In the bustling and lively Qingping Town, commerce thrived. There were rows of shops on both sides of the street, with people coming and going. The shouts of vendors and the bargaining voices intertwined into a vivid and lively symphony. However, among this prosperity, there was a merchant named Zhao Fusheng, who was frowning and full of sorrow.
Zhao Fusheng ran a silk and satin shop. Although the storefront was not small and the location was fairly good, the business was always deserted. Compared with those bustling neighboring shops, it was like night and day. In the early morning, when customers flocked to other shops to pick out their favorite goods, his shop was often empty. The shop assistants could only wipe the shelves idly. Occasionally, a few passers-by stopped to look around, but most of them just glanced and left, rarely making a purchase. In the evening, while others were counting their substantial profits of the day with beaming smiles, he could only sigh at the ledger, looking at the mountains of unsold silk and satin and worrying about the sluggish capital turnover.
Day by day, Zhao Fusheng tried various ways to improve the business situation. He personally traveled all over the place to carefully select the most fashionable and high-quality silk and satin, fully believing that he could attract customers with the advantages of his products. He also significantly reduced the prices, even selling at a loss, hoping to open up the market with a low-price strategy. Moreover, he hired eloquent shop assistants at a high salary, expecting them to attract customers with their clever tongues. However, all these efforts were like stones dropped into the sea, and the business still showed no sign of improvement. Wealth seemed to deliberately oppose him, and he was far behind his peers.
Trapped in difficulties, Zhao Fusheng happened to hear, by chance, that there was a Taoist priest named Xuanxu in the Ziyun Taoist Temple outside the town. He was proficient in the arts of Qimen Dunjia and the theories of yin and yang and the five elements, and was especially good at communicating with the God of Wealth to bring fortune and change people's luck. As if seeing a glimmer of hope in the dark, Zhao Fusheng was full of hope and quickly prepared generous gifts and hurried to the Ziyun Taoist Temple.
Stepping into the temple, he saw a quiet courtyard with lush green trees and curling incense smoke rising, creating a solemn, quiet and peaceful atmosphere. Under the guidance of a young novice, Zhao Fusheng came to the quiet room of Taoist Priest Xuanxu. Taoist Priest Xuanxu was dressed in a dark gray Taoist robe. He had a thin face, but his eyes were bright and piercing, revealing an extraordinary and wise temperament. Seeing Zhao Fusheng's anxious look, Taoist Priest Xuanxu slightly raised his hand, gesturing for him to sit down, and said gently, "Don't be anxious, donor. Please tell me the details of your business troubles."
Zhao Fusheng didn't dare to conceal anything. He poured out all the hardships of running the silk and satin shop over the years, the dismal business situation, and his inner anxiety. After listening, Taoist Priest Xuanxu slightly closed his eyes and calculated with his fingers. After a moment, he opened his eyes and said solemnly, "Donor, in my opinion, your business misfortunes are due to blocked fortune. The flow of wealth in this world has its own laws and is controlled by the God of Wealth. Although you have worked hard in business, you haven't received the favor of the God of Wealth, so your path to wealth has been blocked."
Hearing this, Zhao Fusheng was startled and immediately knelt down and begged, "Taoist priest, I hope you will be merciful and save my business and show me a way to make money!" Taoist Priest Xuanxu sighed softly, got up and walked to the incense table. He took out a gleaming golden talisman from an ancient wooden box and handed it to Zhao Fusheng, saying, "This is the 'Wealth-attracting Talisman'. It was obtained by me through years of devout practice and sensing the will of the God of Wealth. In Taoism, the God of Wealth is in charge of the wealth of the world. This talisman carries the divine might of the God of Wealth and can unblock your path to wealth and attract prosperity."
Zhao Fusheng took the talisman with trembling hands and examined it carefully. The talisman was golden in 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 an aura of wealth and peace, making people couldn't help but feel in awe.
Taoist Priest Xuanxu then instructed, "Donor, you should stick this talisman in a conspicuous place above the shop door. Every morning before opening the shop, you need to wash your hands and face, face the talisman, bow sincerely to the God of Wealth, and silently recite 'Tao gives birth to it, Virtue nourishes it, Matter shapes it, and Circumstances complete it' from the 'Tao Te Ching' to give thanks for the blessings of the God of Wealth and conform to the way of wealth generation. Only in this way can you ensure that the talisman exerts its maximum effect." Zhao Fusheng was overjoyed as if he had found a precious treasure. He nodded repeatedly, thanked Taoist Priest Xuanxu again and again, and carefully put the talisman away before leaving.
