Chapter 26: White Water Pavilion

  Behind the county magistrate, there were several people following him, all of whom were wearing white clothes. Fang Ming glanced at the corner of his eye and saw that He Song was also among them.

  One line arrived at the county government office, not far away, and saw that they had entered a place, similar to an ancestral temple. After a long time, they came out. Fang Ming looked at them, his eyes twitching, the aura of the county magistrate and county lieutenant seemed to have thinned by a fraction, and the several people behind them were also like this.

  Although there was a steady stream of white air coming to replenish it, for the time being, not all of it could be replenished. Fang Ming was surprised and called over his companions, pointing at the ancestral temple and asking: "Where is that? Why have all the officials gone in?"

  "Good fellow, staring at Fang Ming as if he had seen a monster, but still saying: "That is the imperial ancestral temple, where sacrifices are made to the emperors of past dynasties. Every city has one, and officials must worship there every day. Even common people have to go to the temple square on the first and fifteenth days to make offerings. On these two days, the curfew will be lifted, and a temple fair will be held, with several days of grand opera performances, very lively. It's all like this everywhere, how come you don't know?"

  Fang's heart skipped a beat, and a red light flashed in his eyes. The shop assistant looked dazed, as if he was slightly dizzy, shook his head, and asked: "What are your orders, sir?" He seemed to have forgotten what had just happened.

  "Oh, nothing much, I'm just a traveler passing by to play around. I'd like to find a temple with some spiritual energy to pay my respects. Do you know if there's any famous ancestral temple in this city?" Fang Ming smiled and tossed out two large coins as he spoke.

  The fellow's face lit up with joy, and he quickly picked up the two large coins, not even caring about his earlier dizziness. He said, "If you're talking about ancestral spirits, that would be the ancestors of the four great families - Zhou, Wu, Zheng, and Wang - who have been worshipped for hundreds of years and are indeed very efficacious. However, those are family temples, not places outsiders can visit. Besides, there's also the White Water Temple, where the White Cloud Sword is enshrined, which is said to be effective in driving away ghosts!"

  "Oh!" This piqued Fang Ming's interest, and he carefully asked his companion about the location before letting him go.

  After sitting for a while, I thought of the imperial ancestral temple and then associated it with He Yuqing's words about the imperial blessed land, so I had some guesses. In my previous life, which imperial ancestral temple was accessible to outsiders, would have been punished long ago.

  In this world, the imperial family's good fortune is vast, but so are their expenses. Even with the accumulated blessings of past emperors and the collection of officials' fortunes, it might still be somewhat insufficient. Therefore, ancestral temples were established in various locations, where officials would offer sacrifices to collect the fortunes of the people, supplementing the imperial family's good fortune. Additionally, grand ceremonies are held on the first and fifteenth days of each month to gather the fortunes of the masses, replenishing them at all times to maintain the imperial family's good fortune and blessings.

  As for the rest, the mixture of Qi Yun, divine power, incense, willpower, spiritual power, and resentment can lead to the recipient becoming a terrestrial spirit. Hehe, don't forget that the emperors of past dynasties were also bound to the imperial blessed land and couldn't come out. They are also considered terrestrial spirits, only the scope of their binding is much larger.

  The cage is big, and the feeling of restriction is not felt. The blessed land is rich in products, and they are making a fortune inside. They are afraid that they will be too happy to think about Shu, so they must do their best to maintain the blessed land, even if it means collecting the aura and incense of officials and civilians from the Yang world.

  Yes, the great ancestor Taizu had a long-term vision, fearing that it was not only indulging in enjoyment, but also collecting aura and returning to his own family. He presided over the dragon pulse again, transferring the collected aura to the current emperor's body, with the intention of prolonging the number of days.

  Thinking of this, everything can be matched up front and back. Fang Ming suddenly felt a bit melancholy, stood up, and sighed again.

  Emperor Taizu, a hero of his generation, two hundred years ago, when the world was in great chaos, he wielded a three-foot sword, rose from humble beginnings, led elite troops, comforted refugees, and with one sword, beheaded tens of dragons, pacified the world, and established the prosperity of the Great Qing dynasty.

