Chapter 37

"There is too much evil on this land; it is not easy for the Miao people to survive."

Cheng Yunqi nodded upon hearing this. If poisonous insects and ghosts became a part of daily life, survival would indeed be difficult. Having grown up in a prosperous land, he could not even imagine such a life.

"To survive, our ancestors thought of many ways. Look, to avoid dampness and insects and snakes, we have suspended our houses."

The old chief said with a smile.

Cheng Yunqi did not smile.

"At that time, the ancestors also did many foolish things. Some people viewed ghosts, monsters, insects, and snakes as gods, worshiping them and even binding young boys and girls to offer to them in hopes of peace. Of course, blood and tears proved this was useless."

"Others searched the mountains for insect eggs and beast cubs to raise, then used them to deal with insects and beasts. Even worse, some raised ghosts and drove corpses. These were useful, but they themselves became monsters."

The old chief said gloomily.

"There were others, like us, who could not do those things, so we went to find Yang energy to restrain these Yin evils. We moved to higher ground, lived on the mountains, drank living water, made torches to drive away Yin beasts, and used sulfur powder to repel poisonous insects."

We thought of many ways. In this process, we discovered that the white dogs in the mountains were very sensitive; they could detect living things or Yin evils from a great distance and were not afraid of poisonous insect bites or soul loss, so we raised white dogs to guard our homes."

"In addition, our greatest discovery was the rooster."

The old chief smiled extremely happily.

"We first discovered that the large roosters with red crests and golden claws in the mountains were the most special. They could swallow poisonous insects whole, fight Yin beasts, and crow every day before the sun came out. The sound of the rooster's crow could actually disperse fog monsters and suppress wailing ghosts; they are truly heaven-sent Yang birds."

"So we started raising chickens, and after raising chickens, everything was different."

Cheng Yunqi could feel the old chief's joy. Master Munai looked at the roosters searching for poisonous insects in every corner of the village, his face blooming like a flower.

Cheng Yunqi was also very joyful. Previously, he had consulted many materials and legends to visualize the Star Lord Mao Ri, but those legends were too lofty and focused on the stars in the sky, which made his visualization a castle in the air, unable to land on reality or the human world.

Now, hearing the Miao people recount the prowess of the rooster, he was extremely happy. With these deeds, his visualization had a core. In that instant, he even thought of a method: he would write these deeds into a hymn and carve it onto the beams of the Palace of Light in his mind.

"After we raised chickens, we discovered that the rooster's abilities were even greater than we thought!"

The old chief said excitedly.

"One day, someone lost their soul outside. When they returned, they were muddled, could not recognize people, and soon fell into a coma. According to the past, this person would have lost their life."

"But at that time, the village's Chicken King suddenly crowed. After three crows, that person's soul was actually called back!"

"And there's more! Any village that raises chickens that swears an oath by drinking chicken blood has the most unbreakable vow! Anyone who drinks the chicken blood but does not obey will inevitably bleed from the seven orifices and die, without exception! It is precisely because of this that our fourteen villages along the Hong River swear by drinking chicken blood; if one village suffers, the others must assist, which is why we have been able to survive until today!"

"Roosters can tell time. Even if black fog rises, making it impossible to distinguish day from night for months, roosters can still accurately tell time every day without fail. This allows us to maintain a normal routine. If it were in the past, once the black fog rose, who knows how many people would have gone insane in the endless darkness!"

"Rooster blood can restrain corpses!"

"Rooster feather crests can prevent soul-calling!"

"And more! And more! As long as the village raises chickens, more baby boys are born!"

"..."

The chief listed them one by one, and Cheng Yunqi recorded them all. He even asked the old chief to be more detailed—when, who.

Seeing Cheng Yunqi so interested, the old chief was very happy and spoke in detail. Some things were too remote, so the old chief added some of his own imagination while speaking, exaggerating some of the deeds, but this was not important.

No, perhaps it was even better.

One old and one young, one speaking and one recording, the speaker was happy and the listener was delighted. After a while, the two aunties came out and signaled that the house was cleaned.

Master Munai stopped his story and said to Cheng Yunqi with a smile, "Daoist Yun, you have come from afar, so rest first. Tonight we will hold a bonfire party to welcome you."

Cheng Yunqi thanked him, took two small copper coins from his bosom to give to the two aunties, and handed a piece of silver to the old chief.

The three would not accept it, but Cheng Yunqi insisted on giving it to them.

He glanced at the house; it had been cleaned, and the windows were all opened. At this time, the sun was setting, and the evening glow shone in, plating the wooden house in a layer of gold lacquer.

Watching the three leave, Cheng Yunqi looked at the Miao village, the stream, the terraced fields, and the pacing roosters. He was extremely happy. He did not enter the house but sat down on the "beauty's leaning" railing and entered meditation.

————

The Golden Crow (sun) sank in the west, and night fell.

It was September; the days were short and the nights were long, and the weather was turning cool. The night in the great mountains was pitch black, and a faint cold fog rose, hiding even the starry sky.

Every household in the village lit lamps, which were extremely faint yet very conspicuous in the deep mountains.

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Cheng Yunqi stood at a high point, watching people come out of every house, each holding firewood, gathering in the center of the village. People stacked the firewood neatly until it was half a person's height.

The old chief took out a pitch-black jar, dipped a brush into it to take something, and finally flicked it onto the woodpile. Cheng Yunqi watched the droplets, which were bright and shiny, like some kind of oil.

He then saw the old chief take out something like a fire-starter from his bosom. He blew on it with his mouth, and the tip of the fire-starter sprayed a wave of fire that shot out ten feet, landing on the woodpile in the direction the old chief blew. This was not at all comparable to an ordinary fire-starter; it was more like a weapon.

"Boom!"

The half-person-high woodpile, made of hundreds of pieces of firewood, was instantly ignited. The huge fire instantly illuminated the village, and the leaping tongues of fire instantly dispersed the cold fog lingering in the village.

The people in this village used fire in a way that far exceeded Cheng Yunqi's imagination.

The villagers sat around the bonfire, the fire reflecting on everyone's faces and in their pupils, clearly showing their joy.

Cheng Yunqi looked at the flickering lights of every household and at the flame that brought light, gaining a deeper and clearer understanding of the essence of fire in his heart.

Fire is never just the "fire in the sky."

The light of the Great Sun is infinite, but the smoke and fire of the human world can also dispel darkness. Most importantly, the Great Sun hangs high, while the smoke and fire of the human world are held in the hands of people.

"Daoist Yun! Come quickly!"

The old chief stood by the bonfire and called out loudly. The villagers also waved at Cheng Yunqi, saying things he could not understand.

The White Dragons were even happier, chasing and playing around the bonfire. The roosters, however, were too dignified to participate in the bonfire party; they were scattered all over the village, standing on high ground and looking into the distance, like guardian gods.

Two chapters released at once, this is the second.

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(End of chapter)