I am an immortal in heaven and earth

Chapter 282: Erjingdao, Winning the First Prize
Since August, Nanchang, the provincial capital, has started to become lively.

All the scholars preparing for the imperial examination have arrived one after another.

The poorer ones lived in temples and Taoist temples.

The temples and Taoist temples in Nanchang are nothing more than Youmin Temple and Wanshou Palace, especially Wanshou Palace, also known as Jiangxi Guild Hall.

These places like to sponsor these scholars to take the exams. It can’t be said to be sponsorship, but they provide them with a quiet place and two vegetarian meals a day.

However, some scholars did not come to take the imperial examination. Instead, they relied on their status as examiners to move freely and brought local specialties to Nanchang to sell.

Xu Jia's father, Xu Zhiyuan, was standing in front of a stall owned by a scholar. It was written: "Yushan specialty, Niu's time-honored brand, Babao Shenjing wine, Qiwei Dihuang pills, Wuxing Butian pills..."

“Is this a Yushan specialty?”

"Yes! These are some of the hottest items recently. Oh, and the dried persimmons sold at the stall next to it are also a specialty of Yushan. They are sweeter than honey and cheaper. You can buy a pack for only fifteen cents."

Xu Zhiyuan: "I am from Yushan, how come I don't know that there is a Niu family old brand in Yushan?"

"Who are you?" The scholar, who was busy with his business, carefully identified Xu Zhiyuan. After all, there were not too many scholars in Yushan County, and even fewer famous ones.

"Brother Zhiyuan, it's you! I haven't seen you in Yushan for a long time. I am Feng Zicai who used to study at Jinghu Academy."

"Oh, I remember..."

In fact, I can hardly recognize him. Not long after the Chinese New Year, he went to Nanchang to study. After taking the Modan and with Xu Jia's guidance, he already had the potential to become a juren, but it was still difficult to get a ranking.

When he came to Nanchang, the county magistrate and Lu Juren recommended him to become a disciple of a great Confucian scholar. Of course, Xu Zhiyuan is now a "Confucian practitioner" who cultivates righteousness and uprightness.

Although this great scholar did not have the key to enlightenment and was not as good as Xu Zhiyuan in entering the stage of cultivation, his literary talent, literary energy, wisdom, divine will, and even experience were much better than his.

So much so that in the past six months, after quickly going through Mencius, the Analects, the Great Learning, and the Doctrine of the Mean, he actually absorbed a lot of nutrition again, as if he had never studied them before.

To describe it in a more vivid way, his original study level was only about 3-4, but after Xu Jia's guidance, it reached 6-7. However, when he read by himself, he gained +1 experience each time, but now when he listened to the lectures of the great scholar, he gained +8 experience. In short, he upgraded very quickly.

"So many changes have taken place in Yushan." Xu Zhiyuan inexplicably thought of his son Xu Jia: "Could it be that he was the one who did this?"

Nine times out of ten.

"The biggest event in Yushan right now is that there is a Tianshi Xu who wants to build a Sanqing Temple and recruit disciples. It's a pity... I'm old, otherwise I would go too. Tianshi Xu is really amazing. Before, there was a demon in Dexing who deceived the people and was killed by him. Later, there was a walking dragon, which was also killed by him. Some time ago, there was a ritual meeting, and two Hebos actually fought each other and showed their holiness in front of people. It rained exactly. Now it is a good place for good weather and good harvests."

"What's He Bo?" A merchant nearby said, "The real powerful one is the God of Wealth. This Jade Mountain is really strange. How come so many gods suddenly appeared? Especially the God of Wealth, he has great powers. If we put in ten taels of silver, we can get twelve taels of silver after a year. If we put in one hundred taels of silver, we can get two taels of silver in dividends every month without doing anything... Tsk tsk... If we put in one thousand taels of silver, we can get twenty taels of silver every month. Ordinary people only spend twenty taels of silver in a year."

"This is still the most basic money-saving business. If you buy a bond, you can put in one or two taels of silver, or you can take out a hundred taels of silver. Even officials want to get involved in this kind of business. Let's not talk about anything else. Just take a county magistrate, who came in carrying a big box with a smile on his face like a pig's ass."

"Those who wanted to rob others by trickery, I don't know what happened the next day. They acted like they were possessed by ghosts and didn't care about anything. They didn't listen to anyone and went to the barren mountains to farm."

"If you are tied up, you will get a rash on the first day, pustules on the second day, and you will be like a toad on the third day. This is not the work of humans, but of ghosts and gods. It is said that behind these ghosts and gods is this Tianshi Xu. Nowadays, it is said that Yushan Dexing is ruled by Tianshi, and all gods preach the gospel. Even the things like encountering evil spirits and seeing ghosts have disappeared."

Xu Zhiyuan was completely certain that this was what his son had done.

