"This brother, Xia Shenlang, came to the Taoist Temple to practice."
Shen Lang led the horse and walked up to the fourth-level Zhenqi realm guard, saying hello with a smile.
The white-faced, beardless middle-aged man sat lazily on the chair, not even raising his eyelids, only concentrating on manicuring his nails. He said in a feminine and delicate voice that reminded people of some kind of rootless person:
"certificate."
Shen Lang took out a jade talisman carved from white jade, shaped like a small sword, and engraved with Ganoderma lucidum cloud patterns:
"This is my certificate, the sword talisman token given by Master Wanfa. Brother, can you verify it?"
"Wanfa Zhenren's token?"
The middle-aged man was slightly startled, stood up, shook off the broken nails on his clothes, took the sword-shaped jade talisman with both hands, and his fingertips burst with true energy. He lightly touched the jade talisman, and clouds of clouds immediately appeared.
It rises up and forms a small ganoderma-shaped colorful auspicious cloud.
"It is indeed a token of Wanfa Zhenren."
The middle-aged man nodded and finally looked directly at Shen Lang. After seeing his facial features clearly, he was suddenly startled, and a very obscure color flashed deep in his eyes.
But there was no movement on his face. He returned the jade talisman to Shen Lang and said calmly:
"What's your name?"
Shen Lang, who had already reported his name just now, was not annoyed and replied with a smile:
"Shen Lang. The Divine Catcher Hall is preparing to catch the fast one."
"Shen Lang... Is Shen Lang of the God Catching Hall..."
The middle-aged man nodded and said:
"Wait here."
After saying that, he walked into the corner door below the gate.
Looking at the back of the middle-aged man, Shen Lang narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of deep meaning flashed in his eyes.
After holding the horse and waiting at the door for a moment, the middle-aged man with a white beardless face and a soft voice came out of the corner door with a young man wearing a blue moiré robe and a bun.
The young man was about 24 or 5 years old, with an ordinary appearance and a warm smile on his face. At first glance, he gave people the impression of a good gentleman.
"Junior Brother Shen!"
When the young man saw Shen Lang, he smiled, cupped his hands and greeted him warmly:
"My brother, Zhou Shicheng, is a student of the Jiaxu class of the Taoist Academy. He has been practicing in the Taoist Academy for seven years. Starting this year, he will work part-time as a handyman and deacon in the Taoist Academy, responsible for receiving and guiding new students. Junior brother, please come with me. I will take the junior brother to handle the matter.
All formalities.”
Shen Lang smiled slightly and bowed his hands to Zhou Shicheng:
"Well, thank you very much, Senior Brother Zhou."
Zhou Shicheng smiled heartily:
"Junior Brother Shen, you don't need to be polite. Once you enter the Taoist Academy, no matter where you come from, you are all fellow disciples. By the way, your horse cannot be brought in. You can leave it to Deacon Liao for foster care."
The fair-faced middle-aged man said with a smile:
"My surname is Liao, my name is Xun. I am also the deacon of the Taoist temple and is responsible for guarding the gate of the Taoist temple."
Shen Lang bowed his hands again:
"It turns out to be Deacon Liao, disrespectful and disrespectful."
Liao Xundao:
"Brother Shen, please feel free to let us foster the horses. Our Taoist temple has a horse farm, and the horses brought by the students are all fostered in the horse farm. As for the fees, you don't have to pay them yet. They will be settled at the end of the year."
Shen Lang handed the reins to Liao Xun, "Then there will be Deacon Lao Liao."
After that, he followed Zhou Shicheng through the corner gate and passed through a long and narrow doorway. The front suddenly became clear and he had officially entered the Taoist temple.
Land in the capital is at a premium, and housing prices are high. However, the imperial Taoist temple is extremely luxurious in terms of land use. The interior is actually a garden layout, with hills, forests, gardens, lakes, and a small river with nine twists and turns.
Above, there are various bridges such as stone arch bridges, wooden bridges, and cable suspension bridges.
Various antique buildings, pavilions, halls, and towers are either hidden in gardens or standing on hills. Some towers are even built in lakes, with half of the towers submerged under the lake.
.
Zhou Shicheng enthusiastically introduced Shen Lang to Shen Lang along the way. What is the name of this garden, what is the allusion to that small lake, where is the lonely white tower on the hill over there, and what is the stone bridge?
Which senior cast a spell to build it... gave Shen Lang a general understanding of the internal structure of the Taoist temple.
"There are not many people in our Taoist academy. The total number of students in the eight classes of the entire Taoist academy is less than 10,000. The entire Taoist academy, including professors, guards, handymen, etc., has a total number of less than 20,000.
"Our Taoist temple has a large territory, and few students like to go out. Most of the time, they are either meditating and contemplating, or studying spells, or refining weapons, elixirs, and talismans...
