Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Xie Lingya was more cautious about performing rituals for Ning Wanlai and wanted to do it together with Shi Changxuan. The two of them fasted for seven days and then took a bath before starting.
In fact, Xie Lingya could do it alone, but Baoyang Temple was open, and people came to watch when they did such things. He however was not a priest. If it was not good to conduct the Dharma in the Taoist temple himself, it was better to find another person to conduct the Dharma, and he would help from the side. And being cautious, it was not because he chose two people, but because he chose Shi Changxuan.
On the appointed day, Ning Wanlai and his family all came.
Xie Lingya prepared wine, white rice, dried dates, fruits and other sacrifices. He placed three stoves on the left and right sides of the altar. At this time, he ordered some real incense. From the beginning to the end of the ceremony, the smoke of the incense could not be cut off.
Taoists attached great importance to the practice of incense. In the past, if a person participating in a Dharma assembly knocked over an incense stick, he would be fined two kilograms of incense. If the smoke broke during the Dharma meeting, he would be fined four kilograms of oil. There were a lot of regulations like that.
“The envoys of the incense officials, the Dragon and Tiger Lords on the left and right, and all the spirits meet in front of this incense. May the believers in front of the altar receive blessings from all over the world and serve the incense officials. The guards of the incense, pass on the words, and play in front of the immortals in the ten directions.” Shi Changxuan said a blessing and then prayed.
Xie Lingya was on the side and lit the incense while he was delivering his congratulations. He then saw three wisps of incense curling up, and accompanied by Shi Changxuan’s congratulations, they rose slowly and floated very high.
Ning Wanlai also closed his eyes and prayed silently in front of the altar. Please ask all the great gods. I can burn half of my monthly salary. Don’t ask me to be a temporary worker again.
Xie Lingya was chanting sutras and silently praying in his heart, hoping that the incense could convey his wishes.
Because of the scale of Baoyang Temple, it was impossible to set aside a separate place to hold ritual meetings. So, everyone just gathered around to watch every ritual. This time there were quite a few onlookers, but they were all very conscious and quiet.
But while Xie Lingya was closing his eyes and reciting silently, he suddenly heard a commotion, frowned and opened his eyes, and was startled for a moment
….
The believers or tourists in Baoyang Temple stood around the altar to watch Shi Changxuan and Xie Lingya perform their rituals. They were just ordinary people. However, they also found such rituals pleasing to the eye. There were a small number of them, and they were watching from the sidelines.
Shi Changxuan was wearing the same red robe with a crane embroidered on the back that Xie Lingya wore at the rain praying ceremony when he first met him.
The smoke from the incense beads curled up into the sky and hovered in the air.
At this time, there were eight or nine birds flying in the sky from the main hall, all white except for the black wingtips on their necks. After flapping their wings and flying through the smoke for two weeks, they landed gracefully on the altar and stood with their heads held high, causing the onlookers to scream!
A closer look showed that the appearance of these birds was the same as those embroidered on Shi Changxuan’s cassock. The two complemented each other beautifully. Weren’t these just a group of cranes?!
The scene suddenly became excited, and while the ritual was being performed, a group of cranes actually came.
The more loyal believers were even more excited at this time. Most of the Taoist immortals rode cranes. For example, Zhang Tianshi also rode a crane. The place where he learned Taoism was called Heming Mountain. It was also said in “Shiyi Ji” that immortals often rode on dragons and cranes.
According to Taoist classics, only those with high magical power could attract cranes.
Even ordinary passers-by found it very magical and had already picked up their mobile phones to take pictures. Even if they didn’t understand cranes and Taoism, Chinese people also knew that cranes represented longevity, good luck, etc., and if it was a coincidence that they appeared during the rituals, then it was a great coincidence! Didn’t you see the crane embroidered on that long back?
“Come on, come and see the crane!”
“The Taoist priest summoned the crane when doing something.”
Soon even the people in the temple came out to watch.
Xiao Dian’s mind exploded. He remembered what Teacher Xie said a few days ago: burning incense can attract cranes…! The incense is so awesome!
Xiao Dian took two steps forward, looked up at Xie Lingya, and said excitedly: “Teacher Xie, the fragrance really attracted the cranes!”
