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

Chapter 215 When it comes to increasing merit, it has to be cutting down mountains and destroying temples! [Seeking monthly votes]

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi was stewing pork ribs when he wanted to check his total merit points in his black notebook. He then discovered that he had lost a full eight qian (a unit of weight) of merit points.

"What's going on? Is Li Bai using the Azure Lotus Thunder Formation again?"

On the day Yang Jian died, he was rewarded with three taels of merit, which amounted to two catties, three taels, and four qian at the time. Later, he received another tael of merit from Zhao Ji, whose fate had been changed.

Logically, it should be 2.4 liang and 4 qian now, but it has become 2.3 liang and 6 qian... a full 8 qian of merit. How many alien races would I have to kill to make up for it?

As I was reflecting on this, the notes section gradually appeared, and the mastermind behind deducting merits was revealed:
[Gongsun Da Niang summons Five Elements Protective Divine Thunder, Merit -8]

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Everyone else summons protective divine lightning, so why did this girl summon a Five Elements Protective Divine Lightning?
Lately, she's been spending her free time chatting with deities like the Three Pure Ones and the Four Emperors, and surprisingly, she's actually built a connection with them. It's true that making the right choice is more important than hard work!
However, Master Zhou was still a little heartbroken about the eight coins of merit that had been deducted. He wished he could get them back... Wait, it seems they really have increased.

Zhou Yi noticed that his merit value jumped from 2.3 liang and 6 qian to 2.5 liang and 6 qian.

Then, a note was added below:
[Gongsun Da Niang summoned the Five Elements Divine Thunder to destroy the Nestorian temple, upholding the dignity of China, Merit +20]

Abbot Zhou's mood immediately brightened.

An investment of eight qian yielded a return of two liang, so this is a good deal. But why did this girl destroy the Nestorian Church's temple? Did those foreign monks turn against her?

He was full of questions and also had a strong curiosity about the Five Elements Protective Thunder that deducted eight coins of merit at once. He wondered how exciting the scene would be and was really looking forward to it!

Then Zhou Yi flipped through Gongsun Da Niang's page. This girl's merit increased by six taels at once, which was even more exaggerated than Zhou Yi's. It seemed that the commotion over there was indeed quite significant.

Hopefully, Li Bai will develop the habit of recording videos, so that everyone in Hunyuan Palace can also watch.

As Master Zhou sighed, in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, Granny Gongsun, carrying a precious sword, searched through the ruins of a Persian temple, smashing any decorative crosses she saw on the spot... When it comes to cutting down mountains and destroying temples, how can it be done without completely destroying them?

Chen Xuanli, dressed in gleaming armor, strode in and solemnly bowed to Lady Gongsun:
"His Majesty ordered me to seize the opportunity to make my move, but I never expected that Miss Gongsun would help me clean up the mess. I am extremely ashamed."

Granny Gongsun waved her hand:

"General Chen, please don't be so polite. Li Bai has already recorded what that priest said. They insulted China first. You can lead your army to eradicate all Nestorianism."

Nestorianism is the name of the Nestorian branch of Christianity, but because Yu adopted the term "Buddhist" when he first started preaching, he was mistakenly regarded as a branch of Buddhism. As a result, he quickly integrated into the folk culture of the Tang Dynasty and spread throughout the entire Tang Dynasty in just a few decades.

However, as the saying goes, "what goes around comes around," the Nestorian Church, which used the convenience of Buddhism to spread its teachings, was affected by Emperor Wuzong of Tang's persecution of Buddhism and suffered a severe blow. Although it tried its best to sever ties with Buddhism, it was too late, and it was eventually completely destroyed during the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism, much like Heqizheng during the period when Wanglaoji and Jiaduobao were fighting.

Just as Chen Xuanli was about to leave, Gongsun Da Niang called him back:
"If you encounter a foreign temple that you can't handle, don't act rashly. Remember to call me or Brother Li Bai... These foreign sects may have gods backing them up, so it's better to leave it to us."

