Dao Cheng Gui Xian

Chapter 204 The Difference Between the Divine Path and the Village Elected King Kong

Li Wushou witnessed the entire process.

It feels like taking your pants off to fart.

Wouldn't setting a fixed amount of offerings achieve the same effect?
The old beggar told him that this was setting rules!

The divine path in the Land of Misfortune is actually different from the divine path outside.

By establishing various rules, the gods and the incense offerings in the restaurants here will become more pure.

This will not only strengthen their divine foundation, but also make their degree of alienation less severe.

At the same time, it also makes it easier for them to break through to the realm of gods, because a unique rule and ritual can even allow gods to break through the limitations of the land and descend with divine avatars.

Therefore, when the priests and messengers of the Land of Misfortune go out, they can truly represent a god, because they can directly invite the god through rituals.

However, outside the Land of Misfortune, the divine paths of local deities, such as the City God, are mostly forbidden, except for a few who are allowed to establish rules. This is because the divine paths there are controlled by the immortal paths.

The immortal sects will not allow those with too strong a foundation to become members of the divine path.

Those in the divine path are merely tools for the immortal sects to manage the mortal world.

Most deities who have completed their rituals at the mountain gate are only allowed to establish their own restaurant rules after ascending to the position of a celestial deity.

This is also one of the reasons why the divine beings outside the Land of Misfortune are able to refine incense from the people of the Land of Misfortune.

Li Wushou nodded thoughtfully, gradually beginning to understand the old beggar's words that the underlying nature of the two worlds was different.

The distinction between the divine and the divine is likely one of the many underlying factors involved.

Just as Li Wushou and the old beggar were having a heart-to-heart talk, the ancestral divination ceremony in Wuhe Village was nearing its end.

Once it was determined what the seven ancestors of the He family would eat, how they would eat it, and when they would eat it, the He family had completed half of their rent collection from Wuhe Village. The other half was simply waiting for Wuhe Village to deliver the confirmed offerings to Daishan City.

Ding Youwei took the opportunity to ask about food from the first and second ancestors of Wuhe Village.

This time, it wasn't as complicated as the seven ancestors of the He family. Ding Youwei simply led a group of villagers to kneel before the pottery jar and ask questions.

They didn't pick and choose between the two earthenware jars; they nodded in agreement with whatever Ding Youwei said.

The last person took two sheep and an elderly man from the village who was nearing the end of his life.

It was said that he was about to die of old age, but Li Wushou understood at a glance that it was just a superficial statement. If he were truly well-fed and clothed, he could easily live for another ten years or so.

However, it is a tradition in Wuhe Village for those who have lived past the age of 60 to make offerings to their ancestors.

If too many people reach the age of sixty in the same year, then it depends on the thoughts of the First Ancestor and the Second Ancestor.

If the eldest and second ancestors want to eat together, then they should eat more this year; otherwise, they should save it for later.

Li Wushou disliked this way of village worship, but he did not stop it; it was their village's own choice.

Thus, the village festival in Wuhe Village came to an end. Although it seemed grand, it was nothing more than a ceremony to take advantage of the He family's rent collection.

However, the old beggar said that the first and second ancestors of Wuhe Village were doing much better than the Paper Goddess had been. It was just that the village was a bit smaller. If the number of people who worshipped them was the same as the number of people who worshipped the Paper Goddess, the Paper Goddess might not be able to defeat them.

Village festival ends
Ding Youwei directed the villagers to send the two village ancestral gods back to the ancestral hall.

They also instructed that the offerings to the village's ancestral gods be sent along with the offerings.

These two village ancestral gods are not particular about anything; they have been hungry for a long time and now they just want to eat the offerings.

Ding Youwei and the other villagers stayed at the village entrance. There was another important matter to attend to today: the young master of the He family was selecting a protective amulet.

