dmims Chapter 46 Summoning
Chapter 46 Summoning
"The City God is the ruler, in charge of the fortunes and misfortunes of all people;"
The Heavenly Master judges life and death, good and bad fortune;
"Whenever one makes a prayer, one must invoke the power of the spirits."
Sun Xu, dressed in a green robe, stood on the stage inside the main hall, presiding over the ritual.
The incense smoke slowly drifted out and went directly into the hibiscus's nose.
"Achoo!"
The crowd couldn't help but look in their direction, but Zhu Jin was in no mood to pay attention to them, her hands covered in snot.
"Paper!"
"I told you to dry your hair after showering last night, and now look what happened, you caught a cold!"
"The hairdryer is broken!"
Zhu Jin's voice was very nasal. She was wearing short sleeves yesterday, but today she took out her teacher's wife's sun protection clothes.
If she hadn't received her salary, she really wanted to stay home and get a good night's sleep.
As accompanying staff, the two of them couldn't leave either, so Zhu Jin had no choice but to stuff the tissue into Ma Ye's pocket.
Just as Ma Ye was about to get angry, he saw those bloodshot eyes.
"No, what did you do last night?"
"I was already angry and couldn't sleep, so I played some games."
The result was a thirteen-game losing streak; they didn't win a single game until dawn!
Another snot bubble popped out, and the staff standing next to her knew that the little girl was really sick.
Worried that I had set the air conditioner too low yesterday, I took Zhu Jin directly into the side room to rest.
The morning ceremony was quick; Sun Xu presided over the ritual twice a month, as skillfully as if he were brushing his teeth or washing his face.
After seeing off the people who came to pray for blessings, he also noticed that Ma Ye's little follower was gone.
"Where's Xiao Jin? Has she been reassigned to something else?"
"No, I just caught a cold. I'll go inside and rest for a while."
There were still bits of paper dust scattered on the ground, so Ma Ye picked up a broom and cleaned them up.
"You should have said so earlier. It doesn't really matter whether you two come or not; it's just a matter of showing up."
"They're not exactly part of the official staff, so nobody will say anything about them."
"That won't do. What if someone finds out that we're just taking money and not doing any work? Wouldn't that make the City God lose face?"
The floor was swept clean in no time.
After the ritual, the City God Temple returned to its usual tranquility.
There were leftover cold medicines in the offices. Zhu Jin took them with hot water, and her stuffy nose was relieved a little.
After noon, the offerings on the altar were removed and distributed to the elderly in the neighborhood.
There were two bananas left, so Ma Ye and Sun Xu sat on the steps and each took one.
"Clang~ Clang~"
Two deep, resonant bell tolled in Ma Ye's ears.
But it's not the hour now, and the City God Temple doesn't have a bell-ringing ceremony.
He turned to look at Sun Xu, but it seemed he hadn't heard either.
"Uncle Sun, did you hear the bell?"
"No? The clocks here are just decorations, we hardly ever use them."
"Were the two consecutive sounds not too muffled?"
"yes!"
Hearing Ma Ye say that, Sun Xu stuffed the last bite of banana into his mouth and pulled him up from the ground.
"Where are you going, Uncle Sun?"
"The City God is looking for you. Let's go, don't keep him waiting."
The two rows of small huts at the rear are all offices for the staff.
The temple keeper always had a private office at the very back, supposedly because it was quiet.
The door wasn't locked, and as soon as it was opened, Wen Liang sat with his legs crossed, drinking tea.
"Xiao Sun, wait at the door, it'll be ready soon."
"Yes, Mr. Wen, you're busy."
Supporting Ma Ye by the back as they entered the room, Sun Xu retreated outside and closed the door. Wen Liang also lit a long incense stick in the incense burner.
"Master Wen, what are you doing?"
"The City God misses you. What's wrong? Are you embarrassed?"
"What's the big deal? Let's go!"
The long incense stick in the incense burner burned quickly, and in an instant, only half of it remained.
