During the meal, they chatted word by word with Ajaan, and gradually learned about other things.
Although not all the people in today's Xiangji Kingdom are believers, people of other faiths and non-believers only account for more than 20%, and their total number is still decreasing. There is no special ceremony required to join the religion, because the majority of their initial believers were the poor people from the middle and lower classes of the world. So to this day, all you need to do is sign your name and press your fingerprints - if you are uneducated, tell them that if you press your fingerprints again, you will be a follower of the Xiangyin Sect. From then on, you can no longer believe in or worship any gods except the Incense God.
Each believer will be given a small hand stove. Ajaan also had one, and she showed it to them. It was a small silver ball, very delicate. However, this hand stove is small and can be held in one hand. Silver conducts heat very well, so there are other isolation pads inside. As a result, the fuel that can be loaded is even more limited. For believers, it is just a small gift, a souvenir. But it is struck with silver after all, so there is no loss in selling it. In the early days, some people joined the religion because they were short of money, just to exchange it for money, but no one does such a thing now. Everyone has something, and the threshold is not high. No one cares about what others have. Furthermore, as a token of my religion, I can carry it with me at all times, and my connections will be much smoother.
At that time, Jun Aoyan interrupted Ajiang and asked her: "Will Sir Xiang Shen blame you for casually trading gifts for joining the religion?"
"No." Ajaan said seriously, "It would be better to say that this is the purpose of Master Xiang Shen. As long as it can be helpful to the world wherever it is, and does not have to stick to formalities, Master Xiang Shen will be happy. "
Bai Ya and Qi Huan looked at each other and said nothing. Just listening to Ajaan's words, this Lord Xiang Shen is actually a serious person. Like the rumors of many Jianghu gentlemen, he has the world in mind and convinces others with his virtue. At least for now, Xiangyin Sect is not a crooked sect, and I don’t know if there is something hidden that prevents Liu Shenghan from getting into it.
After drinking and eating, they wiped their hands with new handkerchiefs. Bai Ya always felt that he couldn't wipe it clean, so he asked Ajiang to get some more water to wash his hands. By the way, he asked if there was a map of the southern country here.
"A map?" Ajaan was a little confused, "Is it the kind of paper that shrinks things and has many lines and explanations marked on them?"
"Uh, almost."
Ajaan shook his head and expressed regret.
"It's been a long time since the Nine Heavens Kingdom has drawn or rubbed anything like this. I saw it when I was a child, and I heard from my grandfather. I'm afraid... at least in the palace, there is no such thing, right?"
Qi Huan also felt strange: "Then how do you know how to go to where? Although compared to my hometown, Jiutian Kingdom is not very big, but there are countless mountains and rivers. How can the city-states of all sizes be added together? There have to be dozens of them. You haven’t had a map in all these years, are you kidding me?”
"Everyone in Jiutian Kingdom lives and works in peace and contentment, and they don't move around very much. There are not many people wandering around, and everyone performs their duties. Isn't it a good thing? Anyway, there are big and small roads connecting every place, so ask around. You can still go wherever you want. The only ones wandering around are you foreigners. But there seem to be a lot less people in recent years. Anyway, in the end, everyone will find where they belong here."
"But how come no one even drew the map?" Qi Huan said, "In recent years, the layout of the Nine Heavens Kingdom must have changed a lot. Don't you all mark it out?"
"Well, it's not like no one has drawn it. I heard that in the early years there were still people who went to various places to inspect, but in the maps that have been released in recent years, they don't even match the numbers of east, west, north and south. It makes people feel that none of them are from us. The country. Just don’t draw it anymore.”
They were shocked by this. This is obviously an unusual thing, but everyone is living in a seemingly happy life, and no one has ever questioned which changes should not happen, not at all. It was as if they were blinded by these gods. They were too content with the status quo and turned a blind eye to the abnormal places. If you can't see it, it doesn't exist, and you are really hypocritical to yourself.
But no one can dispute this. Perhaps, this is the way of life for the people of Jiutian Kingdom. In the dark, as long as you have the slightest suspicion, the bud will be nipped off by invisible forces. If you persist in exploring, maybe it won't just be this little idea that gets killed next time.
Ajaan closed the table and retired to rest. She said if anything happens, you can go to the small house next door and call her, or you can go directly to the guard brother. Several people thanked them and simply packed their luggage. After nightfall, the empty courtyard seemed particularly quiet, and the two guards finally began to guard the door dutifully, as if watching the prisoners. They had to lower their voices for the rest of the exchange.
"What did Jiutian Kingdom look like before it was renamed Jiutian Kingdom?"
Qi Huan finally found the right opportunity to ask Liu Shenghan. Although this information may not be helpful to them, the other two people came over curiously to listen. However, Liu Shenghan smiled bitterly, and they more or less guessed the answer.
