bookandnovel Chapter 155 Taking in a "God"!
Chapter 155 Taking in a "God"!
Chapter 155 Taking in a "God"! (First Update 4400 words)
The goddess spoke so clearly and concisely, without beating around the bush at all.
Of course, there's absolutely nothing wrong with the goddess doing this.
Because no matter what the goddess says, she has no incense on her body and cannot conjure incense.
There's no point in saying anything.
In the end, it all comes down to the same result.
However, it's just that—if possible—
Lu Yuan still hoped that the goddess of beauty could be a little gentler.
Lu Yuan still held these "gods" in high esteem and with pity.
Regardless of the circumstances, these "gods" were beings who once protected a region.
People always say that those who carry firewood for the masses should not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow.
But we can't just talk the talk; when the time comes, we naturally have to walk the walk.
Of course, they did not offer any support to Lu Yuan.
But—it's not wrong to treat them a little gently.
It's just that—
The goddess was too decisive, so she just said it so bluntly —
As the beautiful mythological voice faded away.
There was a deathly silence outside the mountain gate.
Those wisps of grayish mist looked as if they were frozen.
Those pale green, dark yellow, and grayish-white specks of light were trembling at the appearance of the goddess of beauty.
It is an instinctive awe, an uncontrollable submission from a lower deity to a superior.
But at that moment, the trembling stopped.
It's not because I'm not afraid anymore.
It's because—he was stunned.
Lu Yuan glanced sideways at the goddess of beauty.
This old lady held her chin up, looking completely self-righteous.
She was straightforward and didn't care whether people believed her or not; she just talked about her own story.
Lu Yuan watched quietly from the side.
Looking at those shadows that were almost completely disintegrated, I couldn't help but sigh.
Lu Yuan is a man of strong will, but he is nostalgic.
The Sleeping Ox Stone Lord protected the crops, the Spring Mother guarded the water veins, and the Flower Goddess once made the girls seeking marriage blush.
If God has protected this land, He shouldn't have let it be scattered silently in the wilderness.
Even more so————
Perhaps, in their current weakened state, they won't even survive to dissipate on their own.
They are now highly sought after by evil spirits and deities!
But there's no solution to this.
If I absolutely had to say there's a way—
It's nothing more than a matter of incense offerings.
For example, Lu Yuan could secretly give them some of the incense offerings from the Zhenlong Temple.
but----
Lu Yuan would definitely not do that.
The vicious tricks on Gu Qingwan haven't been completely removed yet, and every wisp of incense in Zhenlong Temple belongs to her; no one can touch it.
Secondly, if the problem could be easily solved by simply offering a little incense to these wild gods, then Lu Yuan might consider it.
But the main problem is that this only addresses the symptoms, not the root cause.
Even if Lu Yuan gave some of the incense originally intended for Gu Qingwan to them.
But it only allows them to live a little longer.
If they cannot find incense offerings, they will still disappear.
Zhenlong Temple can't possibly keep them indefinitely, can it?
Lu Yuan dared to use incense for Gu Qingwan because once all the evil tricks on Gu Qingwan were removed, there would be no need to steal anymore.
But they are different.
These incense sticks are for the Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Master; we can't keep stealing them to support them!
It should be noted that Lu Yuan had once considered enshrining Gu Qingwan in the Zhenlong Temple as well.
He got a good scolding from the old man.
If we can't do that to Gu Qingwan and Lu Yuan, then we certainly can't do it to them.
Soon, the goddess finished speaking simply and clearly.
After saying that, he turned and left without caring whether the wild gods believed him or not.
Lu Yuan stood there, looking at the utterly desperate rural folk gods before him.
To reiterate, Lu Yuan held them in high regard.
but----
There was nothing Lu Yuan could do about it.
For a moment, Lu Yuan found himself missing the old man.
If the old man were here at this time, he would probably be able to give some good advice.
But unfortunately, the old man is no longer here.
Lu Yuan stood there pondering for a moment, looking at the "divine fire" that flickered on and off because of despair.
Lu Yuan took a step forward, his voice deepening: "Until you find a way to survive, you can stay here. Zhenlong Temple will not support you."
"This is the territory of Zhenlong Temple. No evil spirits dare to run wild here."
Upon hearing this, the Wild Gods, who had been prepared to disband and await their doom, all turned to look at Lu Yuan.
That look in his eyes was like a drowning person grasping at the last piece of rotten wood.
"and----"
Lu Yuan rubbed his chin, already starting to make plans in his mind.
"I can go back and ask the patriarch again. Perhaps he can set up a small shrine for each of you on the mountain path of Qixia Mountain."
"Now the Zhenlong Temple is thriving, with a constant stream of believers."
"When they go up the mountain to seek divine guidance, there are always a few cunning ones who will leave a few sticks of incense for you, which can prolong your lives."
""
This method is the best solution that Lu Yuan could think of.
It doesn't occupy the space of the main hall, nor does it rely on the will of the main deity; it's like building a few convenient pavilions outside the walls of a mansion.
