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

Chapter 112 Huh, is this blind man actually sizing me up? [Requesting monthly votes]

At 8:30 a.m. on a weekend morning, Zhou Yi drove his Wuling Hongguang van, carrying Wu Meiniang, Gongsun Da Niang, and Huo Qubing down the mountain to the pickle factory to perform a religious ceremony.

The four wore Taoist robes of four different colors: Zhou Yi wore white, Wu Meiniang wore cyan, Gongsun Da Niang wore pomegranate red, and Huo Qubing wore blue.

Aunt Gongsun adjusted the air conditioning vents in the back and asked with a smile:

"Master, it's so sunny today. Do you have any talismans that can help cool you down?"

She was joking, wanting to see if Taoism was as omnipotent as legend had it, but Zhou Yi calmly replied:
"I'll give you a Gentle Breeze Talisman in a moment. Keep it close to your body, and a gentle breeze will constantly caress you."

These words impressed Gongsun Da Niang. However, she wondered how dry her skin would become under such a strong sun and the wind.
She hesitated for a moment, but ultimately declined the offer:

"No one else has the Breeze Talisman. It would be too out of place for me to use it alone. I'd better not make an exception."

When they arrived at the foot of the mountain, Zhao Wei was already waiting in his newly bought Formula Leopard. When he saw the Wuling approaching, he stepped on the gas and sped up in front of it, sometimes weaving in an S-shape and sometimes slamming on the brakes to greet the neighbors.

Wu Zetian said with a smile:

"He couldn't wait to show off his new car; he's quite straightforward."

Zhou Yi nodded:

"He's been like this since he was little, but he's a really good person. He'll stand up for his neighbors if they're bullied. No kids from nearby villages and towns dare to come to Yunwu Town to fight."

Wu Zetian was quite interested in the I Ching during her childhood.
"Master, did you ever get into fights when you were a child?"

"No, before I even started elementary school, Zhao Wei was already spreading rumors at school that my grandfather was a fortune teller, and that anyone who dared to bully me would have their whole family turn into squeaking mice."

These words made everyone in the car grin.

Gongsun Da Niang interrupted and asked:

“Sister Meiniang, your childhood... your childhood is recorded in historical books, so I won’t ask about it.”

Wu Zetian's childhood was quite happy, after all, her father was a Duke. However, after her father, Wu Shihuo, died, and his title was inherited by his two half-brothers, the tragic fate of the three Wu sisters began.

Fortunately, all of that is in the past, and Wu Zetian is cutting ties with it.

Once you obtain a household registration, you will settle here and will not return to the Tang Dynasty unless necessary.

As you drive into the industrial park, turn into the deepest part of the southwest corner, and the sign of Lao Zhao's Flavored Pickles Factory is very eye-catching. The logo is designed in a very youthful style, and it is clear that the brand is planning to make its mark on the internet.

Zhou Yi parked his car on the side of the road and saw a waist drum team waiting to perform under the shade of a tree not far away. Dozens of middle-aged women with an average age of over fifty were wearing colorful clothes and waist drums tied around their waists, and were rehearsing intensively.

Zhao Wei took bottled water out of the car and handed it out to everyone one by one:

"I told my cousin that waist drums aren't popular anymore. If I really want to perform something, I can find some people to do hot dances. That would be really exciting."

Zhouyi: "..."

Your cousin is having a grand opening ceremony, not just warming up a bar.

Besides, since everyone from your Zhao family is here today, if we really invited a group of hot dancers in black stockings and high heels, would you watch it or not?

While there was still some time, Zhou Yi placed the Eight Immortals Table that Zhao Dengke had prepared in the Qian position at the factory gate. Then he opened the back door of the van, took out a tablecloth embroidered with the sixty-four hexagrams of the pre-heaven arrangement, and laid it on the table. Then he and Huo Qubing began to take out the ritual implements they needed from the van.

Zhao Dengke's parents also brought offerings, and before long, the preliminary work for the ritual was completed.

The opening ceremony requires worshipping heaven and earth and informing all directions. The process is quite complicated. When the auspicious time arrives, Zhou Yi will proceed meticulously according to the procedures he learned from his grandfather.

Before long, the aunties in the waist drum team also started to move, making a series of booming sounds, giving Zhou Yi the illusion of performing a ritual at a temple fair.

As the ritual was drawing to a close, clusters of white clouds drifted overhead, and everyone felt a warm sensation all over their bodies.

This warm feeling isn't like being scorched by the blazing sun, but rather like soaking in a hot spring in the dead of winter—it's incredibly comforting and relaxing, and even the weariness in your heart disappears.

An Audi slowly drove into the highway project site not far away.

As the car door opened, Xie Yukun, the project's chief feng shui consultant, helped Han Chu Jiu, who was wearing sunglasses, out of the car.

"Mr. Han, it's hot outside. Let me take you to the reception room first. You can tell the manager here if you have any requests."

Just as Han Chu Jiu was about to follow them to the project office reception room, she suddenly exclaimed "Eh!", did some calculations with her fingers, then looked up and asked Xie Yu Kun beside her:
Are there white clouds drifting overhead?

"Yes, there are a lot of them, and they're even connected in a line. Mr. Han, is there any explanation for this?"

Han Chu Jiu grinned:
"This is to welcome you."

Xie Yukun didn't believe it. He escorted Han Chu Jiu into the reception room, then excused himself to go to the restroom. There, he took a picture of the scene in the sky with his phone and sent it to a WeChat friend.
"Director Cao, do you know what's going on here?"

