Chapter 25: Wenhou's Tomb
In the market, black bears mingled with the crowds of people.

There were several Taoists who stood out among the people selling goods at the stalls, so he slowly walked over to observe them.

These three Taoists were also wearing coarse cloth clothes and had a headband woven with five-colored threads on their foreheads. Their hair was loose and hung down on both sides, and was fixed by the headband.

What was being bought and sold were wooden carved peach charms, all of which were of the same style, three inches wide and six inches long, with figures of Yulei and Shentu carved on them; in addition there were some other handmade wooden carved ritual implements.

The oldest Taoist priest among them works part-time as a fortune teller, and his fortune-telling business is the best, with six people queuing up.

Most people who come for fortune-telling are dressed decently.

The fee for divination is not low, starting at ten five-zhu coins. If you are happier, you will buy some wooden carvings of mythical beasts for blessing and warding off evil spirits; some people also buy peach charms of Yulei and Shentu when they move into a new house.

The black bear was not lacking in patience. He waited for nearly an hour and exchanged glances with the two young Taoist priests several times.

It was not until half of the market staff were gone that he stepped forward, put the sundries aside, sat cross-legged in front of the middle-aged Taoist priest and asked with a smile: "Tell me whether I can buy mercury."

As he said this, he placed the ten five-zhu coins in front of him. The man on the other side also smiled and said, "It's not difficult to count. If you are willing to spend money, you can buy it. How much do you want to buy?"

"How much can two or three gold buy?"

“This thing is not easy to sell.”

The Taoist priest on the opposite side stretched out his hand and picked up a stack of five-zhu coins and placed them in front of the black bear: "You want cinnabar, which is not lacking in my sect. Do you want the best stuff, or do you want to use the cinnabar to refine silver water?"

"Buy the cheapest one, how much can you buy, and when can you complete the transaction?"

"I can give you 20 kilograms of loose cinnabar. As for the money and goods, how about today?"

"Okay, when do we leave?"

"This is a big deal, let's go now."

The middle-aged Taoist priest took the five-zhu coins and stood up, while the other two Taoist priests packed up the various wood carvings.

At this moment, Black Bear realized that the official on the watchtower was staring at them. The other party pointed here, and a minor official came to collect taxes.

It may be that the officials under the emperor's feet had a good legal spirit. The clerk who came to collect taxes ignored the black bear and only collected taxes from the Taoist priest opposite, collecting one-fifteen.

The tax is very light, and Black Bear guessed that the existence of this market is to add more liveliness to Xudu.

In fact, the existence of this market in Xudu is just to prove that there is a commercial market in Xudu.

The three Taoists each carried a bamboo basket on their backs, and the black bear followed them as they left the market.

The Taoist priest walked towards the northern suburbs, bypassed the city of Xudu and walked seven or eight miles to the side of the river. There were other Taoist priests and junior Taoist priests here, a dozen or so in total.

Some were turning over and processing medicinal materials, others were sitting under a thatched hut taking pulses and preparing medicines, and there were even two Taoists casting nets to catch fish on the river.

These Taoists were dressed more neatly than the soldiers and civilians who came here to treat illnesses. They all wore short clothes, and forehead guards and hair ties became the distinctive features of this group of Taoists.

The leading Taoist priest had a high status. When he arrived, other Taoist priests, both big and small, saluted him one after another, and this Taoist priest also returned the salute.

Black Bear looked around and was sure that this group of Taoists were not from the Taiping Dao that believed in Zhonghuang Taiyi, nor were they from the Zhuangzi lineage. They also didn't look like the Five Pecks of Rice Sect. He suspected that they were Taoists from the Laozi lineage.

It is no secret that the Cao family has worshipped Laozi's teachings for generations. It was precisely because of this family education that Cao Song was able to stand out in the Han court that worshipped Huang-Lao.

The reason why the Cao family worshipped Huang Lao was because the Laozi Temple was very close to Qiao County, in Ku County of Chen State, next to Qiao County.

Qiao County and Ku County both drink from the Wo River. Ku County is located upstream, so the two counties have very close ties.

The Laozi Temple was built by a eunuch during the reign of Emperor Huan.

Many people from Qiaopei came to Xudu to take up important positions, so it was reasonable for Laozi Temple to send some people to Xudu.

In silence, they followed the leading Taoist priest into the small riverside manor surrounded by a fence.

There was a tank of clear water not far from the entrance. The Taoists took off their backpacks and washed their hands and feet here, and the black bear also put down his backpack.

The leading Taoist priest finished washing up and used a watering can to water the black bear. He saw the black bear take out a gorgeous head scarf embroidered with hundreds of flowers to wipe the water off his face. He said, "You have an extraordinary demeanor. If I had seen you before, I would have remembered you. But are you new to Xudu?"

"Yes, it's only been a few days."

Black Bear put away the bright red scarf, which looked like a touch of red in a black and white photo.

Seeing the black bear rolled into a ball and stuffed into his arms, the leading Taoist narrowed his eyes and extended his arms to invite: "You want to buy cinnabar, but are you a fellow Taoist?"

