This is a temple built on the mountain, but it is not built on the top of the mountain like other temples in this vast country. It is hidden in the belly of the mountain, leaning against the endless snow-capped mountains, like a gate, guarding the world in the snow-capped mountains that does not belong to humans.
The temple is built of pure white stones and inlaid with gold edges at high points. Outside the gate of the temple is a wide staircase leading directly to the foot of the mountain. The stones used for these steps are pure and flawless, like beautiful jade. At first glance, it looks like a road to heaven.
The festival is about to begin. The noble girls come with bouquets of flowers and decorate the stairs with flowers as they step by step. They are pink and white water lotuses and pure white moonflowers. The flowers from the pond represent reincarnation, and the flowers from the ground represent death.
In the beliefs and myths of this country, both of these fragrant flowers are the favorite plants of the snake god.
The decoration of the bouquet is the final preparation before the sacrifice. When the bouquet is decorated, the sacrifice will begin.
Su Yun knelt on the carpet, looked up at the magnificent golden dome, and once again praised the craftsman who carved it.
He has lived in this palace for more than ten years and is very familiar with most of the artworks in the palace. However, he does not come to this palace often. He used to come here only once a year. Now of course he has to see it to his heart's content.
Su Yun came into this world about eighteen or nineteen years ago. He knew everything about the world since he was born. Su Yun guessed that he probably had a past life, but unfortunately he couldn't remember anything.
His mental state is also different from that of ordinary people. He seems to have no emotional fluctuations since birth. In his eyes, other people are no different from ants. This also affects his attitude towards others... Su Yun thought, if he was not a royal family, he would have been beaten to death long ago.
But even as a member of the royal family, this is not acceptable. However, the consequences of this are insignificant in Su Yun's view.
Su Yun's seat was on a high platform in the center of the palace. At this moment, there were two old bald men standing at the foot of the stairs. Both of them had their hands clasped together. One was pointing to the sky and the earth and muttering something mysterious, while the other was chanting scriptures and kowtowing continuously. Their postures were pious and respectful... but a little creepy.
The identities of these two old bald guys are extraordinary. They are the religious leaders of this country, and their status is higher than Su Yun's biological father, the king. In the past, they would not even look at the royal family during sacrifices. It is completely different from their current appearance.
As for the reason...
Maybe it’s because Su Yun was chosen as the bride of the Snake God.
Su Yun: =. =
In previous years' sacrifices, there was no such thing as a bride.
Apart from flowers, fruits, meat and fine wine, the rest of the sacrificed people or animals were burned on the altar outside the temple. There was no such thing as sending living things into the temple.
Su Yun was not quite sure why there was this taboo. It was said that blood in front of the altar would bring bad luck... In short, these things were all a routine.
The religion of this country is truly magical. The snake god’s bride is not a girl. However, the bride is essentially a sacrifice, no different from food and drink. She will probably be eaten by the snake god too?
Su Yun had never seen anything too bizarre since he was born, and his thinking was very objective and calm. He guessed that the snake god worshipped by this civilization was a giant python far beyond common sense, and it was constantly deified in the process of being worshipped by people.
But at this point Su Yun did not feel fear. The concept of death was so light in his mind that it had no weight. Compared to "I'm going to die", the mysterious temple and the artworks in it made Su Yun more excited.
The sacrifice began like this. Su Yun knelt on a sedan chair carried by a group of bald men and was carried up the mountain. The sedan chair he was riding in looked very much like a new shrine. Although it was magnificent, the four walls were completely sealed, leaving only small gaps through which a faint halo of light could penetrate.
Su Yun could see the scene outside the shrine through these small gaps. He first saw the square and streets full of people kneeling. These were the common people in the royal capital; then came the altar at the foot of the mountain where sacrifices had just been burned. This was where the nobles gathered. The sedan chair moved very slowly and the outside world was quiet, making Su Yun drowsy; then came the stairs covered with flowers. Senior nobles and royal families followed the team to see them off. It was rare that the bald heads carried it steadily, so Su Yun did not feel any bumps; then he should have arrived at the temple. All the irrelevant people had left, leaving only the old bald head and the young bald head.
The sound of the temple door opening was extremely heavy. Su Yun was no longer sleepy this time. He became alert and found a gap to try to see the internal structure of the temple.
The structure of this temple did not disappoint him. There were exquisite reliefs on the ceiling, floral tiles on the ground, and gemstone decorations on the walls. Su Yun could not take his eyes off.
The sedan chair rose and fell several times. The interior of the temple was actually larger than its exterior appeared. Its middle and rear sections were connected to the mountain, but its lighting was better than that of the royal palace.
At this moment, Su Yun suddenly felt a strange feeling, as if he had suddenly fallen into the water. It seemed that someone was looking at him, and that burning gaze was like a substance, tightly wrapping around him.
Su Yun's senses have always been sharp. He looked around but found nothing. Then the gaze became more intense, and even the bald man carrying the sedan chair was sensed.
The sedan chair that looked like a shrine shook slightly and suddenly sped up. The old priests around it sang strange and solemn songs loudly, and soon they stopped.
