I was forced to cultivate immortality when I just wanted to lie down

Chapter 429 The Master of Stirring Up Trouble, Number One in Tianjin!

Unable to discern the passage of time in his spiritual practice, Xu Qing was so engrossed in seeking the Dao that he paid no heed to anything else.

When the goddess finished preaching and returned to her sacred palace, three whole years had passed in the outside world.

Xu Qing walked out of the restored Zhonghuang Temple. There were many pilgrims on the mountain path, hurrying towards the temple, hoping to be the first to burn incense.

At the temple gate, the temple keeper, who was up early sweeping fallen leaves, stared in disbelief at the 'Goddess' who walked out.

At this moment, Xu Qing still maintained her Baosheng Dharma form, with her incense-scented fairy robes, the merit halo reflected in the Blood Lake Dharma Realm portal behind her, and the red phoenix embroidered ball in her hand, representing her identity as a goddess.

What else could this be but a divine manifestation of a goddess?
The temple keeper was so excited that he immediately dropped his broom, knelt on the ground, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"The goddess has appeared! The goddess has appeared!"

These words caused a great stir. Every scholar, merchant, and official who came to offer incense bowed and worshipped, calling out "Your Majesty!"

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Seeing that he was on a one-way journey to the goddess, Xu Qing became even more determined.

The Goddess of Life Preservation and the Goddess of Marriage have absolutely nothing to do with Xu Qing. At least, no one except Shi Yue and Xuan Yu should know about this!

If this gets out, his lifelong reputation as the sect leader will be completely ruined!
"I am not a goddess who has descended from heaven. I am a disciple of the goddess, the goddess of nurturing at the Baosheng Temple, and also the goddess of marriage who governs the world."

The miraculous appearance outside the Goddess Temple was originally part of Xu Qing's plan.

In Xu Qing's eyes, it would be extremely difficult for a wild god with no background or connections to leave behind a divine name!

However, gods with a background and the endorsement of a legitimate lineage, even if they are just fledgling minor gods, naturally have an advantage over other wild gods who start from scratch.

Xu Qing managed to become a disciple of the Goddess through his own abilities. If he didn't take advantage of this help and open a door for himself, wouldn't his apprenticeship be in vain?
It's like the patriarch feeding you, but you spit it out. Isn't that just forcing yourself to eat when you can't bear it?
Xu Qing knew the convenience of being a disciple of the Goddess, and even more so the advantages of being born into a prestigious family and having a strong background.

The descendants and apprentices of the Guo family, who monopolized the storytelling industry in Tianjin, still used the name of their ancestor, Guo Dongyang. Even those who sold wine and slaughtered pigs would tell people that this was the skill passed down from their father, father, and grandfather.

What's so embarrassing about Xu Qing calling out "Master, are you hungry?"

Upon hearing Xu Qing speak, the believers who had come to offer incense and pray became even more excited.

Aren't the goddess's disciples also immortals?

Most people come to the Zhonghuang Temple to pray for a good marriage. Although they haven't met the goddess who established the marriage system and is revered as the ancestor of the goddess of fertility, at least they have a disciple of the goddess to act as their matchmaker.

This is no different from a goddess manifesting herself!

"The Goddess of Childbirth?" The temple keeper suddenly remembered the deity who spread the knowledge of childbirth and childcare throughout the world.

"May I ask if you are the deity residing in Baosheng Temple in Tianjin, a place of immortals?"

Xu Qing nodded.

The Baosheng Temple, which he built from scratch, has long become the largest temple in the Great Yan Dynasty. Its branches and palaces can be found throughout the twelve prefectures and even in remote areas such as Shu and Lingnan.

Therefore, Xu Qing was not surprised that the people of Yaozhou knew about the goddess Baosheng and her abode.

Upon learning of the relationship between Baosheng Niangniang and Shennu Niangniang, those who came to pray were not surprised at all, but rather felt that everything made sense.

