From the Carp that Brings Children to the Celestial Officials

Chapter 62 A Night of Fish and Dragon Dance
A cloud of moist water vapor appeared out of nowhere. The carp in the boy's arms, which had been struggling, suddenly felt a cool force fall on it, making it feel even more comfortable than in the water, and naturally it stopped struggling.

You Ming stood in front of the boy, looking at the huge, somewhat comical paper head.

At that moment, You Ming's gaze pierced through the paper head and saw the thin boy behind it.

The boy also raised his head slightly, as if he also saw a handsome boy wearing a plain silver robe. The boy's cheeks had some red and white scales, but they did not ruin his appearance at all. Instead, they gave people a sense of mystery.

"So he was born with a spirituality of +1, no wonder he could participate in the divine play."

The boy smiled at the young man, and then the young man's consciousness slowly faded into silence.

"Qiang."

A huge, reddish-gold placental ring appeared above the boy's head, rotating in the void. Tiny specks of light floated around the ring, with a pale golden-red flame at its center. The halo cast shadows, spreading outwards in concentric circles.

It was Youming's innate divine duty, the [Fetal Light Seal].

"May the gods bestow blessings upon us."

The surrounding crowd cheered loudly, while the boy strode forward with light steps, skipping and hopping along, thoroughly enjoying himself.

But upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that despite his large movements, the paper head on his head remains completely still.

Even the facial features and expressions depicted with a paintbrush now seem quite vivid, as if they were living people gazing upon all living beings.

The people scrambled to touch the carp's head, hoping to convey their wishes for fertility to the gods.

In the void, the [Fetal Light Seal] shone with brilliant light, and anyone who prayed on this day, even if they were not from a village within Youming's jurisdiction, could receive a response from the seal.

On this day, the gods rejoice with the people, and the restrictions on the powers and responsibilities among the gods are much looser.

You Ming walked slowly down the street, and the boy walked slowly down the street.

One was in the underworld, and the other was in the mortal world; they simply overlapped at a certain point.

All around were sounds of jubilation and prayer, a great commotion, but Youming's heart was at peace, his gaze toward all living beings filled with compassion.

At that moment, he suddenly understood the meaning of being a god.

Compared to cultivators who can fly and escape into the heavens or gods with long lifespans, the common people living in this agrarian society are far too vulnerable.

Natural disasters and man-made calamities could leave them with nothing.

The gods, in turn, respond to the people's requests and, within their authority, allow them to improve their lives slightly.

The bonfire was still burning brightly, the strong incense smoke shooting into the sky, and the brilliant halo of light kept turning...

The people on the street clapped and laughed, worshipped devoutly, or followed the procession shouting. These scenes seemed to be frozen in time, forming a grand picture of the Shehuo festival.

The folk performance troupe crossed a bridge, and the boy squatted down and released the carp he was holding into the river.

The carp did not swim away; it remained circling in the same spot and flicked its tail at the crowd on the shore.

Upon seeing this scene, everyone naturally knew that the gods had arrived, and their hearts became even more devout.

After a dozen or so breaths, the carp plunged into the water and quickly disappeared.

"Bang bang bang."

Suddenly, streaks of light burst forth in the night sky, drawing countless onlookers and making the atmosphere of the folk performance reach its peak.

"Huh? Fireworks?" You Ming returned to his seat and was stunned when he saw the sky filled with light and flames.

“This name is good. I saw you use mystic light to bloom in the night sky during the Shangsi Festival. We discussed it with the Taoist sect, and they quickly created a similar thing, but it needs to be ignited with fire, so we named it Fire Meteor.”

"But thinking about it now, the name 'Fire Meteor' is too plain and vulgar. The name 'Fireworks' is much better. Smoke is vapor; flower is glory. Vapor transforms into glory, and glory gives rise to light, which is the brilliance of heaven and earth in an instant. Naming it 'Fireworks' truly captures its spirit."

Upon hearing the name, the judge shook his head and pondered it for a moment, finding it remarkably fitting, and his gaze towards the little carp softened even more.

This judge was originally a scholar who had always looked down on those crude warriors and dull-witted monsters. However, upon seeing You Ming's extraordinary speech, he developed a great deal of goodwill towards him.

That makes sense, after all, carp and turtles are spiritual creatures, naturally possessing a refined and cultured aura, which sets them apart from ordinary monsters.

You Ming smiled but didn't say anything. He looked up at the sky, surrounded by the incense and prayers of the people, like a warm breeze.

The children were dancing, and the gods were watching. Some people laughed, some clapped, some threw candy into the crowd, and some imitated the gods' gestures.

May lanterns fill the ground, paper flowers flutter in the air, and the sounds of gongs and drums mingle with the laughter of the crowd.

That night, the world was bright, and all the gods were present.

Everyone was happy.

……

You Ming left the City God's Realm drunkenly, collapsing headfirst into the Feng River. He immediately transformed back into his original form and swam rapidly through the water.

These past few days, the gods have been celebrating, and the City God's office has not prohibited drinking, so everyone has naturally been drinking to their heart's content.

Although the little carp didn't like drinking, it was influenced by the atmosphere and persuaded by the other gods that it ended up drinking quite a bit.

However, taking this opportunity, he became much closer to the gods.

Back at Yuanling Mountain, Youming fell fast asleep.

The school at the foot of the mountain was almost finished these past few days, only lacking some fine carving work, so it wasn't too noisy.

You Ming slept for a full day and night.

After waking up, he felt refreshed and relaxed, as if his spiritual practice had improved somewhat.

You Ming then summoned Wu Mo and inquired about the situation at the temple over the past few days. After receiving a reply that everything was as usual, he nodded in agreement.

"However, this morning a young man came to the Niangniang Temple. He said he was sent by the temple keeper of Changning County and asked to serve as the incense guide at our Niangniang Temple."

After finishing his official business, Wu Mo added one more thing.

"The City God has finally decided to send someone. I applied several times before, but he ignored me."

You Ming immediately became interested. In this world where gods could manifest their divine power, temple priests were certainly not just menial servants responsible for cleaning and offering incense.

In fact, the temple keeper held a rather high position, being a clergy member who could truly receive divine decrees and bear the divine power.

Even temple priests of different deities, because they possess different powers and authority, can better act on behalf of the deities and help them spread their worship.

However, not just anyone can become a temple keeper; they need to undergo rigorous selection and training, making them somewhat similar to true disciples of a sect.

However, practitioners value enlightenment more, while the selection of temple priests values ​​spirituality more.

(End of this chapter)