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

Chapter 200 Fan Li's Letter! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Looking at the surge in merit, Zhou Yi felt that this trip was well worth it. If there were Dragon Kings in all the rivers, lakes and seas of the country, the merit would increase by tons.

Unfortunately, there aren't that many Dragon Kings waiting to be saved by him... Zhou Yi imagined the joy of accumulating tons of merit while casually flipping through his notebook.

When I turned to Li Qingzhao's page, I found that this girl's merit had actually decreased by one coin.

Um? what happened?

Gongsun Da Niang was usually the one who was mischievous. When they went down the mountain, Wu Meiniang was still saying that Gongsun Da Niang would easily cause trouble if she stayed on the mountain.

Unexpectedly, the Pomegranate Fairy was perfectly fine, but the Osmanthus Fairy lost her merit.

Zhou Yi immediately thought of the Confucian scholar's pen enshrined in the Hall of King Wenxuan. It seemed that this was the only magical artifact in the entire Hunyuan Palace that could generate merit... Had the group secretly played with rain again?
Zhou Yi closed his notebook and walked out of the room. Gongsun Da Niang was teaching Li Bai swordsmanship in the courtyard, while Li Qingzhao sat on the veranda, smiling and talking to Wu Meiniang.

Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, this scene evokes a warm and cozy feeling of home.

When Zhou Yi arrived at the corridor, Li Qingzhao quickly stood up and offered her chair to him. Wu Meiniang glanced at her in surprise. This arrogant woman was usually quite self-centered, so why was she suddenly taking the initiative today?
Zhou Yi sat down and asked Li Qingzhao:

"What did you do with that scholar's pen?"

Li Qingzhao shrugged:

"I knew you were going to ask. The three of us did a little experiment. We were worried that the horses on the back mountain would go hungry, so we took a brush and tried to sprinkle soybean meal on the back mountain, and it actually worked."

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

No, is this okay?

It's understandable that it can produce water, since water is the most basic substance that makes up this world, and it is also an element that exists in the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. But soybean meal... is it also a basic element that makes up the world?
Zhou Yi went to the back mountain to take a look. That pile of soybean meal must weigh at least a thousand pounds. Now that the sun is about to set and the dew is about to rise, the soybean meal will quickly mold if it gets damp.

Left with no other choice, Zhou Yi prepared some woven bags and called everyone to the back mountain to start working. They used winnowing baskets to pack the soybean meal into bags, then neatly stacked them together and affixed moisture-proof and insect-proof talismans.

By the time I finished all that, it was completely dark.

Zhou Yi was too lazy to cook, so he drove the group down the mountain and they had a buffet-style hot pot meal.

Near the end, Teacher Liu from Qingshui Town called. His nephew, who works in the village, wanted to take on the work at the Dragon King Temple and hoped that Zhouyi could discuss the specific requirements.

Zhou Yi thought it was good that someone had volunteered, so he agreed to go tomorrow.

Big Head Yang was delivering goods to the revolving hot pot restaurant when he overheard Zhou Yi talking on the phone about repairing the temple. Curious, he asked:

"Everyone's saying they dug up the Dragon King in Qingshui Town today, Xiao Yi, is that true?"

“It’s true. I was there at the time. When the temple is repaired, you can go and burn incense. Since your element is water, worshipping the Dragon King will be good for you.”

Big Head Yang immediately agreed:
“Okay, okay, no problem. When I was young, I went swimming in the reservoir in Qingshui Town almost every day. People called me Little Zhang Shun. I could catch fish with my bare hands like it was nothing. It’s a pity that I’m too old now and my body can’t keep up.”

After he left, Granny Gongsun whispered:

"That big head doesn't look like it belongs to someone who can swim very fast."

Li Qingzhao nodded in agreement:

"It doesn't conform to that principle again?"

Li Bai added:
"Principles of fluid mechanics".

