No, gentlemen also guard against

Chapter 103 Ceremony and Sacrifice (overhauled)
Go to the shop early.

The old man forgot to put down the chopsticks in his hands, and went straight to the delicate girl holding the blue paper pansies. He lowered his head and asked:

"what is this?"

Ah Qing was taken aback, looked up at the old man in front of her who hadn't spoken more than three words to her, and said timidly, "Are you asking this?"

The old swordsmith stared at this special blue butterfly flower motionlessly, pointed at it, and asked repeatedly:
"what is this?"

Ah Qing whispered: "Iris, made of paper."

"Of course the old man knows it's a butterfly flower... how did you come up with the idea of ​​using the Pythagorean shape to make such an arc?"

Ah Qing shook her head: "I didn't fold it, it was a gift from the master. He said it was called an iris fold."

"Does the iris fold..."

The old swordsmith murmured, then suddenly raised his hand, and took out a handful of copper coins from his pocket:
"Lend me a look, how much do you want if I give you money?"

Ah Qing immediately shook his head.

The old swordsmith frowned and wanted to raise the price, but the delicate girl handed him the blue butterfly flower origami paper directly: "Ah Qing doesn't need money, the old man will take it to see, just remember to return Ah Qing... This is a very important gift for Ah Qing." of."

The old swordsmith took it without saying a word, and silently returned to his original seat.

The old man held a clean origami blue butterfly in his rough and blackened withered hands, lowered his head and gathered his eyebrows, stretched out a withered finger and slowly traced the arc of the butterfly flower petals, as if outlining, his face sank into something meditation.

Many female workers around Ah Qing shook their heads for this impolite and weird old man. Ah Qing seemed to be accustomed to his character, and the expression on his small face was not reproachful.

The delicate girl in sarong picked up the half-braided sword tassel, lowered her head and was busy.

In the morning, the sun gradually rises, approaching Chenzheng, and the number of diners in the open-air shop gradually decreases.

In front of the table in the corner, the eccentric old man was still obsessed with a childish origami flower that only interested children.

Ah Qing and Sui Gong's female companions pack up their cloth bags and prepare to go to work in the workshop.

At this moment, a female cob worker with thin lips arrived late. As soon as she arrived at the shop, she walked up to Ah Qing and stretched out her hand:
"What about things?"

Ah Qing lowered her head and took out one of the two exquisite sword tassels that she wove in the morning, and handed it to her.

But the thin-lipped female fringe worker made a copy, snatched the two from Ah Qing's hands, and looked down, as if she wanted to pick a better-looking one.

Ah Qing bowed her head and remained silent.

Every day at the Jiansui workshop, the female workers had to hand in a set of swords, and Ah Qing had to prepare two copies every day, one for the thin-lipped female fringe worker in front of her who was much older than her.

The thin-lipped female spike worker suddenly asked: "Where did you go yesterday afternoon? Lazy and not going to work?"

Ah Qing waved her hand: "No... no, I asked for leave from the workshop, and spent my birthday at home yesterday..."

The thin-lipped female tassel worker flipped her hands, put away the two sword tassels, left without looking back, and said coldly:
"It's all mine. You didn't pay the tribute yesterday, don't try to find excuses to be lazy, a poor girl is having a fart birthday."

Ah Qing stood there dumbfounded, at a loss for what to do.

The eyes of the Suigong female companions next to him shifted, they all pretended not to see, packed up their things and left.

This thin-lipped fringe worker who bullies others with protection fees has some background in the workshop, and ordinary female fringe workers who make a living like them can't be messed with.

As for this companion named Ah Qing, it can only be said that it is unlucky. When he first came to work in the workshop, he was disliked by others, and he was targeted and bullied... Sometimes it is not good for a woman from a poor family to be pretty and pretty, and it is easy to be jealous of the same sex , not to mention weak temper.

The delicate girl twisted her fingers together and looked around anxiously with her small face. Obviously, she couldn't hand in Jiansui this morning, so she should be punished by the workshop manager.

But no one helped her.

Ah Qing hurriedly grabbed the cloth bag on the floor, trotted away from the early shop, thought of something before leaving, and hurriedly glanced at the old man not far away who was studying the origami of the blue butterfly flower, her small face hesitated, and shouted, strange man The old man ignored her, so she gave another advice helplessly, and left first.

The old swordsmith turned a deaf ear to all the movements outside. He was in a busy city, but his mind wandered away.

When the cobworkers left, no customers came back for a long time, and the shop was about to close early, and was urged by others, the old man was willing to look away.

He regained his composure, raised his head silently, did not see the figure of the handsome girl, and did not care. The old man carried the flagon in his hand, lightly held the origami, left the morning market, and returned to the sword furnace.

The old swordsmith was completely tired at the moment.

