The bridge is old, and the guardrails on both sides have been stripped away by the years. The loose stones are covered with brocade, hundred-step vine, fern... It's like a beard growing from the folds of an old man's face, thickly growing downward.
It was draped and hung down into the rapid turbid current of the Snake River below.
Li Changan arrived just in time.
The ceremony has just begun.
The lively agitation was paused, and the chaotic sound of gongs sounded.
A team of men and horses carried three animals onto the stone bridge. The leader was a rich man in gorgeous clothes. He climbed up the steps out of breath and worshiped on the ground piously. The fat all over his body bulged high under his colorful clothes.
At first glance, it is no different from the fat pig tied up in red silk next to it.
Then came the high-pitched suona.
The shamans dressed in weird and colorful costumes came out from the crowd and took the stage.
While singing vague prayers, he danced his body like a snake.
Wait for him to walk up to the center of the altar babbling.
Suddenly the bell was rang, and several white flags were immediately raised from the audience. The cinnabar characters on the flags were full of ghostly symbols, and only a few words "dragon" or "snake" could be vaguely recognized.
Suddenly the drums were clapped again, and a nimble man climbed down the bridge with his bare hands amidst the exclamations of the audience on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He swung his arms lightly and threw himself into the thick "beard" of the ancient bridge.
…
The theater on the bridge was lively and lively, and the people watching the theater under the bridge were whispering.
A corner of the crowd.
"Huh? It's strange. You didn't say you were going to build a new bridge, but why are you trying to build the old bridge again?"
"No wonder, the old bridge was demolished to make a new one."
"To save money on stones? I heard that this gentleman set up a living table for many days to build the bridge. He has enough fish, meat, rice and grain. He is very wealthy. He is not like the ordinary stingy rich man."
"Don't you understand? There are so many people who don't understand! There is something to say here."
The person who spoke was nonchalant, and the person next to him hurriedly asked for advice.
"Brother, let's talk a little bit more. I'll treat you to a drink later."
"Well, it's not like I like to gossip. I also heard from my brothers in the same clan that his mother-in-law's uncle is the cousin of the rich man's concubine. He told you not to spread rumors. I told you, you can't
Say it again!"
After being cursed and sworn by those around him, he cleared his throat and spoke loudly.
"If we say that a person's good fortune is certain, if it is too much at one end, it must be short at the other end. For example, the man who built the bridge, his family name is Zhou, and his ancestors only served as minor officials, so they did not have much good fortune, but from his great-grandfather
Since then, the family's land has become more and more abundant from generation to generation, and at the same time, the number of people has become thinner and thinner. By his generation, he was already a single seedling, and Mr. Zhou himself was nearly sixty years old, with more than ten children at his knees.
There was no one who could handle it. Seeing that all the wealth of the family was being taken advantage of by people with other surnames, I was so anxious that I ignored my old bones and kept looking for brides every year. They were all women who seemed to be easy to have children. I didn’t expect that in recent years,
, let alone a boy, there is not even a girl..."
As he was talking, someone interrupted.
"I know, I know! It's not that they were not born, they were given to the Dragon King for marriage! Someone picked them up and looked at them. They were covered in bruises and were beaten to death. They said it was to scare the baby girl. Don't go any further.
His family reincarnated."
"Damn it! Don't dare to say nonsense, you will be sued!"
The speaker glared at the garbled speaker, looked around carefully, calmed down, and then continued speaking.
"Just a few days ago, a mage, the one on the stage, arrived at the Zhou Mansion and saw the crux of the problem at a glance."
"The Master said that our Grandpa Dragon King not only protects dead babies, but also sends boys and girls who are about to be reincarnated to thousands of households."
"This is where the Zhou family's problem lies."
"Our stone bridge on the ground has become a fairy over the years and has perfected its merits. But you have also seen that the stone bridge is very dilapidated, and the cracks all over it are almost making snakes' nests. The bridge fairy is angry that we can't just walk.
Xiu, but he did not embarrass ordinary people, and only vented his anger on Grandpa Dragon King under the bridge. Grandpa Dragon King was also angry, but he was kind-hearted and did not bully the poor, so he only picked on the Zhou family, the most prestigious family in the land, to vent his anger.
Knowing that there are only a few boys in his family, he just gave his family a daughter, which will make the Zhou family lose its incestuous relationship!"
"So, this time the bridge is offering sacrifices not only to the Dragon King, but also to the Bridge God."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a burst of cheers from the crowd watching.
"It's out! It's out!"
Everyone stood on tiptoe and looked around.
…
It turned out that the man who got off the bridge earlier had a "beard".
His skills are still as agile as those of an ape.
There was a rusty sheathed ancient sword in his hand.
This sword is called the "Dragon-Slaying Sword". It is a local custom to hang this object under the bridge every time a bridge is built to deter the flood from destroying the bridge when the dragon moves through the water.
The man climbed onto the bridge and respectfully presented his sword to a big man whose face was painted like a god general.
At this time, all the playing sounds are pressed.
The audience immediately understood that the climax of the ceremony was coming.
So everyone was silent, only the mage raised his neck and hissed.
He said:
"Please Dragon God!"
So he removed the three animals and brought up a small statue of the Dragon King made of colored paper.
Then, the wizard began to circle around the statue while chanting incantations in a weird accent.
The main idea is to tell the Bridge God that people are ready to build a new bridge for it, so that it will no longer hinder the Dragon King, otherwise it will be completely demolished.
The second is to tell the River God that the Bridge God’s troubles have been solved for it, so that it should stop causing trouble, otherwise...
Gongs, drums, and suonas all come out.
The wizard retreated, and the "divine general" stepped onto the altar.
He walked up to the "Dragon King" with a T-step, as if he were at the execution ground at the gate of Qiuri City. He raised the dragon-slaying sword high amidst the cheers of the audience, and was about to pull out the sword and stab the "Dragon King" to death.
…
"master!!"
Suddenly, there was a shrill call.
The "divine general" was startled and stopped; the musicians forgot to play; the crowd split open, and a disheveled and disheveled woman came out and threw herself under the bridge.
She cried and screamed:
"Let her go and don't touch her. She is also your own flesh and blood!"
Before the audience under the bridge understood the situation, Mr. Zhou, who had been prostrating himself on the bridge, suddenly jumped up. His face turned red, half panicked and half angry, and he pointed at the servants around him.
"Stop that crazy woman! Stop her quickly!"
The servants rushed forward and grabbed the woman with all their hands, but did not stop her mouth.
"My daughter, my daughter is inside the Dragon King statue."
Mr. Zhou was so anxious that he jumped up and down.
"Hurry and drag it down!"
"You kill me, you kill me!"
"Don't shut her up!!"
The woman's cry was finally silenced, but it was too late.
Someone in the crowd recognized that the woman was Master Zhou's newly adopted concubine. The buzzing chatter immediately spread among the crowd, and eyes of all kinds, including scrutiny, suspicion, and ridicule, gathered towards the bridge.
Mr. Zhou's face turned green and white, and then he glared at the musicians fiercely.
"What are you talking about?! You don't want any wages? Keep going!"
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, he didn't even make any excuses and insisted on continuing the ceremony.
So the music played again, but the "divine general" responsible for killing the Dragon King was hesitant, looking in the woman's direction, raising his sword and refusing to make a move.
When Mr. Zhou saw this, he became furious, rushed to the altar, pushed the "divine general" away, and grabbed the dragon-slaying sword.
Draw your sword.
It's rusty and can't be pulled out.
Just hold the dragon-slaying sword upside down and use it as a hammer.
Hold down the "Dragon King" with one hand and hold the ancient sword high with the other.