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

Chapter 16 A bolt of lightning strikes, revealing a female swordsman! [Seeking monthly votes]

In the evening, Zhou Yi sat on a stone bench in the pavilion, holding his phone in both hands, intently watching thunderstorm videos online.

"Will my lightning strike be so spectacular that people will mistake it for a tribulation?"

With the development of technology, more and more people are using cameras to record thunderstorms, and all sorts of strange and wonderful lightning videos are being filmed by netizens, which then become material for online videos.

Under almost every video, there are comments like "What fellow Daoist is undergoing tribulation here?" Netizens are making fun of the memes, and the comment section is harmonious.

Zhou Yi really wanted his lightning strike technique to reach that level, but then he thought it was unlikely.

The black notebook says "Basic Lightning Strike Technique," so it shouldn't cause too much of a stir... If only I could exchange it for something like the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning, the visual effects would definitely be amazing!

To avoid delaying the exchange of thunder magic, Zhou Yi ate dinner early. Now everything is ready, and all that's left is for nightfall.

Finally, as the crimson sun slowly sank behind the western mountains, Zhou Yi hurriedly ran back to his room and quickly changed into a black Taoist robe.

As soon as I put it on, my blood and energy started to surge, like I had taken a big gulp of liquor.

Riding on this momentum, Zhou Yi picked up the black notebook, opened the cover, and stared intently at the first page. He soon saw his personal information on it.

[Name: Zhou Yi]

[Tao No.: One Yuan]

[Position: Abbot of Hunyuan Palace]

[Skill: None]

[Merit Donation: Three Coins]

[Note: The black and white Taoist robes will cycle for seven days, rewarding the user with a basic exorcism technique – Lightning Strike]

Haha, I finally got the Lightning Strike spell!
Zhou Yi was happy for a while, but then became puzzled again.

This thing isn't a touchscreen, and it doesn't even have a button. How am I supposed to get the Lightning Strike spell?

Just as I was thinking this, the cover of the notebook suddenly became warm, just like when I first took this black notebook out of the box.

Zhou Yi closed the cover with a puzzled look and saw that the Bagua mirror embedded in the center of the cover was flashing on and off, exactly in sync with his breathing rhythm.

He tried pressing his finger on it, and immediately a surge of heat flowed into his body through the Bagua mirror.

The notebook cover quickly cooled down, the Bagua mirror stopped flashing with each breath, and the notebook returned to its normal appearance.

However, a mark and a spell have appeared in his mind. As long as he recites the spell with certain hand gestures, he can control the lightning to strike the designated location.

Hey, I've succeeded!
Zhou Yi mentally played a reference to the Dao of Sitting in Oblivion, then flipped back to the first page of his notebook and noticed a change in the section on cultivation techniques:

[Technique: Ninth-Rank Lightning Strike Technique]

Ninth grade?

According to the ranks of officials in ancient times, this should be the lowest level, right?
But that doesn't matter. Even the lowest level of lightning strike should be pretty awesome. Zhou Yi couldn't help but want to go out and try it out.

The tarpaulin at the God of Wealth Temple hadn't been put on yet, so he planned to go there and, while he was at it, look for the rats that had stolen the fruit and experience the joy of being under the Thunder King's rule.

"Today it's either you die, or the power goes out!"

Having made up his mind, Zhou Yi left the room and strode towards the Temple of the God of Wealth.

As the sun sets and night falls, stars gradually twinkle in the sky above, accompanied by the chirping of insects and birds in the nearby mountains and forests, creating a very pleasant atmosphere.

Upon arriving at the Temple of the God of Wealth, Zhou Yi noticed that the incense in the incense burner was about to burn out. Just as he was about to move it aside, he suddenly realized that the offerings of fruit had become less.

There's only one cantaloupe left, and one dragon fruit is missing too.

I just dragged away some fruit this morning, and they came to steal it again tonight. Does this rat have an insatiable appetite?

He tidied up, covered the area with the tricolor tarpaulin, and shone his newly bought flashlight around, but he didn't see a single mouse.

However, he was not discouraged and went outside the Temple of the God of Wealth to search.

The courtyard of Hunyuan Palace is quite large, and since it's not fully developed yet, it's very spacious and perfect for playing with electric vehicles.

