Chapter 724

"Protect the Great Xuan's prosperous fortune, the holy transformation manifests brilliance."

"Today, the Qiankun Academy is established in the capital, inheriting the way of heaven and modeling the work of the earth. We shall uphold the legacy of the 'Records of Trades,' emulate the ambition of Mo Di's universal love, take the investigation of things and extension of knowledge as the foundation, and take opening things and completing tasks as our duty. You students must understand three essentials."

"First, value reality; if you wear mulberry and hemp, you will know the hardship of farming and weaving; if you hold the square and ruler, you will understand the principles of construction..."

"Second, communicate and change; in the past, Gongshu carved wood into magpies, which flew for three days without landing; the times change like a rushing river, and those who hold onto the old will inevitably be submerged by the waves..."

"Third, guard the upright; fire weapons can defend against external insults, but can also harm the common people; Gang Qi can suppress evil spirits, but can also nourish greed. You must remember the warnings of the 'Yinfu': Fire is born from wood, and disaster must be overcome! When establishing your heart and planning matters, you should think of benefiting the country and the people..."

On the high platform, Yan Jiuling was dressed in official robes, his expression solemn.

Sometimes, a person's fate is simply unclear.

He came to the capital originally just wanting to pass the imperial examination to give his family an account.

Who would have thought that because of his grandfather's "Ten Strategies for Suppressing the Country," he was pushed to the forefront, and under the Emperor's tacit approval and the joint efforts of all parties, he was forced to become the top scholar.

Originally, being a top scholar was nothing great; the Emperor even intended to betroth a princess to him, and then he would get the title of Prince Consort, living happily in the capital as an idle person who didn't care about anything.

But he became interested in the Qiankun Academy and gave up many things to enter it.

At the beginning, the academy was not favored by people. He racked his brains, from preparation to now, not knowing how much energy he had consumed, especially after the steam engine came out, he had to deal with the constraints of all parties and other people.

Fortunately, everything was overcome.

Just as Li Yan said, from now on, it was a new beginning.

In the square, the many disciples were also excited.

They were divided into the east and west sides according to their subjects:

The disciples of the "Investigation of Things" department curiously sized up the outlines of the massive levers and gears revealed in the work sheds by the square, whispering about the legendary "Iron Ox and Divine Ox"...

The disciples of the "Mystic Crafts" department appeared more composed, their gazes occasionally sweeping over the peach-wood Seven-Star swords hanging from the eaves of the Hundred Crafts Building and the roof tiles engraved with evil-avoiding runes; those were the marks left by the Mystic Sect craftsmen hired by the academy...

The academy was newly established, and many things were not perfect.

Like this first batch of students, they were simply divided into two departments: "Investigation of Things" and "Mystic Crafts."

The disciples of the "Investigation of Things" department were all ordinary people, but they were either learned in many subjects, proficient in various miscellaneous studies, or apprentices carefully cultivated by various folk craftsmen, with extremely strong hands-on abilities.

As for the "Mystic Crafts" department, the number of people was relatively small, and they were all disciples who had awakened supernatural powers.

Earth masters, puppet masters, pharmacists, Mystic Sect craftsmen... the paths in the future were diverse.

After reading the academy's precepts, Yan Jiuling didn't rush to speak, but carefully handed the silk in his hand to the clerk, then shook his robes and said solemnly to the people below: "Other academies worship Confucius and Mencius and all the sages, and our Qiankun Academy also has a god to worship."

"He is the spirit of all crafts and divine artifacts, bestowed by His Majesty with the name: Erlang Zhenjun of Fire and Water of the Flint Wheel!"

After saying that, he turned around and said in a deep voice to the back: "Set up the altar!"

The academy's opening ceremony not only had hundreds of disciples but also many observers from the capital.

Their gazes had long been attracted by the towering statue in front of the Investigation of Things Hall.

It was just covered by a huge red cloth, so no one could see it clearly.

Hearing what Yan Jiuling said, many people immediately whispered and talked in low voices.

The academy also had a newly worshipped deity?

This was no small matter, and looking at the meaning, it was to be worshipped with the power of national sacrifice.

Erlang Zhenjun of Fire and Water of the Flint Wheel?

Why hadn't we heard of it beforehand...

Everyone had different thoughts, but the stage was busy.

The people below were surprised to find that the specifications of the altar were the highest level of the Great Xuan ritual system, and the original host of the opening ceremony, Supervisor Elder Yuan Feng, had now changed into a black Daoist robe, the hem embroidered with cloud-qi patterns, while the back was embroidered with red and blue water and fire patterns, twisted into a Taiji shape.

