Chapter 123: The Ritual Begins! Patriarch, Please Chant The Quiet Heart Art!
Chen Kai and the others walked toward the tourist service center and saw the supply point the Chen Clan had prepared for Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea.
Not only was it supplied for free, there were also disposable cups provided.
Ma Qi immediately took out a camera to record this scene. This counted as a major gesture from the Chen Clan, right?
After all, with the current price of Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea, even the ordinary grade was already over 20,000 per jin, and ordinary people definitely would not be willing to buy it.
Moreover, the Chen Clan did not seem to have any intention of selling this Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea to ordinary people.
Otherwise, if 20,000 was too much for ordinary people, it would still attract many regular tourists if they offered small packages of a few dozen grams.
This also showed that the Chen Clan’s Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea did not have any trouble selling and did not need to lower the sales threshold this way.
Those most precious compressed tea cakes all came as whole 300 or 500 gram pieces, without anywhere selling loose portions.
So the Chen Clan’s Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea might not take long before its reputation spread and it entered the famous tea rankings.
“Huh, free Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea supply.” A tourist exclaimed in surprise and, along with their companions, walked over to ask for a cup.
This was a very pleasant surprise.
Now, by booking a Chen Clan Feng Shui Room, you would receive a cup of Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea, and only after tasting it would you realize how good it was.
If you had symptoms like internal heat or insomnia, you would understand even more how effective this Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea was.
Before long, quite a few tourists had gathered around this Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea supply point, clearly all aware it was something good.
Ma Qi also recorded all of this.
…
In the courtyard.
Chen Han, dressed in a green Daoist robe, walked out of the attic and put on a crescent coronet.
This was a Daoist crown that could be worn during the consecration ceremony.
For today’s consecration ceremony, as the Chen Family Head he was acting in the role of the consecration mage, so his attire naturally had to be proper.
Just as he reached the courtyard, he saw Xiao Yu and Xiao Mi coming in from outside. Both were wearing Daoist plain clothes and had their hair tied in a special style.
In that instant, a phrase popped into his mind: uniform temptation.
It was often said, “if you want pretty, wear mourning clothes,” but actually, “if you want pretty, wear plain clothes” also worked.
That was why there existed the profession of Daoist maiden in plain clothes, which was very popular among some wealthy people.
Of course, the premise was beauty and a good figure.
Chen Han subconsciously looked at Xiao Mi, because he still had that “apron title maniac” task that required him to steal five aprons from the Hundred Flowers Palace Fairy.
After all, that title also had a charm +2 attribute.
Only today Xiao Mi’s curves were astonishing, clearly not from an apron, but from a vest with a gathering effect.
Xiao Mi’s curves now were truly tempting, and also showed how astonishing the effect of the Yellow Spirit Gourd was.
Xiao Mi seemed to notice his gaze and shot him a glare.
Chen Han gave an awkward smile, and just then his junior sister said, “Senior brother, Aunt-Grandmother has sent word for you to come over for a final rehearsal.”
“Mm.” Chen Han nodded and headed to the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation Hall with his junior sister and Xiao Mi.
…
Time passed.
After lunch, there were more and more tourists of the Chen Clan, and the highway outside Shangyuan Village actually began to get congested.
The county had helped promote the consecration ceremony event, and many people from the county had driven over to join the fun, even causing the Chen Clan Parking Lot to fill up, with others forced to park their cars along the roadside.
Zhu Jie had just finished lunch and arranged to bring a girl over to join the fun.
He had already been pursuing this girl, and the Chen Clan’s consecration ceremony event was a great excuse.
“So many people?” The girl in the passenger seat was full of surprise.
“The Chen Clan has become very famous recently,” Zhu Jie explained. “But before this, I really didn’t know our Linhe County had such a place.”
“I heard the Chen Clan was very famous before as well.” The girl had naturally watched related videos and was interested in the Chen Clan; otherwise, she would not have agreed to come as soon as Zhu Jie asked.
After all, if she had no interest in him, she could simply treat him as a free driver.
Next, she was drawn to the luxury car in front. It was a Maybach worth over 8 million, and seeing such a car in this kind of place made her eyes light up.
The Maybach quickly found a parking spot and stopped.
After getting out, Wang Xinhe immediately helped his father out of the car.
Chu Hui, from the front passenger seat, also quickly stepped forward to support him on the other side. “I didn’t expect there to be so many people at the Chen Clan today. We almost couldn’t find a place to park.”
Old Master Wang said, “What’s so strange about that? The Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation is so efficacious. Once more people find out, there will only be more.”
Chu Hui also deeply agreed with the idea of this efficacy, since he had personally participated in the entire process of treating his father-in-law’s eyes.
Now his father-in-law’s eyes were completely healed.
That kind of method really could not be explained by science.
Supporting his father, Wang Xinhe reached the entrance of the Chen Clan and saw guides with loudspeakers announcing, “The consecration ceremony for the Chen Clan’s Statue of the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation is about to begin. Interested tourists may proceed to the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation Hall.”
