The Auspicious Hour Has Arrived

The arrival of the Cloud Hawk Embroidered Uniform Guard forced the temporary suspension of the invocation of the Water God Temple.

The soldiers obeyed Liu Shiqin's orders, stepped forward to block the people and clear the road so that the imperial guards could enter the temple to talk to Liang Qu in detail.

The temple keeper led the way to arrange a small room for them, closing the door to block their view.

Sunlight pierced through the smoke, diffusing into fine beams of light.

The worshippers in the Water God Temple craned their necks, and after the two figures disappeared behind the door, they whispered among themselves, creating a noisy commotion.

Li Xiaowen straightened his back and leaned to the side of Zhang Wenhu and Zhang Wenbao.

"Did you hear that, Family Head Zhang?"

"Not deaf."

"Everything has to start somewhere." Li Xiaoheng straightened up. "Huaiyin Prefecture was just reduced to Huaiyin County, and this kind of thing happened. Who does Family Head Zhang think was responsible?"

Zhang Wenhu looked at Zhang Wenbao.

Zhang Wenbao said, "Since the imperial guards said that Huaiyin County was ambushed, rather than Prefect Su being assassinated, then the former Prefect was probably not the only one who perished. However, Prefect Su's death is the most important."

Furthermore, as far as I know, there are two Grandmaster within the Huaiyin Prefecture, Prefect Su is one of them. It would be extremely difficult for him to be assassinated, given the hostile intent of the attackers.

When one reaches the Tiger Hunting Realm the path of martial arts, the light of the blade can easily stretch for dozens of feet.

If this is true for Grandmaster Great Martial Master, it goes without saying that it is even more difficult for a Grandmaster to kill alone without alerting the other person. Unless the fight takes place in a vast desert or a boundless Great Marsh, or a Martial Saint suddenly appears and kills the Grandmaster with a single finger, it is difficult to kill the Grandmaster alone without alerting the other person.

In other words, the enemy had ample confidence in dealing with two Grandmaster during their attack on Huaiyin County! Such power...

At this moment, a junior family head from behind interjected.

"I have heard that another Grandmaster is Free Wanderer, supported by his Lineage and not receiving a salary from the imperial court? Is that true...?"

Li Xiaoheng shook his head. "It's true that I've heard he's the Free Wanderer, but if Prefect Su really is in trouble, how can we, as fellow Grandmaster, stand idly by? If there's an opportunity to help, why wouldn't we?"

Zhang Wenbao laughed and said, "Family Head Huang, there are always people more capable than you, and there is always a higher level to reach. Where in the world is there a truly Free Wanderer?"

Even Martial Saint is but one person in the mortal world. Fame, fortune, power, Fugui will come knocking on your door even if you don't want them.

Unless one is truly invincible, perhaps only someone who Rainbow Transformation Rainbow Transformation achieve Great Freedom and act as they please.

The young master remained silent.

Li Xiaoheng turned his head. "Family Head Zhang?"

Zhang Wenhu said, " Of the Two Capitals and Eighteen Provinces, the Imperial Capital is the brain, and Southern Zhili is the heart. Anyone who dares to provoke us is either insane or a complete idiot."

Huaiyin Prefecture is neither aligned with the Northern Court nor with the Southern Border. The only ones capable of jointly attacking two Grandmaster —a madman, a barefoot man—are none other than the Ghost Mother Sect, right?

"Great minds think alike."

Zhang Wenbao nodded. "I just don't know the exact number of casualties."

Li Xiaoheng looked up and sighed.

"They have quite the patience. The imperial court changed its administration, and most of the original Huaiyin Prefecture Office staff had to relocate. As the situation spread, they were stretched thin and unable to attend to everything. Just then, the Ghost Mother Sect launched an ambush..."

Upon hearing this, the other young masters of the family deeply agreed with it.

"Since the year before last, the Ghost Mother Sect has been silent, and then another branch of it was killed for no reason. I thought they had given up, but I didn't expect them to be waiting here. They came all the way here, hiding themselves. It must have taken Great Merit. They probably had someone to help them from the beginning."

"This can't go on. Barefoot men are fearless, and the Ghost Mother Sect can launch surprise attacks from time to time. Won't the number of experts in Huaiyin Prefecture decrease with each battle, and the prefecture become weaker and weaker in the future?"

"Isn't the purpose of the imperial court changing Huaiyin Prefecture to Pingyang Prefecture? To use the land of one prefecture to block the foreign enemy, so that more people can enjoy peace and tranquility, and the sons of the Aristocratic Clan can also earn military merits, which is the best of both worlds."

"It is true that many heroes have emerged from the great border cities throughout history, but how many ordinary people there have had it easy?"

Be careful what you say.

For a moment, the entire line of participants fell silent.

Those who become the heads of their respective families are at least forty or fifty years old. Their cultivation has stagnated, their Blood Qi have ceased to rise, and they no longer harbor the idea that they will one day become historical heroes. They only want to lead their Lineage to develop peacefully and steadily.

"It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but for now, I don't think there will be any major problems with the attack on Huaiyin Prefecture."

"What makes you say that, Family Head Li?"

