8mi Chapter 41 The Earth God Bows His Head in Respect!
Chapter 41 The Earth God Bows His Head in Respect!
Proof of public consent to land use?
This is downright unreasonable!
The local temple is dilapidated, the temple keeper is insane, and the local earth god himself is barely able to protect himself. How can he prove his consent?
This is clearly a nearly unsolvable problem that Lü Liang threw out as a last resort when he saw that the situation was hopeless!
"Village chief! Aren't you making things difficult for us? If the local earth god truly has power, why doesn't he show his mercy during plagues? Why doesn't the crooked temple straighten itself?"
Yang Qianchui said angrily.
"How dare you! The majesty of the righteous god is beyond your comprehension!"
"If the Dragon God truly possesses great supernatural powers and can gain the approval of the Earth God, then we naturally have nothing to say! If not! Hmph, then this matter of establishing a shrine will be illegitimate, unacceptable to our ancestors, and unblemished by Heaven and Earth!"
Lü Houde chimed in, his voice sharp and shrill.
The villagers who supported the establishment of the ancestral hall were indignant and accused Lü Liang of being unreasonable.
But Lü Liang's words were like a poisonous thorn, piercing the hearts of some of the older villagers.
The belief that the Earth God has been worshipped for decades is deeply ingrained.
If the shrine to the Dragon God completely disregards the Earth God, or even offends him, will it really bring misfortune?
The scene reached a stalemate again, the jubilant atmosphere vanished, replaced by uneasy commotion and hushed arguments.
Shixi Village.
Side hall of the Jiaoshen Temple.
Lin Shi sat cross-legged, sensing the power of the transmitted message and locking onto Liu Laosi. He clearly understood the entire process of Lü Liang's harassment last night and at this moment.
Earth God?
orthodox?
Is this useful?
Whoever has the bigger fist gets to decide!
Is Lü Liang making things difficult for him?
This is a minor incident!
Without even a second thought, a solution came to him immediately; there was no need for him to personally intervene—Liu Laosi was sufficient.
Shanghe Village.
Riverbank.
Liu Laosi walked up to Lü Liang, his face showing no anger or panic, only calm.
The moment Lü Liang posed the difficult question, his heart skipped a beat, his mind went blank, and he was at a loss. But in an instant, a burning sensation came from the pebble, and a new idea quickly flooded into his mind.
Liu Laosi remained calm and unperturbed.
This isn't the first time it's happened; the events of the past few days, especially yesterday at noon in front of the ancestral hall and last night on the riverbank, have all been thanks to this timely intervention.
This must be an ability bestowed upon me by the Jiao God.
Liu Laosi felt much more at ease and looked at Lü Liang with a calm expression.
"Muramasa's words are not without merit."
When Liu Laosi spoke, his words were astonishing, silencing the commotion.
"The local earth god is indeed a long-standing deity worshipped in this village. The gods of heaven and earth each have their own duties. The dragon god is compassionate and possesses boundless supernatural powers. He descended to this place to cleanse the impurities and protect the people, not to compete for incense offerings, and he would never do anything coercive or presumptuous."
"Since the village head has doubts, and considering the harmony of the gods and the peace of the village, we believers will sincerely pray again. We earnestly request the Dragon God to display his great power and enlighten Heaven and Earth."
"It may communicate with the local deities, or manifest auspicious omens. This is to dispel the doubts of the people, to justify the name of the shrine, and to seek peace and harmony for the region!"
Liu Laosi spoke in a steady voice, his gaze sweeping over the villagers with their varied expressions.
These words immediately elevated the overall perspective.
It neither denies the existence of the Earth God nor fails to point out the higher purpose and compassionate nature of the Dragon God's descent, demonstrating a lofty vision that is difficult to criticize.
Lu Liang stared intently at Liu Laosi, his chest heaving. He hadn't expected Liu Laosi to accept this almost unsolvable problem so easily, and to respond so flawlessly, even occupying the moral high ground. The ominous premonition in his heart grew colder and colder, like ice water poured over his head.
"What a silver tongue!"
"Then I'll give you one more night! Right here on this desolate beach! I, the village chief, want to see with my own eyes how you will obtain this sign of peace! If you cannot, then you are spreading heresy and misleading the masses!"
