Day and night tour

Chapter 321 The Second Passage
Awang was even more confused and asked, "High Priest, you saved my life today, it is reasonable for you to ask me for it back, but how about dying openly?

How can one die honorably? "

"How are you going to do this in the original plan to investigate the Nine Serpent God?"

"Become a sacrifice to the Nine Snake God in Liuyun Village." Awang said honestly.

"Isn't this a fair death?"

Zhou Xuan gently pressed on Awang's shoulder and said, "When Shijiazhai wants to offer sacrifices, you will take the initiative to serve and let your flesh and blood be sent to the altar..."

After hearing this, Awang wanted to ask something, but Zhou Xuan had already turned around and went back to the "Gangfeng Cave". After walking a few steps, he turned back and said, "Awang, you admitted to me that you have a bone god index finger, right?"

"Correct."

"When your flesh and blood are on the altar, remember to use it. Don't be so naive and honest as to sacrifice your life."

Awang suddenly understood that the high priest did not want him to really die, but to "fake his death".

He immediately agreed happily and said, "I understand, High Priest."

"It's good if you understand."

Zhou Xuan strode into the cave. He had his own plan. This joint blood sacrifice was to kill Gong Zheng. He was now "drunk on other things". After entering the Gangfeng Cave, he felt something unusual besides Gong Zheng's arrival...

……

In the Gangfeng Cave, there was an extra chair next to the musician and the painter, which was reserved for Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan sat on a chair and watched the joint blood sacrifice.

Honestly speaking, Zhou Xuan felt physically uncomfortable watching this blood sacrifice. The sacrifices in each of the sixteen Yin Halls were truly horrifying and bizarre.

For example, the Baihe Village offered a plate of human tongues. The tongues were cut off one by one, and they jumped and bounced back and forth in the black lacquer tray like a lively fish, and even made a beautiful singing sound...

The White Tiger Village offered internal organs in a basket filled with cow grass, which was carried on the back of a young woman. During the offering, the internal organs seemed to come alive and drilled blood holes into the young woman's body one after another.
As her body became more and more broken, her beauty became brighter. If her horrible body was concealed, she would be no less beautiful than the most beautiful courtesan in Mingjiang Mansion... The woman was the real sacrifice...

Each sacrifice was "made" in a stone chamber at the back of each village. The stone chamber was covered with a cloth curtain. During the making process, the extremely smelly blood splattered, making the cloth curtain dark in color.

In addition, Zhou Xuan's powerful perception made him more sensitive to the fact that the passage that was opened was not only the one between the sky and the human world, but also another passage that was quietly opened underground...

"Cough cough!"

The painter, who was drinking tea, occasionally coughed and looked not very well.

Obviously, he also didn't like the primitive violence in these blood sacrifice shrines.

Mingjiang Prefecture is a civilized city, and the blood sacrifice ritual, which is regarded as barbaric, has long been incompatible with the increasingly modernized Mingjiang.

Precisely because of this gap, Mingjiang Prefecture issued a policy many years ago, explicitly banning blood sacrifices... and then all the major prefectures followed suit and jointly boycotted it.

"Master Hua, since you hate the Yintang blood sacrifice so much, why don't you just ban it and cut off the connection between these mountain barbarians and the evil gods?"

King Xishan noticed the painter's embarrassment and spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"Don't be too hasty in doing things," the painter added.

"But I feel that Master Hua is reluctant to part with it."

King Xishan sneered again, "When it comes to blood sacrifice, which underworld Yin Hall is as brutal as you, Gu Lao? Your hall's abilities, such as digging out hearts and cutting out flesh, are not as decent as the scene on the altar."

The musician frowned and sneered, "We are only harming ourselves, not like them, playing with other people's lives."

"To humiliate yourself is worse than toying with other people's lives. Your body and hair are given by your parents, so how can you damage them?" King Xishan lowered his head and spoke the most stern words in the laziest, most vicissitudes of life and weak voice.

When Zhou Xuan heard this, he felt that King Xishan was very difficult to deal with.

"Scholar Li, you have studied hard and must be familiar with the ancient rituals of blood sacrifice. Please judge for yourself whether your group of elders is justified in hating this blood sacrifice ancestral temple."

King Xishan turned his attention to "Li Chengfeng". Although he had guessed that Zhou Xuan was hidden in Li Chengfeng's body, he did not break the window paper and did not point it out.

