flstandardbreds Chapter 167 Actually, I am a Feng Shui Master
Chapter 167 Actually, I am a Feng Shui Master
The shopkeeper had no other choice but to think of this much.
At least so far, he has never heard of any temple selling its incense burners.
……
Putuo Temple is located on a mountain outside Qingshui Town.
As Zhao Taohua and Shen Ming walked uphill, they discovered that there weren't many pilgrims along the way.
Upon entering, one sees a young monk asleep, slumped over a table with incense and candles laid out on it, completely unaware that two people have entered.
It wasn't until Zhao Taohua tapped the table that he woke up, wiping his drool: "Senior brother, is dinner ready?"
After the young monk recognized the visitors, he immediately put his hands together and said, "Amitabha, would you two benefactors like to buy some incense and candles?"
"Little monk, we're looking for your abbot."
As Zhao Taohua spoke, her gaze drifted to a three-meter-tall incense burner not far from the temple.
"Please wait a moment, benefactor."
The young monk immediately ran into the temple to invite the abbot.
"Master, come quickly! Someone wants to invite you to chant scriptures!"
The young monk pushed open a door and said excitedly.
The temple receives very few worshippers; the monks rely entirely on going out to chant sutras to earn money for the offerings and support everyone.
There are many fellow monks in the temple, and the rice and vegetables they grow on the mountain are simply not enough to eat.
To save money, the temple changed its three meals a day to two meals a day.
When Master returns from chanting sutras, the temple's meals will surely improve for the next few days.
Upon hearing the young monk's words, the abbot hurriedly went outside, afraid of keeping the two benefactors waiting.
When Zhao Taohua first met the host, he was very enthusiastic, and his smile was like that of Maitreya Buddha.
"I've met the abbot. Actually, I'm a feng shui master. This is my first time visiting your temple, and I've noticed that something in your Putuo Temple is misplaced, which is why the temple isn't very popular."
As soon as Zhao Taohua finished speaking, the host's eyes showed wariness.
They're not here to donate incense money, they're here to make money off the temple?
The abbot recalled that five years ago, the temple was thriving, Putuo Temple was a well-known temple, and the number of monks in the temple was increasing.
Putuo Temple was really lively back then!
He asked with a hint of hope, "Madam, could you help me change the feng shui?"
“Of course!” Zhao Taohua nodded.
She knew that the host already trusted her to a certain extent.
"Does that cost money?" the host asked again.
Zhao Taohua immediately shook her head and said in a serious tone:
“Accumulating good deeds and cultivating virtue is what we cultivators should do. As for the host, you can give us any token of your appreciation. Consider it as us forming a good karmic connection.”
Upon hearing his words, the abbot smiled again, like a Maitreya Buddha, and warmly welcomed Zhao Taohua into the temple for inspection.
He personally accompanied the two of them on a tour of the temple before asking:
"Madam Zhao, how should we change the feng shui of our temple so that the incense offerings will flourish?"
Zhao Taohua walked to the first large incense burner after entering the door and asked:
"Was this incense burner added to the temple later?"
Did the temple's incense offerings gradually decline after it was replaced?
As the abbot was thinking, the young monk interjected, "That's right!"
That year, he had just entered the temple, and the food there was the best.
Later, things got worse year by year.
"Madam Zhao, what do you mean?" the host asked curiously.
"This large incense burner is blocking the temple's incense offerings."
It should be moved and should not be present in the temple.
In this way, the temple's incense offerings will return to normal.
Shen Ming listened as Zhao Taohua conned the host, and in the end, she actually succeeded in fooling him.
The host even gave her a red envelope.
"Thank you for hosting. Your large incense burner will only fetch a copper price once it's transported down the mountain."
I'll be a good Samaritan and help you sell it; I'll pay you the market price.
Zhao Taohua took out seven hundred taels of silver notes and gave them to the host.
"Amitabha Buddha, thank you so much, Madam Zhao, you are truly a kind person."
The host expressed his gratitude.
