Baicang River, Biyue Bay.
It is called Biyue Bay because the Baicang River makes a big turn and the river water creates a fertile land at the bend.
This piece of land is shaped like a crescent moon and was originally covered with green wormwood. It looks green from a distance. This is why it is called Biyue Bay.
As more and more silt was added, Biyue Bay became larger and larger. The land here was fertile and attracted a large number of people.
In less than two hundred years, Biyue Bay has gathered more than 100,000 people to form Biyue Township.
This name sounds very elegant, but in fact the people living here are farmers who grow crops.
However, those who live by the Baicang River must worship King Jinlin.
Every year on March 3rd, the birthday of King Jinlin, five pairs of boys and girls are presented.
At first, the farmers in Biyue Bay were reluctant. But a flood hit that year, not only did the crops fail, but hundreds of people were drowned. Because of the failure of the crops, more than a thousand people starved to death that year.
After this lesson, the farmers in Biyue Bay learned their lesson and started to offer sacrifices on the first and fifteenth day of every month. They would also prepare five pairs of boys and girls early on for birthdays.
It's not just Biyue Bay. All the large rural towns on both sides of the Baicang River have to pay tribute to King Jinlin.
Every village town has a witch who can communicate with the Golden Scale King and convey his will.
This kind of witch has a very high status among the people, and no one dares to mess with her.
King Jinlin has a huge influence on both sides of the Baicang River, an influence that even far exceeds that of the government.
No one here dares to say bad things about King Jinlin, and no one dares to disobey King Jinlin's orders.
Over the past few hundred years, offering sacrifices to the Golden Scale King has become a tradition. On the third day of the third lunar month, a lively sacrificial ceremony is even held.
There are people beating drums and gongs, watching drama troupes perform, and people setting up stalls to sell various small items, snacks, etc. It is even more lively than the Chinese New Year.
As for the sacrifice of ten boys and girls, no one cared except their families.
On the third day of March this year, Biyue Bay held a birthday celebration for King Jinlin as in previous years.
A large shed was built near the river, with a paper statue of the Golden Scale King placed in it.
The frame of the statue is made of bamboo, and is covered with colored paper and gold foil. It looks golden and majestic.
There is a long wooden altar in front of the statue. Due to years of use, the altar is covered with black marks from incense ash and charcoal burns.
The ceramic incense burner was cluttered with all kinds of incense sticks, as well as pig heads, cow heads, sheep heads, various cakes and candied fruits, and other offerings.
Tens of thousands of people knelt in front of the statue in the dark, kowtowing and chanting prayers under the command of the witch.
It was impossible for so many people to be in order, and the scene looked chaotic. Only a small group of people in the front could barely keep up with the witch's command.
On one side of the altar, ten boys and girls were placed in closed bamboo cages.
These children were only about five or six years old, and most of them were still not very sensible. However, there were so many people in front of them, and the gongs and drums were making a mess. They didn't know if there were any familiar relatives around them. They were all scared and their faces turned pale, and many children were crying loudly.
Except for the children's relatives hiding nearby and crying silently, no one cared about the lives of these children at this time.
"The ceremony is over."
The witch howled in a shrill voice, and the gentry in front stood up, with a look of relief on their faces.
Kneeling on the ground, kowtowed, and chanted prayers, everyone did not dare to be too lazy and tried to be serious. For the pampered gentry elders, kneeling under the scorching sun for a long time, sweat broke out on their bodies.
The people behind them also stood up, and all of them looked ahead eagerly. Although most people could only see the statue, the rest could only see the backs of other people's heads.
The witch in colorful clothes was very excited, as this day of the year was the time when she would show up the most.
Everyone had to kneel at her feet and obey her orders. Her skinny face showed a smug smile, and her old eyes, which were almost covered by drooping eyelids, sparkled.
The witch pretended to recite a bunch of spells that no one could understand, but they were actually made up by her own.
Only when King Jinlin is particularly dissatisfied or particularly satisfied will he contact her. The witch has no way to contact King Jinlin. However, this does not stop her from pretending.
The gentry were not stupid, and they could see that the witch was playing tricks. The problem was that this old woman could really contact the Golden Scale King, so she could pretend if she wanted to.
The witch jumped and capered in front of the incense table for a while, satisfying her strong desire to perform.
She looked up at the sun in the sky, and saw that it was almost noon. Then she gave the order: "The time has come. Offer a sacrifice to King Jinlin."
A few strong men came over and carried pig heads, cow heads and other offerings and poured them into the river.
Then, the strong men came to the boys and girls. They grabbed the bamboo cages and prepared to throw them into the river. The people in the audience saw this scene and cried out in surprise.
In fact, they see this scene every year, and the cry was more of excitement than shock.
In their simple thinking, sacrificing a few children in exchange for a year of good weather and harvest is a good deal.
Therefore, most people regard this as a good thing, a lively and interesting thing.
Just when the big men were about to throw the child away, a clear light descended from the sky and Gao Xuan walked out from the light.
