Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 106 Wu Zetian Inscribes a Calligraphy for the Earth God Temple! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Inside Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi inadvertently browsed the web and discovered that the official website of Yiyang City Fengshui Folk Customs Association had updated its personnel information, and a person named Han Chujiu had become the new director.

"What do you mean? Did you foresee your impending doom and find a new accomplice?"

A few days ago, Uncle Ming said that Grandpa's mortal enemy had joined this association. Zhou Yi thought about it and sent Uncle Ming a screenshot of Han Chu Jiu's personnel appointments and dismissals:
"Do you know this person?"

Uncle Ming seems to live online, replying instantly:

"I don't know him. People in this line of work rarely use their real names. The name Han Chu Jiu doesn't sound very real either. It might be another alias."

That's true. When you're out in the world, you give yourself your identity. People in the industry like to use Taoist or Buddhist names, which not only make them seem mysterious but also prevent their real names from being revealed and used by others to cast spells or do other dirty work.

Just like my grandfather, who was called Zhou Banxian his whole life, very few people knew his real name.

After answering, Uncle Ming casually sent a screenshot of a news article:
“Master Yi, it seems that Xu, the richest man in Lushan County next door, has run into a serious financial crisis due to a broken capital chain… If you want to acquire a crane equipment factory, now is a good opportunity.”

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
"I'm a Taoist priest, why would I invest in crane equipment?" he replied.
"I'm not interested. I don't know anything about this. I can't exactly offer three years of free blessings with the purchase of a crane, can I?"

Uncle Ming sent a meme that said, "I believe in you!"
"You might just find your destiny there. Paying more attention won't hurt you."

I wasn't interested in the I Ching, so I ended the chat quickly.

At 4:30 pm, when the sun wasn't so scorching, Zhou Yi drove down the mountain with the Bagua peace plaque he had been worshipping for several days. Zhao Wei had just bought a new car, and he needed to deliver the peace plaque to him.

At Zhao Wei's house, he ran into Zhao Dengke, who had come over for a free meal. They agreed to hold the opening ceremony of the pickle factory on the weekend, with Hunyuan Palace in charge of all the rituals.

Zhao Dengke asked:
"How many people are coming from your Taoist temple? If there are many, I'll order an extra table of food."

The opening ceremony lunch was held at a mountain view restaurant in town. The restaurant faces Yunwu Mountain and is next to a mountain stream. The scenery is beautiful. The banquet for my grandfather's funeral was also held at this restaurant.

Zhou Yi calculated for a moment and said:
"I invited four or five fellow Daoists, but it's hard to say exactly how many will come. Just make sure there's enough food; there's no need to order too much to avoid waste."

"Just have a rough idea of ​​the number of people. We'll give out red envelopes every day. This is my first time starting a business, so we can't be stingy."

There are still several days until the weekend, which is enough time to finish up any odd jobs I have on hand.

The next morning, while Zhou Yi was moving bricks at home, Jin Zhicai drove up the mountain and brought back the statue of Yuantong Zizai Tianzun.

The grain and oil store was originally going to be renovated, but then he thought the white walls in the room were fine enough. He took down the various promotional posters that were on the elderly mobility scooters, repaired them, and brought in some shelves, and then he could open for business.

In middle age, people prioritize practicality in both their careers and lives, and are too lazy to make any changes.

"Xiao Yi, are there any taboos associated with this statue?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"She is the compassionate and merciful Guanyin who saves people from suffering. As long as you wipe her down regularly and keep the dust off, there are no other requirements."

"Regarding the form of address..."

“It doesn’t matter how you shout, God won’t care about these things.”

Whether it's a Buddhist title or a Taoist name, they all refer to the same deity, so there's no need to be superstitious about them.

After Zhou Yi finished moving the bricks, he drove to Sanlizhuang and found that the brick wall of the small temple had already been built... The land temple was too small, so a few bricklayers worked overtime yesterday and finished building it in one day.

Next, the gable walls on both sides are built, and a lintel is poured on the front. Once everything is done, the roof beam can be installed.

The roof beams, purlins, and rafters are all in place now, and several veteran carpenters are using adzes to trim the wood and make the gable beams needed for the pitched roof.

Du Chunyi said:
"Master Zhou, you must come to offer your blessings on the day the roof beam is raised."

Zhou Yi nodded:

"Don't worry, I've been here since early morning."

He looked at the newly delivered purlins, rafters, and tiles, all of which were materials suitable for temples. The tiles, in particular, had the character "福" (fortune) printed on the drip edges, which perfectly matched the title of the God of Fortune.

Two days later, as soon as Wu Meiniang came out of the main hall, Zhou Yi waved to her:
"Put on your Taoist robes and come with me to Sanlizhuang."

Wu Zetian was somewhat curious:
"Immortal Master, are you going to bestow titles upon blessed lands again?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"Today, the land god temple in Sanlizhuang is raising its beam, and everyone who goes there gets some candy."

Wu Meiniang changed into a blue Taoist robe, tied her hair with a blue lotus crown, put on a pair of white shoes, and sat in the passenger seat of the Wuling van.

The two had breakfast in town first, and then drove to Sanlizhuang.

On the way, Zhou Yi mentioned that Gongsun Da Niang had abducted the statue, which made Wu Meiniang's beautiful eyes well up with tears:

"If I had known you needed it, I would have brought one from Taiji Palace. There are several statues of the God of Fortune in the palace. If you need them, you can bring them all without any problem."

