The Playbill

A full 0.97! Liang Qu bowed down, his heart trembling.

The number may seem small, but Ying Long Mark and the Yu Mark is only 0.03, the result of a single sacrifice is so much higher! It was worth all his preparations, including this special miracle! Combined with what he had accumulated before, it's enough to give him a bit of Favorability!

Will anything strange happen if we round it up to a whole number? "Return worship!"

Upon hearing the priest's shout, Liang Qu suppressed his thoughts and bowed again, prompting more than ten thousand people behind him to kneel down as well.

A strong wind surged from the river, vast and unstoppable for thousands of miles, causing long robes and wide sleeves to flutter in the wind.

The thick fog, reaching waist-deep, surged and drifted, transforming the entire Shang Rao Wharf into a fairyland.

Such a miraculous sight makes it impossible for people not to believe that the River God has manifested his power!

The River God's manifestation began with the Chief Priest walking on foot, could it be...?

Those with quick minds looked up at the Chief Priest at the center of the altar, their thoughts a jumbled mess.

Liang Qu was heroic and upright, like a fairy in the clouds.

Considering its rise to prominence.

They must be favored by the River God!

The crowd felt even greater reverence and knelt in worship.

"Fire!"

The priest shouted.

The firecrackers crackled and popped.

Dozens of men dressed in straw raincoats went up to the altar and danced Blessing God Dance, making the atmosphere relaxed and joyful.

Accompanied by music and dance, Liang Qu gradually retreated from the altar, and the Great Mist that had enveloped the entire wharf gradually dissipated.

The villagers looked at each other, their awe still lingering, but mostly filled with joy.

The River God has manifested his power—an unprecedented event in thousands of years!

If we were to discuss the differences between this ritual and those of the previous decades, aside from the number of participants, the only differences would be in the offerings and the scale of the ceremony.

The offerings and specifications were all brought by Liang Qu.

Liang Qu brought the River God's blessing to everyone! Bathed in the enthusiastic gazes of the crowd, Liang Qu gracefully returned to his seat.

Chen Zhaoan and the other Village Elder beamed with joy, offering their congratulations.

Liang Qu said a few words of modesty, watched the Blessing God Dance with everyone, and then led the Azure Wolf to the dead Crimson Beast.

Distributing Blessings!

In the past, sacrificial ceremonies were held in all four seasons.

The spring sacrifice is called "Shao", the Xia Tian sacrifice is called "Xi", the autumn sacrifice is called "Chang", and the winter sacrifice is called "Yan".

Later, it was basically simplified to once or twice a year, choosing Xia Tian and winter.

Because one is the hottest and the other the coldest; one has the strongest Yang energy and the other has the strongest Yin Qi.

In winter, things are alright, as food can be preserved for a while longer. But in the hot and humid Xia Tian, pigs, cattle, and sheep will start to smell bad if left out for half a day.

Thus, the custom of immediately distributing the meat after the sacrifice arose, and over time, this became a tradition.

The Distributing Blessings is the most anticipated part of the ceremony for the villagers. After the ceremony, no one leaves.

Master Liang said long ago that everyone would receive their share of good fortune.

Meat isn't something you can eat often, let alone eat the flesh of Spirit Monster to strengthen your body. What's a little while? Waiting a day is worth it! Liang Qu looked at the huge crowd and pondered how to divide it up.

After removing the scales, bones, and internal organs, the Crimson Beast has Xiao San tons of edible meat, which is less than 60,000 catties of pure meat.

On average, each person could get five pounds of meat, but of course, the meat couldn't be divided like that.

We should give face to the big spenders who come to support us; they've spent a lot of money, so in return, we should give them a larger share, since the meat of the Great Monster Spirit is quite valuable.

Outsiders receive less than locals, otherwise people will think Liang Qu is siding with outsiders.

But even if it's scarce, it's still essential.

The number and quality of believers in a sacrifice are a key factor in determining the degree of Favorability, and may even include the degree of devotion among the believers.

The four large characters "utterly devout" were clearly written on the Ze Cauldron, which weren't there last time.

It's not just about the number of people; Liang Qu suspects that the date itself is significant, as legend has it that the sixth day of the June is the day when rivers return to their channels and all things flow into the sea.

So we have to give to outsiders. They have something to look forward to, and they spread the word, which will attract even more people next time.

After some thought.

"Locals should each receive three catties of meat, and elderly people should each receive three catties and six ounces. Outsiders should receive half that amount! What do you all think?"

On average, each person received five jin (2.5 kg). The remaining amount, along with the two other Spirit Monster, was naturally distributed among the wealthy households and their own people.

"Listen to Master Liang!"

"The sacrificial animals were all brought by Master Liang, so we have no objection to how they are divided!"

"Master Liang can divide it however he wants. I'm already satisfied as long as I can smell the aroma!"

Everyone spoke with certainty, believing that the three beasts were all contributed by Liang Qu alone, and no one had any objection to how they were divided.

Being able to get three pounds of meat is already an unexpected blessing.

"Alright, everyone line up and come get your meat!"

