Pre-Qin Mythology: Starting with the River God

Quan Ming held the "Returning to Elder Brother's Vessel - Cloud Register Booklet" in his hand.

He used this booklet to perform a spiritual practice.

Soon, a voice could be heard coming from the Wu Clan Ancestral Hall in the State of Song.

Intermittent...

It was only after Quan Ming activated the Xuan Bird Seal and contacted the Song Kingdom's Dao Tian Queen in the guise of an ancestral god that a divine thought finally came back with a response. It turned out that the Wu clan was holding a sacrificial ceremony.

The Wu clan is holding a routine ancestral worship ceremony for its many ancestors.

In Quan Ming's view, among the not-so-abundant offerings, hundreds of faint spiritual offerings took flight and were accepted by many of the Wu clan's ancestral gods, including him.

Meanwhile, the patriarch of the Wu clan, an old man, bowed down and began divination using a tortoise shell.

The tortoise shell was inscribed with divination text. Quan Ming glanced at it and found that it was asking about a small matter... It was because the princess of the Song state was going to marry the crown prince of the Sui state, Feng Bei, and was to be his wife. At this time, a concubine was needed to accompany her. This clan's daughter was the first choice for a concubine, so it fell to the Wu clan, which also belonged to the Zi clan.

pity……

Because the matter was so trivial and the offerings had very little spiritual power, none of the ancestors were willing to respond.

The tortoise shells used for divination showed no divine response.

Upon seeing this, the Wu clan patriarch's eyes flashed with disappointment and shame.

It wasn't that he didn't want to use good offerings, but...

Ugh!

The Wu clan's influence in the Song state had waned, and they had long lost their former glory.

In the Song region, since most of the people were descendants of the Shang dynasty, they had shared the ancestral gods for hundreds of years. This led to the powerful ancestral gods paying little attention to their clan. Even their direct ancestor, Wu Ding, had lost much of his prestige and rarely appeared in the world due to the passage of time.

The Wu ancestors who recently died were not worth mentioning in their lifetimes.

Even after death, they cannot become any kind of immortals or gods. Even if a trace of their true spirit is forcibly retained through sacrifice, it will be difficult to protect the clan.

...If precious offerings could be used for a grand ceremony, it might enhance the power of these ancestral spirits.

But what did the Wu family ever have?

Ugh!

The clan chief Wu prepared to take out the tortoise shell and then arrange for the clan to prepare the dowry according to the established rites.

Upon seeing this, Quan Ming's eyes flickered.

[The Vessel for the Eldest Brother - Cloud Register Booklet]: Contains sacrificial rules, which, according to different rituals, enhance the effect of bestowing blessings.

He looked at the cloud-patterned booklet.

The above shows the different degrees of blessings brought about by different sacrifices.

Naturally, there are blessings bestowed upon a daughter's marriage. These blessings can enhance her fortune as a woman, ensure she bears children, avoids death, and bring peace, health, and harmony to her household...

Without hesitation, Quan Ming used a trace of the spiritual energy from the offering to leave patterns on the tortoise shell, conveying these sacrificial methods so that the Wu clan chief could choose for himself. After all, different blessings required different offerings, which would be a considerable expense for the Wu clan at present.

It all depends on whether Wu is willing to use her resources for this woman.

Ok?

The Wu clan chief was startled to see the tortoise shell tremble.

A man following behind the clan chief, who had been looking worried because the ancestral god had not responded, now widened his eyes and his face lit up with joy.

The other members of the clan who came to participate in the sacrifice were also delighted.

and also……

The woman who was about to be married was also staring intently at the tortoise shell in the fire pit, nervously clenching her sleeves... It was obvious to everyone that the Crown Prince of Sui would be the next ruler of Sui, and Sui was a great power, so one could imagine the future prospects of this Crown Prince.

However, concubines were no different from servants in front of the principal wife.

This Song royal woman was ruthless. Even if we shared the same surname and country, she would not have an easy time... This is why no women from the major families of Song accompanied her, and the spot ultimately went to her.

She can't escape it.

Now, all we ask for is our ancestors' protection so that she can live, or at least not be implicated in any baseless accusations against the family.

"Tick-tock!"

