The altar is placed on a stone bridge.
The bridge is old, and the guardrails on both sides have been stripped away by the years. The loose stones are covered with brocade, hundred-step vine, and fern... It's like a beard growing from the folds of an old man's face, thickly extending downward. It is draped and drooped into the rapid turbid current of Snake Creek at your feet.
Li Changan arrived just in time.
The ceremony has just begun.
The lively agitation was paused, and messy gongs sounded.
A team of men and horses carried three animals onto the stone bridge. The leader was a rich man in gorgeous clothes. He climbed up the steps out of breath and worshiped on the ground devoutly. The fat all over his body bulged high under his colorful clothes.
At first glance, it was no different from the fat pig tied up in red silk next to it.
Then came the high-pitched suona.
The witches and wizards in weird and colorful costumes appeared from the crowd and took the stage.
He sang vague prayers and danced his body like a snake.
Wait for him to walk up to the center of the altar babbling.
Suddenly the handbell was rang, and several white flags were immediately raised by the audience. The cinnabar characters on the flags were all ghost symbols, and only a few words "dragon" or "snake" could be vaguely recognized.
Suddenly the drums were clapped again, and an agile man climbed down the bridge with his bare hands amid the exclamations of the audience on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He swung his arms lightly and threw himself into the thick "beard" of the ancient bridge.
…
The theater on the bridge was lively and lively, and the people watching the theater under the bridge were whispering.
A corner of the crowd.
"Huh? It's strange. You didn't say you were going to build a new bridge, so why are you bothering with the old bridge?"
"No wonder, the old bridge was demolished to make a new one."
"In order to save money on stones? I heard that this gentleman set up a running table for many days to build the bridge. He has enough fish, meat, rice and food. He is very wealthy. He is not like the ordinary stingy rich man."
"Don't you understand? There are so many people who don't understand! There is something to say here."
The one who spoke was nonchalant, and the one next to him hurriedly asked for advice.
"Brother, let's talk a little bit more. I'll treat you to a drink later."
"Oh, it's not like I like to gossip. I also heard from my brothers in the same clan that his mother-in-law's uncle is the cousin of the rich man's concubine. He told you not to spread rumors. I told you, you can't Say it again!"
After being cursed by those around him, he cleared his throat and spoke loudly.
"If we say that a person's good fortune is certain, if it is too much at one end, it must be short at the other end. For example, the man who built the bridge, his family name is Zhou, and his ancestors only served as minor officials, so they did not have much good fortune, but from his great-grandfather Since then, the family's land has become more and more abundant from generation to generation, and at the same time, the number of people has become thinner and thinner. By his generation, he was already a single seedling, while Mr. Zhou himself was nearly sixty years old and had more than ten children. There was no one who could handle it. Seeing that all the wealth of the family was being taken advantage of by people with other surnames, I was so anxious that I ignored my old bones and kept looking for brides every year, all of whom seemed to be good at giving birth. Unexpectedly, in recent years, in recent years, , let alone a boy, there is not even a girl..."
As he was talking, someone interrupted.
"I know, I know! It's not that they were not born, but they were all given to the Dragon King for marriage! Someone picked them up and looked at them. They found that the baby girl was covered in bruises and were beaten to death. They said it was to scare the baby girl. Don't go any further. His family reincarnated."
"Damn it! Don't dare say nonsense, you'll get sued!"
The speaker glared at the garbled speaker, looked around carefully, calmed down, and then continued speaking.
"Just a few days ago, there was a mage - well, the one on the stage. When he arrived at the Zhou Mansion, he saw the crux of the matter at a glance."
"The Master said that our Dragon King not only protects dead babies, but also delivers boys and girls who are about to be reincarnated to thousands of households."
"This is the problem with the Zhou family."
"Our stone bridge on the ground has become a fairy over the years and has perfected its merits. But you have also seen that the stone bridge is very dilapidated, and the cracks all over it are almost making snakes' nests. The bridge fairy is angry that we can't just walk away. Xiu, but he did not embarrass ordinary people, and only took his anger out on Grandpa Dragon King under the bridge. Grandpa Dragon King was also angry, but he was a kind-hearted old man and did not bully the poor, so he only picked on the Zhou family, the most prestigious family in the land, to spread his anger. Knowing that his family has a small number of sons, he just gave his family a daughter, which will make the Zhou family lose its incest!"
"So, this time the bridge is offering sacrifices not only to the Dragon King, but also to the Bridge God."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of cheers from the crowd of spectators.
"It's out! It's out!"
Everyone stood on tiptoe and looked around.
…
It turned out that the man who got off the bridge earlier had a "beard".
His agility is still as agile as that of an ape.
There was a rusty sheathed ancient sword in his hand.
This sword is called the "Dragon-Slaying Sword". It is a local custom to hang this thing under the bridge every time a bridge is built to deter the flood from destroying the bridge when the dragon moves through the water.
The man climbed onto the bridge and respectfully presented the sword to a big man whose face was painted like a god general.
At this time, all the instruments are pressed.
The audience immediately understood that the climax of the ceremony was coming.
So everyone was silent, only the mage raised his neck and hissed.
He said:
"Please Dragon God!"
So he removed the three animals and brought up a small statue of the Dragon King made of colored paper.
Then, the wizard began to circle the statue while chanting incantations in a weird accent.
The main idea is to tell the Bridge God that people are ready to build a new bridge for it so that it will no longer hinder the Dragon King, otherwise it will be completely demolished.
The second is to tell the River God that the Bridge God's troubles have been solved for it, so that it should stop causing trouble, otherwise...
The gongs, drums and suonas all come out.
The wizard retreated, and the "divine general" stepped onto the stage.
He walked up to the "Dragon King" with a T-step, as if he were at the execution ground at the gate of Qiuri City. He raised the dragon-slaying sword high amid the cheers of the audience, and was about to pull out the sword and stab the "Dragon King" to death.
…
"master!!"
Suddenly, there was a shrill call.
The "divine general" was startled and stopped; the musicians forgot to play; the crowd split open, and a disheveled and disheveled woman came out and threw herself under the bridge.
She cried and shouted:
"Let her go and don't touch her. She is also your own flesh and blood!"
Before the audience under the bridge understood the situation, Mr. Zhou, who had been prostrating himself on the bridge, suddenly jumped up. His face flushed was half panic and half angry, and he pointed at the servants around him.
"Stop that crazy woman! Stop her quickly!"
The servants rushed forward and grabbed the woman with all their hands, but did not stop her mouth.
"My daughter, my daughter is inside the Dragon King statue."
Mr. Zhou was so anxious that he jumped.
"Hurry and drag it down!"
"You kill me, you kill me!"
"Don't tell her to shut up!!"
The woman's cry was finally silenced, but it was too late.
Someone in the crowd recognized that the woman was Mr. Zhou's new concubine. A buzz of discussion immediately spread among the crowd, and eyes of scrutiny, suspicion, and ridicule gathered on the bridge.
Mr. Zhou's face turned green and white, and then he glared at the musicians fiercely.
"What are you talking about?! You don't want wages? Keep going!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he didn't even make any excuses and insisted on continuing the ceremony.
So the music started playing again, but the "divine general" responsible for killing the Dragon King fell into hesitation, looking in the woman's direction, raising his sword and refusing to make a move.
When Mr. Zhou saw this, he was furious. He rushed to the altar, pushed the "divine general" away, and grabbed the dragon-slaying sword.
Draw your sword.
It's too rusty to pull out.
Simply hold the dragon-slaying sword upside down and use it as a hammer.
Hold down the "Dragon King" with one hand and hold the ancient sword high with the other.
The face is ferocious.
Hit it hard!
