Chapter 628: Past Events in the Divine Capital

On the north bank of the Luo River, the Chen hour had just passed.

"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"

The men of the Heluo Merchant Guild were chanting the Yellow River work songs.

With red sashes cinched around their black cotton trousers, they were all bare-chested despite the bitter cold, revealing sturdy muscles as they either hauled towlines or raised heavy wooden mallets.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With every strike, mud splattered everywhere, and the ebony piles tied with red cloth were driven deep into the riverbank.

One could vaguely discern that they were arranged in the Eight Trigrams formation.

Various tribute offerings had already been laid out.

There was a large crowd on the riverbank, and the smoke from the sacrificial pyres rose high; it was quite lively.

Li Yan and the others stood far off, observing the ceremony.

Just as they were preparing to leave, Pei Niangzi Pei of the Longmen Inn extended an invitation, and only then did the group learn that several benefactors of the Heluo Merchant Guild had secretly gathered to discuss holding a "Sacrifice to the River Earl" ceremony.

With the decline of the Central Plains, it was not just the common people who suffered the impact.

The Heluo Merchant Guild had a long history and had always been rooted locally.

Unlike those merchants who could head to the coast, the Heluo Merchant Guild's foundation lay in the ancient Yellow River route and the Central Plains trade routes.

Heading to the coast meant crossing boundaries.

No matter how good the relationships were, it would still trigger turmoil in the martial world.

With the decline of trade routes and the changes in celestial phenomena, the ice on the Yellow River was melting later than in previous years. The elders of the guild worried that problems would arise with the Yellow River waterway, potentially leading to a breach and a great catastrophe, so they planned the sacrifice to the River Earl.

"If it were any other year, it wouldn't be this much trouble..."

The young shop assistant sent by the Longmen Inn to greet them curled his lip and said, "The imperial court just issued a decree that all large-scale sacrifices must be approved by the Mystic Priests."

"But those people at the Chenghuangmiao have always been difficult to talk to, and on top of that, after the Paper Doll Case, they used that as an excuse to make things difficult for us."

"The elders and benefactors discussed it in secret and spent silver to smooth things over, only then barely managing to make the time..."

In his words, there was great dissatisfaction with the Chenghuangmiao.

After venting his grievances, he saw that there weren't enough hands to carry things in the distance and apologized before leaving; he was clearly someone who couldn't sit still.

"Is sacrificing to the River Earl of any use?"

Sha Lifei muttered, clearly somewhat skeptical.

Li Yan shook his head slightly and said, "In ancient times, the River Earl was both an ancient clan and a folk deity. His status was so high that sacrifices were made to him as early as the Yin-Shang period."

"By the Wei and Jin dynasties, he had become a figure of both good and evil. Emperor Wu of Han's 'Huzi Song' mentioned that he could both bring disaster and receive prayers, and the Daoist sects also worshipped him as a deity."

"But since the Tang and Song dynasties, he has gradually declined, and the role of water deity in various places has become the Dragon Kings of the Four Rivers..."

"Oh?"

Sha Lifei asked curiously, "I didn't expect Brother Li Yan to also study the ancients."

Li Yan laughed in spite of himself, "I just specifically looked it up."

In fact, there were some things he hadn't said.

Ever since he had experienced the affair with Erlang Zhenjun, he had specifically asked Master Lingyunzi to research this matter, and the other party had readily agreed.

After all, it was extremely rare for a folk god like Erlang Zhenjun to be reincarnated.

This investigation was shocking; there were indeed many suspected cases throughout history.

For instance, this "River God" was once rumored to be Feng Yi of Tongxiang in Huayin, who turned into the River God after death and even gifted the River Chart to Xia Yu.

Li Yan caught a whiff of something unusual in this.

For a folk god to be reincarnated and successfully ascend to godhood like Erlang, they must inevitably condense a massive amount of incense power and become a part of the state's sacrificial rites.

Yet the reputation of the later River God became rather poor.

In the "Autumn Floods" chapter of Zhuangzi, he is described as an arrogant and conceited fellow, and there are also accounts of him being defeated by the Responding Dragon, as well as his entanglements with the Goddess of the Luo River and Hou Yi...

It seems there were two forces entangled with one another.

Looking at it now, the River God must have failed, which perhaps also reflects the feelings the people of the Divine Land have held toward the Yellow River for many years.

Sha Lifei was right about one thing.

