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

Chapter 42 I am their retribution! [Seeking monthly votes]

Upon arriving in the kitchen, Zhou Yi took out the food he had left in the refrigerator, heated it up one by one, and placed it in front of Li Bai:

"This is a welcome feast prepared for you at noon. I didn't expect you to sleep until now."

Li Bai thanked him and began to eat his rice.

Zhou Yi sat down opposite him, glanced at the calendar on his phone, and said:
"Chen Tang will be coming tomorrow, so you can meet him."

Li Bai shoveled a mouthful of rice into his mouth and asked:
"Is this Chen Tang, the one who shouted the slogan 'We will punish them no matter how far away they are'?"

"Yes, that's him. He's been quietly detaining the prince of Wusun these past two days. We can ask him about the details when he arrives tomorrow."

Li Bai was startled... He even knew General Chen's every move over there; his master's divine identity was becoming increasingly difficult to hide.

After the meal, Li Bai took the initiative to wash the dishes and even mopped the kitchen floor, showing that he was very sensible.

After finishing his work, he looked at the pitch-black night outside and asked:
"Master, if we go out now, those shops will already be closed, right?"

Zhou Yi brought out a set of robes and matching shoes, socks, headdress, etc., and had Li Bai change into them.
"It's only a little past eight o'clock. The night market has just started and it's still a long way from closing time. This is an outfit I bought for you at the Hanfu shop this afternoon. Try it on and see if it fits."

Li Bai took the clothes back to his room and quickly dressed up like a Taoist boy before coming out.

Zhou Yi said with a smile:

"That's good. Let's go down the mountain and explore the night market."

He opened the car door for Li Bai to sit in, fastened his seatbelt, then started the car and drove away from Hunyuan Palace, heading down the mountain.

In the morning, when Gongsun Da Niang led him to familiarize himself with Hunyuan Palace, Li Bai had already seen Wuling and heard a series of interesting stories about buying the car.

For example, resolving resentment, etc., which Li Bai found very appealing.

Now that he was in the car, he recalled the resentment that Granny Gongsun had mentioned:

"Master, does the appearance of resentment mean that there is an injustice involved?"

Zhou Yi shook his head:

"The resentment mainly comes from the hatred before death. The stronger the hatred, the stronger the resentment. Hatred can take many forms, and it's not necessarily all about being wronged... Did Shiliu tell you about buying a car?"

Li Bai nodded sheepishly, feeling as if he had betrayed his comrades.

A bend appeared ahead, so Zhou Yi adjusted his speed and honked the horn again.

"It's not necessarily a good thing to blindly interfere in other people's affairs. So when you encounter such situations, don't delve into them or investigate them. Ignoring them is the best solution."

Li Bai, whose chivalrous spirit had just been stirred that morning, asked with a puzzled look:

"Master, if that baby is truly innocent, should we just let the murderer go unpunished?"

Zhou Yi was very pleased that his apprentice had a strong sense of justice.

“The resentment is resolved by the incantation passed down by the patriarch. It’s like registering with the patriarch. If there is a real injustice, fate will push the murderer to be punished.”

Upon arriving in town, Li Bai saw for the first time rows of streetlights lining both sides of the main road:
"It can be as bright as day at night?"

Zhou Yi was worried that Li Bai would get carsick, so he didn't dare to drive too fast.

"This is just the town. When we get to the county, it will be truly bright as day."

As Zhou Yi walked through the town's streets and was about to turn onto the secondary provincial highway leading to the county seat, Mao Cong suddenly called:
"Master Yi, I've already sold that Land Rover. Thank you so much."

Zhou Yi politely replied:
"No need for thanks, you're paying me and I'm doing the work."

Mao Cong has now become a staunch advocate of traditional culture:
"I'm planning to get a statue from you to put in my car dealership. I'd also like you to take a look at the feng shui of my dealership and see if it needs any adjustments."

I've checked the feng shui of the car dealership using the I Ching, and there's nothing that needs changing. However, the statues of deities are something we need to discuss.
"Tell me your birthday and budget, and I'll need to choose a suitable deity based on your birth chart and budget."

Mao Cong mentioned his birthday and generously stated:

"The budget for the statue is at least 30,000. My car dealership is large, and I'm afraid it won't be able to hold the statue properly if it's too small."

Zhou Yi mentally converted Mao Cong's birthday into the Eight Characters (Ba Zi), and then, based on the Eight Characters and the nature of the car dealership, selected a suitable statue: "A 108-centimeter-tall bronze statue of Guan Gong will do. If you're sure you want it, I'll place the order in a bit. After the statue arrives, come to Hunyuan Palace, and I'll consecrate it for you. After that, you can offer it to the Nine Heavens and then take it home."

