The battle to worship the mountain god is not small.
The first is to pray. A long incense table is set up as an offering table. Melons, fruits and wild products are presented, and people kowtow devoutly.
Immediately afterwards, he yelled to all directions, with three rising tones to pay homage to the ancestors, three more powerful tones to pray to heaven and earth, and finally three long tones to awaken the mountain spirits, pray for a good harvest, and bless peace.
This is called "Shouting the Mountain".
After the fun is over and everyone has eaten and drank enough, Shenbangzi will lead everyone to light torches and go into the mountain again.
As he walked, he beat the tree trunk with a rope and a stick, making a loud noise that shook the sky, driving away poisonous insects and beasts, and smoothly delivered the melons, fruits, incense candles to the earth temple in the mountains.
This is "opening the mountain".
It is said that every time Zhuangzi held a grand sacrifice, Shenbangzi would spend the night in the temple, waiting for the mountain god to grant blessings and give guidance in his dreams.
"Both small and large villages, which are adjacent to the five-hundred-mile mountain road, all worship the mountain god Grandpa, but the mountain gods have spirits and are different from each other."
The harvest of herbs in the past few days has been handed over to Xiantou. He is smooth-talking, has been familiar with several hunters for a long time, and has a little understanding of the local customs and rules.
"Cai Shen Village is dedicated to the 'Zhuang Ye'. Every mountain villager must bow to the big tree pillar at the entrance of the mountain and say a few good words to ask for blessings.
If an ignorant child sits on the buttocks or steps on it with his feet, it is equivalent to a big disaster, and even a beating to half death is considered a minor offense. "
Bai Qi mingled among the crowd and listened with great interest.
The page on Secrets of Mountain Driving also records related deeds. The mountain god has a spirit and suffuses all directions, making flowers, plants, trees, birds and animals all have a trace of spirituality.
Therefore, the mountain people also passed down the custom of "recognizing relatives".
For example, if one's own child is weak and sick, and will not be well for a long time, he will ask the goddess to calculate his horoscope, and then find a powerful godmother to avoid premature death.
For example, when Shen Bazi was young, his parents asked a Feng Shui master to choose an auspicious day, buy incense, candles and wine, and worship the two-foot-high stone in Longkan Mountain as his godmother. After that, he rarely got sick and his body was strong and strong.
The small river, big locust tree, and stone roller at the entrance of the village are often considered good candidates for marriage.
To the mountain people, they are not dead objects, but spiritual beings.
"In the hunting tiger village in the north, they offer sacrifices to tigers. They are willing to spend money on sacrifices every year. Three animals are carried into the temple with blood and food."
Xiatou is worthy of being the number one fisherman on the Blackwater River, and he is extremely well-informed.
"Five hundred miles of mountain road, there are countless spiritual 'immortals'.
The famous ones are undoubtedly Master Zhuang, Uncle Huai, Tiger King, Fox King...but the eldest one is still called Empress Liu Shen. "
Bai Qi nodded. He knew these names. Among them, the older generation of mountaineers regarded Lady Liu Shen as the real mountain god.
Claiming that its magic power is boundless, it is different from other "immortal families" who rely on the beauty of mountains to practice.
If you can get some respect, going to the mountains to find treasure is like searching for something.
"Aqi, do you know that Wang Ding who can't escape with cold arrows? It is said that he met the Goddess Liu when he was a child, and that's how he got the ape arms and eagle vision, and became a first-class marksman!"
Xiatou kept talking, and his words were mysterious, which aroused Bai Ming's interest:
"What does Lady Liu Shen look like? Where is the temple? Let me go and pay my respects, and maybe we can become a godmother!"
Shrimp Tou scratched his head:
"I didn't know that there were quite a few Zhuangzi who built temples for the Goddess Liu, but none of them had statues. Moreover, the Goddess Liu rarely showed up, and she had no popularity for a long time. Nowadays, there are still mountain spirits like Master Zhuang and Uncle Huai. It’s more popular.”
Seeing the disappointed look on Bai Ming's little face, Bai Qi smiled and said:
"How can a godfather be so easy to recognize? When you have no money, if you go to a wealthy family and call everyone daddy, you will definitely be beaten and kicked out. How can these mountain spirits be worshiped and eaten by ordinary people?"
It takes a long time until the end of Haishi to complete the process of calling the mountain to eat a feast. The ginseng handler holds a rope and a stick, and prepares to go into the mountain with the herb gatherers.
Torches soared into the sky, like long winding snakes, lighting up half of the night sky.
He Tai, Song Qiying and others were not interested and thought it was too noisy, and they did not take worshiping the mountain spirit seriously.
It's not that they don't believe in ghosts and gods, it's that the "immortals" worshiped by villages and villages are hard to be as capable as they are by word of mouth.
That kind of martial arts master who trains his skin and Qi, his Qi and blood are as masculine as a furnace. He only needs to let go of his hands and feet, which is enough to disperse most of the lonely monsters that rely on vegetation and rocks.
"Empress Liu Shen? Humph, a long time ago in Yihai County, there was a pig-shaped dragon that became popular and called itself King Fanjiang. Many counties and towns along the way built temples and statues for it, and even fed boys and girls to it."