The influence of the River God has been continuously declining.

The ceremony to sacrifice to the River God is likely of no use.

At the same time, the sacrificial ceremony in the distance was about to begin. One could see the people of the Heluo Merchant Guild tying a yellow ox and a white sheep to the west side of the earthen platform, then gouging out their internal organs and placing them on the five-colored soil, while a black pig was bound with iron chains, its back plastered with mulberry-bark blood talismans, and placed on a wooden raft...

"Isn't this method of sacrificing the three sacrificial animals wrong?"

Li Yan frowned slightly, feeling somewhat puzzled.

He had only focused on investigating folk god warriors; he was completely ignorant about how to perform sacrifices.

"This is called a 'Submersion Sacrifice'."

Wang Daoxuan stroked his beard and said, "In ancient sacrifices, there were 'Burial Sacrifices' and 'Submersion Sacrifices', used to sacrifice to mountains and forests and water gods respectively. The 'Rites of Zhou: Grand Minister' even records 'using raccoon and submersion to sacrifice to mountains, rivers, forests, and marshes'."

"It seems this sacrificial method has been passed down for a long time..."

Dong dong dong!

Just as everyone was discussing, the sacrificial ceremony finally began.

A black-robed old priest from the Heluo Merchant Guild stood before the altar made of old wood, unfolded a piece of mulberry-bark paper, and used a Luo cinnabar brush dipped in the blood of a rooster's comb to write the sacrificial text: Respectfully using the bristly and soft-furred, I dare to proclaim to the River God, the Manifestly Holy Venerable Deity...

Behind him, twenty-four disciples of the Heluo Merchant Guild rhythmically slapped their scabbards, the sound like the chants of trackers piercing through the morning mist.

Once the sacrificial text was chanted, four bare-chested men carried the yellow ox and white sheep and jumped off the high platform, digging a pit three zhang deep to bury the three sacrificial animals according to the number of the "Three Powers".

As for the black pig, it was dragged by iron chains to the front of the rushing current.

"Hey!"

Numerous merchant guild disciples pulled the iron chains in unison, and the fragile wooden raft immediately disintegrated. The black pig didn't even have time to squeal before it sank into the whirlpool in the water and vanished.

Seeing that the sacrificial ceremony was about to end, Li Yan said in a deep voice, "Let's go, we have other things to do."

After bidding farewell to Pei Niangzi Pei, the group led their horses and continued on their way.

By the time they reached this place, they were not far from Luoyangcheng. From afar, one could see the tall and dilapidated city walls bathed in the morning sun.

Not long after they left, the sacrificial ceremony finally concluded.

"Fellow martial arts comrades."

Pei Niangzi Pei smiled and cupped her hands, saying, "Having sacrificed to the River God, this year will surely be blessed with favorable weather. I invite you all to move inside; we have already prepared a banquet."

She was equally skeptical about this River God sacrificial ceremony.

What she valued more were the people invited to observe the ceremony; not only were there people from the martial arts circles of Yuzhou, but also nearby merchant guilds and wealthy gentry, and the number of commoners who came to follow the sacrifice was countless.

This was also one of the goals of the Heluo Merchant Guild.

By using the sacrificial ceremony to invite everyone to come, they could soothe people's hearts while simultaneously drumming up business for the Heluo Merchant Guild for the year.

"Look, what is that!"

Just then, someone shouted in alarm.

Pei Niangzi Pei looked up, and her expression immediately turned ugly.

From a nearby tributary, several objects were slowly drifting over, bobbing up and down in the murky waves.

They were actually several black coffins!

For a moment, everyone by the river fell silent.

For such things to appear while sacrificing to the River God, no matter how one looked at it, it seemed like an ominous sign.

"Pull them up!"

Seeing an elder of the guild signaling with his eyes, Pei Niangzi Pei immediately gave the order.

This matter could not be taken lightly.

On the Yellow River, there were also ancient water burial ceremonies, but most were ship burials, where the ship would be scuttled once it reached the center of the river.

Some people would place coffins inside, and if the ropes used for binding were not sturdy, it wouldn't be strange for them to float to the surface and drift over.

But to happen upon the sacrifice to the River God, it had to be investigated clearly.

Otherwise, rumors would be flying everywhere by tomorrow.

Among the merchant guild, there were quite a few bold young men with good swimming skills, who immediately threw out iron hooks and dragged the coffins on the river to the riverbank.

"It's locust wood!"

