Knife splashing

Chapter 348: Zhongyuan Rising from Yinshan

There are three major ghost festivals in China.
They are Qingming Festival, Zhongyuan Festival and Cold Clothes Festival.

Qingming originated from the ancient spring festival. It was a "tomb sacrifice" ceremony in the Zhou Dynasty. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Cold Food Festival appeared to commemorate Jie Zitui. The customs of the two gradually overlapped.

Since the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of Tang officially issued an edict to change the Cold Food Festival to Qingming Festival, and designated it as the day for tomb sweeping and ancestor worship. Since then, it has gradually developed into customs such as outing, tomb sweeping, swinging, and flying kites...

The Cold Clothes Festival originated in the Zhou Dynasty. The Book of Songs says, "The fire flies in July, and clothes are given in September." Therefore, on this day, people should buy warm clothes, worship their ancestors, and burn cold clothes for their ancestors...

Therefore, in comparison, Zhongyuan Festival is the real ghost festival.

In Taoism, the Sanyuan Festival is the birthday of the Three Emperors. Therefore, the Heavenly Official bestows blessings during the Shangyuan Festival, the Earthly Official pardons sins during the Zhongyuan Festival, and the Water Official relieves disasters during the Xiayuan Festival.

In Buddhism, Maudgalyayana, a disciple of Sakyamuni, held the Ullambana Festival on July 15th to offer sacrifices to monks from all directions in order to save his mother from the suffering of the hungry ghost realm.

Therefore, during the Ghost Festival, both the Taoist sect and the general public will hold sacrifices.

People worship their ancestors, burn paper money, and release river lanterns...

Buddhists hold the Yulan Festival, chanting sutras, reciting the Buddha's name, chanting mantras, and performing the Yimakou ritual to pray for the deceased and wish them to be reborn in the Pure Land as soon as possible. People will donate food and clothing to support the monks who participate in the festival...

The Taoist sect also holds ceremonies to pray for the deceased...

…………

Many people gathered at the Shenjiabao Wharf, and straw and paper boats with candles lit floated into the river in large numbers.

In the distance, river lanterns were floating in all directions, and the twinkling candlelight was equivalent to the black lake surface, just like the reflection of the starry sky.

There was also an altar by the river, with incense burning and many tributes piled up. Wang Daoxuan, wearing a Taoist robe, struck a wooden fish and chanted in a low voice: "Qingling Dongyang, in the Northern Capital Palace, the 42 departments of the department, with 90 million people, are in charge of the three realms, the ten directions and the nine lands, and control the five mountains, the eight poles and the four dimensions..."

What he recited was the Precious Edict of the God of Earth, to which he bowed with all his heart.

Many people in the Shen family died this year. Shen Jinghong's father and eldest brother were buried, but the people from the second and third rooms did not dare to make a big announcement. They only dared to bury them secretly and reveal the matter after the family business was stable.

Although the quarrel between the two sides was ugly, they were from the same family after all. Shen Jinghong felt uncomfortable, so he informed Wang Daoxuan in advance and invited him to come down the mountain to perform a ritual during the Ghost Festival to pray for the souls of the dead.

In front of the altar, the people around prayed sincerely, took some offerings from the altar, broke them into pieces and threw them into the river.

What they didn't know was that the thunder punishment some time ago not only killed "Shirou", but also destroyed all the wronged souls and evil spirits that had accumulated in Liangzi Lake for thousands of years.

All the tributes thrown into the water were fed to the fish and shrimp.

After the death of the "visual meat", the charred flesh left behind, although it smelled bad, was indeed a delicacy for all kinds of creatures in the lake, and even attracted fish and shrimp from the surrounding rivers and lakes.

The tribute was sprinkled down, and the fish school suddenly prospered.

This kind of scene was not seen in previous years. When the people around saw it, they thought it was the wronged souls of evil spirits transformed into fish to grab food, and they hurriedly recited scriptures silently to pray for the dead souls to be reincarnated.

On the other side of the river, far away from the crowd, Sharifei looked at the lights and boats in the distance and asked in surprise, "Those places are Miao villages, right? Do they also have this custom?"

