Chapter 68 Phoenix Boat
What does it mean that a gentleman can be killed but not humiliated? If you bite it, it will only leave two holes, but if you lick the whole animal, you will feel dirty.
The tomb guardian beast's eyes rolled back and it was about to faint.
Tan Xiao was afraid that it would fall to the ground and get broken, so he rushed over and took out a wet tissue to wipe its head. This was originally used to wipe off cinnabar, lime and other things that were stained during the ritual, but now it was used to wipe the saliva of the male viper. What a sin! Look at how angry the tomb guardian beast is.
When Mr. Ji saw Tan Xiao holding the tomb-guarding beast, he couldn't help himself and took a step forward to hug the beast.
Tomb guardian beast: “?”
What the hell? These people are more perverted than the other.
Tan Xiao also looked at Mr. Ji in surprise: "Teacher Ji, it's not really dizzy, there's no need to carry it like a princess."
Mr. Ji turned the tomb guardian beast over with great effort: "No, let me see the inscription on the bottom."
Tan Xiao: "..."
Tomb guardian beast: “…”
There is a saying that jade is judged by its skin and porcelain by its bottom. In addition to the craftsmanship, the tombs where tomb guardian beasts usually appear are also of a certain level, and some of them will also have inscriptions on the bottom, which is extremely interesting to Mr. Ji.
The tomb guardian beast was like a person being peeped at while using the toilet, and the ghost shouted, "Stop staring at me there!!"
Mu Fei still had more things to deal with, so she took out her ID and waved it in front of the tomb guardian beast. "From what I heard from you just now, you also secretly went out to see the world, so you should know that we are 404, right?"
If it had been with a guy like the male viper, it would have been useless. The tomb guardian beast paused after seeing this, and stopped crying, but didn't speak for the time being. It actually couldn't distinguish the documents, but if these people had bad intentions, they wouldn't have made false evidence just to deceive it, right?
Mu Fei pointed at the focal aperture and said, "And this is my law enforcement recorder."
Jiao Guangquan quickly cooperated by showing a shot. He was indeed responsible for recording it and making records. There was nothing wrong with what he said.
The tomb guardian beast was completely relaxed at this point. "Then what are you all here for? If it's just archaeology, why are there so many wizards here if not treasure hunting?"
"This is a long story, but the one that concerns you... is just to register how many new-born monsters there are in your tomb, and to see if they need to be protected and excavated. If not, they will be protected in situ." Mu Fei explained simply. If he started with the Huo Dou, the story would be long.
"I was just passing by here last time as an enforcement officer. I'm a part-time worker and I don't have any ID to show you... I only have my student ID." Tan Xiao added, "I'm really sorry to have to shackle you here."
Seeing that the tomb guardian beast was relatively calm, he let it go.
Mr. Ji had already looked at the bottom and found an inscription. Combined with the text next to the stone figurine, the identity of the tomb owner could be confirmed. He was a duke buried in Southern Chu during the Tang Dynasty.
This Duke was actually more interested in cultivating immortals than being involved in politics, and he even specially selected a Feng Shui treasure cave in Qiyun Ridge. This is why there are so many human figurines in his tomb, and it is full of traces of magic.
There are words engraved under the stone figurine of the tomb owner: If the stone rots, someone will replace it.
Mu Fei picked up the stone tablet that the male snake had digested after swallowing the black air, and said, "You have so many things here. This must be the black spot that your master sealed."
The so-called black specter looks like thick black fog, but it is actually a monster that can transform into various shapes, from wild beasts to humans. If you encounter it, you will faint just like encountering miasma.
Since this Duke had achieved success in his cultivation, he could not help but make his own tomb-guarding props, just like the King of Chu made the male viper, but he sealed the monsters he had subdued. The stone certificate ordered the captured black monsters to be transformed into a hundred cavalrymen to guard the tomb. There were actually some words at the back, which stipulated that the black monsters would be free if they guarded the tomb for two thousand years or recited the sutra ninety thousand times. He was more soft-hearted than the King of Chu.
