Chapter 89: Ritual for the Departed Spirit, Guardian-Fa Straw Effigies, Anping Town Harvest Festival

Zhao Xing turned his head and saw the musician Jiang Jiuxian walking over.

Before the banquet began, he had heard Zong Shichang introduce him — this man was a clerk in the Nanyang Music Hall, and could be considered Lu Qian's senior fellow disciple.

"Qianqian, don't trust others so easily, don't be taken in." Jiang Jiuxian's face was stern, and when his gaze fell on Zhao Xing's face, it was exceedingly sharp.

"Senior Brother Jiang?" Lu Qian was a little displeased. "Were you eavesdropping on our conversation?"

Seeing that Lu Qian seemed unconvinced, Jiang Jiuxian hurriedly said: "New battle-lyrics and battle-songs — how rare are they? If they were truly for sale, they would come from a great master's hand, so how could they possibly appear in a tiny place like Gucheng? And besides, he's not even a musician, just an unreliable Si Nong."

Zhao Xing was unhappy — what do you mean, "just a Si Nong"?

You look down on Si Nong?

"This Brother Jiang, you may call me a swindler if you like, but don't attack my profession." Zhao Xing said.

Jiang Jiuxian snorted: "Don't address me as brother. If it weren't for Zong Shichang's sake, I would have exposed you publicly long ago. If you have any self-awareness, while not many people know yet, hurry downstairs and leave. Don't keep putting on your little act here."

He had taken a dislike to Zhao Xing as early as when the dance and music performance ended.

Everyone else gave tips, but you came empty-handed — do you understand the rules?

Afterwards, the junior sister he liked had taken the initiative to perform a dance in front of this man. He didn't know what sweet nothings this fellow had whispered to make his junior sister lose her head!

Before Zhao Xing could speak, Lu Qian defended him: "Senior Brother, you don't understand. He's not what you think."

Jiang Jiuxian's heart soured even more at this.

Infuriating — what do you mean, you don't understand? How is it that after chatting for just a while, you understand him?

"Junior sister, come to your senses!" Jiang Jiuxian's voice rose unconsciously.

Seeing Jiang Jiuxian still blocking the way, Lu Qian also grew displeased: "Jiang Jiuxian, what the truth is, I can judge for myself. I don't need you meddling. Making a scene and spoiling the mood — is that how a musician behaves? Get out of the way!"

With that, Lu Qian took Zhao Xing's hand and simply walked around him.

Jiang Jiuxian was furious, smoke practically rising from his head, his gaze almost murderous.

Seeing he couldn't persuade her, he immediately ran off to find Liu Muqing and the other young ladies of the Music Hall.

After his commotion, the guests admiring the moon in the top-floor private rooms had all been gathered by him.

"Brother Jiang, what happened? Why the urgent knocking?" Zong Shichang was a little annoyed — I was just about to touch Miss Liu's hand, and here you are banging on the door like mad. Have you no sense of occasion?

"Brother Zong, Miss Liu, please come with me. Lu Qian has been deceived, and I couldn't talk her out of it. Please, the two of you, go and enlighten her."

"What?" Liu Muqing came back to herself. "Deceived? What do you mean?"

Jiang Jiuxian briefly recounted what had just happened.

Zong Shichang felt a little uncomfortable — you actually dare call my adoptive father a swindler? Whether he's a swindler or not, wouldn't I know? Besides, making such a big fuss — where does that leave my face?

"Brother Jiang, I advise you not to make such a public scene. I know Brother Zhao well — he would never shoot without aim."

He was advising Jiang Jiuxian not to go courting humiliation.

After what had just happened, Zong Shichang's confidence in Zhao Xing had simply overflowed.

But Jiang Jiuxian said:

"Shichang, you're a Si Nong, you don't understand. A musician's battle-lyrics and battle-songs — are they so easy to create?"