Shen Jinghong, who was standing beside him, quickly explained, "These are all Miao people. They have a lot of dealings with the Han people. Although they are quite defensive, they have intermarried over the years and their customs have long been similar."

After that, he asked absentmindedly, "Young Master Li, are you really unable to come tonight?"

He asked Wang Daoxuan to perform a ritual, and he also had some ulterior motives, he wanted to treat Li Yan and the others to a meal and build good relationships.

Sharifei laughed, "Brother Yan has other important matters, so I won't bother you. To be honest, we will leave tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, and this time we go down the mountain to say goodbye."

"Ah, you all want to leave?" Shen Jinghong suddenly felt a little flustered.

Sharifei shook his head and said, "We are people of the Jianghu, we are used to wandering around, there will always be a day of separation."

"Thank you for taking care of me during this period, Mr. Shen. Brother Yan asked me to tell you something. If the Shen family wants to prosper in the future, they should build good relationships with the officials in the Ministry of Industry and wait for the opportunity..."

Shen Jinghong was stunned. "What time?"

The main offices of the Ministry of Works were all concentrated in the capital. Although there were officials and clerks appointed from various places, they were all under the management of the government offices.

To be honest, even if the Shen family has declined, it is still the most popular member of the Chamber of Commerce. I really can't understand what benefit there is in establishing good relations with those petty officials who have no real power.

"The secret cannot be leaked."

Sharifei had no idea and could only make up a lie.

…………

Dozens of miles away, in a river in the mountains.

Wow!
The river water surged, and a huge black fish emerged from the water. It shook its head and a wet package fell on the grass on the shore.

Lu San hurried forward to pick it up. After opening the package, he found several pieces of dark wood inside. They had a fine texture and emitted a sinister aura.

He put the package away and muttered something in the upper language. The black fish flicked its tail and disappeared into the water.

Lu San collected the things and placed them in the large backpack behind Wu Ba, which was filled with various stones and branches of spiritual trees.

The black fish just now is the blackhead king, the wild god in the lake.

After Lu San got acquainted with this wild god, he also got to know many wild gods and monsters in the nearby mountains and rivers.

These things are not very powerful, and they are only able to practice in this remote place. If they were near a big city like Wuchang, they would have been killed long ago. Even so, they only dare to practice in secret on weekdays.

Seeing that it was not easy for them to practice, Lu San came up with an idea and introduced all these wild gods and monsters to Master Crocodile.

Master Tuo is seeking the position of the water god of Han River and helping the imperial court fight against various old monsters on the Yangtze River. He is short of manpower.

With the joining of these mountain spirits and wild monsters, a lot of trouble can be saved, and when the imperial court confer gods in the future, these spirits and wild gods will also have a place to stand.

Therefore, even though Li Yan and others were hiding in the mountains to practice, they were still able to grasp a lot of information from the outside world.

Besides this, Master Tu also had something to ask for.

Knowing that they were going to Mount Wudang, Master Tu sent his disciples to look for spiritual materials everywhere in order to exchange them for a treasure from Mount Wudang.

This matter still needs the mediation of Li Yan and others.

After doing all this, Lu San turned his head and looked towards the valley in the distance.

In the valley, the cliffs were full of holes, where ancient and dilapidated coffins were placed. At this moment, the wind was howling, and faintly a plaintive singing could be heard in the wind.

In a pit on the cliff, the entrance was blocked by a wall of rocks and mud, and there were densely packed lotus lanterns inside. Li Yan was sitting cross-legged with a hook letter, a divine tiger order, and a dust-breaking knife in front of him. Six soul-breaking flying knives were stuck on the ground around him, vaguely forming a Bagua formation.

He sat cross-legged in the middle, constantly making hand gestures with his hands.

He discovered this place by accident.

According to Shen Jinghong, there was once a large Miao tribe here, and it was rumored that they were descendants of the ancient Sanmiao ethnic group.