Wen Liang stood up and stood next to Ma Ye, placing his right hand on Ma Ye's shoulder.
In an instant, Ma Ye felt as if he were on a roller coaster, spiraling upwards and then plunging downwards.
Before the dizziness could catch up with the vestibular signal, the view in front of me turned into a slightly dim ancient temple.
"vomit!"
A minor underworld official quickly ran over carrying a copper basin. Luckily, Ma Ye managed to hold it in, otherwise he would have vomited all over the place again.
"Old Joe, pay up, pay up!"
"Besides, I thought this kid would be able to adapt the second time!"
Qiao Kun reluctantly took out two banknotes from his pocket; two hundred yuan was cash he had saved up for a long time.
After all, when they are out and about, they want to try local snacks, and they certainly can't buy anything with paper money.
The copper basin clattered as it was spat into the water. Ma Ye remembered he had some tissues in his pocket, reached in, and found his hand covered in sticky snot.
"Oh my god, Xiao Ye, you're so dirty! Someone, bring some water!"
The series of misfortunes tormented Ma Ye so much that his eyes were sunken, and he only became slightly more alert after washing his face.
As the two copper basins were moved aside, Qiao Kun and Wen Liang stood next to Ma Ye.
"Alright, look at you, this is the best you can do."
"Go see the City God quickly, don't keep him waiting."
Fearing that Ma Ye might stumble and fall, the two guardian deities thoughtfully supported his arms, just like escorting a prisoner.
The temple above is the Yang Temple, and the temple below is the Yin Temple. The place where Ma Ye just came down is the main gate of this temple.
This space has no sun; it is illuminated entirely by torches.
Beyond the square beneath your feet lies the City God's office hall.
Unlike the City God Temple, the surrounding area is not modern; the walls are still made of rammed earth and covered with bricks, and the five-colored flags are neatly arranged.
Two crouching stone lions in the early Ming Dynasty style stand in front of the main hall, with a goose-feather knife and a horse spear standing behind them.
"Report! Ma Ye has been brought here!"
"Alright, you two can leave now."
"Guards, please bring a seat!"
The clerk standing at the door hurriedly brought over a short stool with a backrest and placed it behind Ma Ye, and the two wandering gods slowly retreated.
Only the scratching sound of brushes remained in the main hall.
"Sit down, Xiao Ye, don't be so polite."
"Lord City God, please tell me what you need. I'm just a child, I can stand here for a while."
"You silly child, didn't I tell you to call him Grandpa Yan last time? Why are you acting so distant?"
Only when the City God waved his hand did he nervously sit down.
This City God's real name was Yan Fu'an. Before his death, he was the commander of Jinzhou Guard. Because of his kindness and love for the people and his meritorious service in defending the city, he had been serving as the City God.
He could maintain a certain air of composure in front of Wen Liang and Qiao Kun, two elders on the Investiture of the Gods, but he was still willing to put on a kind demeanor when he saw young children.
"I heard he threw up again?"
"Uh, I'm still a little unaccustomed to it, but I should be better next time."
"It's okay, the design was flawed to begin with."
"Your master has been gone for two months. How have you two children been?"
"It's alright, thank you very much, Grandpa Yan."
Yan Fu'an put the calligraphy brush aside and stood up from the chair.
The wide, straight-cut red robe was slightly dull, a darker shade of old red, close to jujube brown.
His long beard twitched slightly, swaying in front of the fifth-rank bear badge on his chest.
"Hey? How come you have that on you too?"
As Yan Fu'an approached, he also noticed a faint black aura emanating from Ma Ye. With a flick of his sleeve, the black aura dissipated into the air.
Ma Ye also found that the discomfort in his body was gradually dissipating, and the migraine caused by vomiting also quickly disappeared.
"Grandpa Yan, what is this thing? I made offerings to the Three Pure Ones this morning, so I shouldn't have attracted anything unclean, right?"
"It's not exactly dirty stuff, it's more like a curse."
A chair appeared out of thin air and caught Yan Fu'an as he sat down.
Do you know what waste is?