The Great Immortal's Renown Has Reached River Prefecture

The Great Immortal's Renown Has Reached River Prefecture

Linjiang Village.

A stage had been set up on the riverbank for an opera performance, but the play looked strange and terrifying, like demons dancing in wild abandon. People dressed in bizarre costumes imitated monsters, shrieking and roaring.

The entire riverbank was a chaotic, bustling uproar. No one knew how many people had gathered; it seemed the villagers from several surrounding villages had all come. Yet the atmosphere was solemn and heavy, nothing like the mood of watching a grand opera.

Then the people onstage withdrew. An old shamaness past seventy, dressed in robes covered with colorful streamers, stood upon the high platform and gazed at the surging river below.

"Ho-wei!" The shamaness watched silently for a long while, then suddenly raised a hand, shouted, and dropped to her knees.

One burly man after another, dressed in black, attended her from behind. They immediately carried over various items and set up an altar on the riverbank.

The altar held not only live pigs, cattle, and sheep. At its very center, three children of four or five had been dressed as little acolytes and placed upon it.

These were human sacrifices. Such customs had existed only in ancient times and had long since been banned, though remnants still lingered in the countryside.

Below the stage, many villagers—men, women, old, and young—pointed and whispered, their faces showing pity and reluctance.

But even more people watched the shamaness and the erected River God statue with fanatical expressions.

Every year during the River God Sacrifice, the villages for miles around not only had to offer livestock, but also select one child to sacrifice to the River God. This year, it was Linjiang Village's turn.

At the very back of the crowd, one child's mother wept as though her heart had been torn apart. The child's father, Sun Lao Er, clutched his wife tightly. Behind them, two other children, one older and one younger, gripped their parents' clothes and cried without end.

Quite a few people from Linjiang Village stood nearby, glaring furiously, but others kept a close watch on them. The people of Linjiang Village had caused trouble many times this year, forcing the other villages to band together and suppress them.

Sun Tieshan of Linjiang Village stood at the front. "The year before last, it was someone from Linjiang Village. Last year, it was someone from Linjiang Village. Why is it still us this year?"

"Out of all these villages for miles around, why does it always fall to Linjiang Village? There must be something fishy going on."

A fisherman dressed lightly and reeking of fish stepped forward and immediately slapped a huge accusation onto them. "What's fishy? What's fishy? The River God chose people from Linjiang Village. Are you dissatisfied? Or do you think the River God chose wrong?"

"If we don't sacrifice to the River God, who will protect us?" others chimed in.

"That's right. If we stop sacrificing to the River God, fishing, ferries, and river crossings won't be safe anymore. Our ancestors have worshiped the River God generation after generation. Which village around here hasn't lost people?" The ferry boatmen gathered together and blocked the people of Linjiang Village, the two sides glaring daggers at each other.

"The River God blesses the villages for miles around with favorable winds and rains. This is how we've lived all these years."

These people looked left and right while speaking, directly steering the issue toward Linjiang Village's unwillingness to worship the River God, turning a blind eye to the suspicious details mentioned by the man.

So long as it was not someone from their own village, that was enough. Who cared whether Linjiang Village lived or died?

The entire crowd erupted into chaos. A conflict seemed inevitable, drawing the attention of the shamaness on the high platform.

The shamaness glanced at the disorder in the crowd behind her. After hearing the report from someone beside her, she seemed deeply displeased.

At once, more than a dozen burly men in black rushed out and beat the people of Linjiang Village until their heads were split and bloodied, leaving them sprawled across the ground.

The leader, a Fierce God in human form, snarled, "The River God has blessed you with favorable winds and rains year after year. There hasn't been a flood in who knows how long. Why has no one died on the river in these villages for all these years? It's all because of the River God's protection."

"And yet, when you're asked to sacrifice to the River God just once a year, you refuse? You beasts don't remember a single kindness from River God Lord. You are utterly wolf-hearted and dog-lunged, and you dare show disrespect to River God Lord!"

After a wild beating, cries of pain covered the ground.

"Get down on your knees and stay there! If you disturb or slight River God Lord later, then it won't just be a matter of sacrifices. Don't say I didn't show mercy—Linjiang Village will have no good days left among these villages from now on."

Though the people of Linjiang Village had made a fuss, they were only angry and did not dare truly fall out with the shamaness. With matters having reached this point, those remaining could only kneel. The disturbance immediately subsided.

Only then did the shamaness turn back in satisfaction and continue the River God Sacrifice.

The shamaness's methods of worshiping the River God were clearly extraordinary, and the offerings she selected were quite particular. Most important of all were the human sacrifices.

The shamaness smeared the boy all over with special blood, drew all manner of strange symbols upon him, and finally pressed a pill into his mouth.

The boy neither cried nor struggled. He was completely like a puppet on strings.

As the pill took effect, Blood Qi circulated throughout his body. His skin became rosy and luminous, as though he were about to ascend into immortality.

The other two were the same.

At this moment, the shamaness lit thick, tall incense sticks and planted them one after another in the altar before her. She knelt again, and just as before, suddenly cried, "Ho~ wei~"

The entire ritual reached its climax. Gongs and drums sounded along the bank, and everyone fell to their knees, shouting the same chant together.

With every beat of the drum, the crowd prostrated themselves and kowtowed. Their cries rose like mountains roaring and seas crashing, flowing toward the river along with thick clouds of smoke.

They were calling for the River God to come and partake of the offerings.

A custom passed down from ancient times, carrying the mysterious aura of barbaric wilderness, inspired even greater belief. It made everyone in the villages for miles around think that the one they worshiped was a true god, filling them with fear and faith.

The smoke drifted over the great river, traveling downstream along the wind and waves.

At that very moment, someone was traveling upstream toward Linjiang Village.

Gao Xian sat cross-legged atop the giant snake's head. Behind him, the lazy donkey had also lain down, while Azure Dragon Guardian guided the giant serpent's body through the river.

At that moment, the lazy donkey's nostrils suddenly twitched. "What's that smell? It smells amazing!"

Gao Xian smelled it as well, but he sensed it differently from the donkey. All he smelled was the incense of the Taoist temple from days past. This smoke seemed to have a special effect on beings like the donkey.

As they went farther ahead, they could hear bursts of drumming and earth-shaking cries from the riverbank.

In the distance, a high platform could vaguely be seen. The shore was packed with people kowtowing toward the river, as though they were welcoming the Taoist's arrival.

Gao Xian froze, then straightened his back.

Could it be that this Great Immortal's name had already spread to River Prefecture, and so many people had come to welcome this Great Immortal?

So this Great Immortal's renown had already reached such heights. Great Immortal Kongchen felt quite gratified.

On the riverbank, the shamaness was already drenched in sweat.

She had kowtowed for so long, lit the Spirit Summoning Incense, and shouted "Ho-wei" until her throat was nearly raw. In previous years, River God Lord should have arrived long ago by now. Why was he nowhere to be seen this year?

The black-clothed men behind her stared at one another wide-eyed, having no idea what was happening. They could only follow the shamaness and continue kowtowing.

Round after round, the drums sounded again.

After a long while, waves finally began surging across the river, and a fierce wind swept over the bank.

Everyone raised their heads and saw a silver figure, dragon-like in appearance, traveling upstream along the distant riverbank.

"The River God has revealed himself! The River God has revealed himself!"

The shamaness shouted at the top of her lungs, so excited she looked ready to faint.