"If I knew, I would have told you a long time ago, why bother delaying it until now. The royal family allied with us that once ruled the entire Nine Heavens Kingdom has disappeared today. All I know is that the Eight Gods descended to earth, and not many locals know about it. , seems to know, and I am very shy about this issue and the person who asked it. Probably, they gave up the royal power overnight and peacefully disbanded. "
"Nonsense." Bai Ya's evaluation was simple and crude.
"There's no other explanation," she said.
"But I heard that the capital city back then was the current territory of the Shura clan. It belonged to the current Wu Kingdom."
Jun Aoyan found it funny: "This name is really straightforward. Is there Wen Guo?"
"If you say it in front of them, I'm afraid your life will be in danger." Liu Shenghan shook his head, "The monarch there has a very bad temper."
They chatted for a few words without daring to say more. In other people's territory, I'm afraid the walls have ears. There are a lot of vacant rooms here, but they still only occupy two, so they can sleep wherever they can. Early the next morning, Matsukawa Yang came to call them and said that the monarch had discussed the result with the cabinet.
Originally, the few of them had eaten well and slept well, and were in a good mood. But when the monarch said the result of their decision with a polite smile, they were all dumbfounded.
"We naturally know the sincerity of your request for an audience. However, considering that Mr. Xiang Shen has been working day and night, this matter does not need to disturb you. I will order the garrison troops across the country to pay attention and let you know as soon as there is news. As for the tribute paintings, you can Deliver it to the royal family for safekeeping and hand it over to Lord Xiangshen on an auspicious day."
"There's nothing wrong with accepting gifts, right?"
Bai Ya has always been so straightforward when speaking, and he is not afraid of offending others. After all, he is the king of a country. He did not care about the young man in front of him, he just said:
"You are neither nationals of this country nor believers of Lord Xiangshen. When you bring gifts to make offerings, you are asking for others, and your motives are not pure. Lord Xiangshen is magnanimous and will not spend money and money. Besides, your purpose is to find someone, My majesty, the king, promised to use the power of the country to find someone for you, which is a matter of coming and going."
"you--"
"You must not have much money. Let's do this. I will ask someone to buy you some clothes and give you some allowance. You can stay as long as you want. You can go sightseeing around or rest in the palace. It’s all up to you.”
But they were not happy at all. Before they could say anything more, the monarch announced his withdrawal from the court, turned around and left. Several guards also signaled them to leave as soon as possible. This feeling was really weird, like they had swallowed a fly after eating well and had to vomit out the food they had eaten. To say this is really unethical and disgusting.
However, there is no other way. Even if the monarch allows them to worship the Incense God, most of the members of the cabinet are also followers of the Xiangyin Sect. How could they allow these outsiders to easily see the face of Lord Xiang Shen? No one's face will be given.
They sat in the room discouraged, and even the white walls seemed disturbing.
Qi Huan felt that it would not be a problem to wait here all the time. He said: "We have to think of other ways. Regardless of whether this old man has deceived us or not, we have to look elsewhere. It's not a problem to stay here forever."
"What can we do?" Jun Aoyan was panicking. "We don't have any clues at all, and we can't even find a map. Think about it, the forest on the coast is so dangerous, and in other uninhabited places, who can You know what else is going to happen? We are not prepared at all."
"Why don't you ask him for a few more horses and directions, and we can go to the nearest other country? Shenghan, where is the nearest place with people? Have you been there?"
Jun Aoyan shouted to Liu Shenghan in the back room, but there was no response. She was a little strange and stretched her head to look over there. After a while of rummaging through boxes and cabinets, Liu Shenghan quickly walked up to the three of them with a stern look on his face.
"The painting is gone."
"What?" Bai Ya frowned and patted the table.
"Did it get stolen by a thief?" Qi Huan was a little worried.
Liu Shenghan shook his head, thinking that no matter what, no thief would be so arrogant in the royal land. Perhaps the maids were ordered to take the painting away while they were cleaning the house. They each went back to their houses and checked their luggage. Nothing was missing, only the painting of Gandharva, the god of incense, was missing. Finally, they ran to find the guards and explained the situation. The guards seemed to have guessed what they would ask, and said bluntly, yes, the monarch had indeed sent someone to take away the painting.
"Oh, it's already yours before it's delivered to you? After all, it's still our personal property, right? You're stealing it?"
Bai Ya almost had a seizure, but Qi Huan held him back. The guards did not give in, saying that the moment they decided to pay tribute, the painting was already the property of Lord Xiang Shen. If he wasn't worried that if they were messing around in the palace, they would all be arrested and beheaded, Bai Ya would have jumped up and beaten them.
The rest of the day was spent in a state of confusion and confusion. Although they still don't know who the Gandharva is, the hypocrisy of this monarch and the cabinet has disgusted them enough.
Recommended: The Witch Doctor Awakens to read on your mobile phone.
