A faint shadow emerged from a willow tree next to it. It looked like a scholar, and it was the person that the village chief Yue Kaishan dreamed of.
The scholar bowed and saluted Qin Sang, speaking sincerely.
Qin Sang said: "I want to thank you for your protection on behalf of these villagers first. Besides, the locust spirit has not killed anyone."
The so-called locust god is not a locust spirit that became a spirit. Qin Sang guessed that it should be a locust spirit born from the will of a swarm of locusts due to some kind of chance.
The woman riding the donkey and the spirit of the willow tree in front of me are manifestations of divine will, not real transformations.
It reminded Qin Sang of the mysterious spiritual insect he traded with Fat Silkworm in the Storm Realm when he first entered Zhongzhou.
The scholar said: "It is the nature of locusts to look for food. She does not intentionally target the human race."
"It's kind of you to help her defend herself."
Qin Sang shook his head, turned his eyes, and saw an earth temple in the village.
The stone temple is simple and crude, and there is no full-time temple official. The villagers cannot afford a clay sculpture painted with gold paint and enshrined in it.
In the mortal world, the image of the land father-in-law is similar.
This statue of the earth god is also an old man with a long beard. He has a amiable appearance and is not even remotely similar to the scholar in front of him.
"Where is the land god here? Let you, an irrelevant willow demon, step in to prevent disasters?"
There are residual waves on the clay sculpture, and there should have been an earth god here before.
The scholar looked gloomy and said: "Three years ago, a tiger demon made trouble in the mountains. The land was trying to protect the villagers, but was killed by the tiger demon. Since the little demon became spiritual, the land has often been irrigated with spiritual energy, and we are where we are today. With the care of the land,
I dare not forget the kindness."
"I see."
Qin Sang had long noticed that there were cracks in the clay sculpture and the two arms were broken and were glued together with white ash.
"You have the desire to inherit the land, the desire to protect the people, and the good deeds, but you want to inherit the throne of God? If you wish, I will let the villagers reshape the clay body, and then you can accept the incense and worship, and enter the Shinto
.”
Hearing this, the scholar suddenly became excited, "A little demon can do it too? But..."
Judging from his performance, he was obviously happy, but in the end he showed a worried look.
"What worries do you have?" Qin Sang asked.
"The little demon once heard that except for the mountains and old forests, all the gods in the natural land of mountain gods will be summoned. If they are not summoned, they will not be included in the sacrificial ceremony. If they are not righteous gods, they will all be evil gods and they will be punished.
The City God sent troops to annihilate the city, cutting down mountains and destroying temples. Moreover, the gods who were granted the title are all virtuous people of the human race. The origin of the little demon, I'm afraid..."
The scholar's face was full of worry.
"The City God of Beikuo County has not sent away new land for three years, and it is his negligence to sit here. You drove away the locust spirits and protected one side, which is equivalent to making up for his fault. If he sticks to the alien prejudices, he is not worthy of sitting on the position of City God.
Already."
Qin Sang said calmly.
"Immortal, be careful what you say!"
Liu Yao was horrified and frightened by these rebellious remarks.
However, remembering that Qin Sang had easily restored his vitality, Liu Yao realized that the person in front of him might be unusual, and he must have the confidence to dare to say such things.
The scholar hesitated and bowed again: "Then I'll trouble you, the Immortal, to speak kindly to the City God for the little demon and ask for a summons. If... if... the City God doesn't allow it, the Immortal shouldn't make things difficult for you..."
The locust spirit had gone away, but the villagers were still kneeling on the ground and kowtowing incessantly. No one noticed the conversation between Qin Sang and the scholar.
Qin Sang walked forward and coughed lightly.
Yue Kaishan was lying on the ground, muttering something unknown. He looked up and saw Qin Sang and wanted to kowtow to him again.
"Xie Xianchang..."
Qin Sang stopped Yue Kaishan and said, "Come here and talk."
