The Duke of Cai's mansion, which had been thriving due to his appointment as the regent, fell into decline overnight. The old lady died unjustly; the eldest lady and the young master Cai were imprisoned; the Duke of Cai retired in his prime; the rest of his children and grandchildren were more or less implicated and lost their official positions; even some of his married daughters were divorced by their husbands' families and could never hold their heads up again.
On the contrary, Lin Dan and Xuanqing Temple, who were pushed to the forefront by Duke Cai, became famous because of it.
Lin Dan and Prince Jin parted ways at the foot of the mountain. After returning to the temple, he told Yao Bishui, "Close the door. No visitors today."
Yao Bishui didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly closed the door. She gradually discovered that no matter what Lin Dan did, she had her reasons. It didn't matter even if you couldn't understand it for a while. One day you would understand that everything she did was right.
Yao Bishui unknowingly deified Lin Dan's image, but she was the one who knew Lin Dan's true face best. In contrast, those believers outside who were unaware of the truth would only be more in awe of this immortal with all-powerful means. So that afternoon, countless nobles and common people went up the mountain and wanted to enter Xuanqing Temple to pay homage, but they were all turned away. Carriages came and went one after another, and such a grand scene had only happened in Hanguang Temple before.
Yao Bishui, who was peeking out through the crack in the door, was truly impressed by Lin Dan. She thought back to when they first came to Xuanqing Temple to stay overnight, the place was overgrown with weeds and the houses were dilapidated. No one was interested in it at all. However, she had not expected that the situation would change completely in just a few months. She could almost imagine how popular Xuanqing Temple would be in the future; maybe it would even be able to compete with Hanguang Temple.
Back in the palace, Yao Bishui sighed and cautiously asked, "Sister Lin, you are now considered a top figure in the capital. Have you ever thought about how to deal with Xu Zuguang?"
Lin Dan, who was in a state of meditation, did not even open his eyes, and said calmly: "Why should I deal with him? When I stand at a certain height, he is nothing to me. Even if I don't take action against him, there are still many people willing to serve me."
Yao Bishui felt that this sentence made a lot of sense, but she didn't understand who Lin Dan was talking about who was willing to serve her. I haven't seen her tell anyone about her tragic past on weekdays. Forget it, I won’t ask anymore. Sister Lin has her reasons for everything she does. Since she said there is no need to take action against Xu Zuguang, then just let him do what he wants.
Thinking of this, Yao Bishui walked towards the kitchen, but was called back by Lin Dan, who handed her a cookbook containing recipes for hundreds of pastries, many of which were not sold on the market.
"From now on, there will be more and more pilgrims coming to our Xuanqing Temple. I see that you have a talent for cooking, so I'm giving you this book. I hope you'll study it carefully. When you become a master, we can use these cakes to entertain pilgrims and give them away as gifts."
Yao Bishui, who always felt that he was useless, took the recipe with tears of gratitude and repeatedly promised to learn it well.
Lin Dan handed Xu Miaomiao a book of incense and said, "Your sense of smell is very sensitive, so I will give you this book. You can also try it out after studying medicine to relax."
Xu Miaomiao nodded vigorously, her eyes full of admiration for her master.
After giving the two instructions, Lin Dan hung a huge embroidery in the hall, offered three incense sticks, and placed some offerings. Yao Bishui and Xu Miaomiao looked up and were immediately speechless and dumbfounded. I saw that the embroidery was of the Three Pure Ones, the three gods sitting side by side in the Sanqing Temple, with auspicious clouds and immortal aura lingering around them; there was a bright light in their eyes with a hint of Zen; where the mountain breeze blew, their clothes fluttered and a flash of spiritual light appeared. It was like a dream and yet very real.
What’s even more magical is that when the sunlight shines obliquely, the Three Pure Ones also radiate colorful light, and every line and every beard on their faces seem to come alive.
Yao Bishui stared at the embroidery for a long time, then suddenly came back to her senses, forced Xu Miaomiao's head down and made her kowtow. After she finished, she said in a trembling voice: "Sister Lin, where did you get this treasure? Why do I feel like the three Taoist ancestors are always looking at me? They, they have light in their eyes, they are alive, really! Sister Lin, look!"
Seeing that Lin Dan was still reciting the scriptures, Yao Bishui couldn't help but get anxious and hurriedly pulled her sleeve. Regardless of whether Sister Lin has real talent or not, just this embroidered painting hanging here can impress all pilgrims. She had never seen such a vivid work. After seeing it, everyone's imagination of the Three Pure Ones would become reality, and they would not feel disappointed at all. It is definitely not a thing of this world, but comes from heaven!
