Shushan Earthly Immortal

Chapter 341 The Imperial Carriage of the Dragon Kingdom Brings Blessings to Both Sides of the Strait (5K words, please vote with monthly tickets~)

February 17th, 468th year of the Ming Dynasty, the Spring Equinox. Auspicious for sacrifices, prayers, fasting, travel, and making alliances.

Yinchu.

While the land of China was still shrouded in deep night, at this moment, at the bottom of the Yellow Sea, the Dragon Palace was brightly lit.

Inside, Zichen Hall.

The Dragon King and Dragon Queen stood with their arms outstretched, while a dozen or so servants helped them change their clothes. These servants moved quietly and efficiently, in an orderly manner.

The Dragon King wore a royal robe and crown. He wore a twelve-tassel crown with strings of white jade beads hanging down in front and behind. He wore a black robe and a crimson skirt, embroidered with the twelve symbols of the emperor: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, pheasant, sacrificial vessels, waterweed, fire, rice grains, axe, and embroidered pattern. He wore a gold and jade belt around his waist, two white jade pendants, and red shoes.

The Dragon Consort wore a dark blue robe embroidered with twelve pairs of pheasants and phoenixes, and a crown with nine dragons and four phoenixes, adorned with pearls, jade, and golden phoenixes. She wore two white jade pendants around her waist and held a golden scepter in her hand.

Dressed properly, the Dragon King took the Dragon Queen's hand and walked out of the palace.

The palanquin outside the palace had been waiting for a long time. The dragon palanquin was painted red and decorated with gold, with a blue silk canopy. Many servants, eunuchs, female officials and guards surrounded the palanquin. At the front of the procession was Ni Wenyu.

This commander, unlike his usual scholarly demeanor, was now fully armored and dressed in military attire. He wore a phoenix-winged helmet, gold-lacquered mountain-patterned armor, carried a spear with a golden-threaded shaft, and had a dragon-and-phoenix ringed sword at his waist, with a gold fish tally hanging from his waist.

"Wen Yu looks very energetic, but I've never seen you dressed like this before."

"The Dragon King said with a smile."

Upon hearing this, Ni Wenyu laughed and said...
"The Emperor and Empress are truly radiant and awe-inspiring."

The Dragon King then laughed.

"That's right, I wasn't wearing this outfit when I established the country and took over the government."

Upon hearing this, the Dragon Princess rolled her eyes at the Dragon Lord, then smoothed his robes and said,

“You, Pinghai Jianguo, rely solely on your fists. Why are you dressed so nicely? Now that you’re visiting the sacred mountain, you should be more refined and polite.”

"Haha, what you say makes sense, madam."

The Dragon King laughed and led his Dragon Consort onto the carriage.

Then, led by Ni Wenyu, the imperial carriage left the palace and arrived at the White Jade Square outside Xuande Gate.

Above the white jade square, numerous large jellyfish, golden and red in color, floated, emitting a bright yet soft light, similar to Kongming lanterns on land, illuminating the square as if it were daytime.

Meanwhile, on the square, banners stood in rows, carriages flowed like water, and horses moved like dragons. The imperial procession was divided into square formations, stretching for nearly fifty miles.

Ni Wenyu led the imperial palanquin directly to the front section of the ceremonial procession.

The Dragon King's Jade Carriage is here. The carriage is as large as a palace, with bells hanging from its four corners. There is a corridor outside, with guards patrolling the corridor. Some hold silver spears, some hold blue axes, and some carry golden hammers. There are maids sweeping, some holding dusters, some carrying incense burners, and some holding feather fans.

The jade carriage was led by nine dragons, each twelve feet long, with scales and manes without a single blemish. The nine dragons were red, blue, yellow, white, black, purple, ochre, indigo, and crimson.

Following closely behind the imperial carriage was another carriage, adorned with four blue whales. The Prince of Leping stood outside the carriage awaiting the emperor's arrival. This imperial brother-in-law was dressed in a purple robe, with a jade belt and a golden crown, exuding unparalleled wealth and elegance.

Behind the whale-shaped chariot were a beast and a sedan chair. The beast was a red lion with yellow teeth, and the sedan chair was a sandalwood sedan chair carried by a white fish. Beside the beast, Prince Long Hong of Huainan stood solemnly, fully dressed in his armor; beside the sedan chair, the prime minister Lü Youshi looked up, holding a jade tablet and wearing a purple robe.

