Shulong Daojun

It was Chang Geng, the mountain god of Mount Taiqi, who led all the gods here.

A gentle breeze swept by, and it took shape upon landing.

He wore a divine crown, a robe with mountain and river patterns, a divine seal at his waist, and cloud-patterned shoes, looking very formal.

He held a basket of spiritual fruits in his hands, and his smiling appearance made him seem quite amiable.

Seven or eight righteous gods followed behind him, all dressed in the same attire, each holding different kinds of spirit wood, spirit ore, and spirit wine.

Lin Shu was slightly taken aback, then smiled and asked, "Brother Chang Geng, what's going on here...?"

Chang Geng waved the fruit basket in his hand and said with a smile, "I've come especially to welcome my young friend."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiang Sui Zheng Shen nodded and smiled at Lin Shu.

Lin Shu suddenly realized that he remembered this matter, but he did not expect Chang Geng and the others to arrive so quickly.

He hasn't even warmed the throne yet.

Without asking any further questions, he stepped aside, raised his hand, and gestured for him to enter, saying, "Brother Chang Geng, you are all very kind. Please come into the hall."

After saying this, Lin Shu turned and entered the hall first. Chang Geng and the others exchanged glances and followed with smiles.

Then we arrived at the side courtyard of the rear hall.

With the sky as their roof and the earth as their mat, the sycamore trees rustle in the breeze, and stone tables and benches are arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern.

Before long, the guests followed the hosts and took their places.

Before Lin Shu could speak, Chang Geng and the others had already waved their sleeves lightly, and the gifts in their hands floated down under the paulownia tree.

Then he immediately brought out fine wines and fruits, accompanied by plump fresh fish slices, dipping sauce dishes, and set out jade cups.

The next instant.

Chang Geng brought over a jade pot, tilted it slightly in mid-air, and the wine flowed like a trickling stream into the Lin Shu cup, filling it in an instant.

He raised his glass to Lin Shu and said with a smile, "Please, young friend."

Lin Shu did not refuse, and raised his cup with a smile: "Brother Chang Geng, you are too kind, please."

Having said that, he raised his cup and drank it all in one gulp.

Upon seeing this, Chang Geng became very excited, laughed loudly, tilted his head back and drank the wine down in one gulp. The cup was empty by the time he finished drinking.

The remaining deities also raised their cups and drank them down.

Three cups were offered as a gesture of respect, and Chang Geng and the others chatted casually, discussing everything from the dredging and blocking of the earth's veins to the incense offerings of the people and the governance of the region.

When the painful points were mentioned, some people clapped and shouted.

When someone with experience offered some guidance, he quickly turned his anger into joy, eliciting laughter from everyone present.

Shortly after, after three rounds of drinks.

Lin Shu smiled without speaking, occasionally nodding, but after hearing something, his brow furrowed, and he suddenly spoke:

"Oh? Brother Chang Geng's territory also suffers from earthquakes and ground fissures?"

Chang Geng paused, his face showing reminiscence, and slowly said, "Recently, a sudden landslide occurred on Mount Taiqi, causing rocks to crack and the ground to split open."

Fortunately, the fellow Daoists present arrived in time to stabilize the situation, thus preventing the burial of villages and towns and the injury of the people.

It's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

After he finished speaking, he sighed, then raised his cup and drank again, laughing, "Afterwards, I went to investigate and found that some blind evil spirits were causing trouble."

They have now been completely wiped out, young friend, rest assured, there is no danger.

Lin Shu nodded slightly, raised his cup in a toast, and said, "It's good that Mount Taiqi is safe and sound."

After saying that, he secretly kept something in mind.

There was a geological disaster in Qingwu City, and there was also one in Taiqi Mountain. How could there be such a coincidence?

Is evil causing havoc? That's how it appears on the surface, but who knows what's really going on inside?

As the sky began to lighten and the paulownia leaves fell, the fine wines and fruits were all gone, and the welcoming banquet was drawing to a close.

Lin Shu tried to persuade them to stay, but Chang Geng and the others said they had other matters to attend to and repeatedly said "I'm sorry to have bothered you," before turning into a gentle breeze and leaving.

In an instant, silence returned.

Lin Shu smiled, waved his sleeves, and swept up the gifts from under the tree. Without even glancing at them, he put them all into his storage bag.

When Chang Geng and his group came to visit, although they were polite, their expressions were sincere and their words were genuine, which made quite a difference.

