Chapter 801: Dajingang Temple (5000-word supplement)

Jingshi.

Upon entering this city, Aaron felt as if a scroll were slowly unfurling before him.

The official road was wide, crowded with pedestrians, and lined on both sides with shops of every variety.

Beyond the common taverns and teahouses, the most eye-catching sights were the various fighting pits, featuring everything from cockfighting to dog gambling.

There was even wrestling performed by female sumo wrestlers!

Although, Aaron highly doubted what these customers were actually watching.

Beneath the sumo ring, a group of old men waved their betting slips, watching the female sumo wrestlers grapple, appearing quite happy.

But Dajingang Temple was different.

At this moment, even the well-informed commoners of Jingshi could not help but kneel and kowtow, praying for the protection of the gods.

Although it had been cleaned by others, he still needed to sweep it again himself; purchasing pots, pans, bowls, towels, rice, and other items would all require time.

However, the most handsome fellow on this street right now was undoubtedly Aaron!

In Jingshi, passersby heard a tiger's roar that shocked a hundred beasts.

"Qi Points are still too few!"

If this Daoist could secure the holy favor of the "Chongming Taoism," Dajingang Temple would naturally be happy to see it happen.

As the temple with the largest footprint in Jingshi, these masters fully utilized their subjective initiative to vigorously develop commerce.

After Master Huide explained, Aaron learned that in the Jingshi of the Great Song, besides rental discounts, there was actually an official agency called the "Building and Shop Bureau" specifically responsible for managing public housing, equivalent to low-rent housing, with even cheaper rent—only 500 wen, or half a tael of silver, per month.

He had specifically requested quiet, so the courtyard was arranged quite well; it was in the style of a quadrangle, and besides the bedroom, meditation room, and kitchen, there was a small garden and a well in the yard—though the sparrow is small, it has all the vital organs.

But this is good, this is just fine!

Although the Daoist Gate is prosperous, the Daoist lineages are all different, with orders coming from many sources, leading to much infighting and a lack of unity, which is why they cannot compete with the Buddhist Gate.

"Amitabha."

Not only did they contract out large tracts of land and shops to run a comprehensive shopping mall business, but they also entered the field themselves, from renting out homestays to acting as intermediaries, selling various goods, selling roast pork, and even lending money at interest (usury)... they did whatever made money, truly a model and paradigm of commercialization!

"Monks and Daoists are not of the same path, after all."

Hmm, although he possessed a Daoist Certificate and could theoretically stay at any Daoist temple, and there were many famous Daoist temples in Jingshi.

The senior monk in charge of housing rentals at Dajingang Temple had kind eyebrows and pleasant eyes, smiling like a Maitreya Buddha: "The Daoist priest may not know, but the Imperial Court has a regulation that orders 'every household renting a house shall be exempt from rent for five days for repairs and moving, with charges beginning on the sixth day'... after all, moving is inconvenient and requires cleaning."

Immediately, a tiger with fur as white as jade, carrying a young Daoist, came slowly from the end of the Heavenly Street, looking like a celestial being.

Master Huide, however, smiled without a word.

Those queuing included peddlers and porters, green-robed scholars, servants from wealthy families, and even a few scantily clad women, but at this moment, they had only one identity: diners and gourmets.

This shop was famous far and wide; one only had to ask a passerby to know it.

Huide pressed his palms together, loudly recited a Buddha's name, and said with a smile: "We open our doors wide for charity; doing business is about harmony bringing wealth... why make the Daoist priest feel we are deceiving him? Furthermore... this Daoist priest is a capable person, and most capable people are proud and arrogant; how could they look upon those public houses? Not to mention the old, broken, and small ones? He will still come back to do business with us... My Buddha is merciful, and integrity is the foundation; only then can wealth roll in!"

Upon arriving at the destination, Aaron exclaimed "Good heavens," as he saw the long queue already stretched out like a dragon; business was truly booming.

He went to find a master in charge of rentals and rented a small courtyard near Dajingang Temple; the rent was not bad, five taels of silver per month.

However, this was not the cheapest.

In the corners and alleys of Jingshi, if one searched patiently, there were always other old, broken, and small places where the rent could be settled daily—three to five wen a day, or about one hundred wen a month...

Aaron took the key and entered his small courtyard.

Aaron rode the white tiger all the way to Da Xiangguo Temple, which was indeed bustling and prosperous, with crowds shoulder to shoulder, even more lively than before.

That Daoist came riding a tiger, yet did not go to a Daoist temple to stay, but instead came to live at Dajingang Temple; clearly, his ambitions were not small, and he would likely clash directly with other Daoist lineages.

Of course, there was no shortage of deep-eyed, high-nosed foreigners, as well as exotic beauties from the Western Regions...

After giving Xiaoyu some instructions, Aaron washed up, changed into a clean Daoist robe, and went out feeling refreshed.

After he took his leave and departed, a young monk walked out, looking curiously at Aaron's back: "This Daoist can subdue a white tiger; he is clearly a capable person. Master, why did you tell him those things? If he doesn't rent the house, we will lose out..."

"Alas..."

He felt that most people were just watching for the fun of it, and since they were watching for fun, they naturally wouldn't develop any thoughts of obeying him or dying for him.

Alas, peers are enemies!

Aaron was here to trick them into granting him a title, and he didn't want to bump into them randomly.

The key was that Aaron noticed many people were not using silver, but various silver banknotes; clearly, the paper currency of the Great Song had penetrated deep into the populace and gained widespread recognition.

The most crucial point was that the first five days were rent-free!

Aaron, a wage slave who had suffered greatly from high housing prices and big-city rents in his past life, was immediately shocked: "Master Huide, why is this?"

Of course, Aaron wouldn't look at those.

"Master, you are truly brilliant!" the young monk said with sincere admiration.

With slightly damp hair draped over his shoulders, the refreshing evening breeze blowing against his face, and watching the men and women of Jingshi out for a stroll after their busy day, it had a unique charm.

"I'm going out to find a place for dinner; you watch the house well."

The thousand-layer cloth-soled shoes, made of many patches, were very comfortable to wear and had good breathability.

By the time he finished his tasks, it was already the time when the lamps were first lit.

Sighing in his heart, Aaron rode Xiaoyu to the most bustling commercial district of Dajingang Temple.

Therefore, he paid ten taels of silver directly to book it for two months first.

"Seeing too much is not a good thing either; it's harder to deceive them..."

Aaron rode along leisurely, checking his Qi Points, while sighing inwardly.

By this time, Dajingang Temple appeared even more lively, making Aaron feel a bit restless himself.

And Aaron, after just taking a turn, decided to go to the roast pork shop that Provincial Graduate Gu had highly recommended.

"And... when doing business, one must value reputation and cannot betray the customer... at least on the surface."

This means there is no Qi Number!

Aaron also stepped forward to join the queue, received a bamboo slip, and felt a bit dizzy looking at the "Three Hundred Seventy-Two" written on it.

Just then, a sneaky-looking man leaned over: "Daoist, do you want a front-of-the-line number slip? It only costs one hundred wen..."

'A thief!' Aaron was very surprised in his heart: 'What the hell... there are even scalpers here?!'

(End of this chapter)