This is a naive Miao family that still retains ancient customs and does not interact with outsiders. During the Daxing period of the previous dynasty, the entire clan moved to the Miao area in western Hunan to avoid war.

This place is their ancestral tomb. Because strange things often happen here, such as ghost walls and evil spirits, even the Miao people near Liangzi Lake are unwilling to get close to it.

Li Yan came here and immediately found out the reason.

According to Miao customs, those who die suddenly need to be cremated.

If an adult is unmarried and has no children, or if he suddenly falls ill, the coffin needs to be placed in a deep valley or distant forest where few people go, or on a cliff. This is called wind burial.

Most people need to be buried on a cliff.

After all, this place is the ancestral cemetery and should have been protected by the Miao gods. However, after the Miao people moved away, it became an ominous place over time.

Lu San had come with him and said that he could hear occasional wailing sounds coming from the cremation pottery jars, and that there were things on the top of the cliff singing in the middle of the night. Many cliff tombs were occupied by wandering ghosts.

And this kind of place is just right for Li Yan to practice.

In short, the Northern Emperor Yinshan Method is to artificially simulate the netherworld and cultivate with the help of external forces. As he continued to make hand gestures, a cold earthy air rose from the ground, and the surrounding wind whistled, quickly condensing into white frost.

Outside the cave, various crying and wailing sounds became louder and louder.

There were dense footprints on the ground, some were stained with blood, some were charred black, and blurry figures also appeared in the hazy fog.

In this world, lonely ghosts are very pitiful. They live in hell during the day and can only come out at night. When the strong wind blows, their souls will fly away.

The netherworld environment simulated by the "Northern Emperor Yinshan Method" is warmer and more attractive to them than living people, so they naturally flock to it crazily.

Unfortunately, the formations set up by Li Yan's several magical instruments prevented them from getting close and they could only wander outside the cave.

As Li Yan's hand gestures changed, he felt the darkness around him pressing in. There was a dead silence between heaven and earth. Only the dim soul lamp was guarding the immortal consciousness.

He concentrated his mind and entered into a state of meditation, and once again came to the meditation space.

The ocean of yin energy below has expanded more than four times since the successful construction of the two-story building on Mount Hua, and it roars and roars as the yin energy surges.

Luofeng Mountain has also grown three times taller, standing majestically in the sea. The two-story divine palace on the top of the mountain has also grown several times larger without anyone noticing.

This is a sign of a deep foundation.

The stronger the foundation, the taller the building.

Inside the two levels of the shrine, the gods enshrined opened their eyes at the same time, walked out of the shrine and looked up at the sky.

Because of practicing "Northern Emperor Yinshan Method", the sky had long been dyed dark by the dense earth yin energy, as if dark clouds were pressing down and were about to crush this space at any time.

This is the danger of "Northern Emperor Yinshan Law". If one cannot withstand the evil energy of heaven and earth while practicing it, his consciousness will be shattered.

Li Yan had practiced this for several times and was already familiar with this situation. Even though the wind was howling around him, he remained calm and slowly practiced the magic formula.

I don’t know how long it took, but under the pressure of the earth’s yin energy, the ocean of yin energy below began to expand again.

As the ocean of Yin energy expanded, Luofeng Mountain also slowly rose, and the Shenque Palace above it was also wrapped by the gathered Yin energy.

Finally, the strong energy dissipated, and the foundation of Shenque expanded a little more.

Originally, with such a violent ascension, Shenque would be very unstable, but the blessing of the White Emperor obtained from Huashan and the innate Gengjin energy formed beams and pillars, preventing Shenque from collapsing.

When Li Yan saw this, he couldn't help but feel happy.

According to the Taoist priest on Mount Huashan, this innate Gengjin energy can be used to enhance the power of weapons and martial arts.

But he absorbed so much that it was difficult to draw it out, and he could only use it in a few accidental situations.

Now it seems that the power of his thunder magic is strong enough, and the most suitable use of these innate Gengjin energies is to stabilize the Shenque.

The difficulty of practicing "Luofeng Jing" lies in the fact that the cultivation level required to build each floor is far more profound than that of ordinary methods.

