Xuanqing Temple was already very dilapidated, and when contrasted with the magnificent and solemn Hanguang Temple with its golden roof, it looked even more dilapidated. There were three fire-dwelling Taoists living in the temple. They were all well-known Taoists and drank and ate meat on weekdays without any taboos. When they saw Lin Dan bringing a beautiful woman and a lovely child to stay overnight, they happily agreed.
Yao Bishui found that the oldest Taoist priest looked at people in a rather strange way. kinky. Evil, so he secretly tugged at Lin Dan's sleeve. Lin Dan glanced at her soothingly, signaling her not to panic. After following the Taoist priest into a small courtyard with drafts from top to bottom, he asked politely, "Master Taoist, is this where we are staying temporarily?"
"Yes," the Taoist priest, who was over forty years old and had a flying beard, said helplessly, "My dear friend, you have also seen that our temple has lost many pilgrims to the Hanguang Temple opposite. We are already in deficit. The Taoist temple, which was originally repaired every three years, has not been repaired for thirty years. We can only vacate this courtyard for you to live in. Please don't be surprised. If you are short of bedding, you two good friends can come to the front hall to find me in the evening, hehehe..."
When he said the last sentence, the Taoist's eyes searched Lin Dan and Yao Bishui, and his laughter also revealed a strange meaning. Yao Bishui's cheeks flushed with anger. Even the confused Xu Miaomiao seemed to sense something and hid behind her aunt.
Only Lin Dan remained calm. He picked up a brick from the ground, broke it in two, and threw it aside. He then crushed another brick with his foot and nodded, saying, "This yard is indeed run-down, but it is still habitable. We still have to thank the Taoist priest for taking us in. Hey, is the door panel broken?"
She held the door panel with both hands, lifted it up gently and removed it, then used her fingers to pinch the deformed copper and iron hinge back to its original shape, then installed the door panel and pushed it a few times. The already shaky door panel was fixed by her in just a few moves, but that was not the point. The point was that she could split bricks with her bare hands and easily deform copper and iron. What kind of strange power was this? If a living person fell into her hands, even his bones would be crushed by her.
The Taoist priest then understood why the three weak women dared to stay at the Taoist temple. It turned out that it was not because they trusted the ethics of the monks, but because they had enough ability to protect themselves! At this moment, all the evil thoughts in the Taoist priest's mind were gone. He bowed and sneered, "My good friend, I will bring your beddings now. Please wait for a moment." After that, he slipped away quickly.
Yao Bishui stared at the bricks that were crushed by Lin Dan in amazement, and sighed, "This lady turned out to be an expert!"
"Call me Lin Dan." Lin Dan opened the package, took out a piece of Xu Yuling's clothes and used it as a rag to wipe the tables and chairs in the house. She invited him, "Sit down and talk. I think you have already guessed it. I am also Xu Zuguang's wife. The two children I left behind are my own children. On the way, they stole my property while I was asleep and wanted to seek refuge with their father. They also said that they would let their father kidnap me and send me back to my hometown. I think you know better than me what kind of person Xu Zuguang is. If I am really kidnapped by him, this trip will be a dead end. So I simply gave up these beasts and came out to live alone. I am also from Tanzhou. I have inquired about your young lady's affairs. Don't ask me where I got the news. I just couldn't bear to leave you in the wolf den of the Xu family, so I found a way to take you here."
Lin Dan paused for a moment, and then continued: "It's up to you whether you want to leave or stay. If you want to leave, I'll give you money; if you want to stay, I'll naturally find a way to support you. Just consider us as people with the same suffering, and let's complete this fate."
After thinking for a moment, Yao Bishui said, "Then I'll call you Sister Lin. I didn't expect that you are such a pitiful person. Even your own children, they..." She couldn't describe the cruelty of Xu Weibai and Xu Yuling, so she could only sigh deeply.
Lin Dan, the person involved, had a calm expression and deep eyes, without any trace of sadness.
Yao Bishui rubbed Xu Miaomiao's head and continued, "My master and mistress passed away after my young lady died of illness. Miaomiao and I have been homeless for a long time. If my sister doesn't despise us, we will shamelessly stay. Supporting the family is by no means the responsibility of my sister alone. I am good at embroidery and can make some money. Miaomiao is not a spoiled young lady and is used to working on weekdays. The three of us work together and can always make a living."
"Miaomiao, look, this is your Aunt Lin. You have to be a good boy and help Aunt Lin with more work in the future, okay?" Yao Bishui pushed the thin child in front of Lin Dan.
"Auntie Lin, I will be good." Xu Miaomiao's voice was very sweet, and her black and white eyes were filled with complete trust and joy. She gradually realized that she and her aunt had left the Xu family and would no longer be tortured by Wan Xiuer. Although this place is shabby, it is a thousand times better than Xu's house!
Lin Dan shook his head and said, "It's enough to have me at home, Miaomiao doesn't need to work. Since you have decided to stay, let's clean up this house. Those three Taoists are nothing to worry about. If they dare to be dishonest, I can crush them to death with just one finger."
As soon as she finished speaking, three Taoist priests came in, each carrying three beds of bedding. Their faces were purple, but they dared not say anything.
Yao Bishui looked embarrassed and hurried forward to take the things. Lin Dan had already heard their footsteps. The last sentence was meant for them, so how could he feel uncomfortable? He just sat calmly on the chair and looked at the three people with a piercing gaze.
The three of them didn't dare to stay in the house any longer. They put down their things and ran away. Yao Bishui walked outside and admired their backs as they fled. Somehow, she felt very relieved. With Sister Lin around, life should be better in the future, right?
