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

Chapter 44 Little Rhinoceros: Stop gnawing on cornbread, I'll steal treasures to feed you! [Seeking monthly votes]

Upon seeing Zhao Wei's gossip about the Stone Fairy, Zhou Yi sighed:

"If you don't cultivate virtue, won't the retribution come soon?"

He instructed Chen Tang to slaughter the sheep, and then drove down the mountain to the county town to buy a knife for Gan Yanshou.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Chen Tang carefully cleaned the grass and wood chips off the blade with a new towel, treating it with even more care than he would his bride on their wedding night.

After wiping it clean, Tom Cruise sheathed the knife and asked Li Bai:

"What did the gentleman buy for you?"

"My master bestowed upon me a precious sword. I will bring it here for the general to examine."

After speaking, Li Bai brought his slightly shorter, eight-sided Han sword from the room, and Chen Tang's eyes widened again:
"What a beautiful sword. No wonder you didn't react much when you saw my knife."

Li Bai smiled sheepishly:
“I saw it last night, and Master even bought a red Lady's Sword for Sister Gongsun.”

Chen Tang stroked the sword, thinking that he could ask his teacher to buy him another sword in the future, so that when he returned to Chang'an and argued with the treacherous officials, he would be more imposing.

After examining the sword, he asked:

"Sir, you didn't buy weapons for the Queen?"

Li Bai, holding the precious sword to his chest, replied:
"My master said that His Majesty the Martial Emperor holds up the country with his own hands and does not need weapons."

Chen Tang slapped his forehead:
"I forgot, he's the emperor. How can an emperor fight and kill? It's more appropriate for a rough man like me to do these dirty and tiring jobs."

Li Bai sat down and asked in a low voice:

"General, in history, Empress Wu became emperor, but eventually allowed the court officials to restore the throne and returned power to Li. Will she follow the same old path again?"

Chen Tang rolled up his sleeves, preparing to slaughter the sheep:
"None of the people who come here want to follow the old path. The Queen must have her own plans and considerations."

Li Bai still didn't quite understand:
"What will happen after she passes away?"

Chen Tang said with a smile:

"You seem pretty smart, but why can't you figure this out? What's the Queen's country called?"

"The Great Zhou Dynasty, historically known as the Zhou Wu Dynasty."

"What is your surname, sir?"

"His surname is Zhou..."

Just as he finished speaking, Li Bai suddenly realized that if Emperor Wu had a child with his master, the Great Zhou Dynasty would have a successor, and there would be no point in continuing the government!

Chen Tang led the sheep to the peach tree and said to Li Bai:
"I don't know much about the history of the Empress. Why didn't she pass it on to the descendants of the Wu family?"

Li Bai scratched his head, unsure if this counted as making irresponsible remarks about politics, but seeing the four characters "No Taboos" posted next to the peach tree, his courage immediately grew:
"The Empress had no good feelings towards the Wu family. As soon as she became Empress, she transferred several of her brothers to the border. They died on the way before they even took office. In her later years, Di Renjie advised her to return the court to the Li family. After her death, she could still be enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple as an Empress. If it were given to the Wu family, there would never have been an aunt enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple before."

Chen Tang stopped what he was doing and exclaimed in admiration:

"This Di Renjie can get straight to the heart of the matter, he's really amazing."

"My master said he was one of the top-ranking prime ministers in history."

At noon, Zhou Yi stewed a pot of mutton. Chen Tang, holding his newly bought knife, hacked and slashed, mercilessly taking away Gan Yanshou's goose feather knife for the first time.

Zhou Yi brought over the seasonings from last night and said to Chen Tang:
"Take a few boxes with you to win people's hearts. Li Bai should take a box of salt and a box of seasonings to smooth things over and get the matter of presenting auspicious omens settled as soon as possible."

With so much stuff, Chen Tang felt a little embarrassed:
"How about I chop up the King of Wusun now to liven things up for you, sir?"

The Book of Changes did not agree:
"It's better not to kill him. The current Wusun king seems rather cowardly. Just bring his capable son to Chang'an... I hope you can go to Chang'an soon so you can get involved in more matters."

Once in Chang'an, he could begin to reverse the course of history at the end of the Western Han Dynasty, accumulate more merit, and exchange it for various Taoist arts as soon as possible. Chen Tang was also a little impatient, eager to go to Chang'an and experience the joyful life of fighting powerful ministers, scolding Confucian scholars, and eliminating the maternal relatives of the emperor.

After the meal, he and Li Bai, carrying large and small bags, left Hunyuan Palace one after the other and returned to their respective worlds.

Zhou Yi took the remaining mutton out and put it in the refrigerator. That evening, he used the mutton broth in the pot to cook some noodles, and added some mutton fat and chili. Wouldn't that be another delicious meal?

