Start with a red name

Chapter 194: The Black Emperor Sets Up an Altar, the White Emperor Sets the Water

Before Geng Xuan could say anything, Jiang Hongyi beside him became furious.

He stretched out his hand and stopped the old man who was about to rush forward and pull Geng Xuan's sleeve. The old man was caught off guard and was about to fall backwards.

Before he fell, he was supported by Su Mingxu and another old man who looked to be between 50 and 60 years old.

Jiang Hongyi looked directly at Su Mingxu and scolded him harshly:

"Su Mingxu, don't be so ungrateful!
Do you know what time it is now?
We have tolerated you once and twice, but not only did you not restrain yourself, you even took advantage of us, right?
If you continue to act recklessly like this, you will have to bear the consequences yourself!"

Being scolded by him like that, Su Mingxu and the others' faces became tense.

Several people were about to retreat in a panic, but the old man who had been supported by Su Mingxu and another person howled at the top of his lungs:

“We are not fooling around, you are a bunch of warriors, you only know how to fight and kill, you don’t know anything else.

This world has been ruined by you, it can never be better, this world can never be better..."

His words not only made Jiang Hongyi and others turn pale with anger, but even Su Mingxu and several other old men realized that something was wrong and wanted to take the old man hostage and quickly escape from here.

Geng Xuan finally said, "Wait a minute."

When Su Mingxu and others heard this, their expressions changed, and they had to stop.

Su Mingxu, the only one who had direct contact with Geng Xuan, said with a stiff upper lip:
"Su... Gang Leader Su, Master Jiang is getting old and confused. He just said it in anger. He didn't mean anything else. You... you shouldn't take it to heart."

Geng Xuan looked at Su Mingxu, then at the old man whose mouth was covered, and asked in surprise: "Master Jiang? A scholar?"

"Ah."

"He shouldn't have any cultivation, right?"

"Without cultivation, he is just an ordinary person."

"I see you respect him very much."

“…He likes to teach students and he is quite old. Many practitioners in Qingyuanji were once taught by him.

The younger generations in my family have also been taught by him..."

"He has a lot of opinions about practitioners." Geng Xuan said again.

"...He was just speaking in anger. He is just getting old and confused. He said some angry words." Su Mingxu said quickly.

After chatting casually for a few minutes, Geng Xuan finally asked about the main business.

"Just now I saw you guys arguing with Jiang Hongyi, Hong Quan and the others. Now you're making such a fuss again. What's the reason for this?"

Su Mingxu said hurriedly:
"Boss Su, it's not that we don't understand. We really do have something very important to tell Jiang Hongyi and Hong Quan, but no matter how much we talk, they just don't understand.

It was for this reason that Master Jiang was completely confused and said some nonsense. "

Geng Xuan became more curious after hearing this.

"What important matter has to be discussed at this time?
Can't we wait until this war is over?"

Su Mingxu quickly shook his head and said, "It may be too late, too late!"

Geng Xuan's curiosity was aroused even more.

"What on earth is it that you think is so important?"

Su Mingxu looked at Master Jiang who had calmed down and stopped talking, then turned to look at Geng Xuan and said:

"Boss Su, do you know that this land of ours was originally the territory of the ancient Zhuzhou?"

Geng Xuan was surprised. He didn't expect Su Mingxu to talk about this at this time.

I thought to myself, could it be that the argument they were having with Jiang Hongyi and others was related to this?
Thinking in his heart, he responded: "Ancient Zhuzhou is the area south of Cenling Mountain and west of Zhushui River, right?"

Su Mingxu and the old men beside him showed some surprise on their faces, perhaps they were surprised that he, a big devil who killed people without blinking an eye, actually knew this.

Even Mr. Jiang, who had a dull look on his face, began to move his eyes around again.

Geng Xuan's response made Su Mingxu, who had been a little depressed, suddenly become much more energetic.

"Then you know that when the Black Emperor divided the ancient nine states, he had people set up nine community altars in the ancient nine states."

Wow, Su Mingxu's just one sentence directly linked the issue back to two or three thousand years ago.

Geng Xuan didn't expect the turn to be so big, but he became more curious about the establishment of nine altars in Jiuzhou.

"I really don't know about that." Geng Xuan shook his head.

Su Mingxu shook his head and said:

“Today, only a few people know about the community forum.

But back then, these social forums were the most important places in each state.

It is said that "the most important affairs of state are sacrifices and wars".

Whether it is "sacrifice" or "war", it is inseparable from the community altar.

