At the fifth quarter of the hour of the rabbit, just as dawn broke, loud banging sounded against the front door of Liang Qu's house.
No one had come looking for trouble.
In all of Yixing, no one was unaware of Liang Qu's status; who would dare cause trouble at his door? The one knocking was Chen Zhao'an's grandson, Chen Tongmin.
Liang Qu threw on his clothes and opened the door.
Chen Tongmin cupped his hands in greeting. "Brother Shui, my grandfather sent me to ask if you've familiarized yourself with the sacrificial rites. As for the sacrificial text, you don't need to memorize it, but you must read it as fluently as possible—stumbling over words is out of the question."
"Let me read it to you once, see how it sounds?"
"Well..." Chen Tongmin hesitated a moment before nodding. "Then sorry to trouble you, Brother Shui."
When it came to offering sacrifices to the river god, even with Liang Qu's esteemed status as Master Yang's personal disciple, he could not afford any carelessness.
Bungle it, and he would still face the townsfolk's scorn.
Of course, do it well, and praise would pour in from all sides, cementing his reputation as a leading figure in Yixing. There were pros and cons.
Although he had returned home exhausted the night before, he had still forced himself to recite it more than ten times, confident that he had it down.
Facing Chen Tongmin, Liang Qu recited the sacrificial text.
"The river god above, upon this ground of Yixing, by the waters of the Jianghuai River, bearing the trust of all and gathering the hopes of the people, I lead the folk today in reverent homage before Your presence, presenting this text..."
A quarter of an hour later.
Chen Tongmin nodded. "Brother Shui truly puts minds at ease. With a recitation like that, the townsfolk will surely be full of praise."
"I pale in comparison to Village Elder Chen," Liang Qu said modestly.
"The text is fine, but are you familiar with the procedure?"
"I grew up in Yixing. It happens twice a year. Even if I haven't eaten pork, I've seen pigs run. Ask me anything."
Chen Tongmin did not hold back. "After the ritual master calls to present the sacrifices, what does the chief celebrant do?"
"First offer incense, then offer wine, and finally read the sacrificial text. After finishing the reading, lead the townsfolk in bowing, and once the firecrackers go off, step down from the altar."
Chen Tongmin nodded. Being familiar with both the text and the procedure meant there was no issue; getting the broad strokes right was more than enough.
"Good. The sacrifice begins at the first quarter of the noon hour. I'll come fetch you at the third quarter of the hour of the snake. Make sure you wear clean, tidy clothes. If you don't have any, I can find something for you."
"No need for that, I have an outfit."
"Alright, then see you at the third quarter of the hour of the snake."
Watching Chen Tongmin leave, Liang Qu felt a slight stir of excitement inside.
Over a thousand people. To offer incense, pour wine, and recite the sacrificial text before so many townsfolk—this was his first time facing such a grand occasion. It was impossible not to feel a bit nervous. He only hoped nothing would go wrong.
Time for a bath first.
Liang Qu shut the door, heated water, and lathered soap.
Having not caught fish with his own hands for days, the fishy odor on him had mostly faded; ordinary people couldn't smell it at all.
After washing, tying up his long hair, and changing into the clothes and treasures gifted by his senior brothers and sisters, he even found himself looking quite dashing.
Walking to the table, Liang Qu tapped his fingers rhythmically.
The blue bead on the table trembled, unfurled, and turned into a six-inch-long centipede. Its blue armor shimmered, glowing with iridescent colors beneath the morning light.
The Tianshui centipede crawled from Liang Qu's palm onto his wrist, head meeting tail. Its myriad legs drew together tightly, inch by inch, fitting seamlessly together until it took the form of a blue jade bracelet.
Liang Qu hid it beneath his armguard and pushed the door open to step outside.
With the sacrifice drawing near, Bluestone Street was far livelier than usual.
The overcoat was not a cloak or cape, but a loose, sleeved robe. Liang Qu had a tall, straight posture; wearing it, he carried a natural air of elegance as he walked, standing out sharply from the ordinary folk in hemp garments and drawing every eye.
Seeing him like this, many townsfolk harbored a whirlpool of complicated thoughts.
The crowd looking on yesterday had only been a small fraction of Yixing; many had only heard about it later through word of mouth. Now, seeing him with their own eyes, all manner of thoughts crossed their minds.
