Chapter 1359: All Different (Seeking Monthly Votes, Double Issue)

"Quick quick quick, quick quick quick, it's over, the sacrifice is over, the otters open, set off the fireworks! Run, run, run, run,"

"Monkey King, conch, conch!"

Xu Zishuai bent over, clapped his hands, shouted loudly, turned around in a circle, and directed one by one. The otter opening and the little otter picked up torches, took small steps, and ran around the roof, the torches quickly scorched the fuse, and sparks crackled.

Whoosh!

Bang.

Brilliant fireworks surged and bloomed from the Heavenly Ship Tower and Yingchun Tower, flying up like steps, intertwining into a huge circle, blooming one after another magnificent white chrysanthemums.

The Monkey King climbed the scaffolding, big and small monkeys shouting, opened the conch on the roof.

"Roar!"

The shout like mountains collapsing and seas surging came forth from countless resonant conchs.

Xu Zishuai leapt into the "broadcast hall," grabbed the sound-amplifying spirit device, and on the dim, pale dragon spirit gauze, white points flickered, then the screen burst into bloom.

One after another, kneeling citizens, one after another, flags flying wildly, flashed rapidly.

Finally, the moving, flickering image focused and froze before the majestic Holy Emperor's likeness.

The image moved from bottom to top, left to right, from a looking-up angle, froze in majesty, froze in gazing outward.

"By the grace of the Holy Emperor's heavenly mandate, the Prince of Huai reverently performs the rites, with sincere heart, to thank Heaven and Earth for their virtue of nurturing all things, praying for favorable winds and rains, national peace and people's well-being."

The annual River God Festival concludes here—this is a year of favorable winds and rains, a year of peace and joy, and also the grand festival initiated by the Prince of Huai for us. But while enjoying the festive revelry, no one should forget one person—

That is the great Holy Emperor, the great Majesty!

The Great Qian is without virtue; the founding ancestor, Pilu Lanlü, opened the mountains and forests, sincerely followed Heaven's mandate, and built our mighty Great Shun. Yet, when the state was first established, wolves surrounded it, and ambitious men were many.

It is the Majesty, the present Majesty, who through southern and northern campaigns laid the foundation of prosperity, opened the canals, eliminated remnants, sailed to the outer seas, pacified the northern barbarians, conquered the southern territories, and brought peace to the world. Without the Majesty, how could we have today's joy? Without the Majesty, how could we have today's gathering?

Now, at this moment, there is only one wish!"

On the altar, Liang Chu lowered his wine cup, raised his arms, and shouted loudly, echoing between heaven and earth: "May my Emperor live as long as Heaven, without end!"

The dragon people and merpeople shouted: "May my Emperor live as long as Heaven, without end!"

The village elders and officials shouted while kneeling: "May my Emperor live as long as Heaven, without end!"

The great marsh, lotus leaves swaying.

"May my Emperor live as long as Heaven, without end! Ribbit!"

The fat fish pulled out a small notebook and recorded everything in detail.

The Prince of Chong secretly took notes.

On the crown-and-robe platform, the Holy Emperor sat upon the throne, overlooking Pingyang, overlooking Yixing.

The sunlight was warm and soft, fireworks bloomed on the rooftops, and the light and shadow on Yingchun Tower's roof shifted endlessly.

Unlike the usual "Long Live the Emperor," the phrase "May my Emperor live as long as Heaven, without end" is too long; the people misheard it, didn't understand what was said, and only sporadically echoed the tune, but gradually became uniform, clear, and powerful.

It seemed as if the whole world was whistling in his ears.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Your Majesty?"

"Huh? Huh!"

The Holy Emperor suddenly came to his senses, looking at the pushing arms, the Empress calling out incessantly, dazed, he recalled where he had been.

"Your Majesty, you've been shouting for a long time." The Empress reminded him.

"Ah, for three months I've been traveling by boat and carriage, exhausted, and just now I couldn't help but doze off." The Holy Emperor raised his hand to his forehead, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.

The Empress smiled: "Since you're weary, Your Majesty should rest well."

"Your Majesty's health is paramount; do not overexert yourself." The steward worried, "Just from today's weather, we can see the people's hearts are with our Great Shun; this year's Xuanhuang qi already indicates a bountiful harvest—we must preserve the Holy Emperor's health."

