Chapter 990: Drown It, Let Horns Grow from the Head

The Wu Sheng ritual of the Bai family will never be exposed to public view.

Yet within the HanTai Prefecture, general temples are extremely numerous, comparable to the dragon king temples of Jianghuai—ten thousand households' incense naturally generates votive power,

and the largest one lies beneath Bingjing Mountain outside HanTai Prefecture's city, still brightly lit in the dead of night, with crowds stretching up the stone steps, and bearded elders with neatly trimmed beards, resembling two smudges of ink from afar, riding human-pulled sedan chairs uphill, while townsfolk clear paths on either side.

"Such vivid colors."

Liang Qu stood atop the roof, gazing afar.

Under the night sky, the general temple appeared somewhat dim, yet its colors remained clearly visible.

Unlike the temple styles of central plains and southern Jiangnan, the general temple was "heavily painted," its plaque base an intensely bright blue, the entire gatehouse a riot of colors.

Not to mention the sacrificial shrines.

The architectural styles of residents in PingYang and HanTai also differed greatly.

PingYang favored sloped roofs to prevent water accumulation and mold, with horse-head walls on both sides and brick-and-stone walls; HanTai favored flat roofs covered with straw for grain storage, effectively keeping heat out in summer and storing grain in winter, and serving as foundation platforms during wartime.

The walls weren't brick or stone, but tamped earth mixed with camel hair, with ceramic jars on the ridges; out of curiosity, Liang Qu reached inside one and found dried hair and grains—he, a native of the waterlands, had no idea what this custom meant.

This was the feeling of a foreign land.

Couldn't understand the speech.

Couldn't read the signs.

Everything visible was utterly unfamiliar, nothing from his memories.

The first day he missed PingYang.

Long Long Eying stood aside: "Why are you out so late, and why stop here?"

Liang Qu pointed to the worshippers climbing the steps: "I thought no one would come at midnight, but during the festival it's so crowded—I'll just wait a bit."

"Wait for what?"

"Wait for the water to sink."

BOOM!

Sparks flew inside the temple, orange embers drifting into the night sky, triggering a commotion.

"Let's go, it's about time."

The temple's eaves jutted out with glazed wind-beast heads, and bronze bells along the corners were engraved with Lotus Sect incantations.

Climb in.

The smell of rust and sesame oil hit him.

Square beams crisscrossed overhead.

In the dark areas unreachable by candlelight, Liang Qu, using the 【Turbine Armor】's water curtain to distort light and shadow, held Long Long Eying's hand and walked freely above them, overlooking the entire General Hall before the temple attendants and worshippers.

The left wall depicted the "Ice Plain Massacre," the right wall the "Horse-Head Bodhisattva Subduing Demons"; the mural pigments contained powdered blue-lake salt jade, which, from a side angle, reflected jade-like sutras—otherwise, invisible.

The three-zhang-nine-chi statue stood below and to their left.

Its form was majestic, tall and robust, its left side clad in a hundred-plate fish-scale armor, its right side draped in a thousand-knotted blood-maned robe.

Three faces: one bronze, one jade, one winter-limited frost-covered face, euphemistically called the "Dark Face," combining with HanTai's geography to create a unique regional cultural blend.

Inside the hall, the crowd buzzed with chatter about the wealthy family's recent offering.

"Ten thousand taels for a single first incense stick—Master Ma's generosity is truly immense; the rumors about financial strain are all false."

"Ten thousand taels is cheap—the first incense on New Year's Eve at midnight costs fifty thousand! The first incense of the year ensures the General's blessing; on the second day, thirty thousand; on the third, ten thousand; even on ordinary days, the first incense costs three thousand—"

"Don't linger, don't linger—move forward, move forward."

The dense crowd continued to shuffle forward.

Ten thousand taels just to burn incense?

Damn it all!

Liang Qu seethed with resentment—his entire fortune, months of salary, wasn't enough to even afford a single first incense here!

Long Long Eying glanced around: "Are you going to do it now? So many people—"

"Wait a bit longer. It can't stay this crowded forever."

