Although this tomb can connect to the underworld to a certain extent, it is only limited to accepting sacrifices from future generations and relatives.
Of course, it was impossible for Lu Shanjun to offer sacrifices to Dong Bicheng here. Moreover, even if the other party could hear a little bit of what he said during the sacrifice, it would be far from enough. They still had to do it face to face.
Ji Yuan worried for a long time in front of Dong Bicheng's tombstone, and until Lu Shanjun left, he was not sure whether he had thought of any suitable solution.
As soon as Lu Shanjun left, a thin mist gradually approached Dong Bicheng's grave, and finally Ji Yuan's body appeared.
Ji Yuan looked at the bluestone tombstone. On it was written "Tomb of my beloved son Dong Bicheng". The person who erected the tombstone did not leave his name, so he thought it should be Dong Bicheng's parents.
Looking around, there were some paper ashes and a small number of bowls and plates with some moldy offerings on top. The meat was probably taken away by wild beasts.
"Alas, the old send off the young..."
Before the sound of his sigh was still lingering, Ji Yuan had already disappeared from the spot. When he reappeared, he was in the capital of Laoyang Prefecture.
No matter how powerful Lu Shanjun is, it is basically impossible for him to pass through the gates of hell silently.
Ji Yuan has a lot of reputation among the ghosts and gods. At least in the underworld of this city, if he reveals his identity, it will be no problem for him to bring someone in. But he just said before that he had to leave for something, and now he jumps out to help in just a few days. Isn't it equivalent to telling Lu Shanjun clearly: "I, your master, will always follow you."
This made Ji Yuan quite amused and helpless. Of course, although he also had to have some dignity, if Lu Shanjun was really in a hopeless situation, he still had to help.
Thinking about these things, Ji Yuan not only bought some cakes in the city and took them with him, but also went to a more special place on a whim because of what he saw at Dong Bicheng's tomb.
In the city of Laoyang Prefecture, Ji Yuan was walking slowly on one of the streets in Miaosifang.
This street is a bit special. There are plenty of pedestrians passing by, but it is not very lively and people speak in a relatively low voice.
Because there are many special shops on this street, common people call them "Xiongsi", which refers to coffin shops, paper-making shops and other shops that sell funeral-related matters.
Ji Yuan walked slowly on the street, his eyes wandering left and right, and then fixed on a shop that had almost no customers.
There was nothing special about this shop, so due to his poor eyesight, he couldn't see what was written on the shop sign. He only knew that it was a paper-making shop.
The owner of the paper-making shop was an old man with a gray beard, small eyes, dark skin, and wrinkles all over his face. It was unclear whether he was smiling or not. Even in the early summer weather he was still wearing several layers of clothes, and he was clacking away on an abacus.
Walking silently into the shop, Ji Yuan looked around. In this shop there were paper people, paper horses, paper cars, paper beds, paper toilets, and all kinds of paper utensils, as well as paper money, paper ingots and the like.
Ji Yuan had been a human being for two lifetimes, and this was the first time he had entered such a shop. He was a little curious, so he walked closer to the pile of paper money, took out a piece and touched it to have a look. The white paper was cut into a shape of a round outer side and a square inner side. He took it in front of his eyes and took a closer look. He could vaguely see the mold mark with the words "Yin Yang Tong Bao" printed on it. It looked much more advanced than the ones that ordinary people cut out with scissors.
Ji Yuan looked around the store for a long time. The shop owner accidentally looked up and found someone in the store.
"Hey, hey, hey, sir, please don't touch the things in our store. They are all carefully made by craftsmen. They are made of paper and can't withstand being tossed around. If you break them, you will have to pay for them!"
Ji Yuan looked at him and nodded.
"Thank you for your reminder. I will handle it with care."
The shopkeeper put down the abacus, stood up and walked out of the counter, came to Ji Yuan and took a closer look. Although the man in front of him was wearing a simple white robe, he was a gentleman with a good temperament. In addition, the black jade hairpin on his head was crystal clear and moist, so he should not be a cheap item.
The shopkeeper's face immediately changed, and his wrinkles appeared on his face when he smiled.
"Uh, sir, are you here to buy goods for a funeral at home?"
"Not really. I just might be sending something to the deceased. It's not convenient to bring anything to the ghost town in the underworld, so I came here to take a look."
The old man walked around Ji Yuan and stood in front of him, saying with a smile.
"Then you have come to the right place, sir. My stuff is the most exquisite in the entire Laoyang Prefecture. Look at this paper figurine, its facial features are regular and its expression is peaceful. The blush is made of authentic rouge and powder, and it even smells fragrant!"
According to Ji Yuan's experience, these little things related to the underworld are not necessarily understood by those who are truly in the spiritual world, but often the common people who have close ties with them know a lot. As for the truth or falsehood, Ji Yuan can tell it by hearing it, so he asked.
"Shopkeeper, how do the people in the underworld use and collect these things?"
The old man looked at Ji Yuan. This gentleman might be well-read but he knew very little about such customs.
"Sir, you may not know that our shop is famous because the things we sell are exquisite and have been blessed. We have invited a special wizard to perform a ritual so that the things can reach the underworld. Listen to me..."
The shopkeeper started talking a lot, and roughly explained that these kinds of offerings are only useful if they contain magic, otherwise they cannot reach the underworld.
If there is no skilled wizard to perform the spell, then it all depends on the wishes of relatives and friends during the sacrifice. If they mourn sincerely, then the things will have some effect. If it is just a formality, then no matter how exquisitely made the things are, they will only look good on the outside and may not even reach the bottom line.