No wonder the Goddess of Life Preservation has such a sacred name; she was originally a direct disciple of the goddess.
Xu Qing seemed to see what everyone was thinking, and he suddenly spoke up: "When I was originally in charge of the duty of protecting life, I was not a disciple of the goddess. It was only because I adhered to the path of goodness and protected mothers and infants all over the world that I gained the favor of the goddess, who took me as her disciple and passed on to me the power to hold the complete high fertility."

Gao Mei represents fertility and also symbolizes marriage. Xu Qing's words are complete, implying that the power he once held was not perfect, and the goddess taking him as a disciple was to complete this power for him.

At the same time, Xu Qing was also revealing a piece of information to the world: he was not 'sacred' because the goddess accepted him as a disciple, but rather he was accepted as a disciple by the goddess because of his sacredness.

This is a case of doing the deed first, and then getting the name.

Despite Xu Qing's seemingly immoral and unruly behavior, his Daoist heart is crystal clear. Otherwise, he wouldn't have received guidance from the Primordial Ancestor and been valued by the Goddess.

If it were someone else, they might not be able to compare to Old Man Xu.

Outside the Zhonghuang Temple, there were just the right number of worshippers. Taking advantage of the divine manifestation, Xu Qing gave guidance on marriage and resolved the confusion of all the worshippers in front of everyone.

At the third quarter of the hour of Chen (7:45 AM), when the yang energy rose, Xu Qing threw out the embroidered ball, stepped on the seven-colored ribbon, and disappeared into the celestial music and mist.

The crowd below, witnessing the miracle, became even more awe-inspiring.

"What a wonderful deity! Truly a wonderful deity!"

Just a few days after the divine manifestation of the goddess disciple of Zhonghuang Temple, news of Baosheng Niangniang receiving the power of marriage and becoming the goddess's disciple spread throughout the streets and alleys of Yaozhou.

Prefects and magistrates from areas not far from the Zhonghuang Temple went to worship there. However, in their eyes, they were not only worshipping the Goddess of Life Protection, but also the 'God of Prosperity' who would protect their careers and ensure their success.

Xu Qing didn't care about these officials who were obsessed with fame and fortune. The only thing that made him feel gratified in the Zhonghuang Temple was that the temple keeper took out his long-saved incense money and built a side hall next to the Goddess Incense Hall, where he was enshrined.

However, he is not only the god of life preservation, but also the god of life preservation, nurturing, and marriage.

She was given the honorific title of Lady Hongluan.

Xu Qing had no choice but to reluctantly accept it, unable to refute it.

In Jinmen, at the newly built Luotian Temple.

Xie Qiongke, the newly appointed altar master of the Great Luo Sect, was carrying a basket of freshly picked apricots into the hall.

After several years of seclusion and recuperation, Xie Qiongke can now walk freely and his mental state has returned to normal. At least when he is not sparring or fighting with others, no one can tell that he is not the same as before.

Of the four altar masters and one young disciple present, only Master Fulan knew the situation of the two.

But neither of them was willing to reveal the truth.

Both of them harbored ill intentions. Having learned their lesson from presiding over the grand formation, Master Fuluan put on airs, luring Xie Qiongke into repeating the same mistake.

Now that Xie Qiongke has also suffered a loss, he is determined to make Zhang Pingsheng and the others walk the path they came from.

"These are apricots I picked from the back mountain. They're very sweet. Fellow Daoist, please try them!"

Xie Qiongke smiled and handed a yellow apricot from the basket to Master Fuluan.

Nuo Xian, who was playing chess with Zhang Pingsheng, didn't think much of it, reached out and took a bite.

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When the incredibly sour juice filled his taste buds, Master Fuluan's hand holding the chess piece visibly paused. He glanced sideways at Xie Qiongke, who was stroking his beard and smiling, and knew perfectly well that the other was deliberately using the sour apricot to tease him!
Who told him to say that hosting a large event was as simple as eating and drinking?

"Fellow Daoist Fuluan?"

Zhang Pingsheng, who was playing chess opposite him, looked up and looked over.

Almost instinctively, Master Fuluan swallowed the sour apricot in his hand in a few bites. At the same time, he said, "Thank you, Master. These apricots are really sweet. I have lived for more than two thousand years and have never eaten such delicious fruit!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Pingsheng's interest was instantly piqued. He had no choice but to try a fruit that even an old antique could praise!

