chewing dragon

Chapter 262: Gods retreat without any taboos
After expressing his feelings, Lishan Guangye quickly regained his composure and put a smile on his face again.

"Brother Haojiao knows that although most of the ghosts and ghosts mentioned in the folk songs of our ancestors no longer exist, the old ones will not go away and the new ones will not come. With the growth and decline of wild nature and the changes in human nature inside and outside the royal capital and even the entire Daqi, they inhabit this place. The spirits in the city are also quietly metabolizing and renewing. Today, both the number and variety are far greater than those of the past, and it is no longer possible to describe them all in just three or five songs."

"Fortunately, the legacy of the previous kings has been orderly and the virtues of the ancestors have continued uninterrupted. In recent years, most of the newly spawned spirits in the royal capital are close to humans and attached to humanity, and there are very few who blatantly wreak havoc and harm others."

Qi Jingzhi frowned: "Even so, there are still many hidden dangers in the city where the common people live mixed with countless spirits. They are not comparable to the wealthy families and cultivators. Once they encounter evil spirits and cause trouble, they may not have time to report to the government and the demon-suppressing authorities. If you ask for help from the hospital, won’t you just end up innocently being killed?”

The boy remembered very clearly that Hou Changqi, the Dianshi of Songling County, lived in the capital of the country. There was a book ghost in this man's house, causing trouble in the family.

Lishan Guangye was stunned for a moment, and then he laughed dumbly: "I almost forgot that Brother Shi grew up in Linzhou since he was a child."

"Speaking of which, because of the old case of buying a mountain, the wild nature of Linzhou's mountains and rivers has declined in the past hundred years, and most people may not have seen a ghost once in their lives. This is certainly a good thing, but it is also for this reason that many taboos passed down from ancient times have "Although the custom has not been completely lost, it is not taken seriously by people."

"For example, officials and people in many states and counties will inscribe the four characters 'stones are like' on bluestone and place them in the streets and at the door of their homes to ward off evil spirits. However, this is rarely seen in Linzhou today. After all, it is not suitable for ordinary people. For me, buying stone inscriptions is a big expense. Since it’s the same whether you have it or not, who is willing to spend this unjust money?”

"As for those ordinary wealthy households who are not even poor, even if they are willing to spend money to decorate their facades, they have only half-knowledge and only build bluestones with inscriptions into the walls. Moreover, they do not know the four words 'stones are as diverse as each other' Why did he throw it away and change it to something like 'General Shi is here'."

Based on this discussion alone, Qi Jingzhi knew that Lishan Guangye was by no means a simple person. Even if he was sent to Linde Pavilion in Huaide County, Linzhou by Duke Lu, he was not as "just" as he once mocked himself. Staring during the day and counting stars at night."

He immediately asked in surprise: "If the wall is made of bluestone and the words 'General Shi is here', won't it have the effect of warding off evil spirits and suppressing evil spirits?"

"Actually... there are some."

Lishan Guangye scratched his head, his face became strange: "Speaking of this stone like..."

"One of our ancestors in Da Qi once had a King Xiang. He did something inappropriate with his sister when he was in power. After the incident, he sent the clan prince Peng Sheng to kill him. Then King Xiang killed Peng Sheng to silence him. That Peng Sheng was unjust. Unexpectedly, it turned into a resentful ghost that looked like a big wild boar, and attacked King Xiang's chariots when he was out hunting. King Xiang was angry and shot at it with his bow. The big wild boar was not killed by the arrow, but stood upright and began to cry."

"In the chaos of war, King Xiang suddenly fell from his carriage and injured his foot. He quickly left his guards behind to resist Peng Sheng. He ran back to the palace with only three of his closest subordinates. Because of the chaos on the road, he even lost his shoes. As for the three subordinates who escorted him back, one was a servant named 'Fei'; one was a favored minister named 'Meng Yang', and the last one was a military minister with a reputation for bravery, namely 'Shi Zhi'. It's like that."

Hearing this, Qi Jingzhi couldn't help but glance at the little fat man, but he didn't expect that this guy would dare to openly talk about the late king in front of the capital.

Lishan Guangye was a little confused by what he saw, and even his voice became a little weaker unconsciously: "When King Xiang returned to the palace, he thought he was out of danger, so he vented his anger on the three subordinates with the lowest status. Fei's servant, that is, Fei, asked him to hand over his shoes. If he couldn't hand over his shoes, he would whip Fei until he was covered in blood."

"This poor servant had to go out of the palace to look for it, but he ran into the rebels launched by the clan at the palace gate. Fei pretended to surrender, used the wounds on his body to win the trust of the rebels, and took the opportunity to return to the palace to inquire about the news. King Xiang warned, and he returned to the palace gate to delay, but was discovered by the rebels, and unfortunately died in the battle inside the palace gate."

The ancient history told by Lishan Guangye was very ups and downs, fascinating, and obviously undermined the late king's reputation and virtue. Qi Jingzhi, a mountain boy with no family heritage, had naturally never heard of it, and he was fascinated by it for a while.

