Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Xie Lingya pretended not to see it, stood in front of Sisi, and teased her with his two bandaged hands.
After tea was served, Father Xie, Father Shi, and Mother Shi sat facing each other and chatted about the weather. They all understood each other’s feelings. Father Xie was the first to bring it up because he was genuinely a little confused, “You two don’t have any objections to the relationship between the two children?”
He had thought that Taoist priests would be more rigid, especially since Father Shi looked dignified and had a long beard, like an antique from some mountain. He was surprised that he accepted it so well.
It seemed that Mr. Shi had been waiting for him to ask. He straightened his back and solemnly said, “This all starts with the ‘Tao’.”
Mr. Xie: “??”
Mrs. Shi also nodded, “That’s right. Taoism emphasizes the great harmony of Yin and Yang. What is Yin? What is Yang? In fact, the concept of Yin and Yang is very broad. Look, if you stretch out your hand, the back of your hand is Yin, and the palm is Yang. Male and female, female is Yin, male is Yang. But, these are all relative. Without Yin, where would Yang come from? Isolated Yin or isolated Yang cannot last!”
Mr. Shi naturally continued, “From another perspective, it’s like same-sex love is Yin, and heterosexual love is Yang. This is also Yin and Yang. Furthermore, the Tao is invisible. The purpose of cultivating the mind is to transcend worldly affairs and not be burdened by worldly matters…”
The two of them chatted with Mr. Xie for another hour, leaving him dumbfounded. At first, he could barely understand, but later he simply couldn’t understand anymore. He had used up all his wisdom, and his buttocks were also sore, so he had to keep giving Xie Lingya meaningful glances. Whether Xie Lingya was feigning it or not, he looked completely absorbed, as if he were listening to profound Taoist teachings, nodding earnestly as he listened, completely oblivious to his father’s hints.
Song Jing couldn’t bear it any longer and said dryly, “Old Xie still needs to apply his medicine. Let’s talk again after dinner tonight.”
“Yes, I still need to apply my medicine,” Father Xie quickly stood up.
Father Shi, still wanting to say more, patted his shoulder and said, “Then we’ll talk about it later. I always thought like father, like son. Your understanding in this area should be no less than Xie’s. Let’s continue our conversation later.”
Father Xie was completely bewildered. Even after leaving the room, he still didn’t understand the question he wanted to ask, because the answer seemed to involve profound Taoist principles…
With Father Shi and mother “involving” him, Xie Lingya wasn’t bothered by his father again. The next day, Chairman Dai of the Provincial Taoist Association also came to Baoyang Temple in person, bringing with him someone Xie Lingya didn’t recognize.
After politely greeting them, Xie Lingya waited for Chairman Dai to introduce him.
Chairman Dai smiled slightly, “This is Director Liu from your Zhuyang Municipal Government.”
Xie Lingya was momentarily stunned. Chairman Dai hadn’t specified which department Director Liu belonged to, but his heart pounded, as if he had a premonition.
The next second, Director Liu took out a document from his briefcase and said, “This is a draft agreement we’ve prepared. Mr. Xie, please take a look. If you have any comments, please raise them, and we’ll discuss it further.”
Xie Lingya opened the cover. The first line of the first page clearly stated: Agreement Regarding the Expansion Project of Baoyang Temple.
There were also some particularly eye-catching keywords: several phases of construction within five years, an investment of tens of millions, to complete the entire expansion project, followed by a long list of rights and obligations of both parties. It stipulated that the temple’s manager would be selected by Party B, Party A would handle the appointment procedures, the temple’s management rights would be inherited by Party B, and Party A would supervise, etc…
In short, Xie Lingya was sitting in the Taoist temple, waiting for the government’s support!
He had previously inquired and worked on this matter, but later realized it wasn’t something that could be done overnight. Plus, he needed to review his notes to deal with the Son of Youdu, so he hadn’t prioritized it. Now, it had come to him of its own accord— how could he not be overjoyed?
Xie Lingya was delighted for a while before regaining his composure. “Well, but… isn’t the requirement quite high?”
Director Liu smiled slightly. “Actually, we’ve been paying attention to Baoyang Temple for a while now, and we’ve collected data from tourists and even from Chinese believers. In the past two years, Baoyang Temple’s influence has greatly increased, and it has great potential for development. And…” He paused, his expression suddenly becoming serious, and said, “There are some things we can’t see, but we know them, and we’ll remember them.”
Xie Lingya understood this subtle hint, and his heart stirred slightly. Although what they had done couldn’t be made public, and their initial intention wasn’t to seek rewards, this was undoubtedly a great affirmation.
After carefully reading the agreement and confirming all the terms, Xie Lingya, as the person in charge, formally signed the agreement with the government.
“Uncle, I’ll burn you a copy. Keep it for yourself.” Xie Lingya burned a copy of the agreement and contract for Wang Yuji. His fingers were weak, and Shi Changxuan had an injured arm, so he used his other hand to light the fire.
The two sat on the ground, and the smoke slowly rose, transforming into the image of Wang Yuji.
He nodded in satisfaction and said, “The ancestors of all generations will be comforted now.”
“Uncle, you’ve come.” Xie Lingya’s eyes lit up.
“Alright, I know what you’re going to say,” Wang Yuji said. “I’ve already inquired in the underworld; Wu Liang’s lifespan is increased just enough to make up for the last loss.”
Xie Lingya clasped his hands in a fist salute… of course, it wasn’t visible from the outside; it was just two rice dumplings huddled together.
