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

Chapter 130 Li Qingzhao: Was "Born to Be a Hero" written by me? [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Hearing the voices in the courtyard, Granny Gongsun peeked out from the kitchen doorway. Upon seeing Li Qingzhao, she quickly ran over with a beaming smile to greet her.

"Hello, Sister Li Qingzhao, I am Granny Gongsun, also known as the Pomegranate Fairy."

Her calling her "elder sister" made Li Qingzhao a little embarrassed:
“You are from the Tang Dynasty, and I am from the Song Dynasty. I should be the one calling you ‘elder sister’.”

"Not at all, you don't care about anyone. That's the way an older sister should act. Unlike me, when I'm wronged, I just cry in front of the statue and ask the gods to help me get revenge. It's useless."

Li Qingzhao: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Are you showing off?
However, remembering that her token could unleash divine lightning, Li Qingzhao took it out of her bosom and asked Gongsun Da Niang:

"Can your token summon divine thunder?"

This time it was Granny Gongsun's turn to be surprised:
"This can even summon divine lightning? Daoist, you're so biased! Why can't my token summon divine lightning?"

Zhou Yi, who was making pan-fried buns in the kitchen, wiped his hands and came outside, saying:

"When I encounter danger, a protective divine lightning will appear, but you must not use it to set me up, because every time I strike a lightning bolt, my merit will be deducted."

After saying this, Zhou Yi said to Li Qingzhao:
"Tell us about how you struck Gao Qiu with lightning, so that everyone can have a reference."

In fact, Mr. Zhou also wanted to know the specific details, but he could not say it outright. He could only listen in on the lightning strike process under the guise of providing a reference for everyone.

Chen Tang, who was panting heavily while doing push-ups nearby, jumped up from the ground upon hearing Gao Qiu's name.

"Is it Gao Qiu, one of the four great traitors of the Northern Song Dynasty?"

The Four Great Traitors are a collective term for Cai Jing, Tong Guan, Yang Jian, and Gao Qiu. Compared to the first three, Gao Qiu was the lowest in both rank and reputation, but he was a minor official who committed great evils. The Northern Song Dynasty's imperial guard system collapsed due to Gao Qiu's corruption.

Zhou Yi said to Chen Tang:
"It's that Gao Qiu. He hasn't risen to power yet; he's just a servant to Prince Duan."

Li Qingzhao never expected that even people from the Han Dynasty knew about the treacherous officials of the Song Dynasty. She sighed inwardly and recounted how she had been strolling in the street when she encountered Gao Qiu, who struck up a conversation with her. She then showed him her token and summoned divine thunder.

Of course, she omitted the details of drinking alcohol and instead said that she went to a teahouse to drink tea because she was thirsty.

Well, it's perfectly reasonable to drink a cup of tea when you're thirsty while walking, right?
Gongsun Da Niang's eyes lit up when she heard this:

"Fortunately, none of the high-ranking officials and emperors of the Kaiyuan World have stopped me or said anything disrespectful, otherwise... Hmph! But I could lure them into cursing the Daoist Master and then get struck by lightning."

Zhou Yi grabbed Li Qingzhao's whisk and tapped her on the head:
"I just said not to use entrapment tactics. Your every word and action represents the image of Hunyuan Palace, so don't be naughty."

After saying that, he went back to the kitchen to continue making pan-fried dumplings. Chen Tang took a bath, changed into a Taoist robe, and excitedly approached Li Qingzhao to ask about the situation of the Song Dynasty army.

When he heard that the Song Dynasty's cavalry army only had a name and no mounts, he was stunned for a long time before he could finally utter a sentence:

"Cavalry without horses? That's unheard of! The Song Dynasty is truly an eye-opener."

As they were chatting, Wu Meiniang walked over with a backpack slung over her shoulder. The group greeted her, and she responded to each of them. Then, she reached the kitchen doorway and said to Zhou Yi:

"Li Ke has already set off, heading south to Jiaozhi to carry out border expansion."

