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

Chapter 22: My merit points increased by one coin? [Seeking monthly votes]

Back on the mountain, Zhou Yi arrived at the Temple of the God of Wealth and found Wu Zetian engrossed in reading historical materials on a tablet computer.
Are you trying to teach yourself history?

Wu Zetian nodded:
"I just read about the An Lushan Rebellion. That Li Longji really deserved to be punished. He did such a good job during the Kaiyuan era, but in the end, it was all a letdown, bringing the golden age of the Tang Dynasty to an abrupt end..."

Zhou Yi handed her the bag of pastries he had brought:
"Your later years won't be much better; all you do is indulge in pleasure and pursue immortality... After reading about your life's deeds, what are your feelings?"

Wu Zetian took out a piece of sachima from the bag, put it in her mouth and took a bite:
"At first glance, it seems like the story of a traitor's rise to power. But after carefully studying the historical materials, I feel a little sorry for myself. In such a dangerous environment, every step was like walking on thin ice. It is really not easy to live to the age of eighty-two."

Zhou Yi asked with a smile:

"Do you still want to be empress?"

“If the opportunity is presented to me, I will naturally not refuse. If there is no opportunity, then I will become a maid who burns incense and brews tea in Hunyuan Palace and try my way to immortality… This pastry is so delicious, Li Mingda will definitely like it. I want to take it back for her to try.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi knew what the woman was up to.

That day you were saying not to let Old Li misunderstand that you were trying to kidnap his daughter, but it turned out you were the one who was reminded... You've got a troublesome empress to rely on, there's going to be some fun to watch.

The incense in the incense burner was enough to burn until dark. The two walked out of the God of Wealth Temple one after the other to prepare dinner.

Zhou Yi just bought some pork belly in town and plans to make a pot of braised noodles... The first batch of green beans on the mountain is ready to eat, and for the next few months, green beans will be the main vegetable.

While picking green beans in the vegetable garden, Wu Meiniang asked:

"Immortal Master, if I had the opportunity to rebuild the Great Zhou Dynasty, would you support me or oppose me?"

The Book of Changes only seeks merit and virtue, and is indifferent to the changing of dynasties:
"I'll support it if the people suffer less; I don't care about anything else."

History has already changed during the Zhenguan era, and it is difficult to predict what the future holds. Perhaps one day in the future, the Li Tang dynasty will indeed be replaced by the Wu Zhou dynasty.

During the meal, Zhou Yi mentioned that Gongsun Da Niang had come here. Wu Meiniang immediately became interested and subtly inquired about the woman's appearance, age, and marital status.

"She's only sixteen and still a courtesan, so she'll probably never have the chance to get married in this lifetime... She'll be there when the lobster restaurant opens, so I won't have to ask any colleagues for help."

Zhou Yi didn't know how to make the opening ceremony more lively, so he could only rely on looks to win people over.

Both Wu Zetian and Gongsun Da Niang were exceptionally beautiful, and I myself have a face that I could barely score 99 points for handsome, so attracting people is no problem.

Even Chen Tang, the only less attractive man, looks quite dashing, especially with his thick beard, which exudes an aura of "If you dare not believe in the Boundless Heavenly Venerable, I will send you to see the Heavenly Venerable," making him an excellent deterrent to villains.

After the meal, Wu Meiniang went to the kitchen to wash up and continued to look at the information online. Zhou Yi changed into a black Taoist robe, sat at his desk, and started flipping through the "Complete Collection of Talismans" left by his grandfather.

Since we've decided to get involved in the matter of the evil spirits, we can't fight an unprepared battle; talismans and such must be prepared in advance.

It may not be needed, but it shouldn't be unavailable when needed.

Grandpa always said that no matter what kind of ritual you perform, you must be fully prepared so that you can deal with any unexpected situations.

The next day, before Wu Meiniang left, Zhou Yi picked the peaches, carried them down the mountain in a bamboo basket, and shared them with his old neighbors in town.

There weren't many peaches, and each family could get eight or nine, but it was a token of their appreciation, and the neighbors were all very happy.

Every time Zhou Yi visited a family, he would receive more gifts from them, such as chicken eggs, duck eggs, cured meat, and fruit. They would give him whatever they had to make sure he didn't leave empty-handed.

After all that trouble, we finally managed to send the peaches out.

Back on the mountain, Wu Meiniang was about to leave. Carrying various medicines, snacks, binoculars, and a bag of bright red peaches, she made an appointment with Zhou Yi to return in seven days. Then she stepped into the Great Buddha Hall and returned to the world of the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty.