The Dragon King and Dragon Queen dismounted from the palanquin and entered the jade carriage. The servants, eunuchs, female officials, and guards who accompanied the palanquin followed closely behind, walking in an orderly fashion to the corridor outside the jade carriage.

Ni Wenyu also boarded the jade carriage, but did not go inside. Instead, he sat outside the door, holding the reins and controlling the nine dragons.

As a result, the Prince of Zhen, the Prime Minister, the Emperor's brother-in-law, and others also boarded their carriages.

"Get started!"

Ni Wenyu shouted with a strong voice, flicked the reins, and a thunderous roar erupted.

Then music began, and the procession proceeded.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Jinling, Yandu County.

The county government offices of Sheyang on the south bank of the Huai River and Shanyang on the north bank have been open for several months and are still brightly lit tonight.

Within the two counties, a massive force of over two thousand people, comprised of officials from the Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of War, the Ministry of Works, the three shifts of yamen runners, the salt field inspectors, and local militia, patrolled the banks of the Huai River estuary again and again.

Just after midnight, more than sixty salt soldiers from the Sheyang Saltworks Inspection Office carried lanterns and went deep into the salt flats to check and verify the saltworks households that had settled there.

"Dududu—"

A knock sounded on the door; this was the last salt-making household in Sheyang Saltworks.

The homeowner, Zhou Wang, opened the door and greeted him with a smile.

Because he spent his days bending over boiling salt and handling brine, his back became severely hunched, and the splashing brine while boiling salt also caused his eyes to become somewhat cloudy.

Despite having been knocked on the door countless times over the past few months, and this time it was the middle of the night, Zhou Wang showed no impatience or complaint. With his already hunched back bent, he invited the person in.

The salt sergeant leader, Xu Shou, didn't stand on ceremony and went straight inside. He carefully examined every corner of the house, making sure that only Zhou Wang's mother, wife, and two children were inside, and that no outsiders were hiding there, before walking out. He reached Zhou Wang's side at the door and said...

"It's about time to set off. Be careful walking at night. Don't be stingy with the candlelight. If you fall and die, that's a small matter. But if you bring bad luck to the celebration, your whole family can't afford the consequences!"
"There's another thing: when you go to the river, you must wear the clothes and shoes issued by the yamen. You can't be reluctant to wear them, you can't wear tattered clothes, and you can't go barefoot. It's the same principle: if you freeze to death, that's a small matter, but if you lose face for our Sheyang County, that's a big matter. If I see your family going out in tattered clothes, I will come to your door tomorrow and take back the clothes that were issued to you!"
"Finally, when we get to the river, no shouting or running around. Keep an eye on the children. Do you understand?"

"I understand! I understand!"

Zhou Wanglian agreed, he was tired of hearing those words.

Xu Shou nodded and left. It took him almost an hour to check all the salt-producing households. He called his brothers to hurry home, bring their wives and children, and head to the riverbank. Although the salt soldiers were now hereditary and looked similar to military households, they were still "servants" but not "military," and their household registration was still in the local area. This meant that the salt soldiers could also go to the riverbank to see the Dragon King this time.

"Master, I never thought that we poor folks could also benefit this time, to meet the Dragon King and absorb some of his divine energy."

Xu Shou's apprentice, Zhang Shun, looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, dark-skinned and thin, like a mischievous monkey. After patrolling all night, Xu Shou's face showed signs of fatigue, but Zhang Shun remained energetic.

"Remember to bring your old mother along. You're right, seeing the Dragon King will bring some divine energy. Your old mother has been blind for many years, and maybe this divine energy will cure her. But you'd better keep a close eye on her when you're walking at night."

Xu Shou instructed him, saying that he genuinely liked this clever and filial apprentice.

Zhang Shun nodded, then asked,
“Master, in previous years, when there were any major events, we were all ordered to stay at home and not go out. It was always the wealthy gentlemen who watched the excitement. This time is really strange. Only the locals are allowed to greet and send off the guests.”

Xu Shou smiled upon hearing this.
"I don't really understand this either, but I heard from the inspector that there are many rules for the Dragon King's travels. It seems that there is a saying about avoiding evil spirits. Only those of us who are born and raised by the water are less likely to offend the Dragon King."

