I built the Jade Capital with the Netherworld

Chapter 89: God's Watch

February 15th is Xuanyuan Festival.

Early in the morning of that day, the morning bell of Lao Lu Temple rang. The melodious sound of the bell was so clear and pleasant that even the villagers at the foot of the mountain could faintly hear it.

Unlike the past, it starts with three Qings, ends with four Yus, with a tight seven, a slow eight, and a flat twelve, for a total of twenty-seven tones.

Today is the Xuanyuan Festival. To show solemnity, Lao Lu struck the bell three times, a total of eighty-one times. The echo in the valley sounded endless and pleasant, just like the breeze blowing through the bamboo forest, or like the gurgling mountain spring.

Liu Qingtan, who had once held a ceremony to welcome Xiaoshan, was quite familiar with fasting and offering sacrifices.

He led the disciples in the sect to set up the temple, recite scriptures and repent, step on the magic circle, make hand gestures and chant mantras... and perform the complicated rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices.

It seems more ritual than reality.

But since the rituals of fasting and offering sacrifices were created, they naturally have their meaning.

At least, it means a lot to the villagers watching.

Laolu Mountain is high and climbing it is not easy. The villagers who are able to go up the mountain to watch the rituals really have some faith.

Looking at the mature young man Liu Qingtan, leading five disciples, praying and performing rituals in the air of incense, it was impossible not to feel a tremor in my heart.

Lu Wujiu practiced Xuanfa, but he scoffed at these rituals and hid himself in the cave.

In the past two days, he practiced sword skills frantically, but he didn't learn how to stack swords, and his arms were almost broken. Even though he practiced the "Xuanyuan Health Preservation Sutra" and nourished his body with the Yuan Qi of heaven and earth, he still couldn't bear it.

These two days, I have been trying to calm down after being extremely active, and I have been contemplating the concept of Acalanatha.

Unfortunately, there has been little progress.

After all, it's a bit like biting off more than you can chew.

At dusk, Liu Qingtan knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Lu, the opera troupe down the mountain is about to start performing."

Lu Wujiu stood up, opened the door, and asked, "Have all the disciples in the temple gone?"

Liu Qingtan said, "We all went as instructed by the master."

Lu Wujiu nodded: "Let's go!"

After the two left the Taoist temple, Lu Wujiu casually let some soldiers in to prevent scoundrels from taking the opportunity to cause trouble.

The mountain path at dusk was quiet and narrow. Liu Qingtan followed behind Lu Wujiu. The setting sun cast their shadows on the mountain wall. When they came together, it looked like Lu Wujiu was carrying Liu Qingtan on his back.

Liu Qingtan looked at the setting sun and hesitated for a long time before saying, "Sir, there is something I'm not sure if I should tell you."

Lu Wujiu smiled and said, "You've said it all, so go ahead!"

"I don't understand, Master, why did you help the monster climb the stairs?"

"Then why can't I help the spirit climb the stairs?"

"Master said that cultivation is a process of 'seizing the good fortune of heaven and earth.' In the eyes of spirits, humans are the greatest good fortune. If spirits grow, they will definitely be detrimental to humans. Even mountain gods and the like are not without evil spirits who bring disaster and plunder incense offerings."

Lu Wujiu sighed, he actually only recently understood the truth that Liu Qingtan said.

Ghosts, human skin books, the Fangzhong School, the Liuren School... Wherever he looked, all the sects of cultivation he saw seemed to use humans as nourishment for their cultivation, and in essence, they all devoured humans.

Among them, the monsters are the most rampant.

Longhua Cave is the most obvious example.

There are very few sects that do not eat people, such as the Zhengyi Sect and the Wudang Sect that he knows.

However, upon closer inspection, the Zhengyi Sect's way of teaching always made him shudder. He suspected that the Zhengyi Sect was also a cannibalistic sect, but the only thing it ate were its disciples.

While his thoughts were wandering, Lu Wujiu asked:

"So, how do you think we should treat the spirits?"