Lin Dan took back the sleeve and said helplessly: "That's just your illusion. I added extremely fine silver threads to the embroidery thread, blended it into a photosensitive flat-spoked large net, and embroidered a dense layer of film. When there is no light, the human eye can't feel the existence of the film at all, but when the sun shines on it, it will change into different colors at different angles and time periods. This is just an embroidery technique, not as magical as you say."
"Sister Lin, do you mean that you embroidered this portrait of the Three Pure Ones yourself?" Yao Bishui asked in disbelief.
"I embroidered it. If you want to learn, I can teach you. In the future, you can embroider some small images of the Taoist ancestors and sell them in the Taoist temple."
"Sister Lin, where on earth did you come from? The photosensitive film, the flat-radial net, and the changes in light and shadow that you mentioned are things I have never heard of or seen before! Sister Lin, don't lie to me, you are actually a god from heaven, right? Xu Zuguang is your love tribulation, right? Otherwise, how could such an extraordinary person like you fall in love with that rotten guy!" Yao Bishui has already started to speak incoherently.
Lin Dan waved his Buddhist whisk and said helplessly, "If you want to learn, just be quiet and don't bother me."
Yao Bishui immediately covered her mouth and blinked her eyes wildly to show her desire to study. Xu Miaomiao also said softly: "Master, I want to learn too!"
“Okay, as long as I know it and you want to learn it, Master will teach you.” Lin Dan reached out and gently rubbed the little disciple’s head.
After hearing these words, Yao Bishui suddenly regretted it. Why didn't she think of becoming Sister Lin's disciple at the beginning? !
As the three were talking, there was a sudden and urgent knock on the door. Yao Bishui immediately ran out to check, and after a while she came back with a note, looking very anxious: "Sister Lin, something terrible has happened, your two children are in danger!"
"Let me see it." Lin Dan was still sitting on the futon, not showing any panic.
Yao Bishui quickly handed her the note, on which was a line of scribbled words - Mother, Wan Xiuer is going to send my sister and me away from the west gate today, and will have the coachman kill us after leaving the city. Please save us! The unfilial son kneels down to beg!
Lin Dan raised the corners of her lips slightly, as if smiling, and finally threw the note into the incense burner and burned it.
Seeing that she was sitting quietly, Yao Bishui couldn't help but wonder, "Sister Lin, aren't you going to save them? After all, you carried them in your womb for ten months and gave birth to them!" In her opinion, even if the two children were worthless, Lin Dan would not abandon them. The mother-child relationship is not so easy to be severed.
Lin Dan shook his head and said calmly: "Who sent the note? What did that person say?"
"The note was sent by a little girl, about thirteen or fourteen years old, who said she was a new servant of the Xu family. She felt sorry for the plight of the eldest young master and the eldest young lady, and stole the silver given by the eldest young master, so she came to the mountain to deliver the letter. She might be a little scared, and she ran away in a hurry after saying only two words." Yao Bishui pondered and said, "The girl is unfamiliar. I have never seen her in the Xu family. Why do you ask so clearly? Is there a trick? Yes, yes, you are now a living god famous in the capital. Even the emperor and the prince treat you with courtesy. How dare Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiu'er attack you? However, they can find a way to trick you into the wilderness and let the robbers deal with you!"
The more Yao Bishui thought about it, the more she felt it made sense. However, she was afraid that she might have guessed wrong and killed the two children, so she hesitated and asked, "Sister, is this handwriting really from the eldest young master?"
"The handwriting is Xu Weibai's." Lin Dan said slowly, "But I won't go. If I go, it will be easy for Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiu'er to deal with you two. They just need to use the same method to trick you out, and then create some accidents and everything will be fine. Today, the case of Duke Cai's mansion confirmed my previous comments, and my reputation has spread thoroughly. If Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiu'er don't act quickly, they may not have a chance in the future, so they are very anxious now, and we must not act rashly."
"Sister Lin, do you mean that this note is a trap?" Yao Bishui's hair stood on end.
"Well, the Xu family is full of Wan Xiu'er's people, and they are like an iron barrel. Tell me, how did this maid find the opportunity to contact Xu Weibai and run to the mountain to deliver the letter to me?"