The surrounding officials followed suit in urging restraint.

The Holy Emperor coughed once, truly unwilling to linger on this topic, immediately rose, personally ordered to stand down, and the ceremony proceeded in order.

The cheers gradually faded.

"Good!" Xu Zishuai cheered, "Your Majesty's benevolence means you don't wish us to suffer the scorching sun outdoors; let us once again thank the Holy Emperor for creating this peaceful and prosperous age, the Central Plains dynasty, north to the Flowing Gold Sea, south to the Deer Cang River—through ancient times to now, there has never been such a time as today. Your Majesty's grace can never be fully repaid!"

"Roar!"

"Your Majesty's grace can never be fully repaid!"

"The eternal sun of Great Shun!"

"Very good, full of spirit—this is the people of Great Shun under the Holy Emperor's rule: forever loving, forever loyal, forever cheering! Believe the Holy Emperor has already felt the sincere hearts of our Pingyang people, our Great Shun people—ardent as fire. Let us first bury this passion deep in our hearts. Now it is the fifth watch of noon; though the sacrificial rites are complete, human celebration is in full swing.

More exciting events are coming, let us immerse ourselves in this joy and harmony bestowed by the Holy Emperor's vast grace.

Enough talk—straight to the main event: please welcome our old friend, Benbo'er Ba!"

The dragon spirit gauze flickered, and the Yixing mascot appeared grandly.

"Hello everyone, long time no see! First, this morning, atop the tower of Eternal Yingchun, the otter clan's grandmaster title contest is underway, having continued after noon break, still as fierce as fire and as lively as tea.

Moreover, this year's new addition: the Jianghuai Great Marsh, Wolf-Smoke-level aquatic beast tug-of-war boat race, the otter's elite grilled fish selection contest, and the Eight-Armed Maiden's discount shop—all are proceeding in order.

The camera turns to the rooftop; we can see several otter candidates sharpening their claws, clinking and clanking, expected to decide the preliminary winners before dusk. This time, the iron ore forging is aided by the Luwu Spirit Forge, Luwu Spirit Forge—"

Fireworks bloomed, crowds surged, and people rushed toward the various events.

At the dock, the river dolphins and sturgeons for the tug-of-war race were already ready.

Liang Chu jumped down from the altar, Lin Songbao immediately called people forward to unpack, and in the blink of an eye, the extra space was filled with a crowd.

"Village Elder Chen, how are you? Still doing well?"

"Good! Very good! I'm over eighty, and I've never felt this good—like I'm back twenty years old." Chen Zhao'an's neck veins were not yet fully hidden, his complexion rosy and radiant, though he spoke with shortness of breath.

Liang Chu repeatedly observed him; having listened to the "Ear Identification Method" twice, he felt something indescribable.

Does a sacrificial officiant have an influence? Certainly, but it's hard to say how much.

Chen Zhao'an is already about that age; after this, perhaps due to excessive fatigue, his immunity may drop, leading to a serious illness—what elderly people fear most is falling ill.

But solving that isn't difficult.

"Jiechang."

"What is it, Shui Ge?" Chen Jiechang, who was moving the offering table, ran over.

"Go to the medical hall and get a prescription, take out a ten-year supply of Little Longevity Treasure, the kind worth five or six hundred taels, remember, let Chen Xianglao drink it before dark, don't delay until evening."

A person cannot be still; when dusk comes and one grows still, the heart qi relaxes, and all kinds of ailments come seeking, and even tonic remedies are of no use.

Chen Jiechang looked at Chen Zhaoan not far away, leaning on a Huang Huali cane, chatting and laughing freely, and nodded: "Alright, I understand."

"Huh."

Watching Chen Jiechang leave, Liang Qu let out a long breath.

Gazing at the fireworks bursting atop Yingchun Lou and Tianzhou Lou, the bustling crowds, the suppressed excitement from the earlier sacrificial rites surged up swiftly.

Favor!

A breathtaking glance, an unparalleled vast favor!

Eager to communicate with Inside Ze Ding.

Streams of radiance blazed and flickered before his eyes.