The tomb guardian beast revealed the truth only when it knew that it was required to be registered. Not only that, many human figurines actually had spirits or souls placed inside them. They were not necessarily all sealed evil creatures, but some were protecting spirits that had developed a little bit of consciousness.
After hearing this, Tan Xiao suddenly realized, "I was saying that even if they were buried in a Feng Shui treasure land and had been absorbing the Emperor's fluid, it was impossible for everyone in the tomb to naturally develop spiritual consciousness. That success rate would be too high. It's higher than the admission rate of our school..."
Mu Fei: “…”
"There are still many talented people in Shenzhou. I didn't know there was such a senior in the history of Nanchu." Mu Fei said with emotion, "But there are quite a lot of you. How come you were the only one who went out before?"
"I haven't been out of the house... People like us usually keep the door closed to visitors." The tomb guardian beast said faintly, "My master is crying poor at the door, just because he is afraid that someone will come."
Everyone: “…”
What a good way to close the door and refuse visitors, but you can't stop them from leaving, right?
The tomb guardian beasts' cry of poverty was actually a method used by the ancients to prevent tomb robbers. The old Duke used both soft and hard methods. The hard method was various tomb guardian beasts and mechanisms, and the soft method was to write some crying words at the door, saying that I am really poor, and instructed my descendants to bury me simply, and please don't open my tomb - of course, the more you say this, the more burial objects you will find when you go in.
And if they don't go through the door, then of course they won't even be able to see the crying poor guy at the door.
"If you had never been out and no one had ever come in, how did you learn so much modern knowledge?" If the tomb guardian beast said this, doubts would arise. The way it spoke was different from that of the male viper that had been imprisoned in the tomb for thousands of years.
The tomb guardian blinked and said, "The Fu Tingyong heard it and then relayed it to us."
Mr. Ji lost his voice and said, "Ah, is it the one who rolled his eyes at me before?"
He also introduced to everyone that the purpose of this pair of figurines might be to help the tomb owner to find out what was happening in the netherworld and the fairy world. This made Mr. Ji a little excited. After all, this was also one of his guesses, and now the purpose was confirmed.
And judging from the situation below, it is not known whether Fu Tingyong let the old Duke know any news from heaven and earth, but he was doing a live broadcast for his brothers and sisters.
The terracotta warriors have no consciousness, and the images they see are difficult to fully share with others, but the information conveyed by sound is much easier to broadcast, which is no different from having a radio station.
When the tomb guardian beast said this, everyone looked at each other. Isn't this...
"Luckily, we came down here," Mu Fei said excitedly. "Can you ask Fu Tingyong, since he has been in Qiyunling for so long, has he heard of a Huodou roaming around here?"
"You really are here to investigate a case..." the tomb guardian beast murmured, and went to communicate with the Fu Ting Yong.
The Fu Ting Yong could only make subtle sounds with strange tones, which were basically only understood by his companions in the tomb. The tomb guardian beast relayed the story for him: "A Huo Dou did appear in Qiyunling. It dug everywhere and dug many holes. Finally, it dug a substitute in the dragon's lair."
"We know this. It's Jing Tiao's substitute." At that time, it was also speculated that other wizards had met Yorkshire and fought with them.
"Yes... that bramble was some time ago, no, before that..." There is no sun or moon in the mountains, so their perception of time is obviously slow. "Anyway, a master used the mountain as an altar and left a seal, and he also set up a trap to prevent future generations from accidentally moving it."
"Seal?" Mu Fei was a little surprised. It was true that Huotou liked to devour, and everyone basically believed that it came to Qiyunling for hunting. They even agreed that it must be some "good food" that could make Yorkshire take risks.
But if they said that there was a seal on Qiyunling, they were completely unaware of it. Someone had set up a formation here. It was no wonder that after visiting for many days, they could not find Yorkshire's target. Yorkshire himself was deceived.
"What's so strange about this? There are so many famous mountains and rivers, blessed places and caves in China, and there are many hermits and masters. We have been here for many years, and no one has discovered us." The tomb guardian beast said indifferently, "Take Qiyunling for example. For thousands of years, there have always been wizards coming and going, either looking for blessed places or finding dragon caves for others. This is the basic operation of the masters."
