Please call me Huanxian

Chapter 30 Leave it to those who are prepared

Seeing that the scholar didn't seem to be joking, Xu Yuanchang suddenly realized that they were two pieces of jade given to him by Liu Xianfeng. Since the price could not be negotiated during his travels, he kept them for himself and took out two blue-white jade seeds from his sleeve pocket.

Slightly larger than a copper coin, the water is clear and moist.

"I'll give you a thousand spiritual coins for these two literary luck stones. What do you think?"

Yan Ruoxing did not hide his joy and directly offered a high price that he thought was more appropriate.

Xu Yuanchang's heart was racing, and he still asked: "Fellow Taoist Yan, can you tell me how you could tell that I was carrying a treasure?"

Yan Ruoxing did not hide anything and explained: "I have read tens of thousands of volumes, and I have understood some of the secrets of words from scriptures and classics. I have accumulated a little bit of literary Qi and opened the seven orifices, so I can 'look at Qi' with my eyes."

"We met by chance that day, and seeing that you have the slightest bit of refinement in you, I wanted to invite you on board the train to exchange studies.

"I heard you modestly say that you haven't read a few books, and after taking a closer look, I realized that you were carrying a literary fortune. I was worried that it would cause you to misunderstand, so I left first. I have been busy with other things these days, and I have no time today. Come to Xianyu Garden to inquire."

Xu Yuanchang was secretly glad that he met a gentleman who believed in "getting things in a proper way". Otherwise, if he were a monk, his strength would be much greater than his. Buying and selling by force would be considered a good result, but he could use force to rob, kill and seize treasures. It's possible.

He thoughtfully placed the two jade stones on the table opposite and said, "Fellow Taoist Yan, I would like to change the conditions."

Yan Ruoxing picked up a piece of jade, felt it carefully, and said with a smile: "What conditions do you have, please tell me. As long as I can do it, I will do my best."

Xu Yuanchang liked to deal with masters who reasoned, and said: "I want to go to the county Taoist palace to study for some time and learn the formal foundation of Taoism."

Money is something external to the body, and learning skills well is the way to settle down and live a successful life.

There are three places in the county: Baijisi, Xuegong, and Taoist Palace. Among them, Baijisi is the dynasty's yamen. It is responsible for managing, questioning, and arresting monks. Any monks who cause trouble will fall under its jurisdiction.

The Academy and the Taoist Palace were respectively responsible for supervising the academies and Taoist temples on the site, as well as education, reception and other matters.

Yan Ruoxing laughed and put the two Wen Yun stones into his sleeves.

He adheres to the rules but is not pedantic. If there is an advantage for him, why not take advantage of it?

"That's it, it's settled. I'll put you in the Taoist Palace of Qingping City for three months, and give you an opportunity to attend lectures and study at the Liuyuntai of the Taoist Palace. Whether you can learn something or not depends on your own ability."

In fact, he admires it from the bottom of his heart. This is what a truly smart person does. It is better to teach a person to fish than to teach him a fish.

It takes a lot of courage for a poor casual cultivator to give up a thousand spiritual coins in exchange for a learning opportunity.

Yan Ruoxing stood up, looked at the young Taoist priest who stood up opposite him, and said, "I saw you bought a fire method book earlier. I would like to advise you not to learn it for now. You are not suitable to start practicing fire training. The order is wrong. Doing twice the result with half the result may even hinder future practice.”

Xu Yuanchang was horrified. He remembered that An Ciyu had also tactfully advised him not to study the Fa. He cupped his fists and asked for advice: "Then which one should I start with?"

He guessed that Yan Ruoxing used "Wangqi" to help him see the problem again.

A master can see fire clearly from top to bottom, but from bottom to top, it is hazy and full of difficulties.

Yan Ruoxing said: "Let's start with 'Shengmu'. I don't know much about Taoism. After you entered the Taoist Palace, you often consulted Taoist Zhang Wang. Apart from our differences in Confucianism and Taoism, we have a close personal relationship. Tomorrow's time will be At the end, you come to the gate of the Academy first, and I will take you to the Dao Palace."

Each monk learns Taoism in a different order.

The monks of the sect are taught by their elders, while the casual cultivators can only fumble around on their own, learning whatever they find, practicing whatever they find, and they don't know how to learn spells according to their own order.

In the end, there were many disadvantages and bottlenecks everywhere, making it difficult to travel far.

After bidding farewell to Yan Ruoxing, Xu Yuanchang went straight back to the inn room. During this period, he had accumulated enough banknotes from selling magic talismans. He originally planned to buy a small courtyard in the city to have a permanent place to stay. Now that things have changed, he Pause for a moment.

The next time I see Liu Xianfeng, ask her to look through the inventory again. Is there any Wen Yun Stone?