Master Zhang reached into the basket and picked up a yellow apricot. Even the shadow god from the previous life in the two shadows couldn't help but reveal his true form and take a fresh apricot from the basket to taste.

The moment the apricot entered his mouth, Master Zhang's face turned green. Could this sour apricot, which had practically spilled its vinegar jar, really be the delicacy you haven't tasted in two thousand years?
Even the Shadow God, who was inhaling the scent of apricot juice, was so sour that he almost had to perform Tai Chi on the spot.

If it weren't for the fact that they were from the same sect, he would have really wanted to pick up the Tai Chi sword and poke a few holes in Master Fu Luan.

Have you lost your conscience?

Just as Zhang Pingsheng was about to argue with Xie Qiongke, the wandering monk Xinyuan sauntered into the side hall carrying a wine pot.

The monk was drinking wine when he was about to lie down on the couch.

Seeing this, Zhang Pingsheng immediately stopped talking. He looked at the eccentric monk with a relaxed expression, suddenly got up, took out a handful of fresh apricots from the basket, and gave a few to Xie Qiongke and Fuluan Shangren, saying, "The apricots picked by Master Xie are made from the essence of the sun and moon and nurtured by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth. They have truly captured the essence of the Great Dao. We must carefully enjoy them."

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Xie Qiongke and Master Fuluan were silent for a moment, and then, as if they had discussed it beforehand, they spoke almost at the same time: "Master Zhang is absolutely right. Such a good thing should be shared between you and me."

On the wooden couch, Xinyuan, who was about to take a nap, suddenly felt a twitch in his ears. When he noticed that several fellow Daoists in the hall were enjoying the apricots, he could no longer lie still.

"Hey! How could you leave me, the monk, to eat all by yourself?"

How thick-skinned is Xin Yuan? He took three steps at a time to get closer, picked up the basket and reached inside.

"Why don't you give these remaining apricots to the monk to eat with his wine!"

As Xinyuan spoke, she put the apricot into her mouth.

"Pah! Pah! Pah! This rotten fruit is no good at all. You are deliberately making fun of the monks. You will go to the deepest hell!"

Zhang Pingsheng and the others all burst into laughter, even more delighted than if they had eaten sweet apricots.

Xu Qing, who had just returned from Yaozhou, stepped into the side hall of Luotian Temple.

"Master!"

The four people who were chatting idly stepped forward to greet him.

Xu Qing nodded and asked, "During these three years of seclusion, has everything within the sect remained peaceful?"

Zhang Pingsheng said, "There are some minor issues, but overall things are improving."

The group chatted amongst themselves about the state of the Great Luo Sect over the past three years, while the trivial matter Zhang Pingsheng mentioned was related to the short-lived emperor.

Just two years ago, Zhu Yi fell ill with an acute illness. The imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital were helpless. The nearly white-haired Duke Wang Liang personally went to Tianjin to invite Xu Qing's grandson, Xu Xuan, to the capital to treat the emperor.

Unfortunately, Xu Qing was not in Tianjin at the time. Helpless, Wang Liang followed the emperor's instructions and went to Luotian Temple to seek a solution.

Remembering that the Emperor had previously helped the Great Luo Sect, Zhang Pingsheng followed Wang Liang to the capital and prescribed a good remedy for the Emperor.

However, the prescription could only alleviate the emperor's pain and buy him time to draft his will, but it did nothing to prolong his life.

Afterwards, Zhu Yi passed the throne to his eldest son, Zhu Qian, and left the new emperor with two sentences to be passed down through generations.

One saying is that the descendants of the Zhu family must have reverence for the funeral practices of the Xu family of Tianjin; the other saying is that if future emperors encounter urgent or major events, they can go to the Da Luo Sect to burn incense and pray, and perhaps a turning point will come.
At the end of the fifth year of the Tiande era, the short-lived emperor died, and the new emperor Zhu Qian ascended the throne.

