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

Chapter 79 Paying taxes according to law, merit +3! [Seeking monthly votes]

After reading the notebook, Zhou Yi went to the entrance of the main hall and marked the four corners of the square with spray paint.

Wu Meiniang, while eating the dried tangerine peel peanuts handed to her by Gongsun Da Niang, asked:
"Master, what is the meaning of this square?"

"You can take the supplies within the designated area. The items in the box can accompany you to the Tang Dynasty Zhenguan World."

Gongsun Da Niang raised her fair, delicate hand and asked timidly:
"Daoist Master, if I sit inside the frame in the Great Buddha Hall, will Sister Meiniang take me back to the Tang Dynasty's Zhenguan world?"

This is a tricky question; the answer is currently unknown according to the I Ching.

"It's best not to try that."

Aunt Gongsun asked with a smile:

"Why? Can't I visit Sister Meiniang's world?"

Zhou Yi closed the spray paint bottle, a mocking expression on his face:

"I'm afraid that you won't make it to the other world, and instead, your clothes will be taken by Meiniang..."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Gongsun immediately abandoned the idea of ​​trying it out and decided to refrain from visiting each other for the time being.

Seeing Li Bai watching short videos on his new phone, the girl pulled out a bag of mini pastries and threw it at him.

"Uncle, don't just play around, have some snacks."

Li Bai received it, thanked him, and then consulted the Book of Changes:

"Master, should I take this back and show it to the Prefect of Mianzhou?"

Before Zhou Yi could answer, Wu Meiniang said:
"Don't do that. Just give me a lighter. Keep your phone and other belongings close to your body. If you feel that the Li residence is not safe enough, leave them here for now and take them out when we get to Chang'an."

Li Bai came from a merchant family and had a relatively low social status. If he really overshadowed the governor, someone might act as a pawn to deal with the Li family.

After all, some lackeys are always racking their brains to flatter and fawn over the governor. If they see that the governor is interested in the mobile phone, they might lead their men to massacre the Li family that very night and steal the phone to present to the governor.

Therefore, it's best to keep a low profile in your hometown. Once you're in Chang'an and have Li Longji's favor, it's not too late to be flamboyant.

Li Bai bowed:
"Thank you for your guidance, Sister Meiniang. I know what to do now."

Zhou Yi then went to Xiaopenglai and the entrance of the Hall of Longevity to make four corner positioning marks. This would allow them to see the boundaries when transporting supplies, and also to observe whether the boxes would change in the future.

The next morning, right after breakfast, Li Bai and Gongsun Da Niang went back.

Wu Meiniang planned to stay one more day before returning home, hoping to obtain her household registration in Yunwu Town as soon as possible.

With her around, the Book of Changes was truly liberated:
"Meiniang, keep an eye on the incense at the God of Wealth Temple. Replace it with new incense when it's almost gone. I'm going to the county town to deliver a protective bracelet. Is there anything else I can bring you?"

Wu Zetian opened her phone, found a short video she had watched before going to bed last night, and said:

"Immortal Master, could you buy two of these small handheld fans? I would like to give Li Mingda a surprise and encourage her to study hard."

Zhou Yi looked at the fan's design and nodded in agreement:
“Okay, I’ll buy a few more. I’ll also buy a USB-powered desktop fan for Li Shimin so he can stay cool while reviewing memorials.”

Old Li often gives us national treasures, so we should reciprocate by giving him some small gifts in return.

The reason for choosing USB power supply is to make it convenient to use a power bank. As for AC power, it is still a pipe dream for Datang at this stage.

Zhou Yi arrived at the Dongyue Temple, wrapped the white jade bracelet that had been offered for three days in yellow silk, put it in his satchel, drove his Wuling van down the mountain, and drove all the way to Wenhua Road in the county town. He parked the car in a roadside parking space and walked into the Jiangnan Mingjun residential area.

As soon as he entered the community gate, he saw Nan Nan, who had been possessed by evil spirits before, playing with her parents in the community playground. The sunlight shone on the little girl, and she looked energetic and vibrant, showing no signs of the miserable state she had been in just two days ago.

Upon seeing Zhou Yi, Nan Nan's father quickly came over to greet him:

"It's really too much trouble for you, Master Zhou, to come and deliver it in person."

Zhou Yi smiled:
"It's what I should do. Is Nannan alright now?"

“It’s alright. She kept asking to go to school, but her mother and I didn’t agree. We wanted her to rest for a couple more days. Anyway, she can catch up with her classes, so there’s no rush to go to school so soon.”

