There is obviously something wrong with the status of Yang Chenghua.
Holding the wine jar, he poured large gulps into his mouth, looked towards Chengdu, and gritted his teeth and said, "Some people ask for peace, some ask for wealth, some ask for freedom from all diseases, they keep making noises, and praying to God is of no use!"
"Erlang Zhenjun is just their delusion!"
"If Erlang Zhenjun really existed, how could there be any natural or man-made disasters in Shu? How could today's situation happen?"
"Laozi, they are all a bunch of idiots!"
"I am Yang Chenghua, what does Erlang have to do with me?"
"I would rather be a farmer, working at sunrise and resting at sunset, without having to worry about these things..."
Listening to these complaints, Li Yan's face gradually became serious.
He vaguely understood what was happening.
This is a conflict between divinity and humanity.
All living beings create gods out of their desires, and incense and fire combine with evil spirits to turn into divine power, but the most they can do is to protect one party from evil spirits.
This is the secular god.
It is not an all-powerful wishing fountain.
Therefore, secular gods who give birth to spiritual beings rarely respond.
The people offer sacrifices and pray for Good Weather for the Crops, just have a thought.
The secular gods silently protect each other and take what they need.
Daoist monks have concluded a rule. If the secular gods respond, there must be something wrong, or they are asking for something, such as those who asked for help from Li Yan, such as Yellow Demon God who asked for help from the Three Gorges temple.
Either that or become a demon.
But Yang Chenghua is an exception.
A mortal body endures Lord of Sichuan for thousands of years Incense and Fire Prayer Power. Human nature and divinity confront each other. Once the knowledge is lost, big trouble will occur.
At this moment, Li Yan knew that he was wrong.
I'm afraid this is Erlang Zhenjun's disaster!
No wonder he wants to stay away from the crowd.
Looking at Yang Chenghua who kept drinking and looking a little crazy, Li Yan felt something in his heart and said, "Senior, have you ever responded to these voices?"
"Of course, there is more than one..."
Yang Chenghua was already drunk. He shook the empty wine jar, picked up the Pepper Cypress Wine sent by Li Yan, and said while drinking:
"The first one was a fisherman. He cried in the temple and complained that his child had been seduced by a water ghost. At that time, I had just left Guan County. I was not very good at it. I spent a lot of effort to rescue the person and sneak him to his door..."
"The fisherman was very grateful, and cried and complained that life was difficult and he didn't catch many fish, so I learned the technique, secretly fed and clothed him, and beat away the bullies who came to oppress him..."
"Then this man started asking for more. He wanted to get rich, change his wife, and become an official. I couldn't stand it anymore, so I left, and then all I heard was curses..."
Li Yan nodded and said, "It is normal for people to be weak. I am the same. Just because of this?"
"Of course not."
As if his attention was diverted, Yang Chenghua's pupils also regained some clarity, and he shook his head and said, "Over the years, I have seen good things, bad things, greedy things, stupid things, and then I got tired."
"You're right, I'm not from this world. Instead of living in isolation and looking for trouble, it's better to leave as soon as possible..."
Go ahead, take another swig of wine and stare blankly at the bonfire.
Crackling!
In the distance, firecrackers sounded in the dark night sky.
Yang Chenghua leaned against the pavilion Zhu Zi, letting the wind and snow wet his clothes without caring, just like a Walking Corpse walking corpse.
Li Yan laughed dumbly, shook his head and said, "I don't understand the things of my predecessors, and I can't empathize with them. In this case, there is no need to think about it anymore."
"It would be too lonely to drink alone during the Chinese New Year. Why not go for a stroll in the city and join in the fun with the people?"
Yang Chenghua was silent for a moment, "It's okay, since my mother died, I have long forgotten what it is like to celebrate the New Year."
"Let's go!"
He was also a neat person. After saying that, he stood up directly, shook off his clothes from the snow, took another drink, and strode into the dark night.
"Senior, wait for me."
Li Yan shouted and followed closely.
This Yang Chenghua was moving very fast. As he walked, there was a strong wind all around him, the wind and snow rolled up his hair, and he drank one sip after another of strong liquor.
Li Yan was helpless and even used Divine Form Technique to barely keep up.
Two figures broke through the wind and snow and jumped directly onto the city wall. The soldiers patrolling in the distance were not even aware of it.
The two landed on the street, and the sound of horse hooves sounded in the distance.
Li Yan frowned and said quickly, "Senior, be careful, those are King of Shu Black Feather Guard, all of them are carrying New Style Firearm, we'd better avoid them."
"It doesn't matter."
Yang Chenghua didn't care. He took a sip of wine and suddenly sprayed it into the air. Suddenly, white mist surged and surrounded him like a living thing.
A strong smell of incense suddenly poured into Li Yan's nasal cavity.
What kind of magic is this?
Li Yan was a little curious, but didn't ask any more questions.
This Yang Chenghua is the reincarnation of Erlang Zhenjun, with astonishing qualifications. He once sneaked into the orthodox religious practice, and now he has integrated the divine power of incense and has embarked on a completely different path.
It's different. I'm afraid he won't be able to figure it out.