Leaving the crowd and walking to a willow tree, Qin Sang pointed to the willow tree and told Yue Kaishan the truth.
"... You can build another statue in the temple according to the image of the scholar in the dream and offer incense."
Yue Kaishan returned to the case and shouted excitedly.
"It is Willow God who protects us! Willow God protects us!"
…
On the trail.
Qin Sang led his horse back, and under a willow tree by the roadside, the shadowy figure of the scholar saluted them from a distance.
During this process, Qin Sang did not take action, nor did he see any fierce fighting. Suzaku was drowsy, and Xiao Wu showed no special performance.
Qin Sang walked slowly, constantly thinking of Xiao Wu's problem.
Seeing the little five-pointed fish, Qin Sang had a premonition and took this trip specially, which finally confirmed his idea.
I don’t know if I was led astray by the killing in the desert, or if it’s just my nature.
Xiao Wu is more like a killer than him.
"Could the key to dispelling the demonic power be here?"
Qin Sang did not answer Xiao Wu's question.
He can give a dozen answers casually, but he must be cautious when facing Xiao Wu.
"We can choose to kill people, or we can choose to save people. When we travel later, we won't kill people, we will only save people!"
Qin Sang made a decision.
It sounds like if he does this, he won't be able to understand the way of killing.
However, based on Qin Sang's understanding of the "Ziwei Sword Sutra", when Emperor Ziwei was practicing, there was probably a process of sheathing his sword, trying to suppress his murderous intention until he found his own way.
But Qin Sang has never thought of sheathing his sword.
In the world, if there is yin, there must be yang. The yang pole produces yin, and the yin pole produces yang. Everything is like this. Maybe he can understand something from it.
Since it is a journey, it is also appropriate to experience various moods.
Qin Sang once again realized the benefits of the Void Refining Period, the long lifespan, and the catastrophe that occurs once every three thousand years, giving him a longer time to understand and find the way.
Xiaowu always obeyed Qin Sang's advice without hesitation and nodded lightly.
"What's the point!" Suzaku muttered dissatisfiedly, "How can we punish evildoers without killing people? How can we call it justice for heaven?"
"Some people go astray, and some people make mistakes for a while, but they can all be saved. Those who commit heinous crimes, doesn't the Chenghuang Temple have a punishment department?"
Qin Sang smiled, got on his horse, shook the reins lightly, and galloped like a mortal Taoist priest.
Luohou's speed is only slightly faster than Fanma, but no obstacle can stop her from running along the river bank.
Qin Sang painted a statue of the willow god for the villagers, and was left to eat. It was almost dusk when he set off.
Before arriving at Beikuo County, the sky was already dark and the moon was waning in the sky.
The moonlight shines on the river, and the shadows of the trees spread their teeth and claws like water ghosts.
'Huhuhu...'
Suddenly the wind picked up on the river, and a dark wind blew in our face, adding a bit of eerie feeling to the night.
Where the overcast wind came, a light mist filled the river embankment, and there were two figures faintly visible in the mist.
Their figures were erratic, their feet never touching the ground.
However, looking at their attire, they all wore neat black robes, high crowns, swords hanging from their waists, majestic faces, and a faint strange aura about them. They were definitely not lonely ghosts.
On the back of the robe, there is the word "North" written on it.
They were riding fast against the wind and heard the rapid sound of horse hooves in front of them. They flew to a high place and looked around, and saw a man on horseback running at night.
Although strange, I didn't find anything special about Taoist priests.
They did not show up and continued to move forward. Just when they were about to pass each other, the Taoist priest suddenly stopped and his eyes were clearly looking at them.
"Can you see us?"
The two of them subconsciously clenched the handle of the knife.
Qin Sang got off his horse and cupped his hands: "You two are the underworld of Beikuo County? The name of Pindao is Qingfeng."
