The Age of Discovery: Chinese cuisine swept across Europe

Baiyun Temple is located in Xicheng, not far away. Emperor Jiajing was keen on alchemy and Taoism, and Baiyun Temple was very popular because of its geographical advantage. However, Emperor Longqing cracked down on alchemists, which also affected the reputation of Taoism, and Baiyun Temple fell into decline.

Min Xi parked the carriage outside the mountain gate and entered Baiyun Temple alone. It was a quiet place, covering a large area, but it was hard to see people. Min Xi walked around the big screen wall inside the mountain gate, passed through the somewhat faded archway, and saw several golden ginkgo trees. It was the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, the most beautiful season of the year for ginkgo trees, and a layer of golden leaves fell on the ground.

An old Taoist priest, whose hair was so sparse that it could barely hold a hairpin, was bending over and picking up something under a ginkgo tree.

Min Xi walked over and said, "Excuse me, Taoist priest, what are you doing?"

The old Taoist priest stood up and was almost as tall as Yunlin. He was very short. He had a three-goat beard and looked like an immortal. He glanced at Min Xi and said, "Pick up the ginkgo nuts."

Min Xi asked, "What are you going to do with it?"

"Making medicine. You come to burn incense? Go that way!" The old Taoist pointed in a direction.

Min Xi thought about it and said, "So the Taoist priest knows medicine, then can he make pills?"

When the old Taoist heard him say that, he threw away the ginkgo in his hand and glared at Min Xi: "Who are you? You come here to find someone to make an elixir, but no one here knows how to make an elixir. If you're not here to burn incense, leave now."

Min Xi quickly said, "Master, I'm here to burn incense."

"Then go and burn your incense!" The old Taoist priest seemed to have a bad temper.

Min Xi also knew that Taoism was different from other religions. Other religions advised people to endure hardships in this life and enjoy happiness in the next life, but Taoism never fought internally and emphasized retribution in this life. So he had to go burn incense first and then look for an opportunity to inquire.

When he walked to the main hall, he suddenly remembered that the imperial court was cracking down on Taoist alchemists, and the Taoists would certainly not easily reveal that they could make alchemy, so it might not be easy to find a Taoist who could make alchemy.

After burning the incense, Min Xi walked around the various halls of Baiyun Temple. He met more Taoists than pilgrims. It seems that the incense is not very popular.

Min Xi said to a middle-aged Taoist priest who was copying scriptures in a hall at the back: "Master, I want to perform a ritual for Xian Kaobi, but I don't know how to do it?"

The middle-aged Taoist priest put down his pen and looked at Min Xi: "When is the date? Where do you live?"

Min Xi thought that the day after tomorrow was a holiday, so Bai Nian said, "Then let's do it the day after tomorrow. My family lives in the Yun family in Xicheng District, Jixiang Street. Do I need to make any preparations?"

The middle-aged Taoist priest said, "Please prepare some fruit and vegetable offerings, buy some incense, paper money, etc. We will send a Taoist priest to perform the ritual at your home when the time comes."

Min Xi added, "Someone in my family is not feeling well, and I would like to ask a Taoist priest who knows medicine to come and see him. Is there a Taoist priest who is proficient in medicine in the temple?"

The middle-aged Taoist nodded: "Yes, we will go together when the time comes."

"Do you need me to pay some deposit first?" Min Xi asked.

"Just pay fifty wen as a deposit, and the rest will be given after the ritual is performed."

"Okay. I don't have enough copper coins, but silver will be fine, right?" Min Xi took out his purse, took out a piece of silver and handed it to the Taoist priest. He also had copper coins on him, but no more than fifty cents. After all, hanging dozens of copper coins around his waist would be quite heavy and very inconvenient.

"Silver is fine too." The other party took the silver and led Min Xi to the front hall, where there was a Taoist priest who was responsible for these matters and a scale to weigh the silver. The Taoist priest put the silver on the scale to measure the weight, recorded the amount, and also wrote down Min Xi's name and address.

Min Xi asked the middle-aged Taoist priest who was leading the way, "May I ask what your name is, Taoist priest?"

"I am a poor Taoist, Dan Yangzi."

When Min Xi heard this Taoist name, which was related to elixir, he wondered if he could make elixir, so he asked, "Master, will you be the one to come?"

Dan Yangzi said: "It depends on the arrangement of the temple master. It could be me or another Taoist priest. No matter who goes, they are all professionals."

Min Xi nodded and said goodbye and left.

When he was leaving, the old Taoist priest he had met earlier came in with a handful of sour and smelly ginkgo nuts. Seeing Min Xi's back, he asked, "What is he doing here?"

Dan Yangzi said, "He invited us to his house to perform a ritual."

"When?"

"the day after tomorrow."

"How much deposit did you receive?"

