King of Assassins

Baicang River, Biyue Bay.

It is called Biyue Bay because the Baicang River makes a big bend, and the river creates a fertile land at the bend.

The shape of this land is like a crescent moon. It was originally covered with green wormwood. From a distance, it looks green. This is why it is called Biyue Bay.

As the impact of silt increases, Biyue Bay becomes larger and larger. The land here is fertile and attracts a large number of people.

In less than two hundred years, more than 100,000 people have gathered in Biyue Bay to form Biyue Township.

This name sounds very elegant, but the residents are actually farmers who cultivate food.

However, those who live by the Baicang River must worship the Golden Scale King.

Every year on March 3rd, the birthday of King Jinlin, five pairs of boys and girls are presented.

At the beginning, the farmers in Biyue Bay were not willing. There was a flood that year. Not only did the crops we planted failed, but hundreds of people drowned. Because the food harvest was impossible, more than a thousand people starved to death that year.

After this lesson, the farmers in Biyue Bay also learned wisely and worshiped the gods on time on the first and fifteenth day of every month. On birthdays, five pairs of boys and girls were prepared early.

Not only Biyue Bay, but also the large rural market towns on both sides of the Baicang River must make offerings to King Jinlin.

Every rural market town has that kind of witch who can communicate with the Golden Scale King and convey the Golden Scale King's will.

This kind of witch has a very high status among the people, and no one dares to mess with her.

The Golden Scale King has huge influence on both sides of the Baicang River, and this influence even far exceeds that of the government.

No one here dares to speak ill of the Golden Scale King, and no one dares to disobey the Golden Scale King's orders.

For hundreds of years, worshiping the Golden Scale King has become a tradition. On the third day of March, lively sacrificial ceremonies will even be held.

There are people beating gongs and drums, troupes performing, and people setting up stalls selling various small items, snacks, etc., which is a bit more lively than the Chinese New Year.

As for the sacrifice of ten boys and girls, no one except their families cared.

On the third day of March this year, Biyue Bay also held the Golden Scale King's birthday celebration as in previous years.

A large shed was built near the river.

There is a paper-made statue of the King with Golden Scales in the shed.

The frame of the statue is made of bamboo, with colored paper and gold foil on the outside. It looks shiny and majestic.

There is a long wooden altar table in front of the statue. Due to years of use, the altar table is covered with black marks from incense ashes and charcoal fire.

The earthenware incense burner was strewn with various incense sticks, as well as pig heads, cow heads, sheep heads, various pastries, candied fruits and other offerings.

Tens of thousands of people knelt in front of the statue in darkness, kowtowing and reciting prayers under the command of the witch.

It was impossible for so many people to be neat and tidy, and the scene looked chaotic. That is to say, the small group of people in front could barely keep up with the witch's command.

On the confession side, ten boys and girls were placed in closed bamboo cages.

These children are only five or six years old, and most of them are not very sensible yet. It's just that there are so many people in front of us, and they are beating gongs and drums and it's a mess. Are there any familiar relatives around them? Every one of them turned pale with fright, and many children were crying loudly.

Except for the children and their relatives who were hiding aside and weeping silently, no one cared about the lives of these children at this time.

"The ceremony is over."

The witch howled in a high-pitched voice, and the squires in front also stood up, with relaxed expressions on their faces.

Everyone did not dare to be too lazy when kneeling and kowtowing, reciting prayers, and tried to be as serious as possible. For a pampered country gentry elder, sweat broke out on his body after kneeling in the bright sun for a long time.

The people behind him also stood up, and a group of people looked eagerly in front of them. Although most people can see the idol, the rest can only look at the back of other people's heads.

The witch wearing five-color clothes is very excited. This day every year is the time when she shows her face the most.

Everyone must kneel at her feet and obey her command. A proud smile appeared on her skinny and skinny face, and her old eyes covered by droopy eyelids gleamed.

The witch pretended to recite a lot of incantations that no one could understand, but she actually made them up herself.

Only when the Golden Scale King is particularly dissatisfied or satisfied will he take the initiative to contact her. There is no way for a witch to contact the Golden Scale King. However, this does not stop her from pretending.

Several elders from the country squires were not stupid, and they all saw that the witch was pretending to be a ghost. The problem is that this old woman can really contact the Golden Scale King, and she can pretend if she wants to.

The witch jumped around in front of the incense table for a while, satisfying her strong desire for expression.

She raised her head and glanced at the sun in the sky. It was already close to noon, and then she gave the order: "The time has come to offer sacrifices to the Golden Scale King."

Several strong men came over and poured the pig's and cow's heads and other offerings into the river.

Then, the strong men came to a few young men and women. They grabbed the bamboo cage and prepared to throw it into the river. The people in the audience exclaimed in surprise when they saw this scene.

In fact, they can see this scene every year. This cry is not so much shock as excitement.

In their simple mind, sacrificing a few children in exchange for a year of good weather is a good deal.

Therefore, most people regard this as a good thing, a lively and interesting thing.

Just when several big men were about to throw the child away, a bright light fell from the sky, and Gao Xuan walked out of the light.

