If a friend doesn't treat me as a friend, that's a problem with my vision. There's nothing to complain about. I've suffered a few times and feel that I can't stand it anymore, so we just part ways.

After that, Wang Yuanlu set a rule for Qi Gu.

As long as you are at the gambling table and don't want to make money, you can gamble as much money as you want, including hundreds, thousands of taels of silver, or even the fairy money. If you run out of money, you can borrow money from me to gamble.

But as long as you are thinking about making money, even if it is just for a few pennies, don't bet. Otherwise, we won't be friends in the future.

Wang Yuanlu's only purpose in making friends is not to be stingy and to have a few close friends. Such people are worth making friends with.

Qi Gu asked: "You still don't want to break the window paper? Don't you want to show your identity to your brother?"

Wang Yuanlu said helplessly: "I'm afraid."

Qi Gu said dullly: "You have to blame me."

If Wang Yuanlu was not a side-sect Taoist priest from the rice thief lineage, and was accepted by the Qingshen Dynasty, his brother's family would have been "ascended to the Tao, becoming immortals and chickens and dogs", not to mention the wealth and honor.

If you set up a family in Wuling County, spread the branches and pass on the incense for several generations, you can't say that you are the king of the county. Now it is no longer possible. Wang Yuanlu has too many enemies on the mountain because he is implicated.

Wang Yuanlu shook his head, "That's not the case. I have the stability of a small life, and my eldest brother also has his own life."

Qi Gu only regarded him as a good friend to comfort him.

Wang Yuanlu's brother, named Wang Yuanfu, whose father-in-law was a local butcher, took a pair of large intestines and a pound of loose wine bought from a roadside wine shop and wandered to the door of his son-in-law's yellow mud house, smelling bad.

With a face, when he met his daughter and son-in-law who went out to greet him, he complained: "I made a mistake and got bad luck. I married my daughter who should have been married to a wealthy family as a wife to you, a rotten poor man who is a treasure in this world.

Over the years, I don’t know how much I have been tired. Now I don’t know what kind of virtue my ancestors have accumulated, which has led you to become a Taoist boy. In the future, you will have more reasons not to do serious things, and your heart will become fat. I don’t know how much hard work it will cost me in the future.

I owe you money in my previous life. If I come to collect debts in this life, if I have the next life, please remember to pay me back."

Wang Yuanfu bent down and lowered his head, not daring to talk back. He glanced at the wine bottle and swallowed. He was really greedy.

As expected, after finishing the wine, my father-in-law still had to take the jug home with a pound of loose wine.

The identity of the Taoist boy who was said to be "promoted" by his father-in-law is actually a candidate for a Taoist priest, similar to the fame of a child born in the world. With this status, one can take part in the county government examination every three years.

Opportunity, if you pass the exam and participate in the imperial examination, you can obtain the status of an orthodox Taoist priest recognized by the imperial court. However, you are still one step away from becoming a real "Taoist official". You have to wait for the vacancy to be filled. When there is a real vacancy,

No matter whether he is working as a yamen official or going to a palace, he is considered a serious Taoist official.

The butcher, who was big and round, said to his daughter who was splashing water: "Go, boil the intestines, and boil a pot of wine to eat."

Wang Yuanfu led his father-in-law into the house and walked behind him. The father-in-law spoke loudly and spitted everywhere. Wang Yuanfu secretly raised his sleeves and wiped his face.

When his father-in-law sat down, Wang Yuanfu shook his robe and gently sat down. Tuzi looked at him from the corner of his eye. He was very careful. He really thought that he was a Taoist official. He was just thinking about that Taoist boy.

He couldn't hold back his words and asked: "Where is your brother who is away from home all year round?"

Wang Yuanfu smiled bitterly and said, "I haven't heard from you for a long time."

The father-in-law sneered and said: "I don't even know how to send a letter to my family. I raised a younger brother for nothing. Fortunately, Wang Yuanlu is a well-educated and literate man. How miserable he has been living outside these years, so he can't even send a letter."