【Sacrificing to Huaijiang, utmost righteous principle, heaven and earth resonate, river favor degree +286.7841】

【Governing Huaijiang, seizing favor 5.4】

【River governance degree: 5.4 (river favor degree: 100 (375.6553)】

【Endowed by heaven and earth, the spirit of all things! Receiving utmost favor from Jianghuai! Heavenly gods bless, earthly spirits welcome————】

【The Water Yuan Ape, innately divine seed, heaven and earth concentrate spirit, receiving utmost favor from Huaijiang, nurturing living beings, hundreds upon hundreds fulfilled is already the limit of heaven and earth's favor, cannot be increased.】

【Zen heart illuminates the moon over a thousand rivers, true nature embraces ten thousand li of heaven. The Water Yuan Great Sage, having steadied mind and nature, can temporarily break through the perfection limit, yet does not alter heaven and earth, beyond the hundreds, the remainder may drift and fade with time.】

【The Water Yuan Great Sage, in perfection, consuming one hundred favor, can advance to one point of governance degree.】

Heavy Breathing.

"A sacrificial rite, gaining favor, actually breaks the hundred limit!?"

Abundant harvest.

Super colossal harvest!

Three hundred favor, three points of governance degree, plus the original five point four, only one point six short, directly satisfying the conditions for linking the Long Right Fruit.

Know that he still has twelve fiefdoms ahead!

He had thought this favor would be extraordinary, had thought he might be greatly startled.

After all, the Holy Emperor himself arrived, plus the Five Yao Dragons, and also the old monk who reached Pingyang Mountain yesterday, the Frog King, Hai Fangzhu, Hai Ya Wang who came to observe near the water, the scale unprecedentedly vast.

But he did not expect it to become this grand.

Approaching three hundred!

"Utmost righteous principle, heaven and earth resonate, could it be because the Emperor came?"

The Holy Emperor's status is extraordinary, equivalent to the will of the Great Shun—plus so many Martial Saints striking down, it seems understandable?

As for favor topping at one hundred, with excess slowly dissipating, this time giving two hundred eighty, equally outrageous, he here can receive the extra portion due to Inside Ze Ding's special nature, Jianghuai being able to give out is already strange.

Liang Qu rubbed his chin.

"Well, maybe not inexplicable————"

He thought of Eying.

Eying likes him, just as much as liking to a hundred percent, but when doing certain special things, occasionally breaks through the limit, reaching a peak of breaking the limit, a state of body and spirit resonating.

At this time the mind goes blank, the whole body feels light and airy, water-like dissolving, completely unable to feel one's own body, then slowly falls back into the human world.

Such an ultimate experience objectively exists, liking to the point of breaking limits, yet cannot linger long; lingering too long is actually not good, bad for the body, and the entire reward feedback mechanism will suffer massive breakdown.

"Never mind, take however much is given, getting it is profit!"

Dare not delay, fearing even a moment's delay would lose even 0.0001 favor.

Adjust the body's bow mechanism, lest Ze Ling automatically emerge roaring.

In an instant.

Liang Qu dazedly felt his body infinitely elevated, high and looking down from above, the entire Jianghuai Great Marsh's meridians appeared in his mind, as if stretching out a hand, he could lift the great marsh.

A faint flow of ferocious hegemony, visitors near Liang Qu all shuddered, arising with a strong heart already set.

The tiny stone shells on the street were even more terrified, panicked and hastily closed their shells.

【River governance degree: 8.4 (river favor degree: 75.6553)】!

Favor instantly emptied more than half, Liang Qu's intention still not exhausted.

The more he looked, the more he coveted, unable to help but begin fantasizing.

"Can't we drag the Holy Emperor to the other fiefdoms?"

When the Holy Emperor leaves, the five封王 follow, civil and military officials, the Tianwei Guard also all go, so as long as we secure the Holy Emperor alone, it's enough.

If each subsequent event yields over two hundred, that would be forty-odd, fast approaching fifty points of supreme governance, Wu Guo could even communicate!

No, not just that.

It is the Water Yuan Great Sage's super evolution.

It is the Jing Huang Dan, Tai Zu Dan!

"What could be the reason? Your Majesty came to see Yun Dao Xian Island, Yin World Nether Realm, so staying in Pingyang, the River God sacrifice every three days, one bowl rushing, one bowl urgent — "

The clamor ahead interrupted Liang Qu's thought.

