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

Chapter 29 A Vicious Death? This is Merit Delivered to My Doorstep! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Thanks to the existence of the Hunyuan Palace, Yunwu Town hadn't seen any violent deaths for a long time. The sudden appearance of one today left Zhou Yi puzzled.

"Hey, where did you catch that fish?"

Since it only appeared in the last two days, it must be related to fishing.

Fishing involves activities near water, especially night fishing, which can easily lead to various afflictions. For example, one may encounter the "reverse bow" affliction at a curved section, the "reflective affliction" caused by sunlight or moonlight reflecting off the water, or the "back-facing affliction" caused by a road directly behind one's back.

To resolve Zhao Wei's untimely death, we must first understand the reasons behind it.

This is like treating an illness; only by finding the cause can you cure it completely.

Zhao Wei parked his electric scooter by the roadside and, grinning, picked up the grass carp from the back seat:

"I caught it in Huangniwa last night. When I got back, I weighed it and it was 13.9 jin. If it hadn't taken so long to play the fish and I hadn't been hungry all night, it would definitely have weighed more than 14 jin."

Zhouyi: "..."

I've figured it out; you fishing enthusiasts are all masters of reverse rounding down.

Fortunately, the fish didn't escape, otherwise Zhao Wei would definitely be spreading the word all over the streets that a fish weighing over 30 kilograms had gotten away.

As the saying goes, "A fish that gets off the hook doubles in value, and a fish that breaks the line triples in value." Every fish that is not caught becomes a colossal creature in the mouths of anglers.

After complaining about the fisherman, Zhou Yi pondered the yellow mud pit that Zhao Wei had mentioned.

Huangniwa is not a pond, but a low-lying part of a flood discharge channel in the south of the town, covering an area of ​​several hundred acres.

From an overhead view, the entire flood discharge channel suddenly widens at Huangniwa, then narrows again after passing through it, resembling a giant snake that has eaten its fill. Huangniwa is the food the snake has eaten.

A while ago, I heard that the county wanted to turn Huangniwa into a wetland park suitable for camping. Zhao Wei even drove an excavator there for a week... Could it be related to this?

Zhou Yi asked calmly:
"Where exactly is Huangniwa? I'll go there and cast my line when I have some free time, and see if I can catch a few carp."

This topic immediately struck a nerve with Zhao Wei:
"There's a lot to know about fishing in Huangniwa. Don't be fooled by the fact that many people have a lot of equipment; if they don't find the right spot, they'll still come back empty-handed... I'll tell you a place, but don't tell anyone else."

After saying that, he took out his phone, opened the map, and found Huangniwa.

According to the map, the entire Huangniwa area has been incorporated into the wetland park, and its name has been changed to the more prestigious Haitang Bay Wetland Park.

Zhao Wei zoomed in on the map and pointed to the northwest corner, saying:
“This place is a ditch I dug a while ago. They said they were going to build an arch bridge, so I dug it a bit deeper. It’s a treasure trove of fish, most people don’t know that. I’ve caught fish several times in a row… Old Feng from Xiwang Village, who loves fishing, kept asking me about the fishing spot, but I didn’t tell him.”

Zhouyi: "..."

If you had told me, the signs of a violent death might not have been so severe.

However, fishing alone, even if it's considered an inauspicious act, won't be fatal. At most, it might bring a period of bad luck or an illness. But to die a violent death right away doesn't seem to fit the signs of an inauspicious act.

In order to find the root cause of the problem, Zhou Yi, like a psychologist, guided the questioning:

"When you were digging the ditch, did you find anything strange or unusual?"

Zhao Wei put the fish on the back seat of the car, took out a pack of Red Nanjing cigarettes from his pocket, lit one, and began to recall earnestly:

"You know what, it seems like we actually dug something up. That day I worked an extra shift, finishing only after dark. When we were digging the piers of the arch bridge, I felt the bucket lighten, like we had dug into an empty space. I was thinking of getting home as soon as possible, so I didn't pay much attention. When I went back the next day, the idiots who were digging the ditch with me had already dug up the dam and filled the whole ditch with water. We couldn't see anything at all."

It sounds like they've dug up a coffin, but we'll have to go and see for ourselves.

Zhou Yi picked up the grass carp and said to Zhao Wei:
"I haven't eaten fish in a long time. Give me this fish. Don't go fishing these next couple of days. If you don't have anything else to do, drive the excavator and help me repair the road up the mountain."

These words were quite blunt, and Zhao Wei didn't react for a moment. He was still prepared to "circle the town three times and not find his way home." If he didn't finish this ceremony, he would feel like he was wearing fine clothes in the dark.

Uncle Wu, who was watching the fish nearby, couldn't help but pat Zhao Wei on the shoulder when he saw Zhao Wei standing there in a daze.
"It's just a fish, do you think Xiao Yi would let you suffer a loss?"

