Daoist Jiaye opened his eyes and calmly glanced at his junior brother. Although his face was expressionless, his serious appearance gave him an imposing aura. With just one glance, his junior brother lowered his head even further, barely able to meet his gaze.
But Daoist Jiaye was not angry. He simply asked his junior brother calmly, "Then, according to you, what should we do?"
Daoist Jingyang thought for a moment and said, "I think that given the seniority of our True Yang Temple, if the abbot of Clear Breeze Temple had any sense of social etiquette, he should take the initiative to come and cultivate a good relationship with our True Yang Temple."
Daoist Jiaye suddenly said, "Do you remember the Daoist industry exchange conference held at our True Yang Temple last year? There were quite a few Daoist colleagues who attended, but I don't recall if Clear Breeze Temple was among them. Go check the conference minutes or related video and photo materials to see if you had any contact with Clear Breeze Temple back then."
Daoist Jingyang the order and left.
Half an hour later, Daoist Jingyang stumbled back, this time bringing his senior brother two pieces of news: one good and one bad.
The good news is that Clear Breeze Temple did indeed participate in the last Daoist exchange conference.
The bad news is that at the time, no one knew that Clear Breeze Temple would later cause such a huge stir on the internet, so at that time, no Daoist temple with any reputation, including True Yang Temple, took the initiative to pay attention to Clear Breeze Temple.
After listening, Daoist Jiaye sighed softly, "So it's not that they don't understand human relationships; they did extend an olive branch to us back then, but we didn't accept it."
Daoist Jingyang indignantly, "Who could have known what would happen back then? Besides, the abbess of Clear Breeze Temple at that time was really unreliable. Everyone knows that our True Yang Temple has many dietary restrictions, and we don't eat many kinds of meat, including beef. But she seemed to have prepared a huge bowl of spicy beef, so many of us Daoist priests didn't like her. Who could have imagined that such an insignificant little Daoist temple would develop into what it is today? Hey, senior brother, isn't this the legendary 'You used to ignore me, but now you can't even reach me'?"
Daoist Jiaye: "... Read more books and spend less time online. Look at the nonsense you're spouting now."
The two disciples remained silent for a while, until Master Daoist Jiaye, with his broad perspective, took the initiative and said, "We are all from the same Daoist temple in City A. Since Clear Breeze Temple is now quite famous, it's only right that we take the initiative. You can try to contact Clear Breeze Temple and see what kind of help they need. If we can help, we should do our best. That way, if they grow stronger in the future, they will probably remember our kindness. Who knows, we might need their help someday. Life is unpredictable, and many things are hard to say."
Chapter 75
When Yun Zhaozhao received the call from Daoist Jingyang, her first reaction was that he was a swindler.
Because he claimed to be the head of True Yang Temple.
If he had mentioned another Daoist temple, Yun Zhaozhao might have been able to verify its authenticity, but the problem was that it was True Yang Temple!
The manager of such a large Daoist temple, even if not extremely busy, must be incredibly occupied. Why would he possibly take the initiative to call Yun Zhaozhao?
Moreover, this Daoist priest who claimed to be the manager not only called Yun Zhaozhao Yun Zhaozhao, but even asked her what kind of help she needed on the phone. His domineering manner...
President
With that tone, Yun Zhaozhao felt that no matter what she wanted, whether it was the stars or the moon, he could find a way to get it for her.
The local police station had recently conducted an anti-fraud campaign at Clear Breeze Temple, specifically reminding Yun Zhaozhao and the others to be wary of online and telecommunications scams. Therefore, the more Yun Zhaozhao listened, the more she felt this person seemed like a conman. So much so that before Daoist Jingyang could even finish speaking, she bluntly said, "I don't need a loan, Clear Breeze Temple has plenty of money!"
Daoist Jingyang didn't realize at first that he was being treated like a scammer. When he finally did, he was so angry he questioned his existence, "... Who asked you if you wanted a loan? You don't think I'm the kind of scammer who tricks people into taking out loans, do you? Let me tell you, I'm not a scammer. I really am Daoist Jingyang from True Yang Temple. If you don't believe me, you can come to True Yang Temple right now and confront me... I can even video chat with you right now."
Yun Zhaozhao: "..." Wow, Daoist priests these days are quite fashionable, they even know how to argue.
However, since the other party was so confident, saying that they could go to True Yang Temple and have a video call, Yun Zhaozhao was not in a hurry to hang up. Instead, she wanted to hear what this person who called himself Master True Yang Temple, the manager of Daoist Jingyang, was up to.
Seeing that Yun Zhaozhao had finally stopped questioning his identity, Daoist Jingyang took a couple of breaths before continuing, "It's like this: Daoism in City A is declining, while Buddhism is thriving. Looking around City A, the only Daoist temples that can be considered reputable are your Clear Breeze Temple and our True Yang Temple, and that's all. Therefore, as leaders of Daoism, we should shoulder the arduous task of revitalizing and promoting Daoism, helping each other..."