As soon as they were dragged ashore, someone exclaimed in a low voice.

The surrounding commoners were also so frightened that they retreated again and again.

In folk tradition, there are rules for making coffins: "First cypress, second pine, third elm; if you really can't, use willow."

But locust wood and Chinese toon wood must never be used to make coffins for the dead.

The character for "locust" (huai) has the character for "ghost" (gui) on the side.

If one uses locust wood to make a coffin, it will surely invite ghostly afflictions.

"Open them!"

Pei Niangzi Pei's expression was also gloomy as she looked around, suspecting that someone was playing tricks to cause trouble for their merchant guild.

But after opening them, even the merchant guild disciples turned pale.

Inside the coffins were, shockingly, paper effigies.

They were made so lifelike that they were exceptionally ghastly.

Pei Niangzi Pei gritted her teeth and looked toward the upper reaches of the river.

"Mangshan..."

Upon approaching, the Luoyangcheng that Li Yan and the others saw appeared even more dilapidated.

Where the bricks on the city walls had peeled off, the rammed earth of the Han and Wei dynasties was exposed.

The collapsed sections of the Changxia Gate were repaired with wooden fences.

After paying the city entry fee, the group continued forward.

Along the way, they saw many refugees and beggars huddled in the grass sheds under the arrow towers of the barbican. The ruts of grain transport carts had ground deep grooves into the bluestone slabs, and the accumulated water, shimmering with the sour stench of livestock excrement and urine, had frozen into ice only to be shattered by the iron horseshoes of the horse gangs...

This scene left everyone in silence.

They found it hard to imagine that this was once the illustrious Divine Capital of Luoyang.

Li Yan sighed slightly, "Let's find a place to stay first."

After passing through the city gate and entering Tongtuo Street, the situation was significantly better.

The sun had already climbed over the remaining pillars of the Tianjin Bridge, casting long shadows, and the spicy fragrance of hot and sour soup wafted from the shops on both sides.

An old man carrying a pole and selling starch noodles squatted outside his shop, wiping sweat with a cloth towel, and shouted at the top of his lungs: "The starch is thick, the donkey meat sauce is salty. Sir, shall I save you a bowl from the first pot?"

"Sure! Add an extra ladle of apricot starch."

"Fresh wheat buns! Nice and hot."

"The fried dough sticks are crispy, the sugar cakes are sweet, three coins will keep you full until noon!"

At the end of the street, an old blind man at a fortune-telling stall plucked his three-stringed instrument and sang in a Central Plains tune: "Measuring horoscopes for marriage, breaking the evil of the doorhead—if your new bride grinds her teeth at midnight, or the child cries in the middle of the night, you must be careful!"

Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!

The commoners passing by immediately cursed under their breath.

Li Yan and the others hadn't eaten yet, and hearing the street full of hawking, their stomachs began to rumble, so they found a clean mutton soup shop, ordered a large bowl each, and got a basket of Guanxi flatbreads.

The mutton soup was fresh and white, and the flatbreads were crispy and fragrant.

The previous gloom was also dispelled by this market flavor.

Just then, the conversation next to them caught their attention.

"Have you heard? Half-Immortal Wang has been arrested."

"Damn it, he should have been arrested long ago. That man is a notorious lecher; who knows how many good families he's ruined. If it weren't for the Prince's Mansion..."

"I heard it was the monks from Bai Masi who brought the people from the Commandant's Office to Tianxiang Pavilion to make the arrest. Also arrested with him was the Prince's heir."

"Hehe, that scene..."

Hearing this, Li Yan and the others exchanged glances.

One of their main goals for coming this time was the Commandant's Office.

Earth Dragon was assassinated by them, and Zhao Donkey's affair might just be related to some of the people there.

Looking at the situation now, they were actually involved with Bai Masi as well.

The waters of Luoyang are very deep indeed...

After breakfast, the group headed toward the East Market.

The layout of the Divine Capital during the Tang Dynasty was divided by the Luo River into northern and southern cities, with an extremely massive scale, but following the chaos at the end of the Tang Dynasty and several wars that burned the city, the southern city had long since disappeared.

When they passed by earlier, it had already become large tracts of farmland, with only the occasional stone carving or corridor appearing in the fields, telling of its former glory.

The former Tang Palace had also disappeared.

The current layout was more like Chang'an, with the new royal palace built in the north of the city, though it was much smaller than Chang'an.

