Part-Time Taoist Priest

Chapter 7: The first priest

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Xie Lingya really asked He Zun to bring his classmates to eat melon seeds and drink tea. He recently brought in some tea, and put some tables and chairs in the front yard for people to rest. You can also order tea and melon seeds and chat while eating.

Alas, no one is offering incense, so I can only make some extra money like this.

Although it's a bit dark, He Zun thought about it, this is indeed easier than letting people burn incense, and decided to go back and recommend a different way.

Because life in the Taoist temple is relatively poor, Xie Lingya has not asked his family for money since college, and now it is even more impossible for his father to subsidize the living expenses. It was even worse before, but now I can often eat meat or sell melon seeds to increase my income.

Xie Lingya thought about it, and simply used the soil in the backyard to grow some vegetables, and he could save a little bit. He would save the money that Uncle He saved.

In the past, when this land was not deserted, it was Wang Yuji who took care of it. There were melons and vegetables, and Xie Lingya helped with the work, so he knew a little bit about it.

When there was nothing in the front yard, Xie Lingya was farming in the back, comforting herself that it was a good style to be hard and simple.

In the middle of his busy schedule, an aunt came to call him: "Xiao Xie, Xiao Xie, come quickly, your colleague is here."

my colleague? Where can I have a colleague

Xie Lingya was inexplicable. He was watering the water. He put down the kettle to wipe his hands, and went out to take a look. There was a Taoist priest in a Taoist robe standing in the front yard. He was in his thirties, with a mustache on his mouth and a few strands of beard on his chin , sparse, with her hair tied in a bun on top of her head, and a bag in her hand.

The mustache Taoist priest watched Xie Lingya come out with his aunt and walked in front of him. Before he returned to his senses, he said doubtfully, "Hello, I want to find the spectator here."

"There is no spectator in the temple for the time being. If you have anything to do with the Taoist priest, just tell me." Xie Lingya looked up and down the Taoist priest, and always felt that his beard was very wretched.

The mustache Taoist said hurriedly: "Excuse me, I want to place an order here."

As long as you are a Taoist priest, you can live in a local Taoist temple when you go out of town. This is called a pending order. The rules have been different from ancient times to the present. In modern society, it is generally a regular Taoist priest who has obtained a Taoist priest certificate. If he can get a certificate of free food and accommodation in other Taoist temples for three days, if he lives further down, he must pay the Taoist temple.

Xie Lingya also knew this rule, but it was the first time he met him. There was an extra room in the backyard, but he didn't clean it up. He politely said, "The priest and I will put your luggage first. I'll pack a room and come out."

"Thank you, thank you for this little brother." The mustache Taoist thanked a lot.

Xie Lingya asked casually as he walked: "I don't mean anything else, but in our local area, Taihe Temple is so famous, why didn't you go to Taihe Temple to place an order?"

Not only is it famous, but the accommodation environment is definitely better when you go there.

The mustache Taoist hesitantly said: "This... the concept of Taihe is too biased..."

Xie Lingya was suspicious, looked at the mustache Taoist priest more, suddenly stopped and said, "Did you make a mistake, the conditions of our Taoist temple are so poor, you are still cheating?"

He lifted the mustache Taoist priest's clothes, and there were clearly a few vague words on the inside of the hem, which could be identified as "Longhu Scenic Spot", which was looming when walking.

—Longhu Scenic Spot is a tourist attraction in Jiyang City. There is no Taoist temple in it, only an antique square market. The staff inside are all dressed in ancient costumes, and there are also scholars, beggars, fortune tellers and other actors on the street to increase the sense of reality.

Xie Lingya thought that his clothes seemed to be of poor quality before, but now that he thinks about it... of course the costumes are of poor quality!

"No, no, you misunderstood!" The mustache Taoist priest didn't know whether to press his own clothes first, or to fetch his documents first, "I am a true Taoist priest, I just worked there!"

Xie Lingya: "???"

What the hell, true Taoist priest, are you working in Longhu Scenic Area

Xie Lingya suspiciously checked the mustache Taoist priest's Taoist certificate, and the result was actually true, "What's the situation, you are not an actor."

The mustache Taoist said dejectedly, "But I'm poor."

Xie Lingya: "…"

Xie Lingya: "True or false, where can you be so poor? You don't even have a place to live?"

The mustache Taoist raised his head and told a very sad story.

His real name is Zhang Daoting, which is only one word away from Zhang Daoling, the legendary founder of Tianshi Dao, but his fate is very different.

He had no father and no mother. He became a monk at the age of eighteen. In less than a year, the incense of Taoist temples became less and less, and he could not eat.

It is also absolutely unexpected that people can be laid off in Taoist temples.

