In the bustling and noisy Central Plains, there was a lively town called Fengyu Town. With convenient water and land transportation, merchants gathered here, and trade was frequent. All industries thrived, presenting a prosperous scene. In the town, there was a merchant named Zhao Chongwu. He had been smart and astute since childhood and possessed outstanding business acumen. Through years of hard work in the business field, he painstakingly managed a silk and satin shop and his business had been booming for a while, making him a well-known and wealthy household in the local area.

However, unexpected events often occur in life. Recently, things had been going wrong in Zhao Chongwu's house, as if it were shrouded in a haze. First, gusts of cold wind blew inexplicably in the courtyard. Even on a bright sunny day, when one walked into the yard, one could feel a chill seeping into the bones. The cats, dogs and other livestock raised at home, which were usually docile and gentle, had now become restless, jumping up and down all day long and howling in fright, as if they had been disturbed by something terrifying. At night, there were even more strange occurrences. The doors and windows were clearly closed tightly, yet from time to time there came creaking sounds, as if a pair of invisible hands were trying to push them open; the candles in the bedroom would flicker and sway for no reason and even suddenly go out, plunging the whole room into a deathly silence and darkness.

At the same time, Zhao Chongwu's business was like a flower that had encountered frost, withering rapidly. The originally continuous stream of customers became scarce, the number of orders decreased significantly, the silk and satin piled up in the warehouse like a mountain, and there were serious difficulties in capital turnover. The shop assistants, seeing the business getting increasingly bleak, were also in a state of panic and lost their former enthusiasm. Zhao Chongwu rushed around trying to find the reason for the business failure. He visited all his peers and consulted many experienced merchants, but they all shook their heads, indicating that they didn't understand. This made him extremely anxious, yet he was at his wits' end.

In desperation, Zhao Chongwu heard that there was a highly respected Taoist priest, Qingfeng Taoist, in the Sanqing Taoist Temple outside the town. He was proficient in the theories of yin and yang, destiny calculation, the art of Qimen Dunjia, and was also quite accomplished in feng shui surveying and exorcising and suppressing evil. Many people who encountered difficult and complicated problems or supernatural strange events could turn misfortune into fortune after his guidance and resolution. With his last glimmer of hope, Zhao Chongwu prepared generous gifts and hurried to the Sanqing Taoist Temple.

Stepping into the temple, he saw a quiet courtyard with evergreen pine and cypress trees and curling incense smoke rising, creating a solemn, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Under the guidance of a young novice, Zhao Chongwu came to the quiet room of Qingfeng Taoist. Qingfeng Taoist was dressed in a simple and clean Taoist robe. He had a thin face, but his eyes were bright and piercing, revealing an extraordinary and wise temperament. Seeing Zhao Chongwu's anxious look, Qingfeng Taoist slightly raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and said gently, "Don't be anxious, donor. Please tell me the details of the things at home."

Zhao Chongwu didn't dare to conceal anything. He poured out all the strange phenomena that had occurred in his home recently and the difficulties in his business. After listening, Qingfeng Taoist slightly closed his eyes and calculated with his fingers. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said solemnly, "Donor, in my opinion, I'm afraid your house has been contaminated by evil qi. This evil not only disturbs the peace of your house but also clashes with your fortune. If it is not resolved in time, I'm afraid there will be more troubles in the future." Hearing this, Zhao Chongwu was startled and immediately knelt down and begged, "Taoist priest, I hope you will be merciful and save my family and my business!"

Qingfeng Taoist sighed softly, got up and walked to the incense table. He took out a yellowed talisman from an ancient wooden box and handed it to Zhao Chongwu, saying, "This is the 'Talisman of Lord Laozi for Settling the House and Suppressing Evil'. It was obtained by me through years of cultivation and sensing the will of Lord Laozi. Lord Laozi is one of the Three Pure Ones in Taoism. The Taoist Patriarch, Lord Taishang Laojun, has boundless magic power. This talisman carries his divine might and can dissolve the evil qi in your house and ensure the safety of your house." Zhao Chongwu took the talisman with trembling hands and examined it carefully. The talisman was of an ancient dark yellow color, with a texture as flexible as silk. Complex and mysterious runes were drawn on it with vermilion cinnabar. The runes seemed alive, faintly emitting a solemn and respectful aura, making people couldn't help but feel in awe.

