Chapter 1: A Little Taoist Priest with Mediocre Talent
"Master, there are only 13,546 pieces of paper money left in the temple. You should save some money there..."
"Today is your birthday, so I'll burn more for you."
In the simple ancestral hall, only one candle, only as thick as a thumb and as long as a knuckle, was lit next to the shoddy tablet. The flames were as big as soybeans and could not even illuminate the words on the tablet.
Jiang Chou took out two pieces of dark yellow paper money from the sleeves of his Taoist robe and went to the candle.
After a pause, he took back another one.
"Just burn a whole one, it's already three times the usual amount!"
Seeing the flames of the candle licking the edge of the paper money, and the paper money burning into ashes and curling up into the sky, Jiang Chou's eyes that were countless times brighter than the candle flashed with a trace of physical pain. He carefully folded another piece of paper money and put it into his sleeve, and stepped back.
He took two steps and bowed respectfully to the memorial tablet in the darkness.
His expression was very sincere.
"Master, happy birthday."
Burning paper money with candles is really not in line with the rules, but just burning a piece of paper money and creating a personalized gold bucket seems a bit unnecessary.
Such a waste……
The moment Jiang Chou kowtowed and raised his head, the first hint of white fish belly appeared on the horizon, and the faint sound of roosters crowing in the villages at the foot of the mountain could be heard in the distance.
Jiang Chou narrowed his eyes, rushed towards the memorial tablet, inhaled and puffed out his chest, blowing out the candles with great courage...
"Very good, I can still use it for two more days. Candles are a powerful consumable in the temple, so I have to save them..."
Jiang Chou nodded with satisfaction.
With a "squeak", Jiang Chou walked out of the ancestral hall. Even at dawn, the outside was much brighter than the inside of the ancestral hall.
The morning light shone on the handsome face of the young Taoist priest, like a clear spring reflecting the dim light, and like stars lighting up again.
The whole world seemed to be awakening because of him.
In addition, he has a slender figure, and he wears a well-fitting blue robe that is lightly belted around his waist, creating a perfect waistline.
He has a handsome appearance.
…
Jiang Chou's soul is not from this world. He traveled here after death and became the son of an ordinary family in Xiaqinghe County, Suling County, Yangzhou, ancient Huang Kingdom.
When he was seven years old, his cheap parents in this world died in an accidental fire, and he was saved by a wandering Taoist who happened to be passing by.
It was also that night that the great panic and fear made him awaken Su Hui and know his identity in his previous life.
After that, he followed the Yunyou Taoist back to this simple Taoist temple called Xiao Qingguan and became a little Taoist priest.
In the blink of an eye, eleven years have passed by.
A year ago, the old Taoist priest who treated him like a father passed away, leaving him with only a shabby temple, a Taoist robe, and a mahogany sword.
Oh, the old Taoist has been teaching him how to practice. After all, there are demons and ghosts in this world. Not to mention self-defense, Taoist priests always have to help people exorcise evil spirits, right?
At first, Jiang Chou had the ambition to seek immortality and go against the will of heaven. However, after practicing "Tai Shang Induction" for a year or two, he didn't feel anything at all, so he had to accept his fate.
We are just a little Taoist priest with no cultivation qualifications. In the previous life, we died suddenly while working overtime. Why are we working so hard in this life?
Open up!
However, even though Jiang Chou was obsessed with making things worse and had not learned any of the compulsory courses for a Taoist priest such as setting up an altar, performing rituals, chanting sutras, or drawing talismans, the old Taoist priest still forced him to recite some unknown formula every day.
The nameless mantra has more than 5,000 words in total. Jiang Chou has been reciting it for ten years, countless times, and slowly, an extremely ethereal aura actually arises in his body!
Sometimes after practicing, I feel vaguely warm in my lower abdomen, thinking that I am about to enter the Qi refining period, but after peeing, everything is the same as before.
The unknown aura is completely different from the aura mentioned in the spiritual practice book. Fortunately, it has no effect on the body.
So I vowed never to dream of becoming an immortal again.
After the old Taoist priest emerged, Jiang Chou adhered to the idea of never being aggressive. He would catch the ghosts he could catch and not take the ones he couldn't beat. After a year of peace and stability, he didn't meet anyone who could resist a flat A.
The monsters are evil.
Jiang Chou warned himself: "I know my strength very well. I am nothing. This Qinghe County is just a small county. How can there be any big monsters?"
The little Taoist priest and the little ghost will walk through the world again.
