Chapter 202

Li Yan had come along the way, naturally wanting to ask about this matter.

This thing was a Chu Shaman Token. According to Yan Jiuling's account and the historical inheritance mentioned by the Night-Crying Lang, Li Yan had already figured out some of the threads.

During the ancient Zhou period, rites and music collapsed, and sacrificial customs differed from place to place.

The shamanic inheritances from all over the country had been concentrated twice.

First, the Qin Emperor unified the world, gathering sacrificial shamans from all sides in Xianyang, calling it the Qin Gong Secret Blessings, which were disbanded after the burning of books and burying of scholars.

The Night-Crying Lang's inheritance was the Qin Gong Secret Blessings, and it was only a small part of it. However, these people's movements were secretive, and it was unknown where they were hidden.

Another part evolved into the Shangshan Dharma Sect.

The second time was during the Han dynasty, when the Gao Zu gathered the shamans of the world in Chang'an, each establishing shrines to sacrifice to the gods of all sides, which could be considered a kind of great unification.

However, later on, with the rise of Confucianism and the Mystic Sect, shamanism also gradually declined; some flowed into the folk, and some even disappeared completely.

Of course, Li Yan only had a slight interest in the history of these dharma lineages.

What truly made him curious was why this Chu Shaman Token possessed the aura of Divine Malevolence that only the Underworld had?

Perhaps he could find some clues from the folk dharma lineages.

Old Liu took the phoenix gold ornament, looked at it carefully for a while, seemed to think of something, and nodded, "Speaking of which, old man has indeed seen something similar."

Li Yan's eyes lit up immediately, "Please enlighten me, senior."

"I wouldn't dare."

Old Liu handed the phoenix gold ornament to Li Yan, invited the two to sit down, poured tea, and then slowly began to introduce it.

"This thing was mentioned occasionally by my master, who said that although the Tai Xuan Orthodox Sect is now the orthodoxy of the Divine Land, the local dharma lineages have not been severed, and the customs of the people also have various connections with ancient Chu."

"For example, here we worship the phoenix and respect the chicken, believing that the chicken can distinguish between yin and yang. This is because the ancestors of the Chu people used the phoenix as a totem and viewed the phoenix as the incarnation of the ancestor Zhu Rong. Many dharma lineages, even when I perform autopsies to dispel evil, have to use chicken blood..."

"And the worship of fire and the color red is also related to the Fire God Zhu Rong. At the end of the first lunar month, the people will all carry fire and walk in their homes to dispel evil. On New Year's Eve, they will hang charcoal at the door, bound with red paper, called General Charcoal..."

"There is also the emphasis on spiritual reeds and sacred thatch; there is no village without maple trees, all because the 'Classic of Mountains and Seas' mentioned that the maple tree is the shackles discarded by Chiyou. Planting maple trees at the village entrance can have the War God Chiyou's protection..."

"Traces of this can be seen in many folk inheritances, but there is only one dharma lineage that truly inherits ancient Chu shamanism. They once established themselves in Junshan, sacrificing to ancient Chu deities, and were called the 'Siming Society'."

"But a long time ago, this dharma lineage disappeared without a trace. My master also saw it occasionally in a book and told it to me as a story. At that time, he even drew the other party's dharma emblem, and it looked just like this..."

"Junshan?"

Li Yan's eyes lit up, lost in thought.

Junshan is in Dongting and is one of the blessed lands of the Mystic Sect. It is also called Xiangshan, originating from Xiang Jun, who is also one of the ten gods of the Chu region.

According to Yuan Ba's account, this thing was found in the mountains near Dongting, and it is most likely related to this mysterious "Siming Society"!

It seems that when he has time, he must take a trip to Junshan.

Perhaps he can find some clues.

Thinking of this, Li Yan hurriedly got up, cupped his hands, and smiled, "Old sir's knowledge is admirable. Thank you very much."

"Not at all."

Old Liu was somewhat flustered and hurriedly got up, saying, "Old man is just repeating hearsay; these are just stories and cannot be taken as truth."

Seeing that Li Yan and the two were about to bid farewell and leave, he looked around and said urgently, "The two of you helped me resolve a disaster, but old man has nothing of value and is embarrassed by my empty pockets, making it difficult to repay you. There is a banquet later; old man invites you all to go together, just as a farewell banquet, how about that?"