The footsteps on the mountain road were fast.

It seemed that he was in a hurry to go back and write down a fleeting thought.

Soon, the old man came to the Jia Yi Jian Furnace halfway up the mountain.

"Old man, what happened to the sword of the Jiasan Sword Furnace?"

In front of the thatched hut, a young man in fine clothes with a sick complexion seemed to have been waiting for a long time, and immediately went to say hello.

He looked curiously at the strange combination of the old man carrying a flagon and holding paper flowers.

The old swordsmith didn't even look at him, he just pushed the door open and entered, and his figure disappeared, but before the door was closed heavily, there was still an old man's hoarse voice:
"That little thing, the Jiasan Sword Stove, is healed. It's a few days of retreat, so don't bother me."

Liu Zi'an was taken aback for a moment, then rejoiced, and immediately responded: "Yes!"

But this answer, the old man behind the door should have been unable to hear.

Liu Zian didn't care about this, as if he had already gotten used to the old swordsmith's weird temperament.

He, who often had a gloomy face recently, breathed a sigh of relief. The young man in the brocade suit wandered back and forth twice, as if thinking about something, turned his head, and waved towards the distance.

A steward in Tsing Yi walked up to Liu Zian lightly.

The latter pondered: "Didn't the old man go to drink, why did he bring...a paper flower back?"

The steward in Tsing Yi immediately told everything he had seen and heard.

Soon.

"Okay, I see, it's hard work, let's go down."

Liu Zian waved his hand, and the manager in Tsing Yi stepped back respectfully.

"The blue butterfly paper flower... the old man is reminded of some kind of memory, or... is it related to the sword..."

He stood there with a thoughtful expression on his face.

After a while, the young man in the brocade suit shook his head, gave up exploring, and turned to leave.

But he didn't go down the mountain immediately.

Liu Zian turned a corner and walked up the mountain along an inaccessible mountain path.

The mountain where Jiayi Jianlu is located is called Xiaogu Mountain, which is similar to the name of Dagu Mountain with Donglin Temple on the outskirts of the city. It is located on the west bank of the Butterfly Creek, opposite to Peng Langdu.

The Liu Family Mansion was also built on this mountain, but it was at the belly of the mountain, near the foot of the mountain, and to the west.

The east side of Xiaogu Mountain is occupied by sword furnaces of Gu Yue Jian Shop.

Liu Zian followed the trail on the ridge, staring at the howling wind, all the way to the top of the mountain.

There is a lonely temple on the top of the mountain.

Look at the dilapidated name on the plaque at the door, this is a Dragon King Temple.

However, it does not belong to any of the sacrificial gods officially counted in the sacrificial ceremony of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In other words, this is an obscenity in the mouth of the government.

However, if there are old people who have lived in Longcheng County for a long time here, the two sides will definitely fight against each other.

This Dragon King Temple was in Longcheng County back then, but everyone knew about it.

That was before Master Di was relegated to the county magistrate of Longcheng.

As we all know, the land of Wuyue still worships prostitutes, diseases are not cured, and people are listened to by witches. What's more, people kill people and sacrifice to ghosts.

Many villages and towns in remote prefectures and counties in Jiangnan Province have this kind of prostitution.

The same is true of Longcheng County, which used to suffer from frequent floods. According to the records of Longcheng County, the name of Longcheng County came from this. In the past, the people believed that the floods in Longcheng every year were the wrath of the Dragon King, and they needed to be worshiped regularly. .

So in Longcheng County, the people believed in the Dragon King, and a group of priests named it the Dragon King, gained the trust of the people, and established the Dragon King Temple.

Moreover, no matter how big or small the matter is in the city, the priests need to issue orders in the name of the Dragon King. Even if officials of all sizes in the city take office, they have to condescend and bow their heads.

All of this, until Master Di became the magistrate of Longcheng, after a wonderful fight, he finally eradicated that group of demagogic priests, burned all the prostitutes in Longcheng, and swept away the crooked customs.

Few people remember what happened back then.

Only the ruined temples in the territory are left.

However, the superstition about the Dragon King still lingers in the hearts of the people of Dragon City. Before, the young magistrate asked the people about the destruction of the Di Gong gate, and he got such a statement.

Even a certain young county magistrate fell into the water on the Longshou Bridge just before he took office, and there were rumors that he angered the Dragon King...

Liu Zian came to the lonely temple on the top of the mountain, looked up at the door plaque, stepped forward and knocked on the door, then stepped back and waited quietly in front of the door.

This Dragon King Temple is considered to be the best preserved one in Longcheng County.

If you talk about superstition, there is another group in Longcheng County who are more superstitious than ordinary people.

That is the artisan.

Back then, Liu Ziwen and Liu Zian inherited the family business in order to integrate many sword shop craftsmen on the west bank of Butterfly Creek.