I bought a few boxes of persimmon cakes, left this place and returned to my own yard.

This courtyard was bought by Old Man Xu. He donated an eighth-rank official title and planned ahead of time, hoping that his descendants would be able to pursue official careers. He bought a courtyard in Luojiaji, Nanchang in advance. Not far away are the Imperial Examination Hall, the Imperial Academy, and the Longevity Palace next to it.

Then he went to the study and took out two wooden sculptures. One of them had big ears, like pig ears, which was very exaggerated, and the other had big eyes, which were protruding, like two cylinders. They were the two little ghosts, Duowen and Guangmu, that Xu Jia had given to his mother and Xu Zhiyuan to contact.

They were not included in Xu Jia's previous reward list, but they were also included in the list. Those disciples in the incense hall always need to rely on their magic and just offer a stick of incense. If they cannot be the main person in the hall, they can at least be the left or right protectors.

Xu Zhiyuan lit a stick of cypress incense and summoned the two little ghosts.

The two little ghosts didn't like to deal with him, so Xu's mother would give them fried meatballs to eat and recite Buddhist scriptures to cleanse their souls and increase their Buddhist affinity.

But Xu Zhiyuan was determined to be a virtuous person. Even if he could not be a great virtuous person, but only a small virtuous person, he also followed Xu Jia's method and cultivated a righteous spirit.

Although this positive energy is not much, it is also great and strong, comparable to the scorching sun at noon in summer. If they stay there for too long, they will easily melt like snow children.

The most important thing is that they focus on monitoring him to prevent him from having any messy affairs and giving Xu Jia any half-brothers or sisters.

"Can you get in touch with Jidi?"

The two little ghosts were clever and looked troubled. Before, they had only transmitted messages in writing or spoken a few words.

However, the two little ghosts chattered and discussed: "Didn't we gain the ability of divine sight and divine hearing through listening to Buddhist scriptures? But the master still doesn't pay much attention to us. They all gained the talisman, but we didn't. We must show our abilities, otherwise the master will completely forget about us."

The two of them immediately started tinkering with it, brought a mirror, and pushed it into the room. Then the mirror grew a mouth and ears, and no human figure was reflected in the mirror, but instead the scenery of Yushan Mountain appeared.

Soon, Xu Jia, who was practicing inner cultivation in Shanju Temple and intending to cultivate his main body and spirit except for the five internal organs, sensed an inexplicable connection with the Dharma Realm.

I immediately realized that it was Xu's father calling.

In addition to the main gods of the Three Yuan and Eight Scenes, there are 365 other main gods and gods of various acupoints, all of which need to be visualized and condensed one by one.

It just so happened that Xu Jia's soul had ascended to the Purple Palace before, and in fact, he had already actively cultivated the facial organs, especially the eyes, ears, skin, and even hair...

However, Xu Jia did not cultivate these gods directly. Instead, he cared more about the overall harmony and cultivated the related organs of the five internal organs at the same time. For example, he cultivated the spleen but not the stomach, and then he cultivated the pancreas, large intestine, small intestine, upper jiao, middle jiao, lower jiao...

Now I can feel the Qi of heaven and earth, the five elements, the four images, and adjust yin and yang. I can build palaces inside, lay the foundation stones, and build steps, either nine or twelve steps.

It's just that I can't fully understand it, there's always something missing, maybe it's the corresponding practice method, supernatural power, or I need to borrow the qi of the righteous gods in the outside world to draw out the divine qi of the inner world.

In short, Xu Jia went up to the stars and connected with the spirits of the twenty-eight constellations, and all the spirits in his lower body were nourished by the earth and water.

There is already a vague feeling that the entire Huaiyu Mountains are connected to the Yu Yu blessed land in the body.

Just like when the outer blessed land is well built, the inner blessed land will naturally grow stronger. When the inner blessed land is well built, it will first affect the Dharma Realm from the perspective of "idealism", and then affect the reality from the Dharma Realm, which is the so-called "two-way rush".

This is the so-called "two-scene path", namely the inner scene path and the outer scene path.

But Erjingdao is also related to the "Sun and Moon Method". In fact, its essence is still a kind of "harmony between man and nature" idea, which strengthens the connection between oneself and the universe.

Being disturbed by these two little ghosts, Xu Jia stopped and calculated a few things. He found out that his old father was about to take the imperial examination.

So he answered the communication from the Dharma Realm, and was somewhat surprised, "These two little devils actually mastered the wireless transmission technology, they are also talented."

I saw a round light appear in front of me, and the face of Xu's father appeared in the round light, but there was a white incandescent energy swirling around it. This was the righteous energy. This was also the scene that the two little ghosts saw. It was indeed somewhat different from what living people saw.

"Passed the exam?"