Seeing the anticipation in the other party's eyes, Wang Daoxuan found it difficult to refuse and smiled, "Old sir, what kind of banquet is it?"

Old Liu replied, "It's a wealthy family in the city whose only grandson is going to worship me as a father."

Seeing the astonishment on Li Yan and the two's faces, Old Liu shook his head and smiled bitterly, "I'm not afraid of you two laughing at me, but although old man has lived a life of hardship, I have not ten sons, but seven or eight."

"Our custom here is that children are 'lowly' so they are easier to raise. Especially for an only son in old age or a single heir for several generations, parents are afraid the child will die young, so they must give him 'lowly hair'."

"This 'lowly hair' means leaving a patch on the top of the head called a broken tile, and a small braid at the back of the head called a dog's tail, meaning that a lowly person is easy to raise. Not only that, but usually, one must find someone engaged in a lowly profession to worship as a father."

"Old man's profession has no gold and no silver, but I have many such children. They don't usually visit, but during the New Year, they always send some food..."

"Oh, so that's how it is."

Wang Daoxuan smiled, "This custom has similarities everywhere. In many northern places, it's worshipping big trees or stones as godfathers and godmothers."

As he spoke, he looked at Li Yan and smiled, "Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan, I'm a bit greedy; why don't we eat at the banquet before leaving? Ezhou has quite a few delicacies."

"That would be excellent."

Li Yan smiled and nodded in agreement.

He knew that Wang Daoxuan wasn't greedy at all; he was clearly taking care of the little bit of face Old Liu had left.

…………

Old Liu was right; the family whose child was worshipping him as a father was indeed a wealthy family in the city, engaged in transporting grain and opening grain stores.

The other party had a son in their old age and cherished him very much. Recognizing a godfather for their son was a grand affair, so they invited neighbors to the banquet.

The banquet here is called a "Great Encircled Banquet," with eight dishes per circle, served in eight rounds, and it is very particular.

For example, the first round is eight fresh fruits, which are seasonal fresh fruits; the second round is eight snacks.

The third round is eight sweet foods, including lotus seed soup, glutinous rice balls, glutinous rice sweet wine, sugar-centered eggs, etc.; the fourth round is eight cold dishes, including braised pig ears, braised pig tongue, braised duck breast, and three types of cold mixed dishes.

At this point, they start serving wine, drinking the local specialty, yellow wine.

The fifth round begins serving the main dishes: such as Ruyi meat cake, crystal balls, Buddha's hand mandarin fish, oil-braised whole chicken, sauce-braised meat chunks...

The sixth round is four mountain treasures and four sea delicacies; the seventh round is four rice dishes and four vegetable dishes; the eighth round is four tea snacks.

Ezhou people are hospitable, emphasizing that anyone who comes to the door is a guest, and even in the martial world, they emphasize that "a hero does not strike a guest who comes to the door."

Upon learning the identities of the few, people came to toast them one after another.

Li Yan and the others ate and drank their fill.

Sha Lifei was a sociable person, calling everyone brothers from landlords and gentry to peddlers and porters, drinking until his face was red and his ears were hot, and he was swaying as he walked. Just as Li Yan and the others were preparing to leave, Sha Lifei came over, swaying, with his arms around a man.

"Yan... Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan."

Sha Lifei's tongue was tied as he spoke, and he patted the man beside him to introduce him, "This... this is also a brother from the Mystic Sect. He's very polite and insists on sending us to Yunyang Prefecture."

The man also had a thick tongue as he said, "Well... well said, all within the four seas are brothers. Friends from... from other states have come, so we can't let people look down on us."

Li Yan frowned, "This brother, are you a member of the Mystic Sect?"

The man in front of him was wearing coarse cloth clothes, was tall and sturdy, with a pitch-black face full of wind and frost, clearly just a laborer working as a boatman, and there was no abnormal malevolent aura on him. How could he be a member of the Mystic Sect?

Especially since he was drunk, saying he would send them to Yunyang Prefecture—wasn't that a joke?

"Wh... what? You look down on people!"