In her previous life, after the original owner regained her position as the legal wife, it took her more than half a year just to clean out Wan Xiu'er's confidants who were placed in the Xu family. In this life, Wan Xiu'er's control over the Xu family will only be tighter. Lin Dan saw through the scheme immediately and naturally would not be fooled. However, what she did not tell Yao Bishui was that even if this was just a trap to lure her into a long journey, the bait must be real. Why wouldn't Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiuer want to get rid of all their worries at once?
In other words, Xu Weibai and Xu Yuling’s lives were indeed in danger. But what does this have to do with her? Not to mention that the original owner's wish was to send these two people to hell, the fact that they coldly sent the original owner to death in the previous life was enough for Lin Dan to ignore everything they encountered.
Thinking of this, Lin Dan closed his eyes and continued to recite the scriptures. Yao Bishui was sure that Xu Weibai and Xu Yuling would not be in danger, so she went to cook peacefully.
…………
A simple horse-drawn carriage was driving on a winding path. The driver looked honest, but he had a dagger on his waist and murderous intent in his eyes. There were two children about thirteen or fourteen years old lying in the car, their hands and feet were tied, and cloth balls were stuffed in their mouths.
The older boy took a long time to push the cloth ball away with his tongue, then he leaned over and bit off the cloth ball in his sister's mouth, then turned his back and whispered, "Quick, turn your back to me too, and let's untie each other's ropes!"
The girl did as she was told. She was already crying from fear and asked incoherently, "Brother, do you think mother will come to save us? Did Xiaoqing send the note? Why did father let the housekeeper tie us up?"
These days, Xu Yuling had too many questions in her mind, and each question was like a knife, slicing her heart alive.
Xu Weibai smiled bitterly and said, "Dad and Wan Xiu'er want to deal with Mom, so they will definitely let Xiaoqing send the note out. But I can't say for sure whether Mom will come. Do you still remember what we did when Mom died in the last life?"
Xu Yuling clenched her teeth to prevent herself from crying out. Yes, in her previous life, my mother was seriously ill, and they never served her by her bedside for a single day, let alone visited her on ordinary days. When they learned that she was about to die, they rushed to her room to show off their power and poured out her life-saving medicine.
At that time, Xu Miaomiao held their hands and knelt down to beg them to save her mother, but they kicked her away. Although my mother was seriously ill, her mind was clear. She had been deceived all her life about whether others treated her well or badly, but in the end she could see it all clearly. That is why after her rebirth, she would abandon her two children and the Xu family without hesitation and take Xu Miaomiao and Yao Bishui away.
If the positions were reversed, Xu Weibai and Xu Yuling would not dare to guarantee that they would rush to save the two ungrateful beasts knowing that there was danger.
Despair was like a wave, hitting Xu Weibai and Xu Yuling's hearts hard. When their hands and feet were tied and carried onto the carriage, they realized that Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiuer would never let them leave alive. It turns out that these are the family members who have loved and cared for them all their lives. It’s a pity that in their previous life they laughed at their mother for being stupid, but it turns out that they were the stupidest ones!
"If I don't die today, I will drag Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiuer to hell in the future!" Xu Yuling swallowed the blood that was about to surge up her throat and said like a curse.
Xu Weibai didn't say anything, but his expression was even more vicious than his sister's.
As soon as the two men untied the ropes, the carriage slowed down and a group of bandits rushed out of the woods, holding knives and starting to hack. Fortunately, Xu Weibai had been in official circles for many years and had some courage. As soon as the rope was untied, he quietly lurked behind the coachman, pushed him down, and tightened the reins to make the carriage gallop.
A quarter of an hour later, the two disappeared into the dim forest. When the news reached the Xu family, Xu Zuguang and Wan Xiuer were very angry.
…………
Lin Dan never paid attention to the bad things that happened in the Xu family. She didn't even need to think to guess what kind of dirty and tragic things would happen when those people were put together again but stood on opposite ends of the interests. They are like a group of poisonous insects, naturally poisonous and will continuously devour their own kind to strengthen themselves.
Lin Dan doesn't have to do anything, and they will be doomed.
More than a month has passed since the tragedy at Duke Cai's mansion, and Xuanqing Temple has gradually gone from being deserted to being very popular. Lin Dan's elixirs and talismans, Yao Bishui's statue of the Taoist master and cakes, and Xu Miaomiao's incense pills all became treasures that believers vied for. However, when they walked into the main hall and saw the image of the Three Pure Ones hanging on the wall, there was no longer a single distracting thought in their minds, and they knelt down to pray with piety.