Whenever there is a major event, it must first be decided in the community forum.

If there is a need to go to war, to wage war, and to kill, all the people will gather at the altar, and the high priest will perform divination and blessings.

After the people return victoriously, they will also offer captives at the community altar and hold a grand sacrifice to heaven.

……

Every year, during important festivals such as spring planting, autumn harvest, and the end of the year, everyone from nobles to ordinary people would gather around the altar to hold grand ceremonies and pray for good weather and a good harvest.

......"

When it comes to social affairs, Su Mingxu's mouth is like a door without a door, and he talks a lot.

Geng Xuan also understood from his words.

This altar, which began in the time of the Black Emperor and ended in the Daqi Dynasty, was a super center that lasted for more than a thousand years in ancient Kyushu and integrated various elements such as military conquests, policy decisions, sacrificial divination, economics and culture.

Moreover, from a certain perspective, this is also the embodiment of the "Kyushu Community".

Because according to Su Mingxu, legally, the princes of each state must frequently go to the capital to pay homage. Whether it is the weddings and funerals of the princes, the replacement of the old and the new, or the succession of the throne of the capital, even every year, the local princes have the obligation to pay homage and tribute.

But in reality, due to the long distance of the journey and the "large number of barbarians" at that time, each pilgrimage by the remote princes was not only time-consuming but also extremely dangerous. It was actually difficult to make the pilgrimage as frequently as required by law.

At this time, the "community altars" scattered throughout the ancient Kyushu served as "avatars of the God's capital."

The local princes who were supposed to travel across mountains and rivers to pay homage to the gods in the capital only needed to go to the "community altars" in each state to pay homage, and they would be considered to have completed the ritual process.

If the "king" has important matters to inform all parties, he will also regard the "community altar" as an extension of his own authority and will, and send envoys to the places where the "community altar" is located in various states to inform the local princes in this sacred place.

The "Community Altar" can be used to communicate between heaven and earth, trace ancestors, worship heroes, predict the future, and comfort confused and hesitant souls.

It can also communicate with distant places, using the capital of gods as a bond to bind the nine provinces into one. Even if everyone has never met each other from birth to death, with the help of such a creation, people can emotionally regard each other as a family who share life and death and blood, and firmly believe that they will be reunited in one place after death.

It can also unite the people and influence the barbarians.

The savages who once spread all over the "ancient Kyushu" were, except for those who were slaughtered in the wars, mostly "transformed" into new Chinese citizens under the witness of these "social altars".

It can be said that from the spiritual life of the people of Kyushu to all aspects of secular life, the "social altar" plays a vital role. From the birth to the death of a person, the "social altar" is deeply involved in every aspect of his life.

Ordinary creations have been given lofty and sacred meanings with the participation of generations of Kyushu ancestors.

At the beginning, there were only nine "social forums".

Later, as time passed, the number of "Community Altars" began to increase, and the original nine "Community Altars" were automatically upgraded to "Jiuzhou Community Altars".

but--

"What does this have to do with what you are going to talk about now?
...Is there another altar in Qingyuanji?" Geng Xuan asked Su Mingxu.

Su Mingxu shook his head first, then nodded and said:

"Of course there is no community forum in Qingyuanji, but if you say there is one, then it really exists!"

"Don't try to be sarcastic, just say it clearly." Geng Xuan frowned.

Su Mingxu said quickly:

"When the great destiny came to an end, and King Jiwen and King Jiwu founded the Ji Dynasty, the world had changed far beyond the time when the Black Emperor divided the ancient nine states.

In addition, with the growth of population, the ancient Kyushu could no longer accommodate the increasing population.

King Jiwu granted fiefs to many princes and divided the country into nine new states, laying the foundation for the current pattern of the nine states.

At that time, except for the present Yuanzhou, which was the ancient Nine Provinces, the other eight newly demarcated provinces were almost all wild lands.

From the princes and nobles who were granted fiefdoms in the north and were sent to these wild lands, to the lower-class people who needed to migrate to these places, everyone was filled with worries about the future.

Not only do they worry about suffering when they are alive, but they are also afraid that after moving to these wild places, there will be no "community altar" to guide them after death, and they will not be able to reunite with their relatives and ancestors in the underworld, and will become lonely ghosts.

In order to appease them and strengthen their determination to take root in the wilderness, King Jiwu ordered the overall relocation of the "Jiuzhou Community Altar" from its original location to various places in the "New Jiuzhou".

