Knife splashing

Chapter 223 The Mystery of Xuanmen
Above the manuscript is the content about the national sacrifice ceremony.

When he was in Huashan, Yan Jiuling had briefly stated his guess, and now it is made clearer in the manuscript.

Yan Jiuling was a Confucian scholar and had some knowledge of Taoism, but he was not an expert, so many of his decisions were based on Confucian classics.

That is "The Book of Zhou".

What is "ritual"? Broadly speaking, it refers to all the institutional etiquette that governs the functioning of humanity.

Therefore, rituals are the basis for governing all things and are the foundation for the functioning of a country.

"Ritual" is not static. Once a country loses order or does not conform to the development of the times, rituals and music will collapse, leading to a humanitarian disaster.

The first few manuscripts are somewhat abstract, and ordinary people may be confused after reading them. They require years of study and understanding.

But when Li Yan used his previous life's perspective, it became easy to understand.

The so-called "ritual" also includes production relations, hierarchy, distribution of benefits, etc. Once the production relations are inconsistent with productivity, problems will naturally arise, triggering changes.

For example, "The Book of Zhou Rites", originally named "The Book of Zhou Officials", is divided into four parts: Heaven Officials, Earth Officials, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter Officials. Later, Confucianists extended the meaning of "ritual", and "The Book of Zhou Officials" naturally became "The Book of Zhou Rites".

So going further back, did the Xia and Shang dynasties have no "rituals"?

Of course!
It is recorded in the "Records of the Grand Historian: The Basic Annals of the Five Emperors" that Yao ordered Shun to be regent and "revise the five rituals" and Shun ordered Boyi to be the chief minister and "regulate the three rituals."

Therefore, Yan Jiuling put forward an idea that the concept of state emerged because of "ritual", was conceived in ancient times, and formed in the "Three Dynasties".

Of course, this is all history on the surface.

To trace back the mystery, we must seek the origin.

The origin of "ritual" comes from worshiping gods and is derived from the witchcraft of ancient tribes. Like today's Taoism, it is used to predict, avoid taboos, and resolve certain phenomena.

Later, it gradually developed into various ceremonies of auspiciousness, ominousness, military affairs, guests, and joy. For example, the "ominous" ceremony is today's funeral, which gave rise to such professions as palanquin bearers, paper-making craftsmen, and Yin-Yang masters in the Xuanmen.

This is the foundation of the Xuanmen system.

The reason why orthodox religions are called orthodox religions is because they control the "rituals" of this era. For example, Taixuan Orthodox Religion controls the rituals of national sacrifices, while Confucianism and miscellaneous religions control the rituals of all officials and national systems.

Human disaster is the change of "etiquette"!

Every time there is a social change, there is a secret struggle among the Taoists.

For example, in ancient times, witchcraft controlled the world, and the Battle of the Gods was probably the afterglow of witchcraft, which then slowly declined.

Many signs indicate that in the early Zhou Dynasty, efforts were made to erase the "rituals" of the Shang Dynasty, relocate the "stubborn people of Yin", destroy the capital of Yin, fill in Shang tombs, and eliminate the ritual of human sacrifice.

Afterwards, Zhou lost its rituals and many heroes fought for supremacy. With the change of dynasties, Xuanmen also gradually changed and formed the current situation.

These are things that can be found in historical materials.

What really shocked Li Yan were the two questions and speculations raised by Yan Jiuling.

One question comes from the "Classic of Mountains and Seas", which records many rare and exotic animals, and that gods live with humans, and witches and kings are one.

They usually have a title, "Emperor".

Those rare treasures in this era are the so-called treasures of heaven and earth, but their numbers are far less astonishing than before.

What happened in this process?
The other is the Shang Dynasty of the Zhou Dynasty.

Although no specific records were left during the Xia and Shang dynasties, we can learn from a few fragments of evidence that they believed in "God," a fusion of ancestral gods and heaven, and they worshipped human sacrifice.

