Chapter 152: Zhongyuan Gate Opens
The next morning, the maids in Prince Qin's mansion saw a strange scene.
The Taoist priest in the palace, who was so handsome that he looked too good, didn't wash or dress properly in the morning. His hair was all tangled and his Taoist robe was not even tied properly.
With a slovenly look, he began to run around the palace.
He seemed to be holding something in his hand, with his head lowered and muttering something.
All in all, it feels like a steal.
If it was someone else who behaved like this, the maids would probably call the guards immediately to keep an eye on this slightly crazy person.
But if it were this Taoist priest.
"So lovely……"
In the back garden, two maids were tending to the flowers grown by the prince, and saw the disheveled Taoist priest wandering through the flowers.
One of the maids held a shower head in her hand and stared at the Taoist with a slightly red face.
"Yes, it looks good no matter what..."
Another maid echoed this.
He is clearly unkempt, but on the Taoist priest, he looks so cool and unrestrained.
"But, what is the Taoist doing?"
"I don't understand. Do you want to go up and say hello? After all, this is the place that the prince values the most. If the Taoist priest accidentally steps on it, it will be a small trouble."
The two maids were whispering to each other, both knowing that even if it was the Taoist priest who burned the garden, the prince would only clap his hands and say that the fire was really beautiful, worthy of being created by the Taoist priest.
Burning hot and fragrant!
However, the two of them just wanted to find an excuse to talk to the Taoist priest.
The two maids discussed it and decided to push each other and move forward bravely.
"Don't bother him."
At this time, a figure in costume appeared in the white mist, holding up his sleeves and saying with a smile.
"Mr. Baihua!"
The two maids bowed quickly.
"Ah."
Mr. Baihua nodded and looked at Jiang Lin, whose behavior was quite strange, and the compass in Taoist Jiang's hand.
This made Mr. Baihua narrow his eyes. He looked at the two maids and said, "You two follow the Taoist priest, but don't disturb him unless he calls you. Remember that?"
"Yes, we took note of it."
Although the two maids didn't understand what it meant, it was obvious that this was a good job.
"Well, let's go."
Mr. Baihua looked at Jiang Lin who was about to leave the garden and said, "If the Taoist priest needs anything later, no matter how expensive it is, you can prepare it yourself, and don't worry about the rest."
"Yes."
The two maids nodded and headed straight towards the direction Jiang Lin left. They didn't get close, but just followed him from a distance.
They walked around from early morning to noon, and Taoist Jiang almost walked through the entire palace.
While the two maids' legs were sore, there was a hint of curiosity in their eyes.
What on earth is the Taoist priest doing?
"rustle……"
At this moment, Jiang Lin suddenly stopped.
Looking up, I saw an attic in front of me, Zhou Rou's attic.
All the noble ladies from wealthy families usually lived in a high-rise building, which was called a boudoir. Some wealthy families were even more particular and would consider it a privilege for their daughters not to get out of bed.
But their bed is not the few feet of space that ordinary people have.
The King of Qin was not that exaggerated, but this attic was one of the tallest buildings in the palace.
The higher the boudoir is, the more favored the daughter is. Given the situation of the Qin King's family, if it weren't for the concern of usurpation, the Qin King would probably want to build a Zhaixing Pavilion for his daughter to live in.
“It seems to be the only place.”
Jiang Lin glanced at the compass in his hand again, shook his head helplessly, and said to himself: "I should have thought of it earlier."
"How could it be possible that there was no Feng Shui master involved in the layout of the palace?"
The reason why he started working early in the morning was that he was preparing for something big.
Today is July 15th, the Ghost Festival.
This is the most yin day of the year.
It was also the day of promotion that Jiang Lin had long prepared for.
The Yin Spirit wants to go one step further, give birth to Yang from Yin, and advance to the Yang Spirit realm. The key lies in the Yang energy that is born from Yin at the extreme end of Yin.
Among the three factors of time, place and people, Jiang Lin’s cultivation is already sufficient, and the right time is about to come.
On July 15th, after nightfall, extreme yin is born and hundreds of ghosts roam the night.
In fact, generally speaking, very few practice lineages would choose this day as the right time.
Although it is an extremely yin day, the night parade of hundreds of ghosts also brings with it evil, yin and ghostly auras.
These things are not good things. Most of the practitioners of Qingfu Xianzong would not choose this day even if they want to transform extreme yin into yang.
But for Jiang Lin, there is no better day than July 15th.
A Hundred Ghosts at Night?
Come on, whatever you want.
It's all up to you whether I'm scared or not.
We have the right time and people, now all we need is the right location.
Harmony among people is the key to harmony. If the weather is extremely yin, then the location should be the place with the heaviest yang energy.
The important matter of advancing to a higher realm naturally cannot be taken lightly, so Jiang Lin did not plan to leave the Prince Qin's Mansion, but to choose a place inside the Prince Qin's Mansion.