More and more people joined the chorus, and the sedan chair was lowered steadily. Layers of silk were spread outside the sedan chair, completely blocking all the holes. Su Yun lost the light source in the sedan chair, but the sight was still locked on him. And strangely, Su Yun also felt a sense of tenderness and comfort, as if someone was really waiting eagerly for him as the bride.
...After being stared at for so long, I actually got used to it.
After reciting one song, the priests changed to another one. This time, the singing from the outside world became weaker and weaker. Su Yun heard that the priests were leaving this space.
Are you going to keep him here?
When the singing and footsteps completely disappeared, Su Yun pushed open the door of the sedan chair without hesitation, lifted the silk and walked out of the small sedan chair. He looked up and the first thing he saw was a statue of a god.
The statue is more than ten meters tall and is made of gold, ivory and sandalwood, with a human head and a snake body. The human face at the top appears a little distorted due to the light, but the human body and snake tail below are clearly visible.
Su Yun turned around and looked at the hall where the statue was located. The ground was a huge square platform, elevated above a bottomless lotus pond. Pure white walls could be vaguely seen outside the pond, and the semicircular sky perfectly interpreted what "the sky is round and the earth is square" meant.
But... there are no load-bearing columns in this magnificent hall.
Su Yun was a little bit unbelieving. He felt that he might have missed some load-bearing wall. He walked around the statue but couldn't find the target. He cast a suspicious look at the towering statue.
He didn't know if it was an illusion, but Su Yun stared at the head of the statue for a long time, and in a trance he felt that the gaze staring at him came from the eyes of the statue - it should be red, maybe ruby, or carbuncle.
The statue was too tall and Su Yun's neck hurt from looking at it. He lowered his head and looked at the offerings spread out on the ground. The square platform was sunken in a stepped pattern with the statue as the center. Except for the sedan chair placed at the feet of the statue, the rest of the offerings were placed in order on the wide steps.
Su Yun found a place to sit down. At this point he didn't want to run away anymore. Since he was already here, he might as well take another look at the python.
There was food and drink and the environment was beautiful. He wouldn't die before the python appeared. The temple had a unique structure and he could watch it all day.
The only thing that made Su Yun feel helpless was his current attire. Perhaps it was because he had become the bride of the Snake God, he was wearing a lot of gold and jade. Although they were all very delicate and beautiful, but... there was no empty space for jewelry, and they were all very solid and heavy, making him look like a mobile jewelry display cabinet.
Su Yun began to take off his bracelets and gold rings. These little things fell to the ground with a clinking sound. Only a string of pearls was left on his hair. His upper body was almost completely bare. He also managed to break off the anklets and leg rings.
Some things were left behind, but the thing is... this outfit only had decorations, it had no fabric.
Su Yun: =-=
Anyway, there’s no one watching, so let it be.
Su Yun sat down on the steps. At this time, the sky outside was falling through the gaps in the dome. Time had unknowingly reached dusk. The light became dim, and the scarlet color shone on the statue, giving it a layer of eerie light.
Suddenly, a rustling sound appeared behind Su Yun.
Su Yun: ...
Su Yun turned around slowly, and the area under the statue was still the same as before, with nothing there.
He stood up and accidentally touched the golden ring that fell on the stairs. The golden ring rolled down the stairs, bringing with it a series of faint echoes.
Su Yun turned around suddenly, but there was nothing unusual on the square platform and he still saw nothing.
Is it an auditory hallucination?
Just when Su Yun wanted to sit down again, a pair of cold arms came around him from behind, one hand gently covered his eyes, and the other hand wrapped around his waist.
The rustling sound rang out again, this time it was more unscrupulous, just like the gaze that had been staring at him.
Su Yun froze. He could feel a cold body against his back. The hands around his waist were getting tighter and tighter. A low laugh came from above his head.
The huge force made him lose his balance, and the arms around his waist lifted him up slightly, becoming his only point of support.
"I've waited for eighteen years... and finally it's here."
A voice sounded in Su Yun's ears, deep and pleasant, with a natural ambiguity and tenderness.
The hand that was blocking his view moved away, Su Yun raised his head, and saw a face that was not human beside him.
This is a very gorgeous man, with black hair, red eyes and a charming face, except for the complex dark gold lines on his forehead, some of which look like lotus flowers and some like branches. His appearance is demonic enough to drive people crazy, but the lines on his forehead are extremely holy. The two completely opposite elements put together do not look abrupt, but instead deepen the strange charm.
It turned out that the snake god was not a giant python, but a monster with a human head and a snake body. His upper body was only slightly taller than the burly man, but his lower body was a platinum-colored snake tail several meters long, circling over the statue from top to bottom. No wonder Su Yun didn't find the source of the sound when he turned back just now.
He climbed down from above.
As if possessed by some mysterious force, Su Yun subconsciously reached out and touched the golden pattern on the snake god's forehead. The snake god actually lowered his head and let him do it, his gorgeous red eyes filled with love.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the snake god said softly, "...you gave it to me."
Su Yun: "...I gave it to you?"
How come I don’t know.
The Snake God did not answer this question. He smiled gently and stroked Su Yun's face. There was a strange crimson in his eyes. Su Yun saw his own reflection in these eyes.