Zhou Yi said to the group:
"The townspeople like to joke. If they don't include the prefix 'Number One in Cloud Mist Town' when they brag about themselves, it means they're not very good at it."

People like Zhao Wei, the top excavator operator in Yunwu Town, and Wang Ge, the top drone pilot in Yunwu Town, are recognized for their skills. Wang Ge, in particular, often uses drones to help people spray pesticides, and his drone operation is incredibly smooth.

Wu Zetian asked with a smile:
"Immortal Master, do you have any titles that start with 'First' in Cloud Mist Town?"

Zhou Yi picked up a piece of dried bean curd with his chopsticks and dropped it into the pot:

“Everyone used to think I was the most beautiful person in Yunwu Town, but later they felt that was not accurate.”

The Queen's smile froze instantly:

Why isn't it appropriate?

"Because I am the most beautiful person in Xiuchuan County, the prefix 'Yunwu Town' is too small and does not match my elegant temperament."

Seeing his earnest and nonsensical manner, Wu Meiniang's face lit up with a smile again:

"What's Xiuchuan County compared to you? I think you're the most handsome person in the entire universe!"

After the meal, the group went to the supermarket to play the claw machine for a while and bought some household items. Just as they were about to return to the mountain, Zhou Yi thought for a moment and went to the supermarket's prepared food section to buy two braised chickens and a braised duck.

At noon, Gongsun Da Niang, Li Qingzhao, and Li Bai finished off the roast chicken that Jin Anchao had given them. They were going to finalize the temple repair arrangements the next day, and probably wouldn't have time to come back to cook again, so they prepared it in advance to prevent everyone from going hungry.

On the way back, Aunt Gongsun asked, "Daoist, we watched downhill mountain bike videos all afternoon. Could you buy me a few? We don't need them for downhill, we just want something to ride around in."

“Okay, no problem. If we get back early tomorrow, let’s go to the bicycle shop together and buy a few mountain bikes.”

The next morning, Zhou Yi prepared breakfast and drove to Qingshui Town. This time, Wu Meiniang did not come along because Xi Shi was coming today, and she wanted to chat with this most beautiful woman in history.

While waiting for Xi Shi to arrive, in the Southern Song Dynasty, Xin Qiji led several friends eastward from Fengfu City. After traveling for two days, they finally arrived at Laiwu County, the easternmost county of Tai'an Prefecture.

During the Jin Dynasty, Laiwu County was located in the Yimeng Mountains. The county seat was small and relatively underdeveloped.

Xin Qiji came from a prominent family in the Jin Dynasty. His grandfather, Xin Zan, had served as the prefect of Kaifeng during the Jin Dynasty. He had planned to infiltrate the Jin Dynasty in advance so that he could help when the Southern Song Dynasty launched a counterattack.

As a result, the old man waited until his death but never saw a counterattack; instead, he rose to become a high-ranking official in the Jin Dynasty.

Xin Qiji was able to participate in the imperial examinations continuously in the Jin Dynasty and stroll around with his friends at will because he was the descendant of a high-ranking official and was considered one of their own by the Jin people.

Upon arriving in Laiwu County, Xin Qiji found an inn, changed into a set of luxurious clothes, put a bright green plastic bowl in an expensive brocade box, tucked a windproof lighter into his pocket, and walked into the Laiwu County government office with his hands behind his back.

Upon seeing his noble appearance, the bailiffs greeted him politely.
"Excuse me, who are you looking for?"

"I'm going to see the county magistrate; I'm going to give him a great opportunity!"

Although Xin Qiji was only eighteen years old, he had already made two trips to Yanjing and knew very well what officials liked to hear.

If you directly say you're giving a gift, the other party will unconsciously put on airs. But if you say you're giving an opportunity, there's much more room for interpretation, and ambitious officials are more willing to hear that.

Xin Qiji didn't know if the magistrate of Laiwu County was ambitious, but he knew that any official with a bit of ambition would not want to waste their time in such a desolate county.

