Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 11 Taibao (Thanks to Daidai Diandiandai Alliance!)
Yangchun Budeze, all things shine.

The sun climbed over the treetops, the green mist of Fuzi Mountain dissipated, and Zhou Yi's left hand was still holding the letter.

While thinking, his right hand inadvertently shook the pine branch sticking out beside him, and the dew on the tip fell down in surprise.

The sound of footsteps could be heard.

The little Taoist boy popped his head out from the mountain path and said, "Brother, Third Brother Zhang and Fourth Brother Feng have gone to pass on the message, but the other Taoists are scattered all over Yongqiu. I'm afraid it will take three to five days for them to return.

In the morning, the two visitors to Cao's residence did not linger, but rode away on horseback down the mountain.

Yan Qiu wiped the sweat from his nose and said with a smile, "Xia Shu opened the gift box and found a lot of medicinal herbs inside. She showed it to Mr. Zong in the warehouse and he said they were high-quality medicines of good quality. They are really generous."

Generous indeed.

But if we satisfy their wishes, it will be a win-win situation.

Zhou Yi looked down at the foot of the mountain. He didn't make any promises, but he fully expressed his goodwill.

At least from the perspective of Yue Sigui and Cao Chengyun, Taiping Dao was very interested in Li Mi.

That's enough
It seems that Yue Sigui is Li Mi's die-hard supporter, and the second son of the Cao family is influenced by the bad company he keeps. Fortunately, Old Master Cao has a keen eye and avoids a misunderstanding about the Cao family.

Otherwise, these greetings would probably be regarded as favors from Li Mi.

Cao Yue and the other two were very purposeful. They had to be wary of their exaggerations, but they also dared not ignore them.

"Senior brother, senior brother"

Zhou Yi was lost in thought, and Yan Qiu called out to him twice.

Zhou Yi then walked over and patted him on the shoulder, and walked towards the warehouse while talking.

Xia Shu was asking a few helpers to move groceries and organize preaching tools.

Don't underestimate her young age. As the saying goes, a motherless child is protected by heaven. Growing up with Jiao Wuzi, she has been influenced by him and is more sensible and clever than ordinary children.

The Taoist boy in the poor Taoist temple has to take charge early.

With others present, Xia Shu leaned over and whispered, "Brother, do we also need to pack the small plaques, gauze-covered lanterns, red ropes and colorful banners and other small items over at the altar?"

"Pretend," Zhou Yi said as a matter of course, "How can I let down the guy who's eating?"

The girl seemed to have just woken up from a dream, her eyes wide open, looking very cute.

"Are we going to escape disaster?"

Yan Qiu on the side looked at his senior brother in panic.

Zhou Yi did not deny it: "Senior Brother, let me tell you another truth. This is called preparing for a rainy day. It is better to be prepared for any eventuality."

"As for 'escaping disaster', there's no need to make it sound so pathetic."

He had his own explanation, half jokingly:

"During the Warring States Period, Mencius' mother moved three times to find a better place for him to grow up. The reason we left Confucius Mountain one day was simply because people like the Hunyuan Sect were polluting the martial arts world in Yongqiu, and we were afraid that you two little kids would be influenced by them, so we moved."

"It's not that I, the Taiping Dao, am afraid of anyone, am I right?"

Xia Shu and Yan Qiu were originally feeling uneasy, as children's emotions come and go very quickly, and now they were amused again.

"Brother, you are absolutely right!" Erwa said in unison.

Zhou Yi hummed in satisfaction, "Prepare more hardworking herbs these days, grind them up and fill the medicine bags."

The two little Taoist boys nodded immediately.

This job can only be done by them, no one else in the temple can do it.

For example, to practice Iron Shirt Kung Fu, one needs medicines such as Astragalus, Gastrodia elata, Cinnabar, Monkey Bone, and Wumingyi. The amount of these medicines is a secret in the recipe and is not disclosed.

Any slight mistake or omission will greatly reduce the effect.

Not to mention that there is a big difference between soaking it in wine and washing it with the skin.

External Kung Fu is inherently exhausting and requires external supplements. If you take the wrong medicine, your chances of mastering the horizontal training of Qi in this lifetime will be very slim.

Therefore, all the Taiping Dao disciples accepted by Jiao Wuzi were people who could only make bricks, scoop sand, and pull stone locks.

His bladder muscles rippled and his gluteal muscles were as hard as millstones.

Although they were only nominal disciples, these disciples who practiced hard skills also benefited from Jiao Wuzi.

Those who are truly sincere and come to worship the mountain are often ordinary people.

It is said that when a country prospers, the people suffer; when a country perishes, the people suffer.

Zhou Yi couldn't help but look at the incense burning at the altar. The wisps of smoke were a vague comfort to those suffering in troubled times.
It was the fifth day after Mu Dao Ren was defeated and fled to Yang'e.

The spring thunder rumbles like drums in the sky.

Mole crickets and earthworms swarmed among the ridges of the fields at the foot of Fuzi Mountain, bringing with them the fishy smell of fresh mud.

Zhou Yi stood in the Tianshi Hall in front of the altar of the Taiping Taoist Temple, looking at the spring rain falling from the sky like fine cow hair.

Taoist monasteries emphasize the "permanent presence of bells and boards" to summon Taoists, tell time, and arrange daily affairs.

The Taiping Dao follows the rules and obeys them naturally.

Seeing that the time was almost up, Zhou Yi rang the bronze bell in front of the statue of Huang Tianshen in the Tianshi Temple.

This bell not only symbolizes gathering people, but also implies that "when the bell sounds, all demons will be restrained."

