The next day, Cao Cao summoned Zuo Ci to a banquet, treated him with great courtesy, and rewarded him with a hundred gold coins as a thank you.
Zuo Ci refused to accept the money. He was just a free-spirited person and could not take it with him even if he took it.
Cao Cao was displeased and said, "I never owe anyone a favor. You, Taoist priest, do not want to accept a thank-you gift. Do you really want me to withdraw my troops?"
Zuo Ci sighed, "Since the Prime Minister is unwilling to withdraw his troops, just remember to guard against fire and water! I only hope that there will be less killing and more lives for the people in the future, and I will be satisfied."
"I have always been considerate of the people, cultivating the land to keep them safe, and never killing innocent people. You don't have to worry too much!"
Cao Cao asked, "I don't know which immortal mountain cave it grows in. If you need any materials for refining medicine, just let me know."
Zuo Ci sighed and said, "Since Sun Ce expelled all the Taoists from the territory and I left Tianzhu Mountain in Lujiang, I have been traveling around the country without a fixed place to stay. I want to concentrate on refining elixirs and saving people, but I can't. I only have these five sets of Wushisan left!"
Cao Cao naturally knew that Sun Ce had killed Yu Ji and expelled Taoist priests from the territory, and he died of illness because of this, which made him believe it even more.
He stroked his beard and smiled, "There are countless Feng Shui treasures in the land of Jiuzhou. Taoist priest, you have been traveling around. Is there any place that you like? You may point it out. I am willing to do my best to build a cave for you, so that you can concentrate on refining elixirs and saving people."
In fact, he was worried that his headache would recur. If Zuo Ci disappeared like Hua Tuo, he would have to suffer again. He wanted to keep him by his side. At least he wanted to know his whereabouts so that he could ask for medicine at any time.
Zuo Ci thought for a moment and said, "I went to Mount Zhongnan a few years ago and passed through Luoyang. I saw a Feng Shui treasure land in Mount Song. If I can make elixirs and practice Taoism here, I will be able to achieve twice the result with half the effort."
"Oh?" Cao Cao asked, "May I ask who is there?"
Zuo Ci replied, "There is a Shaoshi Mountain in the heart of Songshan Mountain. The mountain is high and densely forested, shaped like a green lotus. It is the place where the wife of the fish king lives. There is a Shaoyi Temple with a mysterious aura. If you can expand this temple, it will be a great merit."
"Haha, what's the difficulty?" Cao Cao laughed and said, "I will send someone to follow the Taoist priest to investigate the Shaoshi Mountain. Within half a year, we will build a fairy temple and set up an alchemy room for the Taoist priest to practice Taoism."
Zuo Ci was overjoyed and bowed deeply: "Thank you very much, Prime Minister."
After the banquet, Zuo Ci said goodbye and left the camp, heading into the mountains towards Mount Songshan. Cao Cao took the third dose of Wu Shi San and lay in the tent to recuperate, preparing to show his prowess in the evening.
Zuo Ci followed the Baihe River westward and entered the deep mountains. Seeing that no one was following him, he took out a set of coarse cloth shorts from his bag, disguised himself as a woodcutter, and turned south. After dark, he walked out of Bowangpo and arrived at the south of Bowang City.
When he arrived at the foot of the city, he informed the garrison and was soon invited into the city. In the backyard of the government office, Liu Qi and Zhuge Liang personally received him.
Liu Qi asked, "Did your trip go smoothly, Taoist priest?"
"Cao didn't believe in any disasters like fire or water, and refused to retreat!" Zuo Ci waved his hands and sighed sadly, "But after taking the Five Stones Powder, he was really afraid that I would leave, and he successfully captured Shaoshi Mountain!"
Liu Qi and Zhuge Liang smiled at each other and asked Zuo Ci to take a seat: "That's enough."
Zuo Ci kept complaining, "I spent a year to refine the Five Stones Powder, but I gave it to Cao Cao for free to treat his illness. It's like throwing a pearl into the dark and aiding the tyrant. What a pity!"
It turned out that Zuo Ci suddenly came to Bowang a few days ago and said that he wanted to donate medicine to Liu Qi to treat his illness. He was the only person in the world who could help the revival of the Han Dynasty, so he was willing to do his best to help.
Liu Qi was full of hope for this legendary half-immortal at first, but when the old man solemnly took out the Five Stones Powder, his scalp suddenly went numb and he immediately recommended it to Boss Cao.