"..." Seeing Jiang Jiuxian's attack extend directly to his profession, Zong Shichang grew even more displeased. But out of regard for Liu Muqing's face, he couldn't very well lose his temper.

Seeing the others crowding around as well, he could only follow them to go find Zhao Xing and Lu Qian.

"Open the door!" "Open the door!"

"Miss Lu, is Brother Zhao inside?"

"Qian'er..."

Outside the private room, a group of people were banging on the door.

"What are you doing?"

Lu Qian opened the door, looking somewhat astonished at the crowd at the entrance.

Zong Shichang said: "Brother Jiang says you've been deceived. Is this true?"

Lu Qian's gaze at Jiang Jiuxian instantly turned sharp: "Jiang Jiuxian, didn't I tell you not to meddle!"

The wine going to his head, Jiang Jiuxian no longer cared about so much: "Where is he? Whether he's a swindler or not, just call him out and we'll see!"

Some musicians and dancers nearby chimed in: "Qian'er, high-quality newly-created battle-lyrics and battle-songs are simply too astonishing. If it were me, I wouldn't believe it either."

"Battle-lyrics, battle-songs, battle-dances — being able to create even one of them is already remarkable, let alone two kinds at once?"

Lu Qian glared at Jiang Jiuxian and said: "What are you shouting about? He's gone."

Gone?

Zong Shichang, Liu Muqing, and the others exchanged glances.

The other guests were also a bit baffled — could it really be that he fled out of fear of being exposed?

Jiang Jiuxian grew even more emboldened: "If he wasn't guilty at heart, how could he leave without a word? Junior sister, haven't you come to your senses yet? He's nothing but a..."

But Lu Qian couldn't be bothered to argue with him, and simply took out a folded booklet of water-patterned paper from her bosom.

When this water-patterned paper booklet appeared.

Jiang Jiuxian's words were forcibly cut short.

Because he felt a powerful wave of "spiritual resonance," a sensation that even made his whole body tremble, so much so that he couldn't speak.

The other musicians were the same — their gazes were involuntarily drawn to the water-patterned paper.

The dancers were slightly better off, since after all there were only battle-songs and battle-lyrics, lacking the battle-dance component.

But they were still greatly shocked.

This was clearly the feeling only an original piece could give!

"It's actually real?"

"Did you feel it?"

"These battle-songs and battle-lyrics can at least be cultivated to the seventh rank, right?"

"You said too little — if it spreads through word of mouth, the upper limit can go even higher!"

"It must be the original. Only the original could have such power."

Jiang Jiuxian's face went pale, his gaze blank. He hadn't expected to actually be proven wrong.

Seeing this, Lu Qian put the Water-Pattern Sticker away again and stared coldly at Jiang Jiuxian:

"Jiang Jiuxian, I call you Senior Brother on ordinary days out of respect for the fact that you entered the sect earlier. Don't tell me you really think your skill is outstanding and your judgment far surpasses mine?"

"How can you look down on me like a child!"

Lu Qian felt humiliated. She felt Jiang Jiuxian was treating her like a child — did she really have no ability to appraise things?

Jiang Jiuxian had nowhere to hide, unable to speak.

It was Zong Shichang who smoothed things over: "Alright, Jiang-brother is drunk, the misunderstanding is cleared up and that's good. Come, everyone, let the music play on and the dancing continue. I still have something good to show you all, disperse, disperse!"

Then he pushed and shoved the crowd apart.

Liu Muqing didn't leave, because Lu Qian kept her behind. Good things should naturally be shared with one's close female friend; as for the others, they were fated not to see the original.

After closing the door, Liu Muqing's gaze fixed on the Water-Pattern Sticker: "Qian'er, this really was given to you by that Zhao Xing, not something you bought from somewhere else?"

Lu Qian smiled and unfolded the Water-Pattern Sticker: "Qing'er, there's a musical score on it. Play it once and you'll know."

The Water-Pattern Sticker was unfolded, with two large characters written on it: "Ritual Soul."