The other party quickly replied with a single sentence:

"Someone is invoking a deity."

After I sent the message, the other party quickly replied with another message:
"Why is that blind man asking us for information?"

Xie Yukun replied:

"It's still unclear. I'll try my best to get information out of you these next few days. If he doesn't have any backup plans, are you planning to turn him into a puppet?"

Director Cao didn't reply, only saying to "do your own thing" before ending the chat. Xie Yukun, feeling helpless, deleted the chat history and returned to the reception room, where he chatted casually with the blind man, Han Chu Jiu.

"The project manager said there's a restaurant in this town with a nice view and good food. If Mr. Han has no objections, we'll arrange the welcome banquet there at noon."

Han Chu-gu was not interested in these things:

"Whatever, I don't mind. Just don't think I'm ruining your drinking session."

Xie Yukun gave a dry laugh:
"Drinking alcohol is no longer allowed, and the checks are very strict. Today, I'm just enjoying some wild mountain vegetables and also checking in with the project team about the progress."

Meanwhile, in the industrial park, after the consecration ceremony concluded, Zhou Yi, wielding his whisk, respectfully chanted:
"Blessings and Immeasurable Heavenly Lord!"

As soon as they stopped, Zhao Wei leaned over and asked:
"Is this offering edible now?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"You can eat it now. It's an offering that the gods have enjoyed. Eating it will bring you good fortune."

Zhao Wei carried several offerings and excitedly distributed them to his family. Zhou Yi broke open a banana and gave one to each of Huo Qubing, Wu Meiniang, and Gongsun Da Niang.
"Have something to eat first, don't eat too much. The food at lunchtime was good, you can eat more."

The four ate the bananas, packed up their ritual implements, and took a walk around the factory.

This is a modern food processing workshop where everything from cleaning and marinating ingredients to packaging is automated.

There are already some products in the warehouse, which are red oil seaweed strips to enter the market.

These individually packaged kelp strips don't contain much; one pack is enough for one person. Considering the difficulty of obtaining vitamins on the grasslands, Zhou Yi said:
"Just convert all my payment into shredded kelp."

Zhao Dengke gave an OK sign:
"After we finish eating, I'll drive you up the mountain and let you try some other samples. The quantity isn't large, but the taste is amazing."

"it is good!"

After visiting the pickle factory, it was almost noon, so everyone packed up and headed to the nearby Shanju Restaurant for lunch.

The Mountain Retreat Restaurant was opened by Jin Zhicai's nephew, Jin Anchao. He used to be a head chef in the provincial capital, but after a setback in his relationship, he returned to his hometown in a fit of anger and opened this restaurant. At the time, many people were waiting to see him fail, but to their surprise, the business actually took off.

When people from the surrounding villages invite distinguished guests to dinner, the first place they think of is the Mountain Retreat Restaurant.

Zhou Yi parked his car in front of the Mountain Residence Restaurant, locked the car door, and went upstairs to a private room. The cool air conditioning refreshed everyone; after basking in the sun all morning, they could finally relax for a while.

Zhao Dengke booked a private table, and his whole family sat in a large private room. Hunyuan Palace arranged a small private room for them to sit separately, so that everyone wouldn't feel awkward.

The menu for today was decided last week, and as soon as everyone sat down, the waiter started serving the dishes.

Huo Qubing sat at the lower end of the table, looking at the dishes he couldn't name, and thought that the food here was much more refined than that in the Weiyang Palace of the Han Dynasty:
"It's a pity that General Zigong and my senior brother are not here, and we missed the feast."

The Book of Changes says:

"If you like the food here, we can come back on our own next time and see Yunwu Mountain from another perspective."

The private room offers a beautiful view of the misty Yunwu Mountain right from the window.

Grandma Gongsun wasn't interested in the scenery; all she could think about was food.
"What is this chewy, crunchy thing?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Pickled pepper fish skin, don't just focus on these cold dishes, there will be hot dishes later, eat slowly, no need to rush."

As the hot dishes began to be served, Zhao Wei followed the waiter in:
"Xiao Yi, where are your car keys? The waiter said your car is blocking someone's way, I'll go move it."

Zhou Yi stood up and said:

"You go ahead and eat. I'll go downstairs and move the food. I'll bring up two bottles of juice."

He grabbed his car keys and went downstairs. When he arrived at the restaurant, he saw that his Wuling van was all empty around him, not blocking anyone's way.

However, just to be on the safe side, he still planned to park the car on the side of the road so as not to obstruct others.

As Zhou Yi approached the car, he suddenly noticed an old man standing by the back door, wearing a stand-up collar Zhongshan suit and with empty eye sockets, who was "sizing him up".

Yes, it was a staring contest. Even though the other person had no eyes, Zhou Yi still felt like he was being watched, and this discomfort grew stronger over time.

To prevent the other party from using underhanded tactics, Zhou Yi did not hesitate to throw out a golden talisman.

The talisman burst into flames in mid-air, and the blind man instinctively covered his "eyes":
"As expected of Zhou Bansian's grandson, he's learned ninety-nine percent of his cunning and treachery..."

Zhou Yi asked in confusion:
"Do you know my grandfather?"

The blind man removed his hands from his eyes and nodded, saying:

"We've known each other our whole lives, and we're very close."

Zhou Yi is somewhat skeptical:
How close are they?

The blind man pointed to his empty eye sockets and said:
"He gouged out my eyes, so tell me, aren't we best friends?"

(End of this chapter)