Mixed in the heavens, merits and virtues become immortals

Chapter 348 Emperor Gaozong Abandons the Central Plains

Inside the City God Temple, wisps of smoke rose, enveloping the pavilions above and filling the entrance below.

Gu Qing sat cross-legged in front of the temple keeper. The temple keeper looked at Gu Qing's upright spine, straight head, and standard sitting posture, and nodded slightly. He felt that Gu Qing's statement that he "had long wanted to become a Taoist priest and was eager to be ordained" was true. After all, he had such a foundation by cultivating himself outside the Taoist sect, which was really good.

No wonder he was recommended by the gods.

The temple keeper suppressed his thoughts and introduced himself to Gu Qing.

The temple keeper is named Huang Qing, a member of the Maoshan lineage. It is said that the lineage originated with the immortal Mao Ying, who came from a wealthy family and was devoted to cultivating Taoism. He fasted for three months and visited Wang Jun, the second-generation disciple of Laozi. After cultivating Taoism for twenty years, he was led by Wang Jun to visit the Queen Mother of the West, cultivate the Yuanshi Tianwang True Scripture, and then became an immortal and traveled to the Purple Void.

“After Master Mao Ying, two lineages of Maoshan have been passed down.”

Huang Qing explained to Gu Qing, "One lineage is the Shangqing lineage. Through meditation, breathing exercises, swallowing saliva, chanting incantations, and wearing talismans, one can bring the spirits of heaven and earth into one's own body, thereby becoming an immortal and attaining the Dao, ranking in the Shangqing realm. This lineage has been rarely practiced since the rise of the Neidan school."

"The other lineage is the True Spirit lineage. We transmit precepts and bestow talismans, cultivate the Lingbao scriptures, and become knowledgeable about the various immortals. Through writing incantations and reciting scriptures, we can connect with Yin and Yang. When our merits are sufficient, we can achieve the path of the gods and create infinite wonders."

Gu Qing nodded upon hearing this.

The Shangqing School leans towards sports, while the Zhenling School leans towards business.

“I will transmit the precepts and ordain you. We cultivate the True Spirit lineage and recite the Lingbao Sutra.”

Huang Qing took out the Lingbao Scripture and handed it to Gu Qing.

Gu Qing glanced through it and felt that this Lingbao Scripture was no different from the ones he had read before. One of the passages described Buddhism as a branch lineage passed down by Yuanshi Tianzun, which led Buddhism to honestly return to Taoism.

After Huang Qing introduced all of this to Gu Qing, Huang Qing then imparted the initial precepts to Gu Qing, followed by worship of the immortals and the bestowal of the talisman. After passing through this, Gu Qing felt his pores suddenly open wide, and his connection with the primordial energy of heaven and earth became closer than ever before.

What my eyes saw also revealed the spiritual essence of the world.

Gu Qing looked puzzled, never expecting that the spiritual energy, which was usually difficult to move, would become so lively after the ordination.

"After receiving your ordination, you are already well-known in the Heavenly Court."

After bestowing the ordination certificate, Huang Qing said, "You have cultivated with sincerity and have been valued by the gods. Your future achievements will surely be extraordinary. As long as you diligently observe the precepts, your time to rise will come."

Gu Qing bowed to Huang Qing and then received a scroll from Huang Qing's hand, which gave a general overview of the cultivation situation in the world at that time.

In modern times, spiritual practice can generally be anchored by the Neidan (internal alchemy) school, or in simpler terms, it involves "Qi cultivation," "foundation building," "golden elixir," "primordial spirit," "tribulation crossing," and "becoming an immortal."

As for what happens after becoming an immortal, that is impossible to fathom.

Gu Qing's cultivation of the Heavenly Book of All Laws Returning to the Source is a method from outside this world, and it has not yet been integrated into this world. However, according to Xiao Qing's calculations, Gu Qing felt that he was only at the Golden Core stage. It was just that he had accumulated over many years. If he mastered the methods of this world, he should be able to condense a Golden Core and achieve a Primordial Spirit soon. As for Fa Hai and Bai Suzhen, they were at the Tribulation Transcending stage. Once they crossed the threshold, they could become immortals on the spot.

