In the vast and profound historical scroll of the Chinese land, Taoism is like a profound and mysterious treasure book, containing endless wisdom and extraordinary power. Its doctrines are like gurgling clear springs, moistening the hearts of generations of people, and its cultivation methods are like a ladder reaching the sky, helping countless believers explore the true meaning of life and the mysteries of the universe. And Master Ziyang, as a famous and eminent figure in Taoism, is exactly like the most dazzling chapter in this treasure book, shining brightly in the long river of time and leaving behind many popular and legendary tales.

Master Ziyang lived in seclusion for many years in an ancient and quiet deep mountain. That mountain was called Purple Cloud Mountain, with peaks rising one after another, grotesque rocks jutting out, and clouds and mists lingering among the mountains, like light veils dancing slowly, decorating the whole mountain like a dreamland, just like a fairyland on earth. There were towering ancient trees on the mountain, with lush branches and leaves. The sunlight shone through the gaps of the layers of branches and leaves, casting fragmented light and shadows, like little stars falling into the mortal world. The clear spring in the mountain stream gurgled and flowed, playing a pleasant and melodious movement, echoing with the cheerful chirping of the birds in the forest, jointly composing a harmonious song of nature.

Master Ziyang built a thatched cottage here and lived in seclusion, devoting himself to cultivation for dozens of years. He was dressed in a deep purple Taoist robe, the color of which seemed to absorb the essence of the twilight and the glow of the mountain, deep and mysterious. His face was thin but with a ruddy luster, and his eyes were like cold stars twinkling in the night sky, deep and bright, as if he could penetrate all the falsehoods and troubles in the world. Every morning, when the first ray of sunlight gently shone on the thatched cottage, he would get up and absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth in the forest, exhaling the old and inhaling the new, practicing the exquisite and mysterious Taoist skills; during the day, he studied ancient Taoist classics, immersing himself in the pearls of words of the scriptures, exploring the operating laws of all things in the universe and the principles of yin and yang changes; when night fell and the stars twinkled, he would sit alone in front of the cottage, closing his eyes and concentrating, communicating with heaven and earth, and perceiving the profound meaning of the way of nature.

One day, the sun was shining brightly, the breeze was gentle, and the fresh and pleasant atmosphere filled the forest. A young man, with apprehension and anticipation in his heart, walked slowly along the winding mountain path towards the place where Master Ziyang practiced. This young man was named Lin Yu, the son of an ordinary farmer in a small village at the foot of the mountain. Although his family was not poor, in recent years, all kinds of things had gone wrong at home, and disasters occurred frequently, which made him extremely worried and frowning. First, the livestock raised at home inexplicably got sick and died one after another, plunging the livelihood that originally relied on animal husbandry to subsidize the family into a difficult situation; then, his elderly grandmother suddenly fell ill and lay in bed, with no effect from medicine, and her condition became increasingly serious; and when he was working in the fields, he also encountered accidents repeatedly, either the farm tools were damaged or he sprained or fell, as if an invisible haze was shrouding the whole house, plunging the family's life into a dark mire.

Lin Yu heard that there was a Master Ziyang on Purple Cloud Mountain, who was highly skilled in Taoism and could help people solve their problems. It was as if he saw a glimmer of hope in the darkness, so he resolutely embarked on this journey to seek the way and ask for advice. When he finally arrived at the thatched cottage of Master Ziyang, he was already out of breath and sweating profusely. He calmed himself down, straightened his clothes, and respectfully clasped his hands and saluted towards the thatched cottage, shouting loudly, "I, Lin Yu, have long heard that Master Ziyang's Taoism is profound and mysterious. I come here today to presumptuously ask for advice. I hope that the master can give me a good prescription to save my troubled house."

There was a slight noise in the thatched cottage, and then Master Ziyang walked out slowly. He looked gently at the young man in front of him with a haggard face but firm eyes, nodded slightly, and said softly, "Young man, don't worry. Come in with me and let's talk in detail." Lin Yu was flattered and quickly followed Master Ziyang into the thatched cottage. The interior of the thatched cottage was simple and elegant. On an ancient and simple desk were placed various Taoist classics and the four treasures of the study. On the wall hung a landscape painting, and the scenery in the painting seemed to be exactly the charm of Purple Cloud Mountain, making people feel as if they were in the mountains and waters and feel peaceful.

Master Ziyang invited Lin Yu to sit down and poured him a cup of clear tea. Lin Yu took it with both hands and took a sip gently. Immediately, he felt a fragrance spreading on his tongue, and his tiredness dissipated a little. Only then did Master Ziyang begin to ask, "Young man, tell me the details of the things at home." Lin Yu put down the teacup, his eyes a little red, and poured out all the misfortunes that had happened at home in recent years.

Master Ziyang listened quietly, closed his eyes and meditated for a moment, and then opened his eyes. There was a wisdom in his eyes that could see through everything, and he said, "All things in the world have two sides, yin and yang, and fortune and misfortune are intertwined. Your family is so unlucky now. I'm afraid there are evil spirits invading, causing the aura in the house to be disordered." As he spoke, he stood up, walked to the desk, picked up a wolf-hair brush, and spread out a piece of high-quality yellow paper.

Master Ziyang held the brush, dipped it full of cinnabar, and then held his breath and concentrated. The tip of the brush slowly moved on the yellow paper. His brushwork was skillful and smooth, like flowing clouds and running water. With each stroke, it seemed that a mysterious force was injected into it. Soon, a mysterious and ancient "House-Protecting Talisman" appeared vividly on the paper. On the talisman, the runes were complex and exquisite, and the lines were strong and powerful, as if they contained the mysteries of heaven and earth. The red color of the cinnabar, under the reflection of the sunlight, was like a burning flame, emitting a dazzling light.