The Book of Changes says:

"I've already ordered two stone statues. They'll be placed in the Hunyuan Palace courtyard first, and then transported there when someone builds a local temple. As for the one in the Taiji Palace, forget about it; let it stay there to guard the palace." Wu Meiniang then mentioned that Li Ke was to be sent to the Mekong River plain to reclaim wasteland, taking the first step in the Tang Dynasty's plan to divide the world under its rule.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi planned to try to wholesale some anti-malarial drugs in the next couple of days to send Li Ke off on his journey... The first time might be difficult, but as long as this step is taken, the land of China, which has existed since ancient times, will be multiplied several times over.

When you arrive at Sanlizhuang, all the villagers who aren't working are there. Red paper is pasted on the main beam, and red cloth is tied around it. There are also couplets written on red paper on the pillars that read "Green Dragon supports the jade pillar, White Tiger supports the golden beam," which looks very festive.

As soon as he got off the bus, Zhou Yi got to work. He first placed five offerings on the main beam and then recited a section of the "Luban Mantra" and the "Beam Raising Sutra" to pray for the beam's well-being.

Then they offered blessings for the building materials to be used today, such as purlins, rafters, insulation, and tiles.

After finishing these tasks, Du Chunyi brought out a brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, and asked Zhou Yi to help write a couplet, which would be given to the couplet manufacturer later to make wooden couplets for the temple entrance.

Zhou Yi originally wanted to do it himself, but seeing Wu Meiniang standing idly by, he gave her the opportunity.

Since we've come all this way to perform the ritual, we need to make sure the Queen feels involved.

The couplets for the Earth God Temple had already been prepared. Zhou Yi opened his phone's memo app and had Wu Meiniang write them down:
Those who are blessed with virtue will be worshipped for a thousand autumns; those who are upright will be revered as gods for ten thousand generations.

Wu Meiniang asked:
Is the horizontal scroll inscribed with the four characters "福德正神" (Fude Zhengshen)?

"Yes, Fude Zhengshen, written in regular script."

Wu Zetian nodded, picked up her brush, and wrote the couplet on the paper. The onlookers immediately gasped in surprise:
"Wow, this female Taoist's calligraphy is amazing!"

"Vigorous and powerful, grand and majestic, it doesn't look like it was written by a woman."

"Master Zhou, could you write a scroll for our house? Let this beautiful female Taoist write it, and I'll pay the fee."

"Let's get one for my family too, the calligraphy is so beautiful."

"..."

Zhou Yi never expected that involving Wu Zetian would actually open up new business opportunities. He said:
“Send your requirements to me on WeChat. Once we get back to Hunyuan Palace, this Peony Fairy will write them down for you.”

We need to have Wu Zetian carve a seal of a peony fairy, write something on it, and then stamp it on the paper to highlight her professionalism.

Du Chunyi also subtly inquired whether Zhou Yi would take on the job of writing inscriptions for steles. If he did, Zhou Yi would be the one to be contacted for steles in the village in the future.

The Book of Changes (I Ching) has no taboos regarding this type of business:

"Contact me if you need anything. Hunyuan Palace accepts all kinds of requests, whether it's for weddings or funerals."

Upon hearing this, Du Chunyi started promoting Zhou Yi in the WeChat group, trying to attract customers for him.

After Wu Zetian finished writing the words, a truck crane arrived and parked at the entrance of the alley. Like a Transformer, the crane automatically extended its hydraulic outriggers and then began to adjust the boom and steering, making preliminary preparations.

When Wu Zetian saw large machinery up close for the first time, she felt it was even more impressive than an excavator.

Soon, the auspicious time arrived, and the raising of the roof beam officially began.

The crane lowered its hook and used specially made slings to lift the A-frame beam completely.

Zhou Yi stood to one side, chanting the "Ascending Beam Mantra" to pray for blessings for the local earth god temple.

As the main beam was hoisted to the roof and about to be placed in its designated position, the workers at both ends took out copper coins given by the I Ching and placed them under the main beam... In metaphysics, this is believed to have the effect of gathering wind and storing water.

After the main beam was placed, the workers on the roof started setting off firecrackers, and the village accountant carried two bags of candy, stuffing them into everyone's hands... In the past, building a house was not easy, so there was always a celebration when the main beam was raised.

Wu Meiniang found everything novel. She ate a piece of candy and found it was corn-flavored. She then grabbed a handful and stuffed them into her pocket, intending to give them to Li Mingda, the little ox, to try.

These were earned by the immortal through hard work. He couldn't bear to eat a single one and saved them all for you. You can tell he doesn't care about you at all.

With the main beam installed, the next step is to install the purlins.

One end of the purlin is fixed to the gable wall, and the other end is fixed to the truss beam, which effectively distributes the weight of the roof.

Once the purlins are secured, the crane is equipped with a more efficient small hook and begins to hoist bundles of timber rafters upwards. The roof workers then use nail guns to nail the timber rafters to the purlins, and the overall structure of the roof is completed.

Next came laying the insulation layer, applying mortar, laying the tiles, and so on. Throughout the entire process, Zhou Yi kept chanting scriptures and praying for blessings.

The temple was small, but there were many people. From raising the beam to laying the tiles, it only took a morning.

Afterwards, Wu Meiniang looked up at the newly paved roof and asked in confusion:

"Master, why don't you remove the extra tiles from the roof? Are there any special rules about neatly stacking them on top?"

The Book of Changes explains:
"Putting some tiles on top can both weigh down the roof and also serve as spare tiles. If the roof leaks or the tiles become worn out in 10 or 20 years, these spare tiles can be used to replace them... This is an old tradition in house repair and also the survival wisdom of the Chinese people."

Storing roof tiles elsewhere makes them prone to damage and loss, so placing them on the roof is the best option.

After explaining, he put away the magical artifact and said:

"Stop studying this, let's go eat the roof-raising meal!"

(End of this chapter)