Zoroastrianism has many scriptures and complicated doctrines, but it is not difficult to understand: it worships the heaven, earth, sun, moon and stars, and believes in the only god-Ahura Mazda.

Believers believe that there are two forces of light and darkness in the world, and there is a long struggle between them, but light will eventually defeat darkness and evil under the leadership of Ahura Mazda.

When people are in it, they need to make a choice, that is, ignorance will be punished for eternity, and truth will lead to a prosperous life.

The holy fire guides good and evil. He is the son of the true God, pure, glorious, absolute, and good. At the same time, he is the eye of justice, and all good and evil are invisible in front of the flame.

It is precisely because of this that the Tang people who did not know the truth called Zoroastrianism: Zoroastrianism.

As for Da Sabao.

Zoroastrian believers like to gather people, which can easily cause commotion and affect public order. Therefore, since the time of Emperor Gaozu, the imperial court has specially set up a special official - Sabao - to facilitate the management of Zoroastrian temples.

He is not from the Tang Dynasty, but is an upper-level figure in Zoroastrianism. He can be regarded as a fifth-rank official and is respected by everyone.

"I have kept you waiting for a long time."

At this moment, an old man wearing a gold-rimmed white robe was walking slowly, his appearance was particularly solemn, and there were two flame-patterned belts hanging crosswise around his neck. The most important thing is that he was holding a golden scepter in one hand and holding it up in the other. Holy fire.

Neither of them are ordinary things.

There is no need to elaborate on the holy fire. You can feel the brightness and magnificence in it even before you get close. And the golden scepter is inlaid with a ruby, which makes Lu Li feel a strong sense of crisis, as if it is a warning, but also seems to be unintentional. Of.

"The true God has given us a revelation. I hope you, noble ones, can watch us perform the fire ceremony."

Dashabao guessed that Lu Li was worried and did not require him to participate in the ceremony in person. He only needed to watch.

"good."

Lu Li felt that since he was a god, the creator god and savior in the teachings of a religion must have the pattern he should have, and he would not force people to believe in him.

Therefore, after a little thought, he agreed.

A smile appeared on the face of the white-robed Dasabao, and he said: "In this case, I would like to ask you two to leave my temple temporarily and wait for the fire ceremony to end."

On the side, Milis was not worried about Lu Li's safety. He nodded to him and immediately walked away. From the beginning to the end, the lotus cross never left his hand.

After a series of changes, Miss Qianrui felt that she could no longer bear any more blows. No, to be precise, she should not be able to bear any more shocks.

Immediately afterwards, the Tang people who were watching from a distance and joining in the fun also voluntarily left, because non-religious people were not allowed to visit the fire worship ceremony, except those who were invited.

In fact, the ceremony is not mysterious.

The two red priests worked together to bring a brazier that was obviously specially made——

Three camels are carved on it, standing on a lotus seat, carrying a disk with firewood on their backs, and priests in the form of birds and human beings stand on both sides.

Isn't this group of congregants just this kind of bird people?

While Lu Li was watching the ceremony, a strange thought flashed through his mind.

However, when Dashabao sent the holy fire into the brazier, all distracting thoughts disappeared.

Flames shot into the sky.

"O Mazda in the sky..." Dashabao let go of the golden scepter, placed his hands across his chest in the shape of a flame, and at the same time recited the prepared sacrificial words in his mouth.

Lu Li couldn't understand Sogdian, so he naturally didn't know what he was reciting, but the holy fire in the basin became more and more powerful as the ceremony progressed.

The Zoroastrian people took off their masks, saluted in unison, and tapped their foreheads, ears, and noses with musky spices to show respect.

There were men and women among them. The men were not much to look at. They all had big beards. If you didn't look closely, you would feel that they were carved from the same mold.

The female priests are different. Their facial features are three-dimensional and their pupils are a light amber color. Although they cover their bodies with red robes, they can't hide their slender figures, which makes them look very exotic.

While he was distracted, Lu Li heard a strange voice. He felt that the accent was very similar to the Sogdian spoken by Dashabao before.

It's a pity that the poor student said he couldn't understand a word.

But as time went by, the voice became clearer and more urgent, as if it was saying something important.

After confirming that it was not an auditory hallucination, Lu Li, who was cautious, kept it in mind and kept it in his mind, planning to find time to learn the medieval Sogdian language, or to find a suitable Sogdian to ask afterward.

At the same time, the voice lingering in the ears disappeared, and the blazing holy fire in the basin gradually extinguished. In the end, only a little flame was left swaying.

"Noble sir, if you encounter trouble in Chang'an in the future, you can go to the Zoroastrian Temple to seek help." The white-robed Dasabao said with great expression: "The Zoroastrians are willing to be the vanguard."

Seeing this, Lu Li felt a chill in his heart. He didn't like this feeling of being stunned.

What is the plan of Ahura Mazda, the bird god?

Did that voice come from His mouth?

Frankly speaking, Lu Lilai didn't know whether agreeing to come to the Zoroastrian Temple to observe the ceremony today was a blessing or a curse.

"The noble man said earlier that he had important matters to deal with, but I have troubled you. Now that the ceremony is over, I will send the noble man away." Dashabao decided to see him off in person.

However, before he understood their intentions, Lu Li was reluctant to leave and said straight to the point: "During your sect's fire sacrificial ceremony just now, Da Sa Bao heard someone talking."

The white-robed Sabao shook his head, his expression as usual.

"Then...ask me about Dashabao, what does this sentence mean?" Lu Li did not hesitate and repeated what he heard.

"It looks like Sogdian, but it's not."

Several red-robed priests shook their heads in unison.

There are mixed communities of Hu and Han in the surrounding areas, and the Sogdian language is not uncommon. There are even people from the Tang Dynasty who are proficient in this language and make a living by translating the two languages ​​for others.

Therefore, if the voice really spoke Sogdian, there was no need for the Zoroastrian people to hide it, and they could not hide it.

"That may be a revelation given by the true God to the noble man, and no one else has the opportunity to understand it." Sabao didn't know what he was planning, so he put a gold coin into Lu Li's hand, "This thing is a token of our religion, I hope you will cherish it."

Speaking of this, his tone was full of reluctance.

"..." Lu Li hesitated to answer.

Lu Li had many concerns about dealing with a mysterious sect.

"Ahura Mazda is the god of light. It is said that good thoughts, good words, and good deeds are all merits."

"He teaches us to abide by the scriptures and principles, so how can he harm noble people?"

This is indeed true.

If Mazda was an evil god, no matter how many barbarians there were in Chang'an and no matter how great the influence of Zoroastrianism on them, the imperial court would have banned it long ago, let alone conferring official titles on the most famous among the Zoroastrian people.

Through the memories he inherited, Lu Li also knew part of the Zoroastrian scriptures: darkness should not be underestimated, but good deeds will surely defeat evil, and light will replace darkness.
Chapter completed!