After the Zhou Dynasty, "God" gradually became blurred into "Heaven."

Since then, theocracy has declined and the gods have gone away.

Yan Jiuling deduced two key nodes based on the time.

The Battle of the Gods,

big flood!
After the great flood, there is no more "Emperor" in China!
Before the Conferred Gods, the Divine Land worshipped ghosts and gods and loved human sacrifices. After the Conferred Gods, theocracy was gradually suppressed by imperial power.

The so-called deification may not be "conferring a deity".

But it’s “banned”!
At the end, Yan Jiuling even joked in the manuscript that these were all wild thoughts and he didn't even dare to publish them for fear of being ridiculed by his fellow teachers and being laughed at as a madman.

But when Li Yan saw it, he was extremely shocked.

The ancient group of alchemists excavated the remains of the Fengshen and summarized the "Changsheng Xianku". Each method was bloody and cruel, and required sacrifices to the devil.

These demons were suppressed in Luofeng Mountain.

Could they be the gods who were imprisoned during the Conferred Gods War?
There is also the mysterious "God Ascender".
Is it related to these ancient histories?

For a moment, Li Yan felt dizzy.

He had an inexplicable feeling.
I was afraid that I had come into contact with the true secrets of Xuanmen.

"Master Li."

At this moment, a timid voice interrupted his thoughts. It turned out to be the maid of the Yan family who had come to the study room at some point.

The maid's eyes were full of awe. "The banquet is ready, and there are guests at the mansion. The master invites you to the front hall for the banquet."

"Oh."

Li Yan rubbed his swollen temples and followed the maid out of the courtyard. Looking at the sky again, it was getting dark, and it was already dusk.

"Hahaha, good news..."

Before reaching the front hall, I heard hearty laughter.

When I walked into the hall, I saw that a table had been set up.

There are many varieties and the selection is dazzling, it looks very rich.

In addition to Yan Boyan, there was another man sitting at the table.

The man was in his prime, with a sturdy build, broad shoulders, a square face, thick eyebrows and big eyes, and a sharp gaze.

He was wearing a dark brown shorts with an open collar, revealing his bronze skin, black coarse cloth trousers with the legs tucked into black leggings, and heavy leather boots covered in mud.

His face was weather-beaten, as if he had been traveling for a long time.

More importantly,
There is no peculiar smell on the other person.

This is a master of Dan!
Li Yan immediately became alert.

Seeing him enter the hall, Yan Boyan immediately stood up with a smile and said, "Brother Lei, let me introduce you."

"This is Mr. Li from Guanzhong, and he is also my son's good friend. My wife's illness was cured by him."

"Young Master Li, this is Lei Zhen from Huangmei County, the head of the Yue Family Fist, and also my best friend."

No wonder…

Li Yan hurriedly bowed respectfully, "Greetings, Senior Lei."

Yue Family Fist originated from Yue Family Army and was created by Yue Wumu. It was introduced to the public by his sons Yue Zhen and Yue Ting when they settled in Huangmei, Ezhou, and has been passed down to this day.

It is also a well-known martial art in Ezhou.

In Ezhou, there is Wudang within the territory, Shaolin to the north, and Emei to the west. None of the boxing styles that have survived in this gap and have been passed down to this day should be underestimated.

Yue Family Fist originated from the military and is famous for its actual combat skills.

The movements are simple, with amazing lethality, and the footwork is straightforward, but it still pays attention to the virtual and the real, with the saying of seven virtual and seven real.

Although Li Yan had heard of it before, he had never seen it.

"Guanzhong?"

Lei Zhen frowned slightly and said thoughtfully, "Senior Zhang Xiaoshan from Yunyang Prefecture went to Chang'an for a banquet during the New Year. When he came back, he told me that there was a young swordsman who killed a bully on the street during the Lantern Festival. But was it you?"

Li Yan clasped his fists and said, "It is me. I have also met that old senior Zhang Xiaoshan once."

