Becoming a God from a Water Monkey

Chapter 1162 New Year's Day Ritual (Part 2)

"Come on, everyone, come here and receive the letter. Hey, you over there, don't make noise or push. Everyone, appoint your own village head, or you won't receive the letter."

"Yours, four letters...yours, five letters, take them. It rained yesterday, the ground was damp, the words got muddy from swimming, don't come looking for me. Hey, let me find it, what's the last name? Here it is."

Early in the morning, the military camp was bustling with noise.

The atmosphere was restless, which was visible to the naked eye.

Liang Qu, struggling to process the effects of the conflicting medicine, opened his eyes and heard a commotion outside. He lifted the curtain and followed the sound.

"General!"

At the fence, soldiers stood at attention.

The troops are organized into units, and the camps are arranged in the same way. Normally, five people live in a small tent. The five people are in the same hamlet. Several small tents are built into an octagonal central tent, which houses about a hundred people. There are shared places for eating, drinking and relieving themselves, which is convenient for dispatching and hygiene.

There were fences between the middle tents to prevent soldiers from running around. The main tent was the core area where Xu Haitao was located, and it was also the place where all the middle tents guarded and issued orders.

Half of the Zhenxiang Grandmasters reside here, surrounding the core, with each group sharing a central tent.

Liangqu is quite special.

He occupied an octagonal central tent area all to himself.

Xu Haitao set up a huge tent for him, complete with an ice platform, tables, and rosewood screens.

The beds were brand new and had no musty smell. You could move in with just your bags. There was even a small tent for Long Yao and Long Li. A ten feet outside, there was a five-foot fence. There were soldiers guarding the entrance and exit of the fence and passing messages. But it wasn't empty either, because Long Binglin, Long Yanrui, and Jinmaohu all lived there.

"What's going on outside?" Liang Qu pointed outside.

Through the gap between the two tents, you can see a platform made of several wooden crates, where a junior officer stands and shouts.

"Reporting to the General, I have sent a letter home."

"Letters from home? So many today?"

"Yes, because it was New Year's Eve, there were a lot of letters piled up, so General Xu ordered his men to hurry up and check all the letters that came in overnight, and then distribute them all this morning."

"New Year's Eve..."

Liang Qu scratched his clothes, which were still damp.

Humid and hot.

Accustomed to the distinct four seasons and the cold during the New Year in Pingyang, he could never quite grasp the seasons in southern Xinjiang. He knew the New Year was approaching, but he just didn't feel it. Thinking about it this way, it seemed that the cold weather wasn't all bad; at least it would be more pleasant to hold his wife in his arms.

"Hooray! It's born! My wife has given birth! A boy! Eight pounds and one ounce!"

"Wedding candy! Wedding candy! Wedding candy!"

The cheers grew even louder.

A soldier was tossed high into the air amidst a crowd of people, with everyone reaching out to share in the joy.

Liang Qu snapped out of his daze: "Go and see if you can find mine."

"Reporting to the general, the generals' letters are not sent along the same route, but are delivered by special personnel. However, I can inquire for the general and if there are any, I can retrieve them in advance. After all, many messengers are lazy and unwilling to make several trips a day, so they usually deliver them once every three days, or even once more."

"Then I'll trouble you. If any of my senior brothers' are among them, please bring them along for me."

"Yes!"

The soldiers ran out.

Liang Qu stood still, staring into the gap, watching the surging crowd.

After sending out the letter, the young soldier stood on the wooden platform and shouted.

"Gentlemen, General Xu has given orders that this year's situation is special, as we are still fighting against the Southern Frontier. Everyone must not let their guard down. This morning, we will conduct our routine drills and patrols. At noon, in the afternoon, and in the evening, according to your unit numbers and the batches listed here, you will collect your wine and allowances. Tonight, we will have meat, including premium meat and premium fish!"

"Roar!"

The mountains roared and the tsunami roared.