With nothing to do in the afternoon, he rode his motorcycle to Huangniwa and checked the feng shui of the northwest corner again. There was no longer any yin energy gathering there, and the ditch was no longer dark but crystal clear, with schools of fish swimming nearby.

Ever since it was designated as a blessed land, even the fish in the water have come to linger in this ditch.

Over the next two days, Zhou Yi tidied up the courtyard, got the license plate, applied window tinting to the car, and purchased some daily necessities and items such as a telescope.

On Tuesday morning, while he was moving bricks, he received a call from the deliveryman:
"Is this Zhouyi? Your large package has arrived. Should we deliver it to you up the mountain or do you want to come down and pick it up?"

The Book of Changes says:

"Take him up the mountain, I'll stay at the Taoist temple."

After hanging up, he called Mao Cong:
"The bronze statue has arrived. Come to Hunyuan Palace as soon as possible to hold the consecration ceremony. Remember to bring offerings: a whole pig's head, and four kinds of snacks or fruits."

Other offerings can be made up for, but a pig's head is indispensable.

Mao Cong laughed heartily:
"What a coincidence! I just drove out of the county with Cheng Lin and we were on our way to visit your mountain. Wait here, we'll be there soon."

Half an hour later, the SF Express delivery truck arrived at the mountain. After confirming that this was the place, the deliveryman opened the door and used a lift platform to take out a package with a wooden frame from inside the truck.

Zhou Yi confirmed receipt, placed the box at the door, and began unpacking.

The size and weight of this bronze statue are quite significant. Its height of 108 cm implies the numbers of the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiends, while its weight of 50 catties represents the number of the Great Dao, "the Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine".

After removing the outer wooden frame and thickened waterproof cloth, and removing the cushioning layer to prevent scratches and bumps, Zhou Yi finally saw the Guan Gong statue wrapped in silk cloth.

Guan Yu is one of the few Chinese deities who has been able to develop across religions, and he holds a relatively high position in each religious sect.

In Taoism, Guan Yu is the God of War and Wealth, the Great Emperor Who Subdues Demons in the Three Realms, the Holy Emperor Guan, and one of the Four Marshals of Heaven; in Confucian classics, Guan Yu is the Emperor Wenheng who protects students; and in Buddhist teachings, Guan Yu is the Bodhisattva Garan, who looks very powerful.

In Hunyuan Palace, there are four statues of Guan Gong: one in the Mahavira Hall, one in the Sanqing Hall, one in the God of Wealth Hall, and the last one in the Haotian Hall.

"If Guan Yu comes to Hunyuan Palace in the future, I'll lead him to worship all four statues... to let him demonstrate with his actions what it means to rely on yourself rather than others!"

As they were muttering to themselves, Mao Cong and Sun Chenglin drove their X5 up the mountain.

As soon as he got off the bus, Sun Chenglin was ready to watch the show:
“Brother, you have to carry the statue of the god inside. You also have to recite a spell every time you pass through a door. The process is very complicated, so you have to remember it clearly and not make a mistake. Otherwise, if Guan Yu cleaves you in half with his sword, all the fat you’ve accumulated will be for nothing… Little Master Yi, what spell does my brother recite? It’s not the ‘Zhao Gongming’s Spell,’ is it?”

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"He was going to recite the 'Guan Sheng Di Jun Mantra,' which is similar to the 'Zhao Gong Yuan Shuai Mantra,' and it's quite simple."

Zhou Yi recited the incantation once and told Mao Cong to memorize it. He was to recite it once every time they passed through a door, and to recite it repeatedly when they invited Guan Gong to possess them in the God of Wealth Temple, until the entire ceremony was over.

Since it concerned his future business, Mao Cong dared not be careless. He recited the mantra repeatedly until he had memorized it thoroughly before solemnly holding the bronze statue in his arms.
"Okay, let's go."

Zhou Yi led the way, Mao Cong followed behind, and Sun Chenglin carried the offerings at the very end. The three of them entered Hunyuan Palace and began the ceremony of inviting the gods and consecrating the palace.

In the Zhenguan era of the Tang Dynasty, Li Mingda, nicknamed "Little Rhinoceros," carrying a bag of badminton rackets, entered the Yiyuan Hall and whispered to Wu Meiniang:
"Sister Meiniang, are you about to set off for the Immortal's Hunyuan Palace?"

Wu Zetian nodded:
"Yes, is there anything you wish to convey to the Immortal Master?"

Little Sizi unzipped the racket bag, took out a calligraphy scroll, and said with a wronged expression:
“My father is very protective of the ‘Preface to the Orchid Pavilion’, so I had no choice but to steal Wang Xianzhi’s ‘Flying Birds’ calligraphy. I hope the immortal master won’t find it offensive… Please tell the immortal master that he must not eat chaff anymore. If he has no money, I will steal a few more treasures to support him!”

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Second update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets, brothers!

(End of this chapter)