Seeing the old Taoist complaining non-stop with a sincere heart, Liu Qi was also filled with emotion. Since ancient times, in troubled times, Taoists always did some unknown things to save the country, and then left after the work was done, hiding their merits and fame.
Although he knew that the Five-Stone Powder was fatal, in Zuo Ci's eyes, it was the result of his life's hard work and his masterpiece.
Liu Qi poured a cup of tea and said, "Master, you don't have to do this. After this incident, your name will surely be known throughout the Central Plains. Now is the time to serve the country and save the people."
"What use is there for that empty reputation?" Zuo Ci shook his head and said, "Cao Cao is a treacherous hero of the time, and you are a descendant of the imperial family. You should take this elixir to prolong your life and revive the Han Dynasty."
Zhuge Liang smiled and said, "Master, don't complain. This trip to Cao's camp will take over the land of Shaoshi Mountain. Within three years, we will surely accomplish great things. When the Han Dynasty is revived, Master, you will also have contributed to it."
Zhuge Liang practiced Taoism in Wudang for three years, learning Yin Yang, the Eight Trigrams, and the Six Jias. He also met Zuo Ci once and called him his uncle.
Zuo Ci was stunned and said, "Cao Cao built a temple just to make it easier to treat his illness. The longer the traitor lives, the more disadvantageous it will be to the country. How can the Han Dynasty prosper?"
Liu Qi smiled and said, "There is another plan here. Taoist priest, please listen to me in detail. The decline of the Cao family started from the time I met you..."
Although the Zuo Ci in front of him was not as miraculous as the legend said, he was very famous in the Central Plains because he was highly praised by He Yan. With the help of curing Cao Cao's illness, he would surely become very famous.
Soon Zuo Ci will become famous among the nobles in Xuchang, and everyone will come to ask for medicine. This is a great opportunity to make money.
After hearing Liu Qi's plan, Zuo Ci looked at him in disbelief. He felt that under his kind smile, his eyes were full of gold and silver.
Liu Qi said seriously, "In this chaotic world, the people are displaced and plagues are spreading. The poor have no money to see a doctor, but the rich have money to pray to the gods and worship in temples. As long as your elixir works, they will spend a fortune. This money is just the blood and sweat of the people taken by the noble families. Isn't it just right to use it to treat diseases and save lives?"
Zuo Ci was stunned after hearing this. He thought for a long time before saying, "I only have a limited understanding of collecting herbs. I'm afraid I can't do it."
Liu Qi smiled and said, "Master, don't worry about this. When you recruit disciples, there will be people who know how to cure diseases. You can just mix the prescription into the pills."
“How do you know that this poor disciple…” Zuo Ci frowned slightly, then suddenly realized something, stroking his beard and saying, “In this case, this poor disciple has benefited from the general’s influence, but I’m afraid that the empty reputation will only burden me!”
Zhuge Liang said: "Master, when you make the elixir this time, remember to only cure illnesses and save lives. Do not ask for advice or fortune-telling, bribe anyone, or accept any believers or disciples, otherwise Cao Cao will be suspicious."
"I understand that!" Zuo Ci sighed, "Yu Ji's previous experience is a lesson for me. I know my limits."
Liu Qi raised his cup and said with a smile: "Master, just take the money without any worries. When I return to Luoyang in the future, I will use the money to build the imperial palace. It will be Master's immeasurable merit!"
"So the general has such a far-sighted strategy!" Zuo Ci suddenly realized, raised his cup and laughed, "If you can do your best for the Han Dynasty, I am willing to serve you."
That night, Liu Qi planned the Taoist temple's business strategies to Zuo Ci, which were all some simple marketing strategies of later generations, which left Zuo Ci stunned.
Even Zhuge Liang was amazed. After all, he came from a noble family and had studied classics on military strategies and state governance. He simply didn't bother to care about such despicable ways as doing business.
No matter in times of peace or chaos, one cannot survive without money. Although this move is not enough to shake the foundation of Cao Wei, it is a waste to leave these leeks unharvested.
Of course, the most important thing is to let Cao Cao take the Wu Shi San and go down early to accompany Liu Da'er to cook wine, so that he won't be lonely and think about himself all the time, which would be bad.
In fact, Liu Qi also had a little selfish thought: instead of letting those fat and bald guys occupy this good place to make money, it would be better to leave it to his own people. At least it can pass on the Chinese civilization.