Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 104 Old Lady Ji's Reminder! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

With these questions in mind, Zhou Yi carefully examined Gongsun Da Niang's page, and soon a special note appeared:
[Uncover the true face of the wicked monk, uphold the orthodox traditions of Chinese immortals, and you will receive +3 merit points.]

The sorcerer monk was most likely Huifan, a famous foreign monk who had close ties with the high-ranking officials of the Tang Dynasty and had even plotted to poison Li Longji. He was later beheaded in the street during the Xiantian Coup.

By revealing his true colors, Gongsun Da Niang essentially caused Hui Fan to die a violent death once before the actual execution. Then, by beheading him again, he was essentially killed twice. This monk really struck it rich!

Just as Zhou Yi was about to make lunch after closing his notebook, Zhao Wei called:
"Xiao Yi, come to my house for fish. I caught a bighead carp this morning, weighing 17.6 jin. I just started stewing it. Hurry down the mountain so we can eat together."

The Book of Changes asks:

Where did you fish?

"Same spot as always. The ditch where I used to fish has become a popular spot, with anglers lining up to get a place..."

Zhou Yi guessed that it was the effect of the blessed land that attracted the fish there, but if both banks were densely packed with fishing rods, then for the fish, that ditch would not be a blessed land, but a place of tribulation.
He then asked:

Are there many fish caught?

"Not too many, but no angler ever comes home empty-handed. Whether it's a big fish or a small fish, as long as you fish there, you're bound to catch one or two. Occasionally, you'll even catch a big one. It's practically the perfect fishing spot."

With the guarantee of no empty-handed fish below and the surprise of unknown big fish above, it is indeed a good fishing spot.

However, Zhou Yi wasn't very interested in this kind of activity. After chatting for a couple of minutes, he hung up the phone, packed his things, and drove down the mountain to Zhao Wei's house to eat fish.

When we arrived at Zhao Wei's house, we found that he had set up a portable wood-burning stove in the yard. The stove was filled with burning firewood, and a large pot with a diameter of more than a meter was placed on top of it. The aroma of fish wafted out from the pot.

To be honest, Zhou Yi actually felt a bit hungry after smelling this aroma.

By the time Wu Aimin arrived from the substation, almost everyone who was having dinner today had arrived.

Like a victorious general, Zhao Wei recounted the entire process of catching the big fish over and over again, except that his math skills seemed a bit lacking, as the weight of the fish kept increasing.

After eating and drinking his fill, Zhou Yi drove to Sanlizhuang. When he passed Huangniwa, he turned in for a look. The site of the imperial blessed land was now full of fishermen, each with many fishing rods set up like a general store. Zhou Yi felt a pang of sympathy for the fish in the water.

The small sanctuary has changed so much; I wonder if the large sanctuary behind the mental hospital has changed recently. I should go and take a look, lest it be used by people with ulterior motives and become a place for aiding and abetting evil.

Upon arriving at Sanlizhuang, Zhou Yi discovered that after the small temple was demolished, the entire alley became much more spacious, and the fortunes of the residents there would be improved and turned around.

He showed the renderings to Du Chunyi, who approved of them.
"Okay, this simple design is best. No door means we can go inside and take shelter if it's windy or rainy. It's much better than before."

The Book of Changes says:

"Then let's build it according to this plan. The day after tomorrow is the groundbreaking day, and we'll start construction early that morning."

The original plan was to hire a construction team, but a contractor in the village, upon hearing this, took on all the labor, materials, and bricks.

Another timber dealer contracted to buy all the timber needed for the construction.

In short, everyone contributed money and effort, all wanting to repair this local temple.

Now that the construction is proceeding smoothly and the statue has been secured, everything is ready except for starting construction. Du Chunyi is very happy, feeling that the villagers are remarkably united in this matter.

"When I mentioned building a temple in the village committee's group chat, everyone enthusiastically participated, which made me feel like I was back in the old production team."

The Book of Changes says:

“The original temple blocked the road, disrupting the feng shui and naturally causing conflicts. Now that the problem has been resolved, everything in the village is going smoothly, and we have returned to the right path.”

He had planned to go to the county to buy some seasonings after finalizing the design and start date of the land temple, but he didn't expect the people of Sanlizhuang to be so enthusiastic. They gave him a red envelope as soon as they met and insisted on taking Zhou Yi to their home to look at the feng shui.

Zhou Yi stayed in Sanlizhuang until dark, receiving a pile of red envelopes and ordering seven or eight amulets for protection and small household ornaments for warding off evil spirits.

Back at Hunyuan Palace, he didn't bother cooking. He first sorted out the money in the red envelopes, then took out a piece of paper and, according to the record on it, found the peace talismans and ornaments ordered by each family from the ritual objects room, intending to offer them up first thing tomorrow morning.

After finishing his business, he changed his clothes and went to the kitchen to prepare some food.

After dinner, holding a small crispy cone, he picked up his phone, just about to sit down and catch his breath, when a message suddenly came from [Customized Auspicious Statue], who had contacted him once before:
"Child, I just did a calculation and found that there will be a natural disaster in your location within a month. You must be careful and avoid any accidents."

Zhou Yi replied with a question mark:
"What kind of natural disaster are you referring to?"

“My skills are shallow, and I can’t see clearly. If your grandfather were still alive, he could not only see it clearly, but also easily guide the disaster to a place where no one lives… Did he teach you similar techniques?”

