Sending the Wang Boat

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

The muddy road was crowded with wild grass sprouting new shoots. However, it could not escape the natural disaster, but could not avoid the "man-made disaster". It withered and turned into mud under the destruction of the Wooden Stick, and a faint fragrance of grass was released.

Six little boys, each holding a tree branch, ran from east to west and then from west to east, rushing about and kicking up clouds of dust.

A group of people happened to run by, and Liang Qu stopped one of them.

Upon seeing a stranger entering the village and stopping a child, a farmer carrying manure on the road stopped and observed for a moment. After noticing that Liang Qu was dressed in official robes, he silently left.

"Kid! Whenever someone gets married or gets into a fight in your village, who do you call to handle it? Where does that person live?"

The boy swung the thin stick stained with grass juice, glancing sideways at his companion hiding behind the corner of the wall, remaining silent.

"Hey!"

Liang Qu sat up and reached into his pocket, only to find that he only had silver and Silver Note on him, but no copper coins.

Red Mountain ran to a nearby tree, bit off a branch, and handed it to Liang Qu.

Liang Qu held it in his hand, unleashing his strength. The entire branch split open, revealing the white core of the wood. He then rubbed it between his index finger and thumb, and wood chips fell off, revealing a rough longsword.

Liang Qu shook his wooden sword. "Tell me, and the wooden sword is yours."

"Over there!" The little boy pointed to the end of the road without hesitation, "The second house in the row on the left, the walls are made of steps!"

"Okay! Go have fun."

Liang Qu traded a tree branch for the position of Village Elder, and led Red Mountain to the door.

The doors of the houses were open, and villagers could come and go freely from time to time, with no obstruction to their view.

The large courtyard was filled with elderly men and women, who were making paper boats with glue and yellow paper, stacking them up like layers of towers.

In the center there was a large paper boat, seven meters long. Before we could take a closer look, we heard that a distinguished person had arrived, and the Village Elder, carrying his cane, ran out from the inner room to greet him.

"I was unaware of our distinguished guest's arrival. I have been so unwelcoming. A-Huang, quickly go and make some tea!"

"Hey, old man, no need to be so polite." Liang Qu stopped the young man beside the old man and went straight to the point, "I was inspecting the village when I overheard that your village is going to worship the River God? Is that true or not?"

The Village Elder asked anxiously, "That's true, but is there some taboo surrounding it?"

The old men and women in the courtyard pricked up their ears.

If the government forbids it, it undoubtedly means that all their work over the past two weeks has been for nothing.

Liang Qu shook his head. "Old man, please don't worry. I'm just asking out of curiosity."

As long as it's not something like the Ghost Mother Sect, the government doesn't really care what people want to worship or when they want to worship.

Perhaps it was because Liang Qu had a kind face that the Village Elder felt reassured.

"Whatever you may ask, I will answer without reservation."

"Could the Village Elder please tell us when the village's sacrificial ceremony will be held?"

"Tomorrow night, I consulted a fortune teller to determine the auspicious date. Tomorrow is the Auspicious Day to launch the boats. If we miss it, we'll have to wait until late October, when the floodwaters will have receded for more than a month. It's too late then, so all the villagers are here today to make paper boats!"

Why is the sacrifice held at night?

Liang Qu was puzzled; it was midday in Yi Xing Town.

It's pitch black at night, who can see anything?

The Village Elder asked, "Are you from out of town, sir?"

"A native of Ping Yang County."

"That makes sense! Every year we Sending the Wang Boat at night, with fire lit, it's spectacular! It's not as beautiful during the day."

The Village Elder explained the story to Liang Qu in detail.

Customs vary every ten miles, and traditions differ every hundred miles.

The sacrificial rites in Hua Zhu County are quite different from those in Ping Yang County, or rather, they differ from most sacrificial rites involving three kinds of animals. The main form is "Sending the Wang Boat".

To worship the River God, the villagers would build a special royal boat.

In wealthy villages, cedar wood is used, while in poor villages, yellow paper is used. The Lord is invited onto the royal boat by hiring people to perform a grand opera. Firewood, rice, oil, salt, and various daily necessities are then loaded onto the boat and burned on the water.

Liang Qu stroked his chin. "It sounds like a custom from the south? In Huaiyin Prefecture, they usually only offer sacrifices of three kinds of animals, right?"

"Your Excellency is wise," the Village Elder flattered. "I am not quite sure why this is so. Perhaps Rong Hanwen from the next village knows, for he is more knowledgeable."

The adults don't know, but when the flood first came, a Big Crab appeared in the next village and saved someone. Rong Hanwen said it was the incarnation of the Jiang Huai River God, sent to punish the Black Water River God. He said this year's floodwaters would recede faster than usual, and lo and behold, he was right! The idea of several villages jointly organizing the Sending the Wang Boat " was Rong Hanwen's suggestion!

Big Crab saves lives...

Liang Qu fell silent. He suddenly realized where the recent talk of the Jiang Huai River God and Huai Rivers and the Black Water River God came from.

It turns out it was myself.

The Village Elder rubbed his hands together. "If you are interested in the sacrificial ceremony, sir, I will take you to see him?"

Liang Qu came to his senses and didn't dwell on it too much.

"Okay, Village Head take me to see him."

Rong Hanwen's ability to propose a joint event clearly indicates his dominant position in the sacrificial ceremony, making it easier for him to get things done and saving him the trouble of visiting each village one by one.

"No trouble at all, it's only a few miles away. A-Huang, go and get the cart!"

The Village Elder had his son bring a cart, and then, riding a donkey cart, led Liang Qu to the neighboring Rong Family Village.

Soon after, Liang Qu met Rong Hanwen Village Head of Rong Family Village.

A small, old man with a completely white beard, neatly trimmed, looked very energetic.

