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

Chapter 3 Young Master, are you a deity? [Please add to your favorites]

Zhou Yi's Taoist name is Master Yiyuan, but he doesn't understand how to allow Wu Meiniang to go back.

He truly achieved countless firsts today.

The first time handling inheritance procedures, the first time using his own Taoist name, the first time serving as the abbot of a Taoist temple, the first time encountering people from the Tang Dynasty, the first time seeing Wu Zetian at the age of twenty...

Wu Meiniang looked Zhou Yi over and asked uncertainly:
"Young master, are you a Taoist priest?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

“The year I went to university, my grandfather gave me a Taoist priest certificate as an admission gift. From then on, I was a legally recognized Taoist priest.”

Wu Zetian pointed to the sausage that was about to be cut next to her:

"Then why do you eat meat?"

Zhou Yi wiped his hands and said with a smile:

“My grandfather said that those who cultivate the Tao should be free to do as they please and not be bound by external things. He does not advocate abstaining from meat and allows me to marry and have children in the future, but I must first build up the Hunyuan Palace and hire a qualified abbot before I can gain freedom... But I really don’t know how to make you go back to the Tang Dynasty.”

Wu Zetian thought for a moment, then pointed in the direction of the main hall and said:
"Perhaps we need to go to that entrance. I never expected that there would be a Buddha statue in the Taoist temple. Which sect of Taoism did your grandfather belong to?"

Zhou Yi said while cutting the sausage:
"He doesn't belong to any sect, but he's dabbled in all the mainstream religions, though he's not the wildest. In a village at the foot of the mountain, I once met someone who even believed in foreign gods: the God of Wealth, Mazu, the cross, Guan Gong, the fox spirit, Athena... He believed in a little bit of everything as long as they were given eggs."

After chopping the vegetables, Zhou Yi placed the wok on the stove, turned on the gas stove, and started cooking.

Wu Meiniang stood to the side, curious about everything, but what interested her most was the mobile phone, especially when it was playing videos. She even took advantage of Zhou Yi's inattention to secretly observe the phone from the side to see if there were a group of villains locked inside.

The vegetables were stir-fried, and the rice was steamed.

Zhou Yi handed the hand sanitizer to Wu Meiniang:
"Go wash your hands and eat. After we eat, let's go to the Mahavira Hall to try it out. If you can go back, I'll go down the mountain to buy some medicine for you to take back to Li Mingda to try."

Wu Zetian really liked the scent of hand sanitizer; after washing her hands, she would lower her head and smell it again and again.

Of course, she also really likes pump-type hand sanitizers, especially those slippery liquids that foam up when wet, which is amazing.

Zhou Yi didn't understand the thoughts of a twenty-year-old girl in ancient times. He served himself rice and sat down to eat.

The scene of the two people, one wearing a hoodie and jeans and the other wearing a traditional Chinese dress, sitting together to eat was quite peculiar, as if two different times and spaces had intersected.

"These dishes are delicious, even better than the imperial cuisine in the palace. If you go to the Tang Dynasty, you could make a name for yourself with just this skill."

The Book of Changes (Zhou Yi) is very self-aware:

"It's just that there was no stir-frying in the Tang Dynasty. When you can go back, I'll buy you some woks and download some cooking videos and tutorials so you can eat stir-frying there."

"Thank you, sir!"

This is not what the I Ching is looking for:

"I'm just investing in you. When you become empress, just don't forget my contributions. For example, send me some gold and beautiful women. Although I'm a Taoist priest, I'm not noble at all. I just like these mundane things."

Speaking of beautiful women, Wu Meiniang raised her eyelids and glanced at Zhou Yi, then picked up her bowl again and continued to enjoy the delicious food.

By the time we finished our meal, it was already dark.

Zhou Yi tidied up the dishes, took a rechargeable flashlight from the bedroom, turned it on, and handed it to Wu Meiniang:

"Take this. Let's go to the main hall and try it out. If it works, take this flashlight back to Li Shimin so he won't doubt that you were here and punish you instead."

Wu Meiniang gratefully accepted the gift, and just as she was about to leave, she suddenly asked a question:
"If I can't go back, will you still continue to invest in me?"

Zhou Yi said irritably:

“You can’t go back now, so why should I invest? Just stay at Hunyuan Palace and work with me to build this Taoist temple first.”

Wu Meiniang pursed her lips and suddenly felt that not being able to go back might not be such a bad thing after all.