Just like this old duke, or Master Moon who sheltered Fang Zhu in Yunmengze, this senior from Chu who used this place as an altar for performing rituals many years ago, is also not widely known. Their names are unknown, but they are still influencing the world many years after their death.
Or, like Tan Xiao, even though he is somewhat famous, how many people know that his spells are real?
Tan Xiao was touched, but also alert. "Although Yorkshire has been brought to justice, we still have to be careful. After all, there are still other culprits who have not been brought to justice. It's better to be careful of thieves who are thinking about stealing than to be afraid of thieves who are thinking about stealing."
"Well, we will pay more attention." Mu Fei looked up. Although she couldn't see Qiyunling through the soil, it didn't stop her from being in awe of the old cultivator. "I'll go back and check the county annals to see if there are any clues. I don't know what the senior has sealed here."
"You don't have anything else to ask, right?" The tomb guardian beast said nervously, "We've said everything we need to say. You're not going to dig us out and put us in a museum, are you? I'm an introvert."
Everyone looked at Mr. Ji.
“No, just answer me a few more questions…” Mr. Ji said that this place was good and did not need to be opened.
Others also comforted the tomb guardian beast, saying, "I'm sorry I scared you today."
"That's nothing, luckily it was just a false alarm, they weren't here to rob the tomb." The tomb guardian beast said, looking at Xiong Kui with hatred. Compared to Tan Xiao who shackled him, Xiong Kui was more hateful, after all, he was used to standing still, while Xiong Kui was mentally insulting him.
The male viper said nonchalantly, "Then lick it back." As it spoke, the nine heads shook a little, "Guess which head licked you just now - it doesn't matter if you want to lick all nine."
Grave Guardian: "Ugh!!" There's no way to argue with shamelessness!
…
We asked all the questions that needed to be asked and registered all the things that needed to be registered. It was considered a small gain. After returning, no one felt unwell and Mr. Ji was even more excited.
Facts have proved that non-invasive tomb excavation is indeed promising. Tan Xiao recorded the method, and then the 404 Office and the archaeological community coordinated and cooperated. It can be imagined that with the cross-border assistance of the 404 Office, the progress of archaeology will be quite gratifying.
Tan Xiao agreed to provide technical guidance if needed, and then rode his bike back.
When Mu Fei was seeing them off at the door, she sighed: "Mr. Ji is still in good health. Brother Tan Xiao, Master Peacock, you guys exercised so much that day, and you were still able to ride a bike." She remembered that when she was in school, she would feel weak for a few days after the physical examination.
In fact, Mu Fei was mainly talking to Ji Lao and Tan Xiao, and mentioned Kong Xuan out of politeness.
Kong Xuan smiled coldly.
Mr. Ji also praised: "You can tell at a glance that he has been through many battles."
"Yes, yes," Tan Xiao stepped on his bicycle, "I'm also a seasoned athlete. Bye."
Kong Xuan: “…”
A few days later, it was the weekend and the course that Tan Xiao had booked started. Tan Chunying took the job and just happened to teach him how to repair wooden objects.
Kong Xuan said, "I want to learn too."
It was clear that this skill could not be learned just by looking at it, so he created a substitute and wanted to learn the skills from the master in a human form.
"Why are you learning this?" Tan Xiao asked in confusion, "Who are you repairing the mask for?"
Kong Xuan hesitated and said, "Who said I have to repair the mask..."
If it's not a mask, then what is it repairing? Seeing that he still refused to say, Tan Xiao laughed and said, "Forget it. Then you come and try to learn it and see if you can repair what you want."
On the morning of the holiday, Kong Xuan went out seriously, pretended to walk a little further away, then walked all the way back and knocked on the door, pretending to be Tan Xiao's classmate who came to play. As a result, when he opened the door, he saw a whole filming crew inside.
"Mom, this is my classmate Kong Xuan. Kong Xuan, these teachers are making documentaries." Tan Xiao introduced them to Kong Xuan seriously.
