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

Chapter 111 Li Bai: Forget about official positions, I want to cultivate immortality! [Seeking monthly votes]

In the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Huo Qubing was resting with his troops in a camp near Guangwu County, Yanmen Commandery.

After several days of non-stop travel, we finally entered Yanmen County, which is known as the northern gateway.

However, Guangwu County is only the southernmost part of Yanmen County. To truly experience the frontier scenery, one needs to pass through the Han Great Wall passes between Xiawu Mountain and Juzhu Mountain, and then head north to see more of the vast grassland landscape.

Before the campfire, Zhang Qian, holding a bowl of fried porridge, recounted his experiences among the Xiongnu:
“The area around Yanmen, Dingxiang, and Yunzhong was considered poor land in the Han Dynasty, with low yields and frequent droughts. However, it was a rare treasure for the Xiongnu people.”

Zhao Ponu, standing to the side, nodded and added:

"The northern desert is cold in winter. Spring doesn't arrive until April or May, and heavy snow falls again in August and September. It is said that the valleys on the southern slope of Yanran Mountain are relatively better, but I have never been there."

Huo Qubing zoomed in on the Han Dynasty map on his phone, a confident smile on his face:
"Now that we have the map and compass given to us by our master, it is not difficult to find the area where the Xiongnu nobles lived."

As he was looking at it, his phone warned him of low battery. Huo Qubing plugged in a power bank and began to explain his plans:
"We will set off early tomorrow morning and rest for two days after arriving at Yinguan, the capital of Yanmen County. Zhao Ponu, you and Ziwen Gong will conduct battle formation drills and two-handed weapon drills based on the characteristics of the Xiongnu's marching. I will go to my master to report on the progress of the march."

Zhao Ponu rose and accepted the order:
"Don't worry, Huo Biaoyao, I will train diligently!"

Zhang Qian asked:

Should we teach the soldiers some Xiongnu language?

Huo Qubing pondered for a moment and then agreed:

"We can teach them some tactics for turning the enemy into a traitor, but we don't need to use them yet. We haven't gained an overwhelming advantage over the Xiongnu. We should eliminate the living targets first. Once we've scared them, the Xiongnu will naturally surrender."

During the Western Han Dynasty, when fighting against the Xiongnu, the court always held the idea of ​​making the Xiongnu submit and be subservient, believing that as long as the Xiongnu bowed their heads, everything could be negotiated.

However, the Xiongnu people were fickle and unpredictable. They would submit when you were strong and turn against you when you were weak. There was nothing to talk about with such shameless people. The best option was to exterminate their entire clan.

After finishing their business, Zhang Qian recounted his experiences during his journey to the Western Regions, specifically mentioning Loulan:

"This country is not large, but it is quite wealthy because it is close to the salt lake and is located on the only way to the west. Its king is arrogant and may clash with our Han Dynasty in the future."

Zhao Ponu perked up immediately upon hearing this:
"If given the chance, I would personally lead a large army to destroy this country!"

Huo Qubing smiled without saying a word, because historically, Loulan was indeed conquered by his golden deputy.

Decades after Zhao Ponu captured the King of Loulan, during Liu Fuling's reign, the Han envoy Fu Jiezi beheaded the King of Loulan at a banquet and brought him back to the Han Dynasty on the orders of Huo Guang, who was Huo Qubing's younger brother... So, all three of them now warming themselves by the fire have some connection with Loulan.

The cavalry special forces set off again the next day.

The presence of fried noodles greatly reduced the baggage load of the five hundred cavalrymen, who advanced in a trained skirmish formation and sped all the way to Yinguan County.

Upon arriving at the military camp near the county town, Huo Qubing returned to his tent, changed into a Taoist robe, and excitedly went to Hunyuan Palace, carrying a set of Han Dynasty crystal cups and Zhang Qian's handwritten "Ode to Respectful Offering".

It was evening, and the setting sun cast a golden glow on the glazed tiles of the Taoist temple roof.

Huo Qubing took a deep breath and felt that it was a wonderful thing to temporarily leave the camp and come to his master's place to rest.

He arrived at the courtyard and saw Wu Meiniang hanging clothes to dry, while his master Zhou Yi, wearing an apron, was busy preparing dinner in the kitchen.

"Qubing pays his respects to his elder sister!"

Huo Qubing bowed to Wu Meiniang and was about to go to the kitchen when Wu Meiniang stopped him.

"The immortal is going to stir-fry chili peppers, so you'd better not go in... Go take a shower first. There are clean clothes in your and Li Bai's room. Have dinner together after you shower."

"As ordered!"

Huo Qubing ran to the kitchen door, bowed to Zhou Yi, and then took his change of clothes to the bathroom for a comfortable shower, instantly washing away all his fatigue.

Today, Zhou Yi tried making some fried chili peppers with long, thin chilies. He mixed chili rings with flour and fried them in a hot pan. They tasted very fragrant, but while making them, they were so pungent that they smelled like poison gas, and the whole kitchen was filled with the smell of spiciness.

After dinner was ready, he noticed that Huo Qubing had brought a gift:
"Did you write these bamboo slips?"

"It was written by Ziwen Gong. After obtaining the walkie-talkie and drone, he cried several times. Hearing that people in the Tang Dynasty were offering gifts to Hunyuan Palace, he asked his disciple to bring this item. He hoped that his master would not find it distasteful."

How could I possibly dislike a gift from the Marquis of Bowang? Besides, these are bamboo slips with writing on them… When Zhou Yi received them, the crystal cup looked somewhat dull, and the bamboo slips had changed drastically, immediately becoming cultural relics. The hemp ropes binding them had also cracked, leaving only bamboo strips.

Fortunately, Wu Zetian had already read it and recited the contents verbatim.