During this time, someone took the lead and started hitting shields with gun barrels, playing "Battle of the South City." At first it was chaotic, but it soon became rhythmic and so enthusiastic that it couldn't be stopped.

Finally, it was only after a higher-ranking officer intervened that the situation calmed down, and the soldiers dispersed.

Liang Qu burst out laughing.

Just then, a soldier ran up, carrying a pile of letter boxes on his chest.

"My lord, there is a letter for you!"

"So many?" Liang Qu exclaimed in surprise.

"There are quite a few." The soldier poked his head out. "When I went there, there were about ten. The earlier ones arrived four or five days ago, and the later ones arrived yesterday. The messenger was lazy and planned to deliver them at noon today."

Liang Qu took the wooden box, and the soldiers in front lifted the curtain.

Seeing this, Long Yao and Long Li put down their books and helped place them on the table.

Look at them one by one.

The first gift was actually from the Hanging Temple; Abbot Dixian was sending him New Year's greetings.

In addition to the Hanging Temple, Louguantai also sent a letter inviting him to visit Louguantai.

Then came the familiar people around me: my godmother Xu and my master Yang Dongxiong. The two of them had two letters in one box. My senior brothers Lu and Xu also had some. My senior brother Lu also had a family letter sent by his father, Uncle Lu.

In addition, there was a letter from the eldest brother Yang Xu, sent from Heyuan Prefecture, the farthest away, which was sent as early as September; the old monk wrote a short Buddhist blessing; Su Guishan told him to do well and bring back some local specialties from the southern border; and the Yue King's letter, but it was not written by the Yue King, but by Wen Shiyun, who greeted him respectfully with the respect due to a disciple.

“You’ve grown up.” Liang Qu shook his head.

He became an apprentice at the age of four, and it will soon be nine years since then.

Wen Shiyun is now twelve or thirteen years old and is gradually becoming more serious, not as fun as she was when she was a child.

All things considered, may you have a Happy New Year.

ten years.

People's memory of time can sometimes be blurry, and it's easy to get confused about what happened in which year. But Liang Qu clearly remembered that he had harvested eleven strands of red energy!
When the three days appear together, two strands appear, and the remaining one strand appears, which corresponds to ten Bing Fire days.

"Is there anything else?" Liang Qu looked up and asked out of the blue.

But Long Eying cleverly understood the meaning: "There are only two treasure fish left, shall we stew them now?"

"Just leave the two fish for now. Let Otter do the processing, cut them into fillets, boil one portion, and make a sauerkraut dish. We'll invite everyone over for dinner tonight."

"Listen to you."

"Hey."

Communicate with Zeding.

[Owner of the tripod: Liang Qu]

[Refine Ze Ling: Water Ape Great Sage (Orange) (Fusion Rate: 60.5%)]

[Water Essence: 1.78 million]!
Inside the cauldron, blue tides rippled, and a unique turquoise stream flowed, leaving behind a blue-bodied, white-eyed spirit fish with colorful scales.

Ascending to Immortality in Thirteen Years.

"With a fusion level of less than 70, how come it must be at least at the fifth or sixth tier?"

With his five fingers clenched into a fist, Liang Qu faced south, as if his golden eyes could penetrate the camp and see the southern border and Pandong.

Prepare everything you can, including Martial Saint, Escape Path, Demon King, Great Merit, and Fusion Degree.

Plans can't keep up with changes.

Liang Qu originally planned to fight against the dragon in the Jianghuai region, sending the Frog King and Turtle King as vanguards, giving them his favor, while he would sneak up behind and steal the dragon pearl, absorbing all its essence. It was a perfect plan, but who knew that chaos would break out in the southern border region.

It turns out.

The Martial Saint and the Demon King are the focus of the world's attention. A single move can have far-reaching consequences. It is almost impossible to conduct business behind closed doors. If they want to launch a surprise attack on the Southern Frontier to stop the chaos, the truth that the White Ape is not dead will inevitably be exposed.