"Exactly! I've met Taoist Master Qingfeng," the two yin men guessed that Qin Sang was a cultivator, and his cultivation level far exceeded them, so they both returned the favor.
"Looking at the direction you two are heading, you should be here to investigate the locust plague, right? Why are you here so late?"
When the villagers of Xiwu Village come to the city to seek work, a competent city god can immediately detect the rumors.
The messengers were sent just in the past four days. If the God of Willow had not stopped the locust swarm, I don’t know how many crops would have been eaten up.
Being scolded face to face, Yin Chai suppressed the attack and said: "There are other important things in the city. Your Excellencies are too busy to do anything. We just learned about the rumors of the locust plague today and immediately sent us to check it out. If it is an ordinary locust plague, it is the way of heaven and there is no need to interfere. If
If there are evil spirits causing trouble, they should be punished!"
Qin Sang nodded, "There are indeed monster locusts causing trouble, but they have been driven deep into the mountains and have not harmed the people."
The two evil spirits looked at each other, their expressions softened, and they cupped their hands and said, "Thank you so much, Taoist Master, for driving away the evil spirits and saving us a lot of trouble."
"No, it's not a poor act."
Qin Sang shook his head and told the whole story, including Liu Yao's request for the title.
"this……"
Yin Chai hesitated and said, "We don't dare to make the decision on such a major issue. We hope that the Taoist leader will follow us to the county seat and ask for instructions from the superior officials."
Qin Sang was self-righteous and signaled Yin Chai to lead the way.
One of the messengers whispered a few words to his companions, turned into a cloud of wind, and went into the city first to report the news. The remaining messengers led Qin Sang on their way without haste.
Their speed was not slow, and soon they saw a huge shadow appearing in the distance, which was the outline of the city.
Shortly after nightfall, the city was brightly lit.
The city gate on one side is close to the pier, and the houses on both sides of the river are full of people, forming a small town spontaneously.
Qin Sang saw a familiar ship. Chen Youer was burning firewood for cooking on the bow of the ship. The rattle he gave was still in Xiao Wu's hand.
At the same time, Qin Sang also noticed that there was a man wearing a splendid official uniform standing in front of the city gate, with an extraordinary imposing manner, and a row of evil spirits lined up behind him.
Before the curfew, people were coming and going in front of the city gate, but no one could see him.
"It's Lord Cheng Huang!"
The Yin Chai who was leading the way shouted lowly, but he did not expect that the Lord City God would personally come out of the city to greet him.
The green horse jumped across the river and landed steadily in front of the city gate.
The City God's appearance is a middle-aged man with a Chinese character face, thick eyebrows and big eyes. He has an upright face and is silently sizing up Qin Sang from a distance. He has already known Qin Sang's name through a mysterious accident.
"Beikuo County City God Gao Ruoxu has met Taoist Master Qingfeng."
Qin Sang led Xiao Wu off his horse and slightly cupped his hands, "I am a poor man, so I dare not bother the Lord City God to go out of the city to greet him in person."
Gao Ruoxu laughed and said to his left and right: "Send it up."
Immediately, someone came up with a roll of gold silk in both hands.
Gao Ruoxu took it and slowly spread it out in front of Qin Sang. It was a scroll of the decree conferring the willow god as the land.
"The willow demon blocks the evil spirits and protects the people. Although he is a foreigner, he has a pitiful heart. As the mayor of Beikuo County, Gao has the power to appoint land. He can report it to the city afterward. Please take a look, Taoist priest, are there any omissions?
"
Qin Sang also didn't expect the City God to be so cheerful, "I thanked the City God on behalf of Liu Yao."
Gao Ruoxu nodded and handed the gold and silk to the two undercover men.
"Go to the Earth Temple in Xiwu Village quickly!"
Yin Chai took the order and left. Qin Sang and Gao Ruoxu talked and walked into the city.