"Two taels of silver."

The old Taoist priest said, "It seems he is a rich man."

Dan Yangzi said again: "Master, he said that there is a patient at home and he wants to ask a Taoist priest with good medical skills to take a look."

The old Taoist frowned: "Did he ask you about alchemy?"

Dan Yangzi shook his head: "No."

The old Taoist priest said, "I will go with you then to see what this guy is up to."

Min Xi didn't know that the old Taoist priest he met after entering Baiyun Temple was the temple's abbot Qingfengzi, whose medical skills were indeed quite good.

After returning home, Min Xi told Yun Ji about his experience of going to the Taoist temple to look for someone. Yun Ji looked at him and asked, "You invited someone to your home to perform a ritual in order to find someone who can make an elixir?"

"Yes. Why not do it for your parents?" Min Xi said.

Yun Ji said, "After I came back, I asked someone to perform a ritual. Do it for your parents. When they passed away, Min Jiu was still very young. He didn't know anything and certainly didn't do it. Now is a good opportunity to make it up to them."

Min Xi scratched his head: "Do it at your house? Wouldn't that be inappropriate? Otherwise, let's go to my yard."

"There's no need. This is your home too. We have a relationship, and your parents are also my parents. Shouldn't it be right for them to perform a ritual here?" Yun Ji looked at him with a smile.

Min Xi smiled: "Okay then."

Yun Ji asked again: "Then how can you find someone who can make pills? Get close to him first?"

"Yes, let's get familiar with it first and understand the situation. In order to find someone who might be able to make an elixir, I told them that someone in my family is not feeling well and needs someone who knows medicine to take a look. They should send someone who knows medicine when the time comes. I think someone who knows medicine might be able to make an elixir."

Yun Ji looked at Min Xi and asked, "Who is not feeling well?"

Min Xi thought for a moment and said, "Aunt Qu! Doesn't she always complain of chest tightness and shortness of breath? When the time comes, you can invite her over and let the Taoist priest take a look at her."

Aunt Qu was the wife of Uncle Zhong. Yun Ji had always felt guilty about Uncle Zhong's death. After returning, he took good care of his family and bought a house for them to settle down. The two families were quite close. Aunt Qu used to be an old servant in this house, so she would often come to the Yun family. Min Xi was quite familiar with her.

Yun Ji thought about it and said, "Okay."

On the day of rest, Min Xi and Yun Ji got up early to prepare fruits, vegetables, and three animals for sacrifice. After breakfast, the Taoist priests from Baiyun Temple arrived. They were the old Taoist priests that Min Xi had been dealing with and Dan Yangzi.

As soon as Qing Fengzi entered the Yun family, he knew that this family was wealthy and powerful. He did not ask many questions and performed the ritual first as agreed.

Min Xi didn't believe in ghosts and gods at first, but his own situation was indeed weird, so he had to believe in them even if he didn't want to. He had to be sincere when performing a ritual for Min Jiu's parents.

After the tedious procedures were completed, Yun Ji asked someone to bring tea and snacks for the two Taoist priests.

Feng Qingzi ate the snacks he bought from Yunxiangxi's shop. They were very soft and delicious, and were perfect for an old man like him who had lost all his molars. Feng Qingzi ate two puffs and a piece of cake, and then said, "The host said someone is unwell. I happen to know some medical skills, so I can help."

Min Xi said, "Master, please wait a moment. The patient will be here soon."

Feng Qingzi was a little surprised. He thought he had to move to the inner house to see the doctor, but he didn't expect that the patient would come out on his own initiative.

Yun Ji waited until the ritual was almost done before asking someone to invite Aunt Qu, so Feng Qingzi had to wait a little longer.

Min Xi had the opportunity to talk to the two Taoist priests. He did not beat around the bush and said directly: "Taoist priest, actually, last time I told you that I wanted to find someone who could make pills, it was not for the sake of making pills."

Feng Qingzi almost got angry when he heard him say he wanted to make an elixir, but after hearing the rest of the story, he asked, "Then why do you want to find someone who can make an elixir?"

Min Xi said, "I like alchemy, but there are always some things that I can't figure out. I want to find a helper who is interested in alchemy. I think alchemy and alchemy are related, so I went to the Taoist temple to find someone who can make alchemy. This is indeed a bit presumptuous, please forgive me, Taoist Master!"

When Feng Qingzi heard this, he stared at Min Xi for a long time and asked, "What kind of gold are you refining?"

"It's not all alchemy. In addition to refined iron, there's also colored glaze and the like."

Min Xi noticed that Dan Yangzi was hesitant to speak, so he knew something was going to happen, and continued, "Master, I really am not here to make elixirs. My brother is the owner of Yunxiang, and he is designing a bicycle, so he needs some high-quality refined iron, so he needs to make alchemy."