Later, when Duke Ji established rituals, he formulated more stringent and standardized rituals and standards specifically for the "community altar sacrifice ceremony", and gave it many new functions and meanings.

The earliest "Jiuzhou Shetan" was changed to "Jiuzhou Shejitan", but that is a story for later.

……

The 'Jiuzhou Community Altar', which was originally located near us, was moved to the present Zhuzhou.

But one thing was not taken away.”

Geng Xuan was shocked and asked quickly, "What is it?"

"The White Emperor's Water-Setting Stone."

"Baidi Dingshui Stone? What is this?" Geng Xuan asked again.

One question was answered, but new ones immediately arose.

There was no impatience on Geng Xuan's face. Instead, he became more and more immersed in what Su Mingxu was saying.

He was not impatient, but Jiang Hongyi next to him could no longer stand. He interrupted, looking as if he was desperate to urinate:
"Boss, the war isn't over yet, what do you think?"

Geng Xuan said quickly: "Go ahead, go and do your thing. I don't need you to accompany me."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Hongyi felt as if he had been pardoned, and quickly walked away with the other powerful men at the marrow refining level.

They couldn't help but complain in their hearts. At such a critical moment, the leader actually had the leisure to listen to a bunch of stubborn people talking about thousands of years of old things. Isn't it boring? Doesn't he have any sense of priority?

Geng Xuan didn't feel bored at all, and said to Su Mingxu who was standing there in a daze:

"Go on, why don't you say anything? What is the Baidi Dingshui Stone?"

Su Mingxu woke up from his somewhat bewildered state and said quickly:

"Before the Black Emperor was the White Emperor. It is said that at that time there was the 'Ancient Nine Provinces'. Well, there was no such thing as the 'Ancient Nine Provinces' at that time.

It is said that at that time all the major water systems in what is now Yuanzhou were ravaged by floods, and all living beings suffered terribly.

After 29 years of flood control by Baidi, the work finally paid off.

In order to prevent future generations from suffering from this disaster, he personally buried a water-stabilizing stone in every water system and ordered people to regularly monitor the water level and its rise and fall and record the patterns therein.

And through the patterns, we can predict whether a major flood will occur, so that we can respond in advance, either by controlling the flood or relocating people.”

After hearing this, Geng Xuan suddenly realized what this "Baidi Dingshui Stone" was.

To people today, this is actually nothing.

But the ancients linked it with "whether there will be a big flood" and "whether there will be a drought", and made relatively accurate predictions based on its changes. Then even an ordinary stone would have unparalleled "sacredness".

Su Mingxu also said that the Black Emperor divided the country into "ancient nine states" and built "community altars" in each state, and the "White Emperor Dingshui Stone" was one of its most important cornerstones.

Firstly, Geng Xuan guessed that it was to prove that "inheritance is orderly". Everything people have today is created on the basis laid by their predecessors.

Secondly, the functionality of the "Baidi Dingshui Stone" is also needed by the "Community Altar".

For example, if the "Baidi Dingshui Stone" detects that a flood is about to occur, then any sacrificial activities must be put aside.

For example, praying for rain is one of the most common functions of the "Community Altar", which also requires the participation of the "Baidi Dingshui Stone".

"The 'Shetan' has been relocated, but the rest of the things are only the original things of the 'Shetan'.

Every brick, every piece of soil, every stone, every tree, flower and grass were moved to what is now Zhuzhou.

But this "Baidi Dingshui Stone" was deliberately kept, because this stone was specially used for Zhushui River, and there was no point in moving it elsewhere.

Another thing is that the people around us also have opinions about the relocation of the "social forum". If we don't want to stay at all, it will also be inappropriate."

“However, although the ‘Baidi Dingshui Stone’ was left behind, the move of the ‘Shetan’ caused the ‘Baidi Dingshui Stone’ to move, and it lost its original function of measuring and determining water levels.

In addition, by the time of King Ji Wu, there were more professional and accurate methods of measuring and determining water levels.

Therefore, the 'Baidi Dingshui Stone' sank into the Zhushui River under the watchful eyes of the people on both sides of the river.

"Sink into the Zhushui River?" Geng Xuan asked softly.

"After that, it lasted for 800 years during the reign of Daji, nearly 50 years during the reign of Emperor Yuan, and more than 160 years after Emperor Yuan's death.

This 'Baidi Dingshui Stone' has been lying quietly at the bottom of the Zhushui River, but fewer and fewer people remember this stone.