Xu Jia smiled and said, "What? Dad, are you trying to cram for the exam? Come to the exam room right now and ask me if I have any secrets?"

"That's not the case. Although I don't dare to enter the top three in this exam, I am sure I will be in the top ten. I just heard about you and came to ask you, are you a heavenly master now?"

Xu Jia nodded calmly: "Indeed, it is not easy to tell a lie. Now I will soon open a forum and teach on Yushan Mountain."

Xu Zhiyuan was a little slow to react after hearing this, and after a long while he said, "Yes, you are a deity who has come down to earth and has awakened your wisdom."

"Why are you asking this all of a sudden?"

Xu Zhiyuan sighed, "News came from the front that General Fu Bo failed to suppress the rebellion of the Changsheng Sect, but was instead invaded by the Changsheng Sect from Zhejiang and has occupied Jinhua Prefecture and its surrounding areas. The Changsheng Sect's magic is extremely powerful. I'm afraid some demon has arrived at Yushan..."

"These monsters are quite arrogant!" Xu Jia had a plan long ago. After setting up an altar and establishing a religion, he would go to Nanchang Poyang, find a way to occupy Poyang, and then go south by water, cut down mountains and destroy temples to eradicate the Changsheng Sect. In fact, the main thing was to open up sea and water transportation, use strong ships and powerful guns to blast a way through, so that he could do business in Southeast Asia, find a good place, and establish a Taoist country.

The largest place Xu Jia is currently considering is definitely America. Just like in his previous life, he is going to open the Tongtian Temple there. But it is too far away, and it is not easy to immigrate there because the natives are Indians and are not easy to educate.

The most suitable places are definitely East Asia and South Asia, these foreign countries that have paid tribute to the Central Plains since ancient times.

Nearby countries include Japan, Taiwan, Myanmar, Thailand, Nepal, and even the Indian Peninsula.

But the northern plateau area is vast and sparsely populated, and there are many nomadic peoples...it is not very suitable for farming and education.

South and South Asia are all rainforests with lots of poisonous insects and miasma, but the land can be harvested three times a year, so it is still very attractive. If the navigation capability reaches the level of Zheng He's voyages to the West, and a few Leihuo Tiangang cannons are installed, then there is nothing to be afraid of.

Xu Jia’s favorite places are Taiwan, the Ryukyu Islands, Lan Fang, Luzon, or the Korean Peninsula...Further away are some islands that no one has ever set foot on. Before one’s level improves, it’s really like surviving on a deserted island.

However, Xu Jia's goal is definitely not just to use these places as the base and establish a Dao State. He just needs to start with sea power and monopolize maritime trade... Once the Da Ning Dynasty is completely in chaos and all factions rebel, he can take advantage of the opportunity to gradually encroach on it.

If Xu Jia becomes the leader of this Taoist country, then Xu Zhiyuan will be the king in the future.

But there was no need to reveal these to him: "Dad, just focus on the exam, don't worry about these things. The corruption in Zhejiang has little to do with you, because you are just a commoner. If you are a juren, you will have some connections. If you are a jinshi, you can give some suggestions to the court... Just do your job and make decisions."

Xu Jia would not tell his father directly. From what he saw, the Daning Dynasty was about to end. The new emperor would be in power, just like Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty in his previous life...

At least no matter what, the status of a juren is always useful and authoritative. Even if the dynasty is overthrown, will they not recognize the juren of the previous dynasty? They will still recognize them.

Xu Zhiyuan nodded, his eyes lit up: "The closer we get to this moment, the more we need to support the collapsing building."

Xu Jia complained: "It's a pity that the emperor now hates Taoism and worships Buddhism. The Changsheng Sect is also doing rebellious things in the name of Taoism. Otherwise, we can directly offer auspicious signs, which will be faster than being an official through the honest imperial examination."

This made Xu Zhiyuan silent.

After cutting off the circular light technique, Xu Jia began to think about adding a layer of buff to his father.

It just so happens that we are planning to offer sacrifices to the Moon God. There are already two benefits already, so we don’t mind adding a third benefit.

The Taiyin Dharma has the meaning of "picking the laurel from the moon palace", so Xu Jia is going to pick the laurel branch for his father.

It just so happens that there is a method of running to the moon in the Jingming Dharma. Generally speaking, the Moon Palace is high in the sky. As for the moon in this world, it is probably bald on top. One must run from the Dharma Realm to the spiritual moon of the Dharma Realm...

At the middle of the moon, Xu Jia was able to gather the wonderful Qi of Taiyin Huangsu to see if he could materialize the spirit of his right eye. Before that it was just a phantom.

This is another level of achievement in cultivation.

...Anyway, we have to save money. The same altar can handle several things.

It's not really a shiver, since we are all worshipping Taiyin anyway, and it's not like after worshipping one we continue to worship another one in the remaining dojo.

(End of this chapter)