Volume 2 Dragon Bird Chapter 12: Sacrifice Ceremony
On the day of the sacrificial ceremony.
In the early morning, before the sun rises completely, the people of Jiaolong City are already splashing water on the streets to clean them, making them look brand new.
In Jiaolong City, which is ruled by the Sea God Sect, the sacrificial ceremony is the most important day of the year. Even if the people are indignant, they can only dare not speak out and carefully cooperate with the requirements of the monks.
The solemn and magnificent Zhonghe Shao music was coming from the square where the dragon statue was located. It was the sound of bells composed of dozens of musical instruments such as chime stones, chime bells, and 鎥 bells.
One hour before the sacrificial ceremony began, Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian had already arrived at the restaurant where they had reserved a seat in advance.
They ordered a few of the restaurant's famous dishes, savored them slowly, and talked in low voices. They indeed looked like ordinary diners.
Looking towards the square from the current position, one can see that before the gigantic dragon statue, a Circular Mound Altar for worship had long been established. In the southwest of the altar, sky lanterns were hung, incense was burned, and mist was shrouded in clouds.
However, in the center of the Circular Mound Altar, there is not a tablet of deity, but a huge sunken pit. In the pit are many pieces of qingtan wood that emit a strange fragrance when burned. On top of the qingtan wood are piled up a dazzling array of expensive items such as pearls, jades, silks, etc.
On both sides of the altar, the city guards of Jiaolong City stood quietly on both sides to maintain order.
In the southeast corner of the altar are many ritual instruments, and musicians who are proficient in the instruments are playing them. The continuous bell sounds originate from this.
The viewing seats in the square were now packed with thousands of people. A mysterious symbol was painted on their faces, and a white and blue ribbon was tied on their left arms. Although so many people gathered, there was no noise at all, and the scene was very solemn.
These were the people who were forced by the Sea God Sect to come and watch the sacrificial ceremony . How could ordinary people dare to resist the orders of the sect? And because they were intimidated by the authority of the monks, they naturally did not dare to make any noise.
…
Lu Qingshan took a sip of tea and his eyes wandered between the tables.
Before Lu Qingshan arrived, there was already an energetic old man sitting by the window. There were many spirit beast bags hanging around the old man's waist, and he seemed to be a beast cultivator with a high level of cultivation.
The old man was drinking alone, his eyes wandering, his attention clearly on the sacrificial ceremony in the square. But after Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian arrived, he would glance towards Lu Qingshan's table from time to time.
In the southeast corner, there were two burly men who ordered a table full of appetizers and drank from big bowls, looking very happy.
Next to Lu Qingshan and Zang Xiaojian sat a family of three. The husband and wife were both very young. The little boy, about three or four years old, sat next to his mother and was also very well-behaved.
The wife was feeding the child with a spoon, scooping up steaming meat porridge, her eyes full of love.
…
After a long time.
"Here it comes." Zang Xiaojian said softly.
Three blue lights flashed in the sky not far away.
The blue light gradually approached the altar, and finally landed in front of the altar, revealing a figure inside.
Three senior cultivators from the Sea God Sect wearing green Taoist robes.
A Jindan cultivator and two foundation-building cultivators are the ones responsible for presiding over this sacrificial ceremony.
Tsk—bang!
As the three monks arrived, the bells suddenly stopped, and the sound of drums and music became louder, and the sacrificial ceremony officially began.
As soon as the Golden Core Master of the Sea God Sect arrived, he raised a flame with his left hand, swung it, and shot it into the pile of firewood in the center of the altar. He then shouted softly, "Welcome the God!"
Run away!
The firewood in the deep pit at the center immediately burst into flames.
The priest who had been waiting on the side, holding a sacrificial text in both hands, walked up in two or three steps and bowed respectfully in front of Jindan Zhenren.
Jindan Zhenren took over the sacrificial text, and with the spiritual power stored in his voice, he recited the sacrificial text aloud, and his voice echoed in all directions.
After reciting the sacrificial text, two foundation-building monks from the Sea God Sect came up from both sides of the altar, each leading ninety-nine boys and girls.
These boys and girls were restricted by magic and could not move at all, like puppets, being controlled by others, but their eyes were full of fear and panic.
Jindan Zhenren's face was calm, and he uttered three words softly, "Sacrifice the boy!"
The two Sea God Sect's foundation-building monks received the order and made hand gestures. These boys and girls involuntarily walked up to the altar step by step in an orderly manner.
On the altar where smoke and flames were rising, the boys jumped into the fire pit one after another without any pause or hesitation.
The firewood was burning fiercely. When the boys and girls entered, they were instantly surrounded by the flames. Their expressions twitched and were in pain. However, their movements were restrained by the monks' spells, so they couldn't even utter a cry.
Their young faces appeared and disappeared in the flames, gradually burned into charcoal and disappeared.
Among the people watching the ceremony below the stage, some had indignation on their faces, some had sadness in their hearts, some had red eyes, but more people seemed numb.
The sacrificial ceremony is still in progress.
…
Above the restaurant.
Lu Qingshan patted the head of the Western Rat King, looked at the family of three who were about to leave after paying the bill, and said softly: "Follow them and see where they stay. Don't get discovered."
The King of Western Rat sucked the fat on his claws, feeling a little unsatisfied and not wanting to leave.
"If you do well, I'll give you two blood spirit beads." Lu Qingshan said lightly.
Upon hearing this, the King of Western Rat was immediately cheered up, patted his chest and assured: "Isn't it just a person? Tiger eating bean sprouts is a piece of cake, leave it to me, Lord Rat!"
The King of Western Rat leaped forward and quickly disappeared into the restaurant.
The King of Western Rat is not arrogant. Although he has no means of attack, his ability to conceal his breath is indeed quite outstanding. Tracking others is really his forte.
"Why them?" Zang Xiaojian asked in confusion, "Obviously, the monk who has been paying attention to us and the sacrificial ceremony is more suspicious, right?"
Lu Qingshan shook his head and explained, "Due to geographical reasons, people on Jiaolong Island have more or less accents, and their speech is very cracked, as if they are pouting. But when the old man was talking to the waiter just now, his accent was heavier, and it was obvious that he was not from the island, but from another place like you and me. This organization that wants to overthrow the Sea God Sect is obviously a local force, and the possibility of having foreign cultivators is not high. And you can see that the old man has four spirit beast bags hanging around his waist, which means he is a beast cultivator, and his cultivation is not low, so it is not surprising that he can see through the crappy illusion that the Western Rat King uses to hide himself. The foreigner is also a beast cultivator, so it is reasonable for him to pay more attention to the sacrificial ceremony and the Western Rat King."
"As for this family of three," Lu Qingshan chuckled, "Have you ever seen a mother feed boiling hot meat porridge to her child? And which child can eat the hot porridge just out of the oven without changing his expression? In addition, you may not have noticed that from the beginning to the end, the husband only took the initiative to look at his wife once, and he had almost no real eye contact with the child. They are so incompatible, do they look like a family of three?"
"The couple is fake, the child is fake, so the only real one is the ghost."