"This Invisibility Incantation can last for two hours."
Listening to the sound of horse hooves getting closer and closer, Yang Chenghua didn't care. He opened the oil paper bag given by Li Yan, took out two pieces of brown sugar glutinous rice cake, threw it in his mouth and chewed it.
Rumble!
Horse hooves sounded, and snow flew everywhere.
A group of Black Feather Guard rode past, followed by evil sorcerers, who were conducting close inspections, but they turned a blind eye to them who were so close.
Li Yan looked at the white mist around him and secretly admired it in his heart.
This is the real Invisibility Incantation.
He can use the power of Outer Altar Eight Generals to hide himself, but he can't do it with others, so it's perfect for sneaking in...
Infiltrate?
Li Yan suddenly had a plan in his mind.
Yang Chenghua didn't know what he was thinking. He sniffed the air with a smile on his face, "Haha, someone is stewing mutton. This trip is not in vain!"
After that, he strode to the left.
Seeing that he was happy, Li Yan also smiled and shook his head, following closely behind.
Boom!
There was another sound of firecrackers in the distance.
So Chengdu Prefecture It's already dark, the wind and snow are howling, the green tiles are covered with snow quilts, and the eaves are hanging with ice, but they can't suppress the fireworks that fill the city on the 30th of the twelfth lunar month.
The two stepped on the squeaking snow and walked through the streets and alleys. After a while, they came to the outside of a large house.
At first glance, I can tell that the Prosperity family lives here.
Bamboos were planted in front of the door, and red lanterns illuminated the courtyard door in the snow.
The two of them jumped up and landed on the courtyard wall silently.
This is a large courtyard with three entrances. Red lanterns can be seen everywhere, and ladies and servants are coming and going, preparing for a banquet.
There were plenty of dishes of all kinds, and three large tables were set up.
The host's family is also prosperous, and everyone is worshiping their ancestors in the front hall at the moment. The offerings on the table are piled up like a mountain.
The ranking of Erlang Zhenjun is also among them.
The leader was a fat old man wearing fox fur.
While lighting incense and adding oil, he turned around and sighed, "There was a great epidemic in Sichuan that year. On the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, I almost starved to death. I stole the tribute from Grandpa Zhenjun and ate it, so I survived. From now on, I have to make offerings every year on the 30th."
"You guys remember, even if I go, the rules can't be lost!"
"Yes, father!"
"Yes, Grandpa!"
The children and grandchildren below quickly nodded in agreement.
Li Yan saw this and laughed softly, "This is a pious man. Have seniors helped him?"
Unexpectedly, Yang Chenghua just glanced at it and said, "Piety is of no use. If Erlang doesn't pay attention to you, neither will I."
Just when Li Yan was wondering, the old man below burned incense and knelt down again and said, "True Lord, please bless me to have 30% more batches of Salt License in the spring..."
It turned out to be a salt merchant.
Li Yan As soon as he heard this, he immediately understood what was going on.
Chengdu Prefecture's salt merchant is not a kind person.
Li Yan I heard when I came to the city that they were not only used to shortchanging the goods, but also substituting the good ones. The industry has unhealthy trends and the people of Chengdu deeply hate it.
If this were not the case, the actions of the salt gang in the past two days would not have won praise from the people. I heard that there are salt merchants who have entangled a lot of people to pretend to take the goods, and even bought them at low prices from the people.
He is so greedy that even the people in the Salt Gang can't stand it.
This family is well-dressed and well-fed, and they have sucked the blood of many people.
Perhaps he was a little bored listening to the fat old man's voice, Yang Chenghua frowned, took another sip of wine, and then suddenly sprayed out the secret formula.
Phew~
The wine mist surged out, and the whole family, including the servants and maids, all fell to the ground as if they were drunk.
It's like some kind of spell, mixed with the magical power of incense...
Li Yan was still thinking about his method, but Yang Chenghua had already jumped down and went straight to the banquet tables. He laughed and said, "If he eats my tribute, I will eat his banquet. Come on, do it!"
After that, he opened a jar of wine, brought all the mutton stew from several tables, and ate and drank.
"Fuck!"
Li Yan also picked up the wine jar and took a big gulp.
The two drank and ate meat without talking nonsense.
On this night of the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, the magpie nest is occupied by doves, and regardless of it, it makes people feel happy inexplicably.
Before you knew it, the ground was covered with empty jars.
Not to mention that Yang Chenghua had already drunk a lot, even Li Yan was seventy or eighty percent drunk. He pulled open his collar and showed a trace of wantonness between his brows.
The two of them staggered around and found pen and ink.
Yang Chenghua, with a smile on his face, wrote on the fat old man's face, "Grandpa will take it back today as a tribute."
Li Yan wrote on the front door screen:
It is better to worship God than to worship the heart, and to seek wealth is not as good as to seek virtue.
After a lot of trouble, the two of them were satisfied and left.
A little drunk, they wandered around the city.
In Lane Manjushri Temple, they saw a lantern hanging from the eaves of a medicine shop. In the wind and snow, a woman wrapped in a blue scarf knelt in front of the door, wailing and begging. "Doctor Li, please save my son's life..."