"I am a Liang countryman, and my family has worshipped the Nanhua Immortal for generations."

As the black bear spoke, he reached out and broke off half of the branch of the tree next to the water tank. Judging from the leaves and the trunk, it should be a plum tree.

Holding the branch in his left hand, he bowed slightly to the leading Taoist priest and said, "My family is not good at alchemy, nor do they know medicine. They only practice the art of dreaming butterflies. I got a revelation in my dream that there is an opportunity in Xudu, so I came here to explore it."

The Taoist led the way and looked back at the black bear's face. He saw that after washing, his face was handsome and his skin was rosy and fair. Judging from his appearance and temperament, he must be a well-dressed man. So he asked curiously, "I know that Duke Zhuang dreamed of butterflies. What is this technique of dreaming of butterflies?"

"To dream is to see; to gain something in a dream is to gain something."

Black Bear answered with a smile, which made the other party frown and think deeply, his mind a little confused.

After walking for more than twenty steps, the two entered a house. There were various obvious pungent smells in the house.

Black Bear smelled it and raised his eyebrows slightly. He sat down one after the other. The other said, "I am from Lai Township, Ku County, Chen State. My name is Lai Ping. During the reign of Emperor Huan, a temple to Laozi was built and five families were moved to serve the temple. My family was among them. It has been two generations since I was born. I have practiced the Taiqing Dharma."

After a pause, seeing that Black Bear did not respond, the Taoist who called himself Lai Ping was curious: "The Taiqing method that my family practices is quite similar to the one written by Zhang Daoling. I wonder what is so magical about the Dream Butterfly method that you practice?"

"Mysterious?"

Black Bear frowned in thought, looked down at the plum branch in his left hand, and immediately raised it in front of him: "Mr. Lai, please look at this."

As he spoke, he picked up a piece of white magic power with two fingers of his right hand and smeared it on the plum branch. Lai Ping saw that the plum branch grew from half a foot to one and a half feet, and the leaves grew bigger. The rice-sized plums on it withered and fell off, and then new flower buds sprouted, and in an instant the buds bloomed and the fragrance of flowers filled the air.

In just two breaths, the petals fell on the wooden floor and disappeared, then plums the size of rice grains grew. After a dozen breaths, seven thumb-sized orange-yellow plums appeared, with a light layer of fruit frost on the surface.

Lai Ping's eyes widened, showing no joy at all. He was extremely surprised and speechless for a long time.

"This is the yellow plum, please try it."

The black bear picked three and handed them to the other party. The branch and the remaining four plums disappeared as if they had never existed.

Lai Ping reached out to take it foolishly, but felt something was wrong, so he quickly stretched out both hands to take it. He first observed it carefully, then put it under his nose to smell it. The fruity and fresh scent didn't seem fake.

He raised his head again and asked cautiously, "Is this the Dream Butterfly method you practiced?"

"Yes, if you learn it in a dream, you have learned it. If you can't learn it in a dream, you can't learn it." Black Bear saw that the other party's expression was gradually becoming fanatical, so he smiled and said, "Taiqing method is also a mysterious and true method, not inferior to my Mengdie method."

Lai Ping put three yellow plums into an empty plate on the side, and bowed with a solemn expression: "May I ask your name?"

"It is inconvenient to disclose it. It is not good for Lord Lai. If you want to address me, you can call me General White Goose."

As the black bear spoke, he stretched out his right arm as if he was hugging Lai Ping, and suddenly a big white goose appeared in his arms. The big white goose called softly a few times when it was in an unfamiliar environment, and then he looked around curiously, then stared at Lai Ping, as if he was going to take a bite of it.

Lai Ping seemed to have some negative memories related to this. He half stood up and moved the grass ball back half a step before sitting down, swallowing his saliva.

At this moment, if the young man opposite him said that he was the immortal Nanhua, he would believe it.

"In a few days, Mr. Lai will know who I am."

Black Bear put down the big white goose and looked at Lai Ping with a smile: "I came to Xudu originally to buy mercury. Since there is a shortage of mercury, cinnabar will also do. In addition, I also need lacquer, silver and the like. If Mr. Lai can find them for me, I will reward you handsomely."

"Since we are of the same faith, why should we talk about money?"

Lai Ping-ping looked bitter: "The Taiqing Fa passed down by my Laozi Temple is profound and abstruse, and it is beyond our ability to comprehend. I am dull in talent, and I only hope that you can give me some help out of our fellow Daoists' friendship."

“The Dharma cannot be passed on lightly.”

Black Bear refused directly and said, "How about this, I will use these three yellow plums as a commission to exchange some cultivation materials from Laozi Temple, and then ask Mr. Lai to drive me to the tomb of Marquis Lü Wen. Finally, I want to visit the imperial physician, and I would like to ask Mr. Lai to introduce me. After this matter is settled, next time I come to Xudu, I will only stay at Laozi Temple and not go anywhere else."

"Allow me to discuss this with Senior Brother Ji Jiu."

"can."