In the Prince of Qin's mansion, Jiang Lin searched for a whole morning and finally found a place with the strongest yang energy.
It's the attic in front of you.
This is also what Jiang Lin was upset about. He had never thought of this before.
There is no short boudoir for women, which makes going up and down the stairs very tiring. But generally speaking, it is considered precious for daughters not to go down to the attic, which is why the higher the better.
When this thing was first designed, or when it first appeared, the problem of ladies frequently going up and down the stairs was not taken into consideration.
As for the hard work of maids and servants, it is obviously not within the consideration of those wealthy men.
But if you do this, not being in touch with reality all year round will naturally not be good for your health.
Therefore, the boudoirs in wealthy families are often built in the place with the strongest yang energy in the family, so as to make up for the lack of earth energy.
"The right time, right place, and right people are all here."
Jiang Lin looked up at the towering attic in front of him and nodded with satisfaction.
But in the eyes of the two maids, the Taoist priest was nodding and circling towards his own princess's attic.
"Taoist Master, this is..."
"The princess doesn't seem to be in the attic, right?"
"No, but looking at the Taoist priest's expression, it seems that he wants to go up?"
The two maids looked at each other and saw that Jiang Lin had already walked to the door of the princess's boudoir.
The two looked at each other and followed carefully.
"Taoist Master."
A maid shouted bravely. It was not that she was disobeying Mr. Baihua's instructions, but it was an ancient rule.
Men are never allowed to enter a woman's boudoir.
"Ok?"
Hearing this, Jiang Lin turned around and saw two maids.
"Master, this boudoir..."
The maid who had just spoken spoke hesitantly.
"I know."
Jiang Lin nodded, interrupted the maid, thought for a moment and said, "Please go and invite Miss Yunxiu and Taoist Miaoqing over. If the princess is here, please invite her as well."
The more stable your realm advancement is, the better.
Miao Qing's strength makes her an excellent protector, and Liu Yunxiu has a big secret. Although we don't know the details yet, it shouldn't be a problem to take advantage of her.
I don't know how effective it is, but it's better than nothing.
As for Zhou Rou, it’s someone else’s place after all, so she should at least say hello, right?
Jiang Lin thought to himself and said, "By the way, tell Fellow Daoist Miaoqing to bring her weapons." "Ah? Yes..."
The maid was a little dumbfounded, but still nodded obediently. The two maids looked at each other and saw something strange in each other's eyes.
Jiang Lin didn't notice this and just glanced at the sky.
It's already afternoon, so we have to hurry up and make arrangements, otherwise there might not be enough time.
Thinking so, Jiang Lin turned around and went up to the attic.
Seeing the Taoist priest impatiently entering their princess's boudoir, the two maids looked at each other.
Three people, can the Taoist priest bear it?
Although I know that my idea is ridiculous and outrageous, but now that it has unfolded, it really makes sense.
The two maids did not dare to think too much and left in a hurry. Following the Taoist's instructions, they invited the three young ladies.
…………
Jiang Lin climbed to the top of the attic. There was a balcony there. From where he could see, he could almost see half of Kyoto.
From a distance, only the Tai Chi Hall in the Forbidden City is taller than this attic.
Jiang Lin took another look at the compass in his hand. Although he had not learned any Feng Shui techniques, he still knew how to use a compass. The Feng Shui of the Prince Qin's Mansion was very clear and there would be no mistakes.
"Boom..."
The door behind him was kicked open, and Miao Qing came up carrying a lot of bags. When she saw Jiang Lin, she asked curiously, "Brother Dao, what are you doing?"
"Are you going to curse the old emperor from a distance? If so, I can summon some..."
"No."
Jiang Lin spoke helplessly, interrupting Miao Qing's fierce words.
This girl has been thinking about the rebellion all the time ever since I told her about it.
"Well……"
Miao Qing pouted in disappointment and asked, "Then why did you ask me to bring my stuff up here?"
As he spoke, he put the big bag in his hand to the ground, put his hands on his hips and said, "Everything that can be used for the ritual is here."
"They are all treasures from the palace. I have seen them and some of them are better than those in my Sanyuan Palace."
Jiang Lin smiled and said, "Of course it is very useful."
He walked forward, untied the bundle, and began to look through the items carefully.
Miao Qing on the side scratched her head, while Zhou Rou and Liu Yunxiu behind her also looked curious.
"Master, what dirty things are there in this boudoir of mine?"
Zhou Rou asked rather nervously.
"No, it's just that I need to borrow the princess's boudoir for a while."
Jiang Lin picked up a bag of cinnabar, weighed it, opened it and took a look, then nodded with satisfaction.
"What is the Taoist priest going to do?"
Zhou Rou asked curiously, Miao Qing and Liu Yunxiu also looked over.
They had also heard about Jiang Lin's strange behavior today, both testing Feng Shui and climbing a tall building.
