Just as Sha Zha Xiangru was thinking about how to refute Ji Jian Chiying's words, two witches came out from the bushes next to the longhouse. They bowed slightly to the visitors, and the older one asked: "Who are you?" people?"
"I'm Ji Jian Chixu, the head of the Jijian family!" Ji Jian Chixu bowed and pointed at Cao Sennu and Sha Zha Xiangru behind him: "One of these two is from the Tang Dynasty, and the other is from the Tang Dynasty. The people of Baekje all came to beg the Great Lord God to answer the questions in their hearts!”
"People from Tang Dynasty, Baekje people?" The older witch looked at Sha Zha Xiangru and Cao Sennu in surprise, and the two smiled back. Their appearance and clothing were indeed quite different from those of the Japanese. The miko looked up and down for a while and nodded: "Distant guests, the Okuninushi God enshrined here is famous for its efficacious effects. As long as you offer appropriate sacrifices, the Okuninushi God will give you a satisfactory answer!"
"Thank you very much! I have heard of the reputation of the Great Lord God in Baekje!" Sha Zha Xiangru brought his horse over: "There are five pieces of silk on the back of this horse, which are all sacrifices to the gods. Please accept it!"
"This, this -" The elder witch's eyes were attracted by the horse and the silk on its back. The younger one was even more unbearable and directly stretched out her hand to touch the silk. Fortunately, the elder stopped her arm and touched the sand. Zha Xiangru smiled and said: "You are so generous. The gods will definitely hear your prayers!"
Under the guidance of the elder witch, Chi Jian Chi and his party walked into the long house. The room was darker than they imagined. Cao Sengnu had to keep an eye on the torch in the hands of the elder witch so as not to trip over it. , suddenly, he felt as if he was walking downwards, and couldn't help but muttered: "Why is this road getting lower and lower? Is it going to dig into the ground?"
"There is a legend in Izumo that after giving up the throne, the Lord God of Okunin went to the Underworld and became the god there! So the statues of the gods here are all underground!" Akiami Akatsuki said in a low voice.
"Goed to Huangquan Kingdom? This is the truth among those nonsense!" Sha Zha Xiangru sneered: "If a person is never seen again, the most likely possibility is that he is dead. I guess this The unlucky guy was killed after handing over the throne, otherwise how could there be such a contradictory legend?"
Cao Sengnu paid careful attention to his steps to avoid falling. The torch in the witch's hand gave off a faint light. He could vaguely see the murals on the surrounding walls. Under the dim light, the figures on the murals were particularly eerie and terrifying. Cao Sengnu I couldn't help but regret coming in.
"We're here!" The witch lit a few torches on the brackets on the wall. At this time, Cao Sengnu finally saw clearly that he was in a large pit about seven or eight meters deep. No wonder he looked like this when looking at the long house outside. Low, that's what it is.
"This is the Lord of the Great Kingdom!" The miko pointed to a stone statue facing the west: "You can start to worship, and then you can ask your questions!"
"Thank you very much!" Ji Jian Chiyun expressed his gratitude to the witch, and then knelt down to the stone statue. Cao Sennu and Sha Zha Xiangru also knelt down. The witch walked to the shrine in front of the stone statue, took out a small bag from her waist, sprinkled the powder in a stone basin next to the shrine, and then sat on a stone bench next to the shrine.
"What's wrong with this woman? Why is she sitting next to the god she serves?" Cao Sengnu raised his head curiously and peeped at the witch. The witch waved her hand, and a puff of smoke rose from the stone basin. The witch closed her eyes. His eyes were buried in the smoke column, showing an intoxicated expression. After a while, he said in an inhuman voice: "Tell me! What do you want to ask?"
"What's going on?" Sha Zha Xiangru asked in surprise: "Aren't you that woman? Who are you?"
"Who am I?" The voice burst out with a loud laugh, causing an echo in the longhouse: "Didn't you bring gifts to ask me questions? Why are you asking me who I am again?"
"Bringing a gift to ask you a question?" Sha Zha Xiangru stood up in horror, subconsciously pressing the hilt of the knife at his waist, and saw Chi Ying grabbing his hand and saying, "Great Lord of the Country! The founder of the Izumo Kingdom! Please forgive my friend for being rude, he was just too surprised!"