Having just witnessed the thunder as thick as a water vat, Chen Xuanli had no doubt about Gongsun Da Niang's abilities. After respectfully bowing, he led his army away and began to eliminate the Nestorian temples in Chang'an and the surrounding area.

The news of what happened here quickly reached Li Longji's ears.

Upon hearing that the Nestorians had called him a tyrant, the emperor immediately issued an edict to ban all Nestorian churches within the Tang Dynasty, confiscate all their property, and order all related personnel to undergo labor reform on the spot.

In the past, when they encountered foreigners who committed crimes, the Tang Dynasty would expel them from the country. Last time, when Gongsun Da Niang remarked what a great human resource it was, Li Longji had an idea.

Yes, you violated the laws of the Tang Dynasty, and I still have to send you back? Where in the world is there such a good thing?
He planned to assign annual labor reform targets to various regions, such as road construction, canal digging, dike building, mountain excavation, etc. Whatever the task, as long as it could extract the remaining value from the criminals.

When Li Longji issued the edict, Yao Chong, who had just arrived in Chang'an, rose to advise him:
"Now that the Tang Dynasty is in dire need of reconstruction, if Your Majesty were to impose heavy penalties, it would only cause more unrest among the people and give foreign merchants a bad impression of our Tang Dynasty."

Li Longji put down his brush and said:
"That's not right. You only see the rampant use of criminal penalties, but you don't see the people's yearning for fairness and justice. As for the Hu merchants, they are nothing but a bunch of profit-driven flies and are not worth worrying about!"

Since we're here to make money from the Tang Dynasty, we have to cater to the Tang Dynasty in every way. If we're making money while pointing fingers at the Tang Dynasty, we should be given a good talking-to.

Yao Chong's expression showed some hesitation:

"What should we do if the foreign merchants don't come to do business?"

Li Longji smiled:
"Impossible. Merchants are profit-driven by nature. As long as there is profit to be made, they will go through all kinds of hardships to do business in the Tang Dynasty. If we tighten our control over foreign tribes, they will only strictly restrain themselves and show great respect for the Tang Dynasty, rather than giving up their business here... The Tang Dynasty is the most prosperous place in the whole world. If they don't come here, where else can they go?"

Yao Chong was somewhat surprised and asked, cupping his hands in greeting:
"I have been away from Chang'an for less than a year. What books has Your Majesty been reading lately?"

Li Longji laughed heartily:
"It's nothing. I just had the blessing of Fairy Pomegranate to read the book bestowed upon me by the immortal. Once you help the Tang Dynasty recover its vitality and restore its glory, I will lend you the book for half a year so that you can properly read the book of the sages from the future."

Yao Chong was overjoyed:

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will do my utmost!"

Inside Hunyuan Palace, there was still some time before lunch. Seeing that Xi Shi's bicycle had been washed clean, Zhou Yi brought over the equipment he had recently bought and taught her how to use it, one by one.

Single tent, single gasoline stove, titanium alloy outdoor pot, camping blanket, entrenching tool, cycling light, camping light, solar panel, outdoor power bank... Just like that, Zhou Daoshi transformed China's number one beauty into a cycling blogger, and a super hardcore long-distance off-road cycling one at that. Although Xi Shi still had that demure and submissive demeanor, the excitement in her eyes was undeniable; she was eagerly anticipating the journey ahead.

To prevent any accidents, Zhou Yi also tied a peace and safety charm to the handlebars of the carriage. Then he led Xi Shi to pay respects to all the gods in the various halls, so that they would become familiar with them and not mistake them for each other.

When the pork ribs were ready, Huo Qubing and Zhao Xu arrived at Hunyuan Palace, but Gongsun Da Niang, Li Bai, and Xin Qiji were still nowhere to be seen. Zhou Yi said:

"Stop waiting, let's start eating."

On the dining table was a large bowl of braised pork ribs, Gongsun Da Niang's favorite. Wu Meiniang asked in confusion:

"It's strange that Sister Gongsun didn't come today."