When they paced in the hall, the gazes of the Three Pure Ones would move with them, and precious light would shine through the cloth, soaking their hearts and bodies like rain. No one could describe that mysterious feeling. The only thing that was certain was that when they walked out of the Three Pure Ones Hall, the pain in their bodies suddenly eased and their minds became extremely clear.
If only one or two people say this, it can be attributed to illusion, but if everyone thinks so, the nature is completely different. Those who came to worship with a half-believing and half-doubting attitude became the most devout believers of Xuanqing Temple after returning. Lin Dan's prestige continued to rise, and finally he became a living immortal in everyone's mind.
There was an endless stream of people coming to visit her, some simply wanted to discuss philosophy with her, while others came to solve their problems.
It is said that "it is difficult to live up to a great reputation". To be honest, Yao Bishui was very worried about what would happen if Lin Dan encountered a disease that she could not cure, or a problem that she could not solve. Will she bring disgrace upon the reputation of Xuanqing Temple, and then be accused and suspected by the world? Will she fall from being an immortal admired by everyone to being a liar hated by everyone?
The better a person's reputation, the more demanding they will be by the world. They cannot make even the slightest mistake and must live like a saint. What Yao Bishui was most worried about was that Lin Dan’s reputation would be too high and that she would eventually be trapped in this cage that she had created herself.
Facts soon proved that Yao Bishui's worries were correct. Many believers came to the Taoist temple to seek help with all kinds of people who were possessed by evil spirits. Even the young emperor who was desperately trying to find a cure for his difficult disease had not expected that there were so many strange people and things hidden under his imperial city. Therefore, he would ask Master Lin almost every day who he had exorcised evil spirits for and how the results were.
Prince Jin was also a very curious person. He would visit Xuanqing Temple every day. He would first sit in front of the statue of the Three Pure Ones to chant scriptures, then have a meal with Immortal Lin, and then admire her miraculous medical skills. Yes, even someone as cautious as him was willing to use the slightly exaggerated words "miraculous" to describe Lin Dan's medical skills.
Ten days ago, a couple came to the Taoist temple. The woman was strong but had a sad face, while the husband was as thin as a skeleton. It was early autumn and the weather was not very hot, but he was sweating all over, soaking his clothes. He took off his coat and wrung it, and a pool of water flowed out, as if he had just been fished out of the river.
The woman's words were even more bizarre. She said that her husband was possessed by a water ghost. He sweated more and more as the winter approached. In the coldest months of winter, his sweat was enough to wet two thick quilts. He could only sleep for one or two hours a day. When he woke up, the bed was covered with his sweat, as if it had been soaked in water. If he heard any unusual noise outside, he would feel anxious and sweat profusely, and he would also suffer from dizziness, tinnitus, and numbness in his hands and feet.
"Master, do you think he is possessed by a water ghost?" the woman said confidently.
The pilgrims who were listening echoed in amazement: "Oh my God! There are really such strange things in the world! He must be possessed by a water ghost, there is no doubt about it, otherwise why would he sweat wherever he went?"
Surrounded by so many pilgrims, the husband began to panic and sweat even more rapidly, wetting a large area of the floor tile in just a few moments.
Everyone retreated suddenly, but Lin Dan stepped forward and ordered, "Give me your hands, I want to feel if there is anything wrong with your body."
The husband immediately stretched out his hands and asked Lin Dan to hold them. Lin Dan seemed to be using Taoist magic to check his soul, but in fact he was just checking his pulse. He then prescribed two bottles of pills and told him to take them every day. He also told him that these pills were water-avoiding pills, and that they were as strong as fire. If he took them continuously, he would be able to force the water ghost out of his body.
The man believed it and went home happily with the medicine. He came back for a follow-up visit seven days later. His sweating had improved a lot and his complexion was very rosy. Lin Dan prescribed him two more bottles of medicine and asked him to hold on.
The believers who watched the whole incident knelt down and kowtowed to Lin Dan and the Three Pure Ones, praising them highly. When they returned to the back hall, Lin Dan said to Xu Miaomiao and Prince Jin, "This is a disease of violent sweating, which is caused by liver and kidney yin deficiency and hyperactivity of liver yang. It can be cured by nourishing water and wood, calming the liver and suppressing yang. Therefore, I prescribed two bottles of Lingyang Liuwei Pills for him. He will be cured if he takes it for a few months."
Xu Miaomiao nodded in agreement and kept it in mind, but Prince Jin took out a pen and paper and wrote down Lin Dan's words and actions in detail.
Lin Dan flipped through two pages and found his manuscript very interesting, so she followed him. From that day on, Prince Jin became her secretary, following her to meet different patients, treat different rare diseases, and send manuscripts to the little emperor in the imperial city for his reading.
