I changed the world.

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As the largest Taoist temple in the entire Southeast, Yunxiao Temple is the ancestral temple of the Yunxiao lineage, one of the three sacred mountains of Taoism. It has always been the leading Taoist temple in the South, with a status that is almost comparable to that of Danding Mountain. In fact, its performance in some recent events has even shown a tendency to surpass that of the Celestial Master's Mansion of Danding Mountain.

Yunxiao Temple is located on Yunxiao Mountain in the suburbs of Dinghai. Yunxiao Mountain is one of the thirty-six grotto heavens of Xuanmen. It has been conferred titles by the imperial court in various dynasties and is the location of the Taoist temple of the Supreme Heavenly Venerable. In addition, it is said that Yunxiao Temple will soon hold a ceremony for the abbot's abdication. As a result, the number of believers coming to burn incense has increased significantly in recent days.

From the moment the temple opens at 8:00 a.m., a large number of worshippers begin to flock into the temple to offer incense.

At around 8:40 a.m., a black luxury sedan and a seven-seater black minivan drove into the parking lot halfway up Yunxiao Mountain. After parking, three strong-looking men in black uniforms got out of the lead car. They looked like bodyguards. They first looked around, and then someone went to the second car and opened the door. After that, five more people got out of the car.

The next few people came down, varying in height and build. The one surrounded in the middle was An Zhengquan, the chairman of Qianluo Group. Today, he was visiting the host of Yunxiao Mountain, Abbot Li Jingxin, the Protector of the Nation and the Master of Profound Virtue. This master of the Xuanmen sect is said to have a significant influence in the upper echelons of the empire.

To ensure proper etiquette, he specially wore an exquisitely crafted dark blue Taoist robe and a hibiscus crown commonly used by Taoists, which added to his otherworldly air. Apart from him and his personal assistant Su Yunlai, the others were all senior executives of the group, including one lady who also followed suit and wore a Taoist robe.

Unlike Zhang Jing's previous life on Earth, the local culture of this world had not been destroyed so thoroughly. Therefore, whether in terms of clothing or etiquette, what you see on the streets is more of a combination of East and West. In the Yunxiao Mountain area, due to the Xuanmen belief, there are many people wearing Taoist robes. Therefore, apart from the luxurious vehicles and the bodyguards around them attracting attention, the group was not particularly unique.

"Chairman An, Yunxiao Mountain is truly a blessed land; the air is really fresh." The only woman in the group was a middle-aged woman of about forty years old, dressed as a nun, with an air of elegance. This woman was Lu Liqing, the president of the entertainment division of Qianluo Group.

Starting with social networks, Qianluo Group is naturally suited to the entertainment industry. As a result, it has invested in more than 200 entertainment companies of all sizes over the past ten years. Its layout in the entire entertainment industry covers film, games, literature, animation and more, making it a top-tier behemoth in China and one of the most important profit-generating departments of Qianluo Group besides social networking.

President Lü Liqing is a veteran from An Zhengquan's early days and enjoys his deep trust. This time, An Zhengquan specially summoned her from Jiangling to Dinghai so that she could handle any cultural or folk custom-related collaborations or promotional needs from Yunxiao Mountain. In fact, such work could be accomplished by sending an assistant, but An Zhengquan specifically requested her to come in person, which shows how much he valued this meeting.

“What you said is quite right. Yunxiao Mountain is truly a paradise…” An Zhengquan nodded with a smile. He gazed at the surrounding scenery from afar. Yunxiao Mountain is the highest mountain in Dinghai. Standing in the parking lot, one can overlook the entire panorama of Dinghai, which is quite magnificent.

As he spoke, he turned his head and glanced at the mountain path not far away: "You are all blessed today, to be able to see a real deity with your own eyes."

"To be honest, Chairman An has a lot of influence. Everyone says this Master Li is elusive, and many important figures have tried to visit him but haven't been able to get a meeting..." A short, square-faced middle-aged man following An Zhengquan was named Li Yuqing, courtesy name Junyi. He was the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Qianluo Group, primarily responsible for major mergers and acquisitions within the group. He was also the main person in charge of the previous negotiations between Qianluo Group and Genesis Aerospace Company regarding their share transaction. He had just arrived in Dinghai yesterday, and An Zhengquan had a long talk with him all night. He had a basic understanding of the current situation. The most important event in this meeting with Master Li was the capital increase and share expansion of Southern Bank, so he needed to be present during the meeting to facilitate communication.

“This time it’s not because of my connections, it’s because of Lingling’s connections. I’m just benefiting from my daughter’s influence…” An Zhengquan said with a hint of pride in his voice.

