After a brief moment, once everyone had dispersed, Bai Yichen, who had obediently stood by waiting, stepped forward and asked, "Master Uncle, what are your instructions?"
Master Guanjian pondered for a moment before speaking, "Shaochong, it has been over two months since you received your certificate. Your last assessment recorded you as a first-class Daoist. It's time for you to descend the mountain to give lectures and perform rituals."
According to the rules of Xuanzhen Temple, Daoists who received their certificates needed to study Daoist scriptures and rituals, then participate in examinations. Based on their performance, they would be recorded in the temple's register and classified into first, second, or third classes.
Achieving first class meant direct benefits, such as the eligibility to accompany masters on outings to deliver lectures to incense patrons, bestow blessings, and exorcise evils—these were all lucrative assignments.
As for those in the third class, they would have to eat humble meals, receive half the monthly stipend, and if they performed poorly multiple times, they might be deemed unsuitable by the temple's masters and have little hope for advancement.
"It's also quite timely. Last night, a master from the Fuyuan Hall came by and asked me if there were any capable Daoists recently who could go to Huang E County below the mountain to perform rituals."
Among the five main halls, Fuyuan Hall was primarily responsible for conducting rituals for incense patrons who made donations to Xuanzhen Temple. They performed ceremonies for blessings, exorcisms, mourning, and celebrations, or were invited to attend elegant gatherings to discuss Daoism.
As the saying goes, if one hands down the teachings, how could the descendants starve?
Thus, personnel affairs in this area were naturally quite lucrative, rivaling the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall, which managed logistics.
"I've noticed your daily performance and results. Senior Brother has also mentioned that your martial arts have made remarkable progress, so I recommended you for this task. You can go to Fuyuan Hall in the afternoon, where someone will guide you."
Bai Yichen hurriedly thanked him, realizing that good assignments only fell to those favored.
However, he was still somewhat modest about his martial arts skills; otherwise, he feared it would shock Master Guan Xu.
His previous life's rich experience combined with his extraordinary talent in martial arts in this life was no joke.
"Master Uncle, is the number of Daoists in Fuyuan Hall insufficient?"
Master Guanjian seemed to contemplate for a moment, then finally spoke, "That's right. During the recent incident with the Daoist Yun, many Daoists were also attacked."
Upon hearing this, Bai Yichen no longer inquired further and lowered his eyes, silently bowing his head.
He recalled that a group of Daoists from Fuyuan Hall had set out for a ritual together at that time.
...
In the afternoon, Bai Yichen arrived early at Fuyuan Hall.
Inside, a Daoist was already waiting; he seemed to be one from Fuyuan Hall.
Before long, he saw two other younger Daoists arrive, one of whom was Shaoyang.
Shaoyang looked at him with eager anticipation, seemingly still remembering the previous competition.
Bai Yichen glanced around and noticed that all four of them were fairly handsome and tall individuals.
Indeed, when representing the temple in public, it was necessary to select individuals with a good appearance.
Then, he saw the Daoist from Fuyuan Hall invite Master Guanquan out.
"This time, several villages and towns in Huang E County were attacked by mountain bandits, resulting in many casualties, and the county's residents are in a state of panic."
"Therefore, the county magistrate proposed that several wealthy families lead the way to raise funds and requested our temple to hold a ritual for blessings and exorcisms, as well as distribute talismans."
The four of them responded in unison.
Later, another Daoist asked with a worried expression, "Master Uncle, are there really wandering souls in this world?"
Hearing this, Bai Yichen felt a flicker of thoughts in his heart.
"You are all clever and wise disciples of the various halls. How can you ask such foolish questions?"
"Shaosen, please properly instruct these disciples on the ritual."
After saying this, Master Guanquan left the room.
"This junior brother is joking; these are just vain speculations. We cultivate for self-cultivation and nurturing the character, and the ritual is meant to provide comfort to the people and teach morality."
"Be careful not to fall into hysteria and speak nonsense, which would tarnish the temple's reputation."
Indeed, Bai Yichen's earlier expectations were dispelled by this, but fortunately, he quickly calmed his mind and did not reveal any other emotions.
"Alright, time is of the essence. Follow me."