Just listen to Lishan Guangye continue: "The rebels invaded the palace in large numbers. The military minister Shi Zhifen, who was responsible for guarding, fought like a man at the gate and refused to retreat. In the end, he died in front of the palace, with his blood spilled on the stone steps. The minister Mengyang put on King Xiang's clothes and lay down on King Xiang's bed, but was hacked to death on the king's bed by the rebels who swarmed in."

"They are all loyal ministers and righteous men!"

Qi Jingzhi sighed, but couldn't help but curiously asked: "Is Prince Xiang finally out of danger?"

Although he asked this question, he was actually not optimistic about the fate of Prince Xiang. Otherwise, no matter how bold Lishan Guangye was, he would not dare to talk about this kind of thing openly.

In particular, King Xiang's rebellious behavior clearly offended the public. Even the clan members openly sided with the rebels. The other officials and generals seemed to have disappeared. From the beginning to the end, only the three close subordinates of King Xiang were guarding King Qin. So much so that the rebellion was so successful that it seemed ridiculous.

Hearing this, Guangye of Lishan shook his head as expected: "King Xiang had injuries on his feet and no shoes. His body was hidden, but his feet were exposed. He was eventually killed by the rebels. After that, the rebels established a The king and his grandson don’t know.”

"Wang Sun Wu Zhi is a member of the Jiang Qi clan. According to the lineage of the ancestors of Da Qi, King Zhuang gave birth to his eldest son King Li and his second son Yi Zhongnian. King Li also gave birth to King Xiang. Wang Sun Wu Zhi is the son of Yi Zhongnian, that is, the grandson of King Zhuang and King Li. Nephew and cousin of King Xiang."

"The surname is Jiang, the Qi family, and the given name is Wu Zhi. Because of the blood of King Zhuang flowing through his body, he is distinguished and distinguished, so he is called Wang Sun Wu Zhi."

"When King Li was on the throne, although King Xiang was the undisputed crown prince and heir, Wang Sunwu didn't know that this nephew was the most favored by King Li, and all the ceremonial expenses were the same as that of the crown prince, King Xiang. Therefore, After King Xiang ascended the throne, he tried his best to suppress Wang Sun Wu Zhi, but he did not expect that he would eventually die at the hands of this person."

Listening to Lishan Guangye talking about this king and that king, Qi Jingzhi gradually got a taste of it, and couldn't help but guess: "Wang Sunwu didn't even have a king's title, and he couldn't have the last laugh even if he thought about it? "

Lishan Guangye nodded again: "Wangsun Wuzhi killed the king to seize the throne, and his foundation was unstable. He was killed by rebellious ministers after only two months in power. After that, King Huan, who was also a cousin of King Xiang, heard the bad news and hurriedly came from overseas. Only by rushing back can the chaos be brought to order and great unity restored."

"So that's it!" Qi Jingzhi couldn't help but sigh.

Qi Jingzhi was quite familiar with the last mentioned King Huan in Lishan Guangye, because even a mountain man like him in a small county had grown up hearing about the great reputation of this late king, but he did not expect that Huan There were such twists and turns before the king ascended the throne.

"Well, King Huan is the cousin of King Xiang and Wang Sun Wuzhi. This means that Jiang Qi's orthodoxy has been transferred from one room to another. The original direct lineage has been reduced to a branch lineage, and the former small sect has become a large sect... ..." "Hiss... No wonder Lishan Guangye mentioned Prince Xiang and Wang Sun Wu Zhi not only without any intention of shying away from it, but even with a bit of excitement and joy. Hum, this guy is only thinking about splitting up the sect and starting a new life, one day The small sect of the Lishan clan has surpassed the large sect of the Li clan, so I must be very envious of King Huan in my heart!"

With such thoughts in his mind, Qi Jingzhi looked at Lishan Guangye with deep meaning.

Seeing this, Lishan Guangye seemed to realize that his thoughts had been seen through, and he quickly said haha: "Oh, I was so quick to speak that I couldn't stop talking, and I went off topic!"

"Let's go back to Shi Zhi Fanru. At this time, let's look back at the rebellion in which Wang Sun Wuzhi killed King Xiang. In the end, in addition to King Huan, Shi Zhi Fanru also benefited."

"Among the three subordinates who died protecting King Xiang, the servant Fei and the favored minister Meng Yang were certainly loyal, courageous, brave and resourceful. However, the former falsely surrendered to the rebels and was convicted of the clan, and his identity was also unknown. Too humble, the latter pretended to be King Xiang, dressed in king's clothes, and died on the king's bed. This was also a big taboo, so both of them were accused of various crimes afterwards, and were regarded as treacherous and scheming to deceive the king. Villain."

"Only the military minister Shi Zhifanru did not do any unnecessary things, always adhered to his duties, and died generously in front of everyone. He was an undisputed loyal minister and was unanimously respected by all parties. In Under this situation, the stone was as pure as blood and the heroic soul was still intact, and it actually became the spirit of the stone steps in front of the palace, and was named the 'Stone Divine General Guarding the Palace' by King Huan."

