Chapter 57: Observing the Ceremony

At dawn, Feng Xue finished breakfast, practiced a set of body-strengthening techniques, then stepped out the door and glanced at the small Western-style house behind him, which looked as if it had just endured an earthquake, before assuming a standing posture.

His nutritional condition was already superior to that of ordinary people in this era, and combined with the regimen of ingestion and physical training, it was more than sufficient to sustain static standing practice.

What was called static standing was essentially the common term for horse stance, though with slight variations in detail—overall, it involved prolonged standing to adjust the body's balance and coordination, while also cultivating mental endurance.

The emphasis was on using bodily stillness to perceive the movement of qi and blood.

Only when one could clearly sense the flow of qi and blood could one begin dynamic standing practice—not passively perceiving, but actively controlling the flow of qi and blood.

Feng Xue did not even know what qi and blood were, and feared confusing them with magical energy or primordial qi, so he did not rush; instead, he adopted the posture as recorded in the book, calming his mind and steadying his breath.

Though his physical condition was average, Feng Xue's mental focus was exceptional; within minutes, he faintly entered a state of emptiness, somewhat resembling the meditative trance of xuan cultivators, yet tinged with a bodily warmth and restlessness.

Following the book's instructions, he adjusted his stance to ensure the warmth flowed steadily and evenly, and before he realized it, he had stood for half an hour.

When he finally came back to himself, his waist and legs were numb and aching, his head felt hot, and despite the bitter cold, he was drenched in fine sweat.

Feng Xue was not surprised; he staggered back into the room and called Liu Yunxi to give him a bath (meaning to transform into a showerhead).

After all that fuss, by the time Feng Xue redressed himself, it was already past eight o'clock. He tidied his personal belongings once more, then prepared to leave—

After all, the rented house had been reduced to this state; he had to go to the realty agent to report it, and whether he wished to rent another house or buy and renovate this one, he would need the agent's assistance.

But before he had gone far, he suddenly heard a frantic cry:

"Feng… Feng Mr.! Wait!"

"??? " Feng Xue instinctively reached for Liu Yunxi, now reverted to a ring, while turning toward the voice—and saw the soldier who had visited him yesterday sprinting toward him in a panic.

"What is it?" Feng Xue calmed himself and asked cautiously. The soldier replied in a tone far more humble and fawning than before:

"Feng Mr.! The magistrate invites you to attend today's Town Artifact Installation Ceremony. Also, your outstanding contribution in yesterday's demon-slaying has earned you a reward from the magistrate…"

"Ah, this…" Feng Xue internally sighed, but since the matter had been put this way, refusing would be inappropriate—and he was genuinely curious what a Town Artifact even was—so he nodded and said:

"Lead the way."

…

Following the soldier, he arrived not at the magistrate's office, but at the city god temple beside it.

"Wow, the city god temple right next to the magistrate's office… well, that's actually pretty common." Feng Xue recalled his world before transmigration—it didn't seem unusual.

Maybe in this culture, the city god even borrowed the magistrate's premises late at night to judge ghosts?

While lost in such musings, Feng Xue heard a greeting and looked up to see several xuan cultivators bowing respectfully to him.

Feng Xue, though unfamiliar with any of them, could only mimic their gesture and return the bow. After passing through the archway and entering the inner alley, he finally spotted someone recognizable.

Master Yijing was now staring blankly at the young-looking Daoist Priest he'd met last night; upon closer inspection, both bore exhaustion that even their high cultivation could not conceal.

"Wow, so the Town Artifact needs high-level initiation? Is the magistrate calling me here to help with the initiation? I don't know how!"

Seeing the two masters in such a weary state, Feng Xue immediately formed this thought—but then relaxed.

Joking—he hadn't even entered the Dao!

No matter how impressive others thought him, his lack of Dao entry was real! Whoever wanted him to exert himself would get one reply—

My magical energy was exhausted last night!

Xuan cultivators' magical energy was precious; forcing him to use it would be like trying to kill him!

With this understanding, Feng Xue was no longer anxious; he even had the leisure to admire the layout of the city god temple.

Master Yijing and Daoist Priest Chen, both waiting anxiously for the hour of Si, now noticed Feng Xue. Master Yijing remained calm, but Daoist Priest Chen's expression changed—he had clearly seen the Bai She ring on Feng Xue's hand!

