On the same day, all the rangers got up at the end of the day. After breakfast, they excitedly headed to the venue of the sacrificial ceremony, led by a civilian official from the city lord's palace.
For a ranger from the southwest, it was a great honor to be able to participate in the festival up close. Almost everyone devoted themselves to the work of the day with the fullest enthusiasm. I say "almost" because Qiao Xiaopang is not
Coming from the southwest, for him, standing by the altar all day was a kind of torture. In addition, he got up too early, so he was a little listless along the way. Xia Yu was not from the southwest, but he
Not as immobile as Qiao Xiaopang
It was uncomfortable. In addition, it was the first time for him to participate in such a large-scale event in Xuantian Continent. Feeling the cultural atmosphere here, he felt quite fresh. The altar for the Yao Shen Festival had already been prepared.
This is a circular high platform with a diameter of more than ten feet and a height of about three feet. On top of the high platform is a huge stone carving, which is engraved with a scribe with long sleeves. He is the god of medicine who is revered by everyone in the southwest. The expression on the stone carving
With deep compassion
The emotion and emotion can be felt at a glance. This is a senior master who cares about the world. I think the person who carved it is also a master craftsman.
In front of the statue, there is also a huge bronze tripod. A bonfire has been lit under the bronze tripod. The water in the bronze tripod is boiling and steaming. The capital of every state in the southwest
There is such an altar, all located about fifty miles east of the city. The scale of the altar and the size of the sculptures are all the same. However, because some states are relatively remote and have small populations, not every place has a Hailuo City.
Here's the sacrifice
Such a large scale. Xia Yu and Qiao Xiaopang were arranged in the west of the altar, very close to the altar. From their perspective, they could not see the situation on the altar at all. This was a very bad position. But Xia Yu’s essence
I'm not from the Southwest, and neither is Qiao Xiaopang, so I don't think so.
Yes, the two of them murmured in low voices while standing guard.
"Yuwen, I have to stand all day today, can I go out for some exercise?" Qiao Xiaopang whispered.
"It's embarrassing... they won't move, are you embarrassed to leave?" Xia Yu said.
"I can feel uncomfortable in my stomach..."
"Okay..." Xia Yu nodded slightly, "But since your stomach feels uncomfortable, you should eat less at noon."
"You're too cruel...Then I'd better stand here..."
Xia Yu smiled slightly, "Just bear with it, you will definitely have a break for lunch."
"Okay..." Qiao Xiaopang rolled his eyes and asked, "Yuwen, your ancestors must not be from the southwest, right?"
"Um...no. How did you know?"
"Nonsense!" Fatty Qiao pursed his lips and said, "People in the Southwest have heard a lot about the deeds of the God of Medicine since they were young. If your ancestors were from the Southwest, you should be like others now!"
Xia Yu looked around and found that everyone else had pious and solemn faces. Only he and Qiao Xiaopang were whispering to each other. He quickly put on a serious face and whispered: "Do as the Romans do, and let's not talk.
Got it!"
...Before dawn, all the representatives participating in the ceremony had arrived under the altar. Thousands of people stood densely packed, all dressed in plain clothes with pious and solemn expressions. In addition, there were several more people in the square in the distance.
Hundreds of thousands of people came to participate in the sacrificial activities, standing in a dense crowd
, as far as the eye can see.
Just before the sun came up, City Lord Yue Congshan slowly climbed onto the altar and stood under the statue of the God of Medicine.
When the white fish belly appeared in the east, the melodious horn sounded, and Yue Congshan said loudly: "The sacrificial ceremony begins!"
His voice came out with inner strength, and the entire sacrificial venue could hear it clearly. As soon as his voice fell, the ceremony site immediately became very quiet, leaving only the sound of the flags being blown by the morning wind.
"Salute!" Yue Congshan's voice spread throughout the entire ceremony. Everyone bowed respectfully towards the statue of the God of Medicine, including the guards such as Xia Yu and Qiao Xiaopang.
"Send a sacrifice!"
After the salute, following Yue Congshan's command, a dozen strong warriors, bare-chested, carrying cattle, sheep and other live animals, walked up to the altar.
These cattle and sheep have been tied tightly and placed on the special platform on the altar.
Yue Congshan took the ox-eared dagger from a warrior, skillfully bled the cattle and sheep, and then put the whole thing into the bronze cauldron.
The moment the cattle and sheep entered the cauldron, everyone in the audience knelt down and lay respectfully on the ground. But this time, all the guards performed a half-kneeling salute.
When the sacrifice session was over, people stood up again.
"Yangyang Xuantian, an ancient human emperor with a long history, has unparalleled achievements. In the ancient land of the southwest, epidemics are rampant among the people, and the fire is deep. I am the medicine god, endowed with intelligence, kindness and sincerity, compassion for heaven and earth, and travel thousands of miles to save Li E..."
In the solemn silence, Yue Congshan began to recite the sacrificial text. This four-character sacrificial text is simple and easy to understand. It describes in detail how the God of Medicine arrived in the southwest, how he inspected, how he tested medicine, how he treated the people, how to prevent it, and a series of other things.
The rhetoric of the sacrificial text is simple and unpretentious, without any elaboration, but it reflects that the people in the southwest have a very strong feeling of commemorating the God of Medicine.
Following Yue Congshan's rich voice, a solemn and pious aura followed the altar, spread to the surroundings, and pointed straight into the vast sky.
Xia Yuruo moved. He closed his eyes and carefully felt the mysterious aura. He couldn't help but secretly sigh, it seems... This is the power of faith in the legend. The people of Xuantian Continent and the people of China are in faith.
It is somewhat similar to the above. To be precise, their cultures are of the same origin. They will not create an omnipotent and illusory "god" to worship or willingly be their slaves. Some people say that the Chinese worship their ancestors.
Will believe in ancestors,
But in fact, saying this is too superficial! What the Chinese people truly believe in is the spirit of their ancestors, the spirit of kindness, bravery, and never admitting defeat! Those who were enshrined as gods by the Chinese people
, either a sage who educates the people, a righteous man who saves the world from danger, or a hero who bravely resists when faced with foreign invasion. Chinese people
What we respect is not people or power, but a spirit.
I don’t know how much higher this is than the kind of faith that prays for mercy and forgiveness with fear and humility. Some self-righteous people always laugh at the Chinese people for having no faith, but in fact the Chinese people’s faith is more advanced, but they just don’t understand it.