The couple used to be known throughout the neighborhood for pushing their child to excel academically, but ever since the accident, they've suddenly become more open-minded. They no longer care how well their child studies; as long as the child is healthy and safe, that's more important than anything else.

As they were talking, Nan Nan's father suddenly lowered his voice and whispered:

“The day before yesterday, my drinking buddy heard that Nan Nan had been frightened, so he brought Shi Xiangu from Sanlizhuang to my house, saying he would exorcise the evil spirits from Nan Nan. When Shi Xiangu saw the exorcism talisman you gave her, she grabbed it and was burned on the spot, screaming. Then she actually demanded two thousand yuan from me for medical expenses. I called the police and kicked her out. I also completely blocked that drinking buddy of mine. I will never have anything to do with him again in this lifetime.”

Zhouyi: "..."

Being burned by the talisman means you're unclean. Instead of leaving immediately, you actually tried to extort more money.

When she can't get exorcism jobs, she quickly transforms into a master of staged accidents... Shi Xiangu's moral bottom line is even lower than I imagined, no wonder she always gives people bad advice.

Last time I came here, Zhou Yi left behind a sleeping talisman and two exorcism talismans to prevent other evil spirits from possessing me. I never expected to be visited by Shi Xiangu, this walking evil spirit.

I should have left a lightning strike talisman back then, to give the Stone Fairy a little surprise.

Zhou Yi took out a white jade bracelet wrapped in yellow silk and handed it to Nan Nan's father:

"Let Nan Nan take it off her wrist herself, and she won't be haunted by evil spirits anymore."

"What should we do with those talismans?"

"Put a sleep-inducing talisman in your pillow and you'll get a good night's sleep for the next month. Stick an exorcism talisman on the back of the door to protect your home and keep it safe. Remember to remove it and burn it after a month. Talismans don't have a long-term effect and can't be left on forever."

After saying goodbye to Nan Nan's family, Zhou Yi left the Jiangnan Mingjun residential area. Just as he was about to get into his car, Ding Zhenhua suddenly called:
"Master Zhou, the factory's finance department said that those tens of thousands of yuan need to be transferred to the company account. If our Hunyuan Palace doesn't have it, then forget it, we can use another account."

Hunyuan Palace does indeed have a corporate account, but Zhouyi has never used it; he has always used his personal account.

He didn't know anything about these things, so he simply went to the flour mill.

The factory's finance and tax specialists were both present, and they were clearly prepared, explaining to Zhou Yi the items that the temple needed to report for tax purposes.

Income such as donations from believers, donation boxes, and incense money is tax-free if it is used entirely for the operation of the temple. However, income from the sale of religious items, souvenirs, and catering and tea services is subject to value-added tax.

The remuneration for performing rituals is considered income from labor services and is subject to personal income tax.

Zhou Yi was completely bewildered, never expecting such intricacies. He listed his recent income and had the flour mill's tax officer file his tax returns. At the same time, he started using a corporate account to keep his personal and public accounts separate.

Ding Zhenhua exclaimed in admiration:

"Master Zhou's initiative to pay taxes shows that his awareness has surpassed that of the vast majority of business people."

Zhou Yi smiled and said:
"Paying taxes according to the law is a citizen's responsibility. Besides, if someone reports you, you'll get into trouble. So just pay your taxes and don't play those fancy games."

The taxes for Hunyuan Palace are relatively easy to file. Ding Zhenhua asked the flour mill's tax specialist to take two days each month to help Zhou Yi with it, which was considered overtime.

As a businessman, having a reliable feng shui master by your side is much better than associating with some local Brahmins.

After submitting the required declarations through the online platform, Zhou Yi bid farewell to Ding Zhenhua, left the flour mill, drove to the county town, bought several handheld and desktop fans, and also bought Wu Meiniang some snacks and milk tea that couldn't be found in town, before driving back to Yunwu Mountain.

Upon arriving at Hunyuan Palace, he handed over the items he had purchased to Wu Meiniang, then returned to his room to search for the Taoist temple's paperwork. He planned to give it to Xue Ruijie, the tax specialist at the flour mill, to complete the paperwork, making future tax filings easier.

After finishing these chores, he casually picked up the black notebook, wondering if Huo Qubing had gained any merit by taking away so many soldiers and weapons.

As soon as I opened it, I saw that my merit had increased from two taels and one mace to two taels and four mace.

The price surged by three coins overnight. How could supporting Huo Qubing actually increase one's merit by so much?

With this pleasant surprise, he continued scrolling down his page and discovered a brand new special note:

Paying taxes according to the law earns you +3 merit points.

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

(End of this chapter)