He Tai crossed his arms and began to show off:
"As a result, the old Taoist official resigned, and the new Taoist officer mounted his horse and immediately beheaded him. The blood flowed hundreds of feet away and dyed the river red!
Under the rule of Longting, we only respect the Five Emperors and Four Saints, and the other ghosts and gods are all heretics! "
Song Qiying became accustomed to it and said something that is neither yin nor yang:
"The young master is really going to take on the government's errands. These words are majestic and very reasonable!
If I were a Taoist official, I would give you a boy's urn. "
He Tai's face was as dark as water. He didn't have the good temper to swallow his anger. He immediately laughed and said:
"Let's wait and see, Second Young Master Song. I heard that the Taoist official in Yuanyangguan is old and plans to abdicate. I don't know when he will retire and return to his hometown. Your support in Chaishi may not be stable."
Song Qiying's face looked slightly ugly. He Tai could actually know such secret information, which showed that his father He Wenbing had a wide network.
"It is a serious crime to make irresponsible remarks about a Taoist official. Young master, if you dare to speak like this, you are not afraid of being punished!"
Seeing that the Second Young Master Song was still speaking arrogantly, He Tai's eyes quickly rose with pride:
“Chaishi City relies on Yuanyang Temple, it’s a well-known fact, it’s not a secret.
But your father was on an errand for the Taoist official of Zhi Xin Guan and was looking for fragrant sandalwood and locust trees. Could it be that he was in a hurry to change the stove to burn them? "
Song Qiying knew that he had made a mistake, so He Tai caught the horse's foot and walked away immediately.
Before leaving, I left the next sentence:
"The fish pen is next to the Pai Gang, but privately, he goes through the back door of Zhi Xin Guan, seeking employment as a tax collector. He works in two boats. He doesn't know if he will be exposed to the outside world and be punished by the gang rules."
This time it was He Tai's turn to remain silent again.
Seeing the two young masters hurting each other and causing trouble, Bai Qi secretly sighed:
"Yuan Yang Guan, Zhi Xin Guan, tsk tsk, it seems that there are many ways to take the examination in the city. Carrying the pig head meat, you have to enter the right temple door, otherwise it will be easy to hit the wall."
He Tai and Song Qiying broke up after a quarrel, but Bai Qi did not leave. He relied on the kindness of the second young master of Chai City to say hello to Shen Baozi, and took his younger brother Bai Ming and Xiatou to go hiking together.
"With the strength of the people, even if there are ghosts and gods, we won't dare to invade. If you go alone in the dark, you may encounter a lot of disasters."
Bai Qi walked behind, holding a torch in one hand and a wooden rope stick in the other, walking along the smooth path.
Not long after, I saw a low earth temple, no more than half a person tall, made of tamped yellow mud.
"Master Zhuang is really simple, and that's right. The mountain people in Zhuangzi can't find enough to eat themselves. How can they squeeze out the money for sesame oil and build a big temple."
Bai Qi put away his surprise, followed the rules given by Shen Baozi, and stepped forward to bow.
Those who are capable and contribute a lot to the herb collection can also be given a handful of incense ash, which they carefully put into their pockets, like some kind of amulet.
The herb collector who didn't get it looked envious, but didn't dare to object.
Those who want to join the ginseng group must be obedient in addition to being capable.
Otherwise, if you do something wrong or violate a taboo, you will be expelled and there will be no place in Zhuangzi from now on.
Perhaps it was because of Song Qiying's reputation, or because Bai Qi, as a fisherman, was recognized for his ability to collect wild ginseng and Anomatis.
Take out an extra portion of the incense ash from the ginseng handle and wrap it in red paper:
"Five hundred miles of mountain roads, this thing is more effective than the peace charms prayed for in the temple."
Bai Qicheng thanked him heartily, turned around and put it into his brother Bai Ming's hand.
It must be a bit miraculous that Caishen Village worships Lord Zhuang so devoutly.
Anyway, it doesn’t cost any money, just believe in me as much as you want!
An activity to worship the mountain god has been going on until almost midnight.
When he returned to the house, Bai Qi boiled water as usual and planned to scald his feet.
Adi knew that he was probably tired, so he fell asleep, which was very sweet.
The shrimp head was even worse, and it even made a snoring sound.
"I'm still worried about the progress of Arhat's hand."
Bai Qi had good physical strength and did not feel tired. He walked out of the room and started to stand.
…
…
"Brother?"
Warm heat spread all over, and various thoughts intertwined. Bai Ming seemed to be sleepwalking. He suddenly sat up from the hot bed, his steps light and graceful, and he stood a foot or two on the ground.
He walked through the wooden door in a daze and saw Bai Qi standing there, emitting a red light like a big furnace, making people afraid to come close.
"Why am I not cold at all...brother, can't you see me?"
The cold wind outside was blowing, and Bai Ming felt like he was holding a boiler that was still warm, and his whole body felt warm.
His consciousness was not clear, and he felt like he was half asleep, and he suddenly heard shouts coming from all directions.
Some are old and some are young, some are big and some are small.
"Big tree pillar? Old locust tree? There are tigers and foxes in the mountains..."
Bai Ming opened his eyes wide. The Longkan Mountain in the distance was completely different from what he saw during the day.
The dark peaks are like a layer of hazy clear light, and there are many "immortal families" enshrined by Zhuangzi.
"That's...Empress Liu Shen?"
