Aunt Chen is back from the world of cultivation

More than ten days have passed in a flash, and now it is the first day of March.

According to the custom of temples and Taoist temples, devout believers will come to burn incense on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month.

On such a big day, the pilgrims at Cihang Temple naturally would not want to be absent.

Unless there is something extremely urgent, people will take time out to burn incense.

Otherwise, if everyone else goes and you don’t, wouldn’t it seem that you are not pious?

They can't become stepping stones to set off others.

Not only should you go, but you should be the first one to go!

Who would have thought that not only they thought so, but others did too.

Everyone is striving to perform.

Some people set out before dawn, and when they arrived at the foot of Cihang Temple at 9:00 p.m., they found that their carriages were blocked.

There is no other reason. There is only one road leading to Cihang Temple from the city, and the open space outside Cihang Temple where carriages can be parked is only this big.

These wealthy families always bring a large group of people with them whenever they go out.

There was one car for the master, one car for the servants who could not ride a horse, and several guards on horseback. In addition to the offerings, another car was also required for other gifts prepared for the abbot of Cihang Temple and the female Taoists.

Although they sent such things several times, Cihang Temple never confiscated them.

But what if.

What if this time it hits the Taoist priests’ heart.

What if the temple master recognizes them this time and is willing to accept their extra offerings like he did with the Qin family's things?

In short, Cihang Temple can choose not to accept them, but they cannot choose not to take them with them.

As a result, each family had two or three carriages and a few horses, and those who arrived earlier quickly occupied the open space outside the Cihang Temple for parking carriages and horses.

Those who came later could only park their carriages and horses on the road outside the open space, and those behind them followed suit.

Mrs. Liu, from the richest family in Nandu, was the last one to arrive.

She also wanted to be the first to burn incense today.

However, the weather has been warm and cold these days, and she accidentally caught a cold a few days ago and has been sick for the past few days.

When I got up today, I felt dizzy and coughed non-stop. I almost couldn't get up.

The maidservants told her not to go, and that they, the servants, would deliver the offerings to the shrine as a token of their regard.

Mrs. Liu has always been a very strong-willed person. Recently, she has been offering sacrifices to the Cihang Temple together with the wife of the president and several other wives of wealthy businessmen, vying with each other to show their courtesy.

After arguing for so long, I have already developed a determination to surpass everyone else.

Today is the first day of the new year since they started worshipping Master Cihang.

If you go, you may not be regarded as a devout believer, but if you don’t go, you will definitely be considered not devout enough.

Thinking that if she didn't go today, not only would she not be able to take the lead, but she would also be the worst performer among everyone, she suddenly felt a surge of strength.

Of course, this strength was only enough to support her to finish washing and climb into the carriage.

Leaning against the car, I felt listless again. I couldn't even sit still and had to lie down.

After a bumpy ride, we finally arrived at the foot of Cihang Temple, but the driver reported:

"Madam, the road ahead is completely blocked by carriages and horses. I'm afraid we'll have to walk the rest of the way."

Madam Liu lifted the curtain and saw that there were at least a dozen carriages and twenty to thirty horses in front of her, occupying a road more than a hundred meters long, making it impossible for the carriage to pass through.

She couldn't help but feel a little annoyed at herself for not thinking it through.

If I had thought of this earlier, I should have brought a sedan chair or a strong maid.

"Madam, let me carry you on my back!"

The head nanny beside her said attentively.

Mrs. Liu flatly refused.

Her nanny was originally a maidservant by her side. She had never done any heavy work and did not have enough strength.

Especially since there was a long flight of stairs before entering the Taoist temple, if she fell down she would probably lose half her life, so she didn't dare to take the risk.

Looking at all the maids and nannies brought today, none of them is strong enough.

There was no other choice but to ask someone to help me walk up.

It’s okay on normal days, this distance is nothing.

But Madam Liu was already very weak today, and after climbing a long flight of stairs, she broke out in a sweat when she entered the temple.

After worshipping in the front hall, she went to the main hall. The open space in the middle was all open to the sky. When the cold mountain wind blew, she shivered involuntarily.

When I walked outside the main hall, I saw Taoist Huiyun being surrounded by several ladies and talking to them.

Seeing her coming, Taoist Huiyun took a quick look at her and nodded.

Mrs. Liu also quickly forced a smile.

However, she did not go up to talk to him.