"For this reason, the bluestone inscription in Linzhou called 'General Shi is here' certainly has the effect of warding off evil and suppressing evil spirits, but it is not as clear-cut as the four words 'Shi Zhi Fenru'. Instead, the bluestone is built into the wall. The way to do it... Hehe, instead of placing General Shi at key points such as street corners and doorways, he would instead assign him to guard the courtyard walls. This would definitely be overkill, and it would be more or less disrespectful..."

Qi Jingzhi nodded silently after hearing this.

I still remember that when I was in Chaozhou City, Mu Yingxian, who came from afar, had speculated based on past experiences that Shi Zhifenru was the ancestor respected by the stone spirits of Qi.

Qi Jingzhi just listened casually and did not think about going into details, but he did not expect that behind these four simple words, there was such a touching past event.

However, Mu Yingxian's statement is not wrong. Although Shi Zhifanru was originally a human, he had entrusted his jade-blooded heroic soul on the stone steps of the palace, and was conferred a divine status. He naturally became a god close to the king, and his status Even the three-eyed stone doll, who is regarded as the God of Daishan, is far from being comparable to his respect, let alone the naive and silly Shangulang under the three-eyed stone doll.

Lishan Guangye could not have guessed that Qi Jingzhi was thinking about a certain beautiful girl. Seeing that this cheap brother was silent, he spoke to himself: "Let's talk about the changes in Linzhou's customs. In addition to the variety of stones, Wang There are many things that the people of the capital rely on when facing spirits, among which the most widely spread one... is far away in the horizon, but very close in front of you, brother, please look up and take a look!"

Qi Jingzhi was interrupted from his thoughts and subconsciously looked up, only to see that at some point, the Jimen, which looked like a beast's kiss and was located at the south end of the west side of the royal capital, was already in front of him.

The two characters "Jimen" above the city gate are particularly conspicuous, and above these two characters, there is also a huge talisman carved impressively.

In addition to all kinds of mysterious and incomprehensible lines on this talisman, there are four bright and golden characters in the center: "Wu Chengsheng King!"

There are small characters on both sides, and on the right it says: "Heaven and earth are boundless, Yin and Yang are boundless."

On the left is: "There is no limit to the year and month, and no limit to the day and hour."

Looking at this stone-carved talisman, Lishan Guangye, who even dared to speak openly about the past king's past, turned his face serious and bowed far away.

"According to the ancient custom in the capital, on New Year's Eve every year, this talisman must be posted on the lintels of screen doors, living rooms, halls, etc. to protect the lintels. Ordinary spirits will not dare to offend them easily."

"In addition, before cutting mountains, cutting trees, breaking ground, or starting construction and repairs, this talisman must be written on yellow paper and affixed to the place where the ground is broken to ensure safety."

"This is what the saying goes, when Wu is destined to live in this world, the gods will retreat; while the Holy King will look after him, there will be no taboos!"

Qi Jingzhi also saluted the talisman, with a hint of helplessness and anxiety in his tone: "You must also know that Linzhou also has this custom, but in the middle of the talisman it says 'Jiang Taigong is here', although Similar to 'General Shi is here', it's also a bit ridiculous, but it should...can also protect the lintel, right?"

Hearing this, Lishan Guangye finally couldn't help laughing out loud: "Tai Gong Jiang is the Holy King of Wucheng! This title is full of affection from the inside out. The Holy King has blessed and protected his descendants. The human race will probably not mind."

Hearing what Lishan Guangye said, although Qi Jingzhi felt it was a bit absurd, he couldn't help but breathed a sigh of relief, and most of the worries that emerged in his heart due to the change in Linzhou customs dissipated.

With Taigong Jiang's care, he would ask Senior Ban Ban and Lao Mandrill to take more care of them. Even if the wild nature of Linzhou's mountains and rivers gradually reappears, the people of Linzhou will not encounter any catastrophe.

After Lishan Guangye laughed, he became serious again and said seriously: "Whether it is the ancestral legacy of Wucheng Saint King or the blessing of heroic souls in the stone, after all, it is just an external force and cannot be foolproof. This is like a door. Adding two locks can only stop gentlemen and petty thieves, but it will not work once you encounter a big thief who holds an open fire and has no scruples."

"Hey, if I could put up a talisman and set up a square of bluestone, I would be able to sit back and relax, and the king would not rebuild Gouchen Courtyard!"

Qi Jingzhi couldn't help but nod after hearing this. Judging from what he has seen and heard in the past six months, Daqi is generally peaceful. However, once a major event like the Jiuzhen County Incident occurs, ordinary people will have no power to resist. Able to leave oneself to fate.

Thinking of this, the young man couldn't help but be aroused by Lishan Guangye: "Just as the old city god said that day, Gouchen Courtyard is indeed a place where heroes use force and heroes spread out! The ancestors and ancestors have not yet completed their full contribution. The brilliant humanitarian cause should be continued in our hands!"

(End of this chapter)