"Already reached the realm of effortless transformation! This great demon must not have taken the shortcut of petitioning for a title—otherwise, it could never have refined transformation arts to such a profound level! To wound a thousand-year great demon… that demon cultivator must be an ancient demonic patriarch seeking to shift into the Yin Poison and Filthy Vow path by possessing a corpse. Fortunately, he chose only an ordinary corpse… No! I must cleanse the surrounding feng shui malevolences afterward, to drive his demonic cultivation far away! I may even need to summon the Ancestral Master!"

Daoist Priest Chen's mental pressure nearly collapsed. Master Yijing, who had spent the entire night chasing demon cultivators with that foul Daoist, was now dazed. Unlike Daoist xuan cultivators seeking immortality, orthodox Buddhists cultivated transcendence; since this life offered no hope, they sought rebirth. Though they lived longer than ordinary people, it was merely ordinary longevity. At such an advanced age, after days of frantic travel and a sleepless night, he was clearly overwhelmed—and the morning winter sun only made him drowsy.

Fortunately, the clock and sundial hands moved in sync, finally pointing to the hour of Si. Seeing the auspicious time had arrived, Master Yijing forced himself to focus and turned toward the main hall of the city god temple.

Under the gaze of all present, the temple's steward and the magistrate emerged together, each holding a wooden tray.

On the magistrate's tray rested his official seal, symbolizing his recognized authority as lord of the county; on the steward's tray stood a spirit tablet inscribed in gold lacquer with the words: "Spirit Seat of the City God of Lu City, Protector of the People."

No explanation was needed. In that instant, every xuan cultivator present halted their movements and bowed in silent reverence to the tablet—except three figures clad in colorful robes and wearing nuo masks, who began a strange dance.

As the dance continued, Feng Xue's over-the-shoulder view revealed multicolored vows rising from all corners of the temple, forming a rainbow-like bridge extending from the massive incense burner. Moments later, a golden luminous shadow descended upon the tablet; under the sunlight, mingling with the vows, a golden phantom seemed to coalesce above the main hall of the city god temple.

"Ding ling~!"

A clear, melodious sound, as if capable of purifying the soul, rang in his ears—not a physical sound, but one arising directly within the mind. Its rise and fall brought a strange sense of safety, as if within the protection of this bell's resonance, no evil could harm.

The bell rang seven times. Daoist Priest Chen's expression finally eased. With the steward's cry of "Ritual Complete," the golden shadow on the tablet faded back along the bridge of vows, and the previously tense xuan cultivators instantly relaxed.

"Is that it?" Feng Xue understood roughly what had happened, but still felt it unreal.

As he prepared to leave the city god temple like the other xuan cultivators, the magistrate's voice suddenly came from behind:

"Feng Mr.! Please wait!"

Regarding the protagonist's money: as always, do not judge other eras or worlds by modern consumption standards.

For example, modern silver prices are low, known to be due to industrial processes and influxes of foreign silver.

Similarly, gold prices varied across different times.

In this book, gold is valued at roughly 2,000 wen per gram (money changers offer only 1,500 wen). Though one wen equates to one modern yuan in grain purchasing power, grain prices in this era are over ten times higher than today (higher still in famine years, but this story depicts a good harvest), making gold worth 20,000 yuan per gram.

In the early days of the real-world Ming Dynasty, gold was only about 3,000 yuan per gram (rising steadily during the middle and late periods due to war).

This is not a bug, but an application issue: before technological applications, gold served only as decoration and a general equivalent.

After applications emerged, gold's value rose consistently—except when mining technology exploded or new gold deposits were found—and especially during wartime.

In this world, with xuan cultivators existing, gold as a symbol of wealth has greater practical uses within the vow system—and practicality means higher prices.

Later, we'll examine the protagonist's wealth: first, he brought over a dozen watches. As previously noted, even conservatively estimating each at seventy to eighty guan (seven to eight hundred silver yuan), that's over a thousand guan. Additionally, he carries a sack of gold beans. Knowing he would transmigrate, he certainly didn't bring too little—even accounting for weight, at least one or two jin is certain, adding another thousand guan.

Don't ask where the gold came from—answer: playing mahjong.

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(End of Chapter)