These are from the crew of "The Great Witch". As they have already decided to film the Chu Witch chapter with the spiritual master as one of the protagonists, the director of the Chu Witch chapter, Zhu Yixin, also visited the team and had many online chats to determine the tone of the filming.
As Tan Chunying had work to do today, they came over, set up their cameras and started filming. Tan Xiao didn't even know they were coming today, but they didn't interfere anyway, they just filmed silently.
Tan Xiao was no stranger to the camera, but he just happened to meet Kong Xuan today.
Kong Xuan was silent for a moment, then called out to Tan Chunying in front of the camera: "Hello, Auntie."
Tan Chunying pointed at Kong Xuan and introduced him to Zhu Yixin without any shame: "My son's classmates often come to watch our activities. The spiritual master culture has also attracted quite a number of young people. He is quite impressed by my son, so Tan Xiao just said that his classmates want to come and learn from him."
Kong Xuan crossed his arms and said nothing. Whenever he didn't speak, his arrogant look always carried a hint of displeasure.
Zhu Yixin was a little skeptical: "Oh, really?"
Tan Chunying pointed at Kong Xuan's keychain and said, "This is our family's peripheral. Look how much he likes it."
Kong Xuan: “…”
The camera slides across Kong Xuan's keychain and face, using the language of the camera to express that after being refurbished, the traditional Chu witch culture has attracted public attention and has even become a fashion item.
Zhu Yixin nodded: "Haha, okay, then you too, classmate, don't bother with us when the filming officially starts, just treat us as if we don't exist."
Kong Xuan said slowly: "You can also pretend that I don't exist..."
Tan Chunying pointed at the tools in the yard, and seeing that Kong Xuan was good-looking, she joked, "Little Kong, right? Do you know that this unique skill of repairing woodware is not passed on to outsiders in our family? If a boy wants to learn it, he has to be our son-in-law."
Kong Xuan: “!!”
"But you're lucky, those are all old rules." Tan Chunying said with a smile, "Come on, two boys, let's see what I'm going to demonstrate today?"
"You don't have a daughter in your family..." Kong Xuan was still immersed in the previous topic.
"Yeah, so I was joking." Tan Chunying replied, and stared at Kong Xuan for two seconds, thinking that Tan Xiao's classmate was good-looking and stupid enough, "Okay, look at this."
Kong Xuan took a look and said, "This is a boat."
An old boat, made of fir wood.
"Yes, this is the boat that our district dragon boat team will use for the Dragon Boat Race next month." Tan Chunying introduced, "You should have seen it when you were a child, right? But Nanchu hasn't held a dragon boat race for many years, and it's only been restarted this year. I hope it doesn't rain by then. I'm not afraid of ghosts on July 15th, but I'm afraid of water on Dragon Boat Festival."
Dragon boat racing has a long tradition in various places during the Dragon Boat Festival. In the past, dragon boat racing in Nanchu was also very lively, but later due to safety, organization, young people not participating, etc., the official has not held it for many years. The private organizations are also strictly managed for fear of adverse events. After all, if there is a lot of rain during the Dragon Boat Festival, drowning may occur.
As folk culture has been reviving in recent years and tourism has also received attention, the Nanchu government has revived the dragon boat race.
"Oh, Dragon Boat Festival." Kong Xuan had heard of this festival.
Tan Xiao said this deliberately to fill in the background for Kong Xuan, "The Dragon Boat Festival has many origins, but the most popular one is that it is to commemorate Qu Yuan. As Qu Yuan's hometown, Chu is also very fond of dragon boat racing, and the drums keep beating in May.
"Generally, one or two months before the competition, each dragon boat team will start preparing the boats for the competition. Dragon boats are only used during the competition and are sealed up when not in use. This boat has been used for some time and has been repaired several times. And before it is put into the water, a magician must be found to perform a sacrifice."
There are special dragon boat manufacturers and boat-makers. The preservation methods of various dragon boats are also different. For example, if the dragon boat is made of kundan wood, it is preserved by sinking it in the water, which is called "the dragon returns to its hometown". The dragon will be brought out of the water when it is used.