I can’t bear to spend money on letters.”

According to the genealogy of the ancestral hall in the village, the character "Yuan" belongs to the generation, and the name must have the character "Yuan" embedded in it. In fact, Wang Yuanlu's real name is Wang Yuanlu.

Wang Yuanfu still didn't dare to talk back.

In the world of Qingming, Taoist officials have various identities and titles. Not only Qi practitioners can become Taoist officials. Ordinary masters without cultivation qualifications can also obtain Taoist certificates as long as they pass the official assessment, but they will be granted different laws.

In addition to those promulgated by the imperial court, there are also those passed down from generation to generation, and there are also some high-achieving disciples who are simply selected to teach secret talismans and spread the style of the gate.

Like Wang Yuanfu, who is looked down upon by his father-in-law, even if he is lucky enough to become a Taoist official in the future, he will probably still be like a minor official. If he does not enter the Qingliu rank, his future promotion path will be relatively narrow, and he will most likely be transferred.

Go to a remote Taoist temple, or work as an idle clerk at the Qingshui Yamen of the County Yamen Baogao Division or the Brewing Bureau. But for Wang Yuanfu, who was born in poverty and has no legs or feet, if that day comes, it will be considered a great success.

Regarding the matter of shining the lintel, you can go to the village ancestral hall to burn incense and worship your ancestors.

Just like his younger brother Wang Yuanlu, he has been studying Taoist scriptures and codes for 20 years. He applied for the exam many times but failed to get a formal Taoist official. The main problem is in Wuling County. The number of Taoist priests is limited, and the typical situation is that there are too many monks and too little rice.

Those wealthy children who have studied since childhood and have masters to teach and teach them, of course have innate advantages and are good at answering questions. After all, Taoist priests with the title of lawyer, the examiner, how to answer questions is also a science. Moreover, it is strange.

His younger brother Wang Yuanlu was too ambitious, and he went too far. He wanted to pass the exam to be the master of ceremony at the largest Taoist temple in his hometown. He passed the exam. After a few years of "walking" experience, he hoped to be responsible for the Taoist temple's rituals and instructions.

The officers' sitting position shows the dignity of advancing and retreating.

It's just that it's so easy to pass the exam for the Master of Ceremony in the largest Taoist temple in Wuling County. Let alone Wang Yuanlu, even those descendants of the noble family whose ancestors were rich and whose family fortunes are in decline now are not fighting for the top spot?

The father-in-law said: "Your brother is just a thing that can't be helped. It's best not to say anything back. It's just a matter of having multiple pairs of chopsticks, but in fact it's not the same thing."

Back then, my daughter asked me to help her brother-in-law, so he helped him find a job as a silver shop apprentice in the county. What a good job, otherwise there is the old saying "A thief cannot beat a silversmith"? I never thought that the boy didn't know good and bad.

If you don't want to leave, you have to stay in the mountain.

What a coincidence, Weng and son-in-law were chatting about Wang Yuanlu.

Wang Yuanlu returned to his hometown and now stood outside the threshold, calling "Brother".

Seeing his brother who he hadn't seen for several years outside the door, Wang Yuanfu was happy, but he still kept a straight face. He was about to stand up, but as soon as he raised his buttocks, he quickly sat back on the bench, just nodded and said: "Go to the stove."

Over there, say hello to your sister-in-law."

Wang Yuanlu hummed, turned around and left.

Tuzi slapped the table and said angrily: "When we met, you didn't even know how to say hello to me. You don't understand the rules at all."

Wang Yuanfu said with a smile: "That's what I was like when I was a child. I'm a bit withdrawn and don't get close to anyone."

Tuzi said sarcastically: "With his cowardly character, if he wants to get close to anyone, he has to be willing to do so. He is already in his thirties, and he can't even find an ugly aunt to warm his bed. If you let me go, there will be no one."

