Chapter 181 Parting ways
In the eyes of the vast majority of ordinary people in Zhou State, the turmoil three months ago did not actually have much impact.
It's just that the emperor has been replaced by someone else.
The only good thing was that with the ascension of the new emperor, although there was no general amnesty, he did take measures to exempt taxes and lower food prices.
This was enough to make the people of Zhou feel favorable toward the new emperor and sincerely respect him.
That’s right, more than three months have passed since the King of Qin ascended the throne.
Now, the King of Qin should be called the Son of Heaven.
In the court, undercurrents also surged as the new emperor ascended the throne.
The fifty-year-old emperor, at the end of his prime, had a twelve-year-old prime minister.
Although this young prime minister was so capable that he could be compared to the reincarnation of Wu Hou, it was precisely because of this that many ministers inevitably felt uneasy.
Moreover, the new emperor had no son, only a daughter, but even this daughter did not appear when the emperor ascended the throne.
Hence, memorials asking the emperor to choose a concubine flew into the Taiji Hall like snowflakes.
Although the emperor felt it was a little abrupt, he should indeed give this matter serious consideration. After all, it is common sense that if the emperor has no heir, the legal system will be unstable.
Finally, at the suggestion of the prime minister, a compromise plan was chosen - to select three concubines only in Kyoto.
For a moment, all the ministers, dukes and nobles were silently preparing.
However, these undercurrents in the court have little to do with Jiang Lin.
Inside Shangqing Temple.
The weather in October can no longer be described as cool, but it is gradually getting colder.
Although practitioners are not affected by cold or heat, Jiang Lin still put on the black cloak.
Standing on the steps in front of the Laojun Temple, Jiang Lin looked up at the willow tree at the edge of the square, whose leaves had turned yellow.
Willow is soft and formless. It takes the same shape as the wind.
It is in line with Lao Tzu's philosophy of inaction, and it complements each other here.
Jiang Lin watched quietly.
"Jiji?"
On my shoulder, the little blue phoenix was combing its feathers, occasionally looking up and calling out.
The sound has no meaning, it's just a simple hum.
The little guy really enjoyed this rare quietness.
Because Liu Yunxiu, Miaoqing and Zhou Rou have been busy refining pills in the past few months and have no time to do anything else.
Liu Yunxiu was the leader, Miaoqing played a supporting role, and although Zhou Rou had no cultivation, she was thoughtful and did the work of finding and filling in the gaps.
Even though the three girls have only been together for three months, they have really made some progress.
Jiang Lin raised his hand and looked at the peanut-sized golden pill in his hand.
Although there are still some holes, it is a great improvement compared to the elixirs that were once in the boudoir.
The alchemy furnace handed down from ancestors of Shangqing Temple would not explode easily.
"Boom boom..."
Jiang Lin threw the golden pill into his mouth and ate it like chewing beans.
It is worthy of being the alchemy method passed down by Laojun. The lower limit is simply unparalleled.
Even in the hands of three inexperienced little girls, the pills they refined only had a slight trace of poison.
For Jiang Lin, this bit of poison could be eliminated by just some meditation.
The rest are all very nourishing things.
It can be said that in the past three months, most of the golden elixirs refined by the three women went into Jiang Lin’s mouth.
Jiang Lin's deficit was really serious. In the change three months ago, Jiang Lin really fought with all his might.
Now, after three months, with the consumption of a large amount of precious medicines by Shangqing Temple and the unremitting "logistical output" of the three women, except for some defects in the origin, everything else has been fully recovered.
But there is no so-called further progress.
There are also basic laws to follow when practicing. If you can break down and then rebuild every time, then you are not a practitioner, but a Saiyan.
"Fellow Daoist Jiang."
At this time, a middle-aged Taoist priest came over with a letter with a golden cover in his hand.
"A letter from the Emperor, addressed to Her Royal Highness the Princess."
The Taoist said as he handed the letter to Jiang Lin, saying, "This is a restricted area for the alchemy recipe. It is not convenient for me to enter or leave. Please pass this letter on to me, Taoist friend."
"Please trouble Brother Li, I will leave it to you."
Jiang Lin nodded and took the letter.
After watching the middle-aged Taoist leave, Jiang Lin turned and walked into the Laojun Temple. After bowing three times and offering incense to the statue of Grandpa Laojun, Jiang Lin turned and entered the back hall of the Laojun Temple.
Here, as soon as I came in, I felt the strong atmosphere of heat and dryness.
It was obvious that the three people in the alchemy room had started the furnace again.
Inside the alchemy room.
Liu Yunxiu sat cross-legged in front of a ten-foot-high bronze alchemy furnace, chanting spells continuously onto the furnace.
"slow fire."
Liu Yunxiu took a look at the situation inside the alchemy furnace and scattered out three stalks of Lingxu grass.
Upon hearing this, Miao Qing, who was in charge of stimulating the fire, immediately reduced the infusion of magic power, and the flame in the furnace slowly shrank.