“Like father, like daughter. Miss is truly blessed by the heavens, a lucky person indeed…” Another executive standing beside him was Zeng Ying, the group’s vice president in charge of strategic architecture, who was also accompanying the group this time.

After exchanging a few words, the group headed out of the parking lot, with several bodyguards subtly scattered around them.

The parking lot at Yunxiao Mountain is located halfway up the mountain, making it impossible to drive directly to the Yunxiao Temple at the very top. Therefore, a considerable walk uphill is required. Just as the group arrived at the parking lot exit, several Taoist priests dressed in feathered robes and wearing ceremonial headscarves approached. These men seemed to have been waiting for some time, observing the passing vehicles and pedestrians. Upon seeing An Zhengquan and his group, the leader clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, performing a traditional Taoist kowtow: "May the Heavenly Venerable bestow boundless blessings! May I ask if you are Mr. An from Jin'an?"

"I am An Zhengquan. May I ask if you gentlemen are the masters of Yunxiao Temple?" An Zhengquan greeted them with a fist and palm salute.

"We've finally waited for you, Mr. An and the others. We are the guests of Yunxiao Temple, here to greet you on the orders of the sect leader." The first man, a round-faced Taoist priest with a friendly smile, bowed again upon hearing this.

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind the History Books: Chapter Nine Hundred - The Chief and the Deacon

As he spoke, he pointed to a young Taoist priest who looked to be about twenty or thirty years old and said, "It was Nephew Liang who made the connection with your Mr. Su earlier."

“So it’s Master Liang…” Su Yunlai stepped forward and said with a smile, “I am Su Yunlai, courtesy name Yunping, and I am Mr. An’s personal assistant.”

Then the young Taoist priest stepped forward and, after exchanging a few words with Su Yunlai, introduced him to An Zhengquan and his entourage with a smile: "This is Master Xu Dequan, the head of our guest hall. He has come specially to welcome Mr. An today."

Upon hearing this, An Zhengquan's expression turned serious. He immediately realized that the smiling, round-faced middle-aged Taoist priest before him was no ordinary Taoist priest, but rather the head of the guest hall at Yunxiao Mountain. To avoid any impolite behavior, he had previously researched the division of authority within the Xuanmen temples.

Taoist temples generally follow tradition, dividing responsibilities among "three capitals, five masters, and eighteen heads" under the abbot and supervisor.

The "Three Capitals" are: all in charge of management, all in charge of lectures, and all in charge of cooking.

The "Five Masters" are: Hall Master, Palace Master, Scripture Master, Transformation Master, and Tranquility Master.

The "Eighteen Heads" are: Warehouse Head, Estate Head, Hall Head, Bell Head, Drum Head, Gate Head, Tea Head, Water Head, Fire Head, Rice Head, Vegetable Head, Granary Head, Mill Head, Millstone Head, Garden Head, Laundry Head, Groove Head, and Cleaning Head.

Among them, the guest, the dormitory, the storehouse, the accountant, the scripture reader, the classic text reader, the hall, and the name are called the "Eight Great Stewards." This is basically the same in all Taoist temples and monasteries across the country.

The Taoist priests in front of us are from the guest hall, one of the eight stewards. They are the department responsible for external liaison for the temple. To use an imperfect analogy, they are like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of a country. They may seem like a department that runs errands, but they have extensive connections and should not be underestimated. Their importance within the temple is also extremely high, which is why they are listed as one of the eight stewards.

The staff in the guest hall are called "Guest Masters," while the head of the guest hall is usually a guest master who assists the abbot and the head of the guest hall in their duties. Together with the head of the temple, the head of the guest hall, the inspector, the disciplinary inspector, and the guest master, they are collectively referred to as "leaders and staff."

It can be said that in a sect as large and complex as Yunxiao Temple, this prime minister's position was indeed quite high.

An Zhengquan was somewhat surprised that the chief steward would personally wait for him in the parking lot. He quickly stepped forward and bowed again, saying, "I am truly unworthy to have troubled Master Xu to come and wait for me personally..."

“Mr. An is a rare and distinguished guest. The sect leader summoned me and repeatedly instructed me to treat him with the utmost respect and not to be negligent... Come, Mr. An, please follow me…”

Master Xu Dequan had a warm smile and was very amiable. He was extremely humble and polite in his speech, which made An Zhengquan and his group quite fond of him.

Led by Xu Dequan, the group climbed the steps. Xu Dequan knew the surrounding scenery like the back of his hand and explained the surrounding scenery to the group like a tour guide.

..............................

"Mr. An, distinguished guests, please look, that is the Ancestral Temple Stele." As the group arrived at a viewing platform, Xu Dequan pointed to a stone stele that was more than three people tall and introduced it to them. At the bottom of this stele was a huge stone tortoise, a monster that resembled both a tortoise and a dragon. Legend has it that it was one of the nine sons of the dragon. On its back was a huge stele with the ancient seal script characters "Ancestral Temple of the World" engraved on it.