Zhou Xuan frowned and said, "You have reason to be disgusted."

"Oh? I want to hear where this idea comes from."

King Xishan was somewhat looking forward to meeting Zhou Xuan. Now that they were communicating in a strange state, he was naturally willing to chat more.

"Nowadays, Mingjiang Prefecture, and even the entire Jing Kingdom, have begun to be civilized. The lives of the common people are so good. They no longer roll dry tobacco, but smoke cigarettes.
With trams, bicycles, and cars for transportation, and electric lights and radios becoming more common, people’s lives have changed and become more comfortable. However, if they encounter human or flesh-and-blood sacrifices, they are more or less terrified.
Since civilization has become a rolling wheel, there is no need to mention the practices of the barbaric era. If you encounter it again, isn't it normal to be disgusted by blood?"

When King Xishan heard this, he snorted coldly and said, "In my opinion, that is forgetting one's ancestors. The incense and gods of Jing Country are composed of blood, flesh, spirit, and Tao. But no matter which one it is, it was raised by the blood sacrifice shrines that you so-called civilized people hate. And as time goes by, it has been passed down from generation to generation. It has always been like this."

"It's always been like this, right?"

Zhou Xuan was "possessed by the tree man" for a moment, and King Xishan was stunned by his questions.

"Times are changing, and we have to change with them, just like the mountain barbarians in these villages. They live a life of nature, weaving and fishing, living in a mountain, eating and drinking their fill, and spending the rest of their time worshipping gods.
But sooner or later they will change, come out from the depths of the mountains, smoke dry tobacco, ride the tram, go to school, put on sportswear and play tennis..."

“They can’t get out.”

"As far as I know, Shijia Village has a car rental business in Mingjiang Prefecture, and Liuyun Village has a Paramount business. Some of them have already walked out, and more and more people will walk out of the mountain in the future... Today's mountain barbarians will become the civilized people you despise in the future."

Zhou Xuan crossed his legs and said, "The Wushen Temple has a long history, and now it is covered by the bell tower. Maybe it will be demolished or smashed in the future... or become a tourist attraction. The witch has made preparations and will not use the shrine for many years."

In the tower witch temple, Zhou Xuan wanted to use the Zoroastrianism's "Giant Sutra" to torture the Buddhist people with the method of living sacrifice, but it shocked the witch leader. This also indirectly shows that the witch had long given up overly bloody and brutal sacrifices.

"Tear down the Wushen Temple, tear down those ancient altars. If we tear down those altars, will Jingguo still be Jingguo?"

"of course."

Zhou Xuan glanced at King Xishan and said, "The altar has been demolished, but the gods remain! Jing State will still be Jing State.

And in the future, how we define gods will also change... Everything is moving in a more civilized direction."

"What is civilization?"

"Society is prosperous, and the people have no worries about food and clothing. If one day, an ordinary student or a low-level rickshaw driver can also learn from us and comment on the beautiful mountains and rivers of Jingguo, then that is civilization."

“Will there ever be such a day?”

King Xishan suddenly felt his heart palpitating and asked involuntarily.

"There will be."

Zhou Xuan spoke with great confidence.

King Xishan fell into deep thought.

"The altar is pushed away, but God remains!"

"How we define gods will also change in the future."

Zhou Xuan's words were deafening to King Xishan's ears.

It is an ambitious fox king.
He wanted to devote his entire life to making the streets and alleys of Jing Country filled with foxes as white as snow one day.

In order to achieve this, there must be a massive massacre, and blood will stain the streets before the fox clan.

In order to accomplish this, he had sought help from Xu Jingshan, the great literary figure, 220 years ago.

Xu Jingshan only said one sentence at that time: He who wins the world must first know the world's situation. The situation cannot be changed, but it can be followed.

For so many years, he has been looking for that "momentum", but unfortunately, the power of the demon clan has never appeared. He even thought about relying on the gods in the sky to borrow the power of the gods.

And today, from Zhou Xuan's words, he seemed to see the so-called "momentum" mentioned by the great sage of literature. It's a pity that this momentum still does not belong to the fox clan.

"I only think about how to make the fox tribe prosper in the country ruled by the gods, how to gain the recognition of the gods, and how to rely on the gods to gain power.
From the few words spoken by this young master from Mingjiang Mansion, it seems that he is not thinking about relying on gods, but thinking about how to define gods... What a great hand and courage."