"It doesn't matter!" the voice laughed: "I like brave people, speak up and ask your questions!"
"I am asking a question on behalf of our master!" Cao Sengnu pointed at Sha Zha Xiangru and then at himself: "He is a great general who has just won a brilliant victory. His question is: now Should he return home with honor and trophies and enjoy them all, or should he go further and win more?"
The voice fell into silence. It seemed that the great gods also needed time to think about the answer. Cao Sengnu held his breath. After a few minutes, the voice spoke again: "Since one of you is from Baekje and the other is from Tang, then your The master must also be from far away, right?”
"Yes!" Cao Sennu pretended to be surprised: "How did you know?"
"Hahaha!" The voice laughed: "It's nothing, I am a god after all! I know more than you know!"
"Please forgive me for being rude!" Cao Sengnu quickly lowered his head: "Then can you answer my question?"
"Of course!" The voice became louder, as if even the roof was shaking: "If he returns to his hometown with honor and trophies, he will end up miserable, because there are countless people who are jealous of him. will frame him from behind; and if he goes one step further, he will create unprecedented achievements, his reputation will be praised by future generations, his children will wear crowns, and the land surrounded by the sea will be under his rule!"
"I remember, the great Lord of the Kingdom, thank you for your answer, I will definitely take your answer back!" Cao Sengnu hurriedly knelt on the ground. At this time, he stretched out his right hand and secretly tugged at Sha Zha. At the corner of Xiangru's clothes, the understanding Sha Zha Xiangru raised his head and suddenly exclaimed: "Ah! My lord, why is there your image here!"
"What's wrong with you!" Cao Sengnu hurriedly pretended to scold: "This is in front of the gods, how can you be so rude!" He kowtowed to the statue again: "Please forgive me, God, my friend has never seen any market, please You have to forgive his rudeness! I will offer a new sacrifice later!"
"Yes, but this great country's lord god really looks like your lord, he looks exactly the same! No, this statue is made according to your lord's appearance!" Sha Zha Xiangru said loudly, and Cao Sengnu scolded him twice. , looked up at the statue, and immediately sat down on the ground in fright: "How could this happen? He really looks exactly like the Lord!"
"What are you two doing?" Ji Jian Chiyang pretended to be surprised: "This is the temple of the great god of the country. If we offend the great god, we will all die!"
"You don't know if you see Chi Jian!" Cao Sengnu said: "This stone statue is exactly the same as our Lord's. It is made from the same mold. Please teach us how not to panic!"
"Real or false?" General Ji Jian Chiyong asked doubtfully: "Zuofudian is obviously a Tang Dynasty person. This is the first time he has come to the Japanese country. How can it look exactly like this stone statue?"
"I don't know either! That's why I feel scared!" Sha Zha Xiangru said with a bitter smile: "If word gets out, the Lord may think we are lying to him!"
"If this is really the case, the most you can do is ask Zuo Fudian to come over and see for yourself. You don't have to worry about him thinking you lied to him!" Ji Jian Chiying said with a smile, and then he frowned: "But if this is true, Yes, that’s too strange, is this just a coincidence?”
"How can there be such a coincidence in the world!" Cao Sengnu said: "One was born in the Tang Dynasty thousands of miles away, and the other is a stone statue hundreds of years ago, but they look exactly the same. Isn't this ridiculous?"
The three of them were arguing, when the miko suddenly had a violent convulsion and woke up immediately. When she saw the appearance of the three of them, she asked: "How is it? Has the Great Lord answered your questions?"
"Reply to the shrine maiden!" Ji Jian Chiying said with a bitter smile: "The Lord of the Great Country did answer the questions of my two friends, but a more troublesome question came up!"
"A more troublesome question?" the witch asked.
"Yes!" Chi Jian then told what Cao Sennu and Sha Zha Xiangru had just discovered: "Witch, do you think this is strange?"
"Your Majesty looks exactly the same as the statue of Lord Okunin?" the miko frowned: "Is this true?"
"good!"
"That's true!" Cao Sennu asked, "Could this be a coincidence?"
"By coincidence?" the witch shook her head: "I don't know either. You have to ask the gods to find out. By the way, who is your master? What questions did you ask here?"
"Didn't you hear our question just now?" Sha Zha Xiangru asked, "Why are you asking me again?"