But this is easier said than done.
This is the territory of Zhenlong Temple. All the incense here is dedicated to the statues of the Three Pure Ones and to the patriarchs of the Zhenlong Temple lineage.
To place the shrines of other "deities" here, the consent of the founder of Zhenlong Temple and all the other founders must be obtained.
This seems like it's not difficult at all.
What's the big deal?
Just put a few shrines along the mountain road.
If anyone is willing to offer incense to them, then so be it.
Anyway, it won't stop me from going to Zhenlong Temple to offer incense because of them.
That's true, but that's not how it's said.
It's the same old man's words.
The patriarch, and all the other patriarchs, are dead.
They were not human, nor were they alive.
They now exist only as a wisp of divine consciousness, but they continue to exist in the world because of the constant offerings made by their disciples and followers.
There's no reasoning with this wisp of divine thought.
Otherwise, wouldn't Lu Yuan have already asked the ancestral master to descend and help him undo the vicious tricks on Qingwan?
The patriarchs and other patriarchs cannot discuss matters together; they only follow the rules set by that single divine thought.
Therefore, Lu Yuan could only say that he would go and ask first.
If the founding masters disagree, then there's nothing Lu Yuan can do.
Generally speaking, deities would not allow other deities to receive offerings on their territory.
unless----
This deity is only permitted if it is a subordinate deity of a more powerful deity.
These wild gods have come here today because they want to become servants of the goddess of beauty!
Firstly, they wanted the protection of the goddess of beauty, and secondly, they wanted a share of the goddess's offerings.
But the words came back again.
Some things can't be achieved just because you want them to.
None of the three things they wanted to do today were accomplished.
They wanted to become followers of the goddess of beauty, but they could not.
Wanting the protection of the goddess of beauty, the goddess of beauty only wants to win with a single hand.
They want the incense offerings of the goddess of beauty.
Hey! There's no goddess here!
The main problem is that they're not very useful.
They're just some local folk gods; they can't do anything except take away the main god's offerings.
Even if they have truly become servants of the goddess of beauty today, the goddess of beauty still has incense offerings that can be shared with them.
What can they do for the goddess of beauty?
There's nothing we can do.
but----
Lu Yuan was still willing to ask the ancestral master for them.
But even if the founder agreed.
This matter isn't really resolved.
Because at most, we can only build a shrine for them beside the mountain path of Zhenlong Temple, and let them stay inside.
However, one cannot enter the main hall of Zhenlong Temple, and as for the incense offerings—
It all depends on fate.
Well, there's a saying about worshipping gods: "Sincerity brings results."
Simply put, believers must be sincere when offering incense and making wishes!
You absolutely cannot say you're here to worship for fun.
If you don't believe it from the bottom of your heart, or if your thought is, "It would be best if it worked, but if it doesn't, so be it," then...
Even if a person burns incense and makes a wish, the wish will not have any power!
Now take a look at these few heads of goods.
Lu Yuan really doesn't mean to be mean!
One is some kind of reclining ox stone master, and the other is some kind of spring mother —
Who would worship this thing?!
Or rather, who comes to Zhenlong Temple specifically for these things?
Nowadays, ordinary people go to temples to pray for promotion and wealth, to ward off evil spirits and disasters, or at the very least, to have a son.
Who would pray for favorable weather and a good harvest from a rock?
Who would still pray to a spring that its water source will never run dry?
Of these seven, Lu Yuan took a look—
Among them, this Flower Lady is probably the only one who is somewhat popular.
It can make a woman more beautiful, or help her find a good match, or something like that.
but----
And most importantly—
Can they still do it?
Are they still able to respond to the prayers of believers?
if you can.
So here's the question.
If they could answer the prayers of believers, how did they become the bears they are today?
As the saying goes, every cause has its effect!
Cause and effect are always intertwined; no one can escape them.
The Zhenlong Temple is actually not suitable for their existence at all.
The worshippers who come here to burn incense are focused on the Three Pure Ones; who would bother to look at those unorthodox deities in remote corners?
The place where they first existed is the most suitable place for them!
Take this reclining ox stone for example.
It was originally a stone resembling an ox by the field, which was given incense by the villagers over the years and thus came to possess a spirit.
The place it should stay is that field ridge.
It just needs to fulfill its duties in that area!
This way, there will be a continuous stream of incense offerings!
The problem is, it doesn't.
That means the surrounding villagers don't believe in it.
Then why don't you believe in it anymore?
Because it didn't fulfill its responsibilities!
It is duty-bound to fulfill its responsibilities; how could it possibly lose its lineage?
The reason these wild gods have stopped worshipping is, frankly speaking, either because they failed in their duties or because they couldn't protect the land.
Is it possible that in the area beyond the Great Wall, amidst the chaos of war, villages were scattered and people fled?
possible.
But even if the villagers moved away because of this, it's still because the company failed to fulfill its responsibilities!