He said to the big men, "Stop it."
Several big men looked at Gao Xuan with a bit of awe in their eyes. He fell from the sky, could he be an immortal
The main reason was that Gao Xuan was extremely handsome and had an extraordinary bearing. He wore a flowing dark yellow linen robe, and looked like an immortal no matter how you looked at him.
The witch was also startled. She didn't know where this nosy guy appeared from. He looked like someone who was not easy to deal with.
The witch bravely asked, "Who are you?"
"Gao Xuan, the Heavenly Master of the Wuyuan Kingdom." Gao Xuan's voice was low and clear, but it spread in all directions.
The tens of thousands of people present were in chaos, but they all heard Gao Xuan's words clearly.
Everyone was discussing Gao Xuan's identity enthusiastically, but now no one said a word.
Although these people were all low-class peasants who were illiterate, they were not lacking in survival wisdom. Just by looking at Gao Xuan's move, they knew that the other party was powerful, so how could they dare to act presumptuously
As for what the Heavenly Master does, they actually don't understand.
Tens of thousands of people were silent, and the scene suddenly became quiet. Even the people beating gongs and drums nearby did not dare to move.
The witch actually didn't know what the Heavenly Master did. However, the birthday celebration of King Jinlin could not be disrupted.
She said with an unhappy face: "No matter who you are, you can't disrupt the celebration. This concerns the life and death of more than 100,000 people in our Biyue Bay."
She then said to the many gentry and elders in front of her: "You are still watching, speak quickly. King Jinlin is furious, and we must all die."
Many of the gentry and clan elders were embarrassed. Among this group of people, there were a few who could read and write and had some knowledge. At least they knew what the Heavenly Master did.
But I have to stand out at this time.
A group of people exchanged glances, and the leader, Cai Changshui, had to step forward. He was the head of the Cai family and also the boss of the Biyue Bay gentry.
Because the Cai family has the largest number of people, more than 10,000 people, and the strongest power, so he became the head of the village gentry.
Cai Changshui came up and bowed deeply to Gao Xuan: "Master, the celebration is our tradition. Please don't interfere."
Someone took the lead, and the others hurried over, "Yes, Master Tianshi, we have no choice."
"It's all for the people of Biyue Bay..."
"We can't survive otherwise."
Everyone was talking one after another, their voices getting louder and louder, and their voices were getting more and more powerful.
Gao Xuan wanted to sigh. When sacrifice became a tradition, everything became taken for granted.
He pointed at the crying boys and girls in the bamboo cage and said, "You want to trade these children's lives for your own safety?"
Cai Changshui was a little embarrassed, although he didn't think there was anything wrong with this matter. But he was still a little embarrassed to be pointed out by the Heavenly Master in person.
He thought for a moment and explained, "Master, we are also helpless."
Gao Xuan asked: "Helpless, why don't you take out your children for sacrifice?"
Cai Changshui's face suddenly turned ugly, and he almost cursed, but he suppressed his anger and said, "Which child to sacrifice is decided by drawing lots. There is no favoritism."
Gao Xuan sneered. This little trick could only fool the ignorant villagers. Besides, there was no need to argue about this matter.
He said: "No matter what traditions you have, from today on, you can no longer worship King Jinlin in any way."
As soon as these words came out, everyone's faces changed drastically. Cai Changshui knelt down first. He wanted to cry but couldn't. He could only howl: "Master, you must not do this, you must not do this..."
Seeing this, everyone knelt down and surrounded Gao Xuan, crying and shouting.
The witch pointed at Gao Xuan and yelled, "You dare to be an enemy of King Jinlin, your death is coming..."
The witch said something cruel, but she didn't have the courage to fight Gao Xuan. She turned her old eyes and saw that a group of people below had an idea.
She shouted loudly: "This person is trying to stop us from offering sacrifices to the Golden Scale King. Everyone, hurry up..."
This was a very serious statement, and the villagers could not bear to hear it. Someone dared to stop the celebration they had worked so hard to hold.
How can they survive if they anger the Golden Scale King
The witch's words stirred up everyone, and a group of people rushed towards Gao Xuan, shouting. The situation was about to get out of control.
"Certainly."
Gao Xuan casually uttered a spell, and everyone was frozen in place.
Tens of thousands of people turned into solidified statues, and many lost their balance and fell on the spot.
Among so many people present, the witch was the only one who was not frozen.
The witch stared blankly at the tens of thousands of people who were frozen in place. She was terrified. What kind of magical power was this
Just when the witch didn't know what to do, a rainbow light fell from the sky, and an old Taoist wearing a black and white Taoist robe appeared out of thin air. This old Taoist was the national teacher Tao Jun.
Tao Jun bowed to Gao Xuan and said, "Master, why do you have to do this?"
Gao Xuan said calmly: "Since I am a Heavenly Master, it is my responsibility to slay demons and monsters."
Tao Jun smiled bitterly: "King Jinlin was born in the Dragon Palace of the North Sea, so you can't mess with him..."
(End of this chapter)