Knife splashing

Chapter 202: Huguang is prosperous, the world is prosperous

Li Yan came here naturally to ask about this matter.

This thing is the Chu Witch Order. Based on what Yan Jiuling said and the history of inheritance that Ye Kulang had told him, Li Yan has figured out some clues.

During the ancient Zhou Dynasty, rituals and music collapsed, and sacrificial customs varied from place to place.

The witchcraft tradition from all over the world was concentrated twice.

First, the Qin Emperor unified the world and gathered shamans from all over to Xianyang for sacrifices, which was called the Qin Palace Secret Blessings. Later, he burned books and buried scholars, and disbanded it.

The inheritance of Ye Kulang is the secret blessing of the Qin Palace, and it is only a small part of it. However, these people's whereabouts are secretive and no one knows where they are hiding.

Another part evolved into the Shangshan Dharma.

The second time was during the Han Dynasty, when Emperor Gaozu gathered all the shamans in the world in Chang'an, each of them built a temple and worshipped the gods of all parties, which was considered a kind of great unification.

However, later, with the rise of Confucianism and Taoism, witchcraft gradually declined. Some of it flowed into the folks, and some even disappeared completely.

Of course, Li Yan was only slightly interested in the history of these lineages.

What really made him curious was why this Chu Wu's warrant contained the evil spirit that only existed in the underworld?
Perhaps, we can find some clues from folk law.

Old Liu took the phoenix gold ornament and looked at it carefully for a while. He seemed to think of something and nodded, saying, "Come to think of it, I have seen something similar before."

Li Yan's eyes suddenly lit up, "Please give me some advice, senior."

"Don't dare."

Old Liu handed the phoenix gold ornaments to Li Yan, asked the two to sit down, poured them tea, and then slowly introduced them.

"This thing was mentioned occasionally by my old master. He said that although Taixuan Zhengjiao is now the orthodox sect of Shenzhou, the local lineage has not been cut off, and the customs of the people are also related to ancient Chu in various ways."

"For example, here we worship the phoenix and revere the chicken. We believe that the chicken can tell the difference between yin and yang. This is because the ancestors of the Chu people used the phoenix as a totem, and the phoenix was the incarnation of our ancestor Zhurong. Many sects, even me when I examine corpses to ward off evil spirits, use chicken blood..."

"There is also the worship of fire and red, which is also related to the fire god Zhurong. At the end of the first lunar month, people would hold fire and walk around their homes to ward off evil spirits. On New Year's Eve, they would hang charcoal at the door and tie it with red paper. It is called General Charcoal..."

"They also pay attention to the sacred grass and holy reeds. Without maple trees, there is no village. This is because it is mentioned in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that maple trees are the shackles abandoned by Chi You. Planting maple trees at the entrance of the village means that the god of war Chi You will protect it..."

"Traces of it can be seen in many folk traditions, but there is only one lineage that truly inherits the ancient Chu witchcraft. They once settled in Junshan and worshipped the ancient Chu gods. It was called the 'Si Ming Hui'."

"But a long time ago, this lineage had disappeared. My master only saw it occasionally in a booklet and told me the story. He also drew the other side's emblem at that time, and it looked like this..."

"Junshan?"

Li Yan's eyes lit up and he seemed to be thinking about something.

Junshan Mountain is located in Dongting Lake and is one of the blessed places of Taoism. It is also called Xiangshan Mountain, which is derived from Xiangjun, who is also one of the ten gods of Chu.

According to Yuan Ba, this thing was found in the mountains near Dongting Lake, and it is most likely related to the mysterious "Si Ming Hui"!
It seems that I must go to Junshan when I have time.

Maybe we can find some clues.

Thinking of this, Li Yan quickly stood up, bowed and smiled, "Old sir, your knowledge is admirable, thank you very much."

"where."

Old Liu was a little flustered, and quickly stood up and said, "I just heard it from others, it's just a few stories, don't take it seriously."