The crowd automatically parted, the Tianwei Guard stepped forward in formation.

He hurriedly wiped the river water, welcoming the fall.

"Your Majesty! Why did you come down? Yesterday you weren't supposed to watch the Da He Lan Special Grade Forging Grand Prix, is something wrong?"

"No, very good, all very good." The Holy Emperor held his hands behind his back, joy almost visible to the naked eye, "Just now the performance at Yingchun Lou ended, the dock had a water beast tug-of-war, I previously seemed not to have heard Liang Qing mention it?"

Liang Qu turned his head.

The dock collapsed, logs were tied to logs, dragged into floating lines, people paddled luckily out of the course.

In the course, sea wolves, Jiang Tun, and sturgeons were all present, their realms were in the middle stage of great prodigy, behind them, basins dragged small boats, the small boats had various shapes.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, these are the aquatic beast pulling race, all are great prodigy-level Jiang Tun, sturgeons, and sea wolves pulling, anyone can capsize, one person one boat, solo piloting.

But whether ordinary person or martial master or grand master, during the period no extra means can be used, only one's own superb driving punt technique can be used, combined physical strength luckily matching strategy, special boat shapes, using luckily issued prescribed compasses.

Then starting from the capsized fortunate dock, crossing the great marsh, to the Jianghuai countryside on the opposite shore of the great marsh, the first to arrive wins, the prize is one thousand taels of gold, the total distance is roughly twelve thousand li, en route there will also be arranged aquatic beast double strikes."

Will play!

Su Gu Mountain exclaimed in amazement.

The first year was a dream game, the second year was the Da He Lan competition, the third year still had new novelties, it seemed that every year at the river god festival, Liang Qu always managed to come up with some new novelty he had never seen before, the ideas and novelties kept emerging without splendor.

Eating, drinking, playing, and enjoying for over a hundred years, I had never known the joy and freshness of Liang Qu's wife in these past ten years.

"Haha, so that's it, so that's it, the art of falling backward speed is interesting." The Holy Emperor was full of delight, immediately turning and looking around, his words astonishing, "Since anyone can, then let us also have a match, how about it? Dragon Elephant King, Su King, Chong King, Clan Prince King, everyone come! Let's compete, see who runs faster!"

"This————"

Everyone was astonished.

The chief steward hurriedly advised against it: "Your Majesty, absolutely not."

The Grand Scholar followed and said: "Yes, Your Majesty, how could it be done."

", a fine day, do not come to seek misfortune bow, left not more than two days, how many years before I can make a trip to Jianghuai? Just now letting Your Majesty not overwork, this is only just relaxed a bit, and already want to dissuade? If not sincere, then do not againメ."

"If Your Majesty wishes to participate, we subjects will naturally accompany!" Zhang Dragon Elephant opened countryside.

"I also find it interesting." Chong King responded, "But what fun is twelve taels, Your Majesty might as well add more."

"Hahaha, good good good! You think the reward is insufficient, right? Then — — head erected add thirty great merits! How about it?"

"Then Your Majesty would probably lose thirty great merits." Su King lightly laughed and stepped forward.

The Holy Emperor laughed continuously: "Merit and capable ministers, how can one speak of loss? All ministers, please do not hold back."

Everyone looked at each other, seeing the martial saints so, suddenly fell silent.

Thus.

In Liang Qu's astonishment, in a short moment, the aquatic beast pulling race, joined by six super heavyweight figures, triggered cheers from the sightseers, thereafter not giving him reaction time, a set of reins struck experience plug was stuffed into his hand.

"Liang Qing, quickly choose an aquatic beast."

"Here here!"

Seeing the Holy Emperor's enthusiastic appearance, Liang Qu calculated in his heart, as light swept over the aquatic beasts, just about to speak, was preempted by the Holy Emperor.

"Liang Qing's fief, today truly let Your Majesty open eyes wide. This Yixing is such, are the remaining twelve also like this?"

Liang Qu's heart leapt greatly, realizing again, excitedly opened countryside: "Not as good as Yixing, but generally lively, all are like this, storing twelve fiefs, each fief's sacrifice, each fief's activity, all differ! And storing, each fief, I have for Your Majesty erected a holy image!"

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