Song Bao, Li Bo, Jie Chang, you guys help keep an eye on things and maintain order. Once someone has taken one, they can't take another.

If you dare to take advantage of the situation, you'll get your original share back too!

"Once I'm done with this, I'll give the three of you a bigger share."

"Hey, this is my specialty, just you wait and see, Water Bro." Lin Songbao rolled up his sleeves. "I can't forget someone I've met before!"

Even with over ten thousand people, Liang Qu couldn't remember them at a glance like Lin Songbao did; it just goes to show that everyone has their own strengths.

He pulled out the Azure Wolf, sliced open the Crimson Beast's belly, and its internal organs gushed out with a strong, pungent stench.

Several butchers from the town stepped forward to help, cleaning out the entrails and carrying large buckets to the side to wash them.

The entire animal hide was cut off and hung to one side, Liang Qu was in charge of cutting the meat, and Lin Songbao weighed and divided the meat.

For the average person, fatty meat is definitely better than lean meat. Three pounds of fatty meat is not the same as three pounds of lean meat. However, absolute fairness is impossible. For most people, it's good enough to have something to eat.

Dozens of people took turns, and Liu Quanfu lined up to rub his hands together.

"Lord Liang, could you please change the meat?"

That is to say, he was familiar with Liang Qu, and ordinary people would not dare to make demands.

Liang Qu put down the dagger. "Change it? What do you want to change?"

Liu Quanfu pointed to Big Fish that looked just like a "Lionhead".

"That person looks like they have good fortune, and I'm thinking of trying to get some of their good luck."

Liang Qu was speechless.

That's true. Ordinary people don't know the difference between Spirit Monster and Great Monster Spirit. They just think that "Lionhead" is lucky and therefore think that one is better.

"No need to exchange it, just give Uncle Fu another one."

Liang Qu cut a piece of flesh from Lionhead's body and handed it to Liu Quanfu along with the Crimson Beast meat.

"This isn't a good idea."

"What's good or bad about it? Eating Spirit Monster meat will strengthen your body. Uncle Fu, once you're stronger, you can help me build a few more ships."

Upon hearing this, Liu Quanfu stopped being polite, chuckled a few times, picked up two large pieces of meat, and left amidst the envious gazes of the crowd.

I was busy until late Shen Time.

Liang Qu picked up the last few pieces of ribs, handed them to the servants of the wealthy families, and then turned to bow to everyone.

"Thank you all for your help during this River God Sacrifice. Here are a few pieces of meat to express my gratitude."

Tang Zutao and the others waved their hands repeatedly.

"No, no."

"From now on, we will all be living in Yi Xing Town, so we should all be united as one."

"It only takes about half a day. If you have nothing else to do on weekdays, you can just treat it as a market day."

Chen Zhaoan also stepped forward to express his gratitude, and then talked about the opera troupe.

"My lords, it is now five quarters past dusk. There will still be Water Stage Play to watch. If you are interested, I will have someone arrange seats in advance and look forward to your presence."

The crowd didn't think it was a big deal, and it had been a long time since they had listened to a play.

"Alright, I'll come and take a look when I have some free time."

"Please reserve the spot for me."

"I'll pass then, I have something to do tonight."

"Is Master Lin in a hurry to have a son with his third concubine?"

"Hahaha."

The crowd chatted and laughed, and some people left the scene as they talked.

Liang Qu had little interest in opera, but Chen Zhaoan persuaded him to stay.

"Lord Liang will surely be interested in tonight's performance."

Liang Qu didn't know why Chen Zhaoan said that, but then he thought, "Let him watch, it's not a big deal."

"Alright."

"We eagerly await Lord Liang's arrival."

"Elder Chen is too kind. I am but a junior..."

At night, after having dinner, Liang Qu walked along the Azure Stone Street.

The evening breeze was a bit stronger, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of water plants, which wafted towards us amidst the moisture.

Before he even reached the dock, he noticed that the Water Stage was brightly lit, as bright as day.

The opera troupe was using Golden Bright Oil! Looking ahead, the stage was already surrounded by a dense array of Black Awning Boat, making it difficult for ordinary people to even stand.

This scene reminded Liang Qu of a text he had studied before.

Fortunately, the best seats at the front had been reserved in advance, and Chen Zhaoan waved to Liang Qu, inviting him to sit in the very middle.

As the play began, a series of drumbeats and gongs resounded, and the actors, heavily made up, took to the stage.

Liang Qu didn't understand much, and couldn't even make out what they were shouting. It was a distinctive operatic style. He only thought the girls looked nice.

The first play was about love between men and women, which was quite boring.

The man was dressed as a Da Pang for some reason, which was quite outrageous.

The situation was different in the second game.

The characters who appeared one after another looked familiar to Liang Qu, as if he had seen them somewhere before. The last line of the opera suddenly roused him.

"What I want is very simple, just..."

"Your heads will do!"

Liang Qu's eyes widened.

Goodness.

Chen Zhaoan actually turned his provocation of the Falling Whale Gang into a play!