Mythology Returns! Starting with Folklore and Strange Tales

Chapter 124 The Holy Flame Shines Brightly, the Holy Flame Glorifies

These gods, though called agricultural gods, are all, except for the Locust God, who symbolizes insects, and General Liu Meng, who are half-wild gods who were forcibly added and squeezed out the status of the insect gods in the later evolution of the pantheon. The others are the orthodox agricultural gods passed down from ancient times.

However, during the Later Jin dynasty, in order to suppress the Yanhuang faith, the court intermittently canceled the worship of the Eight Wax Gods and instead promoted General Liu Meng, which gradually diminished the presence of these figures.

This tactic has been used in every dynasty.

However, the Later Jin dynasty did the most extreme and the most.

Of course, for every person who falls, there is someone who rises; this applies to humans as well as gods.

The cat-tiger god was likely preserved because of the rampant rat infestation, but the Later Jin dynasty couldn't find a suitable replacement.

Even if they did, the other side might not necessarily do it. After all, rats held a very high symbolic status in the Later Jin Dynasty, whether it was the shamanistic beliefs brought from Liaodong or the status of Tantric Buddhism. They were too busy praising them to dare to suppress or exterminate them.

Having confirmed that the cat god's rituals were still functioning properly, Zhang Wei turned and left the temple.

There was no other reason; it was simply that he didn't have the corresponding offering.

Although the Incense Offering Spell can help him unconditionally initiate the sacrifice to the gods, its effect is only to open the encyclopedia and provide detailed information. If you want a reward, you have to offer a sacrifice first. You can't expect to get something for nothing, can you?

First, go to the starving people and see if they have any remaining salt grains. If not, then we'll be in a lot of trouble.

Fortunately, the starving people, lacking food and water, dared not eat salt, an essential seasoning, and thus still had some reserves.

Having saved himself the trouble of going to the city to buy or to find water to catch fish, Zhang Wei returned to the temple and placed a pinch of coarse salt on the table. He then added some dried fruit and candied fruit that he had taken from the temple earlier. After fetching a bowl of water with a talisman, he lit incense, bowed three times, and inserted it into the incense burner that had been lifted up.

Wisps of smoke curled and slowly disappeared into the face of the cat god.

As the stone-carved cat god exuded a vibrant and spiritual aura under the glow of incense, subtitles appeared before Zhang Wei's eyes.

The newly awakened cat-tiger statue

After a simple yet lavish ritual, the dust-covered statue regained some of its spiritual power.

【Effects: Sacrifices can be offered during busy farming seasons, the four solar terms, or when rat infestations are severe. In the month of Jianhai (December) each year, a grand sacrifice can be held in conjunction with the other eight gods.】

Current residual offering effect: Moonshadow Black-eyed Golden Tiger betrothal gifts completed, Tanuki companion by my side.

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Okay, okay, I'm talking about the city gate tower, and you're talking about the hip joint.

I'll offer incense and perform a ritual for you. Even if there's no reward of magic or ability, Zhang Wei won't mind just a temporary effect within a silhouette.

But what do you mean by saying the betrothal gifts have been agreed upon?

He did know that cats used to have a high status in people's homes, especially during the Song Dynasty when the custom of hiring cats as servants reached its peak.

Lu You's poem "Gifting a Cat": "I welcomed this little cat with salt, and it guards all the books in my mountain retreat. I am ashamed of my poor family and meager salary, for I have no felt mat to sit on in the cold and no fish to eat."

Simply put, people in the Song Dynasty regarded bringing a cat home as a very important matter, like getting married, and had to give "betrothal gifts"—of course, people have their betrothal gifts, and cats have theirs.

Humans are like gold and silver, while cats are like a certain amount of salt or fish.

There are specific customs associated with giving salt and fish. If the kittens are born to the owner's cat, then salt should be given to the owner. However, if the kittens are born to stray cats or cats sold by cat dealers, then small fish should be strung together and given to the mother cat as a sign of respect.

While we may know this, the offerings to the gods and immortals are inherently random, and what they offer depends entirely on their preferences.

The three sacrificial animals are the widely circulated standard version, but they are generally only performed by the royal family or government officials.

While such practices exist in folk customs, they are rare. Even when they are held, officials or celebrities preside over the ceremony, and ordinary farmers are not qualified to use such precious sacrificial offerings as the three sacrificial animals. However, with the changing times and the decline of the pantheon, in modern times, as long as ordinary people have enough wealth, they can use not only the three sacrificial animals but also more elaborate offerings, entirely according to their own wishes.

In addition, the different gods and immortals have different preferences, so the offerings also vary slightly.

For example, the Kitchen God's meat and cooked food, the Earth God's grains, the Fox Spirit and the Yellow Immortal (official deity)'s chickens... In addition, some people ask for jade, some for wine, fish, straw mats, spices, gold and silver, and so on.

Zhang Wei was caught completely off guard by the information gap.

By the time I saw the subtitles and realized what had happened, it was too late.

I was forced to buy and sell!

As Zhang Wei was inwardly complaining, he saw the cat-tiger statue that was beginning to show signs of life suddenly crack open, revealing a glossy black fur underneath the loose stone pieces.

As the creature inside the statue shook its body violently, the already shattered outer stone layers were flung away, revealing a black cat that was as long as an adult's arm when it was just sitting down. It was completely black and had eyes like coal.

Although he was taught by the neighbor's dog, the sight of this pure black cat with its sleepy eyes appearing in front of Zhang Wei was still quite eye-catching.

As soon as it appeared, the cat showed an exceptionally affectionate expression.

With soft moans and low snoring, she took a few steps across the offering table and came to Zhang Wei. She nestled her small head in her arms and gently nuzzled him, occasionally looking up. Her clear, dark eyes revealed a deep and affectionate look.

Its nimble tail wrapped around Zhang Wei's wrist before it even came down, pulling his right hand as if to let him stroke it and scratch it.

It's a classic example of a kitten bewildering two-legged creatures.

Half-heartedly, he placed it on the table, and Zhang Wei's expression changed, a barely perceptible smile curving his lips.

You know what, it feels really nice to have this fluffy, chubby stuff.

Especially its soft meowing, coupled with its pitiful look of rubbing against you and begging for a hug.

Even though Zhang Wei himself wasn't a cat lover, he couldn't help but soften his heart.

However, despite his soft heart, the black cat that jumped directly out of the statue, especially with its special name of Moon Shadow Black Eye Golden Tiger, made Zhang Wei a little unsure for a moment.

They could only look back and seek advice from their prospective master.

"You clever little thing, you're willing to give up this divine position, aren't you afraid that if things don't go well, you'll be trapped in this cat's body for the rest of your life?"

Although there was no one behind them, the familiar voice reached Zhang Wei and Jin Sihu's ears directly.

Somewhat bewildered, Zhang Wei looked at the golden tiger in his arms, which suddenly stiffened for a moment, then immediately became obedient and cuddled gently against him. His already chaotic thoughts became even more abstract.

Although the transformation from a rare breed of spirit cat into the Cat-Tiger God himself surprised Zhang Wei even more.

But at this moment, the prospective master's words rang out again: "This is the convergence of the spirits of the Cat-Tiger God's statue in this world."

Perhaps they saw your talent and decided to serve you, or perhaps they simply couldn't afford to continue in this stalemate, and decided to take a gamble!