Go to the grave to worship your ancestors, burn incense and burn incense, and give birth to a good child in your next life. At least you won’t look so mean. When you walk at night, not only people but ghosts will be scared to death by him.”

Wang Yuanfu looked embarrassed. After all, he was his father-in-law and it was not easy to get angry.

After a meal, Tu Zi and Wang Yuanfu were sitting at the table. Wang Yuanlu was unwilling to eat at the table, so he picked up a few chopsticks and squatted at the door holding a bowl.

Wang Yuanfu tried to persuade him, knowing that his younger brother was a very determined person and didn't know much about the world, so if he couldn't be persuaded, just forget it.

Wang Yuanlu was eating rice with his head down outside the door, but Qi Gu didn't come to the door and went back to his own home.

The rice in the bowl was very firm. He pressed it hard with the rice spoon. When the rice bottomed out, Wang Yuanlu held the big white bowl and stared blankly ahead.

Live a hard life without blaming others, and eat Coptis chinensis with a smile.

Wang Yuanlu turned his head, raised his head again, swallowed the mouthful of rice, and asked: "Why is the Master of Bixiao Cave here?"

The previous bright moon moved to the Qingming world. On that day, Wang Yuanlu saw this old man from a distance. He had a big air and a high level of Taoism. He was standing next to Bai Yujing, the second in command.

I heard Sun Guanzhu say that it was the cave master of Bixiao Cave in Luobaotan who lived ten thousand plus thousands of years. He liked to wrangle with Taoist ancestors. When I meet this senior in the future, I will talk to him without saying a word.

A few heads, definitely right.

The old temple owner said calmly: "Just take a stroll."

Wang Yuanlu nodded and said, "Just do whatever you want."

It seems that the higher the opponent's Taoism, the less stage fright the young Taoist priests have.

The old viewer asked: "What did you see that made you so sad?"

Wang Yuanlu replied: "The huge body of the dragon in the sky fell quietly to the ground. The body was covered with mosquitoes, flies and maggots that lingered."

"As time goes by, it may be full of flowers and plants."

"So sad."

"How to say?"

"Grass grew and flowers bloomed all over the mountains and plains, but then they were gone. Of course we can wait until next time, but what if we were those flowers and grass."

When the old temple master heard this, he showed a look of approval and said with a smile: "If you don't practice Taoism, who will?"

Wang Yuanlu continued to hold the bowl and asked: "Is the world going to be in chaos?"

The old temple master asked: "Does this future matter have anything to do with you?"

Wang Yuanlu nodded, "Not yet."

He lowered his head to cook the rice, ate the last mouthful of rice, and chewed slowly. The young Taoist priest chewed the words "jiang" and "lai" together.

The old temple master stroked his beard and smiled, "It is heaven that creates destiny, and it is me who establishes destiny."

————

In the capital of the Qingshen Dynasty, there was a royal palace called Changzha Palace. There was a Sanwu Temple with bright yellow cloud patterns and glazed tiles, which was the first Taoist temple in the country.

Today, Yao Qing, the Prime Minister, and Bai Ou, the Imperial Master, are here to entertain two distinguished guests. They are a pair of Taoist monks with very different ages.

Yao Qing took the Taoist couple to visit Sanwu Temple and came to an elegant house, where Bai Lotus himself made tea to entertain the guests.

The Taoist temple is so named because there are three sycamore trees planted by the founding emperor in front of the Taoist temple, named chair tung trees, sycamore trees, and jingtong trees respectively.

Plant bananas in one day, bamboo in one year, willows in ten years and pine trees in one hundred years. Plant sycamore trees in one year's time.

Qingshen Liu's family, the country stretches far and wide, and is the best in Bingzhou.

And the three sycamore trees have already been successfully formed and serve as royal offerings.

This place is also the place where the late emperor of the Qingshen Dynasty died and was left alone.

And Yao Qing, the elegant prime minister, is of course the most important minister who cares about life.

In the Qingming world, there are no rules like those in the Haoran world that prohibit emperors and monarchs from practicing.
To be continued...