Chen Yao'er's boat was not far away, and she was blowing air on the stove. She seemed to hear the sound of a rattle in her ears, and she quickly raised her head.
It was a gloomy night, but there was no figure as expected, and his face was full of disappointment.
In Beikuo County, the City God's Temple is even more impressive than the county government office, and the market in front of the City God's Temple is also the busiest place in the city.
Qin Sang held Xiaowu's hand and walked side by side with Gao Ruoxu in the market.
Luohou and Yinza both wisely fell behind.
To this day, there are still no civil and military judges under the City God, nor ministers from various ministries. There are only a few ghosts accompanying the dignified City God, and there is no aura of other gods in the City God's temple.
Coupled with Gao Ruoxu's unexpected enthusiasm, Qin Sang knew that something was unusual, but pretended not to know and chatted with Gao Ruoxu.
When asked about the Xianxiang sect, Qin Sang only said that he practiced alone and traveled down the mountain to this place.
While they were talking, two undercover men suddenly left the group and disappeared into a dark alley.
Qin Sang stopped and turned around to look over.
Gao Ruoxu also stopped and said, "Mr. Sun from Jisheng Pharmacy is about to expire."
"Are you two secret agents going to escort Mr. Sun on his last journey?" Qin Sang asked.
Based on his experience in the Storm Realm, when a mortal's life is over, unless someone casts a spell to seize the soul, or there are other variables, the soul will disperse, and there is no theory of reincarnation.
Gao Ruoxu nodded and said: "Mr. Sun is a benevolent doctor who helps the poor. He has lived for countless people in his life. He is known as a benevolent doctor and is loved by everyone. He may be introduced to Shintoism."
"Introducing Shinto?" Qin Sang glanced at Yinzai, "Master and all Yinzai, were all benevolent and righteous people in life, and became gods after death?"
"I feel ashamed to say that Gao only did some trivial things during his lifetime."
Gao Ruoxu saw that Qin Sang didn't seem to understand Shinto very well, so he took the initiative to explain, "Humans have three souls. After death, the soul of heaven returns to heaven, the soul of earth returns to earth, and the soul of human beings is unknown. It is said that they can be reincarnated, but they don't know."
True or false. However, there are also people whose souls linger after death due to various reasons.
"If you are entangled in hatred, obsession, ghosts linger around, or even become evil spirits causing trouble, these need to be suppressed or eradicated."
"If you do good deeds during your lifetime and are praised by thousands of people, your soul will retain a spiritual light that will not dissipate immediately after your death, and you have the potential of Shinto. Perhaps this is the recognition of good deeds by Heaven.
"My duty as the City God is to introduce these people to the Shinto. When my life is over, there will still be gods that will continue to protect us."
Qin Sang came and went and never had time to understand these things carefully.
Listen to what Gao Ruoxu says.
The real Shinto is also different from the legends in the world. There is no bull-headed and horse-faced King Yama, there is no underworld, and evil people will not be sent to the eighteen levels of hell...
Even reincarnation is a legend to the City God.
The Shinto of the Great Thousand World and the Shinto of the Taoist Court are also different. There is no need to be true to the Shinto to enter the Shinto.
But I don’t know which of the two comes first and which comes last.
The Shinto of the Taoist Court is obviously more complicated and controlled by others. Could it be that the Taoist Court is the origin of the Shinto? The Taoist Court fell into decline, but the Shinto continues to evolve in the world to this day.
Otherwise, even if there are incense offerings, why didn't the Storm Realm spontaneously evolve the divine way, or is there another reason?
Qin Sang's eyes were dark.
This is obviously another special feature of Storm Realm!
Two figures seemed to appear in front of his eyes.
Thousands of years apart, their voices, faces, and smiles are still as clear as ever.
Taoist Jixin, the bright moon.
They traveled around the country practicing medicine and administered countless medicines, and people built thousands of shrines in their honour.
If he had been born in Daqian, he would have been introduced to Shinto.