Liu Muqing walked to the qin and began performing according to the battle composition.

"Cheng li xi hui gu."

"Chuan ba xi dai wu."

"Kua nv chang xi rong yu."

"Chun lan xi qiu ju."

"Chang wu jue xi zhong gu."

As the lyrics and melody sounded together, Liu Muqing seemed to see a scene of sages from the primordial era sacrificing to the gods at the Heavenly Altar plaza. The battle drums beat in rapid succession, flower goddesses sang, and the seasons shifted in an instant from spring to autumn, cycling over and over.

Ritual is sacrifice; soul is the spirit of qi.

This is the god-sending hymn after the sacrifices to the various deities.

The qin's sound resonated with heaven and earth, seeming to have the effect of dispersing yin souls and sending away yin gods!

"This…" After playing it through twice, Liu Muqing quickly sensed a feeling both strange and familiar. "Could this be an extension built upon the 'Six Songs'?"

"Correct." Lu Qian nodded. "That's what he said."

"Since it's derived from the Six Songs, could there be more than just 'Ritual Soul'?" Liu Muqing suddenly thought of something.

"I guessed the same. It's a pity just as I was about to ask, that Jiang Jiuxian ruined everything. To avoid making things awkward for Zong Shichang, he just left… Hmph, Jiang Jiuxian, truly detestable!" Lu Qian was very angry.

"Alright, forget Jiang Jiuxian. Qian'er, your Que-Plume Dharma Robe wasn't lost for nothing." Liu Muqing teased. "You even traded it for an original battle composition… If you ask me, losing another ten or eight of them would be even better."

"You think it was a gift? I bought this, you know."

"Then that's a pity — Qian'er's hope of repaying the debt with her body has come to nothing."

"Qing'er, what nonsense are you spouting, asking for a beating!"

"…"

Zhao Xing returned home in Pingkang Ward under the moonlight.

At this time Zhao Ruide had taken his wife and children out to play and had not yet returned.

"The trip to Moon-Gazing Tower wasn't in vain — not only did it resolve a trouble, I also got several Dao-Dissemination paintings in exchange." Zhao Xing washed his face.

After giving "Ritual Soul" to Lu Qian, the other party agreed to provide at least two Dao-Dissemination paintings.

Adding in the one Zong Shichang mentioned, plus the money he had on him to buy another, he could get roughly four Dao-Dissemination paintings.

As for whether it was worth selling? In Zhao Xing's view, it was worth it.

In the future these battle lyrics and battle compositions wouldn't be of much use. Once the Qi-Dynasty collapsed, Ritual Cultivators, Music Cultivators, and Dance Cultivators would all fall into the dust and become minor paths.

As eras change, some professions rise to the heavens in a single step, while others fall into the dust. Right now he was short on money; if he could sell it for emergency use, then sell it — it was all picked up for free anyway.

"I hope Young Master Zong and Miss Lu can come through with some good Dao-Dissemination paintings."

Setting this matter aside for the moment, Zhao Xing began cultivating the introductory chapter of "Great Dream of Spring and Autumn."

【You have reined in the Sleepyhead Worm within your Life Soul. You have gained insight into the Sleepyhead Worm spell. Spell progress: 10】

【You have reined in the Sleepyhead Worm within your Life Soul. You have gained insight into the Sleepyhead Worm spell. Spell progress: 12】

【You have released the Sleepyhead Worm…】

……

After cultivating the Sleepyhead Worm spell for half the night, Zhao Xing fell into a deep sleep. The next morning, as usual, he headed to the Agricultural Administration Office to cultivate.

Although the progress of the Four Spells of Heavenly Timing would be hard to improve further in a short time, Zhao Xing did not give up.

He believed this kind of daily training wasn't for nothing — the progress was just so small it was less than 1 point. Accumulated over time, he would eventually break through the bottleneck.

The little mountain cat lazily lay on the locust tree, then used both paws to pull over a locust leaf and took a bite.