Jiang Chou thought it was okay to live his life like this in this small Qingguan.
Time flies, and now it is the spring of Emperor Huangjing's fifty-third year.
…
After walking out of the ancestral hall, Jiang Chou was going to put the extra piece of paper money back and put it away. He also counted the amount of paper money again to see if it was correct.
"Um?"
Suddenly, he stopped and stared in the direction of the main hall.
The morning light in the eastern sky is getting brighter and brighter, the mountains are recovering, and the morning glow is looming.
"Dong dong dong!"
"Dong dong dong!"
A rapid and somewhat rude knock on the door suddenly sounded from the front yard, passed through the main hall, and fell into Jiang Chou's ears in the backyard.
"Is anyone there? Open the door quickly!"
Jiang Chou was stunned, thinking that someone came to offer incense so early today? But that was wrong. The residents down the mountain always respected Xiao Qingguan. How could they knock on the door so unreasonably?
…
"You are?"
Jiang Chou opened the door, looked at the three people standing outside, and narrowed his eyes slightly.
These three people are all men, and they are all wearing gray robes, but two are fat and one is thin, the fat one is very short, and the thin one is very tall.
The thin man is in the middle, and the fat man stands on both sides. Looking at this formation... it's a bit indescribable.
When the three people on the other side saw Jiang Chou, their faces were all shocked. They stared at his appearance in disbelief, and their bodies trembled, as if they had seen some magical sign.
"Are you the little Taoist priest from Xiao Qingguan?" After a long time, the egg on the left... no, the fat man on the left calmed down, folded his hands, looked Jiang Chou up and down with a pair of small eyes, and asked in a bad tone.
However, he was too mellow, and his engraved hands could not be held by his bulging chest, and from time to time his hands would fall off.
The same goes for the one on the right.
Jiang Chou squinted his eyes and didn't answer.
A look of fierceness flashed across the fat man's face on the left. Just as he was about to say something, the thin man in the middle stopped him with his hand.
"This little Taoist priest, we are from Zhongtongmen." The thin man stared at Jiang Chou, with a hint of condescension flashing in his gloomy eyes, and the words "Zhongtongmen" were dragged out very slowly.
Hearing the words "Zhongtongmen", Jiang Chou's eyes flashed with sudden realization.
The founding emperor of the Huang Kingdom was unparalleled in ancient and modern times. He not only unified the human race in the country, but even the spiritual world was under the jurisdiction of the dynasty.
It is also for this reason that the relationship between sects in today's spiritual world is somewhat deformed.
The most common relationship between sects is vassalage!
Merger among sects is prevalent, and the bigger the sect becomes, the better. If every newly established sect wants to develop smoothly, the best choice is to actively choose a sect to be attached to, and then find ways to become independent after it becomes stronger.
Although Xiaoqing Temple is small, it is also a Taoist temple registered with the Eight Classics of the Huang Dynasty, and it is the least popular kind.
Zhongtongmen is the sect that Xiaoqingguan is attached to.
It's a bit like the relationship between a parent and a subsidiary, and a bit like a boss and subordinates.
But the problem is that for a sect at the lowest level like Xiao Qing Guan, the so-called dependence is just a process. No one will notice it at all, and they don't really expect that such a small Taoist temple can receive any tribute money.
Therefore, Zhongtongmen and Xiaoqingguan have never had any intersection in the past eleven years.
Why are you here today?
"what's up?"
Even if he knew the identity of the other party, Jiang Chou had no immediate plans to let him in.
Just kidding, I have so many paper money and candles stored in my house, what if these people take advantage of them and take them away? Even if I don’t want my wealth, I can’t want the flowers and plants in the yard!
"How presumptuous! How dare you, a Taoist priest, speak to us like this?!" The fat man on the left was furious and cursed with spittle.
Jiang Chou frowned. He didn't think there was anything wrong with what he said. Then why did the other party want to be mean to me?
There must be something wrong with him.
So Jiang Chou looked at the fat man sincerely and said, "Are you sick?"
If you are sick, you need to be treated. I happen to know a doctor at the foot of the mountain who has pretty good medical skills...
Jiang Chou originally wanted to say this, but Taoist Zuo Pang obviously didn't give him this chance. After hearing the first four words, his whole face turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"The little Taoist priest is looking for a fight!"
He raised his fat hand and hit Jiang Chou with a strong wind!
A slight hazy white light appeared on the palm, and the target was aimed directly at the chest, with the intention of seriously injuring Jiang Chou on the spot! This chapter has been completed!