Dragon-bodied Human-faced God
The next morning, everyone packed their belongings and set off into the deep mountains, which were still shrouded in a hazy morning mist.
Dewdrops clung to the grass and branches, rolling off at the slightest touch. The Kurama moved through the woods, occasionally shaking their bodies to scatter the water droplets all over the ground.
A cool breeze dispersed the thin mist, revealing lush greenery everywhere. Su Yu walked at the front, occasionally turning back to pull Daphne and Cho Chang along.
Climbing the winding stone steps to the summit of Nanyu Mountain, the morning fog had not yet completely dissipated. A cool mountain breeze, carrying grass, trees, and clouds, swept over us. Below, the sea of clouds surged, and the continuous peaks were hidden in the white mist, as if we had stepped into a fairyland secluded from the world.
Upon reaching the open area at the summit, a simple and imposing stone altar stands majestically between heaven and earth. This is the altar used for worshipping the gods for generations in the Yamanaka. The dark blue-green surface of the altar has been polished smooth and shiny by the years and the frost of time. Several mottled stone pillars stand around it, their shafts engraved with ancient cloud patterns and dragon carvings. The patterns are of varying depths, and each mark is a testament to thousands of years of incense offerings and piety.
At the very center of the altar, a Taiseki with a dragon's body and a human face stands majestically, representing the ancient mountain god who guards these mountains.
The statue is magnificent in size, with a powerful and coiled dragon body. Its scale-covered body winds upward from the base of the altar, with each stone scale carved in distinct layers. Under the hazy light of the sky, it gleams with a deep, matte sheen. The dragon's spine is raised and its bones are upright. Its long tail hangs down to the edge of the stone platform, with the end slightly curled, as if it is about to stir up the wind and clouds in the mountains at any moment.
The head of the statue is a dignified human face with a solemn and serene expression. Its eyebrows and eyes are long and deep, and its eyes are looking straight ahead at the distant mountains. Its expression is dignified and imposing, with both the majestic power of a dragon and the solemn dignity of a human god.
The stone statue's head is slightly raised, facing the eastern horizon where the first light of dawn is breaking, as if listening to the voice of heaven and earth, guarding the spiritual veins of the entire Nanyu Mountain.
Fa-jie stood in front of the cliff and looked into the distance. Just now, Crabbe had slipped on a rock while crossing a dangerous pass, but luckily Malfoy grabbed him.
Daphne pulled a bag of rice out of her backpack. Su Yu muttered to himself, "Today I'm bringing some foreign stuff to the Dragon-bodied Human-faced Mountain God. I wonder if they'll accept it."
The altar was surrounded by a group of people dressed in plain ancient clothes, all of them calm and composed, with upright postures. Only the low hum of the mountain wind passing through the stone pillars and the faint chirping of birds in the distant forest made the summit even more solemn.
Su Yu, as the chief officiant, stood in the main position directly in front of the statue of the deity. His long, wide-sleeved robe fluttered gently in the mountain breeze. According to the ancient rituals that have been passed down for generations, the pure white sacrificial dog should be placed on one side of the altar. Pottery ritual vessels filled with millet were arranged in order on the offering table, with jade discs and pottery vases on either side.
But there were no white dogs here, so Su Yu condensed ice-attribute Chakra and filled the altar with snow-white dog sculptures. The white dogs were lifelike, each one vivid and lifelike, as if they had come to life and were playing and frolicking.
Containers filled with fine rice were placed on the altar according to the prescribed size, and Ka-jie had also carved the jade stones she had picked up on the road and arranged them on both sides.
The delicate aroma of grains mingled with wisps of smoke rising slowly, enveloping the Dragon-bodied Human-faced God statue.
Wisps of smoke drifted upwards, merging with the mountain mist and enveloping the entire statue in a hazy glow.
Harry followed the movements Su Yu had taught him, stepping in a measured manner as he danced on either side of the altar. His long sleeves flowed gracefully, his steps were steady, and his movements followed ancient rituals. Every gesture he made was filled with reverence for the mountain god. George and Fred knelt on the ground, their foreheads lightly touching the cool stone surface, their mouths constantly chanting obscure and difficult-to-understand blessings.
As the morning light gradually pierced through the morning mist, it fell upon the stone body of the Dragon-bodied Human-faced God, coating the hard stone scales with a warm gold, and making the human face appear even more solemn in the light and shadow.
The whole scene was, well, a bit of a mess. When the Dragon-bodied Human-faced Mountain God revealed his true form, Su Yu still felt that he wasn't awakened, but rather angered awake.
"Children, why have you come to me and awakened me?" A majestic voice came from the mouth of the Dragon-bodied Human-faced God, making people hesitant to look directly at him.
As the chief priest, Su Yu told the mountain god the mission objective and subtly suggested that any requests could be made.
"I can give you my scales, but..." The Dragon-bodied Human-faced God paused, looking at Su Yu as if trying to see through his background, "I want you... um... never mind, I don't need them anymore. Just take my scales and leave."
The Dragon-bodied Human-faced God, who was halfway through his sentence, seemed to see Su Yu clearly, but in an instant, he was brought back to his original form by the unknown reason behind Su Yu, so he paused for a moment and decided to give up everything.
"Is it that simple?" Callis knelt on the ground and secretly nudged Pansy next to her.
"Who knows? But we're all kneeling, only the chief and a few others are standing. Is the chief playing a trick on us?"
"I feel the same way. Look at Harry, he's jumping so comically. He's been jumping for half an hour. And George and Fred, they're even worse. They've been kowtowing for half an hour, their foreheads are all red." Callis almost burst out laughing at the three of them looking so ridiculous.
"Are you sure you don't want anything?" Su Yu was somewhat surprised. Was this mountain god really so easy to talk to?
"I'm sure, kids."
"Could you give us more?"
"No, what do you need so many for?" The Dragon-bodied Human-faced God was somewhat defensive, his dignity completely thrown aside. Was this child really that shameless?
"But our mission requires us to collect as many items as possible to get a higher score..." Su Yu said, pressing his advantage, and waved his hand as if to say, "This has nothing to do with me; that's what the mission requires..."
"I'll give you 10... no, 6 pieces! That's the most I can give you." The Dragon-bodied Human-faced God seemed to have seen the person behind Su Yu earlier, so he didn't refuse Su Yu's request this time.
"How about 1000 pieces..." Su Yu blurted out his inner thoughts.
"1000 pieces? You're using them to make clothes?" The Dragon-bodied Human-faced God's eyes widened. Was he here to buy supplies?
"Maximum 20 pieces! Grab them and get out of here!"
"Okay, okay, 20 pieces it is." Su Yu took a few steps forward, then hesitated, "How am I supposed to take these? Should I just pull them out?"
"I'll pull it out myself!" The Dragon-bodied Human-faced God seemed to harbor some resentment towards Su Yu, his voice tinged with anger.
As he spoke, he carefully tore off a piece of clothing from his body, gasping in pain and letting out a muffled groan.
"Speaking of which, our mission targets don't necessarily have to be fresh, right? Can't we use scales that have shed before?" Ka-jie secretly tugged at Su Yu Su Yu and told him about this.
"What?! Why didn't you say so sooner?! I've already plucked five scales! It hurts like hell, and you're only telling me now? I have plenty of shed scales! Did you really want me to just pluck them out by force?"