Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
Advance chapters available for patrons on Patreon. And a chapter can be sponsored by buying me a ko-fi.
On the one hand, Baoyang Temple had become a tourist attraction, with people coming to find mosquitoes. So, Xie Lingya and Zhang Daoting became busy at the same time. He was glad that he made the decision to recruit Zhang Daoting.
On the other hand, after the roof was repaired, the new statue of the Patriarch was also built and a date had to be chosen for consecration.
When a new statue was completed, it needed to be consecrated before it could be dedicated, which required a lot of work. Whether Zhang Daoting could do it or not, Xie Lingya still had to do it by himself, but he was not as familiar with the ritual process as Zhang Daoting, so he was making up for it.
This consecration was a ritual in which the “spirit” of the god was invited to descend on the statue, which was also called opening up the aura. Although many people’s jewelry and magical instruments were now said to have been illuminated, it originally only meant that the aura was illuminated by the statues of gods.
At this time, Taoist Master Mao Zhengqing from Taihe Temple called and warmly invited Xie Lingya to attend some Taoist lecture organized by the Taoist Association: “We discussed what happened last time, my two junior brothers also said that they also wanted to thank you in person, and you said that if there was an event we should invite Baoyang Temple, so I called directly.”
Considering the need to establish a good relationship with the local boss, Xie Lingya made time to go there no matter how busy he was.
Logically speaking, since between him and Zhang Daoting, he was a non-religious person, so Zhang Daoting should be the one going to participate. However, Baoyang Temple could not do without people, and Zhang Daoting did not know Mao Zhengqing, and was even a little awkward with Taihe Temple, so only Xie Lingya went to participate.
Mao Zhengqing received Xie Lingya very warmly and took him to drink tea first. The lecture would not start until a while later.
Xie Lingya only cared about one question: “Where is Taoist Master Shi?”
“Taoist Master Shi has been saving ghosts these days. He may not be able to attend the lecture, but if you stay for dinner, you can see him.” Mao Zhengqing replied.
“Okay, then I’ll stay.” Xie Lingya took the opportunity to ask, “Daozhang Shi seems to be from the provincial capital. How long will he stay here?”
Mao Zhengqing thought to himself, aren’t you friends? Why are you still asking me this question, but he still said: “It seems that Taoist Master Shi was not only here to participate in the rain prayer ceremony, he also wants to stay in Qiyang for a while.”
Xie Lingya: “Why?”
Mao Zhengqing suddenly felt embarrassed: “We have been quite busy these days, especially Daozhang Shi… so he didn’t get much rest.”
Xie Lingya: “…”
It was said that Shi Changxuan was too busy, but in fact he just didn’t talk about it!
Thinking about it, he didn’t know whether to call Shi Changxuan aloof or an introvert. He only spoke three words every time. The chat may end in just a few sentences, let alone delving into other topics.
At this time, in order to save his own image, Mao Zhengqing said: “But Taoist Master Shi’s family has a tradition of practicing in the four directions, so he should practice here.”
If he practiced in Qiyang, would he continue to stay at Taihe Temple? Well, it was impossible to come to Baoyang Temple anyway. Xie Lingya couldn’t be too hasty about this kind of thing, anyway he would be staying in Qiyang.
Xie Lingya was thinking like this, when Mao Zhengqing asked: “Last time, the talisman that layman Xie used was all drawn by himself, right?”
He was actually very sure in his heart. After all, Xie Lingya later drew the talisman directly on the wall. He had only seen Shi Changxuan with the ability to draw talisman directly without having to think about it.
And when he thought of Xie Lingya’s handwriting, he felt sorry for Xie Lingya. He didn’t know how long it would have taken them to paint it without Xie Lingya!
Although Xie Lingya had not converted, he was practicing the Taoism of Baoyang Temple, so he did not correct Mao Zhengqing when he called him that, “Yes.”
“As expected of Taoist Wang’s nephew, you have solid skills!” Mao Zhengqing said with emotion, “It’s a pity that we in Taihe Temple don’t have such young talents. But we are all in Qiyang, so we can interact more in the future.”
He looked at Xie Lingya with a look as if it was really a pity. Many people of the older generation knew that Wang Yuji had real abilities. But they didn’t know that Wang Yuji had such a nephew, and his talent in drawing talismans was so amazing.
If Xie Lingya hadn’t inherited Wang Yuji’s inheritance, he would have wanted to poach Xie Lingya. It was best for him to become a monk, but it was not bad to be a permanent layman here without becoming a monk. There were too few Taoist priests now, and even fewer were talented in this area.
Mao Zhengqing was recovering from his injuries recently and was busy with other things. So, he didn’t know about Xie Lingya’s success in selling mosquito repellent charms.
“I’m ashamed. Taihe Temple is the head of our Qiyang Taoist Association. I will definitely come here more often to ask for advice,” Xie Lingya said modestly, “By the way, what is the theme of today’s Taoism lecture?”
“Taoism?” Mao Zhengqing returned. After checking the information he received to confirm, he said: “Did you get it wrong? This is a Taoist music concert. Bands from other member units share their performance experience here. Although Baoyang Temple has not participated, I thought you would enjoy it by the way, mainly since you could get to know more of your colleagues, and we would also like to express our gratitude.”
Xie Lingya: “…”
…Alas, no wonder my uncle didn’t like to come here, the people who accompanied him at the Taoist gathering were even forming a band, which showed that they themselves were extremely poor!
….
Under the recommendation of Mao Zhengqing, Xie Lingya met with several Taoist priests from Taihe Temple. Among them, the old Taoist priest who jumped from the building was still wearing a plaster and was walking with a limp.
It was said that he was also possessed by a ghost that day and jumped off the building without anyone stopping him. Unfortunately because of his age, his muscles and bones were injured and he didn’t know how long it would take for him to recover.
The other two Taoist priests thanked Xie Lingya. They were unconscious that day and did not see Xie Lingya in the end.
Unfortunately, Temple Head Chen was still recovering from illness and did not show up. They had claimed to the outside world that Chen Sansheng was ill and resting, but Xie Lingya knew in his heart that he was injured after losing the fight, which probably had severely damaged his vitality.
“What about the teacher’s wife?” Xie Lingya asked again.
Mao Zhengqing said calmly: “She was already at the end of her strength that day, and she even drove the walking corpse. Not long after she was brought back, she died. The couple were also famous in Boshan Province in their early years. Later, they were involved in some dirty things for a wealthy businessman, and something went wrong, so they were kicked out of Boshan. In order to make more money quickly, they started casting spells on people.”
Raising ghosts and zombies was risky, but she still raised a powerful ghost, so she died soon after being detained. Although in such a case, one’s strength was greatly increased, the evil ghost may counterattack at any time. What she did was quite high-risk. If you often walk by the river, it’s impossible for your shoes to not get wet.
Xie Lingya nodded. If it were him, he would rather draw mosquito repellent charms worth twenty yuan a piece…
During the concert, members of the Taihe Temple Taoist Orchestra not only demonstrated the Taoist classic “Tao Te Ching” but also performed a few popular songs they rehearsed in their free time which made Xie Lingya feel envious.
Damn it, in the future he will form a Baoyang Temple band, and they will play “Little Jumping Frog” for him during breaks!
Guys, ads are my only source of revenue, so please do not turn on the AdBlock when you are accessing this website…. Thank you, this would be a great help…
You can buy me a ko-fi and sponsor a chapter on: https://ko-fi.com/midnightrambles
Or become a Patron or access advance chapters on: https://www.patreon.com/bePatron?u=45665005
If you support me, I would be able to provide more chapters….
Previous • Table of Contents • Next