Zhou Yi believes this should be encouraged:
"After we finish eating, come with me to the Sanqing Hall to pray for Li Ke and give him a buff so he won't suffer from acclimatization issues over there."

This is the first step in the Tang Dynasty's policy of granting fiefdoms to foreign countries, and it must not fail.

Wu Meiniang agreed, went back to her room to change into a Taoist robe, and then arranged for everyone to have breakfast together.

During the meal, Zhou Yi mentioned his plan to raid the evil cultivators' hideout in the city and briefly introduced the blind man. Chen Tang frowned as he listened.
"Sir, you're being too rash. If that blind man has ill intentions towards you, you'll be in a very passive position."

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

“Every time I go out, I carry a bunch of protective magic items. Even if the blind man really wants to harm me, he won’t be able to do it. Besides, he cultivates the righteous path. At most, his conflict with my grandfather is just a matter of ideology. He won’t do anything reckless like cracking down on evil cultivators.”

If the blind man were truly a heinous evil cultivator, Grandpa would never allow him to live in the world; Zhou Yi was quite certain of this.

Li Bai, still uneasy, asked like a little adult:
"Can that Senior Han hold them back? Won't he be a liability to us?"

Zhou Yi took a bite of the pan-fried bun and said:

"Even with all my magical artifacts, I was pulled into an illusion by the blind man without warning. That evil cultivator is even less able to defend against it. We don't need to worry about the blind man; we just need to destroy the temple."

After he finished speaking, he began to instruct his eldest apprentice:

"The statue of the Ziwei Emperor needs to be worshipped, and the incense needs to be changed every two hours. Hunyuan Palace cannot be left unattended. You can stay here and watch over it. Next time, I will take you to the city for a stroll."

As soon as he said this, everyone turned their faces and looked at the poet with pity.

Just as Li Bai was about to protest, Huo Qubing arrived in the courtyard in full military uniform… Today, the special forces were on rest, and they were also practicing combined attack formations with the auxiliary troops. Huo Qubing had stolen half a day of leisure and planned to take a bath and have something to eat. Seeing him arrive, Li Bai's eyes immediately lit up:
“Junior brother, you’ve come at the right time. We’re going to the city to destroy the evil cultivators’ temples later. You can stay at Hunyuan Palace and look after the place. We’ll bring you something delicious when we come back.”

But Huo Qubing was not easily fooled. Although he didn't know what destroying the evil cultivator's temple meant, he immediately cupped his hands and said:
"Senior brother bears the heavy responsibility of becoming an immortal, how can he act rashly? Besides, as for some petty villains, senior brother doesn't need to take action, junior brother can handle them."

The two brothers, who were being modest and courteous to each other, inspired Li Qingzhao to write poetry... The Poet Immortal was actually Huo Qubing's senior brother. If her father were to tell this, he wouldn't know who to envy more.

Huo Qubing's achievements are unparalleled, while Li Bai is a towering figure in Chinese literature. Even just watching the two bicker evokes endless emotions.

In the end, the younger Li Bai was defeated and was left to guard Hunyuan Palace.

Huo Qubing bowed to the Book of Changes:
"Reporting to Master, our special forces team has killed more than 700 Xiongnu people, captured more than 800 warhorses, and also seized weapons and armor."

This number intrigued Chen Tang:

"No prisoners?"

Huo Qubing said:
"After each battle, soldiers who understood the Xiongnu language would publicly try the prisoners, making them explain their crimes, and then decide on punishments such as beheading, waist-cutting, and dismemberment... Since the public trials of crimes began, the soldiers and newly recruited auxiliary soldiers have become more eager to fight and more murderous."

Hearing this, Chen Tang scratched his head, wishing he could ask for the specific details on the spot.

Wu Meiniang also seemed to be thinking about something, and felt that she could go back and tell Li Shimin.