  Such a person, also bound by the wishes of the people, cannot help but be trapped in a place of good fortune, and must think for the sake of their children and grandchildren, exhausting their minds and worries, even to the point of drinking poison to quench their thirst. How tragic is this!

  Received the breath of all people in the world, naturally connected with all people. If the current emperor is diligent and governs well, giving the people a peaceful and prosperous world, or can cut off this cause and effect. Otherwise, once the world is in chaos and lives are lost, I fear that the accumulated incense and aura will backfire, and even if it's the great ancestor Taizu, he won't be able to escape the fate of his soul flying away.

  Fang Ming quickly regained his spirits. Time was precious, and since he had already heard most of the news, he might as well go to Baisui Temple to investigate. As he expected, this temple must have a connection with Baiyun Temple, and it might even be a branch temple. Just as he was about to leave, he wanted to snoop around for some more information.

  Anchang County is roughly divided into four blocks, with the county government located in the center. The south side is where the large households and officials' residences are located, and the four major families of Anchang occupy a large area. The east side is where merchants and small households live. The north side is the poor district, where artisans also reside. Finally, there is the west side, which is where the military households and their dependents live.

  Bai Shui Guan is located in the east of the city.

  Fang Ming walked all the way, thinking all the way, and from the location of Bai Shui Guan, you can see a lot of things.

  Firstly, the Taoist temple is usually located outside the city, but it's not possible here. There are evil spirits disturbing the place. If it were the White Cloud Temple, of course, there would be no problem. But this small county's branch temple might not have enough power to ward them off. Moreover, even if they could guard against the evil spirits, apart from the nearby farmers who would come to burn incense, people from other areas would definitely be unwilling to come. How can that work? Would there be no more incense offerings?

  It can only be set up in the city, and the center is not possible either. Not to mention the high land price, the government will not agree with it. After all, the imperial ancestral temple is here! Do you dare to compete with the royal family for incense?

  The south-facing location is quite suitable, but unfortunately, officials and wealthy households all understand some Feng Shui. They usually make a courtesy visit and donate some incense money, which can be done, but it's impossible to build next to their residence. Moreover, some Confucian officials have always been hostile towards Taoist priests, often submitting memorials saying "Taoist priests are of lowly origin, not suitable for entering the imperial court". The relationship between these two is quite subtle.

  West is the military gate, with martial energy and evil spirits suppressing it, neither the divine path nor the immortal path are suitable.

  Only the east and north of the city are left. The eastern part is relatively affluent, while the northern part is a slum area, so the Taoist temple can only be built in the east.

  Fang Ming thought clearly and suddenly realized that if he wanted to build a temple in the city without directly conflicting with Baiyun Temple, there was only one place to choose from in the north of the city.

  However, that is also a good place. In Fang Ming's view, only the top and bottom of society need faith. The middle class has poor people to compare with, and they feel happy, with goals to pursue above, and naturally strive hard, without needing comfort.

  The highest level is where material needs are met, and one can only turn to spiritual needs. The lowest level, on the other hand, has nothing at all, and even a handful of straw will be grasped tightly, with faith being extremely fanatical. If you build a temple in the north of the city, you can naturally take root firmly, just be careful not to get too carried away with your followers, or you'll end up getting dragged down yourself.

  All the way, there are pawnshops, incense shops, cloth shops, grain shops, wine houses, and small stalls. There are also peddlers carrying goods, walking through streets and alleys to sell them. The city is crowded with people, bustling about, with rosy complexions, almost everyone's face has a healthy color, which is several times better than in the countryside, no wonder many villagers prefer to live in the city.

  Arrived at Baisui Temple, found that although it is in the city, the Taoist temple is still very large, divided into main gate, front yard, main hall, back hall, garden and so on. There are also many side houses on both sides.

  Fang Ming arrived at the grand hall and saw that what was being worshipped in the center was not a person, but a sword. It must be the White Cloud Sword that his companion had mentioned. Fang Ming took a closer look and found that the White Cloud Sword had an ancient and simple appearance, without a scabbard, its entire body a pale blue color, as if mixed with golden light, very mysterious.