"There's a saying in Xuanmen: Know the white and keep the black. When you're powerless, you should blend in with the world. If you have magical powers, you should put the human race first."

Lu Wujiu turned his head to look at Liu Qingtan, feeling surprised but also taking it for granted.

This child is born with precocious intelligence. The fact that he remains silent now does not mean that he has no thoughts in his mind. Perhaps his attitude is to know the white and keep the black.

The reason they still obeyed his orders was because they were powerless to resist and could only defend themselves. Indeed, there were not many people who could possess a sharp weapon, a murderous intent, and the power to remain in the dust.

Liu Qingtan was able to say this at this time, which was already fair and upright.

"When I was traveling around the world, I saw a building called the Abandoned Baby Tower. Do you know it?"

"Have heard a little bit."

"Then did you know that most of the abandoned babies in the tower are girls?"

"know."

"Do you know why people value sons over daughters? They even go so far as to drown baby girls?"

Liu Qingtan pursed her lips and shook her head.

"Because the essence of how this world operates is still violence!"

"Disciple doesn't understand."

"Whether in the mountains or in the cities, resources are limited. If we want to have enough to eat, we have to fight for them! From small things like fallen firewood in the mountains to big things like blessed caves and paradises. We cultivators can only use our magic power to fight for them, but what can the poor people rely on?"

Liu Qingtan pursed his lips: "Fist! A man's fist."

Lu Wujiu sighed and said, "Yes, it depends on a man's fist. This is the appearance of an abandoned baby."

Liu Qingtan suddenly looked at Lu Wujiu and asked in surprise, "Appearance? What about the underlying reason?"

Lu Wujiu said: "Production and distribution."

Liu Qingtan chewed over this sentence and said after a while: "Disciple still doesn't quite understand."

Lu Wujiu smiled and patted Liu Qingtan's shoulder: "When you enter the world of mortals, take a walk and see for yourself, and you will understand."

"So what does this have to do with treating spirits?"

"Great aspirations require great magical powers. Whether it's a cultivator or a spirit, as long as they can be used by me, even evil can be good."

Lu Wujiu stopped and stood at the edge of a cliff, looking down. Below the cliff, a huge crowd of people gathered. People from all over the place had already gathered, densely packed around the stage, eagerly waiting.

Looking far away, you can see the disciples of Lao Lu Temple, who summoned armored soldiers to patrol and maintain discipline.

At this time, he was still a mile away from the foot of the mountain along the mountain path. However, if he jumped off the cliff directly, he would reach the foot of the mountain in the blink of an eye.

He then sat down cross-legged, looked at the setting sun in the distance, closed his eyes slightly, and began to meditate and gain enlightenment.

Seeing this, Liu Qingtan also found an open space nearby and sat cross-legged, but his mind could not calm down.

As the last ray of sunset fell behind the mountain, a blazing fire immediately ignited in the braziers surrounding the stage at the foot of the mountain. The brilliant flames illuminated the stage brightly.

"Wipe! Wipe!"

The sound of two cymbals colliding was like the gavel in a county government office. As soon as the sound came out, the originally noisy scene suddenly became quiet.

Countless eyes looked towards the stage.

"Alas, alas, my heart is filled with longing for my beloved... How fortunate that we can meet again, if we are bound together by a thread thousands of miles apart."

Two exclamations were heard, and melodious singing echoed across the valley.

Su Hong, dressed as a Hua Dan, appeared on the stage with small steps, twisting her slender waist and humming a song.

The seemingly bright red makeup, under the candlelight and from a distance, looked like a wild fox, causing the audience in the audience to stare with wide eyes.

Even children who couldn't understand were captivated by the colorful costumes and singing.

Su Hong sang opera with a sweet smile, and weak forces gathered from all directions.

There were people all over the mountains, ghosts lurking in the mountains, and the gaze of the gods of Laolu Mountain... Su Hong was very excited to see it.

The master is right, no matter whether it is a big or small play, you have to sing it well!

(End of this chapter)