The Emperor is Above

Chapter 181: Autumn Festival at Lone Hill
It was nearly dusk.

The setting sun shines in through the window.

It formed mottled shadows in the room, causing Qing Yi to squint his eyes slightly.

The boy's hair was jet black and gleaming with a healthy luster, and his handsome face was enough to make a girl scream.

He held the sixth-grade talisman sword in both hands, turning it over and over to examine it carefully, but he still did not find any special changes.

Recalling the scene in the starry sky when the giant sword Hualing Duanhun took the talisman sword in his hand, more than a dozen runes on the sword were shining brightly. Perhaps the three sword auras were hidden in these runes.

He wanted to try to explore it, but was afraid of accidentally triggering the sword energy contained in it, which might not only cause the sword energy to be triggered prematurely, but also accidentally injure the villagers in the solitary hill.

Qing Yi sighed and could only suppress his curiosity. He solemnly hung the sixth-grade talisman sword around his waist again, hanging it side by side with the fourth-grade crocodile sword.

Before the four dragon-claw locust tree spirits wake up, this talisman sword is the last resort for the entire Solitary Hill to defend itself, and no negligence is allowed.

Looking around the hall, it was quiet. The civet cat, little fox, big rooster, little phoenix, and chickens had all dispersed in a happy mood since they left the God's spiritual realm.

The little fox was forced to have an inexplicable female master. He was helpless but obviously gained a lot of benefits. The civet cat and the big rooster also had their own gains, so it was not a wasted trip.

Qing Yi had just taken a step forward when he suddenly remembered something and slapped his head in annoyance: "Oh no, I was so busy asking Mu Ling about the four dragon claw locust tree spirits that I missed such an important question.

Didn't the Wangmang clan giants lose their clan's cultivation method long ago? The golden-armored giants in the huge painting in the Hundred Clans Temple were so powerful, and they had obviously undergone systematic cultivation.

Maybe the cultivation method of the Wangmang giants is recorded in the Hundred Clans Holy Temple. If that doesn’t work, Pan Qing can try to deduce their martial arts through the battle scenes of the golden armored giants.”

Thinking of this, Qing Yi couldn't help but look back at the spirit tablet of the God on the altar. It was too late to ask Mu Ling this time. He must remember to ask the God next time he entered the spirit realm on the first day of September.

This thought came to Qing Yi's mind not only because he was concerned about the giant Wangmang's skills, he also thought that since the ruins were the holy temple of hundreds of races, there must be skills for human beings to practice there.

Although the two cultivation techniques of Taiyi Body Tempering and Taiyi Guiding that Mu Ling had given me before were very effective, who knew if there were better ones in the temple?
“People are never satisfied!”

With a light sigh, he opened the half-open door of the main room and looked at the setting sun in the distance. The aroma of dinner was already wafting around the hilltop.

"Master, it's time for dinner—"

Da Niu, who had been waiting outside the main hall door, shouted at the top of his voice as soon as he saw Qing Yi. Erhei, who had just returned from school, was waiting in front of the dining table in an orderly manner, eagerly waiting for dinner to start.

When Qing Yi came to the dining table and sat down, Gongsun Wu, Jiang Ji, Dongmen Hu, Dongmen Bao, Chai Yong, Daniu, and the two giant boys sat down, and they didn't realize that there were so many people in their house.

"Young Master!"

As Aunt Bo brought Qing Yi's dinner to him, she said solemnly, "It is said that in governing people, the most urgent thing is to use etiquette. There are five principles of etiquette, and none is more important than sacrifice.

Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and tomorrow is the auspicious day for the Autumn Festival. Jiang Ji and I have already made many preparations for the festival in advance, and you will have to participate in the festival in person tomorrow."

"Thank you for your thoughtfulness, my aunt. This is the first autumn sacrifice at Guqiu Fengtu. Tomorrow I will offer sacrifice to my father and consolation him with the title of Sergeant!"

Even though he was not used to Xing State's emphasis on sacrifices, Qing Yi still thanked the two people very solemnly for their efforts. This is called actively integrating into the social environment.