Arriving at the East Market, the streets here were much narrower than Tongtuo Street, and although there were many shops along the street, most of the buildings were just old walls being repaired.

As the cold wind blew, yellowed wine banners fluttered.

At the ends of streets and alleys, local commoners carried baskets and set up stalls, selling everything from game hunted in the mountains to homemade wooden farm tools, as well as hemp ropes and iron pots.

There were even people selling Tang tri-colored glazed pottery and earthenware on the street.

Most were damaged, and one look told you they had just been dug out of the soil.

Although the flow of people was bustling, there was an inexplicable air of desolation.

Li Yan and the others didn't look like people to be trifled with, so those city foxes and street beggars kept their distance and didn't come up to pester them.

They arrived at the end of the street, where there was also a Dragon Gate Inn, which was the place Pei Niangzi Pei had found for them to stay.

"Are you Young Hero Li?"

The boss here had already received the news and had been waiting outside early on. Seeing the group, he hurriedly stepped forward to welcome them.

The Dragon Gate Inn in Luoyangcheng was not as large or high-grade as the one at the Yi River wharf, but it was built to be more elegant and clean.

After arranging rooms for everyone, the innkeeper immediately took out a prepared envelope from his bosom and said respectfully, "Everyone, this is what Helmsman Pei instructed me to investigate. The situation in Luoyangcheng is not right now, so we dare not act recklessly. If there are any omissions, please forgive me."

Li Yan asked, "Has something happened again?"

The innkeeper didn't hide it and explained directly:

"This matter involves both the Buddhist and Daoist schools. Two years ago, the Shangqing Palace and Bai Masi were fighting fiercely over farmland."

"Later, a high-ranking official from the imperial court inspected Luoyang and, seeing this situation, sarcastically wrote a poem: 'The Buddha's bones have turned to dust, only the heart to save the world remains; the Dao survives and the people are full, why bother refining golden pills?' Only then did the two sides temporarily stop..."

"Once the Paper Effigy Case broke out, they started fighting each other again, making a big fuss over this matter. Since they couldn't do it openly, they targeted those who had good relations with the other side."

"Bai Masi has some monks from Fusang, and the Shangqing Palace claimed these people were related to the remnants of the Maitreya Sect, so they arrested them all."

"In Luoyangcheng, there is a man called Half-Immortal Wang, who is proficient in bedroom arts and has deep relations with many high officials and nobles. He also had a close friendship with several Daoist priests from the Shangqing Palace, and he was also arrested last night..."

"In short, it's very chaotic. Everyone, please be careful in your actions."

After saying this, he cupped his hands and took his leave.

After he left, Sha Lifei shook his head and said, "I wonder if the imperial court will regret what they did back then when they see Luoyang in this state."

What he was referring to was the old case of the Prince of Luoyang.

When they were at the Dragon Gate Inn, they had already collected some intelligence on Luoyang.

The Prince of Luoyang back then could be considered wise and capable; he had managed Luoyang in an orderly fashion, and it was gradually showing signs of rising.

Unfortunately, he stood on the wrong side. After the current emperor ascended the throne, although the other party repeatedly submitted memorials begging for mercy, his entire family was still executed.

The current Prince of Luoyang is actually a good-for-nothing who picked up a bargain to get his position; he is both greedy and stupid, and he cannot control the situation.

The current decline of Luoyang, although influenced by the general trend, cannot be separated from the actions of this good-for-nothing prince.

"Those in power, how would they care about these things."

Li Yan shook his head and examined the intelligence in his hand.

In Pei Niangzi Pei's previous intelligence, two people were highlighted.

One was called "Earth Dragon Zhang," who was a wealthy man in Luoyang on the surface, but was actually the leader of the Yuzhou exploration lineage. Later, he disappeared mysteriously, and his old mansion under Mangshan also became empty. It is said that strange things often happen there...

The other was called "Jin Jin Yanfeng," who was a famous master in the Luoyang Ghost Market, learned in both ancient and modern times, and understood how to appraise all kinds of rare treasures.

Before Zhao Donkey disappeared, he had sought out this person.

However, after reading the intelligence, Li Yan was somewhat stunned.

"What's wrong?"

Wang Daoxuan hurriedly asked.

Li Yan shook his head and said, "This 'Jin Jin Yanfeng' has already been arrested and thrown into the yamen prison because of the Paper Effigy Case..."

(End of chapter)