Ding Youwei respectfully approached He Shan and his son, bowed, and asked for their permission:

"Honorable sir, Wuhe Village has prepared three guardian deities for you. They have all been raised according to the proper procedures. Would you like to make a selection now, young master?"

The impatient teenager next to He Shan suddenly perked up at the words and sat up straight.

From the age of twelve, members of the He family's direct lineage can choose their own guardian spirit.

Two years ago, his older brother had chosen one and directed the guardian spirit in his backyard to perform a rock-splitting act for him, which he had envied for a long time. Now, he can finally choose his own guardian spirit.

Overjoyed, he jumped up from his seat and shouted at Ding Youwei:
"Then what are you waiting for? Shout it out now!"

His eagerness made He Shan frown and glance apologetically at Li Wushou beside him.

"Fellow Daoist Li, my son Wuju is so unruly, I'm sorry you had to see that."

This was originally a self-deprecating remark. A normal person would greet him with "Not at all, not at all," and a tactful person would then take the opportunity to praise his son's good qualities.

He enjoyed this feeling, as it demonstrated his refinement and allowed him to experience the flattery of others.

Unexpectedly, Li Wushou, who was standing to the side, nodded in agreement after listening, and replied indifferently:

"It doesn't matter!"

Now it seemed he truly had failed in his duty of disciplining his children. He Shan's smile froze slightly. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Li Wushou, then turned to Ding Youwei and instructed him:

"Bring it up!"

Ding Youwei gladly accepted the order.

Li Wushou sat in a chair, drinking tea with a calm expression.

Just as the two village ancestral gods left, Li Wushou simultaneously raised his camera, trying to see where they were hiding.

Although he could understand and respect the village's choice of ancestral gods, he felt that having two village ancestral gods was still too many.

He picked one and ate it, leaving one just right.

Unexpectedly, they not only saw the dwelling place of the village ancestral god, but also the three potential guardian deities mentioned by Ding Youwei.

The three boys, roughly the same age as He Shan's son, had ashen faces and somewhat thin bodies. Li Wushou glanced at them and immediately saw that they had ingested too much silver liquid; their blood was already as thick as ink, and they were clearly on the verge of death.

But the families of these three children surrounded them with great enthusiasm, constantly cheering them on.

Sacrificing a child to improve the quality of life for the entire family is something that some people despise, while others flock to it.

They were not unaware of the child's destiny as a chosen guardian.

They simply chose the latter!
The old beggar insisted that he was a human being. Li Wushou often felt that he was, but he was also often confused because he found that he often couldn't understand people. The more he looked, the more complicated people seemed to him.

He couldn't describe how he felt, but he certainly wasn't in the mood to ponder He Shan's little schemes.

The crowd dispersed, and the three children were led to the open space.

Faced with the scrutiny of the He family father and son, they were somewhat timid, but they tried their best to stand tall and show their best side.

From a young age, they had a goal: to become the guardian deities of the He family, possessing superhuman strength to improve their family's life and repay their parents for raising them.

After looking at the three children, He's son casually pointed at the middle child and turned to He Shan beside him, saying, "It's him!"

He Shan had no objection. These three children were indeed being raised according to the He family's secret methods. Once they returned, his son would carve inscriptions and talismans with his own blood, and they would be able to be refined into protective guardian deities. In fact, it didn't matter which one he chose.

A cheer erupted from the crowd. The parents of the chosen child were overjoyed, while the other two families were devastated.

Running for the Guardian Angel was a huge gamble, and they lost it. Not only did it not improve their family's life, but it also cost their son their life.

Because they ingested too much silver liquid and failed to be chosen as guardian deities, they will die soon.

The guardian spirit behind He Shan walked up to the three children, grabbed the middle child by the neck, and pulled him back behind He Shan and his son.

The chosen child was also very excited. He cautiously raised his head and looked at the crowd, wanting to see his family one more time.

Once he went to Daishan City to become a guardian deity, he could no longer return home, but unfortunately, his family never saw him.

