Chapter 12 The Descent of the Gods: The Vertical Cracks on the Tortoise Shell Symbolize…
Longitudinal cracks on a tortoise shell symbolize divine will, while transverse cracks symbolize human affairs. Clear and straight cracks are generally auspicious; messy or broken cracks may foretell misfortune.
The high shaman knew that some disrespectful sorcerers would carve grooves into tortoise shells beforehand to bring good omens during divination. But the high shaman never stooped to such practices.
She enjoys the feeling of communicating with the gods when interpreting their meaning during divination; she believes that is the moment she is closest to the gods.
The great shaman faced the crowd and slowly opened his mouth: "As you all know, when two races challenge each other, they always calculate the fate of the other race."
"The divination results show deep and clear vertical lines, fine and broken horizontal cracks, and diagonal lines intersecting between them." The Great Shaman's clear eyes flashed as she glanced at the shamans led by the Keluo people: "The overall situation of destiny is stable, and it is a situation where destiny strongly suppresses human affairs, but diagonal lines cleave through the fog like knives. Even though your clan faces extremely dangerous situations, there are also decisive individuals who can turn the tide and save the day."
Lin Fengzhi's heart skipped a beat, recalling the schistosomiasis that had recently plagued the people of Keluo in the gold-panning river.
Some of the people from Keluo were already talking in hushed tones.
"The shaman's divination was quite accurate. If it weren't for the shaman, countless people in our tribe would have died."
"That schistosomiasis, who would have thought it was in snails? Our tribe spent so much money and consulted so many shamans, but we still couldn't find the root cause. Our shamans are really more powerful."
The great shaman smiled confidently, "Am I right?"
Lin Fengzhi smiled too. She didn't know whether the great shaman had actually calculated it or knew it through other channels, but that didn't matter.
“Yes.” She nodded and said, “In divination and fortune-telling, I am no match for the Great Shaman. The Great Shaman has cultivated the art of divination for many years. How could someone like me, who has only studied divination for four years, possibly challenge him? In divination and fortune-telling, I concede defeat.”
The great shaman had assumed Lin Fengzhi was extremely arrogant, but upon hearing her words, he was surprised to find her to be quite humble.
The high shaman paused, then continued, “Two months ago, you Keluo people asked me to treat your plague with three hundred bolts of cloth, but I was helpless at the time. Three days ago, I heard from my people that you have resolved it and even performed a prayer to transfer the disease away.”
“Naturally, this matter also marks the beginning of our clan’s challenge to the Great Shaman. I don’t think that person is here today?” Lin Fengzhi looked around the Qu clan’s camp but didn’t see the truly arrogant young man.
“I have investigated and found that he spoke rudely and has been punished according to the clan rules.” The high shaman stepped forward and looked around. “I am not someone who can’t accept defeat. When the Kolo people were suffering from illness, I did ask the gods for guidance many times, and I tried to heal them. But there was no way.”
"Therefore, I voluntarily concede defeat in the prayer for warding off the epidemic and praying for blessings."
The Qu clan members immediately looked up at the high shaman, as if struck by lightning. In their eyes, this was a sure victory, so why was the high shaman admitting defeat while praying for the exorcism and blessings?
Someone tried to stop him, but he shouted, "Great Shaman, no!"
The high shaman's eyes were like knives as he coldly said, "My mind is made up. Am I not allowed to make a decision?"
The man was extremely conflicted, but in the end he dared not contradict the Great Shaman in front of outsiders, and returned to the group with a heart full of anger and confusion.
Lin Fengzhi's eyes lit up; this was the first time she had looked at her properly since the Great Shaman entered the Xiangjun Temple.
She had assumed that the high shaman, raised by an arrogant young man and a clan that monopolized sacrificial rites, would also be a haughty and arrogant person. She never expected that he would be able to distinguish right from wrong.
The high shaman said to the Zhao family and the county magistrate who were watching the ceremony, "In that case, I have settled my score with that Keluo shaman."
The magistrate and the Zhao clan chief exchanged a glance, still looking surprised: "The challenge is between the two of you. Now that it has been decided, we bystanders have no objections."
The high shaman removed her mask, sweat glistening on her forehead and temples. Her eyes still held a hint of divinity as she said calmly, "I've done a divination and need to rest for a while. You may begin the invocation and ritual."
Lin Fengzhi didn't mince words, but asked the Great Shaman one question before the match began: "If I defeat you before you even enter the arena, will you still want to go on?"
Not to mention the Great Shaman, even Sheng-kuan's gaze towards Lin Feng-zhi has changed.
Everyone watched silently, without uttering a word. All their emotions were revealed in their eyes.
That's incredibly arrogant!
Unexpectedly, the great shaman laughed loudly: "If you are a thousand times better than me, why should I humiliate myself? I will take you as my master and follow you in my cultivation! Please."
Lin Fengzhi had grown quite fond of this quick-witted shaman. Without saying another word, she clapped her hands, and the Keluo people carrying the cloth stepped forward.
They wrapped the altar of Xiangjun Temple with black cloth.
Even during the daytime, the Xiangjun Temple darkened, and someone lit lamps near the statue.
Everyone's attention was drawn to the hanging cloth.
The Qu clan members muttered in dissatisfaction, "What's going on? Playing tricks."
The magistrate, however, had a different opinion. He stared thoughtfully at the wide, finely stitched piece of cloth. He asked his subordinate in a low voice, "Why are there holes in that cloth?"
The subordinate, a local native, could only shake his head in the face of this strange occurrence: "I don't know either."
The Keluo people lit pepper incense and stood in front of the drum, awaiting Lin Fengzhi's command.
Lin Fengzhi arrived at the center of the altar. Her attire was still adorned with phoenix patterns, but now it featured the most abundant and lush bamboo in the Xiang River basin. Phoenixes perched on bamboo branches, overlooking the human world.