"I heard that there are things with magical powers, such as paper money that has been blessed by a capable wizard. Then this paper money becomes magic money, which can be used by anyone. The relatives in the underworld can use the magic power of this magic money to make anything they do work!"
The shopkeeper's words were to show that the things in his store were not only exquisite but also precious.
Ji Yuan listened with great interest and even felt that a lot of it made sense and was inspired. But when he looked around the store, he found that almost all the paper products did not contain any spiritual energy or magic power. The so-called magicians casting spells were naturally nonsense.
The shop owner thought that Ji Yuanhui would be a big customer, and he didn't seem to know much about funerals. This kind of customer was the favorite of the paper-folding shop owner, and many of them would listen to the shop owner's suggestions.
Therefore, the store owner was open and honest about the issue of Jiyuan, trying to be enthusiastic and meticulous. He talked about many related things and customs, from guesses to experiences, and talked until he was dry-mouthed, and finally the key part came.
"Then how do you sell this paper figurine?"
Ji Yuan pointed at the paper maid that the store owner had introduced at the beginning.
The store owner held up four fingers.
"Hey, 40 cents each, no cheating, if you buy a housekeeper, maids, servants and other servants, you can get a discount!"
It's quite expensive. Ji Yuan instantly lost interest in buying it and turned his attention directly to the paper money. Seeing that the quality of the paper was not very good, it shouldn't be too expensive. However, the paper money was cut very well, and with these marks, the quality was quite good.
"What about the paper money?"
"Oh, this Yin Yang Tong Bao, two cents can buy a thick stack of it. Don't think it's just a stack of paper money. Our paper money is printed with Tong Bao and ink. There is no other paper money in the whole Laoyang Prefecture. As the saying goes, ink can bring wisdom and wisdom. It is also a great symbol. Otherwise, how can the ink line drive away evil spirits?"
"Also, don't be fooled by the fact that the quality of this paper seems to be not very good. But our store is trustworthy and we use locust wood and a small amount of sandalwood as the materials. The process is simple but also sophisticated. It is the best for making paper money and is also suitable for burning in the underworld. It also leaves a lingering fragrance!"
The shopkeeper took out a stack of paper money from a square wooden string. It was pressed very tightly, and each piece was very thin. There was no telling how many pieces there were so densely packed together. While displaying the pieces, he kept talking in a very knowledgeable manner. His enthusiasm was so great that Ji Yuan felt a little embarrassed.
Ji Yuan immediately took out two copper coins.
"Buy a stack."
"Well, what else do you want to buy? Look at this paper horse, it's very lifelike, and this paper carriage. If you buy both, my ancestors can ride and drive. Well, it's better to buy a coachman, no, buy a pair, so that they can take turns to take care of it!"
Ji Yuan smiled and waved his hand.
"No, no, just buy a stack of paper money."
The old man in the shop froze his smile instantly. He looked at Ji Yuan intently, and Ji Yuan did not dodge. It took him a long time to confirm that this man was serious, and the warmth in his voice obviously cooled down.
"Please check out at the counter and I'll pack it for you."
"good."
No matter how thick-skinned Ji Yuan was, he could only smile awkwardly at this moment. However, it was still worth it to spend two cents to save trouble and hear so many things that would not be recorded in the scriptures of spiritual practice.
After leaving the paper-making shop, Ji Yuan walked much faster than before. He could feel a resentful pair of eyes staring at him from behind.
Two hours later, Ji Yuan was sitting at the corner of a deserted alley in Laoyang Prefecture with a stack of paper money in his palm. There was an aura of nothingness lingering on it and slowly seeping into the paper money.
Ji Yuan didn't know how to perform that kind of ritual, but after listening to the story told by the owner of the paper-folding shop, he was able to deduce some principles. In addition, he had the experience of refining the golden armored warrior, so he could apply what he had learned to other situations. So after dozens of failed attempts and wasting more than half of the paper money, Ji Yuan finally achieved a similar goal.
Gradually, the color of the paper money in his hand began to change to copper yellow, and it became thicker and thicker. The four words "Yin Yang Tong Bao" on it also had a stronger texture, and even weighed a lot more.
It's not that the banknote itself will become like this, but there is an extra bit of guidance from the fate, similar to the alternative application of the magic method of image when the golden armored warrior cuts paper. It sounds simple, but people who don't understand the tricks will be confused no matter how powerful they are.
“Although it’s simple, it makes sense and is full of wisdom!”
Looking at the paper money in his hand, Ji Yuan couldn't help but sigh. This method of sealing up magic power and spiritual energy is undoubtedly a kind of "folk wisdom". The masters in the spiritual world would not consider these things, but where there is demand, there is a market, and the world should never be underestimated.
Moreover, this magic money should also have good liquidity in the underworld. It is similar to the five elements essence and other things in the cultivation world, but it is more advanced. The former still belongs to barter, and although this magic money is useless to the masters of cultivation, it is the real hard currency in the underworld.
Of course, if the magic power and spiritual energy reach a certain level, it can even allow cultivators to cast spells or assist in certain important formations. Perhaps this magic money will be more useful, but the structure needs to be more complex and the spiritual magic needs to be purer.
However, in addition to the above problems, the problem of production capacity is also not small. Even if it is perfected, it is likely to be a time-consuming, labor-intensive and expensive thing.
Ji Yuan looked at the banknote in his hand which was becoming more and more like a copper coin that was several sizes larger. Today's unintentional action made him subconsciously think of many things.