Chapter 77 Fundraising In a daze, it was already New Year's Eve. The ground was too cold, so Lin Jue pulled Fu Yao's cushion over and sat cross-legged in the room, while Fu Yao stood beside him and stared at him. In his hand was a piece of wood. He calmed his mind, lowered his head and stroked it. An invisible magical power attached to the branch and he threw it out casually. Fuyao was instinctively attracted by it and immediately turned her head to look over. Fortunately, it didn't rush over to pick it up. Then Lin Jue was seen staring at the branch, lowering his head and muttering silently. He murmured a few obscure spells. "Wow..." The branch rolled in a circle on the ground.
"Woo?" The fox immediately tilted its head and stared at the branch. The spell in Lin Jue's mouth changed. The branches rushed up into the sky. Following a series of rapid and obscure spells, the branch moved left and right in the air, spinning. "..." The branch finally fell to the ground. Lin Jue also breathed a sigh of relief. During this period of time, he did not spend too much time on this spell. After all, he was still learning alchemy, but he learned it in bits and pieces. It is not difficult to get started with this "Curse Control". The difficulty lies in mastering it proficiently. Because this art of mantra control mainly relies on spells to control objects, there are many different spells with different functions. If you want the object to be continuously driven, you need to chant the spell continuously. And if you want the object to fly as you wish, you have to be very proficient in the spell and recite it very quickly, which requires long-term practice. In Lin Jue's opinion, this spell actually has two disadvantages: One is that it cannot control objects at will. It cannot control a stone, a branch, or a sword on someone's waist on the road if it wants to. Instead, it needs to hold it in its hand first and attach a specific magic power to it before it can control it with a spell. Another is that it requires continuous chanting of the mantra. For example, the bald demon I met before had already mastered this spell very well, but he still chose to hide and manipulate it. If you want to practice to the point where you can fight with others and chant spells to control objects at the same time, I don’t know how much effort it will take. And no matter how skilled you are, you have to do two things at the same time. Therefore, Lin Jue didn't spend much energy on it. When he came to his senses, his own little fox was standing in front of him, staring at him with its head tilted. "?"
Those clear eyes were full of doubts. Lin Jue thought it was surprised at the magic he had learned or the flying stick, or maybe it was interested in the piece of wood, but he saw it lowered its head, looked at the cushion under his butt, stretched out a slender leg and placed it on it, and then continued to look up at him. Tilt your head at the same time. "Oh……" Lin Jue then stood up and returned the cushion to it. Just then, a voice calling for senior brother was heard from outside. …… In a Taoist temple deep in the mountains, a strange fragrance emanates from the kitchen. This is a flavor created by the combination of various spices, and after being stewed for more than half an hour, the oil and water bring out the aroma of the meat, which is very tempting. Several brothers couldn't help but turn their heads and look towards the kitchen, but they couldn't leave at this time. Then he saw the third brother pinching a boat-shaped dough, and the filling could be vaguely seen from it. He looked puzzled, glanced left and right at the two brothers who were kneading the dough and picking up the filling with chopsticks, and compared it with the sample that the younger brother put in the colander, and asked Lin Jue: "Junior brother, is that right?" "Not much different." Lin Jue said as he rolled out the dough, "It's almost there." "That's fine." The third brother then put it on the colander. Everyone turned their heads to look at each other, learning from each other. The dumplings in the basket became more and more, so they changed to a winnowing basket to hold them. This time even Taoist Yunhe was pulled over and looked at the bag carefully with narrowed eyes. They all found it novel, whether it was the dumplings that Lin Jue mentioned or the act of making dumplings, but they also trusted Lin Jue very much and did whatever he asked them to do. Slowly the sky darkened. The kitchen was filled with flickering flames, casting the shadow of the little sister who was cooking the fire onto the wall. As Lin Jue lifted the lid of the pot, hot steam immediately rose and was illuminated by the flames into a bright yellow color. There was a large pot of water in the pot, filled with dumplings. Lin Jue scooped it up with a gourd ladle. "Bring it out." Lin Jue said this to his junior sister, while he cleaned the pot and scooped a few scoops of water into it, waiting for it to slowly be heated by the residual heat from the stove so that he could use it to wash the dishes later. Then he walked out of the kitchen. It wasn't completely dark outside yet. As soon as I went out, I saw the remaining light in the sky. There was an ancient pine tree standing in the yard. Seventh Senior Brother was standing on a bench holding a lantern and chanting a few spells. The lantern then lit up with a dusk-like light and was then hung on the tree. Looking through the front of the hall, you can directly see the dining hall, where the lights are bright and the air is hot. The third brother is moving the wine. The junior sister came running over and called him.