Li Xiaoheng said, "The Cloud Hawk Embroidered Uniform Guard are all equipped with Shadowless Horse to deliver urgent messages. But look at what the cavalry said, May 10th! Not counting today, they have nine days to River Conservancy Office. Don't they know that Water Official Liang is riding a fourth-grade Dragon Blood Horse? They clearly have plenty of time."

The Old Temple Keeper under the Dragon King twitched his ears and took two steps forward.

"Lord Li, if there's no rush, why send a special messenger, Lord Liang, back to Pingyang Prefecture?"

Li Xiaoheng laughed heartily.

"Old Temple Keeper, your eight-year-old grandson got beaten up at school, his eyes are so swollen he can't open them, and your son is out drinking and carousing with his friends. What do you think? Even if you don't immediately take your son back to the teacher to settle the score and get revenge, at least go home and take your grandson to see a doctor, right?"

The Old Temple Keeper suddenly realized.

The crowd whispered among themselves.

a long time.

The old temple keeper glanced at the sundial and saw that Liang Qu and the imperial guards still showed no sign of coming out.

"Lord Liu, there are still three quarters of an hour left before the auspicious time passes."

"No rush," Liu Shiqin said calmly. "There's still 45 minutes left. The temple keeper can speed up the process then, it won't be a problem."

During the discussion, the door of the small house suddenly opened wide.

The procession of participants in the sacrificial ceremony fell silent.

"Lord Liang, once you have finished this matter, you should return to your residence as soon as possible."

Thank you for letting me know.

After speaking, the imperial guards bid farewell to Liang Qu, mounted the black horse in the hall, and hurriedly left.

When Liang Qu returned to the table, all the family heads immediately gathered around him.

"Lord Liang!"

"How is the situation in Huaiyin County, Lord Liang?"

Could you reveal a little bit?

Liang Qu shook his head. "The auspicious time has arrived. Please trouble the temple priest to invite the gods first. We can discuss the matter of Huaiyin County later."

Upon hearing this, everyone could only suppress their emotions.

The people who had been peering out from outside the door gradually fell silent.

Being near Great Marsh, it is absolutely forbidden to disrespect the water god.

The Master of Ceremonies led the Third Offering Official to their seats before the offering officials. The three were Liu Shiqin, Liang Qu, and the Old Temple Keeper.

The other participants stood upright in the sacrificial altar, their expressions solemn.

Liang Qu's eyes are focused on his nose, and his nose is focused on his heart.

The sacrificial attendant looked around and stepped forward.

"The officials have prepared this and request that you proceed."

The high-pitched voice of the officiant resounded throughout the temple.

"Welcome the gods!"

The Great Hammer strikes the giant drum, and the sound of the drum music soars into the sky, growing ever more powerful and majestic.

The crowd outside the temple was completely still and orderly.

"Bowing~"

"Bye~ Xing~"

"Bye~ Xing~"

"Ping~".

All participants in the sacrifice performed two bows.

Tens of thousands of people outside the temple bowed in unison.

A solemn atmosphere permeated the air.

Liang Qu followed suit.

There was no prior rehearsal, but having gone through several sacrificial rites, he did exactly what the ritual master said, and without making any mistakes.

After the prayers, the "offering of coins" begins.

Liu Shiqin, the First Offering Official, stepped forward, came to the offering table, bowed three times, and offered incense three times.

The priest presented the coins to Liu Shiqin, Liu Shiqin then offered them before the altar.

Liang Qu didn't understand the significance of this step until the Master of Ceremonies sang "Perform the first offering ceremony," at which point he realized the important part was coming and focused his attention on watching.

The praise led Liu Shiqin to the place where the title was washed. Liu Shiqin held his tablet and, with the help of the broom, washed and wiped the title. He then presented the washed title to the broom master.

The so-called "jue" is a wine cup.

"Before the Duke of Raging Waters".

Liu Shiqin arrived before the altar.

The attendant beside him offered incense, Liu Shiqin lit incense, and then placed the incense sticks in the incense burner.

Si Xian filled the wine cup, offered it to Liu Shiqin, who then poured the wine on the ground and placed it on the altar.

"Read the blessing!"

Below the statue of the deity, the prayer officer faces the ancestral tablet, kneels on the prayer platform, and recites the prayer.

Liang Qu pricked up his ears and listened as the story unfolded. He recounted the White Ape's deeds in saving the people from floods and fires, and how the people now wished to invite it into the temple to worship it day and night, hoping for divine protection and favorable weather.

I understand.

That's the process.

When the Second Offering Official arrived, he led the way to Liang Qu.

Liang Qu followed the procession of worshippers and, just like Liu Shiqin, offered incense and libations, except that he did not recite the prayer.

Next was the Old Temple Keeper, who also came twice.

After three rounds, the entire incense burner was densely filled with long incense sticks.

A light white mist permeated the air, enveloping the Dragon King and obscuring his features.

These three offerings constitute the three requests.

The matter is over.

The drums and music soared to the sky.

Eight burly men, carrying the White Ape God on their shoulders, slowly entered the arena.

Just then, a message popped up in Ze Cauldron, startling Liang Qu so much that he almost jumped up.

[Upon entering the Huai River, the people are filled with piety, River's Favor by 1.2315]