He could certainly continue to hide, relying on his advantage as the number one person under the Heavenly Dragon and the attrition of the Southern Frontier. However, not to mention the one-third of Lingnan that had fallen, the matter of his revival in the spring was like water flowing downhill, seemingly unstoppable.

After being resurrected, the dragons were blessed and immediately learned that the white ape was not dead. At most, it had not transformed and did not have the "stone in the river," and its exact location was unknown.

With the situation in the south remaining unresolved, Jiaolong had more time to prepare himself mentally. The day he was to leave the river was drawing ever closer, and the opportunity was becoming increasingly rare.

No turtle, a swift and decisive battle in the southern border, catching the dragon off guard.

Everything has proven that we've reached a critical juncture.

This is an opportunity, a small one, but it has a greater advantage than any foreseeable period of time, in the years to come, compared to the previous decade.

Resurrected from the dead, greatly increased favor, stronger... all sorts of strange signs are like guiding lights and the bullseye, making it impossible for the dragon not to be tempted.

Exhale the foul air.

"Moving the relocation from the Jianghuai region to the southern border might not be such a bad thing..."

"Ah Shui, I'm here! Where's the letter?"

Xu Zishuai's voice came from outside the tent.

……

The hot pot was bubbling away, almost boiling dry.

Outside the camp, the atmosphere was chaotic, with soldiers singing and howling like ghosts.

Otter opened the water bottle and asked if we needed more water. Xu Zishuai patted his belly and waved his hand, looking around: "With just us here, there are no blessings this year."

Liang Qu reached out and grabbed an orange: "My master and mistress are not here, and no one has said anything."

"Just say something."

"Me?" Liang Qu was taken aback and looked around.

Dragon Man, Dragon Woman, Xu Zishuai, Lu Gang, Xu Yuelong, Ke Wenbin, Xiang Fangsu... all looked at him.

"Go ahead and say it. You're the boss here. It's your way of doing things. Say whatever you want." Ke Wenbin crossed his legs and picked his teeth. "Don't worry about us."

Am I the biggest?
Liang Qu chuckled, picked up his teacup, and pondered it several times.

"Then... we'll perform the ritual of dismemberment on New Year's Day to ward off the plague with carbuncles!"

On New Year's Day, is the ritual of dismemberment performed to ward off plague and carbuncles?

The crowd pondered for a moment. This is an ancient saying and a custom. "Zherang" means to dismember and exorcise evil spirits, and "zhu" means to slaughter livestock. In ancient times, hunting animals and blood sacrifices were used to drive away disasters and evil spirits. It is quite appropriate to use it in Lingnan.

"That's interesting, isn't it? Okay, let's finish this quickly and call it a day. I don't want to stay in southern Xinjiang for even a day longer." Ke Wenbin raised his glass. "Then let's perform the New Year's Day ritual to ward off the plague!"

"Very well, let us perform the ritual of dismemberment on New Year's Day to ward off the plague with carbuncles!"

The cups clinked, and drops of liquid spilled.

Laughing heartily.

……

rainwater.

With alternating periods of cold and warmth, the air becomes increasingly humid.

The Rain Water solar term has three phases: the first is when otters offer fish as a sacrifice; the second is when wild geese arrive; and the third is when plants begin to sprout.

Sacrificing fish means taking fish to offer as a sacrifice to Heaven, which is called the jackal's way of repaying its roots.

Otters do not eat fish immediately after catching them. Instead, they arrange the fish together as if performing a human sacrifice before eating them.

In reality, this is a moral lesson that people impart after birth.

Liang Qu believes that the truth is simply that otters are too good at catching fish, and after catching them, they often eat a bite or two and then throw them away, resulting in a lot of leftover fish piling up.

But Otter felt that this was a misunderstanding of the otter clan by the gods. After learning the story of the otter sacrificing fish from Long Eying, it insisted that its previous purpose in doing so was to perform a sacrifice, and that it should not forget the customs left by its ancestors just because it had gained intelligence.

