treat himself badly.

Therefore, these houses used a lot of "black technology", such as building a kang, leaving a small room specifically for bathing, and building a heated medicine pool.

There is no other way. If it is not heated, it will take two hours to soak. Not to mention that the medicinal effect cannot evaporate, the most important thing is that it is too cold in winter.

Chu Zhou felt deeply about this.

In addition, there is another room that Chu Zhou decorated into the style of an ancestral hall, called the Ancestral Hall.

The portrait and tablet of Taoist Xuanzhen have been brought in, and burning three incense sticks every day is essential.

However, only Chu Zhou knew that the incense was not for the Taoist master Xuan Zhen, but for the evil spirit in the wooden plaque inside the incense burner.

At this time, in the ancestral hall, under the tablet, Chu Zhou sat upright and said calmly: "Let's get started!"

On the side, Fan Zhong, Xu Cheng, Yi Huai and Fan Tiehu stood on the left, also with serious expressions. On the right, there were only two people - Wei Jinkui and Wei Fangjie, father and son.

After hearing Chu Zhou's words, Fan Zhong immediately shouted, "Kneel down and serve tea!"

Wei Fangjie looked reluctant, but after being pushed by his father, he still came out.

He held the teacup, knelt down, raised the cup high, and said loudly: "Master, please have some tea!"

Chu Zhou took it, took a sip, and said, "Today, I, Chu Zhou, accept you as a disciple on behalf of your master. I accept Wei Fangjie from the Wei family into Xuanzhen Temple. I hope you can practice martial arts diligently and make progress bravely."

"Okay, get up!"

"Well, call someone first..."

　Thanks to Zhuge Shuchong for the 100 reward, Gangshu Zhao Mofei for the 100 reward, thanks to Li Baiwen for the 500 reward, thanks to Ji Lu for the 100 reward, and thank you all readers, I will keep up the good work!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)