Hearing this announcement, many tourists headed toward the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation Hall.
Likewise, Wang Xinhe supported his father and walked toward the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation Hall. As they neared the location, they found that one of the paths leading to the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation Hall was already very lively.
Aside from a lane that was cordoned off in the middle, the crowds on both sides were almost shoulder to shoulder.
However, no tourists stepped into the middle lane. Anyone who tried to go in would be told by members of the Chen Clan to step back out.
That was the divine path, the passage for the Statue of the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation to travel along after consecration.
Wang Xinhe brought his father into the great hall.
There were even more people inside. Except for the divine path in the center, it was almost completely jam-packed.
If you arrived any later, you probably would not even be able to enter the great hall.
Chen Han had already arrived at the side hall of the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation Hall. The new Statue of the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation was here; members of the Chen Clan had already removed the outer covering wrapped around it, and the statue had been moved to the altar for the consecration.
Now that it was time for consecration, the new statue could be openly seen, and no external entity would dare to defile the statue during the Heavenly Lord’s consecration.
Would that not be courting death?
Naturally there were no tourists in the side hall, only Chen Clan members, especially those serving in the sixty lineage positions, who had already taken their places in the middle of the side hall in front of the altar.
Other clan members were also dressed in plain clothes, waiting solemnly on both sides. All the Chen Clan members who could return had come, except for those outside maintaining order.
As for those still out working, doing jobs, studying, and so forth who had not returned, there was no way to notify or wait for them.
The auspicious day this month was only today.
Most of these Chen Clan members also held incense sticks, ready to offer the first incense after the consecration.
Incense is one of the five offerings in the Daoist path, and offering incense is an important way to express pious respect toward the deities.
In the Daoist path, incense is also the medium of communication between humans and gods. Offering the first incense at consecration is meant to use the curling smoke to be the very first to transmit the believers’ wishes to the deity, praying for the deity’s protection.
Because at this moment, the deity is right there on the scene and can see them immediately.
To give an example, when some leader is outside handling matters in front of the public, anything handed directly to him on the spot will be processed first in front of everyone.
As for matters going through procedures to his office, those obviously have to line up and be dealt with one by one. It is also possible he will not handle them personally at all, just have his subordinates brush them off.
Explained like this, it should be clear, right?
During the consecration ceremony, they connect with the Heavenly Lord. At the moment of consecration, the Heavenly Lord is definitely present. The first incense offerings and wishes at this time are made directly in front of the Heavenly Lord.
Normally, when you go to make a wish, there are so many statues of the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation in the mortal world, and so many people making wishes at each statue. How could the Heavenly Lord possibly look at each one?
No matter how strong the divine power, watching these day after day would be tiring.
Moreover, the Heavenly Lord needs to subdue demons and has so many divine duties, busy to death. Being able to casually pick out a couple of pleasing wishes to look at once in a while is already not bad.
So now you understand why some people are willing to spend so much money for the first incense?
For those who believe, this is a rare chance for one-on-one prayer.
The Chen Clan members were definitely not going to let this first incense opportunity slip by.
Aside from these clan members, at the back of the crowd there was also a doggy and the Fu Lu Shou Three Bulls. They seemed to understand that today was special and lay obediently still.
Today they would also serve as spirit beasts opening the way ahead of the Turtle Snake Generals.
Before the consecration ceremony officially started, some clan members were still chatting. When Aunt-Grandmother came out holding a fly whisk and struck a special drum three times, all the Chen Clan members fell silent.
Everyone knew the consecration ceremony was about to begin.
Each of them put on a solemn expression.
Some of the younger ones were still holding mobile phones, and the elders kicked them, urging them to put their phones away quickly.
For the consecration ceremony, or many Daoist rituals in general, using mobile phones to record is prohibited, as it is a serious disrespect to the deities.
Some may say that in many Daoist scenic spots nowadays, people take videos of rituals with their phones and post them online.
To that, one can only say: everyone knows filth should not be eaten, yet if someone insists on eating it, would you bother to stop them?
The tourists in the great hall also heard the drumbeats, but they had no way to enter the consecration site inside, so they could only watch curiously.
Even Xiao Mi could only stay in the great hall, using her mobile phone to film the bustling scene of the tourists.
Because she was still not a member of the Chen Clan.
In the side hall, Aunt-Grandmother had already walked to the front of the new Statue of the Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation and began to recite the prayer: “…Humbly: the mystery of heaven and earth, the root of all vital breaths. Now the assembled disciples of the Chen Clan respectfully welcome the holy image of the Northern Heavenly Lord of Demon Subjugation to descend…”
“The Heavenly Lord’s awe-inspiring power pacifies the three realms and dispels demonic miasma, commands ten thousand gods and brings peace to the universe…”
“May we, by means of the consecration, cleanse away dust and miasma, bestow spirituality upon the holy image, and rely on the Heavenly Lord’s might to protect this altar’s purity, grant the faithful health and peace, dispel calamities and obstacles, and increase blessings and wisdom…”
“Humbly we pray, Heavenly Lord, to look down with all-seeing insight… as this dharma assembly begins, we offer our most sincere respect.”