Lin Fengzhi faces the statues of Xiangjun and Xiangfuren. The sculptures are not particularly exquisite or detailed, but they are very moving. Xiangjun is solemn and dignified, while the two Xiangfuren are kind and gentle.
Her expression gradually became solemn. Perhaps she didn't believe in any gods, and even had reservations about their existence. The high shaman she met today had changed her somewhat radical views.
She gave Yong, who was standing in front of the drum, a wink, and Yong immediately struck the drum three times.
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
"Thump!"
They loudly chanted the eulogy Qu Yuan wrote for the Xiang River Goddess: "Your Majesty, you do not go, yet you linger; who will stay on this islet in the middle of the river? Beautiful and graceful, you are worthy of adornment; I ride in a cassia boat. May the Yuan and Xiang rivers be calm, and may the Yangtze River flow peacefully."
Following the divine dance from her memory, Lin Fengzhi stepped to the drumbeats, responding to the song with measured rhythm, her wide sleeves billowing as she gracefully danced. Light and ethereal, she was like bamboo leaves swaying in the wind.
Lin Fengzhi danced to the statue of Xiangjun, then suddenly bent over and flicked her sleeve, scattering the gunpowder she had painstakingly prepared onto the lampstand.
"The Xiang Lord descends, divine fire clears the way!" Yong slammed the drumhead and shouted.
"boom!"
Blue flames exploded on the lampstand, and everyone was filled with doubt and surprise. Before they could find out what was going on, the pattern of Xiangjun driving a dragon chariot was reflected on the altar through the holes left in the cloth.
Those with weak wills cried out in alarm and knelt down, proclaiming, "Xiang... Xiangjun has descended..."
The Zhao clan chief suddenly looked at his brother-in-law, who was also filled with surprise. He knew that the disciples of the Mo family possessed some supernatural abilities, such as the Mo family's mechanical arts. So he looked at him questioningly, but Sheng Kuan shook his head.
Sheng Kuan looked intently at the center of the altar, while Lin Fengzhi raised the pottery jar high and hurriedly approached the divine miracle of Xiangjun riding a dragon in the center of the altar.
She called out loudly, "Please, Xiangjun, drink!"
The prepared oxalic acid solution reacted rapidly with the iron powder in the can, and dark red rust crawled up the can wall as if alive until it overflowed. The rust then underwent a displacement reaction with copper ions, and the flame color abruptly changed to a poignant golden-red.
A golden-red earthenware jar was placed beside Xiangjun, who seemed to drink from it. The liquid in the jar ceased its bubbling.
Lin Fengzhi danced lightly around Xiangjun on her dragon, the phoenix behind her poised to take flight. As the drumbeats faded, Lin Fengzhi caught a glimpse of the expressions on the crowd's faces—some terrified, some fervent, some inquisitive—and decided to add fuel to the fire.
With a flick of her sleeve, An led the women of her tribe in chanting: "Birds perch on the roof, water flows around the hall."
I cast my jade pendant into the river, and left my jade ornament at Lipu.
I gather fragrant herbs from the islet, intending to give them to my maidservant.
Time cannot be regained, so let us enjoy our leisure and be carefree.
As the incense burned out, Lin Fengzhi leaped onto the offering table and, amidst chanting, loudly proclaimed, "Send off Xiangjun!"
At the center of the altar, the signs of Xiangjun riding a dragon faded more and more until they were almost gone.
Just when everyone thought it was over, a sound like thunder roared, and everyone looked up in shock amidst the exploding thunder.
Lin Fengzhi's silhouette was projected onto the Xiangjun statue, completely obscuring the golden-hued statue.
Lin Fengzhi spread her arms wide, her silhouette resembling a phoenix soaring high. She bowed inch by inch until she revealed Xiangjun's eyes, devoid of any color, eyes that belonged to the gods.
Not to mention the Qu clan members who already believed in gods, even Sheng Kuan, who knew that Lin Fengzhi had done something wrong, was finding it hard to bear.
This is quite a show of force. If he had known this girl was so capable, he wouldn't have said anything to protect her.
Therefore, when Lin Fengzhi finished her attack, even though she was prepared, she was still taken aback by everyone's reaction.
They looked at her, their expressions filled with emotion.
Lin Fengzhi took a step forward, and they immediately knelt down.
Suddenly someone shouted, "God! It's a god!"
The others finally realized what was happening and started talking all at once: "Was that a lightning strike?"
"Isn't Xiangjun the water goddess? Does she have to worry about thunder too?"
"Are you stupid? They're gods, they must know a little bit of everything. Didn't you see there's still fire?"
They gazed at Lin Fengzhi with fervent adoration.
Among them, the most ardent was the Great Shaman of the Qu Clan.
Lin Fengzhi thought to herself, she really benefited from being good at studying. Luckily, she still remembered pinhole imaging, redox reactions, and gunpowder formulas. That would be enough to fool people in the Qin Dynasty.
However, the Qu family shaman truly believed in the gods, and she genuinely thought that Lin Fengzhi could summon the gods to descend.
So when Lin Fengzhi asked her if she wanted to continue the competition, she replied directly, "No need. I have been a witch for many years and have never seen Xiangjun descend."
She stepped forward, knelt before Lin Fengzhi, and performed a deep bow. She looked up at Lin Fengzhi and said, "Please accept me as your disciple. I and my men will obey your command."
The Zhao clan chief observed Lin Fengzhi's expression and thought to himself, "This challenge from the Great Shaman might not be a bad thing for the Qu clan. It might also present an opportunity for our Zhao clan."
A note from the author:
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Typed on my phone in the car. Happy Labor Day everyone! [heart emoji][heart emoji]
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