If you enter a temple and don't burn incense and worship first, but instead chat around, wouldn't that be disrespectful?

Madam Liu forced herself to offer the five elements offerings she had brought with her in the main hall, and then went to other halls to worship.

After all the busy work, I felt dizzy and could hardly stand. The cough, which was not serious at first, became more frequent.

The nanny who was supporting her was very worried:

"In just a short while, Madam's condition has worsened! Alas, I told you that I shouldn't have come here, but you didn't listen! Now that it's so serious, what should I do?"

"Let's get in the car and go home to call a doctor to come and take a look!"

No wonder she was nervous.

You know, in this era, if you catch a cold and it gets serious, it will be difficult to cure and it can even be fatal.

Madam Liu refused. Even though she was very weak and coughed frequently, she still insisted:

"Ahem... help me get to the main hall. I want to talk to Taoist Priest Huiyun!"

She came here with great difficulty, but she didn't even have the chance to say a word. It was like a wasted trip.

No matter how uncomfortable she felt, she would force herself to say a few words before leaving.

Taoist Priest Huiyun was still surrounded by many wealthy and noble ladies. When he saw her coughing, he pushed the crowd away and walked out of the crowd, saying in a gentle tone:

"What happened to Shanxin? Why does he look so pale?"

Mrs. Liu was a little flattered. She didn't expect to receive Taoist Master Huiyun's active care today.

She immediately felt that this trip was worth it!

He pulled himself together and said:

"I caught a cold a few days ago, so I feel a little unwell. Thank you for your concern, Taoist priest!"

As he spoke he started coughing again.

The rest of the people hurriedly stepped back, only Taoist Huiyun didn't even frown, and still ordered:

"Someone, bring a chair to this believer."

Immediately, Kun Dao, who was accompanying the attendant, went to the main hall and brought a chair.

Everyone immediately looked at Mrs. Liu with envy.

Even the Qin family, who are devout believers, have never had a chair in this front hall.

Mrs. Liu also felt honored. After thanking him, she sat down.

As soon as she sat down, she saw Taoist Huiyun looking at her with a gentle gaze that contained a hint of intimacy and satisfaction. He said:

"The believer came to worship in person even though he was so seriously ill. His sincerity is truly commendable."

"The devout believers of my Cihang Temple are plagued by illness. It would be ridiculous to tell others about it!"

There was a hint of arrogance in these words, but no one thought it was wrong.

Hearing this, the ladies' heartbeats quickened.

Especially the wives of wealthy businessmen who had just become pilgrims to Cihang Temple a few days ago, all said in their hearts:

No, no, no.

Could it be that they came so early but it was all in vain? It was Mrs. Liu who arrived the latest and was the first to be recognized by the devout believers!

From what Taoist Priest Huiyun said, does she still want the abbot to treat her?

Just as I was thinking this, I saw Taoist Master Huiyun take out a white porcelain bottle from the sleeve of his Taoist robe, open it and hand it to Madam Liu:

"This is the elixir made by the temple master. It can cure diseases and strengthen the body. Believers, drink it."

The surprise came so suddenly that Mrs. Liu was stunned.

It took me a while to come back to my senses, and I quickly took over:

"Thank you, Taoist Priest!"

Then he drank the nectar in the porcelain bottle in one gulp without hesitation.

Everyone was envious and stared at Mrs. Liu's reaction after drinking the elixir.

"How does it feel?" someone couldn't help but ask.

Madam Liu thought about it for a moment and said:

"It's sweet and fragrant, it's not an ordinary product! Moreover, I used to have an itchy throat when I was coughing, but as soon as I drank this dew, the itching stopped!"

This did not cause much reaction among the crowd. After all, even drinking some boiled water when coughing can temporarily relieve the itchy throat.

Mrs. Liu continued to relay her feelings to everyone:

"It feels a little warm in my stomach."

"…It's really a bit warm, it's not an illusion…"

"Aiya! My body feels warm too!"

"…I feel like I have more strength…"

About a quarter of an hour later, Mrs. Liu suddenly sneezed several times in succession, shocking everyone.

Then she wiped her nose with a handkerchief, straightened up, and was stunned for a moment, with a huge surprise gradually emerging on her face:

"It feels so good! I'm fine!"

"I recovered so quickly! I feel even better than before I got sick. I feel like I have endless energy!"