My words have become law; I truly have no desire to display my divine power before others.

Before dawn, there was a knock on the gate of A-Luo's house.

Lu Yang was still lying in bed dreaming that he was riding a flying sword and spinning in the sky, with people below looking up at him and calling him "Immortal Lu".

Just as he was feeling smug, three loud "thumps" suddenly ripped him down from the sky.

He suddenly opened his eyes, paused for a moment, and heard people talking outside.

It was the elder's voice, lowered very low, but it could still be heard clearly through the wall.

"Has the Taoist priest risen? This old man has come to pay his respects to the Taoist priest."

Ye Qingfeng's voice came from next door, neither too loud nor too soft: "Come in."

Lu Yang quickly got up, hastily put on his clothes, and pushed open the door to go out.

In the courtyard, the clan elder stood under the jujube tree with Zhao Dazhu. The two had changed into clean clothes and their hair was neatly combed. The clan elder had also changed his walking stick to a new one, made of ebony with a copper ring on the top.

They didn't sleep much last night. There was so much to do for the grand ceremony: checking the offerings, setting up the venue, and arranging manpower. They were so busy that they only managed to get a short nap in the middle of the night before getting up again before dawn.

Ye Qingfeng has already risen.

He sat at the table, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand.

The chubby baby was still asleep, wrapped in a small blanket and huddled in the chair, his exposed half-face flushed, like a ripe apple.

The clan elder walked up to Ye Qingfeng, bowed, and said respectfully, "Daoist Master, the time for the grand ceremony is approaching. I would like to invite you to go to the temple to offer incense first."

Ye Qingfeng glanced at him, put down his teacup, and stood up.

Lu Yang quickly followed, but after taking a couple of steps, he turned back and saw A Luo still squatting behind the stove, peeking out half her head to look this way.

He waved to her: "A-Luo, aren't you going?"

Aro shook her head: "I'll go after the baby wakes up. You guys go first."

Lü Yang nodded and turned to follow Ye Qingfeng.

Miao Gui got up at some point, rubbing his eyes and following behind, yawning as he walked.

Shen Zhaoyue didn't know when she had finished dressing, but she landed next to Ye Qingfeng with a quick movement.

Several people walked out of the courtyard gate, through the alley, and headed towards the center of the village.

Before dawn, the eastern mountains were just beginning to show a hint of pale light, and the stars had not yet completely faded.

The village is already bustling with activity.

Red lanterns were hung at the door of every household, and the candlelight inside the lanterns danced in the morning breeze, casting patches of red on the ground.

The alley was full of people, young and old, men and women, all dressed in clean clothes.

Some people carried offerings, some held incense and candles, some led sheep, and some carried loads on their shoulders.

When they saw Ye Qingfeng approaching, they automatically made way for him.

Their gazes shifted from Ye Qingfeng to Lü Yang, then back again. Some people whispered among themselves.

"That's the Taoist priest."

"The young man behind him is the one who killed the bear demon with a single sword yesterday."

"So young? He doesn't look it."

"Don't judge a book by its cover."

Upon hearing these words, Lü Yang straightened his back even more.

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze indifferent, a faint smile playing on his lips.

He felt a surge of joy at the way those people looked at him, but he held back and didn't show it.

Miao Gui walked beside him, looked at his appearance, and his lips twitched, but he didn't say anything.

An altar has been erected in the open space in the center of the village.

The altar was made of wood and was more than a meter tall. It was covered with red cloth and had offerings, including three kinds of sacrificial animals, five kinds of grains, fresh fruits, wildflowers, and the five-hundred-year-old ginseng, tied with red silk and placed neatly in the center.

In front of the altar, the gates of the Ginseng Temple were wide open, and wisps of incense wafted out, spreading gently in the morning light.

The clay statue in the temple, its gold paint peeling off, was wiped clean and gleamed faintly in the candlelight.

The clan elder led Ye Qingfeng to the front of the altar, took three sticks of incense from the altar, held them with both hands, and handed them to Ye Qingfeng.

"Master, please offer this first incense stick."

Lu Yang was stunned for a moment.

In his hometown, the first incense stick of the grand ceremony is always lit by a respected elder; this is the custom, and no one has ever broken it.

He glanced at the clan elder, whose face showed no reluctance but rather an indescribable sense of relief.

Ye Qingfeng didn't say anything. He took the incense and flicked it lightly, and the incense ignited without fire.

This scene made the clan elders even more respectful.

Three wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, drifted to his face, and dispersed.

He held the incense sticks, bowed three times in the direction of the ginseng temple, and then inserted the incense sticks into the incense burner.

The cigarette smoke rose gently, taller and more stable than the others, standing there like three slender pillars in the morning light, lingering for a long time.

The clan elder breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked to the incense table, picked up the bamboo sticks, closed his eyes, and muttered incantations.

After reading for a while, he shook the bamboo tube, and a bamboo stick jumped out and landed on the ground.

Zhao Dazhu quickly picked it up and handed it to the clan elder.

The clan elder took it, glanced at it, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

"A very auspicious fortune!"

The villagers who had gathered to watch cheered.

Some people clapped, some cheered, and some stomped their feet in excitement.

The elderly were wiping away tears, the children were laughing, and the young people were patting each other on the shoulder.

The elderly were wiping away tears, the children were laughing, and the young people were patting each other on the shoulder.

This is an extremely auspicious divination slip. It hasn't appeared for several years, but it appeared this year. This means that the Ginseng God is pleased, that the ginseng harvest will be good next year, and that the ginseng-growing village is saved.

The clan elder held the bamboo stick above his head so everyone could see it.

His eyes reddened, and his voice was hoarse: "The Ginseng God has appeared! This year's grand festival is an extremely auspicious omens!"

The cheers grew even louder.

The firecrackers were lit, crackling and popping, filling the air with smoke, and red paper scraps flew everywhere, landing on people's hair, shoulders, and offerings.

The children covered their ears and ran around screaming.

The elderly people stood at the back of the crowd, their hands clasped together, muttering incantations.

Lu Yang was jostled by the crowd, his feet almost leaving the ground.

Looking at the cheering faces, the excited eyes, and the waving hands, he suddenly felt a surge of emotion.

These people almost had their village wiped out by a bear demon yesterday, and today they're so happy because of a very auspicious fortune slip.

No matter how hard life gets, you have to find something to look forward to. Without something to look forward to, you can't go on living.

The parade began.

The burly man carried the statue of the Ginseng God out of the temple and placed it on a wooden sedan chair.

The statue is small, only half a person's height, carved from wood and painted with gold paint. It is smiling and holding a ginseng staff in its hand.

The sedan chair was wrapped with red silk, and a copper bell hung from the west corner, making a "ding-a-ling" sound as it moved.

The group started from the center of the village and walked along the bluestone path towards the east end of the village.

The clan elder walked at the front, leaning on a cane, with Zhao Dazhu following beside him, supporting him.

Behind them were two burly men carrying a sedan chair, with a statue of the Ginseng God swaying on it.

Behind them were people carrying offerings, holding incense and candles, leading sheep, and carrying loads on shoulder poles.