"Hahaha, good!"

Upon hearing this, Lei Zhen immediately laughed and said, "Killing people in the street and delivering medicine thousands of miles away, the chivalrous spirit of the young men in Chang'an remains the same!" "Thank you for your praise, senior."

"Come on, come on, sit down."

After some pleasantries, Yan Boyan pulled Li Yan to sit down.

The old man was obviously in a very good mood. He personally picked up an old wine jar, slapped the mud seal and said with a smile: "This Tusu wine was originally used for New Year sacrifices, but I was in a bad mood at the time and my family had all left, so I didn't open it. It's just right for entertaining guests."

After saying that, he poured a bowl for each of the three people.

Tu Su wine was created by Sun Yaowang and is considered a medicinal wine. Together with Jiao Bai wine, it is used as a sacrificial offering during the New Year.

Su Che wrote in "New Year's Day": "I drink Tu Su every year, and without realizing it, I am over seventy years old."

Li Yan had a keen sense of smell and saw that the wine was amber in color with a faint medicinal aroma. After Yan Boyan persuaded him to drink it, he found that it did not taste bitter at all, but rather had a mellow aroma.

Even Lei Zhen, who was standing by, drank it in one gulp, smacked his lips and praised, "Excellent craftsmanship, is this from the cellar of General Du, the Wine General?"

Yan Boyan smiled and said, "That's right."

Lei Zhen was immediately happy, "Old Man Du is old, and his apprentices have been doing the work for him for a long time. The wine he brewed himself is becoming less and less."

"I didn't expect Brother Yan to have such a good thing hidden. It seems that I am also benefiting from Brother Li's help."

Yan Boyan laughed in silence, "What nonsense are you talking about? I only got two jars. If you want to drink it, you can finish it today!"

The wine is good, and the food is naturally not bad either.

There is winter melon and turtle skirt soup, which is made by carefully stewing turtle skirt and winter melon. The soup is fresh and delicious. There is also Panlong dish with beautiful shape.

Chicken minced fish maw with pen holder fish maw is a combination of chicken minced fish and precious pen holder fish maw, which combines the smoothness of fish maw with the delicacy of chicken minced fish.

There are also Erhuitou, Sanhui Babao, Qianzhangrou...

These are all Jingyi dishes from Hubei cuisine. Yan Boyan obviously hired a master to cook them, and they are delicious and fragrant.

Even though Li Yan had eaten a lot at noon, his appetite was still aroused. He took a sip of wine and a bite of food, and his eyebrows were curved while he ate.

Just this banquet makes today's trip worthwhile.

Yan Boyan was in a good mood. He toasted the two men repeatedly. After a few drinks, he was a little tipsy. He sighed, "My son made a friend who came thousands of miles to deliver medicine. I made a friend who came day and night to help. This life is worth it..."

"What depressing words you are saying!"

Lei Zhen drank a bowl of wine, murderous intent gradually rising in his eyes, "These barbarians, the court has treated them with many favors, but they still raise troops to cause chaos. We should have suppressed them long ago!"

"Also, they didn't dare to ask the imperial army for help, but instead sent gangsters to attack the Yan family. They are truly evil."

"Brother Yan, rest assured. My affairs in the northwest have been resolved. I will stay with you in the Yan Mansion and see which bastard dares to come to our house!"

Before he finished speaking, Li Yan frowned slightly, suddenly stood up and whispered: "Hold your breath, someone is poisoning!"

Afterwards, the servants and guards standing at the door in the distance all staggered and fell to the ground.

"How brave!"

"Little brother, protect Brother Yan!"

Lei Zhen didn't expect that just after he uttered the harsh words, someone would come and slap him in the face. He immediately became annoyed, paused, and then flew out.

Li Yan was about to take action, but seeing this, he stopped following and took out the Divine Tiger Order, and quickly made a spell, "Nuo Gao, open the great-grandson Wang Jia alone, Liujia Qinglong..."

