Folklore: The dragon splits into two bodies, and the village worships the dragon as a deity in its p

Chapter 39 The Dispute Over the Establishment of the Shrine

sunset.

The roof tiles of Shanghe Village were dyed a golden red.

The smoke from the cooking fire rose straight up.

"grandfather!"

"Shouldn't we clear some space next to our rice container? Maybe we could put a water bowl there?"

My grandson, Gou'er, was eating, his eyes sparkling.

"Nonsense!"

"Let's see what everyone says."

Zhao the Cripple's voice wasn't loud, and he paused with his chopsticks on the rim of his bowl. This matter definitely couldn't be suppressed; there had to be an explanation.

"I need a place! I need a proper place to kowtow, only then will I feel at peace!"

Widow Wang leaned against the headboard, holding a bowl of water in her hand, staring into the void, muttering to herself. This time it wasn't the Flood Dragon God; she definitely wouldn't survive. If she really died, leaving behind her seven-year-old son, the thought alone sent chills down her spine.

The dragon's roar and shimmering water on the riverbank have not faded from people's memories; on the contrary, they have become clearer and more sacred through word of mouth.

Daytime work continued as usual, and cooking smoke still rose, but more and more changes were occurring:

When drawing water from the well, people would unconsciously look towards Shixi Village.

When the families who recovered from their illness spoke of the stream and the dragon's shadow that day, they did so with the same respect as if they were mentioning their ancestors.

The adults began to warn the unruly children that they must not show the slightest disrespect to the Dragon God.

The people of Shanghe Village gradually came to a consensus that the being on the other side of the river was real, compassionate, and worthy of being solemnly revered.

early morning.

The sun rises in the east.

Blacksmith Yang Qianchui's arm, as he operated the bellows, was more steady and powerful than ever before, sparks flying onto the anvil.

"Go and call Lu Chengbo and Liu Laosi. Meet them in front of the village chief's house after lunch."

Yang Qianchui looked up and spoke to his son Yang Hu, who was assisting him, in a tone that was not one of discussion but rather of informing him.

West end of the village.

Lu Cheng stood at the door, watching Yang Hu leave and walk away. He turned around and walked back to the courtyard, pulled up a stool and sat down, continuing to polish a piece of wood. From the room not far away, his wife was softly humming a tune to soothe their sick child. Having made up his mind, his tightly furrowed brows relaxed.

noon.

Outside the gate of Lü Liang's courtyard, twenty or thirty people gathered silently.

Liu Laosi, Yang Qianchui, and Lu Cheng stood at the front, followed by Zhang Hong, Zhao Quezi, and others. Some were survivors of the incident on the riverbank that day, while others were the heads of households who had been rescued. They didn't make a fuss; they just stood there, their faces bearing the stubbornness unique to farmers, a determination that is hard to shake once they make up their minds.

Lu Liang walked to the door of the main room, but did not open it. He simply looked out through the crack in the door. The sunlight was a bit dazzling, but he could see clearly:

Yang Qianchui's face, blackened and reddened by the furnace fire, held an unprecedented calm and perseverance.

Lu Cheng's hands were clenched into fists, and the veins on his hands were slightly visible.

Many familiar faces in the crowd, without the usual awe and avoidance, all met with a calm, expectant gaze.

Knowing he couldn't avoid it, Lü Liang took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and stood on the stone steps.

"Yang Qianchui! Lu Cheng!"

"Fellow villagers, what important matter brings us together here?"

Lü Liang tried his best to keep his voice steady.

"Village Chief, we have come here to ask the village chief and the clan elders to uphold justice and discuss the matter of building a shrine in our village for the Dragon God who saved our lives and manifested his divine power to cleanse us of our evil, so that we can offer sacrifices to him in all four seasons to express the gratitude of the entire village."

Yang Qianchui clasped his hands in a fist salute, his movements somewhat stiff, his words polite but his meaning as firm as an anvil.

Lu Liang's anger flared up instantly.

"Establishing a shrine for worship is no ordinary matter. It must conform to the rites and laws and honor the ancestral system."

"The worship of the local deity in Shixi Village still needs to be verified. How can we rashly imitate it? Moreover, our village has its own local earth god temple. Building another temple might displease the earth god, which is not a safe approach."

Lu Liang suppressed his anger and spoke in a deep voice, citing the reasons of etiquette, ancestral rules, and the righteous gods.

"village head."

"Ritual is meant to bring people to life, not to kill them. If the incense at the local temple could save lives, the temple keeper wouldn't be lying there spouting nonsense. We worship a real god who has shown his power and saved lives. This grace is greater than any empty ritual."

Lu Cheng spoke in a muffled voice.

"you!"

"Lu Cheng! You are blaspheming the true gods! You are rebelling against our ancestors!"