Three hundred and ninety-six years ago, the Zhushui River stopped flowing and the river channel gradually dried up. However, the "Baidi Dingshui Stone" that had originally sunk to the bottom of the Zhushui River was able to see the light of day again.

But at that time, everyone was thinking about fighting for supremacy and conquering the world. How many people would still remember such a stone?

What's more, the Zhushui River is so long and there are so many stones. Who knows which one is the "Baidi Dingshui Stone"?

Therefore, although this stone was rediscovered nearly a hundred years ago, it has been lying quietly in the ancient Zhushui River and has never been discovered. "

Having said that, Su Mingxu paused, looked at Master Jiang who was standing quietly and speechlessly beside him, with admiration on his face. After going around in circles for a long time, he finally brought the topic back.

"Master Jiang has loved collecting all kinds of books since he was a child. When he was young, he accidentally found a few wooden tablets with some ancient and difficult-to-decipher characters written on them.

After years of research, the above content was finally cracked.

The wooden slip not only recorded the existence of the "Baidi Dingshui Stone", but also marked the approximate settlement section of the river, which is between Baiyuanji and Qingyuanji.

So, Master Jiang spent more than ten years, and whenever he had free time, he would search carefully along the Chenhe River downstream.

He was also lucky, as he found the 'Baidi Dingshui Stone' which was mostly buried in the sand somewhere downstream of Qingyuanji.

Geng Xuan looked at Master Jiang and asked curiously, "How can you be sure that this is the stone you are looking for? Does the wooden slip also record its shape and characteristics?"

Master Jiang, who had been extremely excited, now looked sick. When Geng Xuan asked him, he just said:

"You'll know it when you see it."

Geng Xuan stared at the old man for a few seconds, then turned to Su Mingxu and said:

"Go on...did he move the stone back to Qingyuanji?"

“Yes, the old man moved the stone back to Qingyuanji. Because he couldn’t get it back by himself, he asked a lot of people to help, including a few of us.

We helped him get the stone back, and we also learned about the origin of that terrifyingly large stone." Su Mingxu said.

"What happened to the stone later?" Geng Xuan asked again.

"Later, we helped him renovate his house and built this stone into one of his walls," said Su Mingxu.

Geng Xuan was very surprised when he heard this.

I couldn't help but look at Master Jiang again and asked curiously:
"You spent so much effort to find this stone, it must be very precious. Why do you want to build it into the wall?"

The sickly-looking old man didn't answer him. Su Mingxu answered before Geng Xuan could frown:
“We also asked him this question out of curiosity.

After knowing its great origin, some people even suggested building a separate courtyard to worship it properly and let more people know about this treasure.

But the old man tried his best to stop us and asked us to keep it a secret and not let more people know about the existence of this stone."

"Why?" Geng Xuan asked curiously and puzzled.

“We asked him the same question, but he said that people nowadays have become extremely mentally abnormal.

If people knew about the existence of this "gem", the first thought in their minds would be whether this thing could help people practice cultivation.

Even if it cannot directly improve the cultivation of others, some people will still speculate whether this thing can be used to forge magical weapons like meteorites from outer space.

...Anyway, once these people know about this "gem", they will definitely try every possible way to get it.

By then, this "Baidi Dingshui Stone" would be completely destroyed.

It was only after he moved the stone back to Qingyuanji that he figured the matter out. He even regretted moving it back.

It is said that instead of doing this, it would be better to let it continue to lie in the ancient river channel of Zhushui so that no one knows of its existence.

But we have already moved back, it’s impossible to move back again.

Moreover, the stone was already exposed, and leaving it alone would also pose a great risk, so he simply decided to build it in his own home, and said that he would be buried with him in the grave after his death. "

After listening to Su Mingxu's explanation, Geng Xuan remained silent.

Although he was a little speechless, he also believed that Master Jiang's concerns were correct.

Not to mention a piece of stone, even the bone residue left over from the Overlord's self-explosion has been tried and found to have the effect of "grinding it into powder and swallowing it can aid in cultivation."

Once they knew the existence of the "Baidi Dingshui Stone", it would not be surprising to make any attempt on it.

After Su Mingxu's narration, Geng Xuan, who had already made some vague guesses, asked, "Now, what is the situation with this stone?"

“Master Qi suddenly issued an order in the middle of the night to relocate all residents from other areas to the vicinity of Qingyuan Hall.

The young ones were allowed to walk on their own, but the old ones like Master Jiang were stuffed into the carriage without any explanation.