In the next eight years, Xiaobeu went to many places, but whenever he officially took office, the Taoist temple usually declined due to various reasons, and he could not eat.

Last year, the moustache lived in Tuyang. This time, instead of going to the Taoist temple, he simply went to work in the scenic area. Because he has an advantage over those actors, he can recite some Taoist mantras and classics, and he successfully applied for the job. Just sit in the scenic area every day, and take pictures with tourists, and the unit includes food and accommodation.

But the good times didn't last long. A few days ago, he was complained by tourists because he slept during work hours, and he was fired because of the inspection by the leaders.

Xiaomou had actually been to Taihe Temple, where he placed orders for three days, and stayed for a day because he had no money to pay for room and board, so he came out again, and then saw Baoyang Temple.

After Xie Lingya heard this unfortunate story, her face was incredulous: "You became a monk at the age of eighteen, and you have been a monk for eight years, so you are only twenty-six now??"

But it looks like thirty-six!

Mustache: "..."

The moustache touched his beard and said awkwardly: "This is what the scenic spot requires... No, you're focusing on the wrong thing, right?"

Xie Lingya said embarrassingly, "You are so unlucky?"

"I also want to know, my master told me that my life is too bad, maybe my parents were also beaten by me and threw me." Mustache said, "Well, little brother, I will live here for a few days. Okay? I'll look for another job."

Xie Lingya said curiously, "Looking for another job, don't you plan to go to the Taoist temple?"

Mustache: "I still don't want to hurt anyone..."

When Xie Lingya thought about what happened to him, it was bad enough, and he felt that something was wrong, "Wait, your unit covers food and housing, so you haven't saved any money? Can't even pay the bill?"

Living in a Taoist temple is already cheaper than living in a hotel or renting a house.

"Oh..." Moustache scratched his head and said, "My salary is basically donated to the orphanage. I have no parents and no mother since I was a child. I know how difficult it is."

Xie Lingya was stunned.

He took a closer look at the moustache and found that although the man's beard was wretched, his eyes were centered, his nose was straight and straight, and the tail of his eyebrows were down. He had a sincere and reliable face.

The moustache turned his head and said, "You still plant vegetables, hey, let me water you."

Xie Lingya looked at him with a complicated expression, "Master Hu, in fact, we don't have a Taoist priest in our Taoist temple now. If you don't mind, you can stay."

Moustache: "...My surname is Zhang."

Xie Lingya: "…"

Xie Lingya: "I'm sorry, I remembered it wrong. Well, the conditions here are not very good. If you want, you can include food and bills for 800 months, and the legal affairs will be considered separately, can you?"

A single amount of money is equivalent to the basic salary of a Taoist priest. It is not a big temple with a particularly good incense. In fact, a single amount of ordinary Taoist temples starts from a few hundred to one or two thousand. Going out to do things will be counted separately, just like commission.

Baoyangguan is poor now, and Xie Lingya is so poor that he has to farm by himself to save money, but before Uncle He Zun had some money left, which could last for a while. He dared to give this money because a Taoist temple must have Taoist priests, which is a necessary investment.

As for other questions...

Mustache: "I'm so weak, aren't you afraid?"

"Don't be afraid. An expert once told me that I am a material for immortals and can take people around me." Xie Lingya said indifferently, "I don't think you should be weak enough to defeat me."

Mustache: "… "

And to be honest, if the mustache hadn't been so weak, he might not have recruited Taoist priests. When people go to high places, the mustache still has a Taoist certificate, which must be passed on for eight years before applying.

Xie Lingya is no longer afraid, what is there to fear about the mustache, he immediately said: "Then please give more advice!"

Xie Lingya and Moustache tidy up the room together. He went to give Moustache a bowl of noodles to eat. When he came out of the kitchen with the noodles, he saw Moustache watering the vegetable field, and he actually took the initiative to work.

"Let's eat first." Xie Lingya greeted.

Moustache got up and put down the kettle, raised his face and startled Xie Lingya, "Who are you?"

Mustache... Can't be called a mustache anymore, Zhang Daoting touched his face, "I shaved my beard, can't I recognize it?"

"I now believe that you are really twenty-six years old." Xie Lingya spoke after a long while.

Zhang Daoting's mouth twitched.

After he shaved off that slightly wretched beard, his overall appearance and temperament have improved by leaps and bounds, refreshing and handsome.

- But this also shows how bad he is. Like Xie Lingya, because he is good-looking and likable, the uncles and aunts in the front yard are willing to chat with him.

Xie Lingya originally thought that this guy has a dark history of working in the scenic spot, how to properly solve it. Looking at it now, if this can still be recognized, there is a ghost!

While eating noodles, Zhang Daoting took the time to answer Xie Lingya's question.