I have to live off this woman!

This gigolo is so delicious!

With this in mind, Gu Qing went directly to Xu Xian's sister's house to discuss the marriage, hoping to expedite everything.

"I think it would be best to get married in February."

Gu Qing tapped the table and said to Xu Jiaorong, "I just went to the City God Temple and had a Taoist priest check our birth dates and times. February 26th is an auspicious day for our wedding."

The 19th day of the second month of the lunar calendar is the birthday of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Perhaps Bai Niangzi visited the Bodhisattva on that day and received guidance from her. Qingming Festival is also called the March Festival. On this day, all things revive, and it is also time for animals to be trained.

There are quite a few variables involved, and Gu Qing couldn't wait to marry Xu Xian right now.

"Isn't this a bit too rushed?"

Upon hearing the date, Xu Jiaorong subconsciously said...

There are many things to prepare for organizing a wedding.

"It was quite a coincidence that I met the ferryman while crossing the river."

Gu Qing tried to persuade Xu Jiaorong, saying, "Their birth dates and the date of February 26th are a perfect match."

Xu Jiaorong didn't understand these things, so she just listened to Gu Qing's explanation.

After the matter was settled, Gu Qing breathed a sigh of relief and asked Li Gongfu, only to find out that the treasury silver had not been stolen last night after the statue of the treasury god was hung up.

"Recently, the treasury silver was stolen, and the matter has reached the ears of the emperor."

Li Gongfu breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Fortunately, it's under control."

Li Gongfu never expected that such a strange case would eventually lead him to choose to seek divine help over seeking help from others and himself.

And praying to God really works!
Gu Qing smiled upon hearing this, recalling the talisman he had obtained. After mastering the names of the ten deities, Gu Qing could use rituals to invite gods and draw talismans to communicate with the yin and yang. However, this thing was more business-oriented and relied on connections. When Gu Qing's identity was not prominent, he could not invite most of the gods.

Thinking about it carefully, what Gu Qing can do at this stage is to draw the image of the deity at home and consecrate it, so that the image of the deity can have greater power.

While enjoying tea, a shout came from outside the door. A constable's voice called out, "Officer Li, Officer Li, something's happened! The young master of the Liang Prince's mansion wants to take your brother-in-law's wife as a concubine!"

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Qing hurriedly stood up and headed towards the Pei family.

The young master of the Liang Prince's Mansion was named Liang Lian. He was arrogant and domineering, bullying men and women in Lin'an Prefecture. In the story of the White Snake, he was killed by Xiao Qing, which caused Xu Xian's family to have a blood feud with the Liang Prince's Mansion.

With her mind in turmoil, Gu Qing hurried towards the Pei family's direction. When she arrived at the gate, it was already in chaos. The Pei family's gate was tightly closed, and people from the Liang Prince's Mansion were surrounding the gate, urging Miss Pei inside to hurry up and get into the sedan chair.

"what happened?"

Gu Qing asked the people around him and listened carefully to the surrounding sounds to figure out what had happened.

On the eighth day of the second lunar month, while visiting West Lake, Liang Lian saw Pei Yaoqin there. After making many inquiries, he found out Pei Yaoqin's address and then ordered his family to bring a sedan chair to her door.

The Liang Prince's Mansion wields great power in Lin'an, while Pei Yaoqin is merely the daughter of a wealthy family. This coercion will surely determine the outcome.

"Yaoqin has already been betrothed to my apprentice."

Gu Qing strode forward to stand up for him.

The man in charge of the Liang Prince's mansion was in his thirties or forties, tall and strong. Having been arrogant around Liang Lian for a long time, he slapped Gu Qing across the face after hearing her words.

"Snapped!"

The slap was loud.

