77: Chapter 77 Moving to Zhoujia Village

Zhou Ping straightened up, looking at Village Chief Qin Zongliang, Qin Yin, Qin Mo, and the villagers who had walked out of every household in Qin Family Village and gathered around.

His eyes were slightly red, but the expression on his face was one of joy.

"Village Chief Qin, I have come to invite the deity."

Village Chief Qin Zongliang opened his mouth, wanting to ask "Didn't the County Magistrate issue an order forbidding it?", but swallowed the words back down.

He still remembered the situation back then when Zhou Ping and Zhou Hu came to the village to confess their sins to Lord Qinling.

Zhou Ping saw the confusion in Village Chief Qin Zongliang's eyes, smiled, and moved the corners of his mouth.

"Village Chief Qin, I have already resolved the issue. The official documents from the county yamen have been voided, and those Yellow Immortal statues have been smashed."

"Starting today, every village in Guanhai County is free to worship compliant deities."

Hearing this, Village Chief Qin Zongliang's face showed joy.

Although he didn't know why the county yamen's documents had been voided, he knew this was a good thing.

In this way, not only could Zhou Family Village invite Lord Qinling.

Lord Qinling's name could also be spread to more places, and he could protect more common people.

Village Chief Qin Zongliang's cane tapped twice on the ground, his voice resonant, like when he used to shout work chants on a boat in his youth.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go! Let's go to Lord Qinling's temple to invite the deity!"

The crowd stirred. Zhou Ping carried the statue on his shoulder and walked at the very front, Zhou Hu followed behind carrying offerings on a shoulder pole, and further behind was the dense crowd of worshippers from Zhou Family Village.

The villagers of Qin Family Village merged into them, the two streams of people combining into a mighty procession heading toward Lord Qinling's temple.

In a short while.

The deity-inviting procession from Zhou Family Village poured in through the temple doors, filling the entire temple hall to the brim.

A crowd knelt before the offering table, with Zhou Ping at the very front. He held the statue wrapped in red cloth in both hands, his back held straight.

Behind him was Zhou Hu, and further behind were the villagers carrying baskets and holding offerings, densely packed from the offering table all the way out of the temple gates.

Zhou Ping placed the statue on the offering table and untied the red cloth, revealing the elmwood statue he had carved for half a month.

With lowered eyelids, calm lips, and a slightly tucked chin.

It was identical to the one in the temple, but smaller and newer. The wood was still a light yellow, lacking the dark patina stained by incense smoke.

He took a step back, drew three sticks of incense from his chest, lit them with the candlelight, and inserted them into the incense burner. Then he took two more steps back, knelt on the futon, and kowtowed.

All the villagers of Zhou Family Village behind him knelt down as well, kowtowing with their foreheads touching the cold stone bricks.

"Lord Qinling above, this humble citizen Zhou Ping, leading all the old and young of Zhou Family Village, respectfully invites Lord Qinling to move to Zhou Family Village."

His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

"Lord Qinling once protected the villagers of Zhou Family Village from a demon disaster, and all the villagers in the village are endlessly grateful."

"The villagers of Zhou Family Village all yearn for your divine grace, and have now sculpted a statue for you, praying that you will move into the statue."

"From now on, Zhou Family Village is willing to worship Lord Qinling from generation to generation."

"Zhou Ping is incompetent for making Lord Qinling wait so long."

Inside the shrine, Qin Ling's gaze looked down.

Seeing Zhou Ping holding the statue and leading the deity-inviting procession from Zhou Family Village in, he knew that Zhou Ping had accomplished what he instructed.

Qin Ling smiled faintly.

This Zhou Ping was indeed not bad.

He raised his hand, and a speck of golden light lit up at his fingertips.

That speck of golden light drifted from his fingertips and landed on the glabella of the elmwood statue on the offering table.

That speck of light illuminated the glabella of the statue.

This light was not dazzling, but warm and soft.

Zhou Ping knelt on the ground and saw that speck of light.

His pupils dilated slightly, his lips were trembling, his hands were trembling, and his entire body was trembling.

Tears surged from his eyes, streamed down his cheeks, and dripped onto the stone bricks.

Zhou Hu knelt behind Zhou Ping, keeping his head lowered, his shoulders trembling.

Behind them, those villagers of Zhou Family Village also saw that speck of light.

Those villagers of Zhou Family Village knelt there, their foreheads pressed against the stone bricks, unable to lift them for a long time.

"Lord Qinling has consented! Lord Qinling has consented!"

Zhou Ping's voice carried a sob.

Behind him, all the villagers of Zhou Family Village joined in shouting.

"Lord Qinling has consented!"

"Lord Qinling has consented!"

That sound surged out of the temple hall and toward the sky.

Qin Ling sat in the shrine, watching the kneeling villagers of Zhou Family Village.

The slight curve at the corner of his mouth was still there.

The deity-inviting ceremony was over, and the golden light at the glabella of the statue on the offering table gradually faded.

Zhou Ping knelt on the futon and kowtowed three more times heavily, his forehead touching the cold stone bricks, each strike producing a dull thud.

He straightened up, his eyes still red, but the tears on his face had been wiped dry.

He picked up the statue from the offering table and wrapped it securely with the red cloth again.

Holding it with both hands, he raised it above his head, turned to face the kneeling villagers of Zhou Family Village, and spoke in a resonant voice.

"Fellow villagers, Lord Qinling has consented. Let's go, let's return to the village!"

The villagers of Zhou Family Village stood up one after another.

They cleared a path, letting Zhou Ping hold the statue and walk at the very front, followed by Zhou Hu carrying offerings, and further behind was the dense deity-inviting procession.

Zhou Ping walked to the temple entrance, suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at Village Chief Qin Zongliang standing at the temple door.

Zhou Ping bowed deeply to him, bending his waist very low.

"Village Chief Qin, I came in a hurry this time and couldn't properly catch up with you."

"Once Lord Qinling is settled in Zhou Family Village, I will come over again. By then, the two of us will have a good drink together."

Village Chief Qin Zongliang smiled, the wrinkles on his face bunching together.

He waved his hand, his cane tapping twice on the ground.

"Go on, go on. Lord Qinling's matters are important; drinking is not urgent, there are plenty of days ahead."

Zhou Ping straightened up, glanced at him once more, then turned around and strode out of the temple gate.

Behind him, Village Chief Qin Zongliang stood that way, watching that straight-backed figure disappear out the door.

He watched for a long time, then turned around and offered a stick of incense to the statue of Lord Qinling with its lowered brows and downcast eyes.

Inside the shrine, Qin Ling's thought stirred.

A split soul lingering inside the shrine stood up.

This split soul passed through the villagers still offering incense, passed through the temple door, and no one saw it.

It simply followed beside the deity-inviting procession, walking neither too fast nor too slow.

Since Zhou Family Village had completed the deity invitation, it was naturally necessary to send a split soul to preside over it.

In a short while, the deity-inviting procession had walked out of Qin Family Village and onto the dirt road leading to Zhou Family Village.

Zhou Ping walked at the very front, holding the statue in both hands. The red cloth fluttered slightly in the morning breeze, revealing the light yellow of the elmwood beneath.

His steps were very steady, as if he were holding the most precious thing in this world.

Zhou Hu walked behind, the bamboo baskets hanging from the ends of his shoulder pole swaying rhythmically.

The rice cakes in the baskets were still steaming, and the savory aroma of dried fish mixed with the sweet fragrance of the rice cakes.

The rest of the villagers of Zhou Family Village followed behind, every single one of them beaming with joy.

It had been far too long since Zhou Family Village had such a joyous occasion.