When he came to his senses, they had been gathered near Qingyuan Pavilion.

He wanted to rush back, but was stopped by someone and warned not to run around and interfere with their work.

After several twists and turns, the old man found us and told us the situation. We then took him back to our residence.

But when we arrived at his residence, his house had been demolished.

The "Baidi Dingshui Stone" was also transported away along with the brick and stone materials.

We want to get the stone back, but we don't know where to find it.

The only way is to find Hong Quan and Jiang Hongyi.

But when we found them and explained the whole story, they scolded us for making trouble and for coming here to cause trouble for them instead of staying near Qingyuan Pavilion."

At this point, Su Mingxu said aggrievedly and excitedly:
“We don’t want to cause more trouble, but we know that if they just put in a little effort, there is a good chance that they can still find the stone.

But after this battle, no matter what our fate is, this stone will probably never be found again."

There are several hidden meanings to this "cannot be found". The two worst situations are that it is affected by the battle, or it is directly destroyed because of the need to build certain fortifications.

Even if it was not destroyed, once the people who handled it died, even if Su Mingxu and others wanted to find it, they would not know where to look.

In the end, no matter what happens to this land next, no one will know that a stone that looks no different from the surrounding stones actually carries such a heavy weight.

It may be used as new building material, or modified and used for other purposes.

Although they did not say it explicitly, Su Mingxu and others were pessimistic about their future destiny.

Perhaps, they simply did not think that they would live to see the end of the war or the day of victory.

It is precisely because of this that they repeatedly approached a group of thugs who could crush them to death with just a touch of their hands.

They really don't care about life or death.

Geng Xuan, who had figured it out, asked:

"Does the stone have any special markings that would make it easy to identify?"

"You...you agreed? Are you willing to help us find this stone?" Su Mingxu widened his eyes and asked in disbelief.

It seemed completely beyond his expectations that the "evil man" in front of him would agree to this matter so readily.

Geng Xuan just nodded and said:

"It's just a matter of convenience... hurry up, or you never know when someone might smash it with a hammer."

Master Jiang's eyes brightened up and he said hurriedly:
"It looks like a pebble. People who don't know it will find it hard to see its specialness...Take me, take me, I can see it at a glance."

Geng Xuan nodded, picked up Master Jiang in his hand, and said to Su Mingxu and the people around him:

"Don't make trouble here, just go back to Qingyuan Pavilion now."

After giving some instructions, Geng Xuan took the old man to find Jiang Hongyi.

Jiang Hongyi, who was chatting with Master Chai and several old hunters, was surprised to see him carrying Old Man Jiang over. He quickly explained a few things and let Master Chai and the others leave after he finished.

Before leaving, Mr. Chai and his companions curiously looked at the old man in Geng Xuan's arms a few more times.

"Boss, do you want to help this old man find stones?"

Seeing Geng Xuan carrying someone over, Jiang Hongyi realized something and asked.

"It's just a matter of convenience... you can go and ask who demolished his house and where all the bricks and stones were transported to."

"...Okay, I'll go ask right away. Please wait for me."

Jiang Hongyi seemed to want to say something else, but he soon realized that he had no right to comment on "Su Ruiliang's" request, and he should not get carried away just because he was "in power" during this period.

So, he immediately responded respectfully and left quickly.

About a quarter of an hour later, Jiang Hongyi hurried back and reported to Geng Xuan:
"I found the person who was in charge of demolishing the houses in that area at the time, but the person who was in charge of demolishing his house had died.

All that can be confirmed now is that the bricks and stones removed from that area were used at the intersection two hundred and fifty steps away, as well as in the surrounding area.

I'll take you there and have a closer look."

Having said that, Jiang Hongyi was about to accompany Geng Xuan to look for it.

Geng Xuan stopped him and said:
"You go about your business."

As he spoke, he picked up Old Man Jiang and rushed towards the direction that Jiang Hongyi pointed.

While asking: "Are you sure you can tell at a glance?"

"Of course, as long as I see it, I will not make a mistake!" Old Man Jiang promised.

Soon, Geng Xuan appeared in the middle of the intersection carrying him.

The four wide streets in front, behind, left and right that were originally unobstructed are now completely blocked by low brick and stone walls that are nearly as tall as a person.

The signs of destruction at this "crossroads" are not yet too obvious, but a few "beast soldiers" have already rushed here and left traces of fighting with their own soldiers.

Some corpses were lying on the ground, some low walls were knocked down, and some bricks and stones were smashed into pieces.