"Think about it, the Dragon King is bringing his family and all his officials ashore as guests. We'll definitely welcome them, and we'll give them a grand welcome. If the shores are too deserted, the people of the Sea Kingdom will think we're not happy. So, the fact that outsiders aren't allowed to get close only benefits us poor locals."

By this time, there were no outsiders around, and the salt soldiers had all dispersed to go home. Only the master and apprentice were traveling together. Zhang Shun, being bold, asked directly...

"How did the inspector know that? I heard that the inspector likes to go to Linhai Temple to pray for peace. Did he hear it from the Taoist priests at Linhai Temple?"

Xu Shou patted his apprentice on the back of the head.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?!"

However, after saying that, Xu Shou nodded slightly and whispered,

"But that should be the case. Besides, if it weren't for the Linhai Temple suppressing the county government, we wouldn't even have the chance to see the gods. Changing one's registration and impersonating someone else is such a simple thing for those rich gentlemen. But this time is different. If someone really impersonates someone else and offends the gods, the gods won't care whether you're rich or poor."

Zhang Shun, still curious, asked...
"But Master, would immortals be afraid of us mortals causing trouble?"

Xu Shou slapped him again.

"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?!"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Ugly time.

The moon sets behind the western mountains, and the Big Dipper points east.

On the banks of the Sheyang River, at the Danding Temple, one hundred specially selected disciples were fully dressed and ready to go.

Although he knew that no one dared to make a mistake at this critical juncture, and the process had been rehearsed countless times, Abbot Liu Wenfeng of Danding Temple still meticulously checked the attire and ritual implements of each disciple to prevent any possible oversights.

He knew this opportunity was hard-won. In accordance with the decree of the Shangqing General Altar, the imperial carriage landed on the sea. The Shangzong Sanyuan Palace was responsible for the guarding of the 400-mile stretch of the Huai River upstream from its mouth. His own Taoist temple was the closest to the coast, which is why it was given the first place and was responsible for the section at the mouth of the river.

This is a critical juncture that everyone is watching closely; we cannot afford to make any mistakes. As long as we do not make any mistakes, it will be a great achievement.

"set off!"

After verifying that everything was correct, Liu Wenfeng waved his hand, and the group left the Taoist temple under the cover of night, flying towards the mouth of the Huai River.

At the estuary, the river surface was still pitch black, but the banks were already dotted with lights, and Taoist priests dressed in Shangqing robes were scattered along both banks.

Liu Wenfeng glanced around and saw that all the secular Taoist temples under his jurisdiction in Yandu County—Linhai Temple, Qingxi Temple, Gubai Temple, Lingying Temple, Baiyun Taoist Temple, and Meiwu Taoist Temple—had arrived. He nodded in satisfaction.

"Hold the lamp!"

he ordered.

Therefore, the disciples of Danding Temple, who occupied both sides of the Huai River estuary, offered up their three-colored glazed lotus lanterns, which shone brightly and illuminated the estuary, making the Huai River sparkle.

Liu Wenfeng looked at the lotus lanterns with delight. These were bestowed by the Upper Sect specifically for this welcoming and guarding mission. Once this matter was over, the Upper Sect wouldn't be stingy enough to take back the magical artifacts; these things would remain in the temple. This was a complete set of magical artifacts, excellent for setting up formations. They could be used to guard the mountain gate or to unleash fire against enemies.

"...You all take the 'Mirror of the Hidden Cave' and carefully examine the area within ten miles of the riverbank to ensure that there are no lost mortals, no lurking demons, and no strangers of unknown origin."

"...You and your disciples from the local Taoist temples should keep an eye on the condition of the mortals. Make sure they have prepared the warming talismans beforehand, and don't be stingy with distributing them now. Although it is the Spring Equinox, it is still cold in the mornings and evenings. Welcoming the Dragon King is for good luck, so let's avoid any unspeakable incidents."

"...Wait for me..."

Liu Wenfeng issued a series of commands, and the disciples scattered in all directions.

"Who!" He suddenly produced a magic mirror and shone it on a spot on the Huai River where the water was shimmering with unusual light.

"Master Liu, please do not worry. I am Song Ruifeng, a clerk in the Imperial City Guard, and I belong to the third clerk in the West Wing. Master, we met a few days ago."