Zhou Yi placed the freshly mixed cold dishes on the table:
"She just summoned the Five Elements Divine Thunder to destroy the Nestorian church, quietly completing a project of felling mountains and destroying temples. She's probably still busy over there right now."

Wu Zetian said with a smile:

"Such a great achievement deserves a new outfit as a reward for Sister Gongsun."

Li Qingzhao, who was setting out the tableware, asked curiously:
"Immortal Master, how is the Five Elements Divine Thunder summoned? Why doesn't my token work?"

The Book of Changes also wants to know the answer to this question:

"You'll know when Aunt Gongsun comes back. Let's eat first, everyone's hungry."

After the meal, Xi Shi packed some condiments like oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, along with a five-day supply of noodles. Pushing her bicycle, she bid a soft and frail farewell to everyone and left Hunyuan Palace.

She brought two sets of clothes suitable for riding, as well as a Taoist robe, which she could change into to deal with officials if necessary.

After Xi Shi left, Zhou Yi pointed to four wheeled barrels in the courtyard and said to Huo Qubing:
"Take these four buckets back with you. The army can use them to carry water. Remember to take some time to go back to Chang'an and bring the seeds that Hunyuan Palace has stockpiled to your uncle so he can arrange for people to plant them."

Huo Qubing agreed:

"I will ask my uncle for leave as soon as I return and rush to the capital overnight."

This concerns crop seeds, which is no small matter. By the time Huo Qubing arrives in Chang'an, it will be close to the annual Jitian ceremony.

At that time, the emperor would personally go to the fields to plow the fields in hopes of a good harvest, and the empress would hold a silkworm-raising ceremony, also hoping for a good year.

After Huo Qubing, Zhao Xu, and Chen Tang left one after another, Zhou Yi led Wu Meiniang and Li Qingzhao, carrying the black tokens they had carved that morning, to the Haotian Palace, where they found the statue of Lei Zu on the side.

The three first set out offerings, then neatly arranged twenty tokens on the offering table, and finally burned incense and prayed.

Actually, you can go to the Hall of Longevity or the Hall of Central Heaven, because the Heavenly Venerable of Universal Transformation of Thunder in the Nine Heavens is the incarnation of the Great Emperor of Longevity in the South Pole, while the Great Emperor of Ziwei is in charge of the Five Thunders and is the superior of the Thunder Ancestor.

But since the Thunder Department's power was needed to protect their own people, Zhou Yi felt it was better to pay his respects in person.

Everyone carries a sedan chair, so if we give Lei Zu face, he will surely take special care of us... Even immortals value human relationships.

While they were busy worshipping the gods, in the world of Emperor Wu of Han, Wei Qing looked at the tonnes that Huo Qubing had brought and could hardly believe his eyes:

"According to the Han dynasty's measurement system, this thing can actually hold four thousand catties of water? For cavalry, it's truly a treasure!"

In ancient times, not only were provisions important for armies, but water was also an indispensable resource. On the march, people and livestock often drank from the same trough, and sometimes they even had to lie on the ground to drink murky, dirty water.

Although there was a water sac, it held too little water and was prone to leaking.

Now that there are thickened plastic ton containers, Wei Qing feels that his urgent problem has been solved.

But the number is still too small. If there were more, at least one per guard, that would be perfect.

Huo Qubing said:
"My master ordered me to return to Chang'an as soon as possible and bring the seeds there to His Majesty. Uncle, do you have any words to convey to His Majesty?"

Wei Qing thought for a moment and then gave his nephew some instructions:

"I have written His Majesty's words into my memorial. As for you, when you return this time, remember to keep a low profile and do not boast about your military achievements. Your words and actions represent the Immortal Master, so do not tarnish his reputation."

Huo Qubing bowed:
"Here!"

After his nephew rode away with a retinue, Wei Qing stroked his beard and muttered to himself:

"There's been little military success in Dingxiang North. How about I petition His Majesty to send Qubing to Huainan to quell the rebellion? The court's finances are tight; it's time to slaughter a fat pig to replenish the blood..."

(End of this chapter)