…………
The original owner sold all his properties in his hometown before leaving. Now all the silver was in Lin Dan's hands. After a careful count, she found that there were several thousand taels of silver, enough to last for many years. So she found craftsmen to renovate the courtyard where she was temporarily living and bought some furniture. At the same time, she also carefully observed the Taoist temple and gradually learned that the three Taoists made a living by cheating and deceiving people. The so-called elixirs they sold were all balls made of flour. They could not cure diseases, prolong life, or kill people. The talismans they drew were all casually pieced together and had no effect on exorcising evil spirits.
However, the fancy moves made by the three people when they were performing the ritual were quite impressive, with fire and smoke spitting out, which looked very mysterious. Therefore, although Xuanqing Temple had been in decline for a long time, it still attracted some loyal believers and could earn more than ten taels of silver every month.
That day, the three of them sold some more "life-saving elixirs" and were about to hide back in the house to count the silver. Lin Dan couldn't help but say, "Playing tricks is not a long-term solution. If you continue like this, you will sooner or later get into a murder case."
“Bah, a murder case! Can you speak human language?” The Taoist priest with the strongest body spat on the ground and rolled up his sleeves as if he wanted to fight with Lin Dan, but he did not dare to step forward. The other two Taoists quickly grabbed him and walked away while trying to smooth things over. They can't afford to offend Lin Dan, but can't they hide away?
Lin Dan looked at their receding figures, his eyes flashing with brilliance.
Yao Bishui said worriedly, "If they really cause a disaster, we may not be able to live in this Taoist temple anymore."
Lin Dan waved his hand and said, "It's nothing. I can handle it. I'll just wait for them to cause trouble."
"Ah? Sister Lin, what do you mean by that?" Yao Bishui ran forward to ask, but all she got was a faint smile from Lin Dan, which showed that she was in control of the situation.
In addition to repairing the house and observing the three Taoists' methods of doing things, Lin Dan was also busy taking care of his own and Xu Miaomiao's health. Although the original owner was only in his early thirties, he had already become ill due to overwork; Xu Miaomiao had been abused by Wan Xiuer for many years and was in poor health; but Yao Bishui had a strong personality and was good at pleasing Xu Zuguang, so he was in good health and had no hidden illness.
After drinking the herbal medicine for more than a month and supplemented with diet therapy, Xu Miaomiao gained weight and became whiter at a speed visible to the naked eye. She looked very cute with her chubby pink appearance. Lin Dan's transformation was even more miraculous. This body was capable of cultivating internal strength, and with the help of powerful tonics, it was like a dead tree coming back to life, full of vitality. In just thirty days, his black and white hair had become shiny black and thick like clouds; his sallow skin gradually became as white as jade; his turbid eyes became clear, deep and bright, making people dare not look at them closely.
When she looked at her again a month later, Yao Bishui suddenly discovered that Sister Lin was even more graceful and beautiful than her own daughter, but she had a pair of exceptionally firm eyes. The contradictory temperament of hardness and softness merged day by day, making her look more mysterious and charming. I don’t know what Xu Zuguang’s look was like, he didn’t even want such a good wife! But on second thought, Sister Lin was lucky to get rid of him as soon as possible, unlike her young lady, who was forced to death and still didn't regret it.
Yao Bishui gritted his teeth in hatred and swore in his heart that sooner or later he would make Xu Zuguang pay the price he deserved.
…………
Living off the fat of the land is definitely not Lin Dan's style. What she is planning will take some time to start. Now she can only rent the fields of the Taoist temple to grow some vegetables and rice in order to be self-sufficient. That day, she was about to go down the mountain to water the vegetable garden, but she saw a big monk from Hanguang Temple walk in, his face full of disdain and calculation.
Actually, although Hanguang Temple is a national temple, it does not give Lin Dan a good feeling. The chief monks in the temple were probably used to serving nobles, and didn't take common people seriously. Children as young as Xu Miaomiao, who accidentally entered the main hall because of playing, would be driven away by them roughly, without any mercy at all.
The monk who walked into Xuanqing Temple was named Huiming. He had a fat head, big ears, a face full of flesh, and his eyes were full of arrogance. kinky. The air of leisure made Lin Dan feel disgusted at first sight. She pretended to go far away, but actually came back quietly and hid behind the house to eavesdrop.
Huiming's attitude was very arrogant. He immediately wanted to buy the land of Xuanqing Temple for two hundred taels of silver to expand their temple. He also said that Prince Jin often came to the temple to worship Buddha. If Xuanqing Temple dared to refuse, Prince Jin's guards might come to negotiate with them in person.
Prince Jin is the nobleman who supported the young emperor to ascend the throne. He is also the younger brother of the late emperor. He controls the only two tiger talismans of this dynasty. It is no exaggeration to say that he is extremely powerful. However, in his early years, he had fought in many wars, slaughtered barbarians, and killed several princes with his own hands, so he was stained with the sin of killing. Therefore, he had to come to Hanguang Temple every seven or eight days to eat vegetarian food, chant Buddhist scriptures, and calm his mind. As a result, Hanguang Temple was given the reputation of a national temple.
Hanguang Temple used Prince Jin to pressure others, and the three Taoists were really scared. They said tremblingly that two hundred taels were too little, their land was worth five thousand taels, and asked the big monk to add a little more. The big monk came here to get something for nothing, so he was not willing to raise the price. He just sneered and left. Anyway, Hanguang Temple is wealthy and powerful, and has a strong background, so there are plenty of ways to make these damn Taoist priests compromise.
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