With Black Bear's permission, Lai Ping stood up and saluted, picked up the black pottery plate with both hands, stepped back a few steps and walked out the door, then turned around to look for the libation officer at the Laozi Temple.

Soon, the chief priest and Lai Ping came together. The two Taoist priests, who were in their forties, bowed in front of the door.

The first thing the chief priest saw when he came in was the big white goose lying next to the black bear. He remembered it very clearly that the big white goose appeared out of nowhere.

When he looked at the black bear again, he felt that the young man in front of him was like a god, a celestial being.

"Sir, this is Brother Li, the chief priest of the temple."

"My surname is Li, so I am highly respected by the court and entrusted with the affairs of the temple."

Li Jijiu sat down at Black Bear's signal and took the initiative to introduce: "It has been about 37 years since Emperor Huan sent the eunuch to build the Laozi Temple. Our temple has a shallow foundation. The Taiqing method we practice originated from Zhang Daoling and the palace. The palace also passed it down when Zhang Daoling practiced in Beimang Mountain. I hope that Your Excellency will lower the curtain and pass on the true method of practice."

Seeing the two men kowtow again, Black Bear was helpless and said, "I have already explained it to Lord Lai, and I don't want to repeat it. Go and prepare the carriage. I want to go to the tomb of Marquis Lü Wen."

"Yes."

The two of them had no choice but to get up, and Li Jijiu said to Lai Ping: "Junior brother, please send General Qu to the tomb of Marquis Wen. I will go into the city to invite the imperial physician."

Then he turned his head and looked at Black Bear: "General Qu, which imperial physician do you want to visit? I usually practice medicine and have a good relationship with all the imperial physicians."

"Is there anyone named Jiping?"

"There is a man named Ji Ping. Are you inviting this man?"

"Let's pick him. Is the great doctor Hua Tuo in Xudu?"

"Since the beginning of spring, Doctor Hua has returned from Huainan and has gone to Chenliu."

Li Jijiu stood up with the black bear as he spoke, and glanced at the big white goose which also stood up. As a result, the black bear raised his hand and waved his arm, and the big white goose disappeared in the blink of an eye.

After seeing it with his own eyes, Li Jijiu's last bit of doubt disappeared.

Lai Ping walked out quickly, used the temple's donkey to pull a cart, and personally drove the cart to invite Black Bear to ride.

Li Jijiu watched the donkey cart rushing towards the northern suburbs. He clenched his fists repeatedly and felt his palms sweating uncontrollably.

My heartbeat is also unstable. Maybe I wasn’t this nervous when I got married.

The donkey cart was going further and further away. Lai Ping, the driver, was interested in asking, "General Qu came to Xudu to pay homage to Marquis Wen. Is there anything old?"

"I was only a little over ten years old when Marquis Wen was defeated. How could we have been friends?"

The black bear looked at the nearby paddy fields and continued, "In my dream, I saw a golden-armored god who followed my orders and killed the demons. I described the dream to the people around me, saying that this god was transformed by Marquis Wen, and I came to Xudu to recruit him."

"Master Qu, are you saying that there are really demons in this world?"

"The man-eating demon is right there, and Lai Jun doesn't even know about it?"

Black Bear asked back, and Lai Ping remained silent.

The donkey cart traveled back and forth for four or five miles before arriving at a small tomb mound, which was only a few times larger than an ordinary tomb mound.

If princes and ministers were buried in their hometowns, their burial mounds would often look like low mountains or mounds.

Lu Bu's tomb was obviously built in haste, but it was at least a courtesy to the princes.

Hanging the person after defeat was considered worthy of his status as a feudal lord, and chopping off the person's head and sending it to Xudu after hanging him was considered the completion of the procedure for quelling the rebellion.

Just as Yuan Shu's grave was not dug up and his body mutilated after his death, Lu Bu was not buried as a traitor, but with the rites for a prince, and he was Marquis Wen of the Han Dynasty until his death.

Without any final posthumous title, he was buried hastily in the northern suburbs of Xudu.

Lai Ping looked at the neatly arranged tomb and said to Black Bear, "The emperor respected and loved Marquis Wen, and he often sent his warriors to sweep and repair the tomb. Because of Marquis Wen's extraordinary contribution in killing Dong Zhuo, many nobles in Xudu also came to pay homage to him at all times."

Black Bear got off the donkey cart and stood in front of the tombstone, just like he was in front of Yuan Shu's tomb, he could not feel any emotions or mental force field.

It's just a pile of loess, with corpses buried inside, nothing more.

The calculation of black mana refining is based on weight and type, and has nothing to do with identity. Five Yuan Shus are like a dead horse.

Lu Bu should also be calculated in this way.

Thinking of this, Black Bear threw a black mana into the grave, and then a black servant card flew back.

This was somewhat disappointing to him. Lv Wenhou should be more special and it would be acceptable to consume more black magic power.

While thinking, he looked down at the tombstone in front of him: The Tomb of Lü Jun, Marquis of Wen, the Former Left General of the Han Dynasty.

(End of this chapter)