The eight hundred states of the Great Shen Dynasty all ruled by rites. Even the Xing State, located in the northern wilderness, had many laws derived from rites. There were four sacrifices a year, and the two sacrifices in spring and autumn were especially important, known as the Spring and Autumn Grand Sacrifice. In the past few years, Qing Yi was underage and only a lower commoner, not a real noble official, so the rules for sacrifices were not strict.

Now Qing Yi has not only reached the age of fifteen and has become an adult, but he has also just been promoted to the rank of sergeant by the king, has forty private soldiers, and serves as the nominal chief of Guqiu Pavilion. With his elevated rank, the ceremony is naturally held with great ceremony.

The next morning, the entire Solitary Hill was preparing for the Autumn Festival, with hundreds of people busying themselves.

Next to Qing Yi's house are the newly built ancestral temple and imperial temple. Behind the ancestral temple is a three-story altar. Tuan Shigu led the craftsmen to build it in a simple and exquisite way.

Gongsun Wu, as the head of the household, presided over the grand sacrifice. He was dressed in a proper black robe, which made him look even more solemn and stern, but it attracted many enthusiastic girls to watch him.

"My goodness, handsome boys like Xiao Wu are more popular with girls!"

As a vassal and a commoner, Tun Shigu was not suitable to participate in the sacrifice to Qing Yi. In addition, due to the special circumstances, he did not return to the Tunqiu burial mound, and did not perform any sacrifices alone. He just stood not far away and watched the fun, envying Gongsun Wu's popularity.

"Uh-huh--"

The little fat boy Tun Kejin nodded in agreement. He also wanted to have the same handsome appearance and temperament as Gongsun Wu, but unfortunately he perfectly inherited his father's chubby figure, which made him feel a little depressed.

Before the two fat men, one big and one small, finished their words, San Ji's unhappy voice of questioning rang out from behind them: "Why, Tuan Shigu, do you also want many women to surround you and actively express their love to you?"

"Oh my, how can that be possible? My dear, you are the most precious thing in my life. Other women are like grass in my eyes. I don't even bother to look at them.

I am just worried about our Ke Jin's future. Not every woman has such good taste as you, who appreciates my inner beauty!"

Before his wife got angry, Tun Shigu erupted in the strongest desire to survive, skillfully changed the subject, and used a bunch of cheesy love words to coax San Ji into a smile.

This made the surrounding men in Guqiu admire him very much, but also attracted disdainful boos from women like Aunt Hua. However, this was completely ineffective in front of Tun Shigu's shamelessness.

"Boom boom boom——"

With the beating of cowhide drums, the Autumn Festival officially began, causing the noisy crowd around to suddenly quiet down and stand solemnly.

"The world has a king, who divides the land to establish a country, sets up a capital and a city, builds temples and altars, and offers sacrifices to him..."

Gongsun Wu presided over the sacrifice. As a Gongsun of Wei State, he had received complete etiquette instruction from Jiang Ji, and his words and deeds were simply perfect.

His expression was solemn, and his voice was as gentle as jade. "The nobles have two temples and one altar. One is the family temple, and the other is the father temple. They offer sacrifices only when they have tasted the food. There is no temple for the deceased father, but there are prayers and sacrifices are made on the altar. If the altar is removed, it will become a ghost.

Now there is Guqiu Yi, who has made great military achievements and numerous meritorious services. The king conferred him the title of lower rank, promoted him to middle rank, and then promoted him to senior rank. He held a grand autumn sacrifice to comfort his father and ancestors..."

As Gongsun Wu's clear voice rang out, Qing Yi, wearing the black robes of a superior officer and a black cap on his head, bowed with both hands, looked solemn, and slowly walked into the ancestral temple.

Dongmen Hu and Dongmen Bao led 40 private soldiers, fully armed and armored, to guard them on both sides. One hundred and fifty Guqiu militiamen, also dressed in bright armor and in neat formation, served as the accompanying ceremony army for the autumn sacrifice.

According to the order, first offer sacrifices to the ancestral temple, then to the temple of the ancestors, and finally to the altar. When all the procedures of the autumn sacrifice were completed, Qing Yi turned around and said loudly: "Wait a minute, I have something else to say."

PS: Although it’s a bit late, I still have the second update written, and will update it tomorrow.

(End of this chapter)