The snake god kissed Su Yun on the forehead: "Tonight... is our wedding."
The next moment, the arm that was around Su Yun's waist loosened, but Su Yun did not fall to the ground. Something cold and smooth separated his legs and supported him. It was the upper and middle part of the thick snake's tail. Then, the end of the snake's tail came up, and the tail, which was only as thick as Su Yun's arm, wrapped around his ankle.
When Su Yun woke up from his daze, dozens of days had passed.
Su Yun: “…”
The animal world never deceives me.
During this process, the snake god did not give him any food offerings. Instead, he kept feeding him sweet spring water and delicious lotus seeds. Su Yun was fed like this for more than ten days and he did not feel hungry at all.
Su Yun turned around and looked at the man next to him... half a man, his tail was still wrapped around his body, but his upper body was lying on the stone steps, with smooth scales directly below his human waist and abdomen, and further down was a tail that was similar to a snake's belly.
How long was the snake's tail? Five meters? Seven meters? It was hard to tell when it was coiled together, but the initial part was about as thick as Su Yun could hug, and the thinnest part was as thick as his arm.
Perhaps sensing Su Yun's gaze, the snake god lifted up his tail, and the platinum scales looked beautiful under the sunlight: "Isn't it beautiful? This is also your gift."
Su Yun suddenly remembered that he seemed to have never heard the heartbeat of the snake god. He went over to feel it, and sure enough, there was no breath. The snake god hugged his little wife who threw herself into his arms and said, "I am still a dead thing, but now I don't need parasites to absorb energy."
Su Yun didn't understand, but he felt inexplicably relieved.
This is no longer the original temple where the huge statue was placed, but another palace. This palace houses a small waterfall. Although the ground is still in a stepped style, this palace is smaller and more exquisite overall.
There is a pool under the waterfall, which is filled with pink and white lotus flowers, bringing a refreshing fragrance.
There were actually quite a few musical instruments placed on the steps against the wall not far away. In addition to plucked and bowed string instruments, there were also wind and percussion instruments, some of which Su Yun had never seen in the palace.
"Do you want to listen?" The snake god hugged him, "What do you want to listen to? As long as it's a song that has appeared in this country, I can sing it."
Su Yun was a little surprised: "This country? Are you referring to my country?"
"That's right." The Serpent God laughed, "Of course, this also includes the civilizations before this, whether it's their history or art."
The snake god is a very clingy lover.
After the passionate period of love when they would roll in the sheets at any time, Su Yun and his lover finally entered the mode of an old married couple (Su Yun thought so unilaterally). He collected some offerings and finally got himself a set of relatively normal clothes.
The temple of the snake god does have its unscientific aspects. Just like the fixed-point refresh in the game, there will never be dust or dirt in the temple. Even the gold and jade jewelry thrown away by Su Yun are defaulted as "garbage" and are refreshed away. It is very magical.
Su Yun would occasionally see bald heads, but these priests would knock on their knees with every step they took when entering the temple, and after entering the gate, they would keep their heads bowed and kneel. Su Yun could see their faces clearly, but they could probably only see the corners of Su Yun's clothes.
When the snake god was in a good mood, he would fill a bottle with water from the lotus pond and place the bottle under the statue. The two old priests with the highest status would naturally take the bottle away.
Su Yun: "What is this for?"
The snake god replied, "They will mix the water into the Ganga River and irrigate all the land in the country, so that the crops will be abundant and the livestock will prosper."
The Gan River and its tributaries flow through every corner of this land. Su Yun then realized that...it turns out that the reason why this country has good weather every year is not just because of its good geographical location.
Su Yun: "Then the water I drink..."
Snake God: "It's in the lotus pond."
Su Yun: "Ah this..."
The water in this lotus pond, after being diluted, can support the livestock of a country, so he drinks it every day... oh, and eats lotus seeds...
Su Yun was a little panicked, and his panic came true soon after. That day, the Snake God handed him a small snake as thick as a thumb. The small snake was only as long as Su Yun's forearm, with cute jade-red eyes and a flawless platinum body. It was well-behaved and obedient, and it wrapped itself around Su Yun's wrist and refused to come down.
Su Yun looked at the little snake, then raised his head to look at the snake god with red eyes and white scales. The comparison between the two made him fall into dementia.
Snake God: "That's it?"
Su Yun: "How come I didn't know when I laid the eggs? And when did you hatch the eggs? Why didn't you tell me?"
Snake God: "..."
The Snake God finally realized what Su Yun was saying. He hugged Su Yun and laughed uncontrollably.
The little snake wrapped itself around Su Yun's wrist, hissing.
After laughing, the snake god explained seriously: "Unfortunately, this is not our child."
"It is my rib, and as long as it is wrapped around you, I will always be with you."
The author has something to say: Hey, here is a little-known fact: some reptiles do not enter together, because female reptiles have two entrances, so male reptiles can enter from two directions (please watch reptiles □□, watch the movie on B station for details, it's just around the corner), which is actually an evolution to increase the conception rate.
———
But it is not necessarily the case here.
You can do it together or take turns.
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