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

Chapter 153 God of Fortune: I've finally made something of myself! [Seeking monthly votes]

How can we prevent this historic torrential rain? We can't exactly plaster petrification talismans all around the entire Hunyuan Palace, can we?
Zhou Yi thought about it and decided there was no need to pay too much attention. Since the blind man said that all the building materials of the Taoist temple were magic artifacts, he might as well take advantage of this rainstorm to test the strength of the temple.

With nothing else to do, Zhou Yi called a tailor and ordered a Taoist robe for Li Qingzhao as well.

After he gave the tailor his birth date and time, the tailor said he was already numb to it:

“These birth charts are all strange, so be careful not to ruin the Taoist temple that Zhou Banxian has spent most of his life building… However, this birth chart is not suitable for light blue, so it should be changed.”

The Book of Changes asks:

"What color should we change it to?"

"Plum green or bamboo color... This birth chart contains meanings such as resilience and bitterness, and is suitable for plum green and bamboo color."

Plum green is a color created by mixing green and yellow, resembling an unripe green plum; while bamboo green is a color created by mixing gray and green, and only old bamboo that has experienced winter frost has this color.

Zhou Yi felt that the bamboo was too bitter, so he ultimately chose the green plum, which represents sourness and immaturity.

Historically, Li Duidui suffered a life of hardship and misery in her later years, drowning her sorrows in alcohol every day. Now, let her be a female cultivator who occasionally indulges in a little drunken madness.

Once the color was chosen, the tailor didn't quote a price again, speaking with practiced ease:

"Consider it a request you owe me. Once it's done, I'll send it over by express delivery."

Just as he was about to hang up, Zhou Yi started talking about the cloth bag he had sent last time:
"The package you sent is already in use. The magical artifacts are inside and you can't tell at all from the outside. Is this thing complicated to make?"

The tailor suddenly had a bad feeling:
"What do you want to do?"

Zhou Yi coughed lightly:
"Could you make me a few more? I have two sets of Taoist robes, one black and one white. Could you also make me two bags in different colors to match? And those three sets of women's Taoist robes wouldn't be perfect without matching handbags. Also, could you make me five or six regular cloth bags? I might give them to other Taoists."

The tailor said irritably:

"Do you think I own a clothing factory?"

Zhou Yi chuckled:
“You can open a clothing factory. Isn’t that how capitalism started? Once you hire people, you can become a capitalist.”

The tailor became even angrier upon hearing this:

"I think you and your grandfather are the real ruthless capitalists... I'll make the package slowly, but it's hard to say when I'll send it over. Goodbye, don't call me this year."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi and Chen Tang loaded the ritual implements they would need for tomorrow into the car and then began preparing dinner.

The next morning, everyone changed into brand-new Taoist robes, had breakfast, and then drove down the mountain to Sanlizhuang to consecrate the Fude Zhengshen (God of Fortune).

Chen Tang, sitting in the last row, said regretfully:
"It's a pity that Miss Gongsun didn't perform the 'Full House Power' this time, so we won't be able to see the magnificent sight of flying swords soaring into the clouds."

The Book of Changes says:

“She can no longer perform. Consecrating a temple requires solemnity and seriousness, and such performances are not allowed. Only religious ceremonies such as opening a business are permitted.”

Li Qingzhao thought it would be very cool to carry a precious sword, and asked excitedly:

Is it easy to learn when the classroom is full of students?

Li Bai shook his head:

"It's hard to learn. I practice every day but I still can't get the right method. I don't know how Sister Gongsun managed to do it. It's truly amazing."

Wu Zetian, sitting in the passenger seat, said:
"Gongsun's talent lies entirely in sword dancing, so you shouldn't learn it. The stew in Sanlizhuang is delicious, remember to eat plenty at noon."

Li Bai asked about the tattoo artist in the city:

"Master, hasn't he returned yet?"

"They probably haven't arrived yet. No rush, let's wait a bit longer. Good things come to those who wait."

