Chapter 323: Never Underestimate the People of this World
Seeing Ji Yuan’s overly familiar demeanor, the young man, on the other hand, grew a bit reserved. After all, the person before him was clearly a scholar, and was even wearing a jade hairpin in his hair.
“Then please, sir, come along with me. There’s truly nothing to worry about. Though times are hard these days, the nearby fishing villages are still quite hospitable, especially since you’re a scholar, right? ”
Ji Yuan nodded in agreement as he fell into step with the young man.
“Naturally, I am educated, and I’m relieved to hear that. By the way, I haven’t yet had the honor of asking your name, young friend? ”
Ji Yuan’s very forward inquiry made the young man feel a little awkward, and he scratched his head again as he replied.
“Sir, there’s no need to be so polite. My name is nothing special, I’m Liang Pingle.”1
“Ah, Young Brother Liang, ‘peace and happiness’—your elders have certainly given you a name with excellent meaning! ”
Ji Yuan said with a smile, and Liang Pingle smiled in return. His grandfather had given him this name, and it was quite gratifying for a learned scholar to recognize it.
After this brief exchange, Ji Yuan had gained some understanding of Liang Pingle, and his gaze now turned towards the distant village.
“Young Brother Liang, would you be so kind as to tell me what kind of evil spirits you are trying to exorcise? I have traveled to many places and enjoy hearing such strange tales.” Liang Pingle gradually relaxed as he conversed with Ji Yuan as they walked, even feeling honored to converse with a man of learning. Hearing Ji Yuan’s question, and knowing it wasn’t anything secret, he told him everything.
“Sir, you wouldn’t know, but our villages here by the sea are all fishing villages, specifically coastal fishermen. One of the advantages is that he taxes aren’t as heavy as they would be for farmers, so our lives as coastal fishermen were quite decent. However, since the end of last year, it’s become very difficult to get good catches in the waters near the shore.”
“How so? Could it be that the fish have all been caught? ”
Ji Yuan asked casually.
“The sea is boundless! There are countless fish, shrimp, and crabs in the ocean, how could they possibly all have been caught?2 At most, there might be fewer fish for a while if the tides are a little off, but there is no way we wouldn’t be able to catch any fish at all.”
“That’s true. ”
Ji Yuan concurred. Given the skills and population of these fishing villages, it was naturally impossible for them to deplete the resources of an entire ocean.
“So, you suspect evil spirits? ”
“Sir, you’ve hit the nail on the head! All the folks in the villages along the coast feel the same way. They’ve long considered inviting Taoist priests to take a look, but several priests have come and none of them could find anything wrong. We’ve offered sacrifices to Heaven, the land, the gods, and the spirits, but nothing has worked.”
Ji Yuan did not stop walking, but turned his head to look at Liang Pingle.
“Since you know it isn’t going to work, why are you going to such lengths again? ”
“Well, the problem still hasn’t been solved, has it? And the authorities aren’t doing anything. So the elders from several villages put their heads together and wondered if the priests they’d invited simply weren’t powerful enough. Even though we have Dingfeng Island, it’s still a long journey. Now, with the end of the year approaching, everyone gritted their teeth, and every village, every family, pooled their money to hire the most powerful Taoist priest. His magic is absolutely incomparable to any of the previous ones! ”
Ji Yuan nodded, feigning a slight surprise on his face.
“Oh, I see! Gathering the energy of the amassed people to boost human vitality—this priest certainly has some real skill. ”
“Hey, sir, you understand this, too?”
“I’ve been to many places and seen many similar spectacles. The liveliest of such events I’ve been to had hundreds, even thousands of experts jumping about together; it was quite a sight. ”
Ji Yuan recalled the Water and Land Assembly from way back then, and casually answered.
“Oh, is that so! ”
Liang Pingle imagined the scene Ji Yuan described and thought it must indeed have been truly lively. Just then, footsteps rapidly approached, and several burly men walked in from a converging side road, greeting Liang Pingle when they saw him.
“Hey, Xiao Liang, you’ve come too! Who’s this gentleman beside you? I haven’t seen him before! ”
“Brother-in-law! Is it true that every household in your village sent a man over here? I wanted to come too; my father will arrive a little later. Oh, right, this is the esteemed gentleman I just met; he’s a scholar from afar and has seen similar events before.”