It is the "Northern Emperor's Mountain Climbing Technique".

This mountaineering technique is a hidden method used to avoid demons, monsters and ferocious beasts.

But Li Yan had other uses.

Call ~
As soon as the mountain climbing technique was used, there was a howling wind all around, which made the flowers and plants in the hall sway and the pieces of paper fly everywhere.

However, Li Yan did not move his fingers, deliberately prolonging the casting time.

What the other party used was an invisible poisonous mist with a very faint smell. It was blown into the courtyard with the evening breeze and was very secretive.

And Li Yan just blew it away.

On the other side, Lei Zhen’s speed was even more astonishing.

He is a master in holding the elixir. His energy does not leak out, so he is naturally not afraid of the poisonous fog. When he holds the elixir in a circle, his strength will not be interrupted.

Swish!
He jumped out of the front hall, took a step of seven or eight meters, and came to the patio. He did not go through the main gate, but instead used the power of his legs to jump three meters high, stepped on the corridor column, and used the force to flip over the courtyard wall.

When Li Yan saw it, he secretly praised it.

What he was praising was not the other party's skills, as he could now do things like climbing over the beam. What he was praising was the other party's experience.

He had already activated his magical powers and smelled a few people holding crossbows outside the gate, so he waited for the door to open so he could shoot arrows.

Lei Zhen has no supernatural powers, he only relies on his experience in the martial arts world to make the best choice.

As expected, none of those who can reach the stage of Baodan are mediocre.

On the other side, Lei Zhen jumped onto the beam, picked up a few tiles and threw them out.

With his strength, the tiles even made a whistling sound.

Opposite the gate, there were several men in black holding bows and crossbows. They felt the sound of wind and the loud bangs, and their heads shattered like watermelons.

"Humph!"

Lei Zhen snorted coldly and swept his cold eyes around.

Soon, he realized something was wrong.

The surrounding streets had become empty at some point, and there were still candle lights in the distance, but it seemed that everyone was deliberately avoiding this place.

rustling…

There was a rustling sound on the ground, and a large number of poisonous snakes swarmed in from all directions, soon filling the entire street.

At the same time, an old beggar appeared in the distance, carrying an erhu on his back, limping slowly towards them.

In the darkness, a pair of eyes were faintly flashing red light.

Seeing this person, Lei Zhen seemed to be thinking about something, and said in a cold voice: "Who are you from the Beggars' Sect? Tell me your name!"

"A downtrodden person, a nameless person..."

The old man coughed, stopped at the street corner, took off his erhu from his back, sat cross-legged on the ground, and said calmly: "Yue family's thunderous fist? I am not here to cause trouble for the Yan family today."

"The kid hiding in the Yan family took something he shouldn't have taken. Let him hand it over, and I can spare his life."

Lei Zhen was slightly stunned. He didn't expect such a big fuss, but he came to find Li Yan.

Although he felt strange, he would never give in. He said coldly, "You don't want to tell me? I'll arrest you first and then ask you clearly!"

Before he finished speaking, he jumped down, ran quickly along the courtyard wall, and in no time he was near the old beggar.

His figure flashed, as fast as light and shadow, and he slapped down with one palm.

Due to its specific historical background, Yue Family Boxing requires "showing mercy without taking action, and showing no mercy when taking action."

This move is called "Attending a banquet with a single sword, subduing dragons and subduing tigers". It combines body shape, techniques, and terrain, and has various variations. It is like taking the head of a general in the midst of thousands of troops. It is an absolute killing move.

As a master of Baodan and a senior in the martial arts world, Lei Zhen has naturally encountered many sorcerers and is very experienced.

He also carries a protective magic weapon that can resist ordinary spells. As long as he gets close to the sorcerer, even the most powerful sorcerer will be killed by him.

However, the old beggar did not dodge.

Bang!
Lei Zhen slapped down with his palm, but hit nothing.

The old beggar has turned into smoke and disappeared...

(End of this chapter)