A little further away from the two of them, Zhou Rou was holding a small notebook and proofreading from time to time.
Although the firepower had weakened a lot, the alchemy room was still hot.
Miaoqing was fine, after all, she had a deeper level of Taoism and had already achieved the level of being immune to cold and heat.
But Liu Yunxiu and Zhou Rou haven't reached that level yet.
Especially Zhou Rou, who was a pure mortal, wore very thin clothes.
She had her back to Jiang Lin, and in the light of the fire, Jiang Lin could vaguely see a line of bright red on her waist and back under the veil.
"Cough cough."
Jiang Lin only took a glance, then looked away and coughed lightly.
Hearing the noise, Liu Yunxiu and Miaoqing did not move, but Zhou Rou put away the notebook and turned around subconsciously.
After seeing Jiang Lin, the blush on her face, which was already brought on by the firelight, seemed to become three times more intense.
"Taoist Master."
Zhou Rou bowed and asked, "Why are you here, Taoist priest?"
"A letter from the palace."
Jiang Lin raised the letter in his hand, which made Zhou Rou's eyes light up.
"Just in time."
She flipped through the small book in her hand and said, "If we can use the energy of the emperor to blend this Yanglong Pill into the furnace, it will have an extra three points of energy when it is completed."
Having said that, Zhou Rou took the letter, without even looking at it, and threw it into the alchemy furnace.
But in an instant, the flames spread and the letter turned into ashes.
An extremely faint aura of the Son of Heaven slowly merged into the churning elixir liquid, making the originally light golden elixir liquid three points thicker.
Jiang Lin was surprised and asked, "Don't you want to see what's written?"
"What catches your eyes?"
Zhou Rou said nonchalantly, "He's probably explaining to me why he wants to take a concubine, and maybe he's also trying to urge me to go to the palace."
It is said that no one knows a son better than his father, but now it is said that no one knows a father better than his daughter.
It seems that even though he became the emperor, the King of Qin's nature as a daughter slave has not changed.
Jiang Lin smiled and shook his head. Without disturbing the three people anymore, he turned and left the alchemy room.
Back to the main hall of Laojun Temple, Jiang Lin sat cross-legged in front of the statue of Laojun and began his meditation today.
However, he did not practice Tianpeng or Beidi here.
It is somewhat disrespectful to practice the North Pole method in the territory of Grandpa Laojun.
Therefore, Jiang Lin just regulated his breathing and calmed the Yang Spirit through meditation, and used the Yang Spirit's own innate pure Yang to fill the original deficiency.
This is destined to be a slow and painstaking process.
The method that Jiang Lin practiced, after all, was based on inner alchemy, supplemented by visualization.
The core essence of inner alchemy, in the final analysis, is only one.
There is great medicine within the human body, and it is futile to take it from outside.
Take the great medicine of the human body, warm and nourish the origin, feed back to oneself, and supplement with the method of visualization to further strengthen the spirit.
This set of procedures has been ingrained in Jiang Lin's bones. Even if he can't practice the real method, his meridians and yang spirit can still function spontaneously.
This meditation lasted for half a day.
It was noon when there was a sudden noise in the back hall.
Jiang Lin opened his eyes and saw three women walking out happily. Each of their pretty faces had a smile that showed a sense of accomplishment.
"Brother, open your mouth." Miao Qing laughed, took out a small gourd, poured out a round pill, and threw it without even looking at it.
Jiang Lin blinked helplessly, raised his hand to take it, and put it directly into his mouth without hesitation.
'boom! ’
The majestic pure yang medicinal power exploded in Jiang Lin's body like a blue dragon. Lines of medicinal power transformed into pure yang energy within his dantian and flowed along Jiang Lin's meridians.
Finally, mobilized by the Yang God, it began to gradually fill the missing origin.
"Yanglong Pill is a pure Yang medicine, which is most suitable for the Taoist's current situation."
Zhou Rou said softly on the side.
"Thank you all."
Jiang Lin thanked him sincerely, stood up, looked inward, and said, "In this way, I will be able to fully recover in about three or four days."
At the same time, Jiang Lin was also sighing in his heart.
Without the logistical support from these three people, it would have taken at least one or two years for him to recover from his serious injuries.
This is based on the fact that Jiang Lin practices breathing and meditation every day.
But now, with the unremitting support of the precious medicine in Shangqing Temple, the three women have been continuously refining the golden elixir taught by Laojun himself.
However, within three months, 99% of the disease had been recovered.
"Looks like we can take a break."
Liu Yunxiu smiled and blinked, then suddenly looked at Jiang Lin and asked, "Now that your injuries have healed and the matter in Kyoto has been settled, what are your plans next, Taoist Priest?"
Upon hearing this, Miao Qing and Zhou Rou were stunned.
They all knew that Jiang Lin would not stay in Kyoto for long, but no one took the initiative to say it.
Unexpectedly, it was Liu Yunxiu who took the initiative to open the topic in the end.
