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

Chapter 217 Grandpa's Plans Decades in Advance... Lackey! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

When the topic of killing the traitor Wanyan came up, the Xin clan members were all filled with fighting spirit. Xin Qiji was moved by this and said to them:
"The Song Dynasty is hopeless. It will take at least two hundred years for the Han Chinese regime to return. We cannot wait. When no one can save China, we, the Xin family, must stand tall and shoulder this heavy responsibility!"

After saying that, he picked up a bag and began to pack the ancestral tablets from the ancestral hall:

“We are going to move our whole family to the mountains to train soldiers and farm the land in preparation for our uprising. The journey to the mountains is long and the ancestral tablets are easily damaged. I will put them in the immortal’s cave for now, and bring them over after we have settled down.”

Upon hearing that this could be done, the elders of the clan felt slightly embarrassed:
"Won't such a grand display disturb the gods?"

Xin Qiji said:
"Master is a very easy-going person. It just so happens that I haven't been there for seven or eight days. I'll take this opportunity to go and pay my respects to Master and report on what I've been doing during this time."

The Xin clan of Jinan, starting with Xin Weiye, has developed into a small village with many members.

The reason why Xin Qiji was able to quickly raise an anti-Jin army in history was because he had a large clan. With the Xin clan members as the backbone, they quickly became the best in the rebel army.

Just after the memorial tablet was set up, Xin Qiji's younger brother, Xin Youzhi, asked:

"Brother, can we go to the place of the immortals?"

Xin Qiji patted his younger brother's head and said:

"Not yet. To go to the realm of immortals, one must have a great opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Xin Youzhi and his fellow clansmen all hung their heads, their hopes of visiting the immortal's cave dashed.

"Please wait a moment, everyone. I'll be right back. Youzhi, don't doze off. I'll bring you some delicious food later."

After he finished speaking, his figure disappeared from everyone's sight in an instant, and the young people even circled the spot where he disappeared a couple of times.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Xin Qiji carried the memorial tablet of his ancestors and strode into the courtyard. Seeing Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang there, he quickly placed the tablet on the table and bowed to them in greeting.

Zhou Yi was studying Taoist classics when he heard this and asked:

"What have you been busy with these past few days? I haven't come here at all. If it weren't for the divination that you were safe and sound, I would have asked a deity to send you a message in a dream."

Xin Qiji bowed again:
“I’m sorry to have worried you, Master. I’ve been traveling day and night from the Yimeng Mountains and only just arrived home today. I was preparing to call on the whole clan to go to the Yimeng Mountains… I just brought back the ancestral tablets from home. Could they be temporarily stored at Hunyuan Palace?”

Zhou Yi nodded, thinking of the contributions the Xin clan had made to China, and said to Xin Qiji:
"The platform on the side of the Wu Cheng King's Hall is empty. You can temporarily place the ancestral tablets of the Xin family there to absorb some of the heroic spirit of the Wu Cheng King."

Other temples sell these locations, and anyone who wants to worship any kind of monster or deity can do so as long as they pay money. Some famous temples even worship war criminals from Japan.

Hunyuan Palace will not do these things; the platforms on both sides will only be used by the Yinglie family in the future.

Anyone who has ever made a contribution to China can enjoy the incense offerings of the gods at Hunyuan Palace.

Upon hearing this, Xin Qiji bowed and expressed his gratitude.

"Thank you, Master! We will be leaving Licheng in five days. Can we temporarily store any furniture that is inconvenient to carry here?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Okay, are you going back in a bit?"

Upon seeing Xin Qiji nod, he got up and went to the kitchen, opened the freezer, packed some small crispy cones and puddings in a cardboard box, and then moved two boxes of instant noodles and Want Want rice crackers.

The Xin clan had many members. For example, Xin Qiji referred to his cousin Xin Maojia as his twelfth brother in his poems. This indicates that there were at least twelve people in Xin Qiji's generation, a scale that most families could not reach.

Unfortunately, after the uprising, the Xin clan members were scattered in all directions. Although Xin Qiji served as an official in the Southern Song Dynasty, he was always frustrated and unsuccessful. He was sent to various places and could not take care of his clan members. Everyone had to make a living on their own.

The Xin family, who had served as the henchmen of the state since the Han Dynasty, had no opportunity to exert their power in the Song Dynasty... The rulers simply chopped off their hands, rendering even the sharpest claws useless.

Xin Qiji set up the memorial tablet, offered incense to King Wu Cheng, and then offered incense to his family ancestors. After that, he bid farewell to Zhou Yi and Wu Meiniang, and returned to the Southern Song Dynasty with the food, camping lamps and other supplies he had prepared.

As soon as they appeared at the Xin Clan Ancestral Hall, everyone was drawn to the extra cardboard boxes.

Xin Qiji turned on his camping lamp and set it to maximum brightness, instantly illuminating the entire ancestral hall as if it were daytime.

"These are a gift from the gods, Youzhi. These cool and refreshing little crispy cones and puddings are delicious. You can each have one, don't fight over them. After you've finished distributing them, go and give some to your sisters."

Next, Xin Qiji tore open a packet of snow cakes and distributed them to everyone, one packet per person, so that they could taste them for the time being.

As he distributed the rice crackers, he said:
"Starting tomorrow, everyone should pile up their grain at the entrance of the ancestral hall, and all their farm tools should be brought over. We should also sell off our houses and farmland as soon as possible to exchange for grain, farm tools, or oxen. We need to establish a base in the mountains, and we can't do without tools."