Are you testing me...? Zhou Yi replied with a head-shaking emoji:

"They didn't teach me anything, they just made me memorize various Taoist scriptures, saying that I would be able to use them in the future."

The auspicious deity statue customization service seems quite talkative today:
"He's always like this. He sees everything clearly, but he just won't say it. Sometimes it can drive you crazy."

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
No, the more I look at this, the more it sounds like the tone of a couple talking. Could Grandpa really have some kind of relationship with this old lady Ji?

But if there's any connection, why would Grandpa support Uncle Ming?
According to Uncle Ming's account, if his grandfather hadn't given him a hand, this middleman, who was left with nothing but feathers after the goose had passed by, would have been forced to change careers and do other business long ago.

Zhou Yi didn't know how to reply to the message, so he simply changed the subject and ordered nine amulets. The person who commissioned the custom-made auspicious deity statue readily agreed, but still wanted to talk about his grandfather:
"When I heard the news of your grandfather's passing, I contacted several of his close friends and wanted to invite them to pay their respects at his grave. Unfortunately, everyone was busy with confidential matters and couldn't get away."

Zhouyi: "..."

You wouldn't want to dig up his grave to check if he really died or not, would you?
He wanted to comfort Grandma Ji and help her let go of her obsession, but he was worried about saying the wrong thing, so he only replied that it was all in the past, and ended the awkward conversation.

Grandma Ji didn't care about Zhou Yi's plans; he was only curious about what the natural disasters would be in the coming month.

While we can prepare for things like strong winds and heavy rain, earthquakes are something we can't prevent.

Two days later, the day arrived for digging the foundation for the Earth God Temple.

On the way to Sanlizhuang, Zhou Yi asked Zhao Wei about the progress of the highway project:

When will the road open to traffic?

"It's still early. Right now, we're just clearing the earth, building some bridges, and digging some ditches. These are all preliminary tasks... But the bridge that spans the mountain ravine is progressing quite quickly. I heard that the main pier base should be poured next week."

next week?

Zhou Yi planned to finish his work at the land temple in Sanlizhuang and then focus on waiting for Xie Yukun's arrival.

Bridges are always major projects, and the main piers are of paramount importance. As an advisor, Xie Yukun will definitely come to the site for on-site assessment. At that time, he will find an opportunity to personally safeguard the bridge.

I wonder if there are any other experts behind the Yiyang City Fengshui Folk Customs Association. If so, deal with them all at once to avoid this kind of piecemeal tactic of attacking the younger generation while simultaneously attacking the older ones.

Upon arriving in Sanlizhuang, Zhao Wei started construction at an auspicious time, digging the trenches neatly and systematically. As soon as he finished, the construction team busied themselves with their work.

The I Ching identified those who lacked the element of Earth in their Five Elements chart, and the remaining people began to prepare the trenches, tamping the earth and building the foundation.

After Du Chunyi tallied up all the donations from the village, totaling over 100,000 yuan, he handed Zhou Yi an agreement for the construction of a local temple. After both parties signed the agreement, he gave all the donations to Zhou Yi.

The construction and decoration of the land temple do not require Zhou Yi's attention, but the statues of the gods must be carefully inspected.

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

"Don't worry, the statue I found will definitely meet all your expectations for the Earth God."

At the same time, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, on the western border.

Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou led a group of cavalrymen and rode at full speed to Wulei City, which was the Protectorate of the Western Regions of the Great Han Dynasty.

Looking at the city of Wulei before him, Gan Yanshou wiped the sweat from his brow with his sleeve and said:
"It took us almost a month to get back from Zhizhi City. It's hard to imagine how the Marquis of Champion managed to march over a thousand miles in six days to capture Jiuquan County."

Chen Tang pulled out a mineral water bottle from his pocket, the label worn away, and tilted his head back to drink the water inside in one gulp.

"He's a war god, and he's an all-cavalry unit. How can we, a bunch of old, weak, and disabled people, compare to him? By the way, Lao Gan, would you like to take a picture with the Champion Marquis?"

Gan Yanshou glanced at this guy:
"I can't go to Mr. [Name]'s place, so how can we take a photo together?"

As Chen Tang spurred his horse forward, he showed off:
"Sir, you have a computer. On the computer, there's something called 'Farting to Death,' which can combine two unrelated people into one photo without revealing any flaws."

Gan Yanshou, an honest man, immediately fell for it:

"Young master, if you can bring me a photograph, I will give you a thousand acres of fertile land!"

Chen Tang picked at his ear, pretending not to care:

“A thousand acres of fertile land… I can’t ask the Marquis of Champion for that.”

"Add another fifty gold coins!"

"make a deal!"

Chen Tang wanted to push it a little further, but seeing Lao Gan's gritted teeth, he wisely decided to stop while he was ahead... You can't keep taking advantage of one person; you have to take it slow and steady.

Gan Yanshou paid a huge price for chasing his idol, but he was very happy to be able to take a photo with the champion Hou.

Chen Tang was also very happy. He took out a small notebook from his pocket and wrote down the whole story, planning to go to Lao Gan's house to fulfill his promise when he returned to Chang'an.

The two chatted and laughed as they walked to the gate of Wulei City. Just as they were about to dismount and go inside, a junior officer at the gate reported:

"An imperial edict arrived in Chang'an yesterday, and the messenger is still resting at the post station..."

An imperial edict has arrived?

Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou exchanged a glance, knowing it was a matter of life and death.

(End of this chapter)