Master Ziyang gently picked up the talisman and handed it to Lin Yu, saying solemnly, "This is the House-Protecting Talisman. After you return home, find a clean and high place and hang it in the main hall of your house. Every morning when you get up, face the talisman and pray sincerely, asking for peace in the house and the well-being of your family. This talisman can drive away evil spirits, harmonize the aura in the house, and protect your family to be prosperous, peaceful and harmonious." Lin Yu took the talisman carefully, as if holding a rare treasure, his eyes full of gratitude and awe. He thanked Master Ziyang repeatedly and then took his leave.

Lin Yu returned home and, in accordance with Master Ziyang's instructions, solemnly hung the "House-Protecting Talisman" on the wall of the main hall of his house. Strangely enough, on the very night when the talisman was hung up, wonderful changes took place in his house. The originally gloomy and oppressive atmosphere seemed to be dispersed by a gentle breeze and became warm and harmonious. His grandmother, who had been lying in bed ill, miraculously improved. Her spirit was lifted, and she could sit up and talk to the family for a few sentences; the few poultry raised at home no longer looked as listless as before, but walked and foraged happily in the yard.

After that, every morning when Lin Yu got up, he would stand piously in front of the talisman, close his eyes and pray, giving thanks for the protection of heaven, praying for the safety and health of his family, and the eternal peace of his house. As time passed, the fortune of his family became more and more smooth. When Lin Yu was working in the fields, it was as if he had the help of the gods. The crops grew vigorously and luxuriantly, and he had a bumper harvest every year. With the money from selling the grain, he bought some new farm tools and repaired the house, making the originally dilapidated home look new. Moreover, with his diligence and wisdom, Lin Yu also started some small businesses in the village, selling the fruits, vegetables and handicrafts he grew at home. Unexpectedly, the business was extremely prosperous, and the savings of his family became more and more abundant.

Seeing such tremendous changes in Lin Yu's family, the villagers came to inquire about the reason one after another. Lin Yu didn't hide anything and told everyone about Master Ziyang giving him the "House-Protecting Talisman". After hearing this, the villagers were amazed and admired Master Ziyang's Taoism even more. For a while, many families in the village followed Lin Yu's example and went to Purple Cloud Mountain to ask for talismans, hoping to bring good luck and peace to their own homes.

When Master Ziyang learned about this, he didn't refuse the villagers' requests. He knew that the villagers' lives were not easy, and all they asked for was a stable and happy life. So he set up an altar in the mountain and spent several days drawing a large number of "House-Protecting Talisman" and distributing them to the villagers who came to ask for them. At the same time, he also took this opportunity to explain some basic ideas and life philosophies of Taoism to the villagers, teaching them to respect nature, be kind to others, and conform to the will of heaven. Only in this way could their houses always be peaceful and their lives be full of sunshine.

However, things in the world are always not as one wishes. With the growing fame of the "House-Protecting Talisman", it attracted the covetousness of some people with ulterior motives. There was a wealthy merchant from another place named Zhao Cai. After hearing about the so amazing effect of the "House-Protecting Talisman", he had a wicked idea in his mind. He thought that if he could monopolize these talismans and sell them at a high price, he would surely make a huge fortune. So he brought a group of servants and came to Purple Cloud Mountain aggressively, trying to force Master Ziyang to hand over the drawing method of the talismans.

Master Ziyang stood in front of the thatched cottage, looking at the group of people who came with ill intentions. His expression was cold and his eyes were like torches. He snorted coldly and said, "You greedy people, trying to seek personal gain with evil intentions, really violate the principles of heaven and human ethics. This House-Protecting Talisman is something used by Taoism to save the world. How could it be defiled by you?" As he finished speaking, he gently waved the horsetail whisk in his hand, and an invisible force rushed towards the servants. The servants only felt a powerful pushing force coming towards them, and they couldn't stand stably and fell to the ground one after another.

Seeing this, Zhao Cai became angry and shouted loudly, "You old Taoist, you don't appreciate kindness when it's offered. If you don't hand over the method of drawing the talismans today, don't blame me for being rude." Master Ziyang remained unmoved. He closed his eyes slightly and murmured something. After a moment, the sky suddenly became cloudy, and lightning flashed and thunder roared. The lightning bolts were like sharp swords, slashing across the heads of Zhao Cai and others, scaring them so much that their faces turned pale and they were terrified. Only then did Zhao Cai realize that he had provoked someone he shouldn't have. He hurriedly knelt down and begged for mercy, imploring Master Ziyang to spare his life.

Seeing that he had shown remorse, Master Ziyang withdrew his magic power and seriously warned him, "Good and evil will always be rewarded. I hope you can reform yourself in the future and don't do unjust things again." Zhao Cai nodded repeatedly and led his servants away in disgrace.

After this incident, the villagers respected and were even more grateful to Master Ziyang, regarding him as the god who protected the place. And Master Ziyang still lived in seclusion in the mountains as usual, devoting himself to cultivation, and occasionally going down the mountain to help the villagers solve their problems. His good deeds and the magical legends of Taoism were like an unextinguished fire, passing down from generation to generation in this land, inspiring future generations to adhere to the right path when facing difficulties in life, pursue the mysterious power from Taoism, protect the peace of their houses, and embrace a beautiful future.