So a Dragon King Temple was re-supported, and some priests pretending to be gods and ghosts were invited... This is also one of the origins of the nickname of the Dragon King Liu's family. The fear of the people in Longcheng County is not groundless.

But right now, at the Guyue Sword Shop on the west bank of Butterfly Creek, the Liu family can firmly control this "independent kingdom" like a king, and their influence among craftsmen is greater than that of the Longcheng County Government. The credit of the Dragon King Temple.

However, the current Liu family, with the most wealth in Dragon City, has found a towering tree outside to attach itself to, so there is no longer any need to resort to tricky tricks such as bewitching craftsmen.

This Dragon King Temple is no longer useful.

However, the Liu family still retained a few idle jobs in the temple to maintain the general operation. Occasionally, on some important occasions, or when famous swords were released, the priests were asked to go down the mountain to preside over some simple ceremonies to make a show.

At least those craftsmen still believe in this set.

It's just that it won't be as ostentatious as it used to be.

After all, Master Di, who once cleared the prostitutes in Longcheng, is now the prime minister of the dynasty. Although it is difficult for such a big man to cast his eyes on this small county on Jiangnan Road, it is also his local achievements in the past. It's better to keep a low profile.

While Liu Zian was in deep thought.

The gate of the Dragon King Temple was pushed open from the inside, and a priestess in a dark robe walked out.

The priestess is a little fat, about 40 to [-] years old, her face is full of colorful paints, her complexion is quite gloomy, her hair is tied into dirty braids with colored ribbons, she is dressed in cumbersome sacrificial clothes, and she walks clangingly, coupled with the whistling noises around her. The mountain wind looks a little mysterious and bluffing.

When the two met, they looked at each other first, turned around together, and went down the mountain in tacit understanding. Liu Zian was the first to speak on the way:
"The sword from Jiasan Sword Furnace is ready."

"Things are also ready, and the ceremony can be held." The priestess said, her voice was a little cold.

"Do you want to inform my elder brother in advance?"

"Don't worry about it." The fat priestess shook her head, "Didn't you say that your elder brother hates me?"

"That's fine." Liu Zian hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "But I have to choose an inconspicuous sacrifice, the kind that dies quietly."

"Yes, but you need to be a young woman with enough spirituality. In addition, in addition to the sacrifices, you can also pick some tight-lipped audiences, which is also part of the ceremony."

"no problem."

The two chatted while walking on the mountain.

Liu Zian seemed to have thought of something, and asked calmly, "What if I fail again?"

The priestess frowned: "If you listen to me honestly, you will succeed. This time, you can use the famous sword to cover it up. Even if your brother finds out, you can still explain it. This kind of opportunity does not come often. Besides..."

After a pause, she said with a slightly irritated face: "I repeat, I didn't fail at Longshou Bridge last time! As you can see, I was promoted to the eighth-rank Immortal Seeker after the Immortal Art Ceremony. Is this still possible?" Is there a fake!?"

Liu Zian squinted: "But the county magistrate surnamed Ouyang is still alive and kicking, and even brought a lot of trouble to our Liu family."

The priestess was silent for a while.

"I will prove it to you." She snorted coldly.

"As you please." Liu Zian frowned, and said seriously: "I don't care if you succeeded last time, this is the last time I believe in you, and this is also my last chance."

"Humph."

The two were speechless for a moment, with different thoughts, and when they walked down the mountain, they passed the busy street in the morning and walked towards the Jiasanjian furnace by the river.

The craftsmen and servants encountered along the way, after seeing Liu Zian and the priestess, all respectfully gave way.

Pedestrians looked a little scared.

At this time, the two passed by a workshop. From the corner of their eyes, the priestess, who was not in a good mood, saw a thin figure who seemed to be standing for punishment not far away from the gate of the workshop. She turned her head and took a closer look. She raised her hand and pointed casually:
"That's it, it looks very spiritual."

Liu Zian turned his head and looked.

It was a very pretty girl, standing outside the door with her head downcast, like the female worker of the Jiansui workshop behind.

Those who would enter this kind of humble workshop were all servants who were no different from goods in the Liu family, but anyone who was a little more important would not be arranged to enter.

But to the surprise of the priestess, Liu Zian just glanced at it and said decisively:

"this is not OK."

"Why?" The priestess thought for a while, and then asked, "Isn't this an official slave belonging to the sword shop?"

"I'm a slave, I haven't redeemed myself yet, and I'm attached to the sword shop."

"Then what are you afraid of? No one will pay attention to this lowly female worker."

Liu Zian looked at the familiar figure of the thin female cob worker, without raising his eyelids, he said softly:
"Change it to another one. There are a lot of female workers in Jiansuifang. This one is a bit special. It can't move, and it's not easy to move."

(End of this chapter)