Returning home, Zhao Fusheng carefully selected an auspicious day according to Taoist Priest Xuanxu's instructions and solemnly pasted the "Wealth-attracting Talisman" above the shop door. Strangely enough, on the very day the talisman was pasted, there were some changes in the shop. Somehow, several strange customers came to the shop. They carefully selected silk and satin in the shop and chatted with the shop assistants from time to time, praising the quality of the goods. In the end, they all readily bought the items they liked. This small turn of events made Zhao Fusheng overjoyed. He knew well that it was the talisman that was starting to work.
From then on, every morning, Zhao Fusheng strictly followed Taoist Priest Xuanxu's instructions. After washing his hands and face, he would come to the shop door early. Dressed in neat new clothes and looking solemn, he would face the talisman, bow deeply, and chant incantations, giving thanks for the protection of the God of Wealth and praying for a prosperous business. As the days passed, the business of the shop became even more prosperous.
In the early morning, before the shop door was even opened, customers were already waiting outside, eager to be the first to buy the newly arrived silk and satin. At noon, the shop was crowded with people, and the shop assistants were extremely busy, enthusiastically introducing the goods to the customers while quickly packing and settling the bills. In the evening, after seeing off the last batch of customers, Zhao Fusheng looked at the series of gratifying numbers on the ledger and his face lit up with a big smile, his heart full of gratitude to the God of Wealth.
Moreover, some big customers who had cut off business with Zhao Fusheng for some reason actually came to him 主动找上门来，恢复了合作关系，and also introduced many new customers to him. Money flowed into the shop like a running stream. The once mountainous piles of unsold silk and satin were quickly sold out, and Zhao Fusheng had to replenish the stock frequently to meet the market demand.
Zhao Fusheng firmly believed that all these miraculous changes were brought about by the "Wealth-attracting Talisman" and had deep faith in its magical power. To express his gratitude to the God of Wealth, on the birthday of the God of Wealth every year, he would hold a large-scale worship ceremony in front of the shop.
On this day, the shop front was decorated with lanterns and festoons, and a red carpet was laid on the ground, filled with extremely rich offerings. There was fresh rice just harvested from the fields, symbolizing bumper harvests and abundant wealth; there were carefully cooked whole pigs and whole sheep, representing wealth and completeness; there were also all kinds of fresh fruits, fine wines and delicious dishes, a dazzling array, fragrant and inviting. Zhao Fusheng, dressed in gorgeous clothes, led all the shop assistants and stood neatly in front of the offerings, bowing and saluting to the God of Wealth solemnly.
After bowing, he would also invite the townspeople to share this joy, distributing some small gifts for free, such as handkerchiefs embroidered with auspicious patterns and copper coin pendants symbolizing wealth, so that everyone could get a share of the good fortune of the God of Wealth. At the same time, Zhao Fusheng didn't forget the kindness of Taoist Priest Xuanxu. He often brought generous gifts to the Ziyun Taoist Temple to assist in repairing the houses and adding facilities, to do his part.
Furthermore, Zhao Fusheng was eager to pass on the blessing of wealth to more people. He ordered people to carefully replicate many "Wealth-attracting Talismans" and gave them to his fellow merchants who were also struggling in the business field, as well as the poor villagers in the town who were eager to improve their economic situation. He patiently told them his own experience and taught them how to use the talismans, hoping that they could also receive the favor of the God of Wealth, break free from difficulties, and move towards prosperity.
Under the leadership of Zhao Fusheng, a craze for worshiping the God of Wealth and learning Taoist culture swept through Qingping Town. Children gathered in the Taoist temple, listening to the Taoist priests tell the legends of the God of Wealth, their eyes full of curiosity and longing; young and middle-aged people followed Zhao Fusheng's example, praying to the God of Wealth for fortune, while working harder and operating their businesses with integrity, hoping to realize their wealth dreams with their own efforts and the blessing of the God of Wealth; the elderly, in their spare time, gathered together to explore the wisdom of life in Taoist classics, 感悟顺应自然、心怀感恩的道理.
As time passed, the story of the "Wealth-attracting Talisman" spread widely in Qingping 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 laws, operating with integrity, and being grateful and cherishing blessings. Many people would think of this story when they encountered economic difficulties, draw strength from it, either go to the Taoist temple to pray or adjust their business strategies, 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 Qingping Town, they would surely be attracted by the thick commercial atmosphere and Taoist culture atmosphere here. Looking at the Wealth-attracting Talismans pasted in front of the shops 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 God of Wealth and reluctant to leave.