Upon hearing the news, Lü Houde rushed over and stood beside Lü Liang, so angry that he slammed his cane on the ground.

"Elder Lü,"

"I'm just a woman who doesn't understand grand principles. All I know is that I almost died from diarrhea, but I was cured by drinking the stream water I prayed for. A dragon appeared in the water and roared. Tell me, is it more worthwhile to stay with a clay statue and wait for salvation, or to kowtow to the real god who has appeared?"

Zhang Hong's face was pale from illness, but her voice was clear. Her words were like a boning knife, peeling away the high-sounding excuses and pointing straight to reality.

More and more villagers gathered to watch, and their hushed discussions grew into a buzzing sound, mostly echoing the opinions of Yang Qianchui and others.

Lü Liang realized that he couldn't let it turn into a debate on his own doorstep, as that would only put him in a more passive position.

"This matter concerns the entire village's customs, traditions, and the hearts of its people; it is not something that a few dozen of us can decide!"

Lü Liang raised his voice, trying to suppress the noise.

"A village-wide meeting will be held in front of the ancestral hall this afternoon. All household heads must attend to discuss this matter. A decision will be made then!"

Having no other option, Lü Liang could only use a clan meeting to suppress the demands of Yang Qianchui and the others.

Yang Qianchui, Lu Cheng, Zhang Hong, and the others exchanged glances, discussed it briefly, nodded in agreement, and turned to leave. However, instead of going home, they went directly to the ancestral hall.

Is there such a way?

Lü Houde was very worried.

"Trying anything as a last resort!"

"There's no other way!"

Lü Liang gritted his teeth.

Is it useful?

I really have no confidence!

This is the only way we can do it for now.

As Lü Houde watched Yang Qianchui, Lu Cheng, Zhang Hong, and the others leave, he slammed his cane heavily into the ground, his sense of unease growing stronger.

afternoon.

The open space in front of the ancestral hall in Shanghe Village was scorching hot under the blazing sun, and the rising heat distorted the view.

Almost all the adult men in the village had arrived, crowding the stone square in front of the ancestral hall and the surrounding shady trees.

Women, children, and the elderly gathered in the outer circle, some standing, some squatting, craning their necks.

The air was thick with the smells of sweat and dust, filled with restlessness and unease.

Under the shadow of the tall lintel of the ancestral hall, several old armchairs and square tables were placed. Lü Liang sat in the center, flanked by several clan elders with white hair and beards and solemn expressions, including Lü Houde and Chen Yun. Behind them were the ancestral tablets enshrined inside the ancestral hall.

Liu Laosi, Yang Qianchui, Lu Cheng, and others did not sit; they stood like the hundreds of villagers behind them.

"Today's village assembly concerns the very foundation of our Shanghe Village's customs and traditions, and the legacy of our ancestors!"

"Yang Qianchui, Lu Cheng, and others proposed building a shrine to worship the so-called dragon god in the outer villages. This proposal involves beliefs and orthodoxy, and must be approached with caution!"

Lu Liang cleared his throat, his voice echoing across the empty stone slab. Holding a yellowed scroll of village rules, he recounted the rules of clan worship, the duties of the local earth god, and emphasized how unauthorized introduction of heretical and wicked practices could confuse people, disrupt the peace of the village, and even anger the local deities, bringing about greater disasters.

Lu Houde added from the side, his words even harsher, equating the establishment of a shrine directly with betraying one's ancestors and cutting oneself off from one's hometown.

The voices of Lü Liang and Lü Houde carried an unquestionable authority. Usually, this approach would work, but this time it failed.

"Village chief! Clan elders! We dare not forget the rules of our ancestors."

"But our ancestors never taught us that we should pretend we didn't see the great favor that saved our lives."

Zhao the Cripple squeezed through the crowd and walked up to Lü Liang and Lü Houde.

"My Zhao family has had only one son for three generations, and this is our only heir."

"When the plague struck, it looked like my child was going to die. It was the Dragon God who appeared and cleared the water, saving my child's life. I, Zhao the Cripple, will remember this kindness in my heart and engrave it in my bones! How can building a shrine and kowtowing to the God of Kindness be considered betraying my ancestors?"

"Our ancestors, would they blame us for being ungrateful?"

Zhao the Cripple's words were like a drop of water thrown into boiling oil, and soon more voices erupted in response.

"My wife is the same!"

"My dad almost died!"

"We heard the dragon's roar! We saw the real dragon! How could it be fake?"

"If the local earth god's temple had a spirit, how could the temple keeper have acted that way? How could the temple have gone crooked?"

"If Shixi Village can stand up, our village has received even greater kindness, so why can't it stand up?!"

……

"A shrine should have been built long ago!"

"Exactly! Saving the entire village's lives is a hundred times better than any fancy clay statue!"

"I need a proper place to perform the rituals to feel at ease!"

