"Do you think I want to come back?" Third Uncle sighed, "I'm just a temporary host, at best I'm a puppet, a target, a scapegoat..."
Zhao Chuan was stunned after hearing this.
"The juniors in the temple privately call me Uncle Silly Master. I've been wandering around for so many years, and I've also pretended to be crazy and stupid in the temple. What's the point? Chuan'er, do you understand why?"
Zhao Chuan was speechless.
Third uncle Zhao Kai stood up, walked back and forth for a long time, and finally said leisurely, "I am a hidden chess piece of the Zhao family, and a hidden chess piece of Qingfeng Temple."
Zhao Chuan was a little surprised, but also suddenly realized. No wonder...
Zhao Chuan didn't speak, wanting to listen quietly to what his third uncle would say next.
The third uncle paced back and forth for a long time, then sat down cross-legged again, and then slowly told Zhao Chuan.
More than twenty years ago, something happened in Qingfeng Temple. The host was assassinated on a stormy night. Two secret books, "Changchun Sutra" and "Heqi Immortal Technique", were lost along with it. The little Taoist boy who was serving in the outer room fell down. Unconscious on the side...
These two secret books are the treasures of Qingfeng Temple, and they are Qi training methods. Only the host is qualified to preserve and practice them completely. Other Taoists in the temple only practice part of the content. Therefore, all the Taoists of Qingfeng Temple so far, including the current one just now The deceased masters were all slow in their internal cultivation. Over the years, only five Taoists have barely reached the level of purple energy cultivation.
Zhao Chuan asked if the previous host was not very good at cultivation. Why was he easily assassinated?
The third uncle looked pained and sighed. It was very windy and rainy that night. The host drank a cup of tea brought by the Taoist boy before going to bed. After that, he felt unwell. The Taoist boy took him back to the inner room to rest. At this time, a man in black clothes suddenly appeared. The masked man suddenly broke in, and the host was in a hurry to defend himself, but he screamed and said that his whole body was suddenly sealed. Then the masked man in black beat the host to death with just one palm, and knocked out the little Taoist boy on the side. After that, the host in the inner room The two secret books were lost.
Zhao Chuan said that there must be something wrong with the little Taoist boy. He drank poisonous tea for the host and sealed his acupuncture points, which allowed the masked man to take advantage of him. This Taoist boy must be with the masked man in black, otherwise why did the masked man in black just knock him out instead of killing him?
"Even if they are not a group, they are still inside!" Zhao Chuan's analysis of Xiao Daotong was conclusive.
"Oh! If there is really a problem with the little Taoist boy, things would be much simpler!" The third uncle sighed, his expression even more painful, as if there was something indescribable and unspeakable.
"What? Is my analysis wrong?" Zhao Chuan asked.
The third uncle sat cross-legged on the ground, bowed his head and said nothing, as if he was immersed in the memories of the past.
After a stick of incense, the third uncle raised his head and said, "I was the little Taoist boy who presided over me back then..."
Zhao Chuan was stunned.
The third uncle said that the cup of tea that the host drank was poured by him personally, and that he had also drank from the same pot of water. The Taoist priests in the hindsight had checked the teacup and the teapot, and there were no problems. He didn't know why the masked man in black just Knock yourself out.
Even so, the third uncle said that he has been blaming himself for so many years. First, he did not see the face of the masked man in black. Second, he failed to protect the host. Even if he gave a warning in time, it would be good. In this way, Taoist Guan Nei You can detect danger in time and come to rescue, and you won't find out that the host is in trouble only at dawn the next day...
"Perhaps with timely treatment, the host can still survive." The third uncle let out another long sigh.
"Third Uncle, don't blame yourself too much. All of this was planned and arranged in advance." Zhao Chuan comforted, "I guess that person knocked you unconscious because he wanted you to describe the scene to the people watching. . But even if you could call the Taoist priest from Guanli at that time, you still wouldn’t be able to save the person who presided over it. He had already thought of everything.”
The third uncle nodded and said yes, watching the host being killed with a slap, but he was unwilling to let the host end up in such a disaster.