After a brief warning from Shaosen of Fuyuan Hall, he noticed that everyone was listening attentively.
He took a few people to conduct training on the relevant ritual procedures, and they would formally descend the mountain the next morning.
The rituals included steps such as setting up the altar, sprinkling and sweeping, reciting scriptures to invite the gods, dispelling disasters, stepping on the stars, burning incense and offering sacrifices, drawing talismans, and sending off the spirits.
These were also taught at the Lecture Hall, but ultimately, they could not compare to the Daoists from Fuyuan Hall.
Most of them had learned various rituals and water-land ceremonies since childhood, mastering dozens of different methods for rituals, not to mention their practical experience.
The three of them spent the entire afternoon following Shaosen for training in the ceremony.
Although they had no practical experience, fortunately, their theoretical knowledge was solid, and they had a basic understanding of the ceremony's processes.
Moreover, the three had a certain level of martial arts cultivation, with coordinated limbs and agile hands and feet, so their steps during the rituals were quite smooth.
Furthermore, the core steps were still managed personally by the masters and Daoists from Fuyuan Hall, so they only needed to ensure good coordination.
Thus, under Shaosen's guidance, the three learned quite smoothly, and they would likely have no problem with tomorrow's ceremony.
As the sunset painted the sky, the afterglow glimmered like gold.
"The three junior brothers are indeed talented and intelligent; they quickly grasped the essentials. It's a pity you are not from Fuyuan Hall, otherwise, I wouldn't have to ask for help from the other halls," said Daoist Shaosen, showing a satisfied expression and praising everyone.
"Senior Brother is being modest; it is also due to your excellent guidance…" they exchanged pleasantries.
Eventually, as it neared time, Shaosen said he still needed to report to Master Guanquan, and he called for everyone to disperse.
"Shaochong, please stay for a moment."
Bai Yichen looked up and saw it was Shaoyang.
"Senior Brother, is there something you need?"
"After the martial competition that day, I have been practicing for more than two months. May I ask for your guidance again?" Shaoyang clasped his fists.
"Senior Brother is being polite; I only gained an advantage by luck that day."
"Moreover, today's practice for the ceremony consumed quite a bit of energy, and we still have to travel early tomorrow morning, so now may not be the right time."
Bai Yichen complied and displayed an expression of fatigue and difficulty.
Seeing this, Shaoyang could only leave disappointed.
Bai Yichen also secretly breathed a sigh of relief; for him now, competing with Shaoyang would only bring disadvantages, not benefits.
After all, engaging in combat with someone who had less martial experience and skills than himself, while still trying to avoid overly damaging his reputation, was not a light task.
...
As dawn broke through the clouds and the morning mist gradually dissipated, a cart loaded with goods was traveling along the official road leading to Huang E County.
The people on the cart had already put on brightly colored Daoist robes, primarily in yellow and red. The robes were relatively loose, with wide sleeves and long hems, embroidered with Eight Trigrams, cranes, and auspicious clouds.
Each of them looked impressive, especially Master Guanquan, who was adorned in a particularly luxurious and exquisite outfit, wearing a lotus crown, as if he were about to attend a grand feast.
As noon approached, the cart arrived at the gate of Huang E County, where several stewards and servants had been waiting. Upon seeing the Xuanzhen Temple insignia, they hurriedly came forward to greet them.
Subsequently, everyone went to the residence of Wang Yuanwai to begin discussions.
The county magistrate and several wealthy families from the county were present. After a round of pleasantries, they led everyone to the main hall for a banquet.
Looking at the table filled with dishes such as salted duck, crystal meat, and steamed fish… Bai Yichen and the others did not hold back and began to feast heartily.
While the temple could use silver to add dishes, it only had simple meat dishes, and nothing particularly extravagant could be produced.
After a whirlwind of a meal, Bai Yichen noticed that Master Guanquan seemed to have matters to discuss with the county magistrate and others.
The four of them were then led by the steward to their respective guest rooms to rest, and they were told that some tea and snacks had been prepared in their rooms.
Once the door was closed, Bai Yichen saw a food box placed on the table and casually lifted it.
Hmm?
The weight was off!