As she spoke, Aunt-Grandmother also performed the Daoist rite toward the spirit platform, respectfully making three prostrations and three bows, then stood respectfully to the side and struck the drum again.
At this moment, Chen Han also came out from the inner area, attended by his junior sister serving as the Daoist child to hold his fly whisk.
He had no other choice. He had not taken on any Daoist children or disciples, so his junior sister could only fill in.
At the altar, he also performed the Daoist rite toward the spirit platform just as Aunt-Grandmother had, three bows and three prostrations. Then he rose, received the fly whisk from his junior sister, looked at the clan members before him, and called out, “Chen Clan disciples, take the double cross-legged seat and respectfully welcome the Heavenly Lord.”
The double cross-legged seat is also a sitting posture used in Daoist ceremonies. Many people, from what they see in film and television, think such rituals must involve kneeling and pressing the forehead to the ground, but that is not always the case.
In many situations, a dignified seated posture plus kowtows at important segments is enough.
Hearing Chen Han’s words, the Chen Clan members each assumed the double cross-legged seat, and all of them looked toward him in unison.
Especially the younger clan members, who, like Chen Jun and Dalong, had not known before that the Chen Clan had so many things.
They had never heard of things like beast taming techniques or martial arts, let alone that there were such powerful uncles and elders in the clan who could knock down several strong thiefs in just a couple of moves.
Especially that Thunder Bamboo Spirit Tea. In the past, living in the Chen Clan, they had never even heard of it. Now, after drinking it themselves, they knew how miraculous it was.
However, from listening to the older generation at home and from the promotion by Chen Jun and Chen Long, they now understood that these were things only the main family had the qualification to know. Ordinary clan members were not entitled to that knowledge.
If the deceased old family head had not developed tourism for the Chen Clan, and if the new family head had not lifted the restrictions for promotion, they would have remained ignorant and clueless.
They had heard the elders in the clan talk about the main family in the past, but in the new era they did not care about “main family” at all.
But that was only because no one had told them how amazing the main family was.
Had they known earlier, they would have tried to become the family head’s little followers like Chen Jun and Dalong when they were children.
Still, the Chen Clan’s sudden transformation had greatly benefited them, making them place deep trust in this young family head.
After all, if your rural household status is suddenly turned into a scenic area household, if your whole family is given jobs, provided with free vacant housing, and every month you might earn more than ten thousand extra, if it were you, would you be convinced or not?
Among the clan members present, essentially every household had at least three people working for the clan. Even with the lowest salaries and bonuses, three people could earn 15,000 a month, plus the vacant housing valued at 12,000 a month, giving a total of 27,000 a month.
That was more than 320,000 a year.
For some, with an elder doing cleaning for 3,000, the father picking bamboo leaves for 7,000, the mother working as a waitress for 5,000, and themselves working as a guide for 5,000, that was 20,000, plus vacant housing, close to 400,000 a year.
The key point was that within the Chen Clan, there was no mortgage, no rent, and daily expenses were low, so they could save a lot.
How many households in the country could earn that much in a year? According to last year’s statistics, households with an annual income of 400,000 totaled only about seven million or so.
These were real numbers, not the fantasy world of online residential areas where everyone supposedly earns over a million a year.
So, tell me, would you be convinced?
They would definitely swear loyalty to the family head.
After everyone had taken a seated posture, Chen Han also assumed the double cross-legged seat. At his side, Aunt-Grandmother struck the drum again and called out, “The family head recites the 《Quiet Heart Art》 to gather the mind and spirit, purify body and heart, dispel restlessness, and honor the deities.”
This made all the Chen Clan members look to their young family head. The elderly clan members had participated in such ceremonies before and knew about scripture chanting.
For the younger clan members, this was truly their first experience. It had been a long time since the Chen Clan held such a ceremony, and they were very curious about this chanting.
They simply did not know what level of shock awaited them.
Following Aunt-Grandmother’s words, Chen Han lightly waved the fly whisk, tracing patterns in the air. After Aunt-Grandmother’s training, his movements were smooth and flowing. Then he began to recite the 《Ancient Quiet Heart Art》: “When people are still, they are at peace; when matters are still, they…”
Aunt-Grandmother froze for a moment when she heard the young family head’s recitation, because it did not match what she knew. The 《Quiet Heart Art》 was not recited this way.
But after only a moment, an expression of disbelief appeared on her face.
The clan members were the same. At first, they were merely curious about how their family head would chant. Who knew that as soon as the family head began to recite the 《Quiet Heart Art》, a strange feeling arose, making each of them involuntarily open their mouths in astonishment.
This… this…
