The Great Immortal's Fame Reaches Jiangzhou

Chapter 21: This Great Immortal's Fame Has Actually Reached Jiangzhou

Linjiang Village.

A stage was being set up by the riverbank for a play. However, the performance looked bizarre and terrifying, like a dance of demons. People in strange costumes mimicked monsters, shouting and roaring.

The entire riverside was chaotic and bustling, attracting an unknown number of people. It seemed as if villagers from several surrounding townships had all come, yet the atmosphere was heavy and solemn, completely unlike the mood for watching a grand performance.

Afterward, the performers retreated from the stage. A Spirit Medium, over seventy years old, dressed in clothes adorned with colorful strips, stood on the high platform, gazing at the surging waves of the great river.

"Hoo-wei!" After watching quietly for a long time, the Spirit Medium suddenly raised her hand, shouted, and knelt on the ground.

Beside her, tall, strong men in black clothing served her. They immediately brought various items and set up the sacrificial altar by the riverbank.

On the altar were not only live pigs, cattle, or sheep, but in the very center, three children, about four or five years old, were dressed as young boys and placed upon it.

These were human sacrifices. Such customs, which had been prohibited long ago except in ancient times, still lingered in the countryside.

Below the stage, many villagers, men and women, old and young, pointed and showed expressions of reluctance.

But more people looked at the Spirit Medium and the erected statue of the River God with fervent expressions.

Every year during the River God Sacrifice, the ten-mile radius not only offered livestock sacrifices but also selected a child to be sacrificed to the River God. This year, it was Linjiang Village's turn.

At the very back of the crowd, the mother of one of the children was crying heartbrokenly. The child's father, Sun Lao Er, held his wife and child tightly. Behind them, two children, one big and one small, clung to their parents' clothes, weeping uncontrollably.

Nearby, many people from Linjiang Village stood behind, glaring angrily, but they were firmly watched by others. The people of Linjiang Village had caused trouble many times this year, and the people from other townships had to band together to suppress them.

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

"In this ten-mile radius, why does it always fall on our Linjiang Village? There must be something wrong with this."

A fisherman, dressed scantily and smelling of fish, stepped forward and immediately placed a heavy accusation. "What's wrong? What's wrong? The River God chose someone from your Linjiang Village. Are you not satisfied? Or do you think the River God chose incorrectly?"

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

"That's right, if we don't sacrifice to the River God, fishing, ferries, and boat crossings won't be safe. We've been sacrificing to the River God for generations. Which village in this ten-mile radius hasn't lost someone?" The ferrymen gathered in a group, blocking the people from Linjiang Village. The two sides glared at each other.

"The River God blesses our ten-mile radius with favorable weather and timely rain. We've lived this way for years."

These people deliberately avoided the main issue, redirecting the conversation to the unwillingness of Linjiang Village to offer sacrifices to the River God, and completely ignored the mention of foul play by the man from Linjiang Village.

As long as it wasn't someone from their own village, who cared about the fate of Linjiang Village.

The entire crowd erupted in chaos, and a conflict seemed inevitable, drawing the attention of the Spirit Medium on the high platform.

The Spirit Medium glanced at the commotion in the crowd behind her. After hearing the report from the person beside her, she seemed extremely displeased.

Immediately, over a dozen burly men in black rushed out and beat the people from Linjiang Village until they bled profusely, leaving them lying on the ground.

The leader of the burly men said fiercely, "The River God blesses you with favorable weather and timely rain every year. We haven't had a major flood in many years. Why haven't there been any deaths on the river in this ten-mile radius these past few years? This is all thanks to the River God's blessings."

"And yet, you are unwilling to make the annual sacrifice to the River God? You beasts don't appreciate the kindness of the River God Lord at all. You are utterly ungrateful and dare to disrespect the River God Lord."

After a thorough beating, cries of pain echoed everywhere.

"All of you, kneel properly. If you dare to disturb or offend the River God Lord later, it won't just be about the sacrifices. Don't blame me for being ruthless. Your Linjiang Village will have no good days in this ten-mile radius from now on."

Although the people of Linjiang Village had protested, they were only angry and did not dare to truly fall out with the Spirit Medium. Now that it had come to this, the remaining people could only kneel on the ground, and the commotion immediately subsided.

The Spirit Medium then turned back with satisfaction and continued the River God Sacrifice ritual.

The Spirit Medium's methods for sacrificing to the River God were clearly extraordinary, and the chosen offerings were quite particular, with the human sacrifice being the most important.

The Spirit Medium smeared the young boy's body with a special blood and drew various strange symbols on him. Finally, she pressed a pill into the boy's mouth.

The boy did not cry or make a sound, acting completely like a puppet.

After swallowing the pill, the boy's blood surged, his skin became rosy and radiant, as if he were about to ascend to immortality.

The remaining two children were treated the same way.

At this point, the Spirit Medium lit thick incense sticks, one after another, and inserted them into the sacrificial altar before her. She knelt down again, just as before, and suddenly let out a cry: "Hoo~wei~"

The ritual entered its climax. Gongs and drums sounded on the bank, everyone knelt on the ground, and together they shouted the same chant.

With each beat of the drum, the crowd prostrated and kowtowed. The sound, like a tidal wave, flowed towards the river along with the thick smoke.

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

This custom, a remnant of ancient times, carried a sense of primitive mystery, yet it was more convincing, making everyone in the ten-mile radius believe they were worshipping a true deity, instilling fear and faith.

The smoke drifted across the great river, flowing downstream with the wind and waves, heading towards the lower reaches.

At this very moment, someone was traveling upstream, heading towards Linjiang Village.

Gao Xian sat on the head of a giant snake, while the lazy donkey behind him lay down. It was the Azure Dragon Guardian guiding the giant snake's body across the river.

Suddenly, the lazy donkey's nose twitched. "What's that smell? It smells so good!"

Gao Xian also smelled the scent, but his feeling was different from the donkey's. He only detected the aroma of incense and fire from his old Daoist temple. This smoke seemed to have a special effect on creatures like the donkey.

Moving forward, they faintly heard the sound of drums and earth-shattering shouts from the riverbank from afar.

They could vaguely see a high platform erected, and dense crowds on the bank bowing towards the river, as if welcoming the arrival of a Daoist.

Gao Xian was taken aback, then straightened his back.

Could it be that this Great Immortal's fame had already spread to Jiangzhou? So many people had come to welcome this Great Immortal?

Great Immortal Kongchen felt quite pleased that his reputation had reached such heights.

On the riverbank, the Spirit Medium was already drenched in sweat.

After a long period of kowtowing, the Spirit Summoning Incense had been lit, and she had shouted for a long time. According to previous years, the River God Lord should have arrived by now. Why was he so late in appearing this year?

The men in black behind her exchanged bewildered glances, unsure of what was happening, and could only continue to kowtow along with the Spirit Medium.

Round after round, the drumming sounded once more.

After a considerable time, waves and surges finally appeared on the river, and a strong wind swept across the riverbank.

Everyone looked up and saw a silver figure, like a dragon, approaching upstream from the distant riverbank.

"The River God has manifested! The River God has manifested!"

One Spirit Medium shouted loudly, so excited she looked like she was about to faint.