Fortunately, our ancestors responded!

Soon, the Wu clan chief, who was standing to one side, saw the divination and knew the outcome of the sacrifice.

Can……

The smile on his face faded considerably, and he could hardly suppress his embarrassment, because although the divination indicated good fortune in the sacrifices, the required offerings were becoming increasingly precious.

It would be difficult for the Wu family.

In particular, the divination mark bears the name "Zhaoyang Jun," indicating that the sacrifice must be made only for this ancestor. This would inevitably cause dissatisfaction among the other ancestral deities... It's a real dilemma.

"Clan chief?"

The clansmen stepped forward, puzzled, and asked, "What is the divination? Will Zishu find peace and prosperity in the Sui Kingdom?"

When the clansmen asked and pressed for details, the clan chief could only give a general account of the divination.

This left the clansmen speechless.

The woman named Zishu also looked dejected. Seeing everyone's predicament, she forced a smile and said, "Uncles and elders, there's no need for this. Zishu knows the situation at home, and I have no reason to refuse this concubine position... I think that as long as I comply with that clan lady, out of consideration for our shared clan, I believe it won't be too difficult for her to become a wife..."

Wiping away her tears, Zishu had resigned herself to her fate.

Zishu's father clenched his fists and finally said sadly, "Clan leader, let's put this matter aside for now, and... I hope the clan leader can allow me and my daughter to return home, so we can talk a few more words in the next few days."

……

Quan Ming watched this scene with a calm expression.

He knew that this was the helplessness of women in this world. Of course, compared to the misery of ordinary women, the women of this clan were already... well, at least they were pampered for the first ten years or so. Even if they married as concubines afterward, they would most likely not go hungry, suffer from poverty and cold, sell their possessions for food, or endure humiliation and a life worse than death.

"etc!"

But then the clan chief gripped the tortoise shell tightly in his hand and said in a deep voice, "Perform the sacrifice!"

"Although our Wu clan has declined, even a starved beast still has meat... It deserves a sacrifice, it deserves a sacrifice."

As he spoke, the clan chief coughed a few times.

He explained, "It's been so long since our Wu clan has formed a marriage alliance with a powerful family... In this Song Kingdom, we're almost forgotten. But this time, choosing our Wu clan is an opportunity, even if it's slim, it's better than having no hope at all."

"Sui Kingdom...if Zishu can have a son and a daughter for the Crown Prince."

"When our Wu clan can no longer stay in the Song state, perhaps we will still have a way out."

"Matsuri... take the things out of the storehouse!"

"..."

The Wu family's situation was known to all their members.

The clan leader is old. Once the clan leader is removed from his position as a physician, the Wu clan will surely decline and must relocate far away from the Song capital. Otherwise, they will be devoured by wolves and tigers. Even if they can leave safely, they will likely suffer heavy losses, or even be left with nothing.

If Zishu could gain some status in the Sui Kingdom.

perhaps……

They could send some of the Wu clan's descendants to the Sui state, rely on Zishu, and establish a small clan to preserve their bloodline.

Thus, the sacrificial ceremony was established, and no one questioned it.

……

……

Quan Ming did not withdraw his divine sense, but watched as Wu Shi took out her treasured items, gathered all the clansmen in the limited space of the family home and ancestral hall, and took out their savings to offer sacrifices to him...

They chose the most solemn and demanding sacrificial ceremony.

His request was also very simple: he hoped that Zishu could live a peaceful life until the new ruler of Sui succeeded to the throne, bear children for the ruler, have a certain status in the Sui Kingdom, live out her old age in peace, and have the spare power to protect one or two members of the Wu clan... that would be enough.

hum!

To Quan Ming's surprise, among the offerings that Wu presented was a special piece of wood with Daoist patterns on it. It resembled a Daoist artifact but was not quite one; it was more like a legendary spiritual object.

This object contains spirituality!

If he can absorb it, his divine position in the Song Kingdom will also be greatly enhanced.

However, Quan Ming did not do that.

The State of Song is still far from the State of Chu, so he does not need to establish any power base there.

On the contrary, if the Wu clan could take root in the State of Sui, or even move there, it would be of great benefit to their ancestor!

……

……