So early in the morning, Otter Kai led his family of otters down to the river to fish. Holding large fish in their paws, they walked in a row with square steps, their expressions respectful as they went along the ridge of the field.

The people of Lingnan believed that a sorcerer was performing magic, skinning people with otter skins and wrapping them around their bodies to turn them into livestock. They dared not go into the water to fish that day and ordered their children to stay away from the water.

[The fusion level of the Water Ape Great Sage has increased, receiving the blessings of heaven and earth, and the favor of the river has increased by 4.9779]

River Dominance: 0.5 (Favorability: 38.7038)

[Owner of the tripod: Liang Qu]

[Refine Ze Ling: Water Ape Great Sage (Orange) (Fusion Rate: 69%)]

[Ze Ling's Favor: Martial Arts Divine Realm Level 6 (River Lord Emperor); Yinglong Pattern: Level 6; Tianwu Yu Pattern: Level 2]

[Innate Skills: Water Rhythm, Overturning Rivers and Seas, Divine Might, Expelling Water Disease, Summoning Wind and Rain, Stopping Wind and Rain, Stabilizing Fog, River Chasing, Stealth, Spirit Transformation, Vortex Blade, Strong Defense, Vortex Armor, Turbulence, Blood Rain, Blood River, Dark Tide, Water Dragon Lock]

[Innate Divine Abilities: Water Travel Across a Thousand Miles, Nether Sea Prison, Whirlpool Palace, Sky-Supporting Pillar, Water Dragon Piercing Through Clouds, Whirlpool Escape Path]

[Commanding water beasts...]

[Water Essence: 80,000]

[Dragon Aura: Two]

【The Enduring Vitality of Heaven and Earth: Part 1】

[Dew Seed: One]

[Evaluation: Born with divine qualities, blessed by heaven and earth, capable of dominating a vast swamp, summoning wind and rain, and commanding the worship of all who see it. The change of the cauldron master has caused the naturally rampant demon beasts to undergo a transformation, ultimately leading to...]

The light flashed continuously.

"call……"

His breath was long and deep, his exhalations like the wind.

After calming down, Liangqu looked inward and examined himself.

Jin's eyes trembled.

Compared to the sea of ​​clouds, the size of the fairy island is almost impossible to discern.

The size of the Qi Sea should be compared to that of the Immortal Island and weighed accordingly.

"11,460..."

The vast expanse of water and mist.

Throughout history, I wonder if anyone has ever used the words "magnificent" or "boundless" to describe their Qi Sea (energy center), but today someone has!

Even now, with a Qi Sea 11,000 times larger, Liang Qu still hasn't felt the heaviness of being on the verge of his limit.

"That day it wasn't seven thousand, but ten thousand. The advance payment for the great merit should be over one thousand five hundred, right?" Liang Qu guessed.

Unfortunately, cause and effect cannot be reversed.

The fusion level is 69, just short of 70. The remaining 80,000 essences are not enough to fill the gap, leaving a shortfall of 120,000. I might as well leave some as a reserve.

Looking down, there weren't many seeds left.

This particular piece in Ze Dingli was produced during the spring and summer seasons. Logically, since autumn and winter have passed, a second piece should have appeared by now.

"Could it be that the southern border is summer all year round, so there is none?"

Ultimately, the knowledge of the dew-seeding method comes from General Yuan of Pengze. General Yuan was in Pengze because Pengze has four distinct seasons, which is conducive to compiling the "Twenty-Four Solar Terms".

It's a bit of a pity.

But losses are acceptable.

One seed won't make a difference.

One can take away a living Martial Saint from the Southern Frontier, whose value is more than a hundred Dew Seeds.

However, the final assessment changed again, adding the phrase "will eventually lead to..."

Liang Qu frowned.

The old Dragon King must have figured something out, but he insisted on playing the riddle-maker, saying "I still don't understand" to mess with people's minds.