Yun Zhaozhao was overwhelmed by this torrent of inspirational platitudes, but she only felt dizzy for a moment before quickly regaining her senses. Deep down, she knew that her Clear Breeze Temple was no match for True Yang Temple.
So she readily flattered Daoist Jingyang and True Yang Temple: "Master, you flatter me! When it comes to Daoist leaders, not only in City A, but throughout the country and abroad, only your True Yang Temple truly deserves the title. Small Daoist temples like ours barely survive under the protection of True Yang Temple."
While Daoist Jingyang verbally expressed his dissatisfaction, he was secretly quite pleased with Yun Zhaozhao's sensible nature. In Daoist Jingyang's mind, Clear Breeze Temple was indeed not worthy of being compared to True Yang Temple. He could flatter her, but if Yun Zhaozhao Yun Zhaozhao to accept, it would mean she was being unreasonable. Fortunately, it seemed that Yun Zhaozhao still had some self-awareness.
It's clear that since the last Daoist exchange conference, this unreliable Abbot of Clear Breeze Temple has grown quite a bit.
Daoist Jingyang: "Let's skip the formalities. Regardless, all Daoists under heaven are one family. My senior brother Daoist Jiaye, and I discussed this for many days before making this call. Our main purpose is to inquire whether Clear Breeze Temple currently needs any assistance from True Yang Temple..."
Yun Zhaozhao: "Yes! I really need it! I want everything."
Daoist Jingyang: "..." Just now, someone confidently claimed that they didn't need a loan and that their Clear Breeze Temple was very wealthy.
Yun Zhaozhao said she wanted everything, though she was just joking with Daoist Jingyang. However, the 1 million RMB recruitment task she agreed on with Lawyer Wang really needed the help of True Yang Temple.
After all, putting aside the 50 new Daoist priests to be recruited, even the senior Daoist priests are not necessarily enough to be recruited by Yun Zhaozhao's Clear Breeze Temple alone.
Yun Zhaozhao told Daoist Jingyang about her Clear Breeze Temple's ongoing expansion and the need to recruit people, and then asked Daoist Jingyang to help her with referrals. Moreover, Yun Zhaozhao clearly told Daoist Jingyang two recruitment requirements: she wanted a very senior Daoist priest who was not particularly famous, and she wanted 10 very new Daoist priests who were like blank sheets of paper.
Daoist Jingyang didn't say anything at the time, but less than a week later, he sent a group of people to Daoist Jingyang Clear Breeze Temple as requested by Yun Zhaozhao.
What Yun Zhaozhao saw first were the 10 new Daoist priests.
How new is it?
It's so new it couldn't be newer.
Because even the youngest one might not have been weaned yet.
Later, Yun Zhaozhao asked and was told that the child was only 3 years old.
Yes, the oldest one is only 6 years old.
Looking at these little ones, Yun Zhaozhao couldn't help but admire Daoist Jingyang, because no baby could better meet the requirements of Clear Breeze Temple.
The only question is, where did True Yang Temple get so many young Daoist priests?
In response to Yun Zhaozhao's question, Daoist Jingyang succinctly explained, " True Yang Temple has partnerships with orphanages all over the country."
The implication is that these are all children from an orphanage. Large temples like True Yang Temple are generally very compassionate and may regularly donate to orphanages, so the orphanages probably feel comfortable entrusting these children to their care. Furthermore, Daoist temples traditionally have a group of followers called "child disciples," meaning those who live in the temple from a very young age. Strictly speaking, Jingting and his previous master belonged to this category.
Along with these 10 young Daoist priests, a very old Daoist priest was also sent by True Yang Temple.
How big is it?
When Yun Zhaozhao casually asked, she discovered that he was already a 100-year-old man.
Yun Zhaozhao was so frightened that she immediately called Daoist Jingyang: "... Although I said I wanted a highly respected master, it doesn't need to be this highly respected."
Daoist Jingyang: "This is our Martial Uncle Chuli of True Yang Temple. He's older and of a higher generation, but he basically didn't do anything at True Yang Temple before; he was just an idle person. So many outsiders, no, even many people within the Daoist community, don't know his relationship with True Yang Temple. I think he fits the requirements of your Clear Breeze Temple. After all, you don't want people to say that you and Clear Breeze Temple True Yang Temple have many connections in the future, do you?"
Yun Zhaozhao: "That's true, but the problem is... Daoist Chuli, after all, is from your True Yang Temple. Even if I don't say anything and you don't say anything, others will eventually find out that our two temples have a close relationship..."
Daoist Jingyang, "My master usually doesn't acknowledge him as a member of True Yang Temple. You'll know everything if you chat with him for a bit."
Yun Zhaozhao was confused by what she heard. After Daoist Jingyang hung up the phone, she went over to chat with her Martial Uncle Chuli. But as soon as Yun Zhaozhao mentioned " True Yang Temple," Martial Uncle Chuli launched into a tirade, criticizing everything from how unreasonable the True Yang Temple 'True Yang Temple rules and regulations were to how incompetent the current manager was, saying that True Yang Temple was getting worse with each generation and would eventually fall apart under their rule...