He circled around with his flashlight but couldn't find a trace of the rat. Instead, he wandered into the small Penglai courtyard in the northwest corner, a place he rarely visited. This secluded courtyard wasn't large, and some weeds grew in it. As soon as Zhou Yi entered, he saw a white shadow flash across the roof of the small Penglai.

Without a second thought, he immediately formed a hand seal and quickly began chanting the incantation for the lightning strike.

As soon as the first word of the incantation was uttered, a muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky, followed by a dark cloud that completely obscured the stars overhead.

After Zhou Yi finished reciting the incantation, he felt noticeably tired.

But he couldn't care less about that at the moment. He pointed his right hand, forming a sword shape, and suddenly pointed it at the roof of Xiaopenglai.

A bolt of lightning swiftly descended from the dark clouds in the sky, striking the roof covered with golden glazed tiles, followed by a woman's scream.

"What does that mean? The rat has transformed into a human?"

Before Zhou Yi could react, he saw a white figure tumble down from the roof of Xiao Penglai and land on the prayer mats piled under the eaves.

Then, with a clang, a sword fell onto the bricks of the courtyard.

He shone his flashlight on the cushion and saw a woman in Hanfu lying on it. The style of her clothes was somewhat similar to the high-waisted ruqun that Wu Zetian wore for the first time.

The sword was gleaming, and it looked like it had been sharpened.

Zhou Yi was completely dumbfounded. He was just catching mice, so why did a female swordsman suddenly appear when lightning struck him down?

He took two steps forward and tentatively called out:

"Hey, is there...something wrong?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he noticed that the woman's chest had turned bright red, and the area was getting larger and larger.

Oh no, oh no, don't let this get to someone... Zhou Yi panicked instantly, no longer caring whether the other person had any ill intentions, and quickly went over, apologizing as he tried to check the wound:
"I'm so sorry, I thought it was a mouse stealing something... Hey, why is your blood this color?"

I didn't notice anything from a distance, but now that I'm closer, I realize that the blood on this woman's body is closer to a magenta color... It looks like dragon fruit juice seeping out.

Just as he was wondering, the woman lying on the futon suddenly opened her eyes, leaped up, rolled on the ground, grabbed her sword, and stabbed at Zhou Yi.

In a panic, Zhou Yi pointed his fingers like a sword, intending to shock the other party again, but suddenly realized that he hadn't yet performed the hand seals and chanted the incantation.

"Damn it, this is it!"

In that instant, several ways to persuade the woman to calm down flashed through his mind. He even prepared to use his flashlight to block a sword strike. However, the scene he had envisioned—a sword thrust—did not occur. When the woman saw him point his finger at her as if it were a sword, she immediately cried out in surprise and knelt down on one knee to pay her respects.

"Please forgive me, Daoist Master, I did not mean to steal your food..."

Zhou Yi finally understood:
"Did you steal the fruit from the God of Wealth Temple?"

The woman lowered her head and said somewhat shyly:

"Yes, I've never seen those fruits before. They're so sweet and delicious. The peaches in the yard are also very tasty, crisp and sweet. But I love your cooking the most. The spicy hot pot the other day, the stewed mutton the day before yesterday, and the braised pig's head last night were all delicious. I'm even worried that I'll gain weight..."

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
No, you didn't even say hello before you brazenly started working with me?
No wonder I've noticed less leftover food these past few days; it turns out someone's been helping to use it up!

He pinched the bridge of his nose, unsure of what to say for a moment.

There was someone else in Hunyuan Palace at some point, and she didn't even know it... Recalling the white figure she saw the night Wu Meiniang spent the night, it must be the leftover rice thief in front of her.

The Book of Changes asks:

Why have you been staying in the Hunyuan Palace?

The woman raised her head, a look of worry on her fair and delicate face:

“I was originally a sword dancer in Yancheng. That day, the head of the troupe said that the county magistrate’s father had taken a liking to me and asked me to accompany him for drinks. I didn’t want to go, so I went to the City God Temple to pray for peace. Somehow, I ended up in this courtyard and can’t go back. I can only hide here secretly… Fortunately, there is food here, so I won’t starve to death.”

Upon hearing the words "Yancheng" and "sword dance performance," Zhou Yi's heart stirred:
"what's your name?"

"My surname is Gongsun, and I am the eldest child in my family. Everyone calls me Madam Gongsun..."

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Chapter 1 is here! Please vote, add to your favorites, and keep reading!

(End of this chapter)