I traveled with them to the Northern Song Dynasty

Chapter 164 Being an emperor is so awesome!

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"Why is he carrying a weight?" Ma Xiaojiao asked, puzzled.

The layman sees the spectacle, but the expert sees the details. Li Lin recognized at a glance that Zhao Yu was practicing the "Marrow Cleansing Technique".

"Alright, no need to watch anymore. I wouldn't be surprised if Zhao Yu is even stronger now," Li Lin said.

"What's going on? Do you know what kind of kung fu Zhao Yu practices?" Zhang Chun asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, he is practicing the 'Marrow Cleansing Exercise,' which does not rely on any medicines or supplements, but only on his own exercise to enhance his physical fitness and immunity, thus achieving the goal of strengthening the body and prolonging life."

"As far as I know, whether it is a congenital deficiency or an acquired decline in physical condition, it can be improved by practicing the Marrow Cleansing Exercise. Practicing the Marrow Cleansing Exercise is not just about cultivating one's character; more accurately, it is about improving one's physical fitness and activating the internal organs through cultivating one's character, thereby achieving true physical strength and health."

"The Marrow Cleansing Exercise is divided into six parts: breathing exercises, standing meditation, sitting meditation, patting, hanging exercises, and the I Ching. It has absolutely nothing to do with taking elixirs."

"If I'm not mistaken, Zhao Yu should also have practiced the Iron Dang Kung Fu, which is a traditional Chinese cultivation method for protecting a man's genitals and strengthening his kidneys."

"These two martial arts are mainly for health and wellness. Practicing them can strengthen the kidneys, cure diseases, improve physical fitness, delay aging, and prolong life. In addition, Zhao Yu diligently practices 'Convict Conditioning' and 'Yoga,' so how could he possibly beat us?"

"How do you know so much about these two martial arts?" Zhang Chun asked.

"Actually, there is also a 'Marrow Cleansing Exercise' suitable for women. The female version of the Marrow Cleansing Exercise is also called the 'Marrow Cleansing and Youth Preservation Technique' or the 'Jade Egg Exercise.' It has the effects of strengthening the body and delaying aging. I have a friend who is proficient in this skill. She wanted to teach me, but at that time, I didn't have any concerns about my appearance and I wasn't interested in matters between men and women, so I didn't learn it."

"Actually, whether it's 'Marrow Cleansing Exercise' or 'Iron Dang Exercise,' they are all health preservation experiences summarized by mankind over thousands of years. They're not that mysterious. They're similar to 'Five Animal Frolics.' If you have time, you might as well practice 'Marrow Cleansing Exercise for Youthful Appearance.' As long as you practice it correctly and can stick to it, delaying aging is no problem."

Upon hearing Li Lin's words, the eyes of the other four women lit up.

Ye Shiyun asked Li Lin, "Do you know the 'Marrow Cleansing and Youth Preservation Technique'?"

Li Lin shook her head: "I know a little bit, but you can't just have a superficial understanding of this kind of thing, or you'll make mistakes."

Hearing Li Lin say this, all four women were greatly disappointed.

Seeing this, Li Lin smiled and said, "But don't worry, just because I can't doesn't mean no one else can."

The four women's eyes lit up, and Zhang Chun asked directly, "Who knows how?"

Li Lin pointed with her chin at the female Taoist priests assisting Zhao Yu in his practice: "They definitely will."

Then, Li Lin said, "Both the male and female versions of the 'Marrow Cleansing Technique' are dual cultivation techniques. The female Taoists who can get close to Zhao Yu must be top-tier Taoists in terms of both status and strength. There might even be some unparalleled masters among them who are proficient in the female version of the 'Marrow Cleansing Technique.' If you think about it carefully, you'll realize that these female Taoists were specially sent by various Taoist sects to be the vessels for dual cultivation with Zhao Yu. How could they not know the female version of the 'Marrow Cleansing Technique'?"

The four women agreed, and Ye Shiyun said with no small amount of envy and jealousy, "Zhao Yu is so lucky! He wants to practice Taoist health cultivation techniques, and the Taoists are so supportive."

"That's normal, because the emperor's attitude toward religious sects is extremely crucial."

Historically, Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) was a devout Taoist and a dismisser of Buddhism. He believed the words of the Taoist priest Lin Lingsu and thought he was the reincarnation of the "eldest son of God," Shenxiao Yuqing Wang, and called himself "Emperor of Longevity." He issued an edict: "Buddha shall be renamed Great Enlightened Immortal, and the rest shall be called Immortals or Great Masters. Monks shall be called Virtuous Men, and their clothing and surnames shall be changed. Temples shall be called Palaces, and academies shall be called Temples, with the abbot in charge of the affairs of the Palaces and Temples." Not long after, he also changed the name of nuns to "Virtuous Women," which really caused a lot of trouble for Buddhism.