Xie Lingya was also stunned for a while, then calmly said: “Stop talking nonsense, call the zoo. Call them to see if they have lost their red-crowned cranes.”
Xiao Dian: “…”
….
What was called a crane in ancient times was the red-crowned crane. Nowadays, it was a national first-class protected animal.
A few red-crowned cranes were still strolling on the altar, even lowering their heads to eat the sacrifices. People at the scene were in an uproar because of them, and the ceremony was forced to be suspended. Xie Lingya took these cranes, which were not afraid of people, into the room.
Ning Wanlai’s family was also stunned. They didn’t know whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. Although the ritual was suspended because of the crane, the meaning seemed to be very good…
Xie Lingya and Ning Wanlai made an appointment to hold it next time, and then called the zoo. There was no nature reserve for red-crowned cranes around Qiyang. If there was one, it must be related to a place like a zoo.
Sure enough, after calling them, they found that the zoo was also in a hurry. They brought in ten red-crowned cranes from a forest zoo. However, because they had not clipped their feathers and the handover was chaotic, they all “escaped” due to a moment of negligence.
Only two of them were recovered, and the whereabouts of eight others were unknown. Only after receiving a call did they find out that they had ended up in Baoyang Temple.
Xie Lingya suspected that they were hungry and were attracted by the food, or they were in a busy city and felt that Baoyang Temple was quite quiet and comfortable. But as soon as he said this, Hai Guanchao said: “You are so unsure! Why can’t they come here because of the scent of Jiangzhen?”
“Yes, just like the little fox.”
Hai Guanchao: “This is not bad…”
….
With so many people present, it was not Xie Lingya’s turn to speak. Everyone had their own opinion.
The landing of these red-crowned cranes was so coincidental as it was just when Baoyang Temple was performing a ritual. It was so dramatic that while Xie Lingya was still in contact with the zoo, the video of the cranes landing was already posted online.
When a Taoist temple was performing rituals, the Taoist priest wearing crane robes attracted a group of real cranes. Was this the rhythm of becoming an immortal?
Sensational headlines like this spread quickly, and the video spread from local forums and Moments in Qiyang to various platforms in minutes.
One of the best videos was taken by a person standing next to the altar. He originally wanted to take pictures of the ceremony, but as he was taking pictures, several cranes flew out from behind the high ceiling of the hall. Just… eight red-crowned cranes, graceful in figure, with a faint smoke lingering around them, standing against the ancient hall, as if they were scenes in ancient paintings.
The voice-over clearly said “f**k”, and the camera suddenly moved up.
Immediately afterwards, several cranes flapped their wings and landed. Two people stood on the altar amid the curls of green smoke. One of them had his back to the camera, and his red cassock was embroidered with lifelike cranes.
The other person was facing the direction of the camera, with his eyes closed originally. When the crane landed, he opened his eyes due to the movement, and his beautiful smiling eyes also showed a hint of surprise.
The shooting quality was a bit off, but the picture was really beautiful and had a fairy-like feel.
Later, the camera became shakier and seemed to have been accidentally cut off. It was then connected to a later scene. The ceremony had already been suspended. Two handsome guys who had performing the ritual were now picking up the red-crowned crane and taking it away – in fact, several people were helping, but netizens paid attention only to the two of them when watching the video.
Especially the one in the red cassock, no matter how they looked at him now, they felt that he had an air of immortality. His broad robe and long sleeves were so handsome that even if he was holding a goose, he would make it look like a crane, let alone holding an actual elegant red-crowned crane.
“The person who shot the video 66666 kept breathing in. I also breathed in when I watched it. I didn’t expect it before I opened it.”
“Which Taoist temple in the mountains should I go to? Ancient temple, Taoist priest, crane, mom, this video has it all.”
“What a fairy!”
“Oh no, isn’t this the same Taoist temple where the fox refused to leave last time? I remember the faces of these two very clearly. I saw them in the photo.”
“Which mountain is this? What is the price of the ritual? I want to go -“
The author has something to say:
Mr. Xie: Thank you all, the address of our Taoist temple is at the entrance of Jingui Pedestrian Street, Qiyang City, facing Dawn Square.
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