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

Chapter 32 Oh no, Grandpa predicted my prediction! [Requesting monthly votes]

At the Hunyuan Palace atop the mountain, Li Bai held a bowl of tofu soup, eating and praising it:

"My family's cook can also make tofu soup, but why isn't it as delicious as my master's?"

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

"I added some crushed roasted peanuts, which makes it more fragrant and gives it a richer texture. There aren't any peanuts in the Tang Dynasty yet, I'll introduce them to you later... What were you doing before you came here?"

Now that four historical figures have arrived, we need to summarize the rules that trigger their visit to Hunyuan Palace.

Li Bai answered in detail:
"I like wandering knights and want to find a famous mountain and river to learn from a master. This morning, I brought my servants to the mountains near Changlong County to find a master to learn from, but I only saw a collapsed temple. I used the incense I brought to pray for my family. I didn't expect that I would be distracted and end up at my master's residence."

It's about worshipping gods again... It seems this is a very important rule.

Zhou Yi then asked:
"What month is it in the second year of the Xiantian era?"

"In May! I heard that the new emperor and Princess Taiping have a rift, and the journey from Shu to Chang'an is subject to layers of checks. My father's three caravans were all blocked on the way."

It's also May, exactly the same as Gongsun Da Niang's place, so it's very likely from the same time and space.

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and decided to let Gongsun Da Niang stay for a couple more days when she came so that she could meet Li Bai. He would then think of a way, such as writing a letter, to verify whether they were in the same time and space.

After dinner, Zhou Yi said:
"The people over there should be looking for you everywhere. Go back and come back in five days. Tell your parents before you come back so they won't worry."

After saying that, Zhou Yi took out a canvas backpack, stuffed it with two bottles of shampoo, two bars of soap, and a few books, so that Li Bai would have something to give him when he got home.

After explaining how to use shampoo and soap, it was already dark. Zhou Yi then brought Li Bai a rechargeable flashlight and escorted him to the entrance of the Wenxuan King's Palace.

"I agree that Li Bai was free to travel to and from the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty."

As Zhou Yi gave the command, a notification sounded in Li Bai's mind:

“The pilgrim Li Bai could travel to and from Hunyuan Palace once every five days.”

Li Bai bowed deeply to the Book of Changes.
"I will take my leave and visit my master again in five days."

The Book of Changes reminds us:
"When interacting with people, don't be too blunt and spill everything out. Be vague when you need to be vague, and be assertive when you need to be assertive. Safety should always be the top priority."

"Your disciple will remember this!"

Li Bai bowed, stepped across the Wenxuan King's Hall, and vanished into thin air in an instant.

Back in his room, Zhou Yi began to ponder the circumstances of the four ancient figures' visit to Hunyuan Palace:

On the day she acquired ownership of Hunyuan Palace, Wu Meiniang emerged from the Great Buddha Hall; she swept away the spiderwebs on the Many-Eyed Heavenly King at the entrance, and Chen Tang, who was renowned throughout the Western Regions, arrived.

Today, after cleaning the Wenxuanwang Hall, the poet Li Bai came to visit.

As for Granny Gongsun from Xiaopenglai, that's a bit of a mystery; we'll need to figure her out more in the future.

The appearance of the four people is basically related to the construction progress of Hunyuan Palace. I wonder if new historical figures will come when I sweep the floor of Sanqing Hall or Changsheng Hall next time.

Zhou Yi wanted to give it a try, but was worried that too many people would be difficult to manage.

Li Bai, this young boy, is easy to appease; he can be coaxed with just a few words. But if it were a seasoned veteran, who knows what kind of trouble might arise.

As the saying goes, you should wear underwear that fits your size, so let's not mess around with it for now.

While he was pondering this, in the Kaiyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, on a desolate mountain near Changlong County, Mianzhou, Shujun, a group of servants, holding torches, shouted like ants on a hot pan through the dense forest on the mountaintop:

"Twelfth Brother, where are you?"

"It's already dark, come out quickly, don't hide!"

"Why is he still nowhere to be seen? If something happens to him, how will we explain it to our master when we get back?"

Just as everyone was getting anxious, Li Bai, carrying a canvas backpack, suddenly appeared in a dilapidated temple on the mountaintop, which was now just ruins.