In the middle of the intersection, a bonfire that was already half burned was burning somewhat "weakly", but it was barely able to illuminate the surroundings.

As soon as Old Man Jiang was brought here by Geng Xuan, everything he saw around him in the light of the fire made his heart clench.

He did not dare to delay for a moment and looked back and forth, his eyes moving quickly over the bricks and stones that made up the low wall.

About a minute later, Geng Xuan felt that the old man in his hands seemed to suddenly become stiff.

"Any findings?" Geng Xuan asked.

Old man Jiang pointed to the direction where two bodies were entangled and lying on the ground. His arm was shaking, and his voice was trembling as he said, "There... Let's go over there and take a look!"

Looking at the two bodies entangled and lying on the ground, the damaged bricks and stones around them, and the blood spilled all over the ground, Geng Xuan understood why Old Man Jiang was so excited.

Even his heart felt a little bit tightened when he saw this scene.

Geng Xuan carried Old Man Jiang and quickly came to the two bodies.

Looking at a piece of pebble with its bottom stained with blood, which was laid at the bottom of the low wall.

Geng Xuan suddenly felt confident. He didn't need Old Man Jiang to point out that he had already found the "Baidi Dingshui Stone".

The reason was very simple. Before this, he had only seen the special "ripples" on the "Overlord's Last Finger" and the "original wooden barrel", and now he saw them again.

The source of this special "ripple" was the pebble he was looking at at the moment.

However, the special "ripples" emitted by this strip of pebble are much weaker than those of the "Overlord's Last Finger" and even the "original wooden barrel".

If he had not gotten closer and his eyes had not been locked on this area, he would not even be able to notice how the "ripples" were different from those emitted by ordinary stones.

It's like a wick that once burned but has now gone out and cooled, leaving only a little ashes and embers.

Geng Xuan put Old Man Jiang down.

The old man stood in a pool of blood, squatted down, and quickly wiped the blood stains on the pebbles with his sleeves.

"Are you sure this is the stone? You haven't made a mistake?" Geng Xuan asked.

"It can't be wrong."

Old Man Jiang looked at Geng Xuan and said, "Can you help me take it out?"

Geng Xuan nodded, stretched out his hand and quickly pulled aside the bricks and stones piled on top.

The bricks and stones that were originally stacked neatly suddenly "flowed" all over the ground.

"Be gentle, be gentle..."

Seeing that his actions were so "rude", Old Man Jiang couldn't help but keep reminding him.

Geng Xuan had already completely removed the bricks and stones on the pebble strip, and picked up the pebble strip in his hand. The pebble strip weighed more than two hundred pounds, was about shoulder-high, and was stained with blood.

"How did you determine that this pebble was the 'Baidi Dingshui Stone' you were looking for?" Geng Xuan asked the question again.

Geng Xuan felt that it was impossible that this pebble was just because it had a strip-shaped appearance and had more traces of human activity than most other pebbles with rounded appearances.

If that were the case, Geng Xuan believed that there must be at least 8,000 similar pebbles in the ancient Zhushui River channel.

Old man Jiang came to the opposite side of Geng Xuan, looked at the side that was originally spread on the ground and stained with the most blood, stretched out his sleeve and wiped it.

Then, he withdrew his hand and stood aside, saying to Geng Xuan: "See for yourself."

Geng Xuan turned the pebble in his hand over so that the side that Old Man Jiang had just wiped was facing him.

He squinted his eyes and looked upwards.

However, the eye-catching bloodstains that had turned dark red clearly revealed lines that looked like strokes or patterns.

However, there were some scratches on this side of the pebble. As Old Man Jiang started to wipe it, the bloodstains on the naturally smooth surface of the stone were basically wiped off, but the bloodstains left in the scratches remained naturally, thus showing clear traces of bloodstains.

These blood stains can be divided into two parts when viewed as a whole.

One part is a "line segment" that is very consistent and uniform in length and thickness, and each one is about ten centimeters long.

If this is the "Baidi Dingshui Stone", then the function of these line segments evenly distributed from bottom to top is very obvious.

These uniform line segments are scales. When it is buried in a fixed water area, the height of the water level can be confirmed by these scales.

On the right side, there are four blood stains that look like words.

The reason why he said it was suspected was because it was very different from the characters he was familiar with now, and he could only vaguely see some shadows of existing characters in it.

"Are these four words?" Geng Xuan asked.

"Yeah." Old Man Jiang replied.