"Rise—!"

Dong! Dong! Dong!

With Elder Yuan Feng's shout, three cannon shots split the air.

A hundred craftsmen pulled the red ropes together, and the scarlet curtain slowly slid down.

Just as the red silk fell, the morning light slanted toward the front of the Investigation of Things Hall.

Looking up, a divine statue towered in the morning light.

Three eyes and a majestic appearance, the vertical eye between the forehead slightly opened, the two eyes drooping as if watching the rotation of water and fire, the skin was red, and the face was majestic.

He wore a deep blue cloud-patterned robe with a left lapel, but what was different was that there were gear patterns embroidered between the cloud patterns, and the right sleeve had red flame patterns, symbolizing steam heat, while the left hand held the magic artifact, a bronze bell.

Looking closely, it was exactly a miniature steam engine prototype.

The other hand was pinching the water and fire incantation.

The people watching from afar raised their feet and craned their necks, their expressions strange.

This divine statue was similar to those in Daoist temples, but perhaps because it added a lot of steam and gear elements, it looked different, quite majestic and novel.

Of course, Li Yan, standing on the high platform, felt a bit awkward.

He knew this was due to the influence of his past life's memories.

After all, this thing had never appeared in his past life.

Regardless of what everyone thought, the sacrificial ceremony on the stage continued as normal.

Sure enough, it was the highest-level "Three Offerings Rite."

The "Three Offerings Rite" was the highest etiquette for sacrificing to the gods.

For example, when the Mazu Temple sacrifices to Mazu, the related products required for the "Three Offerings Rite" strictly follow the ancient system, with nearly a thousand pieces!

The sacrificial vessels include ancient bamboo and wood items like bian and dou, copper products like jue and xing, and folk traditional sacrificial vessels like copper incense burners, candle screens, fruit boxes, food boxes, etc. The ceremonial equipment includes palace-style books, as well as hundreds of items like clearing-the-way flags, warning-the-crowd signs, title flags, pheasant-tail fans, lanterns, incense burners, nine-curved yellow umbrellas, and other equipment.

The clothing of the sacrificial personnel also had requirements.

The Three Offerings Rite for the Erlang Zhenjun of Fire and Water of the Flint Wheel was naturally no exception.

The first offering was "Craftsmanship as the Heart."

Eight bare-chested craftsmen carried the steam engine model to the front of the cylinder, and Zhou Baishian sprinkled saltpeter and sulfur into the cracks.

"Zzz" a blue flame shot up, instantly turning into sulfur white smoke.

The disciples closest to the front felt pungent and hurriedly held their breath, but the craftsman master Zhao Huogong knelt down with a thud, shouting with many craftsmen: "Old Ancestor, reward us with a craftsman's meal!"

Seeing this, the disciples below also hurriedly bent down and bowed.

The second offering was "Five Grains Instead of Blood."

The agricultural disciples poured millet, panicled millet, rice, sorghum, and beans onto the iron wave base.

When boiling water was injected, it "pushed" and leaked air, scalding the disciples nearby until they jumped, and millet grains rolled onto the hem of Yan Jiuling's sacrificial robe.

The final offering was "People's Wishes as Prayer."

The medical disciple threw the pill into the gear, and the hundred craftsmen beat the gear chimes in a discordant manner:

"The water and fire wheels rotate—hey ho!"

"The steam valve won't explode—hey ho!"

Elder Yuan Feng pinched the incantation and entered the name, holding a whisk, and kept circling the divine statue.

Seeing this from above, Li Yan frowned slightly.

"Little Brother Yan."

Wang Daoxuan beside him looked thoughtful: "This Flint Wheel has not yet condensed spiritual charm; even if it is listed in the ancestral temple of the state, I fear it will take quite some time. Opening it now is of no use, right?"

Li Yan shook his head slightly, "I don't know."

"Perhaps it is because there are so many academy disciples, so they want to worship early to condense incense..."

Before the words were finished, he widened his eyes and looked at his bosom in disbelief.

Just a moment ago, the hook-order had actually reacted.

Although it was only for a short moment, it was very obvious, alternating between cold and hot.

This feeling was not encountering an Yin offender.

It was more like when he encountered a temple before, some vulgar gods wanted to communicate with a living Yin messenger.

Could it be that this "Erlang Zhenjun of the Flint Wheel" had already taken shape?

Just as he was puzzled, the sacrificial ceremony below finally ended.

The hundreds of disciples in the square, led by the academy servants, first went to visit and recognize the way to various pavilions and workshops, then returned to the dormitory to rest for a while, and then had to prepare for tomorrow's lessons.