128: Chapter 128 Sea Festival

Chapter 128 Sea Sacrifice Festival

Early morning.

The thin mist had not completely dissipated, and a breeze blew by from time to time.

A beam of warm white sunlight pierced through the gaps of the gently swaying branches and leaves, spilling onto the fluffy and soft soil.

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In the mottled halo of light, it reflected muscle lines like those sculpted from artwork, and the undulating, well-built physique.

"Hoo——"

Fang Cheng straightened his arms, took a leap, and easily stood up.

Looking at the skill experience points appearing before him, he twisted his neck and swung his hands and feet.

Ending this brief morning exercise.

Due to time and location constraints, today's training volume only reached about a third of the usual amount, and he didn't even sweat much.

However, Fang Cheng did not plan to keep it as it was.

Being in such an unfamiliar and unknown place, always maintaining abundant physical strength was actually a good habit.

As for exercise, moderation was enough; the focus still needed to be placed on Meditation and learning.

Thinking of this, Fang Cheng could not help but recall the strange incident he encountered last night.

After waking up in the morning, the pair of footprints found at the door were also very strange.

Judging by the appearance of the prints, they looked like flippers worn by divers.

From the smell emanating from the water stains, Fang Cheng could also distinguish a very special fishy and foul odor.

Just like seawater soaked with rotted fish and spoiled shrimp.

Could someone have suddenly taken a fancy last night, rushed out to dive and fish, and returned to the base in the middle of the night?

Fang Cheng shook his head, casting this somewhat grotesque thought out of his mind.

At least one point could be confirmed now: the sights and sounds he experienced last night were not hallucinations caused by his mental attributes being too high.

A mountain breeze swept through the forest, causing the branches and leaves to sway and rustle, carrying over the sounds of human voices from afar.

It seemed someone was walking closer this way.

Fang Cheng's gaze swept past the obscured treetops, looking towards the vaguely visible white building on the hillside.

He then left this secluded dense forest, pretending to have just gone out for a morning jog, and ran back onto the concrete road.

After returning to the dormitory, Fang Cheng quickly took a shower, then went to the dining hall to finish breakfast.

Then he stood in the downstairs lobby, waiting for today's tour group activities to begin.

Past 8 o'clock, many tour members arrived belatedly.

It seemed everyone slept very soundly last night, so much so that they lingered in bed this morning and couldn't get up.

Some tour members even excitedly claimed that they had cured their chronic insomnia of many years right here.

Dragging on until nearly 8:30.

All tour members finally assembled, and then took a bus to Yongan Town at the foot of the mountain.

Looking ahead along the road through the car window glass, the sky was azure and cloudless, as if it connected seamlessly with the sea surface.

Unlike the slightly mysterious and gloomy scene when arriving here yesterday evening.

The fishing port town under the sunshine was full of warmth and vitality.

Both sides of the road were shaded by green trees, with flowers and plants in full bloom, matching the surrounding old houses very naturally and exuding a pastoral, leisurely style.

Fishing boats were docked in the harbor one by one, with the sounds of motors and work chants ringing out from time to time, adding a little bit of a bustling atmosphere.

After getting off the car, Fang Cheng quietly followed the tour group, strolling through the streets and alleys, treating it as relaxing his mind and body.

Although this island town didn't have a large population, all kinds of community supporting facilities were quite complete.

Not only were there hospitals, post offices, cinemas, primary and secondary schools, and department stores.

The garrison department had also set up a maritime police sub-district for combating smuggling and illegal immigration here, as well as a security police post staffed by a dozen or so people.

The only inconvenience was that communication base stations had not been built yet, so mobile phones could not receive any signal at all.

The only ways to contact the outside world were through landlines and writing letters.

During the sightseeing process, Fang Cheng also discovered that there were actually quite a few out-of-town tourists coming here.

In front of some scenic spots, one could always see the figures of backpackers and other tour groups.

According to the tour guide, Yongan Island's annual Sea Sacrifice Festival was about to be held, and at that time there would be grand thanksgiving parades and folk celebration activities.