"Can you understand it? Do you know what it means?" Geng Xuan asked again.

"These four characters mean 'Forever in Zhushui'." Old man Jiang did not keep anyone in suspense and said directly.

"Yongzhen Zhushui? --Yongzhen Zhushui!"

Geng Xuan muttered it twice and nodded slightly.

These four words can indeed explain that this pebble is most likely the "Dingshui Stone" buried by Baidi himself more than two thousand years ago, which is specifically responsible for the water area of Zhushui River.

Coupled with the unique "ripples" that only he could see, which were different from ordinary stones, it was basically certain.

He did not stay any longer. Holding the pebble in one hand and Old Man Jiang in the other, he rushed towards the central area of Qingyuan Pavilion.

……

Su Mingxu and others who were anxiously waiting in the large square near Qingyuan Pavilion breathed a sigh of relief when they saw Geng Xuan appear with a person in one hand and a stone in the other, without slowing down at all.

Not only did the stone in their hearts fall to the ground, but everyone's face showed joy.

"Found it? I really found it!"

"It's good to find it, it's good to find it!"

"..."

After confirming that the stone in Geng Xuan's hand was exactly what they had been longing for, everyone was filled with joy and relief.

Finally, after being put back on the ground by Geng Xuan, Old Man Jiang looked at the strange stone in Geng Xuan's hand again and asked:
"Boss Su, what are you going to do with this thing now?"

As he spoke, he hurriedly said:
“Please believe me, this thing is of no benefit to cultivation. Even if you grind it all into powder and swallow it, it won’t improve your cultivation at all.

It is by no means a special material. It is just an ordinary pebble that can be found everywhere in rivers and is relatively resistant to water erosion.

Other than that, there’s really nothing special about it!”

Geng Xuan nodded, agreeing with what Old Man Jiang said, but he did not immediately say how to deal with it. Instead, he asked:
"Do you know how to build a community altar?"

Old Man Jiang asked, "Are you asking about the period before Duke Ji established the ritual or after Duke Ji established the ritual?"

"Does it make any difference?"

Perhaps it was because he was familiar with the field, and the "Baidi Dingshui Stone" was recovered, Old Man Jiang's mood had completely recovered. Facing Geng Xuan's question, he spoke directly:
“That’s a huge difference.

Before Duke Ji established the ritual, the altar was very simple. It was just a three-story square platform with a large bottom and a small top.

"Is there no limit on size?" Geng Xuan asked.

Old man Jiang shook his head and said:
“No, there are big amendments for big things and small amendments for small things.

As far as I know, during the Great Qi Dynasty, the arrangement of community altars was already very common.

Ordinary families, when building a house or a tomb, or holding a wedding, funeral, long journey or long-term illness, can build an altar themselves as long as there is a need, either to pray for peace or to pray for the protection of God and ancestors.

Even if a hunter gets lost in the mountains, he can roll up the soil into an altar and pray for the mountain spirits to protect him.

It was precisely because of this chaos that Ji Gong formulated strict sacrificial rituals specifically for the "community altar". Any community altar that did not meet the standards had to be demolished, and private sacrifices were strictly prohibited.

I don’t know how to build a social platform for this period.”

Geng Xuan listened and said thoughtfully:
"So, if we follow the standards of the earliest social forums, we can build one now, right?"

"Yes, if we follow the hunters' method of rolling the soil into an altar, we can build one in just a cup of tea.

If you are more particular, as long as there are enough people, it won’t take half a day to get it done.” Old Man Jiang said.

Geng Xuan said: "Then let me arrange for someone to help you build one now."

"what?"

Old Man Jiang exclaimed, staring at Geng Xuan with wide eyes, as if he wanted to take a closer look at him, and asked curiously:
"If you are not busy dealing with powerful enemies now, why are you doing this?"

He paused and said:
“Although, I also think it would be nice to re-establish a community forum in Qingyuanji.

But isn't it inappropriate for you to do this now? "

Geng Xuan did not answer whether it was "appropriate" or "inappropriate" to do this at this time, but continued:
“When the altar is completed, this stone will be placed on it.”

Geng Xuan raised the "Baidi Dingshui Stone" in his hand and said so to Old Man Jiang.

Before the old doubts were resolved, new shocks were already upon us.

Old Man Jiang, Su Mingxu, and several other old men looked at him in amazement after hearing Geng Xuan's decision.

I have absolutely no idea why he would do this.