"Boom~!"

The sound of the bell echoed, and Zhou Yi sat cross-legged on a cushion, his back to the living beings and facing the statue of Huang Laoer.

A large number of footsteps were heard outside the hall.

Xia Shu and Yan Qiu, two little Taoist boys, led the way, with a jungle of muscles behind them, creating a particularly strong contrast.

There are twenty-three students who practice hard skills, all of them are included.

Don't be fooled by their fierce appearance, they are all gentle and elegant when they enter the Tianshi Temple.

"Senior Brother~!" Xia Shu and Yan Qiu, as the true disciples of Jiao Wuzi, shouted, and then the twenty-three disciples also raised their strong arms and bowed.

“Senior Brother——!”

The big men all spoke in unison, naturally revealing the arrogance of those who had trained in martial arts.

But their expressions were solemn, and they did not dare to show any disrespect towards the back of the figure sitting in front of the statue.

The news of Cao's birthday banquet in Yangqiu spread throughout the Yongqiu martial arts world.

There were even rumors in the market that "the arrogant Mu Daoist of the Quanxing Taoist sect was barely able to withstand half the power of Zhou Tianshi of the Taiping Taoist sect."

As Taiping Dao disciples, they naturally knew the truth.

Even though the rumors are untrue, this senior brother who never shows off his true colors has finally revealed the tip of the iceberg.

The magic of peace, the stars change!
The old master has a successor!

Everyone understands why we were called here today.

The Sui army is approaching.

In the absence of the old Taoist priest, everyone was uneasy, but after the battle of Yangqiu, the backbone was clear again.

The group of Taoist priests stopped thinking, and Zhou Yi turned around and glanced at them.

Two men in military uniforms with cross collars and narrow sleeves stood up.

"Brother, there is confirmed news that the Yingyang Prefecture army has arrived to the north of Kuangcheng."

Kuangcheng is not far away, only about two hundred miles away from Yongqiu.

"Were there any delays on the way?"

"Have."

Dou Kui said, "Yuwen Chengdu's cavalry captain, You Hongda, is currently leading his men to suppress the rebel army. These rebels are Sun Xuanya's followers. They were recently routed by Zhang Xutuo and I don't think they can hold out for long."

It’s Zhang Xutuo again.

I really admire Zhou Yike.

He glanced at Dou Kui and remembered Feng Si saying that he had taken Old Li to see a doctor a few days ago, so he asked:

"Where did you get your news from?"

"I bought them all from the Ju Kun Gang," Dou Kui said, his heart aching. "The Ju Kun Gang's intelligence agent was truly cunning and treacherous. I don't know how he knew I was from the Taiping Daoist Temple, but he just asked for exorbitant amounts of money."

"I spent three taels of gold to buy this piece of news."

Zhou Yi felt pained after hearing this.

At that time, one tael of gold could be exchanged for thirty pieces of silk, and one piece of silk could be exchanged for six dou of rice according to the grain price on the canal, or an iron sword could be purchased at the Heyang foundry.

It’s dark, so dark!
He ate more than 500 dou of rice from Taipingdao in one bite. If that's not a huge mouthful, then what is it?

The Jukun Gang, this name is not wrong.

Like the Baling Gang, the Jukun Gang is one of the Eight Gangs and Ten Associations, and its main business is selling intelligence.

Those who sell intelligence must be trustworthy, so the information brought by Dou Kui is still reliable.

"There's more, let's continue."

Three taels of gold can't possibly contain just this much.

"The scout said he saw Sui soldiers conscripting men along the way, pushing ox carts loaded with supplies, heading towards Jiyang."

After hearing this, Zhou Yi suddenly felt that the three taels of gold were worth it.

As the saying goes, before the soldiers and horses move, food and grass go first.

If the Yingyangfu army wanted to come to Yongqiu, they should head towards Chenliu.

If you go to Jiyang, then to Waihuang, and then to Yongqiu, isn't that a detour?
You are such a good Yue Sigui, you are telling lies.

Zhou Yi looked stern.

The monks around were very familiar with the area around Yongqiu, and they all heard something was wrong.

Feng Si and Zhang Cheng came up immediately:
"Brother, the Yingyang Army chose this route, doesn't that mean they are unlikely to reach Yongqiu?"

Zhang Cheng, who was standing by, also said, "I think so too. There's no reason for a large army to cross a river during its march."

Zhou Yi didn't say anything and paced a few steps in the hall.

Everyone was silent, waiting for him to make a decision.

Everyone put down their current tasks and gathered together. If the Yingyang Mansion Army did not come, they could not give up the Taiping Taoist Temple's business outside.

"Let's not draw any conclusions yet."

Zhou Yi didn't dare to be careless, "You two, get the medicine bags."

"Yes." Yan Qiuxiashu responded and left.

He said to the monks, "Don't leave the mountain yet. Go get your own medicine. For the next half month, external rituals and sermons will be suspended. The time for believers to visit the mountain and pray will be reduced to half."

"During this time, everyone has been practicing in the dojo, and they are always surrounded by weapons."

Although everyone had doubts, they all answered "yes".

Zhou Yi's frown softened slightly, and he announced another piece of news:
"Once this matter is settled, I will select a few people from among the Taoist priests to be placed on the Dao Plate, also known as Taibao. This means the protectors and guardians of the Taiping Dao."

"When the master returns, I will teach you the Dharma of fate and the essential scriptures of our sect to nourish your inner spirit."

Everyone was delighted after hearing this.

"Thank you, senior brother!"

……

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(End of this chapter)