"Haha!" the shrine maiden laughed: "That's what happened! Just now, the Great Lord God came to me and used my body to talk to you, so I have no idea what you just said!"
"So that's what happened!" Cao Sengnu said with a smile: "Reporting to the witch, our Lord is the Japanese comfort ambassador under the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty. He was ordered by Her Majesty the Queen of your country, Zuofu Palace, who just defeated the rebels of Brother Zhong. Wang Wenzuo, Prince of the Palace!"
"It turns out it's him!" The witch looked surprised: "That's a general who even ghosts and gods fear!"
"Haha!" Cao Monknu laughed and said, "I didn't expect that you also heard about the reputation of my master in Izumo Country!"
"Even a blind man will hear about such important events from others! No matter how ignorant I am, I will still hear something from the guests who come to worship!" The witch said with a smile: "Since the three of you are from Zuofu Palace, My subordinates, come up with me and treat me well!"
"What about the resemblance between my master and the god statue?" Cao Sengnu asked.
"This matter is of great importance, and I can't give you an answer now!" The witch Su Rong replied: "But one thing is certain, everything the gods do must have profound meanings, but our knowledge is shallow and we cannot understand it for a while. That’s all!”
The three of them followed the witch out of the longhouse. The witch called her companions, whispered a few words, and then led the three of them out of the forest. They stayed at a nearby manor and invited the three of them to take a bath first. After the three of them took a bath in the hot spring, they came to sit down in the house. Seeing no one around, Sha Zha Xiangru asked: "Brother Jijian, what do you think the witch is planning?"
"I don't know yet!" Ji Jian Chiyong replied: "But there shouldn't be any malicious intent, Mr. Cao, what do you think?"
"I think so too!" Cao Sengnu said: "The witch should report our matter to her superiors and then discuss it together."
"Since we are discussing it together, why do you think they have no ill intentions?" Sha Zha Xiangru asked.
"Haha!" Cao Sengnu smiled: "Brother Shazha, do you remember how we took out a horse and five pieces of silk earlier and said they were sacrifices to the gods. How did the two witches react?"
"What was the reaction?" Sha Zha Xiangru recalled: "The two witches seemed very happy. By the way, the younger one reached out to touch the silk, but was stopped by the older one!"
"That's right!" Cao Sengnu said with a smile: "I won't hide it from you two, I grew up in the Zoroastrian Temple since I was a child. All the temples in the world are similar, whether they are worshiping the Bodhisattva of Samana or the God of Taoism. , or the God of Light in the Zoroastrian Temple. Regardless of whether the gods enshrined in the temple are made of clay, wood, or wrapped in gold and silver, they cannot eat, wear clothes, or move.
The food, copper coins, cloth, silk, gold and silver sent by believers all go into the pockets of the people in the temple, so how do they have anything to do with the gods? The great god of the Japanese country is no exception. Gods don't need to ride horses, and they can't wear silk. Regardless of horses or silk, they all belong to those witches who claim to serve the gods! "
"That's true, but what does this have to do with whether they are malicious or not?" Sha Zha Xiangru asked.
"Isn't this simple? The Lord God of the Great Country can't speak for himself. It's these shrine maidens who really speak out. They like money, and they know the Lord's reputation and strength. If they have the opportunity to establish a relationship with the Lord, what do you think they will do? ?Have you forgotten how the witch who pretended to be a ghost answered our questions when we were in the underground cave?"
"Hahahaha!" Sha Zha Xiangru couldn't help laughing when he heard this: "Yes, these witches have heard the Lord's reputation, and they are like mice that smell sesame oil. They can't even drive them away. Mr. Cao, this time You have made great achievements, and the Lord will definitely reward you heavily when you return!"
"General Shazha, you are wrong!" Cao Sengnu said with a smile: "In terms of credit, the biggest one among the three of us is Brother Jijijian. After all, he was the one who thought up this matter from beginning to end. Yes, we were just acting out a play!"
"Not bad!" Sha Zha Xiangru patted Ji Jian Chiyun on the shoulder: "Brother Ji Jian, after this incident, your status in the Lord will definitely increase by leaps and bounds. We will have to rely on you more in the future. You!"
Today is Valentine's Day, and Weber wishes all the men to have a girl, and the women to have a brother, and they will be in pairs.