Geng Xuan did not explain in more detail to the others, but directly called Qi Mingcheng and instructed him:
"You should arrange some people to come here now and have them follow the command of old man Jiang..."

At this point, Geng Xuan glanced at Old Man Jiang who was staring blankly at the "Baidi Dingshui Stone" in his hand, then turned to ask Su Mingxu: "What's Old Man Jiang's name?"

"Jiang Yizi." Su Mingxu said.

"...Tell them to follow Jiang Yizi's command. I want to see a community altar here within two hours."

As he spoke, Geng Xuan pointed to the large square where they were, and an area that was far away from the gate of Qingyuan Pavilion, and gestured to Qi Mingcheng.

Qi Mingcheng had more doubts in his mind than Su Mingxu and others. He didn't even know what "Shetan" was.

But his advantage is that he won't just stand there in a daze like Su Mingxu and Jiang Yizi.

He immediately accepted the order and looked directly at Jiang Yizi and asked:

"How much material do I need to prepare now? How many people are needed?"

All kinds of emotions were piling up in his heart, but facing the questioning of the grand hall owner, Jiang Yizi, who was forced to do something, had to quickly use his already old brain while stating his request.

Seeing this, Geng Xuan nodded with satisfaction.

Soon, Qi Mingcheng, having received clear instructions, left quickly.

After a while, men and women holding hoes, pickaxes, shovels, hammers and other tools appeared in the square.

Under the command of Jiang Yizi, Su Mingxu and others, they worked quickly in an area of three to four hundred square meters.

The stone slabs in that area were completely lifted out, and trenches were quickly dug out.

During this process, carriages pulled by Yuanzhou horses came to the square with carts of stone slabs that had been removed from unknown households. After unloading the stone slabs, they left quickly in another direction without stopping for a moment.

Geng Xuan watched quietly from the side.

About an hour later, Jiang Yizi was already directing people to fill stone slabs into the newly dug trench.

The gaps between the stone slabs are filled with fine and hard sand and gravel.

After paving the entire area of several hundred square meters, the second and third layers were laid immediately.

With sufficient manpower and materials, setting up the forum is really as simple as Jiang Yizi said.

It's similar to how children play with building blocks.

Just then, Geng Xuan heard the crisp sound of horse hooves behind him.

This is the kicking sound that only a Xuanyou horse can make.

When Geng Xuan heard the voice, he turned his head and looked in the direction where the voice came from.

But they saw Hong Quan and Jiang Hongyi each riding a Xuanyou horse and quickly coming to Geng Xuan's side.

After the two men dismounted and saluted Geng Xuan, Jiang Hongyi said directly:

"Boss, we have basically eliminated the threat of over 2,000 'beast soldiers'.

Just before we came to report, there were only a few scattered pieces that had not been completely cleared up."

"Didn't the giant bear continue to attack?" Geng Xuan asked.

Jiang Hongyi shook his head and said:

“No, they camped directly near the entrance to Beiji.

They were now setting up camp, making fire and cooking, and some people were clearing the ground around their camp to provide cover.

It looks like things have calmed down today.

I also arranged for everyone to rest on the spot.

However, Wei Wanzong, Qi Kun and others have been watching nearby. If the other party is cheating, they will immediately fire a warning arrow. "

Listening to Jiang Hongyi's report, Geng Xuan nodded slightly, looked at Jiang Hongyi with a serious face, and asked curiously:
"In that case, you should relax now. Why are you still so tense?"

Jiang Hongyi said with a stern face: "I can't relax."

"Why?" Geng Xuan asked.

"The situation here is not good." Jiang Hongyi said.

"Why is it so bad?" Geng Xuan asked again.

Jiang Hongyi said: "I have carefully checked. Although the number of the 'beast soldiers' that attacked Qingyuanji is not small, exceeding two thousand, their cultivation strength is not that good.

Most of them are at the level of refining the skin and flesh.

The strongest are only at the blood refining level, and they are either too old, too young, or have other hidden diseases.

It can be said that these are just a bunch of defective products that the other side doesn’t even notice.”

“But I don’t know what tricks were used on them. Not only did they become insane and crazy, like desperate beasts, but in actual combat, they displayed even stronger strength than their normal level!
In addition, they are fearless and often think of dying together with others.

Facing such an enemy for the first time, everyone was at a loss as to how to deal with it.

Even though we were well-rested and had many preemptive measures, we still paid a heavy price of over a thousand casualties in order to completely wipe out these two thousand beast soldiers."

"Our morale has completely collapsed!"

(End of this chapter)