These words immediately jolted Zhao Wei awake:
"No problem, no problem. There are still a few small fish in the fish basket, you can take them all... I'll take care of the road repair. I'll drive the excavator up the mountain in a bit, and I'll repair wherever you tell me to."

Although he didn't know what was going on, Zhao Wei knew very well that Zhou Yi would never chat with him for so long under normal circumstances, let alone ask for anything.

Zhou Yi didn't stand on ceremony, taking the fish basket in his hand. Inside were several carp and large crucian carp, which he would salt later when they got up the mountain. Zhao Wei handed Uncle Wu a cigarette, then lowered his voice and whispered:

"Xiao Yi, have I done something wrong?"

The Book of Changes says:

"It's nothing. Go back and get a good night's sleep, then drive the excavator up the mountain to repair the road. As long as you stay on Cloud Mist Mountain for the next few days, nothing will happen."

To prevent Zhao Wei from having wild thoughts, Zhou Yi took the bracelet from him and, while turning it, softly recited the "Tranquilizing Mantra" and the "Purple Light Protecting Mantra".

After finishing the recitation, Zhou Yi returned the bracelet to Zhao Wei and instructed him:
"Don't ask, don't say, don't inquire, don't go fishing, don't go to the water's edge."

Many things in metaphysics are said to be "only understood intuitively and not explained in words." When they are not spoken, they are all variables, but once they are spoken, they become fixed.

"Okay, okay, I promise I won't even touch the washbasin!"

After Zhao Wei left, Zhou Yi took all the fish and returned to Hunyuan Palace.

Clean the fish, make diagonal cuts on it, rub it inside and out with salt and Sichuan peppercorns, marinate it for a while to draw out the moisture from the fish, and then hang it up to dry.

Fresh fish doesn't keep for long, but pickled fish can last for many days without any problems.

After finishing all that, Zhou Yi cleaned the fish's internal organs, made a small pot of dry-pot fish offal, and ate it with rice until he was full.

After eating and drinking his fill, he checked the time and decided to set off at three o'clock in the afternoon to visit Huangniwa, where Zhao Wei was fishing. Noon was not a good time to go to the water's edge, so he would stay at Hunyuan Palace for the time being.

After tidying up the kitchen, Zhou Yi took a stroll around the Hunyuan Palace. Seeing some fallen leaves in the Wenxuan King's Hall, he picked up a broom and cleaned them up.

The Wenxuanwang Hall is dedicated to Confucius. It is said that there should also be statues of the Ten Philosophers and Seventy-Two Sages of Confucius inside, but when my grandfather built it, he only placed a statue of Confucius.

The statue is also unique; it is not the common scholar figure holding a pen in one hand and a book in the other, but rather a figure holding bamboo slips in the left hand and a sword in the right, which is very majestic.

After cleaning the Wenxuan King's Hall, Zhou Yi returned to his room and began to meditate.

Around 3 p.m., he packed several useful ritual implements into a cloth bag embroidered with the Tai Chi symbol, got on his motorcycle, and rode down the mountain.

At the foot of the mountain, Zhou Yi encountered Zhao Wei, who was driving an excavator and preparing to go up the mountain.

This morning, Zhao Wei went home, ate something haphazardly, took a nap, and after waking up, canceled all his business for the next two days, filled up the excavator with gas, and drove out of the house, heading straight for Yunwu Mountain.

"Xiao Yi, how wide is the road to be repaired? Should we repave it with asphalt?"

Zhou Yi noticed that the deathly pallor on Zhao Wei's face had lessened somewhat, and pointed to the mountain path, saying:

"Just fill in the gullies that have been washed away by the rain, and dig up some bushes that need to be cleared to make the road clearer so they don't block the way."

"OK, no problem!"

After giving his instructions, Zhou Yi rode his motorcycle through Yunwu Town and headed straight for Huangniwa, a few kilometers away.

Zhao Wei controlled the excavator and started repairing the road leading up the mountain.

The collapsed roadbed was refilled, the drainage ditches filled with fallen leaves and mud were cleaned up, and uneven areas were dug up and compacted.

Just as the fork in the road leading into the mountain was repaired, a gentle breeze blew from the mountaintop, and Zhao Wei felt his mind clear up, the drowsiness from staying up all night fishing vanishing.

On the other side, in the Wenxuan King Hall of Hunyuan Palace, a boy of eleven or twelve years old suddenly appeared, holding a sword.

He looked around and saw the statue of Confucius standing in the center of the hall. He quickly put away his sword and bowed down like a little adult.

"Student Li Bai pays homage to the Sage Confucius!"

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Second update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets, brothers!

(End of this chapter)