The Book of Changes says:

“Go wash your hands, we can talk while we eat… By the way, this is the new Osmanthus Fairy, Li Qingzhao. She was the first talented woman that Shiliu kept mentioning last time.”

Huo Qubing bowed with his hands clasped in greeting:
"I have met Miss Li. Your poem, 'To live, be a hero; to die, be a ghost of valor. To this day, I think of Xiang Yu, who refused to cross the Yangtze River,' has always been a source of great pride for me."

Li Qingzhao: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
Is this a poem I wrote?
The style sounds like it, but why does it have such a strong sense of irony?
She stood up and returned the greeting:
"Greetings, Marquis of Champion, I haven't written that poem yet."

Huo Qubing laughed heartily:
"I'm not the champion yet, but it doesn't matter, call me whatever you want."

After the meal, Zhou Yi saw the treasure vase brought by Li Qingzhao. It was a top-grade Ru porcelain vase, whose value was immeasurable, whether in the Song Dynasty or in modern times. He raised his hand to stroke it, and the vase made a slight clicking sound, and then it looked like a museum artifact.

He said to Li Qingzhao:
"I'll have Zhao Ji himself write me a new letter of tribute later. Meiniang will tell you the details."

Next, he read Li Gefei's thank-you note. The content was actually very simple; it was just a long thank-you note written by an old father who missed his daughter. Zhou Yi was very envious of it.

With Li Gefei's care and protection throughout her life, it's no wonder that Li Qingzhao could be so outspoken and defiant, becoming the most arrogant woman in the Song Dynasty.

After Wu Meiniang and Gongsun Da Niang finished washing the dishes and tidying up the kitchen, everyone changed into brand-new Taoist robes and followed Zhou Yi to the Sanqing Temple. They set out fruit offerings and prayed together for Li Ke, who was opening up the border.

After the ceremony, the Book of Changes established the following rules:

"No matter which dynasty it is in the future, as long as it implements the system of enfeoffment to foreign countries, a blessing ceremony will be held in the Sanqing Hall for the person who opens up the border."

After leaving the Sanqing Hall, he took the walkie-talkies he had purchased, distributed one to each person, set the channel, and taught everyone how to use them.

“Zigong Qubing, you two are in charge of the top floor, and I will be in charge of the eighteenth floor. We must destroy them at the same time without any gaps, otherwise the nurtured Yin spirits may escape.”

Once everyone had mastered how to use the walkie-talkies, Zhou Yi drove them down the mountain to the Golden Sun Shopping Mall in the city.

None of them had much experience riding in a carriage before, so they needed to set off early and drive slowly to avoid getting disoriented before they even started.

Along the way, Li Qingzhao and Huo Qubing were very interested in the wide and straight provincial road, while Wu Meiniang, Gongsun Da Niang, and Chen Tang were not surprised at all. People who had been to county towns did not bother to make a fuss about such things.

However, when the car passed through the industrial zone of Yiyang City, even the "veterans" lost their composure, pressing their heads against the car windows and staring intently at the industrial equipment that resembled steel giants, too shocked to speak.

At 10:00 AM, the car entered the Golden Sun underground parking lot. Just as it was parked, the blind man appeared from somewhere and asked Zhou Yi:
"Did you bring the official seal of Hunyuan Palace?"

"No, why would we bring that thing if we came here to destroy the evil cultivators' dojo?"

The blind man remained as calm and collected as ever.
“Sign a business consulting contract with Golden Sun Shopping Mall… Didn’t you want a fee? I’ve already negotiated it for you.”

Zhou Yi was overjoyed:

"how much is it?"

The blind man adjusted the sunglasses perched on his nose:
"Three hundred thousand... every year! Before Golden Sun Mall went bankrupt, it would transfer three hundred thousand to you every year as a consulting fee. The contract details have been agreed upon. You can come and sign it when you have time, and then just wait for the payment."

Zhou Yi: "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Steal...steal the young?
Three hundred thousand, and every year?!

(End of this chapter)