Wet viviparity

Chapter 889: Legal decree, funeral ceremony
"Mysterious altar and precious steps, blessed land and grotto heaven."

The mysterious altar and precious steps, precariously reaching the edge of the fierce winds; the blessed land and grotto heaven, brightly illuminating the moonlit cave village.

The two Daoist disciples sounded the Dharma drums, while the central True Man held up the jade seal. They proclaimed the "Save from Suffering Sutra" and began expounding the "Chapter on Concentration and Wisdom."

Three times the banners were raised, and talismans flew; once the heavens were visited, all bowed in reverence. Incantation water was poured, and candlelight shone brightly into the heavens; the steps of the Big Dipper were performed, and smoke billowed across the open fields. Offerings of three sacrificial animals and five grains were presented before the altar; on the table, fine wine and precious grains were offered.

The mountains were silent, and the clouds hung low.

On that day, a light drizzle fell, like smoke and mist, enveloping the thousands of peaks.

On the altar atop the main peak of the blessed land, black flags hung in rows and white banners fluttered gently, creating a solemn and serene scene.

The altar is built in three tiers, following the contours of the mountain. The top tier is paved with jade sand and has eight eternal lamps arranged around it. The flames of the lamps are fixed and do not flicker, reflecting the light off the fine sand. The middle tier is filled with one hundred and twenty spirit banners and prayer flags. Each banner is embroidered with talismans of the Southern Stars in silver thread. When wet by rain, they faintly glow. The bottom tier is made of rammed yellow earth, with forty-nine peach wood stakes driven into the altar. The top of each stake is engraved with secret texts, and the bottom of the stake is driven three feet into the ground to suppress the evil spirits.

At 9:00 AM, the bell tolls five times.

All the immortals and Taoists in the Three Peaks and One Mansion were dressed in black crowns and white robes, standing solemnly according to the eight trigrams.

An offering table was set up in the altar, upon which were placed: a mountain-shaped incense burner, from which wisps of smoke rose and transformed into the shapes of dragons and snakes; a jade water bowl filled with sweet dew, upon which floated seven pure lotus petals; thirty-six cinnabar talismans stacked like a pagoda; and three scrolls of lost books on plain silk, with fresh ink on them.

Why couldn't we be a little more conciliatory?

A thin pair of lips moved slightly; it belonged to a Taoist priest located in the southeast Xun position.

His voice echoed only in the Xun position, reverberating in this place filled with the sons of various clans, echoing in the ears of one after another. When the voice went beyond the Xun position, it immediately stopped.

"The higher authorities could have informed us first and then announced the reform decree during today's memorial ceremony, but they didn't. They insisted on using an iron fist and treating us like enemies. Gentlemen, are we prepared to follow in the footsteps of the Qian, Zhang, and Mi families?"

In the Xun position, everyone remained unmoved, while the sons of the Qian, Zhang, and Mi families looked grim.

At this moment, two disciples from the upper palace squeezed into the Xun position, grabbed the Taoist who was speaking, tied him up neatly, and took him away from the Xun position.

Throughout the entire process, not a single clan member in the Xun position made any unusual move, not even blinking. However, the atmosphere was clearly tense. The Taoists in the other Qian, Kun, Kan, and Li positions all focused their attention on the Xun position.

At this moment, a clear and melodious chime was heard, and Master Lu Zhenjun, the leader of the Taiping Sect, slowly ascended the altar.

Holding a demon-subduing fan, he stood before the altar, unfurled the Book of the Dead, and chanted incantations aloud. Among the spirit banners and sutra flags on the middle level of the altar, the two elders of the Dragon and Tiger, Master Xuanying, Lizhu, Fuding, and the Taoist priests from the eight directions below responded and bowed, chanting the scriptures in unison.

Voices converged into a torrent, piercing through the rain curtain and echoing in the deep mountains of this blessed land.

At this moment, the rain became slightly heavier, like thousands of silver threads hanging from the sky, damp and splashing on the primordial spirit power that separated the Taoists. Only the sound of chanting and rain could be heard in harmony, like the low murmur of heavenly music.

"What are you afraid of?" From the Xun position, another pair of lips moved, their voice trembling, whether from excitement or fear, they said, "We will eventually fight them, why bother chanting sutras for their salvation here."