"Anyway, it's normal for you to walk outside and not see anyone for most of the day. When you officially start practicing, you may be like other brothers and sisters. You just regret that there is too little time every day, and you no longer have the slightest intention to wander around.
It’s just a pity that these beautiful scenery in the Taoist temple..."
When introducing these situations, Zhou Shicheng also asked a few questions about Shen Lang's origins seemingly casually.
Hearing that Shen Lang said he was from Yingzhou, Zhou Shicheng's eyes flashed with determination, and his smile became more enthusiastic. After that, he took Shen Lang through all the procedures until he was sent to the dormitory, and then he said goodbye and left.
Shen Lang stood at the door, watching the overly enthusiastic Senior Brother Zhou leave, touching his chin with his hand, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
…
Zhou Shicheng returned to the gate of the Taoist temple and got into a small room next to the corner gate.
This hut was probably the gatehouse of the Taoist temple. Liao Xun rested in this hut when he was on duty.
When Zhou Shicheng came in, Liao Xun was walking around the room with his hands behind his back. Seeing him come in, Liao Xun quickly went up to greet him and asked in a low voice:
"Are you sure?"
Zhou Shicheng nodded and lowered his voice and said:
"It's confirmed, he is the one from Yingzhou!"
"Great!" Liao Xun clapped his hands and smiled brightly: "This kid's head is worth one hundred thousand silver dollars. If we kill him, we will make a huge fortune!"
Zhou Shicheng's eyes also showed excitement, but he quickly frowned and said hesitantly:
"But he came with a letter and a token written by Master Wanfa. What is his relationship with Master Wanfa and even Yan Tianying? What will happen if Master Wanfa and Yan Tianying pursue each other after the incident is completed?
"With the methods of those two, no matter how flawless we do, we may not be able to hide it forever."
Liao Xun's eyes twitched slightly, and he gritted his teeth and said:
"What are you afraid of? Back then, our family made a small mistake in the palace and was caught. We squandered all our wealth and were not kicked out of the capital. However, we were still driven to the Taoist temple to guard the gate. After making this windfall, we
The family has enough money to take care of things, and then goes back to the palace to do things. After returning to the palace, are you still afraid of Yan Tianying and Wanfa Zhenren?
"As for you, Xiao Zhou, with this money, you can stay in the Taoist Temple and concentrate on your cultivation. You won't have to worry about money for at least five years. Now the Taoist Master is Qiankun Zhenren, and Bailong Zhenren is also the deputy of the Vocational School.
With these two great gods here, can Yan Tianying and Wan Fa Zhenren break into the Taoist temple and arrest you?
"As for five years from now, haha, you are now at the seventh level of cultivation. With the support of this windfall, it is possible to be promoted to the sixth level or even the fifth level in five years. At that time, you can directly invest in Master Bailong or Master Qiankun.
Under the sect, won’t you be able to sit back and relax?”
Zhou Shicheng's expression changed, he paced back and forth for a while with his hands behind his back, and then he gritted his teeth and said:
"Okay, I've made this deal! Eunuch Liao, the reward order says that Shen Lang's martial arts is not weak. What is his cultivation level?"
Eunuch Liao smiled disdainfully:
"Looking at his figure and steps, listening to his breathing rhythm, and looking at the glint in his eyes, he must be at the sixth level of martial arts. I can't tell how deep his internal strength is for the time being. You have to try it. But no matter how pure and deep his internal strength is, it's only six levels.
The realm of quality is not worth mentioning at all.
"Besides, he wants to practice Taoism now. Hey, where is anyone in the world who can cultivate both law and martial arts? As the saying goes, 'Once you practice Taoism, your martial arts will be useless from now on.' Once he starts practicing Taoism, he will never have any time to cultivate his internal strength.
Practice martial arts. Your martial arts skills will only keep deteriorating.
"In short, his martial arts skills are meaningless. But his Taoist skills... you have to keep a close eye on him. It's best to find out which Taoist skills he has practiced."
Zhou Shicheng smiled and said:
"Don't worry, he just entered the Taoist Academy. Even if he has some basic skills, he can master a few ninth-level spells, which is not worth mentioning."
Eunuch Liao said in a deep voice:
"It's better to be careful. After all, he was recommended by Master Wanfa. God knows if he will have any powerful treasures on him."
Zhou Shicheng nodded:
"I know, I will inquire carefully."
Liao Xun said again:
"I know a killer named Ding Hao. He is at the fifth level of martial arts. He has excellent swordsmanship and is ruthless. He dares to make any money. Let's get him together when the time comes."
Zhou Shicheng frowned and said:
"The bonus of one hundred thousand silver dollars is just enough for the two of us to share the profit. If there are more people named Ding..."
Eunuch Liao smiled cruelly:
"Don't worry, the person named Ding will not be spared the money. Let's give the fatal blow to the person named Ding, and let him carry Shen Shiwan's head to receive the bonus. Afterwards, we will kill the person named Ding, destroy the body and traces of the money, and give the money to the person named Ding.