Therefore, this period was the local peak tourism season, and many guesthouses and hotels were fully booked.

Fortunately, the tour group had its own training camp base, so there was no need to worry about accommodation problems.

Pan Wendi happened to run into an acquaintance from Dongdu who looked like a gym customer, and they greeted each other and chatted for a few words.

In fact, apart from the primitive natural scenery and experiencing the local people's living atmosphere, there were not many cultural attractions worth visiting on the island.

The only things slightly presentable were a temple with folk beliefs and an island history museum.

The temple was the main venue for local sacrificial activities, and the enshrined deity was called the Sea Queen.

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It was said that more than two hundred years ago, an epidemic broke out on Yongan Island, and many people were infected with a strange disease, dying in heaps.

Someone among the villagers accidentally dreamed of the Sea Queen's decree, so they gathered craftsmen to mold the statue, set up a ritual altar to repent, delivered the lonely souls of land and water, and further paraded the statue to pacify and clean up the streets. Afterwards, the epidemic indeed stopped.

Ever since then, the residents of the island pooled funds to build this temple dedicated to the Sea Queen, holding a grand Sea Sacrifice Festival every year to thank the divine grace, perform ghost and soul sacrifices, in hopes of protecting the territory and ensuring peace.

It was now January 16th, which was the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, leaving only six days until the event date.

Therefore, there were a lot of villagers and tourists coming here to offer incense, pray for blessings, and seek peace, making it extremely lively.

Inside the temple, wisps of smoke curled upwards, hanging large tower incense that burned continuously without extinguishing, and a three-meter-tall main deity was enshrined in the center of the main hall.

Looking at her face, she was a kind-faced woman with wide, sprawling skirt hems carved into wave shapes, as if her true body was hidden within the billows.

Quite a few people in the tour group bought incense and candles, following the trend to pay their respects.

Then they came out of the Sea Queen Temple and arrived at the Yongan Island History Museum.

There were many fewer people here, basically just Fang Cheng and the other tour members acting as onlookers.

The tour guide pointed to the many cultural relics and historic sites preserved in the display case, introducing the relevant history and geographical features of Yongan Island.

Hundreds of millions of years ago, this sea area experienced very active volcanic activity, and lava slowly accumulated deep in the seabed crust, continuously cooling and solidifying through long years, eventually floating out of the sea to form the Yongan Island seen today.

Because it was isolated overseas and had inconvenient transportation with the mainland, this place had always been sparsely populated.

Historical records even showed that a volcanic eruption once occurred, causing the destruction of the only fishing village stronghold.

Therefore, for a long time, it remained in a deserted state, or became a hiding place for pirates and bandits.

Until nearly two hundred years ago, with the development of science and technology, this place truly gained development and gradually gathered popularity.

Coupled with the influence of volcanoes and warm ocean currents, the climate on the island was more pleasant than the same latitude, and the products were richer. Relying on fishing and tourism, it formed a town with nearly 20,000 people and a preliminary scale today.

After viewing the entire museum, it was almost noon.

The tour group booked a local specialty food stall near the fishing port, and finally properly tasted a seafood feast.

Afterwards, everyone did not continue to go to the beach to enjoy the rare pure sandy beach of Dongdu, or go to soak in the legendary "volcanic hot springs".

Because in the afternoon there was a more important activity scheduled, which was precisely the long-awaited Meditation practice class of the tour members.

After this sightseeing activity, everyone's mood seemed to have improved a lot, and after taking the bus back to the training camp, there were more laughter and chatter.

Fang Cheng and Pan Wendi returned to the dormitory together, tidied up a bit, and then headed to the quiet Meditation hall located in the east annex building.

Everyone bathed their bodies according to the requirements of the Zhenxiang Society, changed into uniformly issued white Meditation clothes, and gathered here one after another.

Everyone stood together according to their relationships of closeness, whispering and talking in low voices.

Perhaps because it was the first Meditation class, everyone inevitably had a sense of excitement.

Amidst Pan Wendi's naggings, Fang Cheng also silently observed the environment of the hall and prepared himself.