Wuxian Longchuan
Although the miners below the stage couldn't see the words on the pages clearly, they could see the changes in Lu Yu's expression perfectly.
In that instant, they understood one thing: the priest was afraid.
Someone shouted first:
"The Great Proclamation is here! The Shaman Temple, go back!" Immediately, more than 100,000 people roared in unison, "The Great Proclamation is here! The Great Proclamation is here!"
The sound was like a tidal wave, completely drowning out the ringing of the copper bells on the stage.
Then Su Yao raised the precious mirror high in his hand, and in the blink of an eye, a dazzling Great Yang Mysterious Light burst forth from the mirror, like the sun in the sky surveying the world! It shone directly on the bone staff in Lu Yu's hand.
The bone staff trembled violently, and the five copper bells on its head wailed in unison. The witch runes flowing on it crumbled and peeled off like paper ash scorched by a raging fire.
Lu Yu staggered backward, clutching his chest, a trickle of blood escaping from the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, Zilin strode out from behind the curtain, holding a stack of talismans in her hands.
She walked to the front of the stage and, in front of more than 100,000 miners, tore the talismans to pieces one by one and threw them on the ground.
"The Burning Talismans at the Shaman Shrine, and the sun and moon shine anew!" she proclaimed. "From this day forward, this place will no longer be bound by the shamanistic practices of private punishment! If you have any grievances, bring Great Proclamation petition to the authorities, and the court will surely redress your grievances!"
The miners below the stage were stunned for a moment, then burst into thunderous cheers.
Some were roaring, some were crying, and some were raising their hoes high, as if they were no longer mining tools, but a completely different flag.
Amid the commotion, Chen Hai abruptly stood up from his seat.
He gazed at the wordless red flag fluttering in the flames on the stage, and at the miners below, their faces distorted by anger and hope, and slowly raised his right hand.
The clamor of over 100,000 people miraculously fell silent at that moment.
"The shrine has been burned!" His voice boomed, shattering the silence of the hall. "A new government shall be established. From this day forward, the mines shall no longer belong to the Nanzhao royal court. All those who labor here shall be free citizens. We shall share the land, the food, and the money; there shall be no unfairness, and no one shall go hungry or cold. Heaven and earth shall be restored to their former glory, and the Five Virtues shall begin anew. The old covenant is hereby abolished, and the land shall belong to the tillers! The reform of the Earth Virtue begins today!"
More than 100,000 miners responded with a thunderous roar that echoed through the canyon.
Su Yao put away the precious mirror, gazing at the bustling crowd, and thought to himself, "A new decree is proclaimed, who remembers the days of toiling and cultivating... So this is what it means."
Looking down at the 100,000 enthusiastic miners, Su Yao was taken aback. This was the "Proclaiming Earth and Raising Rebellion to Change Nature," the revolution of the Earth Virtue!
When the celestial box was first opened, there was no sign of rebellion in the strange phenomenon, which was already wrong. Now it's clear that everything is happening right now.
At this moment, Chen Hai turned around and said loudly:
"These three plays enlightened me; they deserve a reward!"
Before Su Yao could thank him, he looked at the older miner not far away:
"Master Zhang, after we killed that corrupt official, there were still several dozen ingots of fine silver left. Please go and retrieve them for me; I'll reward you handsomely!"
"Yes," the miner, addressed as Master Zhang, said and turned to leave.
Fifteen minutes later, he came carrying a tray wrapped in gray-blue cloth.
Approaching, he held up the tray and offered it to them. Chen Hai lifted the cloth, picked up a silver ingot, and handed it to Su Yao and the others.
"Everyone here has one, to thank you for washing away the dust from my heart today!"
After he finished speaking, Su Yao, Yang Xiu, Zilin, Xuan Yan Ying Qi, Ying Qi, Mo Li, and Youning, along with Lu Yu and Ziheng, remained still. The rest, including Liu Yunhe and five others, along with their guardian deities and many members of the Witch Department, all stepped forward to receive their rewards. After the last person finished, Chen Hai, seeing that Su Yao and the others were not moving, was about to scold them when he heard Su Yao say:
"Lord Chen, we few rely on this opera troupe. We may not be rich and powerful, but we can at least make a living. The rest is up to you brothers below, isn't it?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Hai Chen Hai was stunned for a long time. He then tossed the silver ingots into the crowd one by one, and the miners raised their hands to catch them. The Silver Light, illuminated by the campfire, fell like shooting stars, and each drop sparked cheers.
After the last ingot was thrown out, Chen Hai turned around and stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the platform.
The commotion of over 100,000 people had not yet subsided, and the night wind made his coarse cloth short coat flutter loudly.
He gazed at the miners below, their faces transformed by hope, then suddenly looked up at the sky and recited aloud:
"The third drumbeat silenced the myriad valleys, and the Great Proclamation was first hung in the east."
The burning of talismans has shattered the millennia-old net; the equal distribution of land has ushered in a new era.
Remove old policies, encourage agricultural work. Old agreements are all reduced to ashes in the calamity.
From now on, there will be no more wandering travelers on the Longshang Plain; ten thousand hoes and plows will be reflected in the red banners.
After reciting the poem, he lowered his head, his gaze falling on Su Yao on the side of the stage, and smiled slightly:
"Master, the play is over."
He paused:
"But the matter is not yet over. If I become emperor one day, the troupe leader will surely be granted a marquisate!"
After saying this, he first burst into laughter. Then, without waiting for Su Yao's reply, endless three-colored Proclaiming Earth light rose from his body.
What Su Yao saw at this moment was different from what Zilin and the others had described. Instead of the usual flying sand and stones, the sounds of rebellion filled the heavens and the earth!
Then countless figures of ordinary people appeared, holding farm tools, wooden sticks, mining picks, sharpened bamboo, iron rods unloaded from mine carts, or hoe handles tied to machetes—countless figures raised their hands high, lifting them up like an iron-colored forest rising from the desert.
Then, in the blink of an eye, flying sand and stones filled the world!
Then, the earth cracked, and old contracts flew through the air.
In the blink of an eye, the old land was transformed, and countless men, women, and children happily engaged in farming and labor, enjoying themselves immensely!
At this moment, Su Yao and his group were thrown into the air uncontrollably, quickly moving away from the area.
Finally, Su Yao noticed the two miners who had been closest to Chen Hai, and his once bright eyes instantly dimmed.
Then, it was as if the sky was falling!
Pavilions and towers appeared in the air, and then Chen Hai spread his arms, instantly silencing the many enthusiastic miners below.
Chen Hai raised his head, his gaze unfathomable.
Then he simply jumped slightly, and the next moment he stood in mid-air, amidst pavilions and towers.
He glanced around, then sighed. He clenched his right hand, and a brown, bowl-shaped light screen appeared. He then flipped his right hand, and the light screen descended, enveloping the canyon below and the numerous miners within.
Seeing that many miners were already surrounded, he ignored them and moved swiftly to a gate.
The plaque above is inscribed with four characters in shamanic script:
"Wuxian Longchuan!"
On either side, a pair of couplets are prominently displayed, the characters as red as new, the strokes ancient and fierce, as if each stroke is soaked in the blood and fire of High Antiquity.
The couplet reads:
"The Earth Sixfold Completion Gui, the black wine and the great soup connect the earth and the chariot."
"The Heavenly King, through five divinations, offered human sacrifices and ritual vessels to the Nether River."