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

Chapter 53 You dare to smash the statue of Guan Yu? You've got guts! [Please continue reading]

With Wu Zetian guarding the Taoist temple, Zhou Yi could finally go down the mountain to have some fun and make some more money.

He was busy for several days in a row. First, he helped two families determine the start date for their new houses, then he helped another family choose a burial site, and he also presided over the first birthday ceremony for Zhao Wei's son.

To ensure the baby's healthy growth, Zhou Yi hung a small peach wood axe around the baby's neck, which not only wards off evil spirits but also symbolizes good fortune overcoming misfortune.

Unfortunately, Zhao Wei's son didn't choose the calligraphy brush, which symbolizes a scholar, but instead grabbed the toy excavator with both hands, and they couldn't be pulled away... It can be said that he followed in his father's footsteps.

After handling these matters, Zhou Yi earned several thousand yuan more in income, and the bronze statue of Guan Gong enshrined in the God of Wealth Temple had unknowingly been there for nine days.

Early in the morning, Zhou Yi was just about to make breakfast when he received a call from Mao Cong:
"Master Yi, I'm going to pick up the statue of Guan Yu. Should we rent a Bentley or something? My cousin's X5 is too low-end. I'm worried that Lord Guan will look down on it."

"You really have too much money to burn..." Zhou Yi said while stirring the eggs.
"No need, just drive your own car. If you ride in someone else's car, you'll lose your energy."

Upon hearing this, Mao Cong immediately decided against informing his cousin:
"Okay, I'll drive over to you in a bit."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Yi poured the egg mixture into the grated pumpkin and said to Wu Meiniang:

"Stir well, then add flour and stir into a batter. Then you can put it in a frying pan to make pancakes... The Tang Dynasty had a well-developed noodle-making culture, so this method of frying should have been very popular. How come you don't know how?"

Wu Zetian clumsily stirred the pumpkin shreds in the bowl:

"I have been taken care of since I was a child and have never cooked before. I do not know anything about cooking, so please do not find me unworthy."

Zhou Yi was immediately delighted:

"How could I dislike it? I'm just envious."

If you can't cook, it means someone at home does it; if you can't distinguish between different grains, it means you don't need to do farm work; if you don't know how to do housework, it means someone helps you...

People with parents can take it for granted that they "cannot" and "don't understand".

But Zhou Yi was different; he was raised by his grandfather and had to be sensible from a young age, otherwise people would say:

"It's no good to be without parents; you'll end up like a wild child."

Wu Zetian felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this:
"Did the immortal suffer a lot when he was young?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"I didn't suffer much, but I had to be sensible from a young age and prove to others that I could still grow up without my parents raising me."

Wu Zetian learned very quickly; she could make pumpkin pancakes in just one morning, though they didn't look very appealing.

The two had just finished breakfast when Mao Cong drove up the mountain in a somewhat old-fashioned Land Rover Defender, bringing Zhou Yi a box of Qilin watermelons and a box of bananas.
"Master Yi, is there any ceremony required when we put the items in the shop?"

He was skeptical when they performed the exorcism on his Range Rover last time, but now he's become a staunch supporter of traditional culture, wishing he could set out offerings and kowtow a few times at every step.

The Book of Changes says:

"Just place it in the southeast direction, no need for any ceremony... Don't put all your energy into this. To use the barrel principle, metaphysics is just one piece of wood. You still need to work hard, do good deeds, and do everything properly to reap any rewards."

Mao Cong readily agreed:

"Okay, okay, I listen to you."

Upon arriving at the God of Wealth Temple, this guy held a stick of incense and kowtowed several times to Guan Yu. Then, following the guidance of the Book of Changes, he wrapped the bronze statue of Guan Yu in yellow silk, carefully held it in his arms, and recited the "Guan Sheng Di Jun Mantra" before leaving Hunyuan Palace.

He carefully placed the statue on the back seat, fastened his seatbelt, waved goodbye to Zhou Yi, and drove off the mountain, returning to the county town.

After tidying up the God of Wealth Temple, Zhou Yi drove Wu Meiniang down the mountain. They first picked up the package that had arrived that morning and put it in the car, then went to the bookstore to buy some books related to composting and planting.

Finally, we went to Sun Erfa's hardware store and picked out a bunch of hardware tools.

For example, hand-cranked steel drills, graduated steel rulers, two bundles of thin steel wire rope, four or five pairs of pliers, and a huge hydraulic shears... These ordinary things, once they arrive there, might inspire the skilled craftsmen of the Tang Dynasty to create some groundbreaking treasures.

Sun Erfa asked curiously:

"Xiao Yi, what are you buying all this stuff for? If you need any work done, I can bring the welding machine up the mountain and help you with it."

