Infinite Professions

Chapter 375 - 196: Sacrifice (Part 2)

The words were calm, without any waves.

"You..."

The coachman’s eyes flared with anger in his heart, yet he didn’t know how to act on it.

"Enter the city."

Seeing this, Chen Chuan finally spoke, resolving the situation in one move.

"Escort the lord into the city!"

Song Wu didn’t say much, leading his troops to guard both sides as they headed towards the Qinghe County Government Office.

At the hour of dawn, just past daybreak, the city was already bustling, with many people decorating the streets and alleys with lights, while others were constructing towers.

"Hmm!?"

Chen Chuan frowned and looked at the advisor beside him: "Is there any festival happening recently?"

The middle-aged scholar shook his head: "There is no major festival within the month."

"Then why is this?"

Chen Chuan’s gaze shifted, but he was reluctant to inquire further, having to temporarily bury the question in his mind.

Soon, the carriage arrived at the county government office, and a group of officials and clerks, including the county magistrate and chief clerk, came out to greet them.

Chen Chuan didn’t say much either, ordered for the documentation to be brought out, completed the induction processes, and dismissed the junior clerks, leaving only the county magistrate, chief clerk, archivist, and a few assistant officials and clerks to follow him to the main hall. His gaze then shifted to Song Wu: "County Captain Song is busy with official duties, there’s no need to accompany me here."

The message to leave was clear.

Song Wu’s expression remained unchanged, he directly cupped his hands in response: "Understood, I will take my leave!"

Saying this, he exited the main hall.

"This..."

Leaving a group of assistant officials and clerks looking at each other in dismay, yet the county magistrate was the one who spoke: "Please don’t blame County Captain Song, he is acting according to the law, and not intentionally trying to be difficult."

Chen Chuan glanced at him: "When did I ever blame him?"

"..."

The county magistrate fell silent, refraining from speaking further.

Chen Chuan didn’t concern himself with it either, only addressing the group of officials and clerks: "Bring the household registration documents and financial accounts of Qinghe County."

"Yes!"

The group of clerks didn’t back down, quickly moving a stack of documents and handing them to the advisor beside Chen Chuan.

Chen Chuan looked at everyone again: "When I entered the city earlier, I saw decorations everywhere and construction of towers and platforms, is there any celebration?"

"Reporting, sir!"

The chief clerk spoke: "Tomorrow is the birthday of Lord Boyu, the Little Yellow Mountain God, and the residents of Qinghe and Huangshan Counties will conduct a three-day temple fair celebration for him."

Chen Chuan frowned: "I see."

After saying this, he refrained from speaking more.

National affairs are in rituals and military.

As for matters of worship, the Court has very strict ceremonial regulations, and if not followed or exceeded, not only the worshippers would be punished, but even the gods worshipped could be deemed as illicit worship.

However, this is a world where the divine beings manifest, so even though the worship practices are strict, there is considerable leeway, as the local gods can establish local festivals, such as birthdays, to hold grand sacrifices.

Such local festivals must not exceed three days, otherwise they would be considered overstepping.

In fact, for local deities from the ninth to seventh grades, having a single-day grand sacrifice is already fortunate, while three-day celebrations are typically for True Gods from the sixth to fourth grades. As for Third-Rank Great Gods, they receive national worship, with the duration ranging from one to nine days.

Now, with the Little Yellow Mountain God’s birthday, hosting a three-day celebration and holding a temple fair, legally it’s not overstepping, but it might somewhat feel ostentatious.

Yet with all the ostentatious actions done earlier, having a few more doesn’t seem like much.

In fact, after going through the earlier experiences, Chen Chuan had already let go of his thoughts of vying with the Little Yellow Mountain God, and if he hadn’t been left out last night, he wouldn’t have clashed with Song Wu.

Your Song Family flaunted to me, am I not allowed a slight show of color?

Chen Chuan’s thoughts shifted, looking at everyone again: "How many are registered in Qinghe County now?"

"Reporting, sir!"

The county chief clerk responded in a deep voice: "Currently there are eight townships, ninety-five villages in Qinghe County, totaling four thousand nine hundred and fifty-six households, with a population of forty-two thousand nine hundred and eighty-one."

"So many?"

Hearing this, Chen Chuan was also surprised.

For a county, although spanning several hundred miles, due to issues like farmland production, it could only support so many people, usually a few thousand households and ten thousand people. Having tens of thousands of households and a few tens of thousand people would already be considered a big county.

Yet this Qinghe County has nearly five thousand households and over forty thousand people!

This population number far exceeds the norm for large counties.

Though, based on previous observations, Chen Chuan was somewhat prepared, knowing Qinghe’s population was considerable, yet didn’t expect it to be this much.

In this sense, the Little Yellow Mountain God’s unusually strong Incense Fire Divine Power seems explainable?