The truth proved winter idle folk were indeed numerous.

Around two in the morning, the crowd remained thick; only at four did someone begin sweeping the hall—Liang Qu, who had been lying across beams yawning, perked up.

The chance has come!

"Finally!"

Liang Qu immediately stood, unfastened his belt. Long Long Eying turned her gaze away, then couldn't help sneaking a peek, then turned away again.

Absurd!

Yet upon reflection, it wasn't entirely without logic.

According to the expert Master Huai Kong, the Triggering of Drowning Karma likely correlates with Lotus Sect devotee distribution—giving everyone a baseline, reason unknown—and the General is also part of the Snow Mountain system; encounter devotees, encounter the statue—

"Drowning" also means urination!

This is precisely the guidance of the Battle Victory Buddha!

"Even the Buddha urinates and laughs—what's a mere General? I, the Marquis of Baron Xingyi, have no taboos!"

Liang Qu stepped sideways, shifting his position.

Building beam structures generally fall into three types: well-frame, through-dou, and lifted-beam.

Large buildings typically use the "lifted-beam" style—beams raised on pillars, pillars placed atop beams, beams raised again on those pillars—this structure increases the building's width and depth, making it the primary framework for large structures, as in the General Temple.

The topmost beam pressed tightly against the eaves; the next pair were only five chi below the roof, leaving insufficient space to stand upright—bending over looked unseemly.

Thus Liang Qu could not stand directly above the statue's head or shoulders, only on the third level, slightly farther away, standing straight to launch a long-range strike.

Slightly aim.

The water dam held all night burst open—a torrential flood poured forth!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh.

Like a gushing column.

Worried the direct strike would be too loud and draw attention, Liang Qu deliberately aimed a parabolic arc, drenching the beam first, then letting the water slowly drip down onto the statue.

"Amitabha, Buddha protect, Battle Victory Buddha protect—"

Long Long Eying rolled her eyes all night.

Throughout the heavens, only Liang Qu could conceive such a vile trick to counter poison with poison.

The beams were wide, saturated with pools of water, naturally spreading outward.

Drip drip drip.

"What's that sound?"

The old temple keeper looked up, seeing no one climbing to worship.

Whoosh whoosh.

The intermittent sound grew clearer, continuous.

Water?

Where was it leaking? Had it rained outside?

The temple keeper's confusion grew like tangled weeds; he looked out the window.

Clear sky, starlight and moonlight, not a single cloud in sight.

Strange. Strange sound.

"Temple keeper! The, the statue!"

The young man gasped, pointing.

The temple keeper turned—his pupils dilated—water was dripping from the beams, landing on the statue's frost-covered head!

In the cold of February, HanTai's biting chill froze the water column instantly to the ice surface, forming stalagmite-like protrusions, rising high into two horn-like shapes, ruining the statue's original visage!

For a moment, old and young alike could not determine the water's origin or nature.

Whoosh.

The Inside Ze Ding trembled.

【Drowning Karma Triggered】

【Drowning Karma Accumulated: Four】

Useful! Effective!

Wind's up—let's bolt!

Before the temple keeper reacted, Liang Qu shook himself dry, tightened his belt with Long Dragon Lingxiao, scooped up Long Long Eying, and vanished from the temple swiftly, using shadows without disrupting the lighting effects.

One leap, one ascent—the young man sprang onto the beams, following direction to find the top beam coated in thick frost.

The temple keeper anxiously asked: "Look, what kind of water is it?"

The young man looked left and right, bewildered.

He took a sip.

"Good… it seems to be…"

"What?"

"Urine?"

"!"

The temple keeper's head felt ready to explode; he stared at the "ice spires" growing from the statue's head, his heart seizing.

The next day.

Calm and still.

Liang Qu ordered Cha Qing to go out and inquire, but heard no changes at the General's Temple.

The matter had been covered up.

"Only three points—not enough—" Liang Qu felt no difference in his four-point drowning life; he might as well go all the way. "Cha Qing, give me all the remaining locations of the General's Temple, and also those across Blue Lake on the Great Snow Mountain—prepare two more water flasks for me!"