Sure enough, after the yamen runner went in to report, a clerk quickly came out to greet him. He looked Xin Qiji up and down, then bowed respectfully.
"Please forgive my poor eyesight, may I ask who you are...?"

Xin Qiji said, neither humble nor arrogant:

"My surname is Xin, and I am from Jinan Prefecture."

Upon hearing this introduction, the clerk immediately bowed deeply to the ground:
"Greetings, Young Master Xin!"

The Xin family of Jinan Prefecture is a prominent family, and they even produced a high-ranking official of the third rank in the Jin Dynasty. If we could establish a connection with them, we could definitely rise to the top... The clerk was filled with mixed feelings, feeling that good fortune had descended from heaven and that his master was about to soar to great heights.

After the formalities, the clerk respectfully ushered Xin Qiji into the inner hall, where he met the magistrate. After some polite greetings, Xin Qiji placed the brocade box he was carrying on the table.

"This is your destiny; please open it and take a look."

The magistrate and his advisor exchanged bewildered glances, then carefully opened the brocade box. Inside was a jade-green bowl, and they were somewhat puzzled.
"Young Master Xin, this bowl..."

Xin Qiji could spout nonsense without batting an eye:

"This is my family's heirloom, called the Longevity Bowl. It is made by fusing the wood element of the Five Elements. It cannot be broken or smashed. Drinking water from it can refresh the mind and body; eating from it can prolong life... I want to exchange this bowl for the mountain east of Laiwu."

The magistrate examined the plastic bowl for a long time, then gently dropped it, found it was indeed unbreakable, quickly picked it up, and placed it beside him.
"What does the young master want with the mountain?"

Xin Qiji said with great sorrow:

"I failed the imperial examinations twice. I planned to use the art of making a longevity bowl to present to His Majesty and obtain an official position. Unfortunately, the mountains near Jinan are too small and lack the wood element. I traveled half of Shandong and found that only the mountains here meet my needs."

Upon hearing that it was someone currying favor with the Jin emperor, the county magistrate dared not stop him and hurriedly said:
"If this is the case, even at the risk of being punished by my superiors, I will lend you a hand!"

In this way, Xin Qiji acquired the land deed for a mountain with just a plastic bowl priced at 2.9 yuan in a supermarket.

What appears to be just one mountain to the east of Laiwu County is actually a mountain range that connects to Zizhou, Yidu Prefecture, Mizhou, Juzhou, and other places.

It can be said that as long as this vast mountainous area is occupied, attacking the six prefectures of Shandong in the future will be as easy as taking candy from a baby.

Xin Qiji had initially thought he wouldn't be able to negotiate a deal with just a plastic bowl, and had even brought a windproof lighter as a backup. Now that things were going so smoothly, he decided to find some time to exchange the lighter for some other supplies.

For example, food, farming tools, etc. In short, you have to prepare the tools for settling down and starting a business first.

As he left the Laiwu County government office with the land deed, Wu Meiniang was sitting in the courtyard of Hunyuan Palace reading a book. She looked up and saw a stunningly beautiful woman in a Taoist robe and white shoes walking in with a scroll of bamboo slips in her hands.

Her Majesty the Queen put down her elementary school math textbook, stood up, and greeted them:
"You must be Shi Yiguang? I am Wu Meiniang, also known as the Peony Fairy."

Xi Shi still had that timid expression:

"Zhou Fangshi mentioned your name, but I haven't thanked him yet. Your shoes are extremely comfortable and convenient to wear..."

Wu Zetian said with a smile:
"These were all purchased with the Immortal Master's money. If you wish to express your gratitude, you can simply thank him directly... The Immortal Master said that as soon as you returned, you summoned divine lightning and killed King Goujian of Yue. What is the current situation in the Yue Kingdom? And what are these bamboo slips you are holding?"

Xi Shi carefully placed the bamboo slips on the table:

"This is a letter written by the strategist Fan Li to the Taoist priest Zhou..."

(End of this chapter)