Ji Yuan cupped his hands in greeting towards the men.
“My name is Ji Yuan. I am a wanderer who has just arrived here and would like to observe the ritual here with you. ”
The identity of a scholar was indeed very useful, especially someone like Ji Yuan, who was poised and of extraordinary demeanor. His appearance did not easily indicate his age, but he was certainly not young.
Those nearby didn’t dare to be negligent in their manners and quickly returned the greeting, once again inviting Ji Yuan to come along.
This wasn’t some shameful affair; moreover, the priest had even said that having someone with an official or scholarly aura in attendance would be even better.
The man who greeted Liang Pingle was named Zhang Fu. He was far more talkative than Liang Pingle. Before, it had been Ji Yuan asking questions and Liang Pingle answering, but now that it was Zhang Fu’s turn, Ji Yuan didn’t even need to say anything; he just started talking non-stop.
He even clearly explained about Dingfeng Island, which Ji Yuan had wanted to ask about. Just as he had thought, it was indeed the small island where he had previously been cultivating. The island was originally called Shanjianzi Island,3 but now the surrounding fishermen all called it Dingfeng Island.
They did not have to continue journeying far, and soon, the group entered Pianwan Village together. In front of the village, a large area of sandy ground had been cleared. Numerous gongs and drums had been placed inside the cleared area, alongside several piles of firewood, presumably for a large bonfire to be lit that night.
From a distance, although his vision was blurry, Ji Yuan still make out many people circling around on the sandy area, periodically shouting a few phrases along with the leader. Each time, the gongs and drums would sound out loudly.
“All fellow villagers, from far and wide~! Gather here to raise the yang energy~!”
“Raise the yang energy~!”
“Raise the yang energy~!”
. . .
Ji Yuan stared blankly for a moment, then turned and saw Liang Pingle and Zhang Fu receiving several strips of red ribbon from a village woman nearby.
“Uh, is there any special meaning to what they’re doing? ”
Zhang Fu handed a strip of red ribbon to the bewildered Ji Yuan.
“Sir, the mage said that tying this red ribbon to your arm will ward off malevolent spirits. Everyone over there is wearing them, even on the sandy arena. They are currently rousing the Yang Fire. ”
“Rousing the Yang Fire? Is this also something the expert mentioned? ”
This was a new term, one Ji Yuan hadn’t heard before.
“Yes, these two days are for rousing the Yang Fire. Tomorrow, after the thousand-person banquet, starting at dusk we’ll light a lantern formation. A single long line of torches will drive away evil spirits along the coast, and that way, we can drive out the evil spirit that’s scaring the fish! In a month or so, the fish will return! ”
Zhang Fu said, a hint of excitement still on his face.
Ji Yuan wore a look of sudden realization, nodding in agreement with the others’ enthusiasm.
“Oh, oh… I’ve learned something new! So that’s how it is! ”
“Haha, sir, although you’re a scholar, you probably don’t know much about these kinds of things. The one we’ve invited is a truly formidable expert, renowned in the Tao on the eastern continent. There’s no evil spirit he can’t subdue! ”
Ji Yuan couldn’t help but laugh.
“Then I certainly must make his acquaintance! ”
“Enough talk, enough talk! Sir, quickly tie on the red ribbon on your and come with us to rouse the Yang Fire! The more people, the better! ”
Ji Yuan looked at the red ribbon in his hand, then at Zhang Fu, Liang Pingle, and the others, who already had theirs tied to their arms.
“Do I have to tie it too? Since this red cloth wards off evil, I should be fine just holding it, shouldn’t I? ”
“Uh, the expert didn’t say anything about that. ”
“If he didn’t say it’s not allowed, then it’s allowed. I will just hold it then. By the way, the expert is over there, right? ”
Ji Yuan quickly settled the matter.
“Of course he is. ”
“Then let’s go quickly! ”
If Ji Yuan wanted to partake in their thousand-person banquet, he naturally had to follow local customs. Besides, this whole event was quite interesting; he might as well treat it as entertainment. So, he followed Zhang Fu and the others to the sandy ground and quickly disappeared into the crowd.
