Yue Guanchao looked at the many Taoist priests who were praying for the rituals. The purple-robed old Taoist was undoubtedly the most noble among the Taoist priests.
I saw that he was wearing a purple and golden placket. The embroidery on the Taoist robe was gorgeous. The sun, moon, stars, pagodas, dragons, phoenixes, cranes, etc. were all over the body. His long sleeves were wide and fluttering around. The golden lotus Taoist crown on his head held up his silver-white snow hair, which made him look even more beautiful. He has an upright and majestic demeanor.
Behind him, there were several Taoist priests wearing red-sleeved robes. They held incense and bowed their heads, as if they were praying for something. The clothes of the Taoist priests behind him were much plainer, just blue coats with wide sleeves and front breasts. , should be an ordinary Taoist priest in a Taoist temple.
Yue Guanchao searched around the crowd and didn't find his familiar figure at all. He rubbed his head depressedly: "Didn't Xu Xiake tell us to prepare for the ritual? Why didn't I find him?"
"These Taoist priests all wear clear blue jackets. You are not blinding yourself. You are looking at them carefully. Maybe you can't see them with their backs turned to us."
Song Siyuan didn't notice Xu Xiake's figure either, and stretched her neck to carefully observe the group of Taoist priests.
"Impossible, Brother Xu is a fair-faced man with fine skin and tender flesh. If he were among this group of Taoist priests, his skin color would be very clear. Look at the crooked melons and cracked dates here, all of them are dark and transparent. He is dark, probably due to malnutrition from not eating meat for a long time!"
Yue Guanchao's words made Song Siyuan laugh: "You are poor. How do you know that the Taoist priests are not eating nutritiously? What can we tell if they turn their backs to us? Let's wait until they turn around."
After the bell rang, the old Taoist priest finally turned around. The Taoists in blue coats gradually separated and formed a semicircle on both sides. When they turned around and stood quietly, everyone saw that there was indeed no Xu Xiake inside, and they felt worried. Could it be that Did Xu Xiake lie to them and actually go somewhere else?
When everyone was confused, the white-haired old Taoist priest shouted: "Please worship the fragrant flowers and fruits, and the infinite gods will praise you with joy."
After finishing speaking, a crowd surged nearby, and a few Taoist priests wearing Baina Taoist robes walked out.
These little Taoists are completely different from the Taoist priests present. Most of their black hair is pulled into a bun on the top of their heads. They also wear a black gauze hood, carry a peach wood Taoist sword behind them, and wear strange Taoist robes. The entire Taoist robe It is in the shape of an ancient wide-sleeved dress, with the lapel folded on the left side and tied at the heart. There are horizontal stripes on the neckline with auspicious cloud patterns. The dress is covered with hand-sized checkered patches. The black, white and gray colors are mixed with each other. It looks like they are layered and nested from head to ankle. It looks like a monk's Baina cassock, but the shape is close to a Taoist robe, which is very strange.
When Yue Guanchao looked at these little Taoists, they were completely different from those Taoist priests in blue coats. Their faces were fair and delicate, and they looked like they had not been bullied much. He could see Xu Xiake in the crowd at a glance.
The little Taoist priest was walking out with a treasure basin of flowers and fruits. When he saw Yue Guanchao and the others in the crowd, he frowned slightly and wondered. After all, this ritual was Taiyi's birthday, so he couldn't get distracted easily. He quickly suppressed his curiosity and put the fruit basin on the stove. In front of the cauldron, put your hands together and recite the blessing mantra.
The old Taoist priest took out the budding branches, dipped them in talisman water and beat them. Every time he beat them, he muttered incomprehensible incantations. After seventy-two strokes, he let go of the branches, pinched the Taoist's seal with his hand and said:
"Respect your sincerity, Taoist ancestors, from now on, you are the laymen of Chongxu Guan. You should take serving, believing in, and protecting the Tao as your own responsibility, and wholeheartedly protect the interests of the Tao. May your heart, body, and mind be harmonious. Take refuge in the Tao, have a refuge in your heart, a support in your body, a direction in your actions, a standard in your actions, and the protection of auspicious gods at all times. From now on, you should cultivate yourself well, transform others with kindness, save others with virtue, save yourself and others, and reach the goal of On the other side, when the results of your work are complete, there will be immortals to guide you to the paradise of bliss."
In this way, Yue Guanchao finally understood what kind of ceremony this was. Xu Xiake estimated that he was only a registered disciple before and did not convert. Today, he became a lay disciple in the Taoist temple and became a Taoist lay practitioner.
After all the rituals were over and the lay people dispersed, Xu Xiake walked through the crowd and found Yue Guanchao: "Didn't I tell you to wait in the village? How did you find yourself here!"
"Brother Xu, what are you wearing here? You look so strange."
Xu Xiake pulled his clothes and explained: "Baina Taoist robes are clothes worn by Taoists when they travel around the world. They can keep out the cold and keep warm. Later, they also represented the wandering Taoists who have not yet converted. Today I am wearing a layman's clothes to offer flowers and fruits. From now on, it will be regarded as Attach your name to Chongxu Temple and officially worship Yunyangzi as your teacher."
"Why don't you just become a Taoist priest? This wouldn't be justifiable if you change your name!"
Yue Erpao asked with a sob while eating the candied haws sold at the temple fair.
"Chongxu Temple was the largest temple in the Tang Dynasty. There have been dozens of generations of heavenly masters who have inherited the incense. How easy is it to become a Taoist priest of Chongxu Temple? Do you think any of these Taoist priests are young?"
When everyone was looking for Xu Xiake, they had carefully observed the blue-coated Taoist priest. They were indeed very old, and his skin had even become darkened by exposure to the sun and wind, which was completely different from these laymen with thin skin and tender flesh.
This point made them curious!
