chsdbacks Chapter 79 Washing Hands
Chapter 79 Washing Hands
"Let's leave this question open for now. We'll definitely have to continue tomorrow night, and we'll need to observe for a few more days to find out."
Le Zheng Fengye stood up and dusted himself off.
"Yes, that's true. Let's go, Senior Liu Ye, let's try our luck at the tavern first."
The two climbed over the courtyard wall one after the other, without even glancing at Zhang Jingjing standing to the side, and walked straight towards the village entrance.
............
The open space in front of the ancestral hall in the west courtyard.
At this moment, Lin Tian, Wen Zhunian, Li Zheng, and Chen Ximing stood in a row facing the gate of the ancestral hall.
The four of them waited for the attendant beside them to speak.
The attendant was an old man wearing a black short jacket. After the four of them arrived, he didn't say a word, but stared intently at a certain place in the distance.
Sometime after dark, the old man seemed to sense something and suddenly came to his senses, looking at the four of them.
"My lords, please follow my instructions. First, wash your hands thoroughly before performing the sacrificial rites."
As the old servant spoke, he picked up a lantern and an earthenware pot that had been prepared in advance, and stepped into the courtyard of the ancestral hall first.
Lin Tian followed the old servant's movements, lowered his head, and steadily stepped over the threshold with his left foot, following the old servant toward the place behind the door.
Lin Tian originally thought the mission wouldn't go wrong at the beginning, but soon, an unexpected incident occurred.
As Chen Ximing followed Lin Tian in, a series of clattering sounds came from behind him.
Chen Ximing turned around and found Wen Zhunian lying on the ground.
"Why did you push me?" Wen Zhunian looked at Li Zheng behind her, her eyes full of resentment.
"Who pushed you? You clearly tripped over yourself."
Li Zheng casually stepped over the threshold and walked to the old servant's side, saying sarcastically, "Could it be... there was something dirty behind you just now?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Zhunian's expression turned grim. Since the fall wasn't serious, he slowly got up from the ground.
Wen Zhunian originally wanted to argue with this bastard, but he was intimidated by the old servant's gloomy face.
The words that were on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back down.
Lin Tian paid no attention to this little incident. She was observing the four wooden basins placed against the wall when the old servant stood beside them, silently staring at the four of them.
All four wooden basins were filled with water. Lin Tian stepped forward, bent down, and examined them closely. He discovered that two of the basins contained some gravel at the bottom, while the other two contained clear water.
Before she could stop them, Chen Ximing and Wen Zhunian washed their hands with the water from the first and second basins, respectively.
"Miss Lin, which one do you choose?" Li Zheng walked up to Lin Tian and asked, tilting his head.
Lin Tian was startled; she suddenly realized that this guy might have recognized her.
Seeing that Lin Tian ignored him, he continued, "I'll choose whichever one you pick."
Then Li Zheng followed Lin Tian to the third basin, where a little sand and gravel had settled at the bottom.
When Lin Tian put his hand into the water, his expression changed slightly, and a chilling aura seeped into his bones through his skin.
She symbolically washed her hands twice and then pulled them out of the basin.
Lin Tian understood; the water soaked in yin sand was used to seal their yang energy.
The purpose is to prevent evil spirits from sensing the presence of living people, which could lead to uncontrollable consequences. This water is for their protection and should not be wiped away.
Although Chen Ximing didn't know the intricacies of the water, he still sensed something was amiss when the sinister feeling seeped into his bones.
She quickly pulled her hand away, and as she tried to wipe it with the hem of her clothes, Lin Tian grabbed her wrist.
With an old servant watching, Lin Tian couldn't speak, so he could only give a hint with his eyes.
Wen Zhunian looked at the two of them with a puzzled expression, but when he saw that Chen Ximing was stopped from wiping his hands, he also gave up the idea of wiping his hands.
Lin Tian glanced at the wooden basin that Wen Zhunian had used, and after struggling with his conscience for a moment, decided not to tell him.
You can only wash your hands once. Since the die is cast, if we tell him again, Lin Tian is afraid that Wen Zhunian will lose his composure and ruin the process.
If that time really comes, all four of them will die together.
Li Zheng was shrewd; he silently observed that all three of them had completed the procedures before washing his hands.
Seeing that all four had washed their hands, the old servant took out four long incense sticks from his robes and handed them to the four men one by one, then instructed them:
"Please take turns performing the sacrificial rites, burning incense and placing it in the cauldron, and solemnly bowing three times. Silently recite the mantra: Ancestors, return to your places, may the incense guide your souls."
After speaking, the old servant placed four earthenware jars one by one not far from the four people, and instructed them again:
"After everyone has finished paying respects to their ancestors, each person should take an earthenware jar and, in a clockwise order, pour out the clean soil from the jar and place it under the candlesticks at the four corners of the ancestral hall."
The bottom of the candlesticks is pre-grooved to hold the soil.
Remember, all matters will be completed when the last incense stick has burned out.
After the old servant finished speaking, he placed a paper lantern in front of the four people.
Without waiting for the four to respond, he dashed out of the ancestral hall.
After discussing for a while in the courtyard, the four decided on the order in which they would offer incense.
After thinking for only a few seconds, Lin Tian volunteered to be the first one.
Because Li Zheng might have recognized her, and if he recognized her, then he would know that she was a member of the organization.
Currently, the organization still has a bounty on Li Zheng's head, so it's hard to guarantee that Li Zheng won't try to silence him.
Having learned from Wen Zhunian's experience, Chen Ximing was also afraid of Li Zheng, but dared not be the first to step forward, so he lined up after Lin Tian.
Wen Zhunian was worried that Li Zheng would cause trouble for him, so he quickly lined up after Chen Ximing finished speaking.
Li Zheng, on the other hand, seemed indifferent and was placed last in line.
"Miss Lin Tian, what are your thoughts on the next part?" Chen Ximing asked.
Lin Tian's actions in stopping her earlier left a good impression on Chen Ximing.
This also made her feel that Lin Tian had something special about him, and that he wasn't just a simple cashier.
In short, Lin Tian is currently the only one she can trust among the three.