As a Taoist priest, he has been in various Taoist temples for six or seven years. He is familiar with Taoist classics and norms, and has also learned some rituals and rituals from his master and master, but he has never presided over it.

Xie Lingya: "Can you draw talismans?"

Zhang Daoting said nervously: "No."

Because he lived in several Taoist temples, he also worshipped no less than three teachers, or did odd jobs for others, but because the sun was not long, he learned a lot, and he was not very good at it. There are too many and complicated runes, and he doesn't quite understand them.

He has traveled to various Taoist temples over the years, and coupled with his own decline, he deeply felt that there were some things that could not be explained scientifically.

Xie Lingya had no other intentions and said casually, "It's okay, I will."

Zhang Daoting: "..."

"By the way, come and touch me." Xie Lingya said.

He intends to touch Zhang Daoting's roots. This man's life is not very good, but his character is good. If he is not too stupid, he may be a little worse to be one of his uncle's apprentices, but he can also teach other skills depending on the situation. After all He is also a member of Baoyangguan now.

"???" Zhang Daoting swallowed hard and said weakly, "Why..."

"Touch it casually." Xie Lingya said casually, not talking about the investigation for the time being. However, touching Zhang Daoting is really much more convenient than touching Shi Changxuan. Zhang Daoting is now their person who embraces Yangguan.

Zhang Daoting nodded nervously: "Oh."

Xie Lingya probably knew something after touching it, and explained to him, "I'll tell you about the history of Baoyang Temple, and some precautions."

Of course, the more important thing is to discuss how to attract believers.

The regulars of Baoyang Temple noticed that there was suddenly a Taoist priest here. But this is also normal. It is strange that a Taoist temple does not have a Taoist priest. The Taoist priest who held the Yang Temple before did not know where he went, and now it finally appeared.

This little Taoist priest is also quite young and looks pretty good. He greeted everyone under the introduction of Xiao Xie and introduced himself as Zhang Daoting.

Most of the people here were tea drinkers who fetched water, or nearby residents came to chat. They saw that Zhang Daoting was young, and they were very interested and asked what it was like to be a Taoist priest.

Zhang Daoting talked about his daily life such as doing his homework, and brought the topic to Baoyang Temple itself.

Speaking of Baoyang Temple, everyone couldn't help but say: "The years of Baoyang Temple seem to be quite long, but I have lived in Diyang for so long, and I don't know what it is."

Zhang Daoting couldn't help laughing and said, "Our Taoist temple was built in the Ming Dynasty. It was destroyed in wars and rebuilt once in the Qing Dynasty. Inside the temple, the main deity worshiped is Taiyi Thunder God Yinghua Tianzun Wang Lingguan."

"Wang Lingguan? Which god is that? Didn't you offer Sanqing?" someone asked.

Zhang Daoting explained about the main god of Taoism, Wang Lingguan of Popular Science.

Some honest people said: "To tell the truth, I haven't heard much."

In the eyes of ordinary non-believers, the powerful and famous immortals enshrined in Taoist temples are like Zhenwu Emperor, Lu Dongbin, etc. This Wang Lingguan said that he was a guardian deity, but he was not very famous. Moreover, Zhang Daoting said that Wang Lingguan will be enshrined in all Taoist temples, which sounds like a gatekeeper.

Speaking of which, the incense of Baoyang Temple is deserted, and it has nothing to do with their ancestor Wang Lingguan. There are very few Lingguan temples in Queshan Province. These days, everyone would rather worship a famous person when they worship God.

"Wang Lingguan is the great protector of the Taoist sect, exorcising evil and suppressing evil, so you may have no idea, let me give an example." Zhang Daoting said.

"Everyone in "Journey to the West" should know that when Sun Wukong made a riot in the Heavenly Palace, no one could stop him, and it was Wang Lingguan who stopped him. Why did the author set Wang Lingguan and Sun Wukong to be tied? It is because Wang Lingguan is indeed a very powerful immortal in Taoism!"

Wang Lingguan only showed one side in "Journey to the West", and everyone has no impression, but according to Zhang Daoting's words, it is indeed the case, which makes people feel suddenly realized.

They are not familiar with Wang Lingguan, but everyone is familiar with the story of Sun Wukong's havoc in the Heavenly Palace, and immediately has a specific concept.

I didn't expect Wang Lingguan to be so powerful, and his combat power ranks among the best in the entire Taoism, so it is no wonder that Baoyangguan will worship him.

After Zhang Daoting's simple explanation, everyone was relieved, and no longer felt that the main god who held Yangguan was not compelling.