"It is not difficult to see from this that if a ruler really harms a certain sect, it will be something that the sect cannot bear, and it may even cause a fatal blow to it."

"So, seeing that the emperor trusts your faction, why not quickly offer the best things to 'bribe' the emperor?"

"Furthermore, Taoism has always been very close to the rulers. Many rulers were very devout Taoists, and most of the Taoist Celestial Masters were appointed by the rulers. They also often served as the rulers' senior advisors."

"There's a lot more to this than meets the eye, and it can't be explained in just a few words."

"In short, if the emperor believes in Taoism, Taoism flourishes; if the emperor believes in Buddhism, Buddhism flourishes. Whatever the emperor believes in, that thing prospers." "Tell me, if you were the supreme leaders of your respective Taoist sects, what would you do?"

The women were utterly disgusted! They all thought to themselves, 'The emperor is truly powerful! Not only do we, these transmigrators with cheat-like abilities, have to bear his children, but even these people with profound Taoist magic have to fawn over him!'

……

With the help of several female Taoist priests, Zhao Yu completed the practice of "Marrow Cleansing Technique" and "Ironclad Technique," and then came to exchange Taoist health preservation techniques with Zhang Xubai and others.

As the saying goes, "What the superiors like, the inferiors will surely follow."

Knowing that Zhao Yu was fond of practicing Taoist health cultivation techniques, many ministers recommended Taoist priests and nuns to him.

After more than two years of accumulation, in addition to Zhang Xubai, who was the first to follow Zhao Yu, Zhao Yu also recruited many famous Taoists of the time, such as Guo Tianxin, Wei Hanjin, Liu Hunkang, Wang Laozhi, and Wang Yuncheng. At the same time, he also introduced famous Taoist fairies of the time, such as Yu Xiangu and Yu Xiangu.

These Taoist priests and fairy maidens each managed a group of disciples, and the female Taoist priests who usually accompanied Zhao Yu in dual cultivation were their most outstanding female disciples.

Today, after Zhao Yu finished practicing his skills, he came to the main hall and met Zhang Xubai and others, where they discussed health preservation techniques.

In fact, many Taoist priests tried to sell Taoist ideas to Zhao Yu, but Zhao Yu was unwilling to waste his time on these matters. Some Taoist priests also wanted Zhao Yu to learn about alchemy, but Zhao Yu also expressed no interest.

Many Taoist priests even possessed some miraculous skills, some of which were truly astonishing. Zhao Yu couldn't fathom how they managed to do it.

However, even so, Zhao Yu kept his distance from these Taoist arts, only insisting on practicing health preservation techniques. He didn't say he didn't believe in the others, but he just didn't delve into them.

Despite this, because Zhao Yu diligently practiced Taoist health cultivation, Taoism still became the state religion of his reign.

This will undoubtedly contribute to the development of Taoism.

However, on the other hand, Zhao Yu's principle towards Taoists was to reward them without spending money, such as by bestowing titles. He was very generous in this regard, even giving away two Celestial Masters. But when it came to things that required money, Zhao Yu was a real miser and wouldn't spend a penny. His main goal was to get things for free.

On the other hand, these Taoist priests didn't lack the money Zhao Yu gave them; they had plenty of other ways to make money. In fact, the titles and honors Zhao Yu bestowed upon them were of greater help to them.

Therefore, Zhao Yu's contributions to Taoism cannot be ignored; he made significant contributions to the spread and development of Taoism during this period.

To Zhao Yu's surprise, Wang Yuncheng recommended Lin Lingsu to him today.

Out of consideration for Wang Yuncheng, Zhao Yu summoned Lin Lingsu.

After Lin Lingsu was summoned, Zhao Yu asked, "What skills do you possess?"

Lin Lingsu replied, "Your subject knows the Heavenly Palace, the human world, and the underworld."

Then, Lin Lingsu deceived Zhao Yu into believing that he was the "eldest son of God" and the "Eternal Emperor" incarnate, and that she herself was the reincarnation of Chu Hui, a celestial minister of the "Divine Firmament Palace," to assist the "Emperor's Rule."

After hearing this, Zhao Yu said noncommittally, "Daoist Master, you may stay here and exchange ideas with us on the art of health preservation. Let's not talk about anything else."

After saying this, Zhao Yu got up and left.

After Zhao Yu left, Wang Yuncheng said to Lin Lingsu, "His Majesty dislikes cunning and treacherous people like us who try to deceive him and the people. He is also wary of this. Brother Dao, please think it over carefully..."

……

(End of this chapter)