"My realm is about to be promoted."
Jiang Lin looked through the bag without even raising his head, casually took out his small storage gourd, handed it to Miao Qing, and said, "Daoist Miao Qing, please set up an altar."
Miao Qing subconsciously raised her hand to take it, and then reacted and looked at Jiang Lin in surprise: "Brother Dao, are you going to be promoted?"
Seeing Jiang Lin nod, her expression suddenly became serious. She stopped asking questions and activated the storage magic weapon in her hand and placed the altar out of it.
Soon, Miaoqing set up the altar and Jiang Lin picked out the things he needed.
Jiang Lin climbed onto the altar and sat cross-legged on it facing north.
Not far behind him, Miao Qing lowered his head, turned up his sleeves, and took out a piece of drawing paper from the innermost part of this storage magic weapon.
This piece of drawing paper is only the size of a palm, and its irregular edges are covered with yellowed marks of time.
Liu Yunxiu looked over curiously, and saw that in the corner of the drawing paper, half of a bare foot was vaguely visible, and there was a little bit of space where the foot was stepping on what seemed to be... a tortoise shell?
This made Liu Yunxiu stunned for a moment. Although it was only a small part, she was a cultivator after all, so it was not difficult for her to remember everything she saw.
The information depicted on the piece of drawing paper in Miaoqing's hand was something she had often seen when she was in Taisu Palace.
"With this thing, there shouldn't be any mistakes."
Miaoqing did not notice Liu Yunxiu's gaze, but just held the piece of drawing paper in her hand with great care.
There was wind in the tall building, and the drawing paper was not pressed down, so it should have been blown away. However, the strong wind blew up to it and did not shake it at all.
It was as if this corner of drawing paper weighed a thousand pounds.
"This is……"
Liu Yunxiu had just opened her mouth when she was interrupted by Miaoqing's look.
She subconsciously shut up and looked at Jiang Lin.
"call……"
The young Taoist priest who was sitting cross-legged on the altar, on the top of the building, exhaled towards the north.
This breath was like a white silk, flying more than three feet before slowly dissipating.
"Silence."
Miaoqing's lips moved, but no sound came out, but it rang very clearly in the ears of Liu Yunxiu and Zhou Rou.
Then, he pulled Zhou Rou and Liu Yunxiu back a little, thought for a moment, and protected the two women behind him.
Liu Yunxiu and Zhou Rou looked at each other and saw a hint of nervousness in each other's eyes.
Unconsciously, the two girls moved closer together and held hands.
Three pairs of beautiful eyes stared at the Taoist priest who was sitting high on the altar.
Time passes bit by bit.
Soon, the golden crow set in the west, but the toad moon did not rise.
This is because the sky tonight is covered with dark clouds, and the light of the stars and the moon cannot be seen at all.
The entire Kyoto seemed to be shrouded in darkness.
However, on the well-planned streets of Kyoto, little flames were burning.
Strands of paper ash were picked up by the wind and floated in the air.
On the Ghost Festival, of course, people have to offer sacrifices and burn paper.
"call!!"
As night fell, the wind suddenly became stronger and became even more violent when it hit the tall buildings.
The wind tonight was unusually cold, and Zhou Rou couldn't help but wrap herself up.
However, the wind blowing on Jiang Lin's body suddenly became much gentler.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes, and his whole body, inside and out, was adjusted to the best state.
He raised his hand, picked up a piece of yellow paper, and with a movement of his hand, the yellow paper spontaneously combusted without fire.
"Crash!!"
With another wave, the yellow paper fluttered in the wind, like flaming butterflies, being carried by the wind, circling in the sky, and not landing for a long time.
Oddly enough, the flame of the yellow paper was not big, yet it would not go out even under the strong wind.
"The Heavenly Lord of Rescue has boundless salvation."
"Relieve lonely souls, the Dharma food is incredible."
"All the lonely ghosts in the world."
"The Zhongyuan Gate is open, come and enjoy the sweet dew."
Jiang Lin recited the mantra for offering sacrifice to ghosts softly.
The yellow paper is fluttering and the wind and fire are roaring.
Suddenly, the wind changed, and a humming and ethereal sound came out, like the cry of a ghost.
Zhou Rou couldn't see clearly, but in the eyes of Liu Yunxiu and Miao Qing, two people with magical powers, they saw an extremely shocking scene.
Countless wandering ghosts, whether they died by falling into a well or jumping off a cliff, being trampled by cars or horses, being killed by tigers and wolves, being drowned or burned by fire, being poisoned or owed money, etc., all crowded here.
Under the blessing of the Yin energy of the Ghost Festival, these numerous wandering ghosts ignored the blessing of the purple energy of the palace, and swarmed in to share the "nectar" bestowed by the young Taoist.
Jiang Lin watched quietly, feeling his Yin Spirit becoming more solid.
(End of this chapter)