Upon hearing this height, Mao Cong was somewhat disappointed:

"Could we get those two or three-meter-tall wooden statues of deities? They'd look more impressive in the main hall."

Zhou Yi laughed:

"The bigger the statue, the better, especially a wooden statue. The larger the statue, the stronger its divinity, and it will exude a divine power that makes ordinary people afraid to approach it... I can get large wooden statues, but if your business suffers because of it, I won't be responsible."

When business was mentioned, Mao Cong immediately became alert:

"Alright, let's go with the bronze statue then... By the way, Master Yi, yesterday I cursed the middleman for selling me a car where someone had died, but today he actually refunded me 50,000 yuan and told me not to make a fuss. Is there something going on here?"

Zhou Yi was just telling Li Bai that fate would drive certain things, and it seems that this has already been proven true so quickly:

"What did you say? You didn't mention me, did you?"

"No, no, he only asked if I had gone to Sanlizhuang to see Shi Xiangu. I said yes, and then he hung up... Fifty thousand yuan, twenty thousand of which is the reward I gave you yesterday, and the remaining thirty thousand is used to purchase the statue. Consider it an insurance policy with this windfall. Is that alright?"

The Book of Changes says:

"No problem, this arrangement is just right."

After hanging up the phone, Mao Cong transferred 30,000 yuan. Zhou Yi pulled the car over to the side of the road, accepted the payment, and then logged into the online shopping platform. He found a 108-centimeter-tall bronze statue of Guan Gong in Uncle Ming's shop and placed an order.

After listening to the conversation between Zhou Yi and Mao Cong, Li Bai, combining the information he had received from Gongsun Da Niang, couldn't help but ask:
"Master, will the other party go after that Stone Fairy?"

The Book of Changes says:

"The Stone Fairy of Sanlizhuang has no professional ethics whatsoever. She keeps giving people bad ideas that shorten their lifespan. If she gets into trouble because of this, that's her retribution... If you want to make a living this way, you have to be prepared for that."

Li Bai thought he had implicated innocent passersby, but he never expected there to be such a claim, and he couldn't help but worry about Hunyuan Palace again:

"If they find out about you, won't that affect our Hunyuan Palace?"

Zhouyi's order is complete, let's continue driving:
"If Shi Xiangu suffers a misfortune because of this, it means she has received retribution. If those people trace it back to me, then I am their retribution!"

From childhood to adulthood, Zhou Yi has always adhered to the principle of "not causing trouble, but not being afraid of trouble either." If someone tries to cause trouble, he will fight back.

Now, Zhou Yi is all alone, without parents, wife, or children, and without mortgage or car loan payments. He is proficient in various metaphysical arts, and coupled with his identity as a religious figure, he is exactly what netizens call an "invincible person."

Those who dare to provoke an invincible person must bear the corresponding consequences.

Soon, they arrived in the county town, where the lights were bright everywhere, dazzling Li Bai.

Upon arriving near the pedestrian street, Zhou Yi parked the car in a roadside parking space and led Li Bai around, buying some snacks from every food stall they saw, letting his apprentice try some of the junk food of modern society.

Li Bai was handsome, and dressed as a Taoist acolyte, he was constantly being asked to take photos with people.

At first, the little guy wasn't used to it, but he quickly got used to it and even learned to make peace signs and heart shapes for photos on his own.

He was a heartthrob in the Tang Dynasty and is still admired in modern society. That's probably the charm of the "Poet Immortal".
While I was browsing, I passed by a sword and gift shop.

Li Bai walked in and immediately took a liking to the eight-sided Han sword hanging on the wall:
"Master, I want this, is that alright?"

The shopkeeper quickly came over to greet them:
"The swords here are all supplied by Longquan Weapon Factory. This sword is made of manganese steel and forged in one piece. Its strength and toughness are just right. It can be hung at home as decoration or used to ward off evil spirits."

Zhou Yi took out the Han sword and examined it. The quality was indeed good, so he bought one.

Just as I was about to leave after paying, I remembered that Chen Tang was coming tomorrow, so I decided to choose a weapon for him as a gift. If I could capture the Wusun prince, I could get a reward.

He went around and picked out a spring steel forged goose feather knife for Chen Tang, and a red lady's sword for Gongsun Da Niang.

When he scanned the QR code to pay, he saw that Uncle Ming had sent him a message:
"Young Master Yi, you've taken on another new job? I've also landed some business, the pay is excellent, I wonder if you'd be interested..."

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

(End of this chapter)