"So that all of you distinguished guests may know, my Yunxiao lineage originated in the North. Long ago, our ancestor, Lu Shouyan, one of the Four Celestial Masters, received divine instruction and established his sect in the North at the end of the Xia Dynasty. It has been over 2000 years since then. This ancestral temple stele is said to have been written by Celestial Master Lu himself." Xu Dequan said, a hint of pride on his face. Even now, those of him in the upper echelons of the sect, especially as the guest hall steward responsible for external communications, knew more or less about this and understood that his sect was no ordinary one.

"During the reign of Emperor Xizong of Northern Qi, the Shiwei invaded Qi from the south, and Northern Qi was forced to move south to survive. After the Shiwei took over the northern lands, they established the Northern Zhao state. The emperor of Northern Zhao issued the 'Decree to Abolish Taoism,' which ordered the complete abolition of the Taoist sects in the north, thus initiating the Yongchang persecution of Buddhism."

"This 'Ancestral Temple Stele' was originally erected at Shoushan Palace in Fuzhou. After the Yongchang persecution of Buddhism, the sect moved south and rebuilt the mountain gate at Yunxiao Mountain. Later, during the reign of Emperor Taizong of this dynasty, disciples were sent back to the site of Shoushan Palace to retrieve this 'Ancestral Temple Stele'."

"Please take a closer look, gentlemen. There are some defects on this stele caused by sharp weapons, which are said to be remnants from the Yongchang persecution of Buddhism." Xu Dequan carefully pointed them out to An Zhengquan and his group.

Upon hearing this, An Zhengquan and the others looked over and indeed saw some marks on the stone tablet that resembled knife cuts and axe chisels. The cut surface was even covered with moss, indicating how long it had been there. However, due to the fine quality of the stone tablet, the marks were not very deep.

"Under the whole world, there are two ancestral temple steles of the Xuanmen sect, one is in the Celestial Master's Mansion on Danding Mountain, and the other is in my Dinghai Yunxiao Palace."

After Xu Dequan's introduction, the group looked at the stone tablet more closely and immediately felt that it was indeed ancient and majestic, full of the vicissitudes and grandeur brought by history. The seal script on the tablet was even more unadorned, profound, ancient and extraordinary.

"Truly the work of a celestial being!" An Zhengquan exclaimed, gaining a deeper understanding of the profound heritage of Yunxiao Temple.

"Please look, gentlemen," Xu Dequan continued, pointing to another stele not far from the ancestral temple stele. "This stele next to the ancestral temple stele is an imperial stele composed by the founding emperor."

The stone tablet was about the same height as the ancestral temple tablet, also featuring a tortoise-like creature with a hunched back, but it looked significantly newer. The tablet bore the inscription "Imperial Decree," and below it were four large, flowing characters in regular script:

"The orthodox lineage of Xuanmen".

"This is the first time I've ever seen the calligraphy of the founding emperor. What an honor, truly an honor!" Zeng Ying exclaimed repeatedly. However, strictly speaking, he wasn't exaggerating. If it were a hundred years earlier, a merchant like him would probably have paid great respects before this stele.

After a brief stop at the viewing platform, the group continued upwards, visiting several more scenic spots along the way. Xu Dequan, as expected of the head of the guest hall, knew these spots like the back of his hand.

The group walked and looked around for about half an hour. Everyone, including An Zhengquan, was a little out of breath.

"The mountain road is long, but we're almost there. It's up here. Thank you so much, Mr. An and all the distinguished guests," Xu Dequan said with a smile, pointing upwards.

“This is also good exercise, hiking is a good thing, it’s good to work up a sweat, it’s good for both body and mind!” An Zhengquan said with a smile.

Just then, the group could see a stone archway at the very top of the steps, with four seal characters inscribed on it:

"The Supreme Daoist Temple".

Volume Two: The Truth Hidden Behind History Books: Chapter 901 Opening the Mountain Gates

The group quickened their pace and, after passing through the stone archway, came to a very large platform. A grand and ancient-style palace was situated on this platform, built along the mountainside.

At this very moment, the main gate of the temple was wide open, and a hundred Taoist priests dressed in various colored robes stood in a certain order on the square in front of the gate. Many tourists were watching, and some even took out their mobile phones to take pictures. However, the disciples patrolling around the temple stepped forward to persuade them and invited them to enter the temple through the side gate.

Even so, a large number of worshippers still gathered in front of the temple, because among these mostly Taoist priests dressed in yellow-green robes, there were several Taoist priests dressed in red robes who looked quite old. Among them, and even more so, a white-haired old Taoist priest dressed in purple robes, who was being subtly surrounded by people.