Under the reflection of the mirror, a man with a red brocade turban and dressed in black clothes flew out of the river, stood on the water, and greeted Liu Wenfeng with clasped hands.

Liu Wenfeng recognized the person, his expression relaxed, he put away the magic mirror, flew over, and greeted them with a smile.
"Song, you've worked hard these past few days."

Song Ruifeng waved his hands repeatedly.
"It's a real hassle for you, Daoist Master. I was patrolling the riverbed when I noticed the surface suddenly brightened, so I came up to investigate. I didn't expect that Daoist Master Liu and your disciples had already arrived."

Liu Wenfeng nodded.
"Arriving early allows for better preparation and puts our minds at ease. This is a major event for both our families and a grand occasion for the entire Daoist sect. I've lived most of my life and never imagined I would actually see the Dragon Lord Xinglu one day."

Song Ruifeng smiled and nodded in agreement.

"None of us expected this."

"Time will be running out, won't it?"

Liu Wenfeng asked.

"It's almost done. The imperial procession from the Dragon Palace has been fully assembled."

"Alright, shift supervisor, let's all do our jobs, do another check, and we'll talk again later."

"Exactly that."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Maochu.

The moon sets and the stars disappear; dawn breaks in the east.

"Whoosh-"

On the surface of the Yellow Sea, a gentle tide rises, and a breeze caresses the face, making a soft, whistling sound that, together with the sound of the tide, seems like a prelude.

"Buzz—whoosh—"

Liu Wenfeng's eyes widened as he looked eastward. This long and peaceful rhythm was definitely not the sound of tides or wind; it sounded like the sound of a conch shell.

"Boom—boom—boom—"

Three drumbeats sounded, vast and majestic.

"clang--"

This is the sound of a bell; only the Yellow Bell can produce such a high-pitched and clear sound.

The Dragon King's imperial procession is coming!
Liu Wenfeng, who had lived for two decades, was surprisingly feeling a little nervous at this moment.

The Taoist priests and ordinary people on both sides of the strait also heard the sound and stood on tiptoe, craning their necks to see.

"Ling—Ling—Ling—"

Make up the sound of chimes.

"Hush—whoosh—"

Phoenix flute and dragon flute.

"Ah, it's 'Taihe'!"

Liu Wenfeng felt the rhythm becoming more and more familiar, and after hearing the flute, he finally confirmed the name of this ritual music, and a smile appeared on his face.

"Taihe" is a Taoist melody, and a grand ceremonial piece. It requires many ancient instruments and is extremely difficult to perform. I was only fortunate enough to hear it when I was young and received my ordination at the Sanyuan Palace and celebrated the 2000th anniversary of the founding of the Shangzong. It seems that the Huanghai Kingdom's landing this time was very sincere.

Next up should be Ling Tao, Liu Wenfeng thought, he remembered it very clearly.

"Shh—shh—shh—"

Sure enough, the sound of rattles and drums mingled with the sound of the tide.

"Boom—boom—boom—"

Three drumbeats followed, but this time they were louder and more emotional than before, as if urging something on.

"Wow—"

It is the sound of the ocean splitting apart, and also the sound of the wind rustling the banners.

Near the mouth of the Huai River, a huge flag broke through the sea and slowly rose.

The flag was a hundred feet long and over thirty feet wide, with a blue background and an embroidered image of a green dragon soaring through the clouds. The dragon was so lifelike that it seemed as if it would burst out of the flag at any moment.

Next came the Fire Dragon Flag, the White Dragon Flag, the Black Dragon Flag, and finally the Yellow Dragon Flag. All five dragon flags were held by golden-armored giants fifty feet tall, who walked on the water as if it were flat ground.

Following the Five Divine Dragon Flags, there were also sun flags, moon flags, cloud flags, thunder flags, rain flags, wind flags, and so on, like waves and a forest. Even when the Five Divine Dragon Flags had entered the Huai River, flags were still being raised on the sea.

The vanguard flag formation entered the Huai River, the flags fluttering like a continuous, colorful cloud, with dragons on them seemingly soaring. Then, a light blue wind mixed with raindrops flew from the flags and fell to both banks.

"It's sweet!"