Gu Qing stood motionless, while the man in charge of the Liang Prince's mansion had a flushed face and a mouth full of blood, from which teeth fell out with every spit.

"Second Brother!" Upon seeing this, the servants around the Liang Prince's Mansion all rushed towards Gu Qing.

Gu Qingxin stepped forward and grabbed the "second brother" by the collar. The onlookers watched as the leader of the second brother was pulled up by Gu Qing and turned into a weapon. Gu Qing wielded the weapon and swung it around, smashing it here and there. All that could be heard were cries of "Ouch!" The people from the Liang Prince's Mansion rushed forward and fell quickly. In an instant, the scene was a mess.

The children might ask, "You Taoist priest, you just received your vows and you're already hitting people?"

However, according to the initial rules of truth that Gu Qing was taught, hitting someone was actually not a problem.
When the surrounding people saw the Liang Prince's people in such a sorry state, they all started to jeer.

Gu Qing, holding up the "second brother," sneered and asked, "If you like beating people so much, why don't you go beat up the Jurchens?"

The second brother, who had been beaten the most, was originally full of anger, but upon hearing that the people were Jurchens, he actually felt a little ashamed. He called on the people in the Liang Prince's mansion to tidy up the sedan chair and slunk away.

"Dr. Gu, you're amazing!"

Those around Gu Qing praised her.

Gu Qing cupped his hands in greeting to everyone, then knocked on the Pei family's door. The Pei family members looked at Gu Qing with complicated expressions, unsure of what to do.

The oppression from the Liang Prince's Mansion left the Pei family bewildered, but Gu Qing's resistance made them even more afraid.

After the Liang Prince's mansion was attacked, his next move will be even more terrifying...

"Don't worry."

Gu Qing encouraged Pei Yuanwai, saying, "I will handle this matter quickly and it will not affect the wedding."

Pei Yaoqin was filled with mixed emotions after seeing Gu Qing remain calm and composed after beating up the men from the Liang Prince's mansion. Originally, she had agreed to marry Xu Xian because he was easy to control, but today Gu Qing's display of power made Pei Yaoqin feel like a submissive woman.

"Master Gu..."

Pei Yaoqin spoke hesitantly, taking a step closer to Gu Qing, her eyes filled with anticipation, and said, "Your wife..."

"Gu Qing."

Before Pei Yaoqin could finish speaking, she heard a shout. Turning her head, she saw a young man in green robes walking over the crowd. When he reached Gu Qing, he grabbed Gu Qing's arm, examined his knuckles and the skin under his sleeve, and said with a smile, "I didn't realize you were so good at fighting."

"I only know a little bit about martial arts."

Gu Qing said modestly.

After receiving the ordination, Gu Qing's horizons were broadened, and he learned about many rules of the world. This allowed Gu Qing to operate with peace of mind, and he no longer needed to hide some things.

"It's more than just a superficial understanding."

Xiaoqing pinched Gu Qing's skin, her eyes sparkling with a hint of curiosity as she looked at him. After glancing at Pei Yaoqin, Xiaoqing took Gu Qing's hand and said, "Come over here, I have something to tell you..." As she spoke, she pulled Gu Qing to the side.

Seeing the intimate interaction between Gu Qing and the man in blue, and noticing that the man in blue's ears were turning red, Pei Yaoqin's initial romantic thoughts vanished. She felt that focusing on her career was much more appealing.

After pulling Gu Qing away, Xiao Qing breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, when she saw the two of them close together in the crowd, she impulsively pulled Gu Qing over. Now that they were in a secluded place, Xiao Qing had nothing to say.

"Young Master Cen."

Gu Qing looked at Xiao Qing and asked, "Are there any capable people in this palace?"

Xiaoqing looked at her with a strange expression and quickly stopped her, saying, "You can't go to that place carelessly."