The man became anxious upon hearing this, stiffening his neck and shouting, "Let's go, let's go, follow... me to the riverbank; my boat is there, and I'll let you witness my techniques!"

Sha Lifei also chimed in from the side, "Good, let's see what this brother can do! Yan... Yan Yan Xiao Ge Yan, don't look down on my brother; he is a descendant of the ancient Huanlong clan!"

"Oh?"

Li Yan and Wang Daoxuan looked at each other, their expressions solemn.

!.

Since things had reached this point, they couldn't refuse, so they bid farewell to Old Liu and the host family, packed their luggage, and came to the riverbank wharf.

The man indeed hadn't lied; although he was drunk and swaying as he walked, he was steady and secure when he took charge of the boat.

The other party had a simple flat-bottomed boat, and with a push of the bamboo pole, the speed was quite fast. Before long, the Shangjin ferry crossing was left behind and disappeared from sight.

Li Yan laughed dumbly, "This brother, aren't you going to perform your techniques?"

Soon, he regretted saying this.

"You just... watch!"

The man became energetic upon hearing this. When they reached a shallow part of the river, he immediately stomped hard on the boat with his feet, swaying left and right, making a violent sound.

"What are you doing?"

Sha Lifei became anxious upon seeing this, "Are you trying to kill us for our money?"

The man ignored him completely, formed a dharma seal with his hand, and chanted loudly, "Huai huai hun, huai huai hun, huai ge big fish eighteen jin..."

Before he finished speaking, a school of fish gathered from all around, splashing violently on the water surface. The man scooped them up with a net, threw several large fish into the boat, and said proudly, "How about it? Isn't my technique pretty good?"

"Relying on this technique, I never have to worry about food."

Li Yan: "..."

"What, you still don't believe me?"

The man became anxious when he saw his expression, "Watch me summon a dragon for you!"

Saying this, he lay on the edge of the boat, picked up a large fish, and swung it left and right in the water, while at the same time making "gu-gu" sounds in his mouth.

Before long, a "dragon's" head indeed appeared on the river surface.

However, it was a pig-nosed dragon (alligator).

It was silly and stupid, bit the fish in the man's hand, and was even patted on the head a few times before swaying and diving into the water.

Li Yan: "..."

"How about it?" the man asked, full of pride.

Li Yan helplessly cupped his hands, "Daoist friend's techniques are proficient; I am not your equal!"

The man was satisfied and calmed down.

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and smiled, "The harvest in Huguang is enough to feed the world; it truly does not deceive me. What a place of outstanding people and spirits..."

While speaking, the small boat had already sailed into the wide water surface.

But seeing the sky and water as one color, with green mountains undulating on both banks and ripples shimmering, it was a scene of beautiful scenery.

On the hillside of the distant riverbank, paddy fields were like terraces, and people were already busy in the fields. On the ridges, there were folk yin-yang masters leading the way, burning incense and paper, with drums and music playing all around, and the people were watching.

Sha Lifei asked curiously, "Is a ritual being held over there?"

"That... that's called opening the seedling gate."

The man replied, "Every household holds one when pulling seedlings in the new spring. It's also a powerful master. Let's go, I'll take you to see."

As he spoke, he pushed the bamboo pole, and the small boat accelerated.

On the nearby shore, someone happened to be "opening the seedling gate" as well.

The group only saw drums and music playing, and the yin-yang master held incense and chanted with cadence, "Spring comes, all grasses grow, worship and invite the Seedling God Great Heavenly Venerable~ Seedling God must come~ come early, don't wait~ walking in the middle of the night..."

"It's sacrificing to the God of Agriculture!"

Wang Daoxuan's expression immediately became solemn.

Although the two characters "Sheji" are often said together, the She God and the Ji God are two different things; the Ji God is the god who protects the harvest of the five grains.

The man became even prouder, "How about it? Are the masters here powerful in their techniques?"

There was no longer any mockery on Li Yan's face, and he said solemnly:

"Powerful, I am not your equal..."

He knew that this was the true root of Mystic Sect techniques.

Protecting living beings, praying for favorable weather, and a bountiful harvest...

By the time the sun set at dusk, finally, a large city appeared in the distance...

(End of chapter)