However, seeing his family's happy and joyful expressions made him happy too.

As soon as he looked away, he saw the young master of the He family looking him up and down with a smile on his face. He returned the smile with some fear, but the young master of the He family smiled even more.

Seeing that the matter was settled, He Shan didn't want to stay in this remote village of Wuhe for long, so he stood up and said to Li Wushou beside him:
"Fellow Daoist Li, I'm sorry to have troubled you to help me with clan affairs. Now that things are settled here, it's still early. How about you come back to Daishan City with me?"

Li Wushou put down his teacup, nodded, but did not speak.

He Shan smiled at this, not minding at all. It was normal for the Taoist to have a temper; he would behave himself once he entered Daishan City. He had seen many people like this before.

Turning to face Ding Youwei, He Shan offered a few words of encouragement with a kind expression:
"Village Chief Ding, Wuhe Village has done a good job this year. Keep up the good work next year."

As he spoke, he walked to the incense table and explained to Li Wushou, "Fellow Daoist Li, please wait a moment. I will first send the ancestral tablets of the Seventh Ancestor back to the Wuhe Village Ancestral Hall."

After saying this, he respectfully placed his hands on the altar, turned his head to Ding Youwei, and said, "Village Chief Ding, come with me!"

Village Chief Ding hurriedly jogged to catch up, and the villagers quickly made way for him. The two walked very fast, one after the other, until they were quite a distance away. Then, He Shan asked Ding Youwei with a serious expression:
"Explain the matter of the Ten Ancestors' divine positions in detail!"

Ding Youwei's heart skipped a beat. He knew the real show was about to begin, so he quickly recounted the events of yesterday to He Shan in great detail.

"."

Li Wushou withdrew his gaze, a slight smile appearing on his lips.

Slowly, I got up and walked to the open space in the village. The two children who were not chosen stood there looking somewhat lost. No one paid any attention to them, not even their families.

Having just failed to be selected, they had hoped to find some comfort in their families, but the disdainful and even resentful looks from their families made them feel alienated and helpless.

Do you hate your family?

The two children looked up and were startled when they saw Li Wushou dressed in a Yin-Yang Taoist robe. They then lowered their heads again.

"Your Excellency, I do not hate you!"

Li Wushou remained calm and continued to ask:

"You've consumed too much silver liquid, and since you weren't chosen, you're about to die. Don't you hate it?"

The two children, as if they already knew, shook their heads and replied:
"Your Excellency, I don't hate you, I'm just a little sad."

The voice was very soft, almost inaudible, but Li Wushou could hear a complexity beyond his years. Children from poor families mature too early and live much more tiring lives.

Without asking any further questions, Li Wushou got up and walked back into the bridal sedan chair.

The villagers who had been watching began to disperse. The two children who had not been selected wanted to go home to their families, but they saw that their families had gone home without looking back.

The two were left with no one to turn to. They wiped away their tears and squatted under a big tree outside the village, waiting for the end of their lives.

Just then, Ding Hu arrived at the village entrance in an oxcart carrying five little girls, aged six or seven.

He was to go to Daishan City with He Shan first, to prevent these little girls from being snatched away by evil spirits along the way.

As for the cattle and sheep, the village chief, along with the eldest and second ancestors, will send them to Daishan City early tomorrow morning.

When He Shan returned, he saw that Li Wushou had already gotten into the sedan chair, and knew that the other party was also getting impatient.

Without further delay, they immediately ordered the troops to set off for Daishan City.

The three cars drove further and further away, disappearing into the mist.

Li Wushou sat upright in the bridal sedan chair. With a thought, two blood seeds floated in front of him, and the Paper Goddess hurriedly bowed and accepted them.

A dark shadow rose up behind them, enveloping the paper goddess within, and was about to escape from the carriage with her when Li Wushou suddenly gave an order:

"Eat those two village ancestral gods!"

(End of this chapter)