He turned to look at the spot where he had burned incense. The incense stick had burned out, leaving only some ash, as if telling the story of the passage of time.

"I'm really back! Thank you so much, my mentor!"

He silently expressed his gratitude, and just as he was about to turn on the flashlight, he suddenly remembered Zhou Yi's safety instructions and quickly stuffed the flashlight into his backpack. In the desolate wilderness, under the pitch-black night, rashly taking out a magical artifact that could bring him a lifetime of wealth was hardly a wise move. He'd better go home first.

Having made up his mind, Li Bai walked out of the dilapidated temple and waved to the servants who were calling out in the distance:

"I am here. A deity just took me away, and I have only just returned... Please wait here for me. Once I am back home, everyone will be rewarded!"

He followed the teachings of the I Ching, using the guise of a deity, but remained vague and didn't elaborate. In the end, he used rewards to motivate his servants, and the group descended the mountain that very night, preparing to return to their home in Changlong County.

Zhou Yi woke up from his sleep in the early morning.

He cooked porridge, practiced his exercises, meditated, and exhaled as usual.

After finishing all that, the porridge was ready. Just as I put out some pickled vegetables and steamed buns that had been steamed while the porridge was cooking, I heard the roar of an excavator coming from halfway up the mountain.

Wow, Zhao Wei got up early enough.

Zhou Yi ate breakfast in a hurry and walked down the mountain road. Before long, he saw Zhao Wei operating an excavator to repair the road.

He walked over and greeted him. Zhao Wei stopped what he was doing and leaned half his body out of the excavator's cab.
"Xiao Yi, is that lightning in Huangniwa related to you?"

Zhou Yi waved his hand:

"What nonsense! You graduated from a science and engineering college, can't you talk about science for once?"

To prevent Zhao Wei from making further connections, Zhou Yi said:
"The damage to this section of the road isn't too serious; you can just do a little repair. Once you're done, could you drive the excavator into Hunyuan Palace and help me clean up the scattered bricks?"

Zhao Wei slapped his thigh:
“That’s definitely no problem. When we get to the Hunyuan Palace, I’ll drive an excavator to pay my respects to the gods and let them experience cyber worship.”

"Okay, go ahead and pray wherever you want, no one's going to take it from you."

Two hours later, Zhao Wei drove his excavator, which rumbled into the gate of Hunyuan Palace.

The presence of modern mechanical technology in a place steeped in religious atmosphere creates a striking contrast.

Zhou Yi pointed to the bricks at the entrance of the main hall and said:

"That's all, it should be very simple."

Zhao Wei gave an OK sign:
"It's really simple, watch me."

He controlled the excavator, raised the bucket, and bowed three times towards the main hall. After finishing the ceremony, just as he was about to remove the bricks, the hydraulic pump on the excavator's boom suddenly stopped working.

"My car, which I just serviced, suddenly stopped working?"

Zhao Wei turned the car down and went to check the hydraulic pump. It was indeed showing a faulty status and could not be used.

Left with no other option, he drove to the outside of Hunyuan Palace, intending to call a tow truck to take the excavator down the mountain for repairs.

While waiting for the tow truck, Zhao Wei, unwilling to give up, turned off the excavator and then restarted it.

He got in the truck and tested it. To his surprise, the hydraulic pump on the boom was working again. He immediately turned around excitedly and drove the excavator back into Hunyuan Palace, ready to help Zhou Yi clear the bricks.

But just as the excavator's bucket was about to hit the bricks, the hydraulic pump in the boom malfunctioned again.

Zhao Wei felt like he had made a fool of himself in front of a god, and couldn't help but punch the control lever:

"Take it straight to the after-sales station later and have them thoroughly check the excavator's hydraulic system. I don't believe it can still malfunction!"

He angrily drove the excavator to the gate and waited patiently for the tow truck to arrive, no longer willing to cause any more trouble.

As Zhou Yi watched this scene, he suddenly remembered his grandfather's dying words:
"Xiao Yi, focus on repairing the Taoist temple and don't try to cheat or shirk your duties."

At the time, he thought it was just a casual remark, but now, seeing the excavator suddenly malfunction, Zhou Yi's heart skipped a beat:
"Oh no, Grandpa predicted my prediction!"

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(End of this chapter)