Seeing that Li Yan and the other two were about to say goodbye and leave, he looked around and said hurriedly: "You two helped me to resolve the disaster, but I have nothing and I am short of money, so it is difficult for me to repay you. There will be a banquet later, and I would like to invite you all to go with me. How about it be a farewell banquet?"

Seeing the other party's eyes full of expectation, Wang Daoxuan couldn't refuse, so he smiled and said, "Old sir, what kind of banquet is this?"

Old Liu replied, "There is a wealthy family in the city, and their only grandson wants to take me as his father."

Seeing the surprised faces of Li Yan and the others, Old Liu shook his head and smiled bitterly, "Don't be afraid of you two laughing at me. Although I have had a hard life, I have at least seven or eight sons, if not ten."

"According to our local custom, it is easier to raise a child who is not very good. This is especially true for the only child in old age or the only son in several generations. For fear that the child will die in infancy, they will give him 'low-grade hair'."

"This 'lowly hair' means leaving a patch of hair on the top of the head called a broken tile and a small braid behind the head called a dog's tail, which means that the person is lowly and easy to feed. Not only that, they usually have to find someone who does lowly work to be worshipped as their father."

"I don't make any money from my business, but I have so many children. They don't come to visit me on weekdays, but they always send me some food during the Chinese New Year..."

"Oh I got it."

Wang Daoxuan smiled and said, "This custom is similar everywhere. In the northern regions, people worship trees and rocks as their godfathers and godmothers."

As he said that, he looked at Li Yan and smiled, "Brother Yan, I am a little greedy. Why don't we eat before leaving? There are many delicious foods in Ezhou."

"So good."

Li Yan smiled and nodded in agreement.

He knew that Wang Daoxuan was not just greedy, but was clearly trying to save the last bit of face left for Old Liu.

…………

What Old Liu said was correct. The family that regarded him as their father was indeed a wealthy family in the city, and they were engaged in transporting grain and running a grain shop.

The other party had a son in his old age, and was very happy. He appointed a godfather for his son, prepared a fine meal, and invited all the neighbors to the feast.

The banquet here is called "Da Wei Banquet", with eight dishes in each circle, which are served in eight rounds and are prepared with great care.

For example, the first round is eight fresh fruits, which are seasonal fruits, and the second round is eight snacks.

The third round is eight desserts, including lotus seed soup, glutinous rice dumplings, glutinous rice wine, soft-boiled eggs, etc. The fourth round is eight cold dishes, including braised pig ears, braised pig tongue, braised duck breast, and three cold dishes.

At this point, the wine started to be served, and the wine was the local specialty, rice wine.

The fifth round began to serve the main dishes: Ruyi meat cake, crystal dumplings, Buddha's hand salmon, braised whole chicken, sauced meat cubes...

The sixth round includes four mountain delicacies and four sea delicacies, the seventh round includes four rice dishes and four vegetarian dishes, and the eighth round includes four tea snacks.

People in Ezhou are hospitable and believe that whoever comes to your door is a guest. Even among the underworld, they believe that "a good man does not attack a guest who comes to his door."

After learning the identities of the people, people came to toast them one after another.

Li Yan and others had a good meal and drink.

Sha Lifei was a lively person. From landlords to peddlers, he was on friendly terms with everyone. He drank until his face flushed and his steps were a little unsteady. Just as Li Yan and his friends were about to leave, Sha Lifei came over with a man, arm in arm.

"Yan...Brother Yan."

Sharifei's tongue was tied when he spoke. He patted the man beside him and introduced him, "This... this is also a brother from Xuanmen. He was very polite and insisted on sending us to Yunyang Prefecture."

The man also said with a big tongue: "Okay...Okay, we are all brothers from all corners of the world. Friends from...outside states are here, we can't let them look down on us."

Li Yan frowned, "Is this brother from the Xuanmen?"

The man in front of me was wearing coarse cloth, was tall and strong, with a blackened and weather-beaten face. He was clearly a hard laborer on a boat. Moreover, there was no unusual evil aura on him. How could he be a member of the Xuanmen sect?
Especially those who are drunk, isn't it a joke to send them to Yunyang Prefecture?

