Chapter Thirty-Four: Zhenwu is Not Yet a Great Emperor

  It seems that violent incidents like this are not uncommon in this place, and from time to time there are people gathering around to watch and cheer. They were excitedly pointing and commenting, just short of bringing over stools and sunflower seeds to watch the commotion...

  The scene was thrilling and shocking, where can you see such a scene in modern society? Even when I was young, I saw people fighting in groups, with watermelon knives chopping and blood all over the ground, which were already strongly restricted.

  I thought the scenes of fighting and killing on TV and movies were already quite familiar. But now, seeing real people hacking at each other with knives, the bloody smell in the air is enough to make one vomit...

  Damn it, bad luck. Wen Fei spat out a mouthful of phlegm, watching as his chance to make a fortune was ruined by this unexpected fight. No matter which side won, Wen Fei didn't have the courage to go ask the winner for money.

  It turns out that Wen Fei is also a greedy person. This car of goods, at most, is only worth a few hundred yuan. In exchange for this big bag of gold sand, it's four or five times the amount from last time, and it can be sold for at least 2-3 million. With such a huge profit of several hundred times, he's still not satisfied and wants to go find someone to collect money...

  "Ah, Daozhang, please..." Wen Fei was secretly making a face, but someone greeted him. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the old man. Wen Fei hid far away behind a broken house of Chen Mudan's family to watch the commotion, and unexpectedly, the old man also came over, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

  "May I ask, venerable Daoist, what is your surname and great name? Where is your Daoist temple located?"

  Business has come, and Wen Fei has run errands for a few days, although he is the worst performer in the entire company. But this kind of idle chatter just explains the problem.

  Wen Fei burst out laughing and said: "Look at my memory, I even forgot to introduce myself. My humble name is Wen Fei, may I ask your honorable surname and great name?"

  The old man smiled and said: "This old man is not worthy of the surname Gao, a humble name that is not worth mentioning. Just call me Zhang Sanweng!"

  The two men chatted politely for half a day, and it seemed that this kind of small talk was a required course in society. However, the ancient small talk was particularly troublesome, circling around without getting to the point. Wen Fei didn't understand much about this era and didn't dare to speak recklessly.

  Instead, the old man looked up at him with a higher gaze, thinking that this Taoist priest also seemed to be an old hand. I tried to probe his bottom line in such a way, but couldn't figure it out, and then shifted the topic to business.

  "May I ask, Wen Fei Dao Chang, what is the name of this wine?"

  Wen Fei was about to say "Burn the knife", but after some thought, he felt that this name lacked cultural connotation. No, I have to come up with a good name. He opened his mouth and said: "Let San Weng know, my wine is called Qingxi Flowing Spring!"

  "What a great name, indeed a great name! This wine is as white as jade and snow, with a clarity like that of spring water. The name is truly fitting! Only a virtuous and moral gentleman from the Taoist temple could brew such an excellent wine." Zhang Sanweng praised repeatedly, but then asked: "I wonder if Master Dao has any more of this wine?"

  Wen Fei was overjoyed, but his face didn't reveal a hint of emotion: "To be honest, we do have some of this wine in our Taoist temple. However, as you know, Three Elders, this wine is somewhat against the law, and our temple is also too old and dilapidated to think about raising funds for repairs. That's why I resorted to this inferior plan..."

  "Renovating the Taoist temple, this is a great thing! May I ask which deity is enshrined in the temple? I'd like to donate some money and grain to worship the deity!"

  Wen Fei spoke in plain language, but he didn't know that since the True Ancestor's reign in the Northern Song Dynasty, they had recognized the Jade Emperor as their ancestor and highly revered Taoism. The atmosphere was such that not only high-ranking officials and nobles, but even ordinary people were deeply devoted to Taoism. Therefore, as soon as he heard about building a Taoist temple, this old man immediately became enthusiastic.

  "This temple is dedicated to the True Martial Grand Emperor!" Wen Fei said casually.

  "True Martial Grand Emperor!" Zhang Sanweng's heart skipped a beat: "However, it is the Ancestral Master of Unkempt Hair, the Spiritual Response True Lord."

  Wen Fei's waterfall sweat is about to come down, so many names, who knows what. Fortunately, Wen Fei had read a lot of folk legends when he was young and still remembered the legend of Zhenwu Emperor in Jiangcheng Wuhan, which included the name of Pilai Ancestor. The reason lies in the fact that in folklore, Zhenwu Emperor beheaded demons and monsters, wielding his sword and letting out his hair, so there are also names like Jianjian Ancestor and Pilai Ancestor.

  "Yes!" Wen Fei hastily replied.

  "It's fortunate that it's me, an old man. If it were someone else, they might not have heard of this revered deity!" Zhang San Weng said with a serious expression: "I am from Ezhou!"

  This was the Northern Song Dynasty, and Wuchang was called Ezhou. It's really a coincidence. After a conversation between the two, Wen Fei only knew that at this time, the faith of Zhenwu Dadi had not yet spread widely and did not have the high status of later generations.

  He was only proclaimed as "Zhenwu Lingying Zhenjun" during the Tianxi era, which was over a hundred years ago from now. It wasn't until after the Ming dynasty that with the rise of Wudang Mountain, Emperor Zhenwu gained his later status as a supreme deity.

  The true Wu Emperor is now widely worshiped in the military, claiming to dominate human warfare and having a war god status. In the Great Song Army, especially in the Western Army, it is most revered!

  "It turns out it's like this, after messing around for half a day, I still can't be called the True Martial Great Emperor. At most, I can only be called a True Lord..."

  Wen Fei was still thinking when the old man asked, "Where is the Daochang Temple, since it's dedicated to the worship of Lingying Zhenjun? I'd like to pay my respects!"

  Wen Fei cursed in his heart, where did a Taoist temple come from? He had to say: "My family's Taoist temple is quite far away, San Weng thinks it's better to go and worship the gods another day!"

  It wasn't easy to temporarily dispel Zhang Sanweng's idea and shift the topic back to business, only then did Wen Fei breathe a sigh of relief.

  "This wine is good, but unfortunately, it still feels like something is missing. The flavor is a bit too strong, I think it's probably because it was just brewed and hasn't been aged yet. If it were to be stored for a few years and then brought out again, that would be truly exceptional!" the old man sighed.

  Wen Fei stretched out a big thumb from his belly, and Zhang San Weng indeed had some skills and experience. However, the first time he tasted this wine, he pointed out its biggest problem.

  Xiao Yu also told Wen Fei that this kind of liquor, no matter how much seasoning is added, does not have the unique flavor of a truly aged old wine. Moreover, good pure grain wines do not cause headaches even after drinking a lot, but this liquor causes headaches when the effects wear off. However, this low-end liquor is not only deceiving old farmers, but also many people who spend hundreds or thousands of yuan on famous wines may be ordinary too.

  It seems that this low-end wine can't fool the old man, although some so-called famous wines are also mixed. But the materials used are different, not comparable to Wen Fei's cost of only one or two yuan.

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