"In addition to subduing demons and subduing demons, Wang Lingguan actually has other duties. He is also the God of Thunder, the God of Vulcan, rains and clears, receives plagues and poisons, and pickets the faults of the human world. In the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Yongle believed in Lingguan the most, even in his bedroom. Enshrine the statue of Lingguan." Zhang Daoting said, "If there are infirm patients in the family, you will often recite Wang Lingguan, or burn incense, and ask Lingguan Fu to go home."

The words here are a bit mysterious. They belong to the category of believers and non-believers.

In the place where everyone is holding Yangguan, many of them are often fetching water here. There are people who are usually more interested in these things, but because Baoyang Temple finally has a Taoist priest, I am quite willing to continue to listen.

For example, Mrs. Wang, a neighbor of the owner of the newspaper shop, Mrs. Sun, is also a friend of Mrs. Sun. She listened and asked questions.

Zhang Daoting smiled slightly, and chatted with Mrs. Wang about how to hold the Spiritual Official Mantra, what the key points are, and teach them sentence by sentence.

Mrs. Wang nodded her head again and again, and finally asked what kinds of spirit official talismans were and how much they cost, but it was just a question. She thought that the Taoist priest was too young, and she only invited him from Taihe Guan during Chinese New Year. It's over.

She lives close to Baoyang Temple, but she has never come here to worship before. She has been walking with her friends these days, but she has been polite to Sanqing twice. For her, the signboard of Taiheguan is still brighter.

While talking to Zhang Daoting, Mrs. Wang scratched the place on her body where she had been bitten by mosquitoes.

Zhang Daoting glanced at it, "Auntie, are there many mosquitoes in your house?"

Mrs. Wang said: "Yes, my house lives on the first floor, there are many mosquitoes, and the mosquitoes can't be wiped out."

Zhang Daoting smiled again, "If there are more mosquitoes, you can ask for a mosquito repellent to go back."

"..." The other people who heard it were a little speechless, what the hell, if you say that the amulet is fine, why is there a mosquito repellent

Even Mrs. Wang, a superstitious woman, couldn't help but ask: "This, can this work?"

What kind of amulets, transshipment charms, and mosquito repellents are sold in Taoist temples now? I haven't seen it before, why does it feel weird

Zhang Daoting asked back: "Do you see mosquitoes in our Taoist temple?"

Everyone was stunned for a while. In the past two days, it seems that there are no mosquitoes in Baoyangguan!

Zhang Daoting didn't say that they didn't feel it, but when he said it, he felt it deeply. Especially people who have been sitting here for several hours feel the deepest feeling, "I'm still surprised, how come there are no mosquitoes!"

Even so, it is still somewhat difficult for most people to believe that it is the effect of the mosquito repellent that Zhang Daoting said.

In the end, only Mrs. Wang and three or four tea guests were willing to ask Zhang Mosquito Talisman to go back. Zhang Daoting said it so firmly that Mrs. Wang believed it a little.

In addition to being interested, other people thought that this talisman was not expensive anyway, only 20 yuan, so it should be entertaining. Not to mention anything else, they usually get less well water for free here? If you reciprocate, you should support this poor Taoist temple!

Zhang Daoting turned to the back to get the talismans for everyone, but he walked up to Xie Lingya and said, "Boss, three mosquito repellent talismans."

He used to call Xie Lingya little brother, but later he knew that Baoyangguan belonged to Xie Lingya, so he silently changed his tune.

"Hey, I knew that there must be a market for mosquito repellent charms in summer." Xie Lingya quickly picked up a brush and drew three mosquito repellent charms. This is one of the results of his learning during this period, and it is also why there are no mosquitoes in Taoist temples these two days. reason.

Xie Lingya was deeply impressed by the last time he did not eat the mantra and the well water. At this stage, these life-related alchemy can help them, a small Taoist temple with few believers, so he focused on this aspect.

Like this mosquito repellent charm, most Taoists probably don’t know it. It was researched by a Taoist priest named Wang Ziran in the Ming Dynasty. His more famous ability is said to be able to drive away thunder and rain. It's a bit of an unclear relationship.

Mosquito repellent talismans are actually miscellaneous talismans. This kind of miscellaneous amulet is basically not sold in modern formal Taoist temples, which gives people the illusion that they are not serious. In fact, there are thousands of Taoist techniques.

Mosquito repellent talismans are also sold for 20 yuan, like other amulets and child-seeking talismans. With reference to other Taoist temples, the price is generally between fifty or sixty to three or five hundred.

Zhang Daoting came just right, so that Baoyang Temple finally had a Taoist priest who could receive believers.

Xie Lingya also pushed the boat and asked Zhang Daoting to sell the talisman. After all, the Taoist priest was more decent, and he himself produced the talisman by remote control at the rear. At his speed, no matter what the talisman was, it would be done in three or five minutes.

- These days have also become a major reason why Xie Lingya was later called the Jinyang Human Flesh Seal Machine.