Zhou Yi sincerely hopes that the tattoo artist did not abscond, but went to another place to find help, so that the truth can be uncovered and more merit can be gained.

A sensible villain will proactively gather bad guys together to make it easier for the good guys to eliminate them. Hopefully, this tattoo artist will be more sensible.

Zhou Yi now hopes that his merit points will exceed one jin (500 grams), so that he can exchange them for various Taoist arts... Although it won't allow him to fly or escape into the earth, it will at least increase his means of self-protection.

Even with all the weapons at their disposal, Abbot Zhou still felt unsafe.

Upon arriving at Sanlizhuang, the entrance to the Earth God Temple was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. The couplets written by Wu Zetian were now carved on wooden boards and hung on both sides of the temple, corresponding to the four characters "Fude Zhengshen" (God of Fortune and Virtue) above the entrance.

The villagers, young and old, gathered around, intending to watch the consecration ceremony of the new land temple.

Du Chunyi brought the fruit that Zhou Yi had specifically requested as offerings:

"Are you sure you don't need pig's head, cow's head, or sheep's head? Several families in the village have prepared them, just waiting for the local earth god to enjoy them."

The Book of Changes says:

"For consecrating a deity, only fresh flowers and fruits are needed as offerings. Meat and fish can be brought by each family after the consecration ceremony for offerings and prayers; they are not needed during the consecration itself." After arranging the offerings, Zhou Yi also laid out the ritual implements that would be used in the ceremony later.

Finally, a mirror shaped like the Bagua (Eight Trigrams) was brought out, a ritual implement that must be used in the consecration ceremony of the deities.

At the auspicious time, the weather was clear and cloudless, and the consecration ceremony officially began.

Zhou Yi proceeded methodically according to the consecration procedure... Just like the invocation ceremony, the consecration ceremony also requires purifying the site first, reciting various purification incantations, and inviting the Heavenly God of Fortune to descend to the mortal world and send a wisp of divine thought to attach to the statue.

In addition to the main deity, Fude Zhengshen, it is also necessary to notify the Three Pure Ones and the Jade Emperor, and recite the name of all the righteous gods in heaven.

This is called "renowned throughout the three realms and resounding in all directions," which can be considered as letting the heavenly colleagues know that this land is protected by the God of Fortune and Virtue and is no longer a land without a master.

As the ceremony to invite the gods began, the once cloudless sky was now dotted with wispy white clouds that drifted slowly by, as if the gods were lining up to pay their respects.

Halfway through the ceremony, at exactly 10:00 AM, Zhou Yi removed all the felt and silk cloths covering the God of Fortune, revealing the true face of the deity.

Then he stood in front of the temple gate with a Bagua bronze mirror in his hand, using the mirror to reflect the sunlight into the temple, so that the sunlight was directly facing the head of the statue.

For other sacred objects, the consecration ceremony usually involves a Taoist priest using a brush dipped in cinnabar to dot the eyes, such as those of dragons and lions, which require this dotting of the eyes to be effective.

However, for statues of deities, the eyes cannot be painted; instead, the sunlight reflected by a mirror can be used to infuse the statue with divine power through the purest and most yang light.

The reflected light should be directed at the forehead area, and this should be done three times in total.

The first light is sunlight, the second is moonlight, and the third is starlight. After these three times, it symbolizes that all the light in the world has gathered on the statue, and the deity will not be blinded in any way. All grievances in the world can come and be heard.

From this perspective, using a mirror to reflect sunlight can be considered a true form of consecration.

The latter half of the ceremony consisted of various sacred pronouncements, such as the "Precious Proclamation to the Supreme God of Heaven" which represented the God of Fortune petitioning the Supreme God of Heaven, the "Precious Proclamation of Thanks to the Eight Directions" which thanked all the gods, and the "Precious Proclamation of the God of Fortune" which exhorted the people to do good. Each passage was quite long, and in addition, it had to be recited in a rhythmic and melodious manner according to Taoist norms. The entire ceremony did not end until almost midnight.