In the Xun position, all who responded to him were people with lowered and solemn expressions; not a single clan member dared to respond to him in such a setting.

"Nonsense, who ordered him to do this?"

In the Xun position, the people at the front are representatives of various clans, and they communicate with each other through their primordial spirits.

"It might be Long Meizi. Ever since he was chosen as a son-in-law by Jiang Sou Long Gong, he has been cultivating in Jinbi Shuifu for more than two hundred years. Although he has not returned home for a long time, he has always been extremely respected and noble to the Bo family of Shuiying Temple."

"Everyone, please don't make wild guesses. No matter how dissatisfied Long Meizi is with the Upper House today, he would never arrange for someone to openly sabotage this ritual."

“By the way, Mi Gu, you are also a kindred spirit of Long Meizi. You should know that he has many fervent followers among our families, especially now that we are facing internal and external troubles. This fervor will ferment and spread everywhere.” “Shut up, I’m not familiar with him.”

"Shangguan Yun, why are you so absent-minded today?"

You're usually the most supportive of the government, but you still couldn't stop the people on the mountain from attacking us.

"At this time, the upper echelons must have sent people to try and win you over. Don't forget your son is with my family, your sister is with the Bo family, and your grandmother is with the Yang family. We've exchanged hostages to ensure our alliance remains stable."

Just as everyone was speaking, a voice that had never spoken before transmitted through their minds, "What if... what if these people... these people were planted by the Upper Palace through some means!"

"impossible."

An elder clan leader categorically denied it.

“The sounds from here absolutely cannot travel beyond the Xun position. We will not allow such a thing to happen, and the Upper House must be aware of this as well. So what is the point of them doing this? People in other directions simply cannot hear what is being said here, nor can they incite them against our clan.”

In the end, everyone realized what was going on.

This could be a test, a test of whether the clan would truly tolerate such resistance.

Clearly, while these clan leaders feared the iron-fisted methods of the Upper Palace, they only isolated the voices from the Xun position and did not stop the radicals within the clan from speaking out. This was also a form of resistance against the Upper Palace—encouraging the growth of hatred.

"Don't panic, we..."

"Take him down!" A clan leader shouted in a panic, pointing at the clan member who was "spreading rumors." In an instant, many people moved, seven or eight hands grabbed the man and smashed his mouth. This commotion attracted many onlookers.

"How stupid!"

Shangguan Yun lowered his head deeply, thinking to himself.

"From Lu Zhenjun to Lingxu Xiaosheng, they are both people with strong Dao and powerful Qi. If it were just one person, perhaps the clan's descendants could see the light of day in getting the upper government to compromise at a great cost. But these are two people, two legendary figures, two people who have surpassed the achievements of their ancestors."

At this point, anyone with even a little spiritual cultivation, and a basic understanding of the significance behind the achievements of the True Lord and the Lesser Saint, wouldn't become fanatical. After all, everyone can distinguish between sacrificing oneself and dying.

The minor incident in the Xun position quickly came to an end, and the solemn and heavy atmosphere returned.

The immortals remained silent with their eyes lowered, and the chanting of scriptures grew even more sorrowful. Among them were young disciples who had just experienced a great calamity, and their emotions were still unsettled, with slight sobs.

Suddenly, an old Taoist priest sang, "O soul, return to see the green mountains!" Taoist priests from all directions responded in unison, their voices resounding through the mountains and forests. In the rain, blurry figures gradually appeared, lined up in the misty air—the souls of the Taoist soldiers from the Taiping and Qinglu camps, moved by the chanting, gradually transformed into specks of green light, rising like fireflies, and disappearing into the wind and rain.

The ritual lasted for three days and nights.

At midnight on the last day, the rain stopped and the clouds parted.

Ji Ming, sitting on the lotus platform beside Lu Zhenjun, received the message, and the others also sensed it, and the chanting stopped.

"The calamity in the south has ended, and the righteous path has been restored."

However, evil spirits are easy to exorcise, but inner demons are difficult to subdue.

"Given the current chaotic state of performance evaluations at each branch altar, with a mix of good and bad, this decree is hereby issued: From this day forward, all examinations for the promotion and registration of Daoist practitioners shall no longer be conducted independently by each branch altar. Instead, the Supreme Court shall dispatch True Persons and Underworld Judges to each branch altar for evaluation."

(End of this chapter)