Chapter 34: Rules for Inviting Gods

Firelight appeared, bringing warmth in the darkness.

Er Gou breathed a sigh of relief first, but seeing the scene in front of him, his heart was raised to his throat again, feeling his back icy and his hands and feet soft.

In front is a valley, the area is not large.

Near the back of the valley is a Mountain God Temple, long dilapidated, already ruined, several strong beggars guarding outside, each greasy, covered in sores.

And around the ruined temple are tents of various sizes.

Everywhere there are bonfires, setting up large pots.

At least several hundred beggars gathered in this place.

The elderly are white-haired, withered, and eyes white, squatting there like a corpse, without half a life...

The young are no more than seven or eight years old, all in tattered clothes, faces pitch black, some even disabled, surrounding the large pot and fanning the wind...

These beggars going west have their own way of cooking.

They concentrate all the food begged, whether it is steamed buns, some moldy pancakes, or even leftovers from restaurants, all poured into a large pot for boiling.

Many things have turned sour, and the smell can be imagined.

Even so, the beggars were still squatting by the fire, swallowing their saliva.

What made Er Gou's hair stand on end was on the other side.

Over there is an open space, where all the strong beggars are concentrated, each holding a dog-beating stick, surrounding a large circle, constantly hitting the ground.

In the center of the open space, a wild dog is running around in a panic.

This kind of wild dog in the mass grave, eating dead human flesh, eyes blood-red, body size not losing to a hungry wolf, and there is a big bump on its head from hitting the coffin year after year, which can be described as extremely fierce.

But now, it is panicked, making bursts of whimpering.

In the dense knocking sound of the dog-beating stick, it seems to have lost its mind, going around in circles like a ghost hitting a wall, just not running out.

And around it are poisonous snakes, raising their heads and opening their fangs, making a hissing sound, finding a gap to give the wild dog a bite.

Soon the wild dog was poisoned and fell to the ground, stiff and trembling.

And the poisonous snakes around swarmed up, drilling into its mouth and seven orifices along its body...

Er Gou had never seen this weird scene, standing in place, hands and feet icy, not daring to move at all.

"Go, what are you waiting for?"

The old beggar leading the way saw this and gave a reprimand.

"Yes, yes."

Er Gou hurriedly followed, shrinking his neck and being very low-key.

Following the old beggar, he entered the ruined temple.

"Grandpa, the person is here."

The old beggar bowed and reported, then retreated to the side.

Er Gou swallowed his saliva and secretly looked up.

Only to see that on the stone platform where the statue originally stood, the statue of the Mountain God had long been moved away, and in its place was a fat-headed, big-eared beggar.

He was huge, bare-chested, with layers of fat on his belly, and his bald head was shiny.

Lying on his side, he was also covered in sores.

This person is the beggar leader going west in Xianyang.

He is mysterious, having taken root in Xianyang many years ago, and rarely deals with gangs in the city. The beggars all call him Mountain Grandpa.

A pungent smell rushed over, Er Gou wanted to vomit with disgust, but how could he dare to show half a difference, respectfully saluting: "This little one has seen Mountain Grandpa!"

"Hmm."

The beggar leader was extremely fat, his eyelids bulging like light bulbs, even if he tried hard to open his eyes, others saw it as if he had only opened a slit.

He looked at Er Gou below, neither salty nor light: "Iron Tie Tie Dao Bang, the leader is that old monkey's disciple, right?"

"I and you have no river water, why come here?"

Er Gou hurriedly saluted, and didn't talk nonsense, saying: "The leader wants to ask you to take action against a few people, all from out of town, who don't understand the rules..."

After saying the process, he took out several banknotes from his arms and smiled flatteringly: "For you, it's just a lift of a finger. This is to honor you."

These banknotes totaled three hundred taels.

To be honest, it was more than what was cheated from the son of the Spring Breeze Troupe leader.

But now, it's no longer a question of money.

Zheng Heibei would rather spend some silver to calm this matter down.

The beggar leader Mountain Grandpa glanced at it, seemingly uninterested, waved his hand and said: "Go, the poor family gate can't keep money, and it's not someone else's thug."

"This..."

Er Gou was anxious, "Mountain Grandpa, we are all mixing food in Xianyang, we see each other when we look down, you help out, the Iron Tie Tie Dao Bang will definitely remember this favor."

The beggar leader said indifferently: "It doesn't matter if there is a favor or not, take the banknotes away, but you have to help me find a person." Er Gou was a bit puzzled and laughed dryly: "Mountain Grandpa is joking, your disciples are all over Xianyang, in terms of news, I'm afraid it's more spiritual than us."

The beggar leader said indifferently: "The poor family gate is not the old thief of the Rong family gate. The rules of the ancestors are that you can't enter the door. Walking thousands of families, stringing ten Battalion Commander, you only dare to turn around at other people's doors."

"Besides, there are some places that we will be driven away as soon as we approach."