The dragon boats in their old district are made of fir wood, which only needs to be kept dry. The boat body is a little damaged, but the master who built the boat has long passed away, and his descendants have changed their jobs. The old people in the dragon boat team sent it to Tan Chunying. Compared with some new masters or some dragon boats made of new materials, they believe in Tan Chunying's craftsmanship more, and more importantly, they will ask her to make it.
"There used to be a custom of paying homage to Qu Yuan before the Dragon Boat Festival. Some schools would organize students to go together. Have you ever been there, Xiao Kong?" Tan Chunying asked casually.
Qu Yuan was in charge of the ancestral temple sacrifices. Kong Xuan listened thoughtfully and said, "Yes, he seemed to have been here to offer sacrifices. I have some impression of him."
Sacrifice to my mother.
Tan Xiao: "..."
Kong Xuan looked at the boat, and it didn't seem to have anything to do with dragons. "Where is the dragon here?"
"The dragon heads are kept in temples. They are older than the hulls, and some have been used for hundreds of years. In fact, we in Nanchu are more retro in this regard. When we say a dragon head, it doesn't necessarily mean a dragon." Tan Chunying listened and felt that Xiao Kong didn't even know the local characteristics. "Xiao Kong, are you from another place?"
"?" Kong Xuan said, "My family has lived in Chu since the beginning of the world, but I have left before."
Tan Xiao covered his face silently.
"Haha, that's right, you must not have been here when you were a child." Tan Chunying understood, "Tan Xiao, tell your classmates about it."
"…Because in ancient times, besides dragon boats, a major mainstream of dragon boat racing was actually bird boats, and even other spiritual animals. The phoenix is the most respected bird, so phoenixes also account for the majority of bird boats, especially in Chu, where the phoenix is respected. Some also use unicorns, and it seems that some surrounding towns and villages also use tigers. However, due to the popularity of these boats, they are all collectively called dragon boats today."
When Kong Xuan heard that there was a phoenix boat, he nodded and said, "That's pretty good."
"What do you mean it's almost there? It seems that you support the richness of dragon boats," Tan Chunying said happily, "Don't touch them later. There was a legend in the past that a dragon boat was borrowed by the water god and disappeared mysteriously. At that time, both the people and the boat traveled through time."
"What is time travel?" Kong Xuan just asked when he was interrupted by Tan Xiao.
"Mom, stop scaring me." Tan Xiao was afraid that Kong Xuan would say something if he talked too much . "Now the Water God wants to borrow our boat, right? I heard that several teams don't repair old boats anymore, and they just go for custom fiberglass dragon boats."
"What?" Tan Chunying started cursing, muttering something about lack of martial ethics.
Tan Xiao coughed.
Thinking that there were cameras around, Tan Chunying pretended to shut up and changed the subject to ask Kong Xuan, "Xiao Kong, what do you want to repair after learning this? If the furniture at home is broken, you can repair it. It's absolutely perfect. A live-in son-in-law must learn this."
"I'm repairing a desk." Kong Xuan straightened his back and said, "The old desk I want to repair is missing something."
Tan Xiao was puzzled. What kind of desk was Kong Xuan talking about? Was his desk in heaven missing? If it was underground, the school no longer used wooden desks. My desk at home...
Tan Xiao looked at him.
Tan Chunying also asked: "Is there a missing corner?"
"No," Kong Xuan gestured, "There's just a word 'early' in the corner for some reason."
"Hahahaha, you carved it yourself when you were a kid, right? My son has one on his desk too." Tan Chunying laughed to death, "He didn't have the conditions to carve a desk when he was a kid, so he had to carve his own wooden desk at home."
Tan Xiao: "..."
I knew it was my desk! Tan Xiao thought about it and found it a little funny. OK, it turned out that the master wanted to help him make up his desk.
"Hey, Xiao Kong, where do you live?" Tan Chunying laughed and then started chatting.
Kong Xuan glanced at Tan Xiao: "...nearby."
Tan Chunying: "Oh, it's close, it's convenient to go back after dinner, right?"
Kong Xuan: “Very convenient.”
After all, it’s so close that you can just go up the building and you never have to pay rent.
