Chapter 16 Asking God
Yang Xiangwei explained that this "sacred mountain" had been consecrated and had a certain "spirituality". Before it was brought to the temple, one must not casually uncover the red cloth on it, lest it attract any unclean things.
Village chief Wumu didn't understand why this thing, which had already been consecrated, would attract unclean things, but he still did as he was told and asked a careful, unmarried girl to watch the red cloth nearby. Then the group of people went down the mountain again in a mighty procession.
When they were almost at the village, the village chief Wumu asked everyone to get ready. While beating gongs and drums to offer sacrifices to the gods, they carried the "god" around the village, which was called "recognizing the way." In fact, it was just to enclose the land and tell Yang Xiangwei how big their Yilan Village was and which areas he would be in charge of in the future.
Even if this step is not taken, Yang Xiangwei will be able to know it after she descends. However, letting them go through this process is also a "test" for them.
As for God, you can’t invite him too easily.
It’s too easy to be “ignored”.
After the circumambulation, the "sacred mountain" was carried into the mountain temple and placed on its altar.
"In the year XX, on the AD XX, Wumu, the head of Yilan Village, and all the villagers, respectfully offer wine and delicacies to the gods of this mountain:
I bow down to the mountain god, standing majestically, guarding this place. Its power is as high as the sky, protecting the beauty of mountains and rivers; its virtue is as thick as the earth, nourishing the growth of all things. The mountains and forests are all your territory, the birds and beasts all benefit from your kindness, and my village has been dependent on you and has benefited from your grace for a long time.
Today, the people of my village gather here, full of awe and gratitude. However, the world is full of twists and turns, and time is unpredictable. Whenever the villagers encounter difficulties and obstacles, they feel worried and uneasy. Today, I pray for the mercy of the mountain god...
The people in my village have always treated you with awe and respect, and have never been negligent in offering sacrifices to you over the years. Now I have prepared food and clean water to offer to you respectfully. Although the gift is small, my sentiments are profound. I only hope that the mountain god will see my sincerity and accept my prayer. If you are blessed, I will honor you year after year, praise your merits and virtues, and never forget them.
Enjoy your meal! ”
Faintly, Yang Xiangwei felt that her whole body became lighter and floated into the air.
A virtual map appeared at His feet. The map was vast and borderless. A triangle was lit up with the words "Huangshan" written on it.
Immediately afterwards, a triangle lit up next to "Huangshan" with the words "Yilan Village" written on it.
Yang Xiangwei had a slight feeling that this should be a successful invitation to the god, and the connection between Him and Yilan Village was successfully established.
When His gaze fell on Yilan Village and He stared at it for a moment, the icon of Yilan Village flashed, and a real bird's-eye view of Yilan Village appeared before His eyes—on a vast and slightly barren land, there was a poor village.
It is not large, with only dozens of households scattered around.
The houses in the village are all made of mud and thatched structures, and the traces of time are clearly visible on them. The wall, built with mud mixed with hay, has developed many mottled cracks after being eroded by wind and rain, like the criss-crossing wrinkles on the faces of old men, silently telling stories of the past. The thatch covering the roof had become sparse and messy due to years of disrepair, and some places had even collapsed, revealing the simple furnishings inside the house.
However, in this somewhat dilapidated scene, there stands a relatively well-built mountain temple in the middle of the village. Compared with the surrounding houses, it appears much taller and more solid.
Yang Xiangwei: “…”
They built my mountain temple in the middle of the village?
Well, thinking about the fact that they had no defense capabilities and could only hide in the mountain temple when something happened, Yang Xiangwei seemed to understand why they built the mountain temple in that location.
Looking at the distance between the village and the mountain again, Yang Xiangwei was glad that the village was built at the foot of the mountain, otherwise it would make her "isolated and helpless" and unable to support herself.
Why do I say so?
Being relatively close to the mountain, even though this mountain was not his own territory, he could still borrow some strength from it, and even draw upon divine power from Mount Huang by connecting mountains together.
But if the distance between Him and the mountain is too far, the divine power He can use will become very limited. Once the power in His body is used up, He will not be able to "borrow" from other places.
This is why He suggested to Chief Wumu Village to build the mountain temple closer to the mountain.
Because Yang Xiangwei prepared the sacrificial text herself (there was no other way, the villagers were illiterate, so she had to write it herself), she knew exactly what it said, so she didn't listen carefully and just waited for the sacrifice to end.
As the village chief Wumu stepped forward and uncovered the red cloth on the "sacred mountain", everyone seemed to see a flash of golden light.
Yang Xiangwei herself also saw a flash before her eyes, and her whole body was possessed by the "sacred mountain". Through the eyes of the sacred mountain, she saw all the people in the temple.
Except for Village Chief Wu Mu who had stood up, everyone else was still kneeling.
They raised their heads with shocked expressions.
However, what shocked them even more was the next scene—the village chief Wu Mu called out tentatively.
"Lord Mountain God, are you there?"
Yang Xiangwei: “I’m here!”
"May your majesty the mountain god have great fortune and live as long as the heaven and earth!" Without saying a word, the village chief of Wumu knelt down, shouted and bowed.
The villagers were stunned and followed suit, shouting: "Lord Mountain God, may you have great fortune and may you live as long as the heaven and earth!"
Bow down and worship.
Yang Xiangwei was a little amused and confused. It seemed quite serious at the beginning, but how come it turned into a "cult scene" later on?
"Everyone, get up. The ceremony is over. The children's legs must be sore from kneeling..."
A breeze blew by, and everyone present felt as if something was supporting them, and they stood up from the ground.
I have been kneeling for so long that my legs should be sore, but now I don’t feel any discomfort at all.
Could it be that it was the mountain god who helped them? !
Village Chief Wumu quickly thanked him: "Thank you, Lord Mountain God!"
Yang Xiangwei took a look at the offerings on the table. There were quite a lot of them. It was obvious that every household had contributed something. The table was so big and it was filled to the brim.
I don’t know if it’s because Yang Xiangwei emphasized the issue of “freshness”, but all they gave was “ingredients”.
Yang Xiangwei, who originally thought she could have a bite, said: "..."
Don't you guys cook it?
He sighed and asked the village chief Wu Mu to distribute the offerings back.
"Isn't this bad? This is a sacrifice to the mountain god. How can we take it back by ourselves?" Village chief Wumu hesitated.
"I don't cook, and I can't eat the food you offer. Take it back. The food offered to the mountain god has been protected by me. If you take it back and make it into food, you are bringing blessings home. Remember to let the elderly and children eat more, so that they can get more blessings."
"The mountain god is so kind. I and the villagers are grateful to you. Thank you, mountain god!"
Yang Xiangwei smiled and reminded: "From now on, my followers must call themselves 'believers'~"
"Old...the believers and villagers are grateful, thank you, Lord Mountain God!"
Not only Wumu Village Chief, but many people present kept the word "believers" in mind.
Oh, so the followers of the Mountain God have to call themselves “believers”!
[Ding...Faith +1.] 】
[Ding... You have a new believer! 】
…
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