The man suddenly realized, "Who are you looking for?"

The beggar leader Mountain Grandpa slowly stood up and scratched his greasy belly.

"A few months ago, the Gu Shui Village outside the city was attacked by sword bandits, and the whole village was burned to the ground. Do you know?"

"This little one knows."

The man laughed: "That matter was internal thieves colluding with external bandits. What's ridiculous is that Squire Lu's concubine sold all the land, and at the same time cheated several families, which is really a great means."

"Are you looking for her?"

"Not her."

"To be honest, we are also looking for this fat sheep."

!.

The beggar leader said indifferently: "It's another concubine. If I'm not mistaken, she is still hiding in this Xianyang City right now!"

…………

Just as Wang Daoxuan said, the rain stopped the next day, and the sky cleared.

Early in the morning, the three arrived at the Spring Breeze Troupe's large courtyard.

Since the Iron Tie Tie Dao Bang people left yesterday, no one has come to the door, which can be considered a stable sleep, but everyone knows that this matter is not over.

Regardless of how innocent the troupe leader's son was, being cheated, the IOUs made by the Iron Tie Tie Dao Bang were watertight, and they were reasonable everywhere.

Even if they don't come to harass, if they report to the government office, they will have to eat their own consequences.

Anger, helplessness, and indignation are useless, reality is just like this.

These people, usually hide when they see the official masters, how can they compare with these guys who wander between black and white.

The pot gangs in the Tianjin area even dare to eat the warehouse and extort the government, taking settlement fees from the imperial court!

Therefore, they now only have one path to choose:

Sing ghost plays!

There are quite a few such jobs. Some places often have accidents, or the ancestral hall is not stable, and there are accidents in weddings and funerals, and it hasn't reached the point of inviting the Mystic Sect righteous path to perform rituals to suppress evil, so they will invite people to sing ghost plays to appease, and the remuneration is very generous.

And this first step is to invite a yin god who can suppress the field.

Looking at the determined Spring Breeze Troupe, Wang Daoxuan sighed secretly, but his face became more and more serious, "Everyone, do you know the rules?"

"The poor Daoist will say it again."

"Depart at noon, arrive at the mass grave at night, find the place, everyone cleans their hands, and during the poor Daoist's ritual, silently sing the god-inviting words..."

"Remember, after going up the mountain, don't call any animal by its name. Tigers are 'Big Worms,' bears are 'Old Gentlemen,' eagles are 'Seat Grandpas,' hedgehogs are 'White Second Grandpas,' foxes are 'Third Grandpas,' ghosts and monsters are 'Qingfeng Grandpas'..."

"The poor Daoist doesn't know what will be invited, so be polite. You never know which one has Daoist practice, has spiritual nature, and comes to make trouble for you..."

"Also, during the ritual, you can't say a word."

"When the poor Daoist says 'It's here,' you all shout 'Catch it' together, then immediately go down the mountain, no matter what movement is behind you, don't look back..."

Wang Daoxuan explained very carefully, not daring to have the slightest omission.

To be honest, this method of inviting gods is something many troupes will do, some even come once a year, and there are sayings and omens.

Sheep, dogs, cows, and kind Qingfeng are all auspicious omens. Encountering wild boars is the best, implying that everything is auspicious.

If you encounter rabbits and birds, it means running around all year.

Of course, many times they come by themselves, and run when they hear the animal's call, not knowing if they have invited anything, some are just rituals.

But the Spring Breeze Troupe is different.

To invite a yin god to suppress the field without causing human life, there can be no difference in the middle, and even those not very clear taboos must be observed.

Wang Daoxuan was explaining, while Sha Lifei leaned toward Li Yan, his face full of worry and whispered: "Went to the teahouse in the morning and heard some news."

"Zhou Pan, that old monkey, has entered the Hua Jin level, naturally he won't take action, but he has several disciples under him, all of whom have practiced internal strength, and all want to kill you to please the old monkey."

"I also heard one thing. When your father Li Hu was alive, he was a close friend of Guan Wantche, the head catcher of the Xianyang government office. Why not ask him to help mediate..."

"Guan Wantche?"

Li Yan frowned when he heard this, then sneered: "When father was alive, he never mentioned this person, and he never came to the door for so many years. I think even if they know each other, the relationship is average."

"This ring, I can only rely on myself!"

"Rely on you?"

Sha Lifei was so angry, "You are only so old, even if you have potential, you are only at the peak of Ming Jin. Others can lift a hand, and the strength can penetrate the internal organs, beating you to vomit blood."

"How to fight, going up to seek death?!"

Li Yan didn't speak, but stared at his palm, then gently placed it on a small tree next to him, took a deep breath, and pressed down suddenly.

Clatter!

The branches and leaves of the whole tree fell one after another...

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 35 =====

The tree was full of branches and leaves, which fell one after another...

(End of chapter)