When they returned after selling the fish, a pier near the Rising Sun was already packed with people.
Some people even climbed onto the Rising Sun.
These people were either talking amongst themselves or kowtowing to Mazu, praying for her blessings.
People closer to the dock brought incense and candles, lit them, and worshipped Mazu.
Fortunately, Feng Ye and A-Can locked the cabin when they left, otherwise they would be worried about whether the gold bars had been stolen by pickpockets.
"Please make way, let us pass..."
Everyone's attention was drawn to the three statues, and they didn't even notice that the statues had returned.
They could only shout as they squeezed towards the Rising Sun.
"Why are you pushing? There are so many of you... Ah, it's you guys!"
The people who were being squeezed were somewhat dissatisfied, but when they turned around and realized it was them, they could only shake their heads helplessly and make way for them.
Feng Ye, A-Can, and Chen Lusheng struggled to squeeze out of the crowd and board the Rising Sun.
"Ah Ye, where did you get this statue of Mazu from?"
Before Feng Ye and the others could answer, someone else immediately answered for them.
"The colors on the Empress's clothes have faded quite a bit, the dragon robe is gone, and many of her head ornaments are missing. I think they were either brought back from some deserted island or from the bottom of the sea."
As soon as the man finished speaking, it sparked a flurry of speculation and discussion.
"I think so too. Look at the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Wind-Following Ear. Their bodies are covered in a layer of black, which is obviously the result of being soaked in seawater or exposed to wind and sun."
"Yes, it looks quite old, not like a newly acquired idol."
"Of course it's not newly acquired. Why would a private individual acquire such a large statue? If they were to acquire one, it would be a smaller one. Only temples would acquire such a large statue."
"..."
Feng Ye stood at the bow of the boat, looked at the crowd, gestured with his hands, and shouted, "Everyone, please be quiet."
Everyone was startled by the shout, but then quieted down.
"The Goddess Mazu and the two generals, Thousand-Mile Eyes and Wind-Following Ears, were brought back from the sea by Ah-Can and me. They were stolen by the Japanese decades ago and sank to the bottom of the sea along with a warship."
“Today, Ah-Can and I happened to run into them, so we invited them back and let them receive the offerings from the people of Baishi Island again.”
As soon as Feng Ye finished speaking, a commotion arose from the crowd.
Some people looked surprised, some were skeptical, but most were cursing the Japanese.
An elderly man walked out from the crowd, his steps unsteady.
He leaned on a cane, his face etched with the marks of time.
He took a deep breath and then slowly said, "Ah Ye, if what you say is true, I might know the origin of the idol."
The old man's words immediately attracted everyone's attention, and everyone focused their eyes on him and pricked up their ears.
"Mr. Lin, please tell us younger generations about it."
Feng Ye jumped off the boat and went to help him up.
The old man nodded slightly, but instead of speaking directly, he asked, "Ah Ye, are the statues of Generals Thousand-Mile Eyes and Wind-Following Ears cast in bronze?"
"The two generals are indeed made of bronze, but the statue of Mazu is of unknown material; it is quite heavy, though."
"Then that's it, and the statue of Mazu was carved from a single piece of sandalwood."
As soon as the old man finished speaking, another murmur arose from the crowd.
Rosewood is an extremely precious wood.
The statues carved from it are of immeasurable value.
Moreover, this statue of Mazu was brought back from the bottom of the sea after being lost for countless years.
The story and experiences behind it add to the mystery and legend of this statue.
The old man took a deep breath and continued, "This statue of Mazu, along with the statues of the generals Qianliyan and Shunfeng'er, were originally enshrined in the Tianhou Temple on Yanshan Mountain..."
"Yanshan Tianhou Temple? Elder Lin, do you mean the Tianhou Temple in the next county?"
A voice interrupted Old Lin.
"Besides the Tianhou Palace in Yanshan in the next county, are there any other Tianhou Palaces with this name?" Old Lin asked rhetorically.
"I don't know, maybe I am," the man said with an awkward smile.
Old Lin ignored him and began to recount the origins of the three statues.
Legend has it that during the reign of Emperor Qianlong, a merchant from a neighboring county made a fortune and donated funds to expand the Yanshan Mazu Temple in the southeast of the county, renaming it Yanshan Tianhou Palace.
At the same time, the wealthy merchant donated a piece of sandalwood he had brought back from Southeast Asia, which was used to carve a statue of Mazu to show his piety and reverence.
The statues of the generals Qianliyan and Shunfeng'er were cast in bronze with funds raised by believers.
These three statues have been worshipped and revered by the people in the Tianhou Temple in Yanshan, and have become the deities that protect the local fishermen and ensure their safe voyages at sea.
However, more than forty years ago, that war changed everything.
The Japanese artillery fire ravaged this land; they burned, killed, looted, and committed all sorts of atrocities.
The Tianhou Temple in Yanshan was not spared either; three statues of deities were stolen, the temple was destroyed by artillery fire, and countless believers were filled with grief.
Standing at the bow of the boat, Feng Ye listened to Old Lin's story, his heart filled with shock and sorrow.
He never imagined that the statue he had unintentionally brought back from the seabed would have such a tragic history and background.
"Everyone thought these three statues had been stolen to Japan. A few years ago, Yanshan Tianhou Temple even sent people to Japan to search for them, but they never expected that they had sunk to the bottom of the sea," Old Lin sighed.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