The dewdrops landed on Zhang Shun's lips. He took a sip and then exclaimed in surprise.

Without needing to be reminded, Xu Shou also felt it. On such a day, the wind and rain hit his body, but he didn't feel cold, only warm and comfortable. He even felt that the fatigue from his patrols day and night had disappeared at this moment.

"Shun'er!"

The woman next to Zhang Shun called out.

Zhang Shun thought his mother was cold, so he quickly took off his clothes to put them on her.

But at this moment, Zhang's mother didn't make any groping movements; instead, she cupped Zhang Shun's face in her hands.

"Shun'er! You've grown so much!"

Zhang Shun stopped moving, stunned, staring blankly at his mother.

"Mother, can you see now?"

Zhang's mother nodded repeatedly, tears streaming down her face, mingling with the raindrops on her cheeks.

Zhang Shun knelt down with a thud and shouted.
"Mother!"

Zhang Shun clung to his mother's legs and wailed loudly. Then, as if realizing what was happening, he quickly turned to face the Huai River, kowtowed towards the flag-bearing shrine, and shouted,

"Thank you, Dragon King! Welcome, Dragon King!"

At the same time, Zhou Wang straightened his back, Li Gui's limp was cured, Zhang Lan's tuberculosis seemed to have disappeared, ...

Immediately afterwards, both sides of the Taiwan Strait were abuzz with excitement.

"Thank you, Dragon King! Welcome, Dragon King!"

"Thank you, Dragon King! Welcome, Dragon King!"

"..."

Cheers and shouts of gratitude filled the air.

As Liu Wenfeng felt the gentle breeze, his expression changed. After tasting the sweet dew, he was even more shocked. Everyone said that the Yellow Sea was rich, but he never expected it to be this rich.

This is clearly a combination of the "Gentle Rain Transforms into Power" and the "Gentle Breeze Dispels Evil Power"—two celestial forces—formed together!
If I had created the talisman seed using those two Heavenly Dippers in the first place...

Liu Wenfeng chuckled, banishing the absurd idea from his mind. Such an opportunity was probably rare even within the main altar. Moreover, the gentle breeze and nourishing rain refined by the Sea Kingdom were just right, basically only effective for mortals. While cultivators might feel refreshed and comfortable from eating the wind and drinking the dew, it had little effect, let alone collecting and refining it.

However, regardless of the circumstances, it was ultimately the people living along the river under his jurisdiction who benefited, and the Dragon King's actions were indeed magnanimous. Moreover, as Liu Wenfeng looked at the families lining the riverbank to see the Dragon King, many children among them leaping and laughing in the wind and rain, a thought suddenly struck him:

Perhaps this year we should open our gates wide and recruit more disciples.

"Thank you, Dragon King! Welcome, Dragon King!"

Thinking of this, Liu Wenfeng also shouted with a smile.

The flag formation stretched for miles, going upstream, followed closely by the music formation entering the Huai River.

Liu Wenfeng looked closely and saw:

There were fifty people in the metal department, twenty of whom struck the special bell and thirty of whom struck the chime bells; there were seventy people in the stone department, ten of whom struck the special chime stones and sixty of whom played the chime stones; there were sixty people in the leather department, forty of whom beat the thunder drum and twenty of whom shook the spirit tambourine; there were thirty people in the silk department, twenty of whom played the zither and ten of whom played the harp; there were fifty people in the bamboo department, forty of whom played the phoenix flute and ten of whom held the dragon flute; there were thirty people in the gourd department, all of whom held the sheng and played it; there were ten people in the wood department, five of whom struck the zhu and five of whom brushed the yu; there were ten people in the ritual implements department, each holding a conch shell.

There were also sixty-four singers, divided into four groups, singing.

"In the beginning was the Way, and the primordial chaos was divided. Heaven was strong and Earth was yielding, Yin and Yang were intertwined. The stars revolved around the North Star, and the wind blew from the South. This auspicious music was shared with the divine ruler..."

Liu Wenfeng listened with rapt attention.

"Boom!"

Another thunderous sound rang out, this time seemingly resounding in people's hearts, making their hearts skip a beat.

At that very moment, a crimson sun rose slowly in the east. Before the red sun, nine dragons of different colors leaped out of the sea and pulled up a magnificent golden palace, which stood in the center of the sun.

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(End of this chapter)