With a major battle imminent, idle thoughts were useless. By circulating the "Ten Thousand Victories Embracing the Origin" technique, Liang Qu swept away all distracting thoughts.

The essence of the water is fully utilized, and the silkworm cocoon, mixed with the saliva of insects, transforms into a spirit fish.

It's complete now.

Cover your heart.

After the rain, the withered tree begins to stir again, like a tiny grass seed buried deep in the soil, receiving the water from the rain and striving to break through its seed coat.

……

Chongwang Mansion.

Prince Chong has recently taken to standing in front of the pond and feeding the goldfish.

"How's it going at the front? Any movement?"

"My lord, have you forgotten General Xu's battle report this morning? The southern border has been quiet for almost a month. The imperial court sent envoys to negotiate peace, but they made exorbitant demands. After several unsuccessful attempts, the matter was dropped, and nothing has changed."

"A month... what do you think is happening in southern Xinjiang right now?"

"They're probably waiting. A hasty attack would be disadvantageous. They can only wait for the mayfly to collect the aura of the Marquis of Xingyi. That way, they'll have a better chance of winning."

King Chong laughed: "I guessed so. Do you think they'll be able to wait that long?"

The steward was ashamed: "Master, you're putting me in a difficult position. I have some experience in managing the government offices, but how could I possibly predict the major events in the world?"

"Tell me, what are you afraid of?"

"I guess... I won't be able to wait."

"Oh, why?"

"If the Marquis of Xingyi is not making a move, and if he is worried about this matter and about his own potential being exploited, he should not remain indifferent. He should make more disturbances, just like in Ha Long Bay, to secure the credit and keep it in his hands."

"Isn't it normal that Marquis Xingyi has no room to maneuver because Qinzhou has a Martial Saint?"

“That’s plausible,” the steward said helplessly. “Master, please don’t make things difficult for me. As you just said, how could I possibly have guessed?”

……

"Hey……"

In the outpost canyon, the fat catfish sighed.

The pufferfish standing nearby asked with concern, "Big Black Fish, what's wrong? Is something on your mind? Why did you only eat three baskets of fish today? Is it not to your liking?"

The fat catfish shook its head and gazed into the distance with its negative fins.

What happens here is not something that outsiders should discuss.

The gods once commanded it to find another demon king to help it seize the throne. Time flew by, and with the great battle imminent, it had no clue what to do. It had truly failed the gods' trust. Just thinking of the little mirage dragon's mockery made the fat catfish clench its whiskers and feel a chill run down its spine.

Think about it.

The fat catfish stopped the porcupine and asked for advice.

The porcupine pufferfish, having traveled from the sea to the lake and journeyed far and wide, must surely know the heroes of our time. Please point them out.

The pufferfish flapped its fins repeatedly: "How can a pufferfish recognize a hero?"

He was not fat enough, and his long beard pointed and gestured.

Don't be so modest!
The porcupine was uneasy, pondering the fat catfish's meaning: "The porcupine is blessed with good fortune and has been granted a position in the royal court. There are truly many heroes in the world that we do not yet know."

"I have heard of his name, though I do not know his face!"

There was no way to refuse.

The porcupine, gritting its teeth, asked, "Iron Head of Huaibei, with ample provisions and soldiers, could he be a hero?"

"Today we sit as equals, tomorrow we will be subjects of the demon court."

"General Peng Zeyuan, who lived for thousands of years; now he occupies the central region, can he be considered a hero?"

"General Yuan is fierce in appearance but cowardly in courage, good at planning but indecisive; he is afraid of losing his life when it comes to great things, but he will risk his life for small gains: he is no hero."

The porcupine said helplessly, "Apart from this, the Dragon King is the most outstanding water deity in the world."

The fat catfish shook its head. The Dragon King was dead, and no hero.

"Your Excellency is mistaken. There are three Dragon Kings in the world, and one of them still exists."

(End of this chapter)