If it diligently protects and ensures favorable weather, where would the chaos and turmoil come from?!
Well, how should I put it?
This is the area outside the Great Wall during the Republic of China era; this is not Earth.
It could even be said that even on Earth, apart from cases like complete demolition, it's rare for an entire village to be wiped out.
Moving house is not as simple as it seems.
Or the entire village was moved away, leaving no one behind.
Take Mangniutun for example, the evil god was on the back mountain.
The disturbance caused many newborns in the surrounding villages to die, yet people still live there.
As long as they can survive, no one will move; otherwise, they really wouldn't be able to survive if they moved away.
If this reclining ox stone could fulfill its duties and protect that small area so that the weather would be favorable and the crops would be plentiful, the villagers would not have moved away.
so----
Hey!
That's a classic case of being stubborn and blocking both ends!
Therefore, they have all lost their lineage in the places that were originally most suitable for them.
It will be fine here?
That's highly unlikely.
You're not even studying properly in high school, and you're saying you'd go to a junior college or vocational school to study properly?
Of course, there might be other reasons, it was truly unavoidable.
It doesn't matter, we'll ask about the situation later.
Anyway, Lu Yuan was willing to give them a chance and set up a shrine for them by the mountain path of Zhenlong Temple.
At the very least, don't let evil spirits or anything like that target you.
Lu Yuan had just finished speaking.
The wisps of gray mist froze abruptly, as if struck by lightning.
The pale green, dark yellow, and grayish-white specks of light all stopped flickering at once.
Then a "buzz"
A very faint hum came from the depths of the mist.
That was not a sound, but a resonance of divine light.
It was like a riverbed that had been dry for a hundred years suddenly hearing thunder in the distance.
The hunched figure of the Sleeping Ox Stone Lord swayed, and the barely formed human shape almost disintegrated on the spot.
But it didn't care about any of that. Its pale green eyes were fixed on Lu Yuan, and the light was trembling violently, as if it were about to go out at any moment.
"Dao—Daoist Master—"
It opened its mouth, and for the first time, its hoarse, aged voice became stammering, unable to speak coherently.
The dried-up figure of the spring mother also swayed.
Her grayish-white mist surged violently, like a riverbed that had been dry for a hundred years suddenly flooded with groundwater.
"Taoist Master—we—we—"
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but found that she couldn't say anything.
Her cultivation period was 377 years.
She has protected that mountain spring for 377 years.
During drought years, she herself was almost dried up, but she still managed to leave a little water for the villages downstream.
But those people forgot about her.
She accepted that she had forgotten.
What she couldn't accept was that she had simply been silently scattered in the wilderness, picked up like a snack by those evil spirits.
She is not reconciled.
I've been unwilling to accept this for three hundred years.
But now—
Someone was willing to take her in.
Even if it's just setting up a shrine by the mountain path, or picking up a few sticks of incense that someone else left behind.
That's also a way to survive.
The girlish figure of the Flower Goddess had long since dissipated into nothingness.
But at this moment, the fog was churning wildly, as if desperately trying to condense into a human shape.
Her grayish-white eyes flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim, like the most vibrant flowers in spring, sometimes like withered petals after being touched by frost.
The remaining four figures also reacted one after another.
Some of them had been hunched over, but now they were hunched even lower, as if they were about to be buried in the ground.
Some of them had been trembling, and now they were trembling even more violently, but there was clearly something else going on in their trembling.
The pale spot of light suddenly brightened a bit.
Lu Yuan ignored their excitement and gratitude, and simply said, "Don't thank me yet."
"I haven't asked the ancestral master yet, so I'm not sure if it's okay to build a shrine."
"And even if a shrine could be erected—"
"Can you still perform miracles now?"
"If you can't even answer a believer's prayer, don't you feel guilty accepting this offering?"
Lu Yuan has made up his mind: he will take in the "god"!
but----
Taking them in is one thing, but it's another!
This thing can't be a scam, right?
If a shrine is erected beside the mountain path of Zhenlong Temple, and someone comes to sincerely offer incense, then it must work, right?
Of course.
It's not that if believers sincerely offer incense, the "deities" must respond.
That's pure nonsense.
Some people do nothing but lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) dreaming of wealth falling into their laps.
If the gods could grant such requests, then people wouldn't need to work hard!
What is the relationship between "deities" and believers?
Simply put, when believers have taken ninety-nine steps toward their goal, and only one step remains, the "god" will take that step for them.
If you don't take a single step yourself, but expect to rely on incense and "deities" to help you take a hundred steps, then you're not going to do it yourself.
There's definitely no such god!
Even if it exists, it certainly wouldn't be a legitimate item.
If I actually helped you walk those hundred steps, who knows what I might be after later!
So, Lu Yuan had to figure out what was going on with these people!
Otherwise, if people come to burn incense and you, the "deity," can't help them, wouldn't that be a complete rip-off?
Then people will say that Zhenlong Temple is no longer doing its job!