Gu Qing nodded. Of course he knew that Wanyan Gou must have capable people around him. However, after offending the Liang Prince's Mansion, Gu Qing thought of Wanyan Gou. He felt that since he had already offended him, he might as well have another one. He might as well let things escalate in Lin'an. This way, Gu Qing would be more at ease.

"It's nothing that someone from the Liang Prince's Mansion offended you."

Xiaoqing didn't think Gu Qing had offended the Liang Prince's Mansion; on the contrary, she thought the Liang Prince's Mansion had offended Gu Qing. She said, "Tonight I'll teach them a lesson, and I guarantee they won't dare to come looking for you again."

"I have my own ideas."

Gu Qing smiled at Xiao Qing, knowing that Xiao Qing's method was nothing more than pretending to be a ghost to frighten and instill awe in the people of the Liang Prince's Mansion. However, since the people of the Liang Prince's Mansion could invite Fahai, Xiao Qing's antics would only make them more likely to seek excitement.

The two strolled and chatted, and before they knew it, they arrived outside Tongrentang. There were still some patients there, but Xu Xian was already sitting down and treating people. He was meticulous in his treatment, which reassured Gu Qing.

"Your apprentice is unusually honest and kind."

Xiaoqing looked at Xu Xian and saw that the accounts were clear and accurate when he collected the money, and praised him.

"That's why I want to find him a good wife."

Gu Qing and Xiao Qing entered the backyard.

Xiaoqing rarely agreed with finding a good wife for Xu Xian, saying, "That girl can't be taken away by the Liang Prince's Mansion!" For some reason, Xiaoqing was eager for Pei Yaoqin to get married quickly, perhaps because she felt that Pei Yaoqin's sudden blush was too glaring.

In her reflection, Xiaoqing looked at the snakes. These creatures were relatively easy to keep; they only needed to be fed and cleaned every few days, and kept in their cages the rest of the time. However, the presence of snakes embracing each other in the cage made Xiaoqing feel uneasy.

Before we knew it, it was getting dark.

"I've heard that you possess the Jade Purification Bottle, the Fiery Divine Pearl, the Divine Harmony Heavenly Music Diagram, and the Eight Trigrams Diagram of Time, all of which are incomparably precious and coveted by me. Tomorrow at midnight, I will travel by moonlight. You, Zhao Gou, are willing to abandon the Central Plains. Taking a few of your treasures is no big deal, is it?"

Xiaoqing watched Gu Qing write with even strokes, filling multiple sheets of paper with his calligraphy. She became very curious and asked in a low voice, "Is this something you're writing for the Emperor?"

Gu Qing nodded.

If it were a world without immortals and gods, Gu Qing would have stormed the palace long ago. But in this world with immortals and gods, it's like when the goddess Nuwa saw King Zhou, she had to calculate his fate before she could just kill him with one slap. Gu Qing didn't understand these things before, but now that he's read the Taoist scriptures, he can only go with the flow.

As for the four treasures mentioned in the letter, these were treasures that the Liang Prince's mansion coveted from the imperial palace. In the Legend of the White Snake, after Xiaoqing stole these things, she immediately had the Liang Prince take them away, fearing that these things would cause trouble in front of the emperor and thus incur punishment.

Even the downfall of the King of Liang was due to this.

Gu Qing had no interest in playing games with the Liang Prince's Mansion. He only wanted to ensure that Pei Yaoqin would get married quickly and seduce Bai Niangzi on the third day of the third lunar month, so that he could live off her. Therefore, when the people from the Liang Prince's Mansion came close, Gu Qing was prepared to press them down.

The streets were quiet at night.

Gu Qing, carrying a bow, went to the palace with Xiao Qing. Outside the palace, they drew their bows, aimed at the sky, and shot towards the direction of the emperor's bedroom, based on the approximate location.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Several arrows were fired in quick succession, each one making a loud cracking sound upon hitting the ground, ensuring that Zhao Gou could hear them.

Xiaoqing looked at Gu Qing with earnest eyes, feeling that the two were the same kind of person.

(End of this chapter)