After the three-story building is completed, a layer of Luofeng Six Palaces will be formed on this basis, which will increase the difficulty again.

At this point, Li Yan finally met the standards for building a building.

Outsiders only thought that he had already reached such a realm at such a young age, but they did not know that his skills were more powerful and more difficult.

After the training, Li Yan slowly opened his eyes. The darkness around him dissipated, a thick layer of white frost had condensed in the cave, and dozens of soul lamps had burned out.

Outside the cave, the cold wind gradually died down, but the wandering ghosts were still unwilling to give up and were still wandering outside.

Li Yan stretched out his hand to grasp the Divine Tiger Order, but stopped halfway and shook his head, saying, "Today is the Ghost Festival, so there is no need to embarrass you."

After saying that, he stood up and took the Cloud Thunder God Drum outside the formation, pinched his fingers, entered the taboo, and gently clapped it, chanting at the same time: "Nuo Gao! Heaven saves people, strictly controls Beifeng, the God receives the order, sweeps away all evil. The eight powers spit out poison, the four fierce horses..."

This is "The Northern Emperor's Technique of Eliminating Disasters".

The greatest function of this method is to resolve negative states such as being cursed, being in trouble, and being possessed by ghosts.

It's called "eliminating disasters", but it doesn't mean to kill, but to break these negative spells by dispersing resentment and evil spirits, so it can also be used to comfort souls.

At this point, he has learned all the techniques of the first two levels of Beidi's magic.

Boom boom boom!
As the spells and drums sounded, the footprints outside stood still and then disappeared with the falling leaves.

Lonely ghosts are formed by the condensation of evil spirits from resentment. Once the resentment dissipates, the souls will naturally return to the earth...

…………

The waterway on the Han River is becoming increasingly busy.

Nowadays, there are two places where the Yangtze River water transportation is most active.

One is the main route of the Yangtze River. The navy of Dongting and Wuchang had to transport food and grass to Yichang. One was to support the garrison in Zigui County, and the other was to communicate with Sichuan and Shu where the situation was becoming increasingly serious.

The second is the Han River.

There are now 200,000 troops of the imperial court stationed in Yunyang Prefecture. They have already conquered most of the Jingchu mountains and forests, but the daily consumption of food and fodder is also extremely alarming.

"Be careful, there's going to be a collision with a ship!"

"Fuck you, the guy in front is crazy!"

On the Han River, a transport ship suddenly changed lanes, went off course, and collided directly with a nearby ship.

With a loud bang, the two ships collided, the bow and flank were broken, and the boatman on the boat was shocked and fell into the water.

Also falling into the water were large bags of food on the boat.

The bow that was hit was so angry that it started cursing, then its face turned pale and it sat down on the deck, wanting to cry but without tears.

All these grains are to be transported to Yunyang Prefecture.

Once something goes wrong, even if it is not his fault, he will be implicated, and the compensation alone can bankrupt him.

At this time, the water on the river surged, and one alligator after another floated to the surface with bags of food in their mouths and came to the side of the boat.

"Thank you, Alligator God! Thank you, Alligator God!"

The captain's face was filled with surprise and he kowtowed to express his gratitude immediately.

The crocodile god on the Han River is the most effective nowadays. He often rescues people who fall into the water. Unexpectedly, he would meet him today.

He ordered the men to put away the food and throw all the pork on the boat into the water. After expressing his gratitude, the captain jumped angrily onto the opposite boat.

These grains have been soaked in water. When they arrive at the next dock, they will be dried as soon as possible and then another batch of grain can be dispatched to replace them so that they will not be affected.

But the losses are indeed considerable.

We must make amends to these idiots!

However, when he jumped on board, he realized something was wrong.

There was a dead silence on the boat. Both the passengers in the cabin and the boatman fell to the ground, motionless.

The man at the bow swallowed his saliva and carefully turned one person over.

"Oh my god!"

The scene before him frightened him so much that he fell to the ground.

The dead boatman's face was ashen, and within a short period of time, his eyes and mouth were covered with moss...

(End of this chapter)