As soon as she stepped out of the room, a gust of cold wind blew in, and Wu Meiniang instinctively hugged her shoulders. Zhou Yi glanced at her and casually grabbed his flight jacket.

"Put this on, in case you catch a cold, I'll have to take you down the mountain to get an IV drip... You don't even have a registered residence right now, you're a complete unregistered resident, if someone reports you, I'll probably be fined a lot of money."

The two arrived at the main hall one after the other. It was dark and somewhat frightening inside, but Wu Meiniang was not afraid. She wrapped her jacket tighter around herself and entered the hall first.

As soon as she stepped over the threshold, she said:

"Young master, that voice is coming again."

Zhou Yi, unsure how to operate it, simply used the voice assistant to speak into the depths of the main hall:

"I grant Wu Zetian the right to travel freely to and from the Tang Dynasty world."

The hall was empty, but his voice echoed throughout.

Soon, Wu Meiniang looked at Zhou Yi with a surprised expression:
“Young master, are you a deity? As soon as I finished speaking, that voice appeared in my mind… You have obtained permission from Daoist Yiyuan to travel to and from Hunyuan Palace once every five days.”

Holy crap, is that even possible?
Zhou Yi touched his face, feeling as if his worldview had been shattered... I, a college student who has studied hard for more than ten years, am actually a handsome deity whose words can be made law?
To test this, he pointed to the pile of antique-style bricks next to him and said:
"Build a wall!"

The bricks remained completely still.

Undeterred, he tried the glazed tiles next to him, but still received no response.

Well, that won't work either.

Wu Meiniang asked:
"Young master, I can only come again in five days. Can you go down the mountain to buy medicine now?"

She wanted to get back there as soon as possible to avoid the palace searching high and low for her, but she also wanted to stay here a little longer... She loved this feeling of freedom and being unrestrained.

Zhou Yi checked the time and said:
"I'm going down the mountain on my motorcycle to buy medicine. It will take me about an hour to get back. You should go back to your room first. There are a lot of snakes, insects, and rodents on the mountain. Don't let them bite you."

Wu Meiniang nodded and followed Zhou Yi back to the side courtyard.

Zhou Yi needed to bring his mobile phone to buy medicine, so he took out his tablet, opened video apps and frequently used websites, and let Wu Meiniang browse freely.

After arranging all that, he put on his windbreaker and helmet, took out his motorcycle keys, opened the door to the storage room, and pushed out a Haojue TR300 motorcycle that was parked inside.

I made some money here and there last year, and finally bought this car.

"Young master, what is this?"

Zhou Yi straddled it, putting on gloves as he spoke:
"This is my mount."

After saying that, he started the engine, drove the motorcycle out of the Taoist temple, and headed down the mountain.

Inside the room, Wu Zetian didn't use the tablet. Instead, she went to the desk, where she saw calligraphy brushes and ink. She picked them up and tried them out, then wrote in small regular script on the rice paper:
The characters "Hun Yuan" (混元) implicitly represent the beginning of the universe; "Yi Yuan" (一元) signifies the beginning of a new era and the renewal of all things; and the name "Zhou Yi" (周易) is closely related to the Taoist concepts of Tai Chi and Bagua.

The unfinished temple may be related to Master Yiyuan's cultivation.

Although stir-frying is delicious, it is not advisable to introduce this pot to the Tang Dynasty. It would waste a lot of iron, and in the long run, it would inevitably weaken the country's strength, which is an unwise move.

The mounts here are quite peculiar; they seem to require no feeding, are incredibly fast, and can even travel through mountainous terrain at night.

[A flashlight is invaluable for nighttime communication. I wonder what its price is. If the Taoist priest agrees, I may purchase some. But remember to be careful with your words so as not to offend the priest.]

The people here have mastered the art of controlling lightning. Lightning can be used for lighting, watching movies, and cooking. I wonder if this method can be learned. I need to inquire subtly and carefully. If the Taoist priest is not pleased, then I will abandon this idea.

Asthma was a deadly disease in the Tang Dynasty, but here it seems to be just a common ailment. Princess Jinyang might be able to cure this stubborn disease.

[There seems to be a lot of steel here; a large number of iron bars would have been used in the construction of the houses. Further investigation is needed. The temple of Hunyuan Palace cannot be judged by ordinary standards.]

Master Yiyuan is handsome and refined; he is truly a perfect match. (crossed out) (smeared out) (smeared out repeatedly)

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I'm rewriting a story about a historical figure who travels back in time. Please support me, brothers!
(End of this chapter)