The Book of Changes says:

"I'm just messing around with things when I'm bored. I'll let you know if I need anything."

After paying, he was about to lead Wu Meiniang away when he suddenly noticed a string of spearhead-like objects hanging behind the hardware store door. It looked different, more like a dagger, but sharper, with a raised vein in the middle, giving it a powerful piercing effect. Zhou Yi became interested:

"Uncle Erfa, what is this thing?"

Sun Erfa waved his hand in distress:

"Don't even mention it. Didn't they say there was a reward for killing wild boars a while ago? I bought a batch of spearhead shovels that can pierce a wild boar's belly. You just attach these things to a wooden stick and you're good to go. It's a pity nobody's buying them. I was just about to throw them away as scrap metal."

Zhou Yi picked up the spearhead and tested it:

"Manganese steel?"

"Yes, high manganese steel... has excellent penetrating power."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi said:
"How much is there? Put it all in my car. I'll set up some traps around the Taoist temple to keep wild boars from coming and causing trouble."

He spoke so succinctly that Sun Erfa didn't think much of it and immediately chose to load the truck, even giving away a few matching wooden poles.

Zhou Yi wanted all one hundred spearhead shovels.

He planned to have Wu Meiniang take ten of them away so that the Shaofujian (Imperial Household Department) in the Tang Dynasty, which manufactures weapons, could conduct research on them.

The rest were all taken by Chen Tang. This guy and Gan Yanshou would have to stay in the Western Regions for a while. The ninety spearheads were distributed to the troops. It wouldn't be a huge boost, but at least it would deter those foreign tribes who still used bones as arrowheads from making any rash moves.

After completing all the purchases, Zhou Yi went to the bakery and bought several four-inch cakes for Wu Meiniang to take away and enjoy with Li Mingda.

Back on the mountain, Zhou Yi unpacked the packages one by one. They were all related to lenses. Those that required electricity were left in Hunyuan Palace, while those that could be operated manually or used with batteries were given to Wu Meiniang to be taken away by the craftsmen for research.

Tang Dynasty officials were able to deduce the difference in latitude and draw lines of longitude and latitude based on the Tiele people's saying that "they cook mutton at sunset in summer, and before the mutton is cooked, it is already dawn." They even determined that there would be polar night or polar day phenomena in more northern places, which shows that they had a high level of scientific literacy.

Now, if we provide them with a standard system of measurement, along with various theoretical knowledge, the technological level of the Tang Dynasty will make great strides.

After Wu Meiniang left, Zhou Yi flipped through his calendar. He was going to a company to check its feng shui at noon, so he made some preparations and left.

On the other side, on his way back to the county town, Mao Cong slowed down at each stop, acting like a tour guide as he introduced the statues of Guan Yu:

"This is Laozhuang Village, where an anti-Japanese martyr is buried. We used to come here to sweep his grave when we were kids... Ahead is Zhouzhuang Village, where there are several veterans of the Red Army, all of whom were anti-Japanese heroes."

Regardless of whether Guan Yu understood or was interested, Mao Cong just kept talking, and they walked and stopped until they finally returned to the county town at 11 a.m.

As soon as he parked his car in front of the car dealership, he saw a Mercedes-Benz van parked not far away, and several young men dressed in a sleazy manner were loitering around the dealership.

Mao Cong was preoccupied with Guan Yu at the moment and didn't pay attention. After getting off the car, he carried the bronze statue of Guan Yu wrapped in silk and walked inside, where he was stopped by a young man with a sinister face:

"Who told you someone died in my car?"

Mao Cong was about to introduce his business to Guan Yu when he was stopped like this, and his temper flared up:
"Who are you? If you're not buying a car, don't block my shop entrance and ruin my business."

A man with a bruised and swollen face leaned over and said:

"Old Mao, I'm Wang Yaohui, a used car dealer. We've met before... This is Boss Xu from Lushan County. Can you tell us who said those words to you?"

Mao Cong ignored him.

Why should I tell you?

After saying this, he was about to enter the house with the Guan Gong statue in his arms when Boss Xu blocked his way again, snatched the statue from Mao Cong's arms, and threw it to the ground:
"Are you going to say it or not?!"

Just as the bronze statue, weighing several dozen kilograms, was thrown to the ground, a gust of wind suddenly blew across South Ring Road, causing the yellow silk cloth covering the statue to be blown open, revealing Guan Yu's imposing face.

Mr. Xu was about to kick him again when he suddenly heard a baby crying. He turned around in horror, as if he had seen something terrifying. He knelt down with a thud and kept kowtowing on the cement floor until his head was bleeding profusely.

But he seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing to bang his head against the ground.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, I know I was wrong..."

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(End of this chapter)