At the same time, he felt a pang of guilt, realizing that he had only put eight coins in the red envelope he had just given to Zhao Niangzi.
This incense burner weighs 300 catties, and according to the price of copper, it is worth at most 600 taels of silver. It is clear that Madam Zhao gave too much.
The abbot asked several monks to help load the carriage.
Because the incense burner was too tall, the roof of the carriage had to be temporarily removed and then secured with ropes before the couple were warmly seen off.
The fiery demon watched as Zhao Taohua directed and starred in a grand drama on her hairpin.
She easily swindled a large incense burner from Putuo Temple!
Previously, at the incense burner shop, she had personally heard the shopkeeper say that such a large incense burner would cost four thousand taels of silver, but now her master had bought it back for the low price of seven hundred taels of silver.
By evening, when the two returned home, it was already dark, and no one in the village noticed that Zhao Taohua had brought back an incense burner.
Because it originated from a temple incense burner and had been in the temple for five years, it had already been consecrated by the temple.
Although it is not an alchemy furnace, it is still a kind of magical artifact.
She ordered Yanglazi to sweep out all the incense ash, put it in a burlap sack, and carefully store it to prevent it from getting damp, as it would be very useful later!
Since Zhao Taohua had never forged a flintlock gun before, it took her three whole days to successfully forge her first one.
Seeing Zhao Taohua clapping her hands with joy, Shen Ming was also curious about what the flintlock gun looked like.
When Yanglazi took the flintlock pistol out of the incense burner, he hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but then stopped himself.
“Master, it seems you’ve failed again this time. It’s not a gun.”
"That's impossible. I know what I'm making myself. Show it to me."
Zhao Taohua insisted.
When Shen Ming saw the unfamiliar object, which was about three feet and six inches long, his heart sank.
He looked at Zhao Taohua, and just as he was about to comfort her, he saw a look of joy on her face:
"I told you I'd succeeded, there's no mistake!"
Zhao Taohua took the flintlock pistol she had been longing for. The bronze stock was engraved with a coiled dragon pattern, and the dragon's mouth holding a pearl was exactly where the grip was located.
The gun barrel gleamed with a golden-bronze luster, and fine, flowing runes could be faintly seen within it.
Although the gun weighs seven pounds and two ounces, it feels as light as a feather in your hand.
Because she added a feather talisman when she was refining it.
Not to mention Madam Yuejiang, even a three-year-old child could easily handle it!
Zhao Taohua admired the flintlock gun she had crafted, much to the surprise of Shen Ming and Yanglazi Jing.
Is this the gun she's talking about?
Zhao Taohua noticed their expressions and explained:
"There's one more thing missing. When it's ready, its power will be no less than the spears you've seen before!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Ming became interested and took the gun from her hand:
"Peach Blossom Sister, you said it's called a flintlock gun?"
Shen Ming imitated the way Zhao Taohua had held the gun.
When his eyes were fixed on the aiming device, he was able to see a scene a hundred paces away.
"!!! This... is amazing?"
He stared in astonishment at the polished crystal embedded above the gun barrel.
With this, hunting in the forest is simply unbeatable!
He reached for the gun barrel and asked, "Peach Blossom Sister, is it something missing from here?"
Zhao Taohua was somewhat surprised that Shen Ming seemed to know how to handle a gun so easily, and nodded, saying, "This is filled with bullets."
Tomorrow, let's go to the City God Temple.
The fiery spirit immediately realized something: "Master, are you planning to take the copper coins from the donation box?"
After Yanglazi Jing went to the Earth God Temple with Zhao Taohua last time, she was already able to predict Zhao Taohua's thoughts.
"You're quite smart."
Yanglazi Jing was suddenly praised by Zhao Taohua, and she lowered her head shyly.
However, she still underestimated Zhao Taohua.
Over the next few days, she and the other fiery demons were sent to various local temples and city god temples every night, the more incense money their masters wanted, the better!
With the foreign women working diligently every night, the west room of the Shen family has become an armory!