"It's Chinese New Year, why are you crying in mourning!"
The drunken man opened the door and cursed:
"Can't you wait until tomorrow?"
"My son has been coughing all day."
"That's fine, but the remuneration will be doubled."
"I... I don't have enough money."
"What kind of medical treatment can you get if you don't have money?"
The clerk was furious and slammed the door.
Before the old woman could say anything more, a strong wind blew up around her.
When she opened her eyes again, there were more pills and a silver coin in her hand, and a voice came from her ear, "Go back, don't tell anyone, just take the pills with hot soup."
"Thank you, Immortal!"
The old woman's face was full of joy and she left quickly.
Looking at the opponent's back leaving in the snow, Li Yan said happily, "Senior is really generous, that's Lung Cough Spirit Medicine, right?"
"There is a demon who wants to kill me and rob me."
Yang Chenghua waved his hand nonchalantly.
This person seemed to be completely drunk, wandering around in Chengdu Prefecture listening to the voices of believers in his head.
They pretended to be ghosts and frightened evil people with malicious intentions.
If you meet a kind-hearted person, help whenever you can.
This night, strange things happened frequently in Chengdu Prefecture.
Before they knew it, two hours had passed. The two of them drank a lot and ran out of the city again to the riverside.
There is also a small temple here, also Attendant with Erlang God.
The temple is not big, and no one is guarding it on weekdays, so it looks a bit dilapidated, but on this night of the 30th of the twelfth lunar month, candles are lit.
I saw a dozen men in tattered clothes, stomping their feet in the snow, and then carrying glutinous rice cakes and bad wine, they bowed respectfully.
The old man in front said in a trembling voice, "Grandpa Erlang, Ghost's Bane Shoal, I'm going to have a good time in the spring. If you are safe, I will provide you with three kilograms of sheep head meat!"
"Hahaha!"
The men in the rear burst into laughter.
One person said happily, "Touchou Wang, you haven't paid back the leg of lamb you promised last year, and you owe it again this year?"
"Go, go, go."
The old man waved his hand and said, "Erlang grandpa knows my heart, so how can he think that I am poor? One day, old man, I will pay him back."
After everyone paid their respects, they left laughing and joking.
Yang Chenghua was happy, "These people, let's call them pious. They never burn incense properly. Call them disrespectful. They don't fall behind every year."
"Tell me, what is the name of this god?"
"Incense is not a business."
Li Yan was already a little drunk, so he shook his head and said, "What the common people worship is the thought of being desperate and the hope of survival in desperate situations."
"In this short life, people have many things to ask for. Many times, worshiping gods is just for peace of mind and just for show..."
As he spoke, he took another deep sip of wine. Thinking of what he had seen and heard along the way, he shook his head and said, "Some people say that it is better to ask for God than to ask for yourself, but how can there be so many twists and turns in the world that can lead to survival in desperate situations?"
"Most of them are ordinary people. They just knead the tenacity in their bones into clay, and then use incense to pass this spirit on from generation to generation..."
Yang Chenghua also fell into silence after listening.
After a long while, he finally said, "According to what you said, the clay tire still has a use. If I take away this thousand-year incense, what does it matter?"
"I don't know."
Li Yan scratched his head, "Why do you think so much? Thousands of years later, your story will still be there, and people will still have ideas. That's enough."
"Is that all?"
"Probably... that's all."
"Then what are you seeking for this practice?"
"I don't know, let's wait and see. If you don't get to the end of your life, who knows what you want..."
Jia Chen Year wei, Yi Si Year beginning.
One person and one god sit in a small temple by the river, drinking in the snow until dawn...
At the fifth watch, the bang rings, and thousands of households open their doors.
The new year has arrived.
Divine Land Earth, the customs of the first day of the new year are different in different places.
If there are some wealthy households in Chang'an, they must have a boy in red clothes hold a peach charm and stand in front of the steps, while the old woman at home dips cypress branches in Tusu wine and sprinkles it on the door.
When the firecrackers sound, they will say loudly:
"On the first day of the lunar month, you will receive a hundred blessings and avoid evil spirits."
This is the ancient method of Chang'an, which is called "cypress wine to drive away Nuo".
But in Chengdu Prefecture, there are more important things than New Year greetings.
On this morning, people often determine the location and auspicious time of the God of Joy based on the heavenly stems and earthly branches, and go to Marquis Wu Shrine to worship.
It's called "God of Joy Parade".
According to the rules of previous years, many opera troupes in the city will be invited to clear the way with gongs and drums and play "Facing the Emperor" to clear the way.
There were people in the rear playing the role of civil and military generals, Liu Guan Zhang and Zhuge Wuhou, parading along the streets, accompanied by common people carrying incense, heading to Marquis Wu Shrine.
This is a custom in Chengdu, and it is also the first money earned by the troupe from afar in the new year.
If you meet a generous and wealthy person, you will be rewarded.
While the people of Chengdu Prefecture are worried about whether it will be held as scheduled this year, the door of Chengdu Prefecture has already opened with a bang.
The royal guards rode their horses through the streets and shouted:
"This year God of Joy Parade, Prince personally lead the way!"