He said to several big men: "Stop."

Several big men glanced at Gao Xuan, with a bit of awe in their eyes. Is it possible for an immortal to fall from the sky?

The main reason is that Gao Xuan is handsome and has an extraordinary bearing. The dark yellow fine linen robe is flowing and elegant, no matter how you look at it, you have an aloof and immortal demeanor.

The witch was also startled. A nosy guy appeared out of nowhere. It looks very unpleasant.

The witch bravely asked, "Who are you?"

"Wuyuan Kingdom Celestial Master Gao Xuan." Gao Xuan's voice was low and clear, but it spread everywhere.

Tens of thousands of people were in a chaotic mess, but they all heard Gao Xuan's words clearly.

Everyone was still discussing Gao Xuan's identity heatedly, but now no one said anything.

Although this group of people are all peasants at the bottom of the class, illiterate or reading, they do not lack the wisdom to survive. Just by looking at Gao Xuan's moves, one could tell that the opponent was powerful, so how could they dare to be so presumptuous?

As for what the Celestial Master does, they actually don’t understand.

Tens of thousands of people were silent, and the scene immediately fell silent. The gongs and drums were beating nearby and I didn't dare to move.

The witch actually doesn't know what the Heavenly Master does. However, the Golden Scale King's birthday celebration cannot be ruined.

She said with an unhappy face: "No matter who you are, you cannot ruin the celebration. This is related to the life and death of more than 100,000 people in Biyue Bay."

She then said to the many squire elders in front of her: "If you are still watching, please speak quickly. The Golden Scale King is furious and we will all die."

Many gentry elders looked embarrassed. There are a few people in this group who can read and read, and have some knowledge. At least you know what the Heavenly Master does.

It’s just that I have to step forward at this time.

A group of people winked at each other, and the leader, Cai Changshui, had to stand up. He was the head of the Cai family and the boss of Biyuewan Squire.

Because the Cai family is the largest, with more than 10,000 people. The strongest force. So he became the boss of the country squire.

Cai Changshui came up and bowed deeply to Gao Xuan: "Master Tian, ​​celebration is our tradition. Please leave it alone."

Someone took the lead, and others hurriedly joined in, "Yes, Master Tianshi, there is nothing we can do."

"It's all for the people of Biyue Bay..."

"We wouldn't survive otherwise."

Everyone said something to each other, and the more they spoke, the louder the voice became, and the more they spoke, the more powerful they became.

Gao Xuan wanted to sigh. When sacrifice became a tradition, everything became natural.

He pointed at the crying boys and girls in the bamboo cage: "Is this the life of these children in exchange for your peace?"

Cai Changshui was a little embarrassed, although he didn't think there was anything wrong with it. But being pointed out by the Heavenly Master to his face was still a bit embarrassing after all.

He thought for a moment and explained: "Master Tian, ​​we are also helpless."

Gao Xuan asked: "I'm helpless, why don't you take your children out and sacrifice them?"

Cai Changshui's face suddenly turned ugly. He almost cursed, but he still suppressed his anger and said: "Which child to sacrifice is determined by drawing lots. There is no favoritism."

Gao Xuan sneered, this little trick only deceives ignorant villagers. Moreover, there is no need to argue on this matter.

He said: "No matter what traditions you have, from today on, you can no longer worship the Golden Scale King in any way."

As soon as these words came out, everyone's expressions changed drastically. Cai Changshui knelt down first. He wanted to cry but couldn't cry for the moment. He could only howl: "Master, you must not, you must not..."

When everyone saw this, they all knelt down and surrounded Gao Xuan, crying and shouting together.

The witch even pointed at Gao Xuan and shouted: "If you dare to be the enemy of the Golden Scale King, your death has come..."

The witch said something harsh, and she didn't have the courage to fight Gao Xuan. She rolled her eyes and saw a group of people below who had an idea.

She shouted loudly: "This man wants to stop us from sacrificing to the Golden Scale King. Come on, big guy..."

This sentence is so remarkable that ordinary people and villagers cannot listen to it. Someone dared to stop the celebration they had worked so hard to hold.

How can they survive after angering the Golden Scale King?

The witch inspired everyone with just one word, and a group of people rushed towards Gao Xuan with a lot of noise. The scene was getting out of control.

"Certainly."

Gao Xuan casually spit out a spell, and everyone was frozen in place.

Tens of thousands of people turned into solidified statues, and many people lost their balance and fell into a large piece on the spot.

Of all the people present, the witch was the only one who was not immobilized.

The witch stared blankly at the tens of thousands of people who were motionless. She was frightened. What kind of magical power is this?

Just when the witch didn't know what to do, another rainbow light fell from the sky, and an experienced Taoist wearing black and white Taoist robes appeared out of thin air. This veteran is Tao Jun, the national master.

Tao Jun saluted Gao Xuanji: "Master Tian, ​​why are you doing this?"

Gao Xuan said calmly: "As a heavenly master, it is my responsibility to kill demons."

Tao Jun smiled bitterly: "The Golden Scale King is from Beihai Dragon Palace, so you can't mess with him..."