In addition to the supplies from various households, Xin Qiji also planned to sell a few lighters to accumulate as many supplies as possible. When he raised an army to conquer the world, even the most abundant supplies would be insufficient. He wanted to accumulate as much as he could in the early stages before attracting the attention of the Jin people.

After trying the snow cakes, everyone went home in twos and threes.

There were two boxes of instant noodles left. Xin Qiji planned to keep one box to bribe the Jin officials when passing through the checkpoint, and to find a Jin grain merchant in Licheng the next day to see if he could exchange the other box for a stack of grain.

For most people, such deception would cause anxiety and unease. But Xin Qiji felt nothing; it was as natural as drinking water when thirsty or eating when hungry. The word "fear" did not exist in his dictionary.

The next morning, the entire Xin family sprang into action.

Even before the connection with the gods, everyone wanted to drive the Jin people away. Now that they have the support of the gods, what are they waiting for? Let's do it!

Meanwhile, in the Hunyuan Palace, Wu Zetian, carrying an oversized travel backpack, bid farewell to Zhou Yi:
"I will return in five days. Immortal Master, please take care of your health and do not stay up late."

Zhou Yi nodded and said:

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. Zhao Xu and Xi Shi both used body-strengthening techniques. Do you want to try them too?"

Wu Zetian shook her head:
"Since it consumes merit, I have no need for it. Farewell, Immortal Master."

After saying that, she stepped into the threshold of the main hall, looking back every few steps, and then disappeared into thin air.

After several days, Zhou was once again all alone.

He strolled to the back of the mountain, added some soybean meal to the high-protein horse feed delivered by the logistics company, and sprinkled it evenly in the tin trough.

Next, add water to another tank, set it to automatic water replenishment mode, lock the gate of Hunyuan Palace, and drive to Qingshui Town.

The foundation of the Dragon King Temple has been poured and construction can begin. Zhou Yi needs to come and check on the progress.

The Dragon King statue, wrapped in silk cloth, was surrounded by all sorts of offerings, including prayers for good weather and abundant harvests, as well as requests for children, wealth, and lottery winnings—a wide variety of things.

After reviewing the progress here, Zhou Yi drove to the city, where he met Uncle Ming and the blind man.

The three arrived at the Tian Shang Ke Club, requested a private room, and had a serious discussion about their next steps. Uncle Ming joined the Yiyang City Feng Shui Association without hesitation.

He's a very pragmatic person. Since he's moving here, he wants to be neighbors with wealthy people and join an organization led by a feng shui master. Only in this way can he be safe. As a middleman, he can also attract more business.

The blind man asked Uncle Ming:
Do you know why you won't have bad luck if you're near this child?

Uncle Ming glanced at Zhou Yi:
Does he have the destiny of a Heavenly Nobleman?

The blind man shook his head:

"It has nothing to do with the I Ching... Your fate was already sealed decades ago when you decided to enter this field."

Uncle Ming was somewhat surprised. He carefully recalled how he entered this industry. It seemed that he had followed a sculptor as a handyman and had inadvertently come into contact with some knowledge, but it was not systematic.

After the sculptor passed away, he wanted to change careers, but suddenly a big order came his way with a very generous reward. In order to make money, he reluctantly accepted the job and thus entered the industry.

"I feel that everything is going quite smoothly. Every time I encounter danger, I have a benefactor to help me. For example, that old lady Ji always tries to steal my business, but fortunately, Zhou Banxian lends a helping hand, which gives me a foothold."

The blind man took a sip of tea and smiled mischievously.
“This line of work is full of bad luck and death. Old Mrs. Ji is a kind-hearted person who can’t stand seeing young people enter this line of work, so she saves as many as she can. But your fate is already sealed, and you still slid into it step by step.”

Uncle Ming still only had a vague understanding, but Zhou Yi, who had been watching the drama unfold, started to figure it out... Uncle Ming's current state seemed to be deliberately designed by Grandpa.

He was a bit greedy, which offended most of his peers. He could only feel safe if someone stayed by his side... So, this was a lackey that Grandpa had prepared for him?

After watching the drama unfold for a while, Zhou Yi discovered that the villain controlling other people's fates was his own grandfather. He immediately lost interest in watching the show and only felt that the food was being served too slowly.

The blind man didn't mention Zhou Banxian, but instead changed the subject at the right moment. He took out a piece of paper from his pocket, on which a person's appearance was written:
A mole on the earlobe, a scar on the neck, an aura of yin energy surrounding the body, and a pervasive sense of malevolence in the life palace.

Zhou Yi glanced at it and asked curiously:
"Who is this?"

"The tomb raider who escaped from Mangshan is a master. I was careless and let him get away. In the next month, his fate will overlap with yours, so be careful when you encounter him."

coincide?

The Book of Changes asks:

Will he come to Hunyuan Palace to burn incense?

The blind man shook his head:

"It's hard to say. You might just brush past each other in the same public place. Just be careful. This person looks big and burly, but he's actually very wary. He might slip away if you're not careful."

Zhou Yi carefully recorded the physical and astrological characteristics, intending to accumulate some merit for himself.

At the same time, in the world of the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan era, Wu Zetian sat in the Yiyuan Hall, also worrying about accumulating merit. Just as she was racking her brains, Li Shimin casually entered, familiarly took a small pudding from the refrigerator, and took a bite:
"Meiniang, does the Immortal Master have any sacred objects that can verify oaths? I want to use oaths to test the foreign officials, but I'm troubled by the lack of such sacred objects..."

Upon hearing this, Wu Meiniang's eyes lit up. An opportunity to increase the immortal's merits had appeared!

(End of this chapter)