"I said hoarsely, my voice trembling slightly," Lü Liang said.
Yang Qianchui, Lu Cheng, Old Scholar Xu, Crippled Zhao, and Zhang Hong all looked worried, but since things had come to this point, there was no better way than to wait and see what happened that night.
That night.
On the barren beach.
There were more people gathered than last night.
Almost everyone in the village who could walk came, a dark mass of people, yet utterly silent. All eyes were nervously fixed on the land marked by the blue light, or on the blurry outline of the earth god temple in the distance.
Liu Laosi, Yang Qianchui, Lu Da, and others continued to sit in prayer in the center of the wasteland.
Time passed slowly, and the bright moon rose high in the sky, its clear light shining everywhere. Apart from the rushing river, the surrounding fields were silent. Just as many people began to feel sleepy and doubtful, in the center of the wasteland, the area that had shown a blue light the night before suddenly lit up with a faint glow again!
This time, however, the light was no longer a pure pale blue, but rather a blue light with a faint, almost imperceptible, earthy yellow halo.
The two colors of light did not merge, but rather seeped from the ground in distinct yet parallel manner.
Immediately afterwards, from the direction of the distant earth god temple, in the shadow of the crooked temple, came a very faint, almost imperceptible sound of dirt falling to the ground.
At the same time, the blue light and the earthy yellow halo on the wasteland were both extremely bright!
It wasn't glaring, and the faces of everyone around were clearly reflected.
The blue light was clear and vibrant, enveloped in a misty haze.
The earthy yellow halo is deep and heavy, carrying the scent of soil.
The two colors of light each occupied half of the outline of the shrine foundation that appeared last night, connecting with each other but not interfering with one another.
Even more shockingly, in the deepest part of the light, two extremely faint phantoms could be seen flashing by.
The blue one is like a snake or a dragon, winding and dynamic.
The yellow figure is short and stocky, standing with a cane.
The two illusory figures bowed to each other, and then disappeared.
As the phantom faded, the blue light and earthy yellow halo on the wasteland dimmed and went out at the same time.
Everything returned to darkness and silence.
"Did you see that? Two shadows!"
"The blue one is the Dragon God! It's very clear! The yellow one is the Earth God? It's so blurry! Is it because his divine power is insufficient?"
"It seems like the Earth God is bowing his head to the Dragon God?"
"They bowed in greeting! The Earth God yielded!"
"The Earth God agreed! He appeared and bowed, agreeing!"
The ecstatic shouts erupted like a volcanic eruption, instantly igniting the entire wasteland.
This sight was more stunning and symbolic than the simple blue light on the ground last night.
The Earth God not only appeared, but also bowed to the Dragon God!
Lu Liang stood at the edge of the crowd, his face ashen and his body ice-cold. He had seen the yellowish halo, the short, illusory figure, and the bow with his own eyes. His last shred of hope and psychological defenses completely collapsed.
Lü Liang knew he had lost, utterly and completely. He had lost not only to the unfathomable supernatural powers of the Jiao Shen, but also to this undeniable divine certification.
From then on, in Shanghe Village, the orthodox position of the Earth God would be given way to a new and more powerful faith through this act of bowing and yielding.
Looking at the cheering crowd, Liu Laosi then gazed in the direction of Shixi Village and bowed deeply.
The pebbles in my arms were burning hot. I'd passed the final hurdle.
The debate over the establishment of the ancestral hall is now over.
The faith of the Jiao God not only won the hearts of the people, but also gained legitimate recognition in the divine realm.
The new ancestral hall in Shanghe Village will stand peacefully.
Lu Liang and Lu Houde originally wanted to stop them by making a decision in the form of clan elders, but faced with the power of divine decree and the villagers' complete allegiance, their words were like pebbles thrown into a torrent, not even causing a ripple. They could only stand there and watch the crowd excitedly discussing the establishment of the ancestral hall walk past them, and no one even gave them a second glance.
The debate over the establishment of the ancestral hall has now come to an end.
The faith of Shanghe Village is undergoing tremendous changes along with the ancestral hall that is about to break ground.