  At this moment, someone was worshiping. As the person bowed down, Fang Ming saw that the incense and fire wishes were mixed with the aura of fortune, surging towards the White Cloud Sword. The White Cloud Sword flashed a golden light, shattering the incense and fire wishes, but they still lingered on the sword body in a scattered manner. The remaining aura of fortune, however, surged into the void, as if being absorbed by something. As soon as the sword moved, a thread of sword energy attached itself to the worshiper's body, sharp and intimidating, capable of driving away evil spirits.

  Fang's mind suddenly cleared up and he got the answer. The vital energy must have been absorbed by the real White Cloud Sword. After thinking carefully, he gained a deeper understanding of the Taoist sect.

  The Xian Dao pursues its own clarity and freedom, which is completely opposite to the incense and wishes. These incense and wishes are a great poison for the cultivators of Qi, and they must not be contaminated at all costs.

  So there are no Taoist priests who receive sacrifices, but objects are different, especially the heavy treasures that suppress the door sect's aura.

  The Taoist temple is built with a wide gate, offering treasures to worship, collecting aura and fortune. When ordinary people come to worship, the incense and wishes are scattered, blocked by the fake objects being offered, and most of them are absorbed by the fake objects being offered. However, the aura and fortune of the believers are actually absorbed by the true body of the treasure in the main altar, increasing its power, and granting a thread of mighty energy to protect the believer from harm and severing karmic ties.

  Even if there is still a little bit of incense and willpower left, it's possible to trace back to the origin and find the true body of the treasure, but it won't be a big deal compared to the gained aura.

  The more treasures are collected, the greater the aura of fortune, which can suppress the foundation of the sect and ensure that the orthodox way is not lost.

  This is a treasure, placed throughout the world, it will not be excessive, and more are collected by the Taoist school.

  To know the strength of a Taoist sect, just look at the temples under its jurisdiction and you can understand it. After all, treasures must be used, and once used, they will inevitably suffer damage, so they need to be repaired with aura. Even if the Taoist sect has secret treasures, there won't be many, one piece is enough.

  Also compared the expenditure and gains of the followers, it was found that Taoism is far less generous than itself in this aspect. The protection given only accounts for about 20-30% of what the followers pay out, which is quite stingy compared to itself.

  If all Taoist temples in the world follow this model, their own Tao will win out by a wide margin and they won't be afraid of competition.

  "This gentleman, why stand for a long time? Is it that you have gained some insight from our Taoist rituals?" Fang Ming was deep in thought when he was suddenly interrupted by a voice. He immediately realized that he had entered the main hall without burning incense or making offerings, and instead stood there observing, different from the others, and attracting attention.

  He came to his senses, looked at the newcomer and found it was an old man, dressed as a Taoist priest, with white hair and beard, looking ethereal and having a bit of an immortal air about him. He had a good appearance. Looking again at his aura, he saw that it was faint and wavy like water ripples, but not even comparable to Lingzhu bamboo. He knew this was a disciple who had obtained some superficial knowledge of Taoist cultivation, and after cultivating to this point, should be an outer sect disciple sent to manage the temple.

  "Just a smile, saying: 'Li Mou came to visit here, heard that Bai Shui Guan is extraordinary, specially came to visit, suddenly lost in thought, I hope you don't mind!'"

  The old Taoist made a slight bow and said, "Not at all, not at all. Since Mr. Li has come to visit, I'll take the liberty of leading him around and explaining things to him."

  "Hehe... the sky is already late, Li has something to do, so I won't disturb you, this is incense money, please accept it..." Fang Ming refused, but couldn't guarantee that this person didn't have any sect secrets or treasures protecting him, and discovered clues."

  He gave a few silver coins as incense money, disregarding the Taoist's astonished expression, and bid farewell. This time entering the city was very rewarding, but he didn't stay long, went straight out of the city gate, and headed towards Qingxi Village.

  Bai Shui Guan, a young boy asked innocently: "Master, why are you paying special attention to this person?"

  The old man smiled and said, "Although I haven't cultivated any immortal methods, I do know some physiognomy. Looking at this person's face, it seems ordinary, but their demeanor is extraordinary, not something you'd find in a common crowd... Let's just form a good relationship with them." In his heart, however, he felt a bit puzzled - this person gave him a very strange feeling, but that wasn't necessary to say.

  Regardless of whether Dào Tóng understood or not, he waved his cloud sleeve and left by himself.