However, Ji Yuan was simply strolling along, casually observing, not joining in the shouting. As the group approached the firewood piles, he saw the renowned Taost priest
He wore a large, wide robe, red and yellow in color, adorned with Yin-Yang symbols, the Eight Trigrams, and various cloud patterns. On his head, he wore a tall hairpin crown embellished with luminous pearls. A precious sword was strapped to his back, and he wielded a horsetail whisk, swinging it back and forth. He certainly looked quite impressive.
Somewhat unexpectedly, to Ji Yuan’s surprise, this Taoist actually possessed a genuine flow of spiritual energy and Qi throughout his body. However, this was the so-called ‘mixed flow spiritual energy,’ meaning it wasn’t power refined through orthodox methods, but rather refined through meditation and visualizing the inner fire.
Ji Yuan’s bearing and attire stood out remarkably among the fishermen, drawing a lot fo attention. Many fishermen were staring at him; even the Taoist had noticed Ji Yuan.
Seeing Ji Yuan smile and nod towards him, the Taoist priest paused for a moment. Though his whisk didn’t stop swinging, he also nodded back at Ji Yuan in acknowledgment.
This ‘rousing of Yang Fire’ continued until nightfall. Fortunately, it wasn’t a continuous event; Ji Yuan merely walked a few laps before emerging with Zhang Fu and the others.
Bonfires had been lit on the beach, and the villagers who had traveled here from the surrounding area to participate in the ‘rousing of Yang Fire’ dispersed and returned home, awaiting the thousand-person banquet and lantern formation tomorrow evening.
Zhang Fu, Liang Pingle, and Liang’s father, who arrived later in the evening, all stayed. Zhang Fu was originally from Pianwan Village; he had gone out to recruit people from other villages. Since the Liang family and Zhang family were in-laws, he didn’t need to return today. Consequently, Ji Yuan naturally stayed with the Zhang family as well.
Dinner consisted of taro rice,4 steamed salted fish, and a bowl of vegetable soup. Both families were afraid that Ji Yuan, being a scholar, wouldn’t be used to the food, so they asked several times about his dietary restrictions while preparing the meal. Only when they saw Ji Yuan eating heartily at the dinner table did they feel relieved.
Fishing villages like Pianwan Village and the surrounding towns hadn’t produced a single scholar in over a decade or two. Currently, the village head could barely read a few characters, far inferior compared to Ji Yuan. Both families treated Ji Yuan as a distinguished guest.
In the middle of the night, Ji Yuan left the fishing village alone and went to the shore. Scanning the tides, he didn’t detect any demonic auras, at least not in the vicinity of Pianwan Village. However, the sea was too mysterious to be certain. He planned to investigate thoroughly after this farce had concluded, preferably without entering the water.
The thousand-person banquet on the next day was exceptionally lively. People from various villages brought gifts to Pianwan Village. This matter didn’t just affect one village or one place; everyone worked together to prepare the banquet. Plus, it was around the time of the New Year, so the atmosphere was festive.
While eating, Ji Yuan discovered that the residents of Pianwan Village began to grow unprecedentedly agitated, especially when nearly a thousand men lined up to receive their torches. Their collective energy reached its peak.
Ji Yuan suddenly realized that the Taoist priest they had invited was indeed skilled; this change was not due to the priest’s own spiritual energy, but rather a kind of psychological manipulation or suggestion.
After so many ritualistic processes, and with a thousand male villagers well-fed and emboldened, coupled with the long line of torches, the crowd developed a formidable surge of energy, the aura similar to that of a military force.
Ji Yuan also received a torch and joined the procession. The Taoist, similarly holding a torch, was at the very front. At this moment, his voice boomed like thunder, ringing out in a mighty roar:
“Everyone, prepare to follow me! Get in formation! The long line begins!”
The next moment, the Taoist, lantern in hand, began to move, leading the way from Pianwan Village and advancing along the coastline. A long snaking line of torches, carrying the surging human vitality, flowed along the seashore.
Ji Yuan watched this scene from the middle of the procession and muttered to himself.
“How interesting! Indeed, one must never underestimate the people of this world!”
- Surname Liang, 平 (píng): calm/peaceful, 乐 (lè): happy/cheerful
- T/n: a moment of silence for modern day overfishing practices… That being said, it probably wouldn’t be a concern in Ancient China.
- 山 (shān): mountain, 尖子 (jiānzi): best –> “Best-Mountain Island”
- Taro rice recipe