Just grab it.
"In this way, even if Wanfa Zhenren and Yan Tianying pursue the case, they will only find the person named Ding first. And the person named Ding is dead and the body is gone. Most of the clues will be cut off immediately..."
Zhou Shicheng's eyes lit up and he gave a thumbs up:
"My father-in-law is indeed a person who has done things in the palace. He is really thoughtful! Just do what your father-in-law said!"
The two discussed for a while, and Zhou Shicheng returned to the Taoist temple, planning to try to find out the secrets of Shen Lang's practice. Liao Yuan also found someone to guard the gate for him, and went to look for the killer named Ding Hao.
While the two were conspiring, Shen Lang was tidying up the dormitory quickly.
Taoist practice is a very private matter, so the dormitories of Taoist students are all single rooms.
Of course, even if they are all single-room houses, the living environments are different.
Some courtyards are smaller, with simple facilities and compact layout, and share a courtyard wall with neighbors.
Some yards are larger, have better facilities, and are farther away from their neighbors.
The specific kind of courtyard you can live in depends on the student's financial resources and background.
Rich people can spend money to rent better courtyards, and those with background can live in better courtyards.
Shen Lang had a strong background and decent financial resources. He lived in a nice single-room courtyard. The main house not only had an underground secret room for retreat, but also an alchemy room.
Although the alchemy furnace is only the lowest-end product, it is at least enough for practicing. However, you have to spend your own money to purchase the alchemy materials.
By the way, in this imperial Taoist temple, no matter what you do, you have to spend money.
Zhou Shicheng said before when he introduced that the classes taught by Taoist professors had to be purchased with money.
You have to pay to attend the lecture. If you pay for one class, you can only attend one class, and no credit will be given.
Of course, if you really don't have money to attend lectures, you can also recommend yourself as an assistant to the professors, take some risks and cooperate with the professors in magic experiments, or complete some tasks issued by the professors, earn contributions, and then use the contributions to exchange for class hours.
You can also go to the Taoist Temple's "Tibetan Sutra Hall" for self-study.
For ten silver dollars a day, you can browse through all the books in the Sutra Collection Hall at will. If you see that you are exhausted mentally, spiritually exhausted, or bleeding from the seven orifices, the Sutra Collection Hall also provides rescue and treatment services. You can enjoy the services first and then pay the bill.
Zhou Shicheng also lamented at the time:
Ten silver dollars a day seems to be a good deal, after all, you can browse all the Taoist secrets at will, but it is actually a sinkhole.
It takes Taoist students an average of a month to learn a ninth-level spell. An eighth-level spell takes even longer.
If you spend money to study by yourself in the Sutra Collection Hall, you will have to spend at least three hundred silver dollars to learn a ninth-level spell. It is a waste.
As for high-quality spells, if you are not strong enough and are forced to read them, you can enjoy the rescue and treatment services provided by the Tibetan Scripture Hall after reading them for a while.
It is said that every year, a large number of newly admitted Taoist students are tricked by the Tibetan Scripture Hall. There are also many students who enjoy emergency treatment services.
After introducing the pitfalls of the Sutra Collection Hall, Zhou Shicheng sighed again:
If you are a peerless genius, it is still very cost-effective to go to the Sutra Collection Hall to read.
For example, it only took seven days for Lian Yunxiao, the current number one genius in the Taoist Academy, the "Little Heavenly Master", to learn his first ninth-level spell. After his first successful experience, he learned the ninth-level spell faster and faster.
The average time required for ninth-level spells never exceeds five days.
For peerless geniuses like "Little Celestial Master" Lian Yunxiao, the Sutra Collection Hall is truly an excellent treasure house.
It is said that in the first year after Lian Yunxiao entered the Taoist monastery, he spent almost every day in the Sutra Collection Hall and rented a bunk to sleep in there at night.
It was not until the second year that he was accepted as a direct disciple by the deputy director of the academy, "Master Bailong". Master Bailong vigorously cultivated him and had better conditions for practice, so he stopped going to the Sutra Collection Hall.
When Zhou Shicheng introduced Lian Yunxiao's talent and fortune in a tone of envy and jealousy, Shen Lang was filled with joy.
For ten silver dollars a day, you can read any secret method you want...
For a genius like Brother Lang who only meets once in a thousand years and can flip through a book in a few seconds and be instantly enlightened, this is heaven!
So after cleaning up the dormitory, Shen Lang didn't even bother to eat, so he went straight to the Sutra Collection Hall.
Anyway, the Tibetan Scripture Hall also provides catering services. Although the cost is a bit higher, as long as you can enjoy the fun of learning, super academic Shen Lang said:
What's the point of spending more money? Knowledge is priceless! Brother Lang, I only lack knowledge now, not money!