"The current host who just passed away due to the plague is my master Tian Dezi. He was the one who brought me to our Zhao family home." Third Uncle said.
Zhao Chuan asked Tian Dezi why he went to the Zhao family's house to take you away.
Third Uncle said, it’s a long story. Thirty years ago, the old emperor who had been serving as an official in the imperial court and was an assistant to the ancestor of the Zhao family died suddenly. The cause of death could not be found out, which was very strange. The newly enthroned little emperor does not need the old ministers. Seeing that the situation was not going well, the ancestors of the Zhao family ordered your great-grandfather to take your eldest and second uncles to stay away from the capital and settle at the foot of Panlong Mountain.
He also laid out three steps for your great-grandfather’s future life. The first is to let your great-grandfather hide in an ancient underground well to practice martial arts in case something unexpected happens to him in the future. The second is to transfer you and the son of the previous clan member of the Zhao family to be contracted. , and the third is to hand me over to a group of people from Qingfengguan to take me away.
Ah, so that’s it. Zhao Chuan finally understood everything about the Zhao family.
"This Taoist priest from Qingfeng Temple has some relationship with our Zhao family before? Otherwise, why would you be entrusted by the Zhao family and arrange for you to be with the host?" Zhao Chuan asked.
"Chuan'er is right." Third Uncle Zhao Kai nodded in approval, "The ancestors of the Zhao family were officials in the court for several generations. A long time ago, Qingfeng Temple was built on Lingyin Mountain with the support of the ancestors of the Zhao family."
Third uncle Zhao Kai continued to talk, asking Zhao Chuan to listen carefully:
"Although Qingfeng Guan belongs to the Quanzhen sect and practices inner alchemy techniques, it is its own branch and is not under the control of any Taoism. Because of the relationship between the ancestors of the Zhao family in the court, they can get official titles every year. The family’s money and goods are subsidized. Therefore, all the hosts have kept the benefits of the Zhao family in mind. When the Zhao family sends someone to the temple, the whole temple will naturally welcome them. Although others do not know my relationship with the Zhao family, the host and the four major members of the temple The assistant knows this secret."
"So when the old host was suddenly assassinated and I was unconscious at the scene, the four assistants immediately eliminated everyone's suspicion. This is also the reason why I can continue to stay in the audience and stay here as a quasi-host until now. .”
"In fact, since the old host was suddenly assassinated and the two secret books "Changchun Zhenjing" and "Aiki Immortal Technique" were lost, the position of host has no significance at all."
"Without the treasure of the temple and the death of the old emperor, the ancestors of the Zhao family lost power and were unable to take care of and allocate financial and material support. Qingfeng Temple gradually lost many new people to join the Tao. Qingfeng Temple lost its past glory."
"Without the treasure of the temple, the presiding officer is as mediocre in practice as other Taoists in the temple."
"So the more I think about it, the sadder I feel. I always feel that Qingfeng Temple was destroyed in my hands, so I have been traveling around for so many years just to find out the whereabouts of the secret book of Zhenfeng Temple."
Zhao Chuan saw that his third uncle paused for a long time and remained silent, so he asked, "So, what's the result? Have you heard anything after so many years?"
"It's useless to tell the inside story about all this, because the other party is deeply entrenched and extremely difficult to shake..."
Seeing that the third uncle said something similar to last time, Zhao Chuan said directly: "It means that the other party has a royal background, doesn't it?"
The third uncle said nothing, just sighed without comment.
Zhao Chuan asked what to do now?
"These things need to be discussed in the long term, and the future will be long." The third uncle said seriously.
Zhao Chuan said, then why did you think of being the host of Qingfeng Temple?
"Because the two hosts did not die well, and everyone said it was because they lost the secret book of the town watch, so this host was hiding from anyone. There was no other way, so everyone asked me to come. When I thought about it, everyone thought I was Silly, I have been pretending to be crazy for so many years, and I just want to find out if there is an insider in the view..."