There was envy, jealousy, joy, and regret—regret that they hadn't betrothed their daughters to Liang Qu earlier, letting a prize catch of a son-in-law slip right through their fingers.
"I was thinking of arranging a marriage with Ah Shui back then! If it had worked out, wouldn't I be sharing in this glory right now? Maybe I'd be the one carrying the sacrificial beasts today!"
"Your daughter, paired with Ah Shui? If you aren't embarrassed, I am on your behalf! Why don't you piss on the ground and take a look at your reflection?"
"Watch your mouth! What's wrong with my daughter? Huh? What's wrong with her?"
"What's all the racket for? With Liang Qu doing so well for himself, in my view, only the county magistrate's daughter would be worthy of him!"
"That's true enough."
Someone shouted out, giving a thumbs-up. "Ah Shui, you're a stand-up man! The blue bricks and roof tiles are all ready. One of these days I'll go build the wall at your place!"
Liang Qu cupped his hands and smiled. "Thank you, Uncle Hu!"
"No need to be polite! I've got plenty of strength. Earning a hundred wen just by putting in some muscle—where else could I find such a good deal?"
"That's right! I don't have much else, but strength I have plenty of! Put me to work whenever you want!"
In the countryside, manual labor was the cheapest thing of all. In winter especially, when money was hardest to come by, people would scramble for work that merely offered a single meal.
Getting a hundred wen for just two days of helping out was a coveted opportunity people would elbow each other to grab.
At the noon hour, Chen Tongmin came to fetch Liang Qu, and the two walked to the wharf together.
Townsfolk trickled out from the alleys flanking Bluestone Street, converging upon the wharf.
A tall, stepped altar had been erected on the blue-brick platform, featuring a full thirteen wooden steps leading up to a large square table laden with melons, fruits, and vegetables.
In all eight directions around the altar, men stood facing outward, each holding a great banner, with a troupe of gong players stationed nearby.
Liang Qu also spotted Chen Jiechang and Li Libo.
The three practiced martial arts together at the martial hall, so Chen Zhao'an had naturally given them roles as well, assigning them as the strongmen who would slaughter the sacrificial beasts before presenting them.
The two of them held an ox and a sheep respectively, waiting for the presentation of the sacrifices.
The first quarter of the noon hour arrived.
Everyone had assembled.
The village elders and Liang Qu stood to the left of the altar beneath the eaves of a grand estate. Flanked by two crouching stone lions, the group looked quite imposing.
Over a thousand townsfolk stood before the altar, all waiting in silence.
*Clang! Clang! Clang!*
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
Three strikes of the gong.
With each beat of the drum, the old ritual master took a step forward, advancing along the altar's central axis to the front before turning left to stand at a quarter of the altar's width. With his back to the altar and facing the crowd, he called out in a loud, clear voice:
"Present the sacrifices!"
Chen Jiechang took the lead, gripping an ox's nose ring as he stepped forward. Li Libo followed closely behind, and last came Chen Tongmin leading a pig.
The three reached the right side of the altar, where attendants stepped up to suspend the three sacrificial beasts.
The three beasts struggled desperately, but bound by chains, their efforts were entirely futile. The three men each took a sharp knife, aiming at their throats.
"Strike!"
At the ritual master's command, the sharp blades plunged into the necks in unison, severing the arteries.
Bright red blood spurted out and poured into wooden tubs, steaming hot.
A thick stench of blood surged skyward, drifting with the cold wind across the entire wharf.
"Lift!"
The three hoisted the wooden tubs and moved toward the water's edge to the beat of the drums.
"Pour!"
The wooden tubs tipped, and the thick blood surged out, splashing into the water and spreading like a blot of black ink.
Only the heavy scent of blood lingered in the wind.
"Shamans to your posts!"
Five strikes of the gong.
Liang Qu watched two shamans step out past him to chant and dance on either side of the altar, and he could not help tightening his grip on the manuscript in his hand.
Once the shamans finished, it would be his turn to take the stage.
"Chief celebrant, advance!"
Nine strikes of the gong.
The sound was deafening.
Liang Qu froze.
He saw a dark shadow crawling across the tiled rooftops, darting under the eaves ahead before vanishing behind a firewall.
Withered and gaunt, its skin brown like old wood.
Chapter 64