Villagers praying for rain are gathering at the foot of Langya Mountain, a full two miles away from the top of Langya Platform.
However, the distance of two miles is not an obstacle to Qin Tian, who has already entered Taoism, and he can see clearly.
He looked with interest at the villagers praying for rain and the little white snake.
The little white snake was only three feet long. At this time, it was being grabbed by the neck and held in the hands of a child who was no more than eleven or twelve years old. It was weak.
The child was obviously very excited. He pinched the white snake's neck hard and shook it.
Beside him, there were four or five children slightly younger than him. The children were very curious about the white snake, and their dirty little hands kept trying to catch the white snake in the hands of the older children.
After a tumultuous scramble, the eldest child regained control of the white snake. He proudly held up the white snake to show off to the other children, without even noticing that the white snake's head had drooped.
A heavily calloused palm was raised high and swung down hard. The next moment, the eldest child threw the dead white snake aside and burst into tears.
The village elder who had just slapped the child was obviously still angry, and kicked away the other children who were about to grab the white snake, and then bent down to pick up the dead white snake.
However, the moment the children dispersed, the dead white snake suddenly came to life and rushed towards the pile of rocks at a dizzying speed.
The villagers who were praying for rain were in a hurry. Whether they were children or old people, they all jumped to catch up with the white snake, preparing to catch the white snake back.
Seeing the villagers pouting their buttocks and carefully searching for gaps in the rocks, Qin Tian showed a smile on his face.
"interesting."
He spoke calmly.
"Smart and flexible, and also knows how to look for opportunities. This white snake is quite spiritual."
"But why do the villagers use white snakes to worship gods?"
"There may be a deep meaning in this."
His brows moved slightly.
The next second, the sea breeze passed by, Qin Tian's big sleeves moved slightly, and his whole body floated up as if riding on the wind, falling down the mountain like a feather.
The distance of two miles was covered in one step. When he landed again, Qin Tian was already standing behind the group of villagers.
A shout with a thick overtone instantly penetrated his ears.
"Surround, surround!"
"Don't let it get away!"
"If you don't want to go hungry this year, you must find this white snake!"
Qin Tian calmly swept through the pile of rocks. At this time, a dozen old men and a large group of children were turning over the rocks messily on the pile of rocks, and they didn't notice him at all for a while.
The fragrance of vegetation hit his nostrils, and Qin Tian turned to look at the altar.
The altar is extremely simple, just an earthen platform built by the villagers, no more than three feet high. There is a simple pottery stove above, with some dogwood and other vegetation randomly stuffed in it, and a trace of smoke comes out of the stove mouth.
In these days, there was no incense stick like that of later generations. The so-called burning incense was to use a special incense burner and add sandalwood powder and other spices in it. In addition, there are no Taoist bells or other ritual objects from later generations.
In addition to the simple incense burner, there is also a fish placed on the altar.
Qin Tian was slightly confused.
Sacrifice to heaven requires three animals, and according to Zhou rites, the three animals are also divided into levels.
For example, princes can use the three animals, that is, pigs, cattle and sheep. In ordinary Guizhou cuisine, only small animals, chickens, ducks and fish can be used.
However, due to the backflow of sea water in Langya land, even after water was diverted to wash the land, the yield was not high. It was just for subsistence, and there was no surplus food to feed chickens and ducks.
Fortunately, there was no shortage of fish at the seaside, so the villagers only collected one of the small three animals, and the rest, according to later generations, only had a petal of heart fragrance.
This is normal. The only question is, since there are already three animals, why do we still need to kill this white snake?
Qin Tian's brows moved slightly, and he turned around calmly. At this moment, a slightly older voice suddenly sounded.
"I wonder what your surname is, sir?"
The person who spoke was an old man with a face as wrinkled as chicken skin. He had lived by the sea all year round, so his face was completely covered with rust. However, his identity is obviously not a Guizhou leader, but an official, because he is wearing a black robe in the style of Da Qin officials.
Qin Tian said calmly: "People from the countryside are not worthy of being questioned by the elders."
He knew that his appearance attracted the attention of this Qin official.
There is a household registration system these days. If villagers want to leave their place of residence, they need to report to the village chief and others and issue a so-called road note. Otherwise, he will be considered a fugitive, and according to Qin Shiwulian's law, his neighbors will also be punished.
The household registration system of later generations has been around since the Qin Dynasty. After more than two thousand years, it is still very much the same, except that it is no longer continuous.
Because of the household registration system and the rampant wild animals these days, villagers rarely leave their hometowns. Our ancestors have lived in the same village for generations and are very familiar with each other. Suddenly, a new face suddenly attracts attention.
In addition, since the First Emperor used his family name instead of his surname, these days, you can actually know where the person came from by asking his surname.
However, although Qin Tian's surname is Qin, his surname Qin obviously has nothing to do with his surname.
He avoided the question and asked, "What do you call the elders?"
Elder was the title given to the elderly in the Qin Dynasty, while sir was the honorific title given to scholars. Qin Tian wears a wide robe with large sleeves. Although the white color of the clothes is a bit strange, one can tell at a glance that this kind of clothes cannot be used for farm work. He is either an aristocratic son or a student. He can't go wrong by calling him sir.
"I am thirty-seven years old this year, but unexpectedly I have already grown up. King's affairs make me grow old!" The goose-skinned old man touched his gray beard and sighed slightly.
"I am the Assistant Secretary of Langya County. Sir, you can call me Young Master!"
Qin Tian's brows moved slightly and he nodded clearly.
Zuo Shi is the county magistrate. According to the law of Qin, a county has an order, and under the order there are two lieutenants and one prime minister. The lieutenant is the chief official. There is also an assistant historian, who is called a young official.
The things that the assistant historian has to do are very complicated. He is responsible for compiling the county annals, reporting documents, performing educational affairs, and even offering sacrifices.
The name of the early-born Zuoshi in front of him is Duan. If he were called according to the Qin Dynasty, he would be called Zuoshi Duan or Shaoli Duan, or Zuoduan or Shaoduan for short. This time, he was obviously in charge of praying for rain.
"People from the countryside have seen Young Duan!"
Qin Tian spoke calmly again: "I wonder why Young Duan wanted to kill this white snake?"
Qin Tian's performance was a little unruly, but Shao Duan didn't take it seriously.
These days, the status hierarchy is extremely strict. The young master is just a low-level official, only slightly higher than the head of Guizhou. Anyone who is awarded a knighthood for military merit does not need to salute the young master.
"Sir, do you also know that we are looking for a white snake?" He asked in surprise.
He cupped his hands again and continued to speak without waiting for Qin Tian's reply.
"Sir, I don't know, this white snake is an evil spirit!"