Zhao Chuan suddenly remembered that Zhen Yuanzi had introduced him enthusiastically these past few times. When he came just now, he had called him from afar, so he asked Zhen Yuanzi why he was so enthusiastic about him.
Unexpectedly, when the third uncle heard about Zhen Yuanzi, he immediately said that although this person is enthusiastic, it is best to stay away from him, because he is a philistine and should not come to learn Taoism, but should learn to do business...
Zhao Chuan originally wanted to boast about Zhen Yuanzi in front of his third uncle, but he didn't expect that his third uncle didn't like him.
"Then when I came today, he saw me from afar, greeted me warmly, and insisted on calling me junior brother. What's going on?" Although he knew that the third uncle didn't like him, Zhao Chuan still had doubts in his heart. Asked again.
The third uncle snorted and said that he wanted to learn kung fu from your master Xiaoyaozi, not because the temple lost its treasure...
Zhao Chuan groaned and felt dark when he thought about Kung Fu.
Zhao Chuan said that my current martial arts cultivation has been ruined. I mainly came to you this time to find a way to restore my cultivation.
The third uncle frowned upon hearing this, and stretched out his hand to place his index, middle and ring fingers on the Cun, Guan and Chi parts of Zhao Chuan's wrist, and tested his Cun, Guan and Chi pulses respectively.
After a long time, the third uncle asked what happened?
Zhao Chuan briefly told the story of the last time he left here.
After hearing this, the third uncle thought for a while, and then said, let's do this. You can stay in Qingfeng Temple first, and wait for your master Xiaoyaozi to come in a few days before you think of a solution.
Zhao Chuan said that I should go find the master myself. I heard that he was treating the diseases of the Marquis and others in the Marquis's mansion.
Third Uncle said that given your current situation, it would not be very good to go to the Marquis' Mansion in person, so you should wait here with me.
Zhao Chuan exclaimed, "Aren't there some non-taoist Taoists staying at Qingfeng Temple?"
The third uncle glanced at Zhao Chuan, smacked his lips, and said that now I am the host and the rules have changed.
Zhao Chuan said oh again and said that there was a follower coming with me.
The third uncle said it was okay and he could take care of the food.
Zhao Chuan said that this follower is not a human being. Will it have any impact on the Taoist temple?
The third uncle was stunned, what do you mean? Even if it's a donkey, I can still afford to eat it.
Zhao Chuan had a dark look on his face and said okay, but in his heart he thought that this third uncle's cultivation was not very good, and he couldn't even tell that he was an alien. It can be seen that the loss of Qingfeng Temple's secret book "Changchun Zhenjing" and "Heqi Immortal Technique" has a great impact on the Taoist priests of Quanguan...
The third uncle shouted loudly to the little Taoist boy outside the door. The Taoist boy came in and took Zhao Chuan to arrange a room to rest.
Zhao Chuan came out of the courtyard where he was hosting. He looked around and saw Qi Yatou, so he shouted loudly, "Xiao Qi, Xiao Qi!"
After shouting many times but getting no response, the little Taoist boy urged him to follow him to arrange a room, saying that he should go and stay first as dinner would be served later.
Xiao Daotong's tone of voice was a little urgent and pleading.
Zhao Chuan was a little unhappy at being urged. He looked at him up and down, making the little Taoist boy nervous.
This little Taoist boy looks to be no more than ten years old, with a sallow complexion and thin muscles. I don't know if it's because the clothes are too big or because he is too thin. Anyway, he looks even skinnier when he wears Haiqing.
"Are you hungry?" Zhao Chuan suddenly asked for no reason.
The look in Tao Tong's eyes flickered for a moment, but then darkened immediately, and he shook his head.
"What are you in a hurry to eat if you're not hungry?" Zhao Chuan said with a smile.
"I...I was worried that you would be hungry after walking such a long way." The little Taoist boy paused and said, but his stomach rumbled at an inappropriate time.
Zhao Chuan looked up and saw that it was getting late and the afterglow of the setting sun was about to disappear. It should be mid-morning, the time to have dinner.
