Chapter 1454 - 731: Utter Chaos
The villagers were grateful for Lin Beichen’s kindness and justice and developed a favorable impression of Daoism.
At this moment, the system sent a notification, indicating that Lin Beichen’s Faith Value increased by five hundred points.
With the addition of new disciples, Lin Beichen was one step closer to his dream of promoting Daoism.
However, just as he was about to leave for new adventures, Liu Baoguo expressed his desire to join Lin Beichen’s ranks.
"Please accept me; I also want to be your disciple."
Witnessing Lin Beichen’s decisiveness and wisdom in handling matters and the new disciples, Liu Baoguo felt deeply impressed by Lin Beichen’s extraordinariness, prompting him to request apprenticeship, hoping to gain Lin Beichen’s acceptance.
Lin Beichen was somewhat surprised by this sudden request, as he hadn’t expected Liu Baoguo would have this intention. Back in the day, he had put in a lot of effort just to find a disciple, but now many were eager to become his apprentices.
"Sorry, my quota for disciples is already full, so I cannot take on more." Lin Beichen politely declined Liu Baoguo’s request.
Upon hearing this, Liu Baoguo couldn’t help but feel regretful, wishing he had acted sooner and lamenting missing the last opportunity to become Lin Beichen’s disciple.
In truth, Lin Beichen had a favorable impression of Liu Baoguo due to his wealth when they first met. If Liu Baoguo could become a financial support for the development of Daoism, that would undoubtedly be the best choice.
Seeing Liu Baoguo’s disappointed expression, Lin Beichen proposed, "Although you cannot become my disciple, you can serve as an investor behind Daoism, providing financial assurance for its development. Once Daoism is stable, we can allocate ritual and other income according to a certain proportion, achieving partnership and mutual benefits."
Liu Baoguo already had some understanding of Daoism, and through Lin Beichen, he widened his horizons even further.
Though he couldn’t become a disciple, the opportunity to collaborate with Lin Beichen was nonetheless exciting to him.
This meant he could follow in Lin Beichen’s footsteps wherever Lin Beichen went, and unlike being a disciple, he need not strictly follow Lin Beichen’s orders but would have some decision-making power.
"Are you willing to cooperate with me?" Lin Beichen asked.
If Liu Baoguo were unwilling, that would be okay; Lin Beichen wouldn’t force it. It’s just that funds might become a significant issue in future Daoism construction endeavors.
But if Liu Baoguo were willing, the gates of Daoism would forever be open to him.
"I’m very willing!" Liu Baoguo agreed without hesitation.
As long as he could stay by Lin Beichen’s side, he was willing to do anything.
"Since we’re already starting a partnership, I’ll show my sincerity. I plan to fund you to establish second and third Daoist Temples in the hometowns of your two disciples; what do you think?" Liu Baoguo proposed his suggestion.
He believed that Lin Beichen currently had only one Daoist Temple, with limited influence. If he invested in establishing Daoist Temples in these remote areas, Daoism’s influence would rapidly expand.
"Of course!" Upon hearing this, Lin Beichen was overjoyed. His task was to establish three Daoist Temples in three cities, and Liu Baoguo’s offer to help build two would undeniably accomplish two-thirds of his mission.
Thus, the matter was settled.
"The temples will be built in the hometowns of your two disciples, and they may name them themselves." Liu Baoguo not only planned to build the temples but also intended to grant the naming rights to the two disciples.
Lin Beichen then asked the two disciples to think carefully since the name is essential for a Daoist Temple. A good name can leave a lasting impression, attracting more attention to the temple.
After much contemplation, the two still couldn’t come up with a suitable name.
"We have just recently been apprenticed and already have the task of naming new temples, which makes us feel quite honored. Even though Master has given us this right, we still feel unqualified. Perhaps, it would be better for Master to decide." Lin Zhengyi said to the other disciple.
Deng Feng also thought what he said was reasonable, so the two went to find Lin Beichen at night, seeking his advice.
"Did I not ask you to think of names yourselves? Whatever you wish to call them, just call them that, no need to ask me." Lin Beichen directly said upon hearing their intentions.
Liu Baoguo planned to establish two Daoist Temples locally and confidently left the task of naming them to his two new disciples.
However, they seemed overwhelmed by the pressure and turned to Liu Baoguo’s mentor, Lin Beichen, for assistance.
Lin Beichen believed naming was a trivial matter and not worth bothering him with, but since his disciples asked, he pondered briefly and, combining the features of both villages, named the two Daoist Temples "Qingfeng Daoist Temple" and "Bright Moon Daoist Temple." The two disciples were deeply impressed by their mentor’s wisdom and talent and were very satisfied with these two names.
With Liu Baoguo’s financial support, the construction of the two Daoist Temples swiftly began, proceeding smoothly with considerable scale. Meanwhile, Lin Beichen continued his journeys, seeking more destined individuals to join Daoism.
He understood deeply that, as a Daoist, inheriting and promoting Daoism’s culture was his mission, and nurturing more disciples was a crucial part of this mission.
Although he once told Liu Baoguo that the current number of disciples was sufficient and inconvenient for taking on new ones, things were different now.
The construction of two new Daoist Temples showed him greater possibilities, fueling his desire for more disciples to spread across these temples, jointly inheriting the culture of Daoism. He even planned to establish more Daoist Temples in the future, eagerly awaiting the addition of generous individuals like Liu Baoguo to their ranks.