When King Xishan thought of this, he sighed in his heart again.

"The human race always thrives, while the demon race always wastes their lives in vain. Heaven, could you please be more fair?"

The more King Xishan thought about it, the sadder he felt. However, the sadder he felt, the more valuable his communication with Zhou Xuan was. He couldn't help but feel itchy and asked again, "Master, you have a lot of knowledge. I have a question that has been in my mind for hundreds of years. Now only you can answer it, so I want to ask you..."

"go ahead."

"Although the demons are not born with intelligence, they all become civilized in the future, learn the rituals of heaven, and study, but they are ostracized and have no choice but to hide. Do you think there is any way for us demons to enter the city like ordinary humans and enjoy the so-called civilization you mentioned?"

"King Xishan, you speak too much."

The painter reminded.

A mere tribe of demons are dreaming of entering the palace on a large scale. What are they thinking?

Zhou Xuan said, "What you said is all about social status, isn't it? If you want to seek a higher social status, there are many ways... There are peaceful and gentle ones, and there are also fierce ones. If the fight is too fierce, I will teach you. If you, the demon race, fight against us humans, won't I become the culprit of the disaster for the people of Jing Country?"

"Do you have many other ways?" King Xishan heard the hidden meaning. He tried to think of a solution but couldn't come up with one no matter how hard he tried. How could Zhou Xuan have so many ways?

"Young sir, you are the most capable person in our Mingjiang Prefecture." The musician now admires Zhou Xuan with all his heart, and says secretly in his heart with great pride.

"Please explain clearly, young master?" King Xishan asked hurriedly.

"I can't talk about the fierce struggle, but I can tell you a few gentle and peaceful methods.
What is gentleness and peace? Only use the brain without bleeding!

The core of this method is public opinion, public opinion, and public opinion... There are many means of public opinion, such as newspapers, radio stations, storytellers' reviews, discussions among ordinary people on the streets, notices posted on walls and streets... Public opinion is changing the thinking of the people of Jingguo every day, but this change is very slow, but it is often very effective..."

"Don't you want to improve the living conditions of your fox tribe and enhance your social status? Then you have to learn to use public opinion. As for how to use public opinion and what specific things to use public opinion for... I can't tell you now."

"Then when can we talk?"

"When you pay an expensive sum for knowledge." Zhou Xuan smiled slyly: "Equivalent exchange is also a manifestation of civilization. Knowledge also needs to be charged."

"How much food do great scholars need?"

"Well? I'll think about it when I get back. But I don't need money. As for food, I only have one mouth. How much food can I eat? The price I need is very expensive. King Xishan, you have to think it over carefully."

Zhou Xuan said.

"Of course, of course... When the young... great scholar has thought it through, please tell me directly, and I will definitely pay the full... um... knowledge fee."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Zhou Xuan clasped his fists and responded.

His conversation with King Xishan came to an end, and it was Shijiazhai's turn to offer sacrifices on the altar.

There are sixteen Yin Halls, but only one altar for worshipping the gods, so naturally people take turns to go up there.

The sacrifice in Shijiazhai was Awang.

Awang was trapped in the stone strait and had been torn into pieces by his tribesmen, like a ball of minced meat. However, his tribesmen did not know that a piece of intestine was missing from the meat.

And this piece of intestine, under the stimulation of the Bone God's index finger, activated the "Star Transformation Technique" of the Star Law, and turned into a fluorescent spot. It was blown out of the cave by the mountain wind blowing back and forth in the Gangfeng Cave.

Zhou Xuan was also a person in the third realm of the law of stars. He knew the means of "transforming stars", so he released his perception and tracked the location of the "Awang light spot", and then he also came out of the cave.

Outside the cave, still under the watchful eyes of the four sun gods, Awang descended through the light and became a complete and lively person again.

The Star Transformation Technique can transform the body into starlight. As long as one grain of starlight escapes, the person can come back to life.

"High Priest." Awang bowed to Zhou Xuan.

"You did a great job. Look at the Shijia Village. Many of the tribesmen are crying for your sacrifice. I know you didn't give away your true colors."

"The bone god's index finger is extremely magical."

"Don't go back for now, Xia Jin."