Qingfeng Taoist then instructed, "Donor, you should hang this talisman on the beam of the main hall. You must be pious. Every morning after getting up and washing, face the direction where the talisman is and sincerely recite 'Empty yourself to the extreme, and hold firm to stillness' from the 'Tao Te Ching' three times to calm your qi and spirit and conform to the way of nature, so as to ensure that the talisman can exert its maximum effect." Zhao Chongwu was overjoyed as if he had found a precious treasure. He nodded repeatedly, thanked Qingfeng Taoist again and again, and carefully put the talisman away before leaving.

Returning home, Zhao Chongwu hung the "Talisman of Lord Laozi for Settling the House and Suppressing Evil" on the beam of the main hall according to Qingfeng Taoist's instructions. Strangely enough, the moment the talisman was hung up, he clearly felt that the originally 压抑沉闷的气场 in his home suddenly became light and soothing. The gloomy chill was like being dispersed by a warm sun and disappeared without a trace. The livestock at home gradually regained their former docility and no longer howled in fright; at night, the doors and windows no longer made noises for no reason, and the candles burned steadily. The whole house regained its former peace.

And in the business field, it was like a miracle had happened. Within a few days, some old customers who hadn't been in touch for a long time came to him 主动找上门来，the number of orders gradually increased, and the silk and satin piled up in the warehouse also began to sell well. The shop assistants, seeing that the business had picked up, were full of energy, and the shop regained its former liveliness and busyness. Zhao Chongwu was ecstatic. He knew well that all these turnarounds were due to that 神奇的 “老君符”, and he had even deeper faith in the 神奇力量 of Taoism.

To express his gratitude to Lord Taishang Laojun, Zhao Chongwu would generously donate money to support the Laozi Temple every autumn after the harvest. He not only personally supervised the renovation of the temple, making it new with red walls and black tiles and looking solemn, but also held a grand religious ceremony in the temple, inviting Taoist priests from the surrounding areas to chant scriptures and pray for blessings, sharing this joy and blessing with the villagers.

At the religious ceremony, Qingfeng Taoist would also be invited to come and explain the profound thoughts and practice essentials of Taoism to the people. He started from "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao", explaining that all things in the world have their origins and laws, and people should conform to nature and practice non-interference. Otherwise, they would surely encounter disasters. Taking Zhao Chongwu's experience as an example, he said, "There was rampant evil qi in Zhao donor's house and his business suffered setbacks precisely because he violated the principle of natural harmony. The role of the Laozi Talisman is not only to suppress evil and exorcise demons, but also to guide him back to the right path, making him understand the importance of fearing the gods and following the laws of heaven and earth. Now that he conforms to nature and is pious, he can regain peace and prosperity." The people listened and nodded frequently, as if seeing the light through the clouds, and had a deeper understanding of the teachings of Taoism.

As time passed, the story of the "Talisman of Lord Laozi for Settling the House and Supplying Evil" spread quickly in Fengyu Town and the surrounding areas and became a legend that people loved to talk about after meals. It not only let people witness the 神奇功效 of Taoist magic, but also conveyed a kind of life wisdom of conforming to nature and fearing the gods. Many people would think of this story when they encountered difficulties and setbacks, draw strength from it, either go to the Taoist temple to pray or follow the teachings of Taoism to adjust their lifestyle, trying to find a turning point in the predicament and feel the 神秘庇佑 and endless grace of ancient Taoism.

Many years later, when outsiders stepped into Fengyu Town, they would surely be attracted by the thick Taoist culture atmosphere here. Looking at the curling smoke rising in front of the Laozi Temple and listening to the old people telling that thrilling yet hopeful past, it seemed that one could travel through time and space and quietly encounter the ancient Taoist wisdom, getting intoxicated in this land covered by the grace of the gods and reluctant to leave.