Hearing this, Jiang Lin smiled and said, "It's October now. With my current strength, it won't be a big deal to go back to Hangzhou."
"Next, I want to go back to Hangzhou and serve in the Taoist temple."
As he spoke, Jiang Lin said with some shame: "Abbot Yiguan, you have been away from home for a long time. It is really a dereliction of duty."
Upon hearing this, the three women looked different.
Miaoqing didn't care. She was a free and easy person. She came out of the mountains to travel and didn't feel sad about parting.
She smiled and said, "If that's the case, I'm afraid we have to go our separate ways."
"My training is not over yet. There are still many beautiful views to see from Kyoto to the north."
Jiang Lin smiled and nodded.
Zhou Rou didn't say anything, but just lowered her eyes, not knowing what she was thinking.
Liu Yunxiu, who was always active, didn't say anything this time. She looked at Zhou Rou thoughtfully with her big eyes.
"When will the Taoist priest leave?"
"The sooner the better. Rest for one night and set off tomorrow."
…………
That night, in the guest room of Shangqing Temple.
Jiang Lin sat cross-legged and slowly opened his eyes.
The power of the Yanglong Pill was beyond Jiang Lin's expectation. His damaged essence was almost fully restored in just half a day, and the remaining bit was almost unnoticeable.
The materials used in small workshops are very strong.
Jiang Lin blinked with emotion, reached into his arms, and took out a scroll.
This scroll was given to him by the old man three months ago.
Speaking of the old man, after giving the scroll to Jiang Lin, he disappeared again, and Jiang Lin didn't know where he went.
But Jiang Lin didn't care much about it. It was enough to know that the old man was still alive and seemed to be living well.
Moreover, the old man was obviously not simple, but Jiang Lin was not worried at all.
Thinking in his mind, Jiang Lin opened the scroll in his hand.
According to the old man, this is what I deserve.
Jiang Lin also had some guesses about this. Three months ago, the emperor died at the hands of Liu Yuwei...
This is probably the opportunity that Jiang Jing was talking about.
Jiang Lin didn't think too much and opened the scroll for the first time.
Although he didn't know what was inside, since it was something the old man gave him with great care, Jiang Lin did not dare to neglect it. He waited until now, when his condition was almost fully recovered, before opening it.
"Swipe..."
The scroll was torn open, very smoothly.
Jiang Lin's eyes fell on the scroll.
The scroll is not big, the scroll is only about one and a half feet long, and when fully unfolded, the picture is about the length of an arm.
Above it, there is a large area of darkness.
That’s right, the background color of this painting is not white, but black.
On the pitch-black scroll, there were only nine small dots shining with silver-white light.
Jiang Lin was very familiar with the layout of the nine stars.
The Big Dipper, plus two hidden stars, namely Zuo Fu and You Bi.
This is a complete map of the Big Dipper.
But obviously, this star map is not that simple.
Jiang Lin tried to infuse his spiritual consciousness into it.
'Om...'
The starlight shone for a moment.
Jiang Lin’s mind was also immersed in it.
Time passes slowly.
When Jiang Lin opened his eyes again, it was already early the next morning.
"call……"
Jiang Lin let out a long breath, which was like a chain, stretching for more than three feet before dissipating.
He only felt that his mind was clearer than ever before, and his whole body of energy and spirit was full to the extreme.
Jiang Lin looked down at the Big Dipper map in his hand, with undisguised surprise in his eyes.
"It's such a treasure..."
Jiang Lin carefully put away the Big Dipper map and kept it close to his body.
Now is not the time to delve further into this stuff.
Jiang Lin stood up and left the guest room.
I originally wanted to go find Taoist Master Wei Yuan to say goodbye, but after searching around, I couldn't find any trace of Master Wei Yuan.
Jiang Lin didn't take it seriously. After saying something to the Taoist abbot, he left Shangqing Temple.
On the bluestone road, Miaoqing was waiting early in the morning.
The nun wore a very simple short Taoist robe and her long hair was tied into a ponytail.
"Brother Dao, after saying goodbye to you, I will continue to train."
Miaoqing saw Jiang Lin and waved with a smile.
"it is good."
Jiang Lin said: "You have my communication talisman. If you encounter any problems, don't be polite to me."
"Do not worry."
Miaoqing nodded with a smile.
Jiang Lin looked around and asked in confusion, "Where are Mr. Liu and His Highness?"
"They both went into the palace earlier, and I don't know what they went to do."
Miao Qing scratched her head, her eyes suddenly becoming evasive.
These three girls are trying to do something without telling me.
Jiang Lin could see it at a glance that Miao Qing was not the type of person who could hide things.
However, Jiang Lin didn't care and just nodded.
"From here to the north, the mountains are high and the road is long, take care, fellow Taoist."
Hearing this, Miaoqing also bowed with a serious expression.
"Take care, brother."
On the bluestone road, between the bamboo forests.
The two men bowed and said goodbye, one heading north and the other south.
(End of this chapter)