To be honest, Han Dynasty fu (a type of classical Chinese prose-poetry) doesn't seem particularly impressive when read literally, but its rhythmic cadence and the soft, melodious voice of Wu Zetian make it very pleasant to listen to. After being showered with praise by Zhang Qian, Zhou became somewhat flattered:
"We received some new telescopes and compasses today. Please take them to Zhang Qian when you leave as a reward from Hunyuan Palace for his westward exploration. As for the walkie-talkies and drones, they are still on their way. We will distribute a few more sets to you before you leave the border."

Huo Qubing was overjoyed:
"Thank you Master!"

Zhou Yi waved his hand:

"Get ready to eat."

Wu Meiniang brought over the flatbread and, while rolling it up, told Huo Qubing about what had happened some time ago.

Huo Qubing was deeply moved and hoped to participate in an event at Hunyuan Palace.

The Book of Changes says:

"We're going to a consecration ceremony at the pickle factory the day after tomorrow. If you want to participate, stay a couple more days and take some pickles with you when you leave."

Huo Qubing was surprised to find the opportunity to participate in the Hunyuan Palace's collective action so close by. He readily agreed, intending to learn how to perform rituals so that he could rely on divine power to solve any problems that arose in the army.

After the meal, the three of them cut up a watermelon that had been chilled in well water for more than two hours and ate it with relish. Zhou Yi also gave Huo Qubing a few boxes of antimalarial medicine for emergency use.

There's no need to give too much of this kind of medicine, because Huo Qubing can come frequently, and the area along the northern expedition route is not a high-incidence area for malaria. Relatively speaking, parasites in raw water are more troublesome.

The next day, having finally found some free time, Zhou Yi drove Wu Meiniang and Huo Qubing to tour the county and even had a meal of premium crayfish at Sun Chenglin's crayfish restaurant.

To be honest, the food was really satisfying with its large size. After eating and drinking our fill, we went to a nearby cinema to watch a movie.

It's a pity there haven't been any good movies lately, which is a bit unfair to the two ancient people who came from afar.

In the evening, the three of them returned to Hunyuan Palace with bags full of snacks and various foods. As soon as they entered, they saw Granny Gongsun sneaking out of the main hall.

Upon seeing the three of them, the girl immediately began to complain:
"I called out for ages, but no one came. Aren't you afraid that wolves and tigers will come and eat me?"

Zhouyi: "..."

Based on your sword alone, I think wolves and tigers are more in need of protection.

Upon seeing Gongsun Da Niang, Wu Meiniang quickly took out the fried chicken she had bought in the county town:

"Gongsun sister, try it quickly, the outer crust is so crispy."

Grandma Gongsun wanted to stretch a little longer, but in the end she succumbed to the delicious food:

"This chicken leg is so delicious, it tastes even better than the chicken drumstick I had last time."

As she ate, she spoke to Zhou Yi about the wicked monk Huifan:

“My niece is too domineering. On the same day, she pulled out Hui Fan’s tongue, gouged out his eyes, severed his tendons, and threw him into the deep mountains to fend for himself… His Majesty also joined in the fun and ordered Hui Fan to be paraded through the streets before being thrown into the mountains. The two mortal enemies were surprisingly in sync on this matter, which stunned all the powerful and noble people in the city.”

Zhou Yi felt that this insulted the Chinese gods, and that no punishment was too severe for Hui Fan. He was more concerned about the stone statue of the God of Fortune, which was still enjoying incense offerings at the entrance of the Little Penglai Hall. He wondered what would happen to the Kaiyuan World.

Aunt Gongsun said with a smile:

"After Huifan's parade through the streets, the local temples all over the city suddenly became highly sought after. Everyone lined up to burn incense and pray for blessings. The stone statue I stole next to the inn was replaced with a new one overnight. When I came, my niece even sent someone to deliver offerings, fruits, and 10,000 strings of cash for incense oil."

"Meiniang's precious daughter is very generous..." Zhou Yi sighed inwardly, then said to Gongsun Da Niang:
"We're going to the pickle factory tomorrow for the opening ceremony. You should come too. After the ceremony, we'll have dinner at the best restaurant in town. You can eat as much as you like."

Grandma Gongsun was very happy:
"Then I won't stand on ceremony... By the way, Taoist priest, give me the Tai Chi sword. Tomorrow I'll perform General Pei's Full House Stance again, so the master won't say I'm not putting in any effort and just freeloading."

Zhou Yi agreed and gave the Tai Chi sword in the room to Gongsun Da Niang.

The girl grabbed the sword, threw it high into the air in the courtyard, and caught it steadily with the scabbard. This startled Huo Qubing, who was witnessing the grand display for the first time, and he then expressed his desire to learn.

While the performance here was full of laughter and joy, in the Kaiyuan world of the Tang Dynasty, Li Bai and his entourage, after a long journey, finally arrived at Dasanguan, an important pass on the Chencang Road leading into Guanzhong.

Chencang Road is the easiest road in Shu, but it still made Li Bai complain endlessly. Fortunately, Yuan Danqiu accompanied him, which prevented him from getting too bored.

Yuan Danqiu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said:
"After passing Dasanguan, you'll find the Guanzhong Plain stretching out before you... Taibai, I once cultivated with Princess Yuzhen in Jiyuan, so we have a bond as fellow disciples. If you need anything, I can write you a visiting card. Take the card to her, and you'll certainly not be harassed."

Li Bai smiled and declined:
"Thank you for your kindness, Danqiu Zi, but I have my master's guidance and don't need these for the time being."

In the past, I struggled to obtain an official position, only to be met with setbacks and ridicule. Now, my master has given me a second chance. Seek an official position? What a load of rubbish! I'm going to cultivate immortality!
(End of this chapter)