Zhou Xuan waved towards Xia Jin and the other lanterns, and after seven incense sticks of "Zhan Xiao Youshen", Xia Jin descended from the lantern.

The mission of Zhan Xiao Youshen is to kill the monsters that wreak havoc on the prefecture, and he is under the jurisdiction of Zhan Ri Youshen.

"Master Shu." Xia Jin didn't know that Li Chengfeng was already "Zhou Xuan" at this time.

"Keep an eye on him and don't let anyone else find him." Zhou Xuan pointed at Awang and said to Xia Jin.

"As ordered."

Xia Jin threw out a palm-sized black cloth. When it flew in the air, it became a black umbrella that covered Awang. Passersby would not be able to see who was under the umbrella unless they forced open the umbrella to look.

If he forcefully opened it, Xia Jin would probably draw his bow and shoot him to death.

After doing all this, Zhou Xuan set out on the journey back to the cave.

When he walked to the nine-bend mountain path of the cave, Li Chengfeng took advantage of the fact that no one was around and asked, "Young Master, do you really want to guide the fox tribe to rise?"

"Yes."

"The fox tribe has risen, and our human race has suffered."

"Don't worry, my advice is a very gentle method, the human race will not suffer any harm, etc..." Zhou Xuan sensed something and stopped talking.

The space was torn apart, and the painter came out, shouting anxiously, "Young sir, don't fall into King Xishan's trap. He is very ambitious."

"How can we win him over if he is not ambitious?"

Zhou Xuan said.

"He is a red hat, why should we win him over?"

The painter said with full confidence.

King Xishan was the one who possessed the red hat issued by the capital government and received an imperial decree to become the master of the Yin Hall of Mingjiang Prefecture.

The red top was a very tight dog chain and he couldn't break free.

"Do you really think he can't break free?"

Zhou Xuan said: "People like King Xishan are very cautious... In the past few days... I'm afraid that because of Gong Zheng's promise, the dog chain is about to break."

"But he still came to Gangfeng Cave."

"He was just struggling." Zhou Xuan said, "In his struggle, he stood on the side of Mingjiang Mansion. However, judging by his attitude towards you, this struggle is still going on and there may be changes later. I used the hope of the prosperity of the fox clan to cut off his struggle."

He paused, and then said, "Besides, the red hat that King Xishan wears is a chain given to him by the capital. King Xishan is so popular that he cannot be controlled by the capital. He must stand firmly on our side."

"Will the fox tribe cause trouble in the future..."

"Don't worry, I know my limits." Zhou Xuan said with a smile.

The painter asked again: "Let's not talk about the fox clan first. Young sir, have you thought of a way to deal with the heavenly ghosts sharing food?"

"No."

"In that case, why not suspend the sacrifice and stop Gong Zheng from descending on the earth and becoming a disaster for the world?"

The painter then asked whether to stop the altar.

"Don't worry, there's still time, I can still think about it."

Zhou Xuan said.

"There is not much time left. Once the four Yin Hall sacrifices are completed, the joint blood sacrifice will be completely over, and Gong Zheng will completely descend and enter the human world."

"There's plenty of time. Wait, Lao Hua. Just follow my instructions."

Zhou Xuan said.

"Forehead……"

The painter thought about it, nodded and agreed.

……

Returning to his seat, Zhou Xuan continued to watch the blood sacrifice without thinking about how to crack the "Heavenly Ghost Food Sharing Method".

In other words, he didn't even think about cracking it.

"The passage deep underground is getting wider and wider. Who could they be?" Zhou Xuan thought secretly.

The painter was visibly anxious.

Even more anxious than the painter was King Xishan.

King Xishan had been calm during most of the sacrifice, but now he could not sit still. He paced in a corner and communicated with Fox Slave.

As they talked, his expression became more determined, and he walked towards Zhou Xuan, shook hands with him with a smile, and said, "I have listened to the great scholar's teachings today, and it has been enlightening. I will definitely go to your house to visit you in the next few days."

"Easy to say, easy to say."

Zhou Xuan responded without changing his expression, even though he could clearly feel King Xishan's middle finger writing and drawing on his palm.

The handwriting he wrote was clearly five words: "Buddhist country, looking for monks."

"Oh, so the target of the net I cast was actually the Wave-Seeking Monk. The second passage opened by the blood sacrifice actually hid them..."

Zhou Xuan stared at the altar and murmured...

(End of this chapter)