Rong Hanwen saw Liang Qu on horseback from afar and felt that he looked very familiar. When the man got closer, he asked cautiously, "Is that Lord Liang in person?"

Liang Qu dismounted. "Rong Village Head recognizes me?"

"Lord Liang, you must have a bad memory!" Rong Hanwen exclaimed with delight. "I used to organize boats from my hometown and sail with your fleet! Do you remember me Lord Liang?"

"Oh, it's you."

Liang Qu suddenly realized.

He rescued fishermen along the way, merging with many local fishing boats.

There are just too many people, so the impression is always blurry.

In my memory, Rong Hanwen was indeed remarkable. When the Sand River Gang's fleet arrived, he had already organized villagers to help with Disaster Relief everywhere, and he was quite accomplished.

"Lord Liang? What Lord Liang?"

The Village Elder who had come to guide them looked completely bewildered.

Rong Hanwen whispered a reminder: "That Lord Liang who obtained the Red Dragon Fish!"

The Village Elder was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and slapped his thigh. "Oh my, I was so blind! It was Lord Liang in person! No wonder there was such a magnificent horse and such a high-ranking official! It was Lord Liang in person!"

Everyone outside says you're Lord Chi reincarnated, so we're sending you this boat as a gift!

Isn't this just a coincidence?

Is that so mysterious?

Liang Qu remembered that the Patrol Inspector of Hua Zhu County had mentioned it, but he never expected it to be true. Everyone really thought he was the reincarnation of Lord Chi.

And so, everything went exceptionally smoothly from then on.

Seeing that "Lord Chi" was interested, Rong Hanwen immediately suggested that Liang Qu be the one to start the fire.

This was exactly what Liang Qu wanted.

Lord Chi Lord Chi is.

Liang Qu agreed, Rong Hanwen was overjoyed.

If Liang Qu could be set on fire, it would be a great honor for the surrounding villages!

"Sir, come inside quickly and take a look at the big ship of our Rong Family Village!"

Unable to refuse Liang Qu's hospitality, he went to Rong Hanwen's house to see the boats. He discovered that the paper boats in Rong Family Village were much larger than those in the neighboring Dan Family Village, measuring three zhang (approximately 10 meters) and ten meters in length, with a large amount of Rattan Whip woven inside for support.

A palace stands on the ship's deck, featuring a hip roof composed of a main ridge, four hip ridges, and four gable ridges, forming a gable-shaped wall, a style commonly found in palaces and temples.

There are no specific sculptures inside the ship; instead, there is a plaque with the four large characters " On Acting on Heaven's Behalf" written on it. In front of the plaque is an empty table used to place offerings.

Rong Hanwen accompanied the introduction, saying, "The purpose of Sending the Wang Boat is to ensure 'national prosperity and peace, favorable weather, safe communities, thriving development, active participation of all people, and flourishing of all industries.'"

The direction in which the mast falls determines the village's fortune for the coming year; falling towards the village is very auspicious, while falling towards the Black Water River is very inauspicious.

Liang Qu made notes of everything, then looked at the offerings on the empty table.

"Too little time to catch any good Water Beast..."

The Black Water River is a river, not a marsh; catching Spirit Monster in it is harder than catching Treasure Fish.

In just one day, they couldn't produce anything decent, even Spirit Monster.

"Perhaps we can catch a Treasure Fish?"

The following evening.

Crimson clouds and rosy sunset, wisps of smoke rising from chimneys.

Liang Qu took two Da Bao fish worth nearly a hundred taels of silver, rode up Red Mountain to Rong Family Village, and put the Treasure Fish into a paper boat after Rong Hanwen expressed his gratitude and declined.

After dinner, Rong Hanwen's son beat drums and gongs, and the able-bodied men of the village gathered in a large group at Rong Hanwen's door. Once everyone had arrived, they carried the large boat onto the road.

The procession emerged from several villages, flowing like streams into the sea, forming a massive army that slowly made its way towards the Black Water River.

The long procession was orderly despite its apparent chaos. At the front were the drum band, the dragon and lion dance troupe, followed by the royal boat and various small boats, which were carried forward by young and strong men in turns.

Elderly villagers, holding incense sticks, followed the procession devoutly.

When the royal fleet passed by a house, the owner would place offerings at the door, signifying that the Lord was invited to enjoy them.

Having just suffered a disaster, most of the people could offer a bowl of white rice, which they could take home and eat after the sacrificial ceremony, so it wasn't a loss.

Half an hour later, the royal boat arrived on the river, and the entire shore was once again filled with a deafening sound of firecrackers.

The musicians played instruments and sang, while three Daoist priests performed rituals around them.

Liang Qu asked Rong Hanwen and learned that the Daoist priest was not a proper Daoist priest at all, but a villager who temporarily took on the role.

Poor places have their own ways of living.

With everything ready, the able-bodied men carried the boat and pushed it into the river. The huge paper boat drifted slowly, and the people leaned forward one after another to release small paper boats with burning candles.

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Liang Qu sat in the wooden basin, and with the help of the able-bodied men, leaned against the royal ship and threw in a torch.

Flames licked at the paper boat, igniting it with a soft orange glow that illuminated the riverbank and the heart of the river.

Layer upon layer of ripples reveal layers of orange light.

The entire river surface was ablaze with a vast expanse of orange flames, echoing the starlight in the night sky.

Inside the boat, the tall mast swayed precariously, and the villagers stared intently, watching as it seemed about to capsize into the river.

A few streams of water quietly rose, pushing the mast and slowly tilting it toward the village.

Boom! Countless ashes, carrying sparks, swirl into the sky.

The cheers on the shore were like a tidal wave.

[Sacrifice to the Huai River increases the River's Favor by 0.0177]