"Meow~"

Not tasty — the mountain cat spat it out again.

"How could that taste any good? You're really hungry, huh? Come on, I'll take you to find something to eat."

Zhao Xing checked the time and decided to take the mountain cat to Chen Residence to mooch a meal.

The Celestial-Origin Pear tree he had planted himself was still far from flowering and bearing fruit.

"Meow." The mountain cat's ears perked up. Hearing about food, it immediately jumped onto Zhao Xing's shoulder.

Agricultural Administrators generally ate quite well.

When Zhao Xing arrived, Chen Shijie was having a big meal at the residence.

"Second-grade superior ingredient, large yellow croaker? And you even added cooked rehmannia and clear-bright wolfberries?"

"Yam and white eel pot? Replenishes Qi and nourishes the lungs, strengthens the body and enriches yang?"

"And silver-ear bird and sparrow stew? Hiss, it really smells delicious!"

"Hey, why is there also clarity-boosting goji berries in this slow-cooked golden pheasant? That's also for boosting yang. Lord Chen must pay attention to rest, don't overwork yourself…"

Chen Shijie glanced at Zhao Xing: "Who did you learn this passive-aggressive skill from? Can we just eat properly?"

"Hehe." Zhao Xing stopped teasing Chen Shijie, but just looking at the food, he knew Gui Niang must have stayed at Chen's residence these past two days.

The two of them dug into a table full of good food with great relish. At this moment, a large yellow croaker suddenly came hopping out from the ground.

The yellow croaker was twice the size of a mountain cat. The little mountain cat bit it from above, its body completely hidden behind the yellow croaker.

Zhao Xing and Chen Shijie both ate very quickly, almost like a whirlwind sweeping away clouds — a habit formed in the army.

"Tomorrow is the Harvest Festival. Are you going out of the city?" After eating, Chen Shijie asked.

"Yes." Zhao Xing nodded. "Anping Town is the field-tax area I'm responsible for. The last wave of element-rice harvest — I have to go check on it."

"Bring Shen Zhui along. I'll give you another straw figure." Chen Shijie waved his hand, and from the back hall immediately ran out a straw figure wearing a straw raincoat and a conical hat.

Zhao Xing took a look, yet couldn't discern any tricks behind it.

"Protector straw figure." Chen Shijie introduced. "It stores two sword Qi inside, imprinted from a friend's sword Dao secret technique in the army. This protector straw figure of mine couldn't even be made in Nanyang Commandery."

The Xuantian Sect's likelihood of making a move in September wasn't high, but just in case, Chen Shijie still added a layer of insurance for Zhao Xing.

"Impressive." Zhao Xing gave a thumbs-up. The protector straw figure was a mid-tier spell, and an extremely difficult one to practice at that. Chen Shijie's was even more extraordinary. Using the Five Elements Observation technique, Zhao Xing actually felt a stinging pain in his eyes.

The materials for weaving the straw figure were no ordinary materials, full of metal-element power. The overall structure was extremely precise, completely locking the two sword Qi inside without any leakage.

Such a protector straw figure could be used for a very long time — as long as it wasn't damaged, it could almost last three to five years!

Zhao Xing used the Five Elements Observation technique to examine it, and even at close range could only faintly sense a sharp edge, completely unable to discern the tricks inside.

Chen Shijie was quite pleased with Zhao Xing's praise. He wanted Zhao Xing to follow him into the army, so naturally he had to show off some skills to attract him.

"Then I'll take my leave first." Zhao Xing left right after eating, clean and decisive — he knew Chen Shijie didn't like idle chatter.

Around the Autumn Equinox was the season for the last wave of element-rice harvest.

If not harvested by October, the element-rice would rot in the fields, and the common people wouldn't be able to plant another crop.

Anping Town was also within Shen Zhui's law enforcement jurisdiction, but he didn't need to stay there all the time. Minor scuffles among ordinary citizens didn't require high combat power to resolve.

