I became an immortal in the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 113 A Single Sheet of Taoist Magic

The grand procession of Prince Qi's mansion headed out of the county.

In the side hall.

The Mountain God, Li Bai, and Yuan Danqiu exchanged glances, all recalling that they had visited the Stone Goddess Temple a few days ago, and that the Master seemed to have written something.

The old deer mountain god stroked his beard and said with a smile:
"It seems there's some kind of destiny involved..."

Zhang Guolao heard this, looked at them suspiciously, and tried to make some calculations, but he felt confused and couldn't see the reason behind it.

He became curious and asked Jiang She:
"Is there some hidden meaning behind this?"

Jiang She, ever witty, did not answer him directly, but said with a smile, "Old man, go and see for yourself, and you will know."

Zhang Guo was completely confused.

Could this person also be capable of divination and even calculate the cause and effect of these "virtuous people"?

Surely it can't be that the lewd priests in this area have powerful backers?
The more Zhang Guo thought about it, the better it seemed. Unable to deduce anything from either direction, he simply mounted the donkey.
"I originally intended to keep you in suspense, but I never expected to be outmaneuvered. Haha... There are truly many talented people in the world. This trip to Yanzhou was a wonderful one!"

"Alright then, the old man will go along!"

……

……

Not far outside the city is the Stone Goddess Temple.

Along the way, the officials of the Prince's Palace and several experts had inquired with local officials in Yanzhou. When the official heard that the matter concerned the Prince of Qi's illness, his eyelids twitched.

How could they possibly know so much about things in the countryside outside the county?
Just as he was racking his brains for words, the temple came into view.

The monk stepped down from the carriage and surveyed the dilapidated little temple from afar. It was just a mud house with an old elm tree outside, adorned with red ribbons. Despite its remote location, it was a popular place of worship.

The temple had no door, so several people could see inside.

A stone statue stands in front, and several sticks of incense burner are burning haphazardly inside.

Their eyes fell on the red ribbon on the tree.

Soon, a servant from the Prince of Qi's residence took it from the tree branch and handed it to everyone to see.

One of the red ribbons was particularly long and eye-catching.

“I’m from Wangjia Village. A group of wicked thugs came to our village to collect grain. They took almost two bushels more than we needed, trampling all the grain my family had grown in a year onto the ground. When they left, they even killed and ate my chickens. They’re utterly despicable. Heaven should have opened its eyes long ago and made these evil people pay for it!”

There were a few shorter ones next to it.

"May the pigs and sheep in the pen not suffer from disease..."

"Please, passing deities, show me a way, and tell me which mountain post station my son has reached..."

"I wish to find a soulmate, and stay together until our hair turns white."

"The Stone Goddess taught me to get rich so I can live in a big house in the county. In my next life, I'm willing to be her ox or horse to repay her..."

The official in charge of the Prince's residence glanced at it.

"It truly is a licentious cult."

The monk frowned as the group entered the temple.

Inside, three or five travelers were idly chatting while sheltering from the snow. Some of them, being more particular, offered incense and two cups of wine before the statue of the deity, and prayed in hushed tones.

Hearing the commotion outside, a number of people soon came over, including monks and Taoists, all dressed in long robes with wide sleeves, looking like immortals. There were also tall horses parked outside.

The worshippers hurriedly scrambled to their feet.

The eunuch raised his voice and asked, "How long has this temple been here?"

The worshippers couldn't answer.

One of them glanced at the official boots the newcomer was wearing and knew he was from an official family. He said cautiously, "I can't say exactly how old it is, but it's been several decades. However, this temple is close to the county, and people like to rest here when they come and go."

He noticed that these distinguished guests had personally visited this remote temple in the countryside.

He added, "This temple is very efficacious. You gentlemen might as well come and offer your prayers; it might bring you some good fortune."

The eunuch immediately rebuked him.

"How dare you! This is an obscene ritual!"