Seventh Senior Brother also called him after he hung up the lanterns. The festive atmosphere on this cold and deserted mountain is quite strong. Lin Jue went over and sat down. The table was filled with braised chicken, duck and pork head, roasted stinky mandarin fish and steamed fish, all neatly cut, and dumplings freshly out of the pot, steam rising. Rice wine poured into the bowl, foaming, lights flickering, and the Taoists all had smiles on their faces. In this deep mountain with heavy wind and snow, there was unexpectedly such a homely atmosphere. "I've never seen such a sumptuous New Year's Eve dinner!" The third brother said happily, "Master should have recruited a cook as an apprentice long ago!" "What did you eat on New Year's Eve in the past?" Lin Jue asked. “We used to eat these too.” said the third brother. "Boiled in plain water." said the Seventh Brother. "Alas, I don't know what hard times I went through before, but I still boasted that I was carefree at the time, thinking that this was how it was in the mountains, and I didn't feel the hardship." The third brother shook his head and sighed. "Eat, eat, eat..." The Taoists started eating. The first chopsticks, of course, went to the dumplings on the plate, after all, that was something that I had worked on. There are also several seasonal vegetables in the cold winter. Lin Jue used them to make stuffing, either with meat or eggs, and added pickled cabbage from the jar. Each stuffing has its own flavor. The second chopsticks are the braised meat. "oops!" Many pairs of wide-open eyes. These Taoists had never eaten such delicious food in the mountains, and had no idea that meat could be cooked like this. Even if they went down the mountain, it would not be easy to eat food with such flavor. They almost forgot to drink for a while. No one praised him, and the room was filled with the sound of swallowing. Even the well-informed Taoist Yunhe only put down his chopsticks when he was half full and had time to talk: "Another year has passed..." "How old is Master?" "In the mountains, one feels no cold or heat. When one grows old, one does not care to count the years. At our age, every year passes, so what is the point of counting?" "Oh……" "By the way, since you are not going home, then this year, Lao Qi, you can take your two junior brothers and sisters to the Lantern Festival in the city and have two new robes made." "understood." "There is also business." "whats the matter?" "As I said before, the fourth aunt of Jiandao Peak has achieved success in her cultivation and has perfected her merits. She is about to become a god." Taoist Yunhe paused for a moment and said: "Originally it was still a few years away, but I followed you to the foot of the mountain to catch rats, exterminate demons, and recover money, which earned me some popularity. Later, when the God investigated the demon matter, he also invited the descendants of the fourth aunt to inquire. He also asked them to help in clearing out the rat spirits in the city. Originally, I was just a little short of merit, and now I have all the merit, and the God in heaven speaks well of me, so I can complete it several years earlier." "Um……"
"To become a god, you need a temple. The fourth aunt wants to build a temple at the foot of Jiandao Peak for people to worship. But you also know that they never touch the money of the mortal world." Taoist Yunhe said to the seventh senior brother, "This money must be donated by the people. After thinking about it, I have no choice but to give it to you." "Speaking of which, last time Third Senior Brother went to ask Fourth Aunt to ask her children to go to the city to help us, the fish they wanted were caught by me in the mountain stream. It took me three days to catch enough fish." "Then you should eat two more pieces of meat." "Ugh……" The Seventh Brother sighed, as if he knew that he was the only one. But at this moment, this little hassle was nothing, and he soon forgot about it. I only heard the third senior brother accusing someone of making a dough. The sixth senior brother said it was the eldest senior brother, but the eldest senior brother denied it. Everyone started to be suspicious, and the friendship between the senior brothers faced a huge challenge. Such a harmonious atmosphere made Lin Jue feel dazed. For a moment, I felt like it would be nice to continue like this. However, when I thought of the tradition of Fuqiu Temple and Taoist Yunhe's deteriorating health, I knew that this was destined to come to an end, and I couldn't help but sigh in my heart. From the corner of his eye, he was not the only one in a trance. There is also the junior sister sitting opposite. When they were having New Year's Eve dinner at her house, she didn't know if a girl like her could sit at the table. In any case, it was impossible for her to be so free in this Taoist temple where genders were not respected at all. What's more, both Taoist Yunhe and the senior brothers took special care of the two little ones. It's normal to be in a daze for a while. "Dong dong dong..." Deep in the mountains, there was another knock on the door. "Who?" The third brother looked normal, and immediately stood up to check. After a while, he came back and said with a smile: "The mountain spirit smelled a strange fragrance in our Taoist temple tonight, and came to ask for some food." His expression remained normal while he spoke. As if he was already used to it. Then he took some meat out and gave it to that person. This is life in the mountains. …… When you wake up, it's a new year again. Yishan Mountain in the snow is really like an ice and snow wonderland. It's a pity that the ingredients for Second Senior Brother's Magic Pill are hard to find, so they can't be taken freely. Otherwise, Lin Jue would have practiced the method of taking the pill successfully and there would be no side effects after taking it. I can't imagine how comfortable it would be to jump and travel in such a mountain. However, Lin Jue also often went out, finding a stone mountain in the mountains to practice. Every seven days, he would refine a bottle of spiritual liquid, divide it into three parts, and take his junior sister and the fox to water the trees. The fifteenth day of the first lunar month soon arrived. Lin Jue made Yuanxiao, cooked fermented glutinous rice, and fried eggs. Several senior brothers ate while daydreaming, unable to help but recalling past years.
We went down the mountain just after eating. "Brother Donkey, Brother Donkey, I have to trouble you again. If you have extra money, I will definitely let you have another good meal." Senior Brother Seven stroked the donkey's neck. The donkey just remained silent. Then he called Lin Jue and his junior sister and went down the mountain. Passing by the hot spring, Lin Jue habitually asked if the monster was still there. When there was no response, he continued to head into the city. "Most monsters want to become gods, but how can they seek orthodox worship by using crooked ways? Like the monster in the city, he stole money to build a temple and used the money to buy faith. Not to mention that he didn't succeed, even if he succeeded, it would be difficult for him to be recognized by the heavens. He is just an evil god. Even if he was lucky enough to deceive and get recognition, he would sooner or later turn to evil ways." Brother Seven said as he walked, "The temple must be voluntarily donated by the people. The more people who donate, the better. For this kind of thing, you still have to rely on me." "What are you going to do, brother?" Lin Jue only knew that he made a flag, that is, he wrote on a piece of cloth that he wanted to raise funds to build a temple for the Taoist friends in Jiandao Peak, but he didn't know how he planned to raise the funds. Do I have to go door to door and ask? "Have you forgotten what you studied, brother?" The seventh brother glanced at him. "Since it is the cost of building the temple, we should ask the people for it. It just so happens that there are many people at the Lantern Festival tonight." "Oh……" Lin Jue suddenly understood. …… Asking for a monthly ticket. (End of this chapter)