When I have time in the future, I will definitely return the visit.

After thinking it over, he raised his hand and summoned the bulging green jade from the dragon's belly, transferring a stream of true qi to help it refine.

He then grabbed Qingmin and used the earth's veins to disappear, heading towards the eastern suburbs of the city.

In less than half a breath, the Scale Book had already appeared not far from the village entrance.

With a thought, his divine crown and robes vanished, and he walked along the path to the village entrance, entering the village on foot.

Qingmin shrank to the size of a bamboo chopstick, hiding in the collar of the dragon robe with the scales, and quietly poked out its dragon head, looking around curiously.

There is a village in the eastern suburbs called Fukang.

The villagers believe it was a gift from the land, and the name signifies "abundant resources and prosperous people," a prayer for the well-being of the people.

Over the years, this has indeed become the case in Fukang Village.

The wood of the paulownia tree can be used to make fine zithers.

As a result, the village planted phoenix trees everywhere, and made zithers from phoenix trees. This tradition was passed down from generation to generation, and the village gradually gained fame, establishing the brand name "Qingtong" and waiting for zither masters from all directions to make custom-made zithers.

They also set up the Paulownia Wood Festival and held a zither-making competition to attract literati and scholars to visit.

As a result, merchants and tourists frequently travel to and from this place.

As Lin Shu stepped into the village, he saw the sycamore trees providing shade. Before long, large and small zither workshops suddenly came into view.

A servant stood in front of the shop, hawking his wares and soliciting customers, while passersby entered the shop to look at and try out the zither.

At times, the sound of the zither is stirring and resounding, creating a truly lively and extraordinary atmosphere.

Before he could take a closer look, a young servant in a short brown robe ran up to him with a delighted expression and said, "Young Taoist priest, would you like to buy a zither?"

All the zithers in my family are made of the finest paulownia wood. When you press them, it feels like there's nothing there, and the sound is clear and resonant.

This is far superior to the ordinary paulownia wood zithers made in other villages and neighborhoods.

Lin Shu did not answer. After a moment's thought, he smiled slightly and said, "When I went to other villages, the people selling zithers said the same thing."

Both are made of the finest paulownia wood; which one of you is genuine and which is fake?

As soon as he finished speaking, the servant seemed to have been prepared, patted his chest and laughed, "Young Taoist priest, you may not know this, but the paulownia wood must be old and yellow, with even growth rings and smooth grain, in order to produce a clear sound and make a good zither."

There may be others in other villages and neighborhoods, but none can compare to my home.

After saying that, he looked smug, and Lin Shu also showed a hint of doubt.

At this moment, the servant leaned closer, glanced around, and lowered his voice, saying, "The land in my Fukang Village is very auspicious."

The villagers often prayed to the land for protection, so the wood of the paulownia trees was considered superior to that of those from other villages.

And in this village, my family is the most devoted to the worship.

"Young Taoist priest, do you think my zither is the best?"

"Oh? Is that so?" Lin Shu smiled in surprise. "Then I'll have to go and take a good look at that local temple."

After saying that, he turned and stepped into the crowd, his figure gradually disappearing.

The servant scratched his head, muttering to himself, "Isn't the Taoist priest known for buying zithers? Why is this young Taoist priest acting so strangely?"

Unable to figure it out for a moment, he simply put it out of his mind, found another person to come forward, and said the same thing.

After leaving the zither shop, Lin Shu walked two more alleys and arrived at an ancient sycamore tree.

Beneath the tree, a small earthen temple with blue bricks and gray tiles stands in the shade, with wisps of smoke curling around it.

The temple is small, but it attracts many worshippers.

"Qingmin, from now on this will be the place where you often manifest your power," Lin Shu said softly, bowing her head slightly.

The azure dragon's eyes reflected the passing fireworks, and it hissed softly before nodding earnestly.

Seeing this, Lin Shu smiled faintly and walked towards the Earth God Temple.

Fukang Village is a good place; the previous landowners left behind a stable path for ancestral worship.

From now on, Qingmin only needs to follow the servant's instructions and pray that the phoenix trees in the village grow well, so that the incense offerings can be guaranteed.

In this way, the more believers there are and the more sincere their hearts are, the more obvious the transformation of incense into a dragon will be.

However, the problem of abnormal earth veins must be solved first.

There are many sycamore trees here; perhaps something unexpected will happen.

With this in mind, Lin Shu decided to stay overnight in Fukang Village.