After a year of mourning, the new emperor changed the era name to Jiafeng.

By this time, the Zhu family had ruled for more than four generations.

After recounting the changes in the world, Zhang Pingsheng continued, "In Tianjin today, three sects are powerful. My sect ranks third, the second is the Cat Immortal Hall of the Shamanic Temple, and this one is first."

"The Baosheng Temple on Ziyun Mountain is the best!"

Zhang Pingsheng sighed in admiration: "The Cat Immortal Hall is under the command of the sect leader, so we naturally have no objection. But the Baosheng Temple is very secretive. We have never seen the true face of the master of the Baosheng Temple in all our years of cultivation."

“A few days ago, I observed the celestial phenomena at night and saw the Big Dipper shrouded in red mist. Soon after, a divine light came from Yaozhou and landed directly in the Baosheng Temple on Ziyun Mountain. This is an omen of divine mandate bestowed by heaven and the descent of authority into the world.”

"Two days later, I indeed heard that Baosheng Temple had added a marriage-related office."

“The old woman in the temple claimed that the Goddess of Life Protection appeared to her in a dream, saying that this deity was a disciple of the goddess of the Zhonghuang Temple. However, in this age of great calamity, no sage will appear, so I do not believe it.”

Xu Qing sat down in front of the chessboard without saying a word.

Instead, Xie Qiongke couldn't help but ask:

"Our leader has a wide circle of friends, reaching from the highest heavens to the deepest hells. He must have seen the true face of the Goddess of Life Protection. Why don't you tell us, so that we may know the origin of the temple's owner?"

"Origin?" Xu Qing raised an eyebrow and said, "Didn't Master Zhang already make it very clear? Why do I need to say more?"

The group exchanged glances, all of them shocked.

"Could it be that the deity of Baosheng Temple is truly a disciple of the goddess?"

"Otherwise what? Could he possibly be my disciple?"

Xu Qing casually picked up a yellow apricot from the fruit basket in front of her and put it to her mouth.

Ouch! It made Xu Qing's teeth clench sour!
"Who put these apricots here? Don't you find them terribly sour?!"

Xin Yuan and the others all turned their gazes to Xie Qiongke.

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Master Xie chuckled dryly, "Appetizer, appetizer."

After a brief interlude, Master Fuluan said with concern, "The Baosheng Temple has such a powerful background, how can our Daluo Sect compare to it?"

"Why compare?" Xu Qing asked strangely. "Baosheng Temple has a deep foundation. Is my Da Luo Sect so shallow?"

"What the cult leader means is..."

Master Fuluan's eyes lit up noticeably.

Xu Qing said casually, "My sword technique is the Nine Heavens Mystic Maiden Sword Technique, and my precious robe was a gift from the Heavenly Maiden, but they are not my true masters."

"Just remember, if we really talk about seniority, I am of the same generation as that Goddess Baosheng, and she might even have to call me senior brother."

Xu Qing used his own reputation as a shield, showing no remorse whatsoever.

"Alright, stop asking around. The owner of Baosheng Temple is an old friend of mine, and Qingqing Niangniang of Cat Fairy Hall is like a sister to Baosheng Niangniang. If her incense is flourishing, we should be happy for her."

"But let me make this clear: if you neglect your cultivation and cause the incense offerings of my Great Luo Sect to always be overshadowed by the Baosheng Temple, it will not look good for either of us."

Xie Qiongke and the others blushed.

The leader is right. If they, along with the leader, are not even as good as a woman from Baosheng Temple, a group of midwives, and matchmakers, then they would have nowhere to put their faces!
At that moment, Xie Qiongke and the others instantly had a goal to strive for. No matter what, they were determined to do their best for their sect, and at the very least, to make the Great Luo Sect the number one sect in the world before the Heavenly Road opened!

Meanwhile, inside the Baosheng Temple.

Sister Liu, who was in charge of all the midwives and matchmakers, was also giving them a serious lecture.

In short, the Empress said, who says women are inferior to men?
Our Baosheng Temple must continue its efforts and absolutely not allow the Da Luo Sect to catch up.
(End of this chapter)