"We respect our ancestors and remember the grace of the Dragon God! We won't neglect either of them!"

……

People eagerly recounted their own experiences, their voices rising in waves, expressing their strong desire to build a shrine.

The expressions on Lü Liang and Lü Houde's faces grew increasingly grim. They realized that these once invincible clan precepts and moral deterrents seemed so hollow and powerless.

The argument quickly escalated.

Those who supported the establishment of the ancestral hall were in high spirits and refused to budge an inch.

Lü Liang and Lü Houde clung to the principle that rites, ancestral rules, and orthodoxy should not be desecrated, and rebuked Zhao the Cripple and others for being bewitched by sorcery and forgetting their ancestors.

The air above the ancestral hall seemed to ignite. The two sides clashed, their words growing increasingly heated and filled with tension. Several hot-blooded young people who supported the establishment of the ancestral hall even began to push forward, and the situation was on the verge of spiraling out of control.

"Silence! How dare you make such a racket before the ancestral hall, before our ancestors!"

"Erecting a shrine is absolutely unacceptable!"

Lü Liang slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, attempting to forcefully suppress him.

"village head!"

Liu Laosi, dressed in faded coarse cloth clothes, spoke calmly, his voice and face a stark contrast to the excited crowd around him. But it was precisely this calmness that immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Liu Laosi, what's your explanation now?"

Lu Liang stared at him with a complicated expression. This man, who was once worthless, had now become an undeniable presence.

"Fellow villagers, establishing an ancestral hall for worship is a matter of sincerity; what matters is the power of sincerity. To argue endlessly, even to the point of storming the hall, is this the way to show respect to the gods? And is this the way to resolve problems?"

Liu Laosi first bowed slightly towards the ancestral hall, and also towards the clan elders such as Lü Liang and Lü Houde, before turning around to look at the restless crowd.

"The merciful and holy Dragon God bestows his blessings far and wide, and he does not care about the amount of incense offerings or the grandeur of temples in the human world."

"However, it is only natural for us to feel grateful for your kindness and wish to build a shrine to express our piety."

"The dwelling place of deities has its own will and structure, which ordinary people cannot fathom. Where should a shrine be built to accord with the will of the gods, to enjoy peace, and to nourish the region?"

"This cannot be determined by human arguing; we must sincerely pray and wait for divine guidance."

Liu Laosi's words immediately attracted everyone's attention.

Lu Liang and the clan elders all frowned, staring intently at Liu Laosi, a sense of foreboding creeping into their hearts.

"oracle?"

Zhao the Cripple pressed for an answer.

"good."

"I have been praying sincerely for days. If the Dragon God truly approves of our sincerity in building this shrine, he may send down a revelation to indicate a suitable place. This is a matter of great importance concerning the dwelling place of the deity; we should follow the will of Heaven and obey the divine decree, rather than let our arguments here determine who wins or loses."

Liu Laosi nodded, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

Zhao the Cripple, Zhang Hong, Yang Qianchui, Lu Cheng, and others nodded repeatedly. Liu Laosi's explanation was excellent. If there was a place chosen by the gods to establish a shrine, it would appear even more sacred, solemn, and glorious.

Lu Liang's face turned ashen, his mind racing. He didn't believe in any divine pronouncements, but Liu Laosi's words shifted the focus of the dispute from whether or not to stand up to where to stand in accordance with divine will, and raised the banner of waiting for divine guidance.

Directly denying it would not only make one appear unreasonable, but more importantly, it would go against the will of Heaven, something one cannot bear.

"In that case, I propose that tonight, those in the village who are recognized as sincere should pray and keep watch all night at several possible locations: the Qinghe River beach in the north of the village, under the old locust tree at the village entrance, next to the old mill, and by the Xiansheng Creek in the back mountain, and observe the changes."

"If a divine phenomenon truly manifests in a certain place, then it is the blessed land chosen by the Dragon God. If there are no unusual signs, it means that the time is not right, or that the divine will is not here. The matter of establishing a shrine will be discussed later."

"In this way, we respect God's will and avoid unnecessary disputes. What do you all think?"

Liu Laosi struck while the iron was hot and immediately spoke up.

This proposal is reasonable and justifiable, giving both sides a way out while leaving the final decision-making power to a transcendent entity.

Many villagers felt this was the best approach, as it was both devout and safe.

The neutral parties all nodded in agreement.

Lü Liang was in a difficult situation.

In full view of everyone, to strongly oppose it would only make one appear unreasonable and domineering, as if one is afraid of divine verification.

"Alright! We'll do as you say!"

"This village chief wants to see what kind of divine decree will be delivered tonight!"

Lu Liang forced out a sound through gritted teeth. He loosened his grip at this moment, but he was determined to insist that no matter what happened, he would insist that Liu Laosi and his men were playing tricks. In addition, he had a powerful weapon waiting for him.