Yet it’s strange, Qinghe County had only ten thousand people before, how could it have increased forty times in just twenty years?

Even if farmland yields were abundant and food was available, population propagation takes time, how could it have multiplied so much in twenty years?

Chen Chuan frowned deeply, gazing at the county chief clerk and magistrate: "This one county has tens of thousands registered people?"

"All thanks to County Captain Song’s achievements in clearing mountains and eradicating bandits!"

The county magistrate spoke in a determined tone: "County Captain Song annihilated bandits from Little Yellow Mountain, rescuing nearly ten thousand citizens enslaved by bandits from the mountains, and assisted Lord Lü Wenxuan in connecting mountain roads, constructing official roads, making Qinghe and Huangshan Counties accessible to each other. Additionally, due to divine protection over the years, favorable weather, abundant farmland yields, and a worry-free life for the citizens, naturally they would strive to propagate."

"Moreover, local sage Lord Song and others funded the government to construct bridges and roads, while establishing medical centers and pharmacies in each township and village, hugely benefiting the county citizens, especially the elderly, women, and children; alleviating issues such as difficult childbirth for pregnant women, infant mortality, and diseases in the elderly, considerably increasing average lifespan, and boosting the population..."

"..."

After hearing the county magistrate’s narration, Chen Chuan fell into silence again.

I didn’t think it was such an increase method!

But surely it requires immense Divine Power and wealth, supplies, and materials in the secular world?

Though it’s understandable for the Song Clan to act this way, do the local sages everywhere follow suit? Have those big households changed their temperaments?

Or did that Little Yellow Mountain God employ another method?

Chen Chuan felt a tangle, unresolved, just having to suppress it.

In this way, a day passed, barely managing various official documents, Chen Chuan only found rest on the bed for a short while, before being disturbed by the sound of gongs and drums.

"What’s happening?"

Angrily getting up and looking up, he discovered it was already daylight, a maid entering the room: "Master, it’s the Mountain God’s celebration starting!"

"..."

Chen Chuan fell silent, soon coldly saying: "Get dressed!"

"Yes!"

After getting dressed, leaving the rear yard, arriving at the county office, finding the clerks already at work, but the magistrate, captain, chief clerk, and other assistant officials were missing.

"Where’s County Captain Song?"

Chen Chuan’s gaze swept over, immediately asking.

"Reporting, sir!"

A junior clerk spoke: "County Captain Song went to preside over the Martial Sacrifice."

"What?"

Chen Chuan was stunned: "Martial Sacrifice?"

"That’s right."

The junior clerk nodded: "Today is the Mountain God’s birthday, with a Martial Sacrifice taking place, a platform set at the Martial Arts Arena, various martial artists and halls within the city will attend, performing martial arts and sacrificing to the Mountain God, since the county captain is head of the Song Martial Arts Hall and County Captain here, he needs to preside."

"..."

Chen Chuan fell silent again, then turned his gaze: "Then where are County Magistrate Zhou and Chief Clerk Luu?"

"County Magistrate Zhou went to preside over the Medical Sacrifice."

"Medical Sacrifice?"

"Similar to the Martial Sacrifice, it’s also a grand ceremonial sacrifice for the Mountain God’s birthday, with representatives from medical centers and doctors across Qinghe County attending, exchanging medical skills and sacrificing to the Mountain God. County Magistrate Zhou, benefited from Doctor Huang of Baozhi Lin’s miraculous healings, removing severe illnesses, thus invited by Baozhi Lin to preside over the Medical Sacrifice."

"What about Chief Clerk Luu..."

"Chief Clerk Luu went to preside over the Craft Sacrifice."

"..."

"Sir?"

Chen Chuan fell silent, until the advisor came running, only then did he regain his actions: "Let’s go see what’s happening."

...

Meanwhile, outside the county office, within the celebration.

"Dear hall masters, martial friends, Jianghu companions, today is the Mountain God’s birthday, I, Song, humbly accepted your selection to preside over the Martial Sacrifice, meeting each other through martial arts and performing martial arts to worship the deity."

"During this Mountain God’s Martial Sacrifice, the first-prize recipient will receive one Ten-Complete Great Rejuvenation Pill from Baozhi Lin, a Refined Blade Treasure Sword, the second-prize is three individuals, each awarded a Small Returning Pill from Baozhi Lin, and the third-prize is nine individuals, each awarded a Refined Blade knife or sword!"

"During this Medical Sacrifice, discussing medicine, the leading figure can receive one thousand-year-old ginseng..."

"During this Craft Sacrifice, respecting skill, a master craftsman can receive one thousand taels of silver, a set of custom tools from Refined Blade..."

"During this Agriculture Sacrifice..."

"During this Weaving Sacrifice..."