Wang Yuji smiled and said, “And then there are your two Reporting Gods.”
The two Reporting Gods perked up. “Hmm?”
Wang Yuji continued, “These two Reporting Gods follow you, doing good deeds and accumulating merit. If nothing unexpected happens, in three years, the Phytolacca God will have achieved perfect merit and be reincarnated as a human. Liu Lingtong’s anger leaked, which delayed things a little, so it will be a year later, but still a human. They are all registered. You must continue to carefully worship them these next few years, and don’t let anything go wrong.”
Although it sounded like self-praise, Wang Yuji still wanted to say that these two Reporting Gods were very lucky to have followed his nephew and disciple. Many Reporting Gods would report trivial matters and engage in petty theft, which would make their merit eventually fizzle out. And even if they were reincarnated, it wasn’t certain they had accumulated enough merit to be reborn as humans.
Xie Lingya was so excited he almost shouted, grabbing Liu Lingtong and kissing him, “Little cutie, did you hear that?”
Liu Lingtong was dizzy and began to sob. Compared to Phytolacca God, a primordial wood spirit who had never experienced being human, the soul within it had been human, and its vague memories told it how wonderful it was to be human.
Phytolacca God also wailed. Although there were still three years left, it was already reluctant to part with Xie Lingya. “Xie Lingya, you have to come find me…”
Xie Lingya asked, “Uncle, can I know which family they will be reborn into?”
“How can I reveal things recorded in the Book of Underworld?” Wang Yuji immediately said, but seeing his nephew’s pleading look, he coughed a few times and said, “At most, I can only tell you that their future mother has a heart-shaped mole on her palm.”
Xie Lingya was overjoyed. “Thank you, Uncle!”
Shi Changxuan tugged at Xie Lingya and gave him a look. He immediately realized what she meant and turned around sharply, saying, “Damn, their future mother, will these two be reborn into the same family?”
Wang Yuji didn’t seem to intend to answer and whistled as he turned into a puff of white smoke. After seeing Wang Yuji off, Xie Lingya, still beaming with joy, went out with Shi Changxuan, only to find Ning Wanlai standing in the courtyard with a girl. Ning Wanlai greeted Xie Lingya immediately, saying, “Teacher Xie, I’ve come to visit you! How are you feeling?”
“Thank you, I’m much better,” Xie Lingya replied casually. “Cheng Xin didn’t come? Is this your girlfriend?”
Ning Wanlai quickly shook his head. “No, this is my sister. She’s been seeing some evil spirits lately and wanted to come and burn incense. But the temple is closed for renovations, so I took her through the back door.”
He felt a little speechless; he himself was a ghost, but because matters of the underworld couldn’t be easily revealed, only his parents knew. His cousin had recently contacted him, and he only then learned that she had seen several ghosts. Moreover, seeing the flicker in his eyes, he suspected his cousin knew about the ghostly presence associated with him. The two of them tacitly understood, and he brought his cousin to Baoyang Temple.
“Oh, little sister,” Xie Lingya smiled kindly at the girl. “I’ll get you some talismans. Go offer some incense, and if you need anything else, just come find me.”
The girl thanked him politely. Xie Lingya rummaged around with his hands, which were wrapped up, for a while before pulling out several neatly folded talismans and handing them to Ning Wanlai’s cousin. Seeing that he was having trouble, and out of respect, the girl quickly accepted them with both hands. Xie Lingya immediately noticed a small heart-shaped mole on the girl’s palm and froze. Could it be such a coincidence? A heart-shaped mole on her palm? The girl didn’t notice his odd behavior and carefully put the talismans away. She then asked how much he wanted.
“No need, no need. Your brother and we’re quite familiar with each other. They’re yours,” Xie Lingya said, still somewhat stunned, staring at the girl.
The girl was a little embarrassed. Then seeing that Xie Lingya and Shi Changxuan both had wooden dolls on their shoulders, she had a sudden inspiration. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out two small outfits, saying, “These are handmade by me, you can have them.”
Ning Wanlai smiled and said, “My sister usually sells these in shops. She has a regular partnership with shops in the university town. Aren’t they exquisite?”
” …”
Xie Lingya took the two small outfits, sighing inwardly. It was all fate. The girl, guided by Zhang Daoting, entered the Lingguan Hall. Xie Lingya turned to Shi Changxuan and said, “Just now, I saw a heart-shaped mole on her palm.”
He then heard Liu Lingtong exclaim “Oh!”, clearly having not noticed it before. Shi Changxuan was also somewhat surprised, looking at the girl’s back. Xie Lingya pinched the clothes in his hand with his thumb and couldn’t help but smile, “I think my little darling and little cutie will live a very happy life in the future.”
Shi Changxuan was also moved. He hoped that they would have a happy life after their reincarnation. Xie Lingya murmured, “But then, who will sing ‘Little Jumping Frog’ for me in the future…”
Shi Changxuan: “…………”
The Phytolacca God burst into tears: “I won’t reincarnate! I’ll sing it for you, I’ll sing it for you ahhh!!”
Shi Changxuan couldn’t bear it any longer, so he took off the Phytolacca God and stuffed it into his pocket. Then under Xie Lingya’s shocked gaze, he leaned close to his ear and sang in his clear, cold voice: “It’s a little jumping frog, crossing the blue Atlantic Ocean, jumping to the distant East, jumping to our side, spring, summer, autumn, winter, we are the best partners, kissing it will make things different…”
He then lowered his head and gently kissed Xie Lingya.
-End of text-
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