"What...what? You look down on me!"

The man got anxious when he heard this, and he stiffened his neck and yelled, "Come on, come on, follow me... I'll go to the river, my boat is there, and I'll let you see my magic!"

Sharifei also cheered on the side, "Okay, it's up to my brother! Brother Yan...Brother Yan, don't underestimate my brother, he is the descendant of the ancient Huanlong clan!"

"Oh?"

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan looked at each other with serious expressions.

Having said that, they couldn't refuse, so they said goodbye to Old Liu and the host family, packed their luggage, and went to the riverside pier.

The man really did not lie. Although he was drunk and staggering, he steered the boat very steadily.

The other party was just an ordinary flat-bottomed boat. With a bamboo pole as a support, it went quite fast. Soon, Shangjin Ferry fell behind it and disappeared.

Li Yan laughed in silence, "Brother, aren't you going to perform a magic trick?"

He soon regretted saying this.

"Just look...just look!"

The man became excited when he heard this, and when he reached the shallow part of the river, he immediately pedaled hard on the boat, causing it to shake from side to side, making a loud noise.

"What are you doing?"

Sharifei got anxious when he saw this, "Are you trying to kill me for money?"

The man ignored him, made hand gestures, and chanted loudly: "Ankle, ankle, ankle, ankle, a big fish weighing 18 jin..."

Before he finished speaking, a school of fish gathered around him, floundering violently on the water. The man scooped up a few large fish with his net and threw them into the boat, saying proudly, "How is it? Isn't my magic pretty good?"

"With this technique, I won't have to worry about food at all."

Li Yan: “…”

"What, you still don't believe it?"

Seeing his appearance, the man immediately became anxious, "Look, I'll summon a dragon for you!"

Go ahead, he leaned over the edge of the boat, picked up a big fish and swung it left and right in the water, all the while making some mumbling sounds.

After a while, the head of the "dragon" really appeared on the surface of the river.

However, it was a pig dragon.

Foolishly, he grabbed the fish from the man's hand and was patted on the head a few times before he staggered into the water.

Li Yan: “…”

"How is it?" the man asked with a proud look on his face.

Li Yan helplessly clasped his hands and said, "Daoyou is proficient in magic, I am not as good as you!"

The man was satisfied and calmed down.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled when he saw this: "Huguang is prosperous, and the whole world is prosperous. It is true that I am not deceived. What a great people and beautiful land..."

As they were talking, the boat had already sailed into the wide water.

The sky and water are the same color, the green mountains on both sides are undulating, the blue waves are rippling, and it is a beautiful scenery.

On the river bank and hillside in the distance, the paddy fields are like terraces. People are already busy in the fields. On the ridges, there are folk fortune tellers leading the way, burning incense and paper. Drums and music are playing all around, and people are gathering to watch.

Sharifei asked curiously, "Is there a ritual going on over there?"

"That... that's called opening the rice seedling gate."

The man replied, "During the Spring Festival, every household will hold a ceremony to pull up rice seedlings. You are a great gentleman. Come on, I will show you."

As he spoke, he pushed the bamboo pole and the boat sped up.

On the nearby shore, someone was also "opening the rice gate".

The few people saw the sound of drums and music, and the Yin-Yang Master holding incense and chanting in a rhythmic manner: "When spring comes, all the grass grows. Please pray to the Great God of Rice Plants. The God of Rice Plants will come. Come early, don't wait. Come in the middle of the night..."

"It's a sacrifice to the millet god!"

Wang Daoxuan's expression immediately became solemn.

Although the words "Sheji" are often said together, Sheshi God and Ji God are two different things. Ji God is the god who blesses a good harvest.

The man was even more proud, "How about our master, his magic is amazing, right?"

Li Yan's face was no longer mocking, he said seriously:

"Amazing! I can't even compare to you..."

He knew that this was the root of the Xuanmen magic.

Protect all living things, bless good weather, good harvest...

When the sun set, finally, a big city slowly appeared in the distance...

(End of this chapter)