Aunt Gongsun will come tomorrow, and the next time she comes will be seven days from now. By then, the statue of the God of Wealth will have been fully enshrined, and the lobster restaurant will be ready to open.

Four Taoist priests from Hunyuan Palace went down the mountain to make money... oh no, it should be called exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path!
It's fine to talk about making money in private, but in front of outsiders, you should emphasize your dedication to fighting evil and saving people.

I had just seen Wu Zetian off when a message came in on my phone. It was from Uncle Ming, who commissioned the custom-made statues:
"Master Yi, the possessed person's condition is getting worse. The master has offered eight thousand as payment. Aren't you interested?"

Zhou Yi replied:
"I've been too busy lately and can't get away. I'm really sorry."

If he hadn't encountered a job worth 20,000, he might have been interested in the 8,000, but nowadays, jobs worth less than 10,000 are no longer worth the attention of Abbot Zhou.

Uncle Ming posted a picture of the Ghibli-style Emperor Kawamoto crying in the rain:
"Since it's such an unfortunate coincidence, then forget it. By the way, the insult service is still valid. If Master Yi is interested, we can cooperate anytime. Cash guaranteed, no credit!"

Zhou Yi gave a few perfunctory words, went to the God of Wealth Temple to exchange three incense sticks, and then took his phone to order several sets of lotus crowns in different colors online for Wu Meiniang and Gongsun Da Niang to match their outfits.

As for Chen Tang, let's just use the crescent-shaped crown that Taoists commonly wear. He can tie his hair up and has a big beard, so he looks like a Taoist.

That evening, when Zhou Yi was looking through the black notebook, he discovered that his merits had changed again.

Ever since he used the lightning strike technique, his merit points had always been two coins. This sudden increase of one coin made him quite happy.

"Did it recover on its own, or has there been another change over there?"

With this question in mind, Zhou Yi drifted off to sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, he found that it was already daylight outside.

Since starting to go to bed early and get up early, Zhou Yi has been radiant and full of energy every day.

He practiced his martial arts, meditated, ate breakfast, and made offerings to the God of Wealth as usual.

After finishing all that, I carried two more loads of bricks, leaving me panting and out of breath.
"Next time, have Meiniang make a couple more trips to clean up the entrance to the Mahavira Hall first, and then tidy up the Sanqing Hall... This year's goal isn't high, just clean up the bricks in the main halls, and we'll deal with the side halls and auxiliary halls next year."

While she was busy, Aunt Gongsun walked over from the direction of the courtyard, carrying a small cloth bag on her shoulder and holding an old popsicle in her hand, humming an unknown tune.

She is over 1.7 meters tall with long legs, and looks like a good candidate for dance.

"Master, why do you always wear this Taoist robe? Don't you ever wash it?"

Zhou Yi sat on the brick and pointed to the white Taoist robe he was wearing:

"I shower every night. I ate popsicles as soon as I arrived. Be careful not to get diarrhea."

"Don't worry, you have the medicine. I was on the roof when I was explaining the usage and dosage of Enteritis Relief to His Majesty the Emperor that day."

Zhouyi: "..."

Well, I guess I have no secrets left.

He then asked:

"What's the situation on your end now? Have you offered up the auspicious omen?"

Granny Gongsun sat down on the threshold of the main hall and said with a smile:

“The magistrate intended to take the auspicious omen away and he was responsible for presenting it. I had no choice but to take out the token you bestowed upon me… He only has one son in his family, and he spoils him rotten. When he read the words ‘to cut off his lineage,’ he was so frightened that he immediately reported it to the governor of Yuzhou. I am currently staying at the governor’s residence. Once I receive the imperial decree, I will set off for Chang’an!”

It seems the trick of pretending to be a ghost or spirit worked... Zhou Yi wiped the sweat from his brow and asked:
"So, did you go back and get beaten up?"

Speaking of this, Aunt Gongsun was so excited that she even forgot to eat her popsicle:
"I wasn't beaten! I was beaten! I just got back when I heard that the county magistrate's father was disrespectful for his age and was kicked into a cesspool and drowned for harassing a woman; the county magistrate was also dismissed for corruption and will at least be sentenced to exile; the troupe leader who treated us badly suddenly fell ill with a stroke and can't speak, so the troupe owner had no choice but to hire a new troupe leader..."

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First update delivered! Double monthly votes have started, so please vote, brothers!

(End of this chapter)