Zhou Yi handed the silk cloth wrapped around the statue to Du Chunyi:

“This piece of cloth is imbued with good fortune. Have someone cut it into strips and distribute them to everyone. Whether you tie it to a car or bind it at home, it will bring good fortune.”

After packing all the ritual implements into the car, covering some of the important ones with cloth provided by the tailor, Zhou Yi led everyone to the nearby village activity center to prepare for lunch.

Today, as usual, it's a big pot of stew, but there are tables set up, and each table has several carefully prepared dishes, such as shredded pig's ear in chili oil and braised beef shank.

These dishes were all provided free of charge by the villagers. The big pot of stew was very hearty, with half a pig in it. Chen Tangmei, who had been lacking in oil and fat lately, ate five big bowls with relish.

Wu Zetian asked Li Qingzhao beside her:

"Sister Zhao'er, is the same procedure used for the Buddhist ceremony that Zhao Xu held for Consort Xian?"

Li Qingzhao shook her head:
“Completely different. The abbot of the Xiantian Temple even wanted me to give it a try, but I refused.”

Consort Xian is currently heavily pregnant and will give birth to a boy in August. This will be Zhao Xu's first son. A general amnesty will be granted, and Consort Xian will be made Empress.

Unfortunately, less than three months later, Zhao Xu's child died young, and four days later, his daughter also passed away. Zhao Xu was in great pain and did not attend court for three whole days.

His health deteriorated, and in the first month of the third year of Yuanfu, he finally succumbed to his injuries, passing away while clutching a map of Western Xia. The unrecovered Western Xia became this emperor's eternal regret.

After lunch, as Zhou Yi drove away, he saw a large crowd gathered at the local temple, with everyone rushing to burn incense and pray for their families' safety.

He joked as he drove:

"The God of Fortune is quite something. The entire consecration ceremony included the Empress, the Great General, the Poet Immortal, and the First Talented Woman. No one else can match this lineup."

Wu Zetian smiled gently:
"Immortal Master, please don't forget the merits of Sister Gongsun. If she hadn't brought the statue from the Kaiyuan World, the consecration of the Earth God Temple wouldn't have gone so smoothly."

Zhou Yi nodded:
"When Li Bai goes back, he should bring some snacks for this girl, so she won't keep complaining that he didn't bring her any food."

While Zhou Yi was talking about the greedy girl, the top female swordsman of Hunyuan Palace was also introducing him to Princess Taiping with great enthusiasm:
"The Taoist priest is a very interesting person. I lay in wait for five days and stole food for five days without being noticed. It was only when I stole fruit from the offering table that I realized something was wrong, and he even tried to strike me with lightning. He's utterly wicked!"

Princess Taiping, having been through it all, knew all too well what her aunt meant by "utterly wicked":
"Did the immortal master strike my mother?"

"My sister is about to become the head housekeeper of Hunyuan Palace, so he can't bear to part with her. He only bullies me because I'm weak, pitiful, but I have a big appetite..."

Upon hearing this, Princess Taiping asked in confusion:

"So, the Immortal Master isn't sure who he can bring over? I think we can investigate this further; perhaps we can bring someone over on our own initiative."

Gongsun Da Niang became interested:

"Little Taiping, do you want to go to Hunyuan Palace?"

Princess Taiping shook her head:

"I am already fortunate to be able to cultivate here thanks to my mother. I probably have no chance to go to Hunyuan Palace, but you can try to find the pattern and bring that emperor from the Song Dynasty there... Rather than troubling everything with Fairy Osmanthus, it would be better to let the emperor himself go to Hunyuan Palace to receive teachings. If he is unwell, the immortal can also lend a hand."

Gongsun Da Niang's eyes lit up:
"That's right, this world has me and my brother Li Bai as double insurance, so the Northern Song world can also have one more person, two leaders, right... Haha, I'll offer my suggestions next time I go back, and if there's a reward, I'll split it with you!"

(End of this chapter)