Ask her, where did she find the two rare cultural stones?

If I hadn't felt that those two jade stones were only worth five taels of silver, which was such a loss, I might have sold the jade stones to a jewelry shop, causing the pearls to be covered in dust, and I would have suffered heavy losses without knowing it. Early the next morning, Xu Yuanchang came from the west of the city to the square in front of the Xuegong Gate in the north county of the city.

When the sun rose high, Yan Ruoxing, who was dressed in a scholarly manner, walked down the steps of the wide front door. After a few simple greetings, he raised his hand coolly: "Let's go to the Dao Palace."

Xu Yuanchang hurriedly followed the scholar who seemed to be going to play.

The Academy and the Taoist Palace are on the same street, not too far apart, about three miles away.

Yan Ruoxing kept talking and led Xu Yuanchang, who was cautious in his words and actions, into the unattended gate of the Taoist palace.

There are ancient trees everywhere and paths extending in all directions.

The scholar blatantly criticized: "This place is deserted and boring. Everyone is practicing as if they owe them a sack of money. They have zombie faces all day long. I haven't been here for a long time."

Xu Yuanchang disagreed.

When people talk about the master's reputation in other people's homes, is this scholar really just here to kick things off?
A Taoist priest in green robes suddenly walked out from the side road, squinting and sneering: "Yan Ruoxing, you don't do anything good every time you come back, and you still want us to welcome you in the same way? You have no idea."

Yan Ruoxing laughed and bowed his hands: "Taoist Master Qingzhai, I haven't seen you for a long time. I heard that you went to Fengxian City. When did you come back? Now that you have some free time, how many games can we play? Play chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and songs, whatever you want. Pick first.”

Qingzhai Taoist Master returned the courtesy with a straight face and said tit for tat: "Yan Ruoxing, when you arrive at the Taoist palace, you have to do as you please. You can draw talismans, recite incantations, and fight swords with spells. You can take your pick."

Yan Ruoxing waved his hand: "A gentleman talks but doesn't use his hands. Beating and killing will bring disgrace to the scenery. It's boring, so don't worry."

He pointed to Xu Yuanchang, who was standing solemnly at the side, and introduced: "Taoist Priest Qingzhai, my good brother's surname is Xu Yuanchang. He admires the rigorous scholarship of the Taoist palace and has come here to study for three months. Please take him in."

Xu Yuanchang was sweating, and Yan Ruoxing was too unreliable. He thought he had said hello in advance, but it turned out to be a temporary thing.

Can he get those thousand spiritual coins back?
He clasped his hands in fists and performed a Taoist etiquette: "Junior Xu Yuanzhang, pay homage to Taoist Master Qingzhai."

The middle-aged Taoist priest returned the gift, looked at the calm young Taoist priest, and asked, "Where did you learn Taoism before?"

Xu Yuanchang replied: "I stayed at Izumo Kan for a few years."

The middle-aged Taoist priest nodded in understanding. He was banished from the Izumo Monastery and became a casual cultivator. He asked, "Tell me, what does Taoism mean?"

Xu Yuanchang thought about it for a while and replied: "Taoism is about doing nothing, and it is also called Wuwei. It is actually easy to practice, but its words are difficult to understand. Its technique is based on nothingness and uses conformity. There is no form and no permanent shape, so it can study all things. Love. It does not put things first or come after things, so it can be the master of all things."

He was at his residence last night, meditating, combining what he had heard and seen in his previous life with the classics he had read in this life, and made some thoughts and responses in advance. Opportunities are reserved for those who are prepared.

Otherwise, if he was suddenly questioned, how could he answer hastily and flatter him a few times?
Yan Ruoxing clicked his tongue and praised: "It's all right, brother Xu, you should go to the Academy to study."

The conversation changed and he sang the opposite: "However, you are a careless brother and said in front of me that 'Taoism can be the master of all things'. Where does this put our Confucianism?"

Taoist Master Qingzhai has a gentle expression. Everyone likes to hear good words, especially when there are outsiders who are not easy to deal with.

Ignoring Yan Ruoxing's provocation, he knew that the scholar had a sharp mouth like a sword and was very difficult to deal with.

Taoist Master Qingzhai nodded and said: "Shan, you can piece together this answer from the classics, which shows that you work hard on weekdays, and you will be exempted from the entrance examination. You go to Shifangyuan to register, and you will enroll in school tomorrow to attend the lecture."

Xu Yuan grew up happy, and Taoist priest Chao Qingzhai and Yan Ruoxing gave their thanks respectively.

If it weren't for Yan Ruoxing's recommendation and the backlash, he might not even dare to come in.

Finally got a chance to learn basic common sense and Taoism.

……

(End of this chapter)