Officials from Yanzhou followed along, and also spoke authoritatively:
"Look at these red ropes outside the temple, so many of them are inscribed with thoughts of harming people, how can you all stay here?"

Many of the people in the temple didn't even know what "sexual cult" meant.

He spoke in a very formal and literary way.

The Stone Goddess Temple provides shelter from the wind and rain, and it's said to be very effective; isn't that much better than the temples in Yanzhou City? And it's free too. An official from the Prince's residence asked the monk:

"Master, this temple is undoubtedly a place of illicit worship. How can we exorcise the evil spirits and make His Majesty feel better?"

The monk clasped his hands together and said calmly:

"Just tear it down."

The monk then explained to the others that he had already calculated the location of the temple; it was a stone that had become a spirit and had been there for decades. If they hadn't been invited to Yanzhou by the sage and hadn't exorcised the evil spirit for the Prince of Qi, they probably still wouldn't have noticed and would have allowed it to continue causing trouble.

Upon hearing this, the eunuch looked at the officials of the Prince's residence.

The official in charge of the Prince's residence raised his hand and waved.

He ordered:
"Did you bring the axe and hammer? Bring them here and smash them!"

Not far away, a small stone was hidden behind the temple. A gust of north wind blew, and it bounced slightly.

The Stone Goddess was filled with anxiety, watching from afar as they prepared to smash her statue. They not only wanted to tear down her temple, but also to eliminate any potential threats at all.

I hope I won't get arrested!
The small stone bounced a few steps away on the ground.

On the back of the white donkey, the old man Zhang Guo was also watching this scene and shook his head.

"That was a bit reckless."

Li Bai asked:
"Will banishing this wicked worship truly cure King Qi's illness?"

Zhang Guo smiled, stood with his hands behind his back, and gazed at the vast sky:
He said slowly:
"How could there be such a good thing? It's just that the licentious worship has been destroyed, which is also a great achievement for the government! If it's recorded in the county annals, it will be a merit of educating the people."

"Throughout history, how many emperors, generals, and ministers have become immortals, how many have attained enlightenment? How long have they lived? Are they immune to all diseases?"

Snowflakes fell from the sky, and they watched as the men took knives and axes from the carriage.

This was prepared long ago.

Yuan Danqiu and Li Bai watched from afar.

One of them had seen the Stone Goddess with his own eyes, and the other had only heard about her from others. They knew she hadn't done anything evil. Now that the temple and statues were about to be destroyed, they couldn't help but feel reluctant.

Li Bai looked at the old man, but there was no worry on his face.

They glanced at the master, but Jiang She didn't speak. Instead, he looked at the high-ranking priests in the room, listening to them chant incantations, seemingly lost in thought.

Yuan Danqiu stabbed Li Bai.

"Taibai, sir, last time..."

They remembered that the gentleman had given this stone goddess a gift last time.

Zhang Guo glanced at them, but couldn't tell what they were talking about.

He tucked his hands into his sleeves, concealing them as he formed a hand seal, ready to unleash it at the crucial moment to block the blades and axes—

……

……

The crowd raised their hands, holding axes, hammers, and bronze knives.

Smash it hard against the temple—

But then they saw that the crooked wall, made of mud bricks, seemed to emit a faint blue light, rejecting the tools in everyone's hands.

Guards, officials, and scholars all fell to the ground, and the falls were quite severe.

The monk also felt a little dizzy.

Why can't we smash a shady, unlicensed temple?

Zhang Guo was taken aback, and the magic seal under his sleeve vanished.

He withdrew his hand and looked at the inconspicuous mud wall with great interest. It was dilapidated and covered with thatch, barely enough to keep out the wind and rain.

There was also a piece of paper pasted on the wall, its origin unknown, with what appeared to be writing on it.

Plain and unremarkable, devoid of any spirit.

That piece of paper...

Zhang Guo narrowed his eyes.

【Ask for monthly ticket】

(End of this chapter)