After Duke Cai retired, under pressure from Prince Jin, the other three regents also handed over their power one after another. The little emperor is now able to rule the country and faces many problems every day. He is exhausted at night, but because of these manuscripts recording the strange symptoms, he becomes full of energy again.
He pointed at the words on the manuscript and said to the eunuch with great interest, "Do you know that there is a disease called dream intercourse? People with this disease will dream of men or women having intercourse with them every night. Doesn't it sound scary, like being haunted by a sexy ghost? In fact, it is very easy to cure it. You just need to relieve the liver stagnation, nourish yin and reduce fire, or replenish yang and extinguish fire. After taking the medicine of Lin Xianchang, you will be well in less than five days!"
The eunuchs were stunned when they heard this.
The little emperor flipped through a few pages, his eyes sparkling even more. "There is also a disease called sudden blindness, which means that the patient becomes blind for no apparent reason. Therefore, those who do not know the truth think that the patient's eyes are covered by ghosts and must be exorcised to recover."
The eunuchs' eyes widened bigger than bells, because they had heard of things like ghosts covering the eyes before, but it turned out that it was not possession by evil spirits, but illness?
The little emperor laughed loudly and explained, "Lin Xianchang can also cure this disease. All you need to do is clear away heat and dampness and promote the flow of qi. The patient has now regained his sight. Isn't it amazing?"
The eunuchs nodded frantically, but the little emperor was completely attracted by the contents of the manuscript and didn't want to talk to them anymore. Recently, Lin Dan has cured too many rare and difficult diseases, including red eyes, insanity, dual souls in one body, latent cold and so on. There were even people who were sent to her and were saved by her golden needles. Her reputation is growing day by day, and now she is a living god known to everyone in the entire Daqi. The monk from Hanguang Temple used to be so arrogant and tried to seize the hilltop of Xuanqing Temple, but now he doesn't even dare to fart in front of her.
To be honest, even though the little emperor was the supreme ruler, he did not dare to be disrespectful to Lin Dan. Firstly, he still had to ask her to cure the emperor's uncle's illness; secondly, he might get sick in the future, so how could he offend the best doctor in the world? Wouldn't that be courting death?
Thinking of this, the little emperor murmured, "It's time to ask Immortal Lin to treat my uncle. Recently, my uncle has been by the Immortal's side every day. He should have full faith in her medical skills, right? Let's wait and see if he can say it."
While Lin Dan was doing well in Beijing, Xu Zuguang was in dire straits. The several shops he owned were losing huge amounts of money every day, and in the end he had to use Wan Xiuer's dowry. When Wan Xiuer discovered that something was missing from the warehouse, she first had a big quarrel with him, but later somehow she was persuaded by him and was willing to lend him money for cash flow.
"Let me make it clear first. Without my money, your shops would have closed down long ago, so you must transfer the land deeds to my name." Wan Xiu'er made the demand forcefully.
Xu Zuguang had no choice but to agree. These shops will be the goose that lays golden eggs in the future. He cannot sell them even if he loses everything, and he cannot reduce the salaries of the chefs. You know, whether these shops can turn around depends entirely on their continuous supply of new recipes.
However, Wan Xiu'er's dowry could not withstand the consumption of more than one hundred taels of silver a day, so soon the Xu family fell into a situation of expenditure exceeding income and heavy debt. The valuables and servants in the house were sold one after another, but they could not support the growing deficit.
Just when Xu Zuguang was about to be driven crazy by the huge amount of usury, he received a gift box from a colleague. In the box were a few cakes, some embroidered pictures and some incense pills. The words "Xuanqing Temple" were printed on the lid of the box, clearly indicating their origin.
Xu Zuguang was startled by these familiar objects. He picked up a piece of cake with trembling hands and tasted it, then pinched a fragrant pill and sniffed it, then spat out a mouthful of blood. It turned out that all the ways to make money that he held tightly in his hands came from Lin Dan! The cakes, embroidery, rouge, powder and spices she sold in her previous life were all made by herself, not the work of some damn master chef!
Xu Zuguang thought he had deceived Lin Dan all his life, but in the end he found out that she had also deceived him all his life, and it was such a fatal deception! Thinking of the huge debts he owed, thinking that the Xu family would never have endless money and wealth to enjoy in this life, thinking that his official position would never be promoted because of poverty, Xu Zuguang grabbed his hair and knelt on the ground in collapse.
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