Zhao Xing and Shen Zhui rode in an officially assigned carriage. The carriage itself had third-tier defensive power, and the pulling horse also had exotic-beast bloodline — a protrusion on its head, thick limbs, and hooves showing a black-purple color.

"A purple-horned horse pulling the carriage — Brother Shen has really made it big now, to have such a mount." Zhao Xing teased.

"Don't make fun of me. This is just a crossbred one, only carrying a bit of exotic-beast bloodline."

A pure-bloodline one would have a purple horn growing on its head, and the hooves should also be purple, not the current black-purple.

True purple-horned horses were generally warhorses. But for Shen Zhui to be assigned such a carriage was already quite an achievement — at least it proved the Martial Office valued him.

"Giddy-up~"

The carriage sped along the official road, arriving at Anping Town in less than half an hour.

At this time, the fields everywhere were a golden expanse. Farmers harvested element-rice in the fields, women turned the grain on the threshing ground, and children picked up rice ears, bundling them together and joyfully handing them to their elders.

This scene was beautiful and peaceful, just like the name Anping Town.

Suddenly, the sky darkened. Dark clouds drifted in from afar, as if it were about to rain.

"Brother Zhao, quick quick!" Shen Zhui hurriedly said.

"What's the rush." Zhao Xing smiled and pointed at the sky. Jin Guang wrapped around a pearl and flew up into the sky, disappearing into the clouds.

It was precisely a fourth-tier East Lake Pearl.

Although this fourth-tier East Lake Pearl was of the Venerable Han Bing attribute, it could also be used to absorb rainwater and cloud Qi.

Normal agricultural officials didn't use East Lake Pearls, but rather the officially distributed treasure 'Cloud Rain Pearl' — an agricultural treasure specifically used to regulate rainfall.

Although this East Lake Pearl wasn't specifically for absorbing clouds and rain, its grade was high, so the effect wasn't bad either.

In a short while, the dark clouds thinned out, and a quarter of an hour later, they had completely turned into white clouds.

"Whoosh~" The Han Bing Pearl returned to Zhao Xing's hand, the blue light on it becoming even more vivid.

The farmers who had been in a flurry, preparing to take shelter from the rain and gather the grain, returned to calm.

"Brother Zhao, wonderful spell." Shen Zhui smiled as he drove the carriage, continuing to take Zhao Xing on inspection through the fields.

Anping Town, the Niu family's fields.

At this moment, a group of rice guests were resting under a shed after finishing the element-rice harvest for the main household.

Among them was a middle-aged man of plain appearance, with prominent cheekbones and thick limbs, and a yellow-skinned, barrel-waisted woman with a head-wrap, chatting in low voices.

"September is out of the question for action." The middle-aged woman said softly. "The timing is too rushed. The higher-ups plan to make their move in November."

"November is the last yang month. If we don't act then, we'll have to wait until next year. I estimate it'll be around the Start of Winter."

"If we're not going to act, why make us come here and suffer?" The middle-aged man pounded his waist. "Can't use real strength — my kidneys are about to break from exhaustion."

"Anping Town is that Zhao Xing's jurisdiction. He has the duty of encouraging agriculture, so coming to scout ahead is good. Besides, we come to the Niu family as rice guests every year — not coming this year would seem strange." The woman handed over a water flask. "Here, quench your thirst first."

"Sigh, living like a mortal — the taste is really miserable. Even after so long, I still can't get used to this kind of mortal suffering." The man complained while looking at the clouds in the sky.

"Stop talking, someone's coming." The woman seemed unbearably hot, and propped herself up on her leg as if to stand.

At this moment, the Niu family's master arrived in a sedan chair, with several people carrying boxes.

"Chen Deshun, Wu Chen-shi, come quickly, wages are being paid!" Someone shouted from not far away.

The middle-aged man and woman immediately stood up, pretending to be overjoyed: "Aye, coming coming!"