Even those unfamiliar with the colors of Taoist robes could tell that the elderly Taoist had an imposing presence, and his purple robe was exquisitely crafted, embroidered with images of the Yuluo Terrace, the sun, moon, stars, the Eight Trigrams, pagodas, dragons, phoenixes, cranes, and unicorns—clearly not an ordinary item.

And a familiar pilgrim, looking at the place with delight, exclaimed, "That's Master Li... Master Li himself has come out! Who is he here to welcome...?"

"Master Li... Abbot Li..." The surrounding area was filled with the clamor of worshippers and believers who lingered there. The person surrounded by a group of disciples was Li Jingxin, who was smiling and waving to those around him from time to time.

"With the mountain gates wide open, who is this important figure we're welcoming?"

"I don't know, but it's said that the one in the middle is Master Li..."

"Let me see...let me see...which one is Master Li??"

"That's him, see him? The one in the middle wearing the purple Taoist robe..."

"Oh! That's Master Li!!"

"That is the True Man of Protecting the Nation, Understanding Profound Truth, and Promoting Virtue..."

"...Hiss...Master Li personally came out to greet us? Who has such great influence? Is it someone from the royal family?"

"Look...look..."

A commotion arose around them, and many pilgrims who had arrived here were unwilling to go in, instead waiting outside the mountain gate to watch.

“Senior Brother Headmaster, isn’t this… a bit too grand?” An elderly Taoist priest in a crimson robe standing beside Li Jingxin whispered, “Why don’t we wait here, Junior Brother? Senior Brother can simply sit and wait inside the gate. Opening the gates wide to welcome you is already more than enough…”

"It's alright, I have my own decision on this matter." Li Jingxin glanced at him and said calmly, without offering any further explanation.

The Taoist priest immediately fell silent. Although Li Jingxin had not been the abbot for very long, he was already considered the undisputed leader of Yunxiao Temple. After all, as Xiao Daoguang's eldest disciple, he was the senior brother of all his peers. Furthermore, during Xiao Daoguang's lifetime, due to his advanced age, he had effectively ceased to concern himself with worldly affairs for the last ten years or so, leaving the temple's affairs to Li Jingxin, the supervisor. After assuming the position, a series of events and the widespread rumors of his "extraordinary" status further enhanced his prestige, and within the sect, no one dared to disobey him.

Just then, not far away, at the end of the steps leading up the mountain, beneath the "Supreme Daoist Temple" archway, Xu Deyan led An Zhengquan and his group across the archway and onto the platform...

"Mr. An, distinguished guests, look over there..." Xu Deyan pointed towards the mountain gate, and then saw a large group of Taoist priests in front of the gate, especially the purple-robed elder surrounded by them. He immediately exclaimed, "Ah!! It's the sect leader himself coming out to greet us!!"

Clearly, even Xu Deyan hadn't expected that Li Jingxin would personally come out to greet An Zhengquan.

An Zhengquan was taken aback upon hearing this, then looked in the direction Xu Deyan was pointing and immediately saw the conspicuous old man in a purple robe walking towards him, surrounded by Taoist priests. He was surprised. To be honest, he had discussed the possible scenarios with several subordinates beforehand. Because it involved important business negotiations, the public relations department had even prepared several different response strategies for the group's leadership to adapt to the situation. An Zhengquan had certainly considered that the other party would treat him with courtesy, but he had also considered that the other party might use this opportunity to put on airs and manipulate Qianluo Group.

In fact, it could be said that, in the eyes of the senior executives of Qianluo Group, the possibility of being given a show of force and manipulated today to gain the upper hand in subsequent negotiations was far greater than the possibility of being treated with courtesy. After all, although An Huiling stated that everything was definitely fine, in the eyes of these seasoned business veterans, she was still too young and naive to understand the harsh realities of the world. Such things were never so easy.

In fact, even An Zhengquan himself probably thought so. After all, if he were in his position, he really couldn't think of any reason why Yunxiao Temple would give up such a large amount of profit at this point in time. Could it be just because of his daughter's face?

However, if Xu Deyan's earlier greeting in the parking lot and his explanations along the way were a pleasant surprise, raising everyone's expectations for today's meeting, then this current scene was truly startling. An Zhengquan even began to wonder for a moment if some other important figure had arrived at the same time as him.

Looking around, it seemed there was no one else there, and the old man opposite him had a smile on his face and was clearly walking quickly toward him.

"Mr. An, that is the sect leader, the one who has been granted the title of Protector of the Nation, Profound and Virtuous True Man," Xu Deyan hurriedly reminded him from the side.