strokinit Chapter 58. Parasites!
Chapter 58. Parasites!
Prayer Ceremony
Like a spring breeze, it swept through the two villages.
The five-colored fungus in the field bloomed for three whole days before withering, turning into five-colored powder that mixed into the soil. The villagers witnessed the miracle with their own eyes, and their faith was deeply imprinted in their hearts. The incense in the ancestral hall was more than twice as strong as before.
early morning.
Lin Shi inspects the ancestral hall.
What is this?
Lin Shi frowned. In the ashes beside the incense burner were a few pieces of yellow paper that had not been completely burned. He picked them up and examined them carefully. The remaining cinnabar strokes on the paper were crooked and messy. The talismans in the ancestral hall were all made by him. He could tell at a glance that they were completely different. They were 100% imitations, and clumsy ones at that.
Lin Shi calmly tucked the fragments into his sleeve and continued his daily patrol. However, he kept a watchful eye on things. After a few days, he noticed something was amiss. Several villagers who came to offer incense had shifty eyes and were evasive when asked about their homes, unlike their usual open and honest demeanor. In addition, someone reported that two families in Shanghe Village were secretly burning something in their yards at night. When caught, they hurriedly stomped out the ashes with panicked expressions.
dusk.
The sky was getting dark.
Lin Shi stood by the window of the side hall, pondering what he had seen and heard over the past few days. He was now certain that something was definitely not right.
Who on earth is it?
Lin Shi was not in a hurry.
hide?
The wind rustling through the grass in Shixi Village and Shanghe Village was all under the influence of his spiritual sense, making it easy to find this person.
Is it necessary?
No need!
Let's just wait and see!
The fox will eventually show its tail!
Only when the situation is fully exposed or when there are many victims leading to more serious consequences can it be dealt with without causing further trouble. Just like a boil, it can only be completely cured when it rots and festers.
Lin Shi had just made up his mind and was about to turn around when he suddenly saw a young woman carrying a sick child coming into the shrine to pray. She was kneeling in front of the statue of the god and crying bitterly. Just as he was about to go over and ask her something, he suddenly saw a middle-aged man hurriedly walk into the main hall.
Lin Shi looked closely and realized it was Sun Fu from Shanghe Village. He pulled the young woman to a corner and whispered something to her. The woman initially shook her head, but after Sun Fu said a few more words, she hesitated for a moment, then took out a small cloth bag from her bosom and stuffed it into Sun Fu's hand.
Sun Fu quickly tucked the item into his pocket, looked around, saw no one, and hurriedly left.
Lin Shi didn't react on the spot. He slowly walked out, comforted her, and then asked what had happened. Yi Chu didn't dare to say anything at first, but under Lin Shi's gentle yet persistent gaze, she finally spoke with tears in her eyes: her child had been sick for seven or eight days, and the medicine hadn't helped much, which made her very anxious.
"The day before yesterday, Sun Fu took the initiative to come to my door and said that he had connections with you, Mr. Lin. He said that as long as I gave him some incense and a token of my respect, he could put in a good word for me with the Dragon God so that my child could recover soon."
He said sincerity brings results, but sincerity must be genuine.
"This is the only silver hairpin I have left at home. It was part of my dowry from my family, but I had no choice but to take it out for the sake of my child."
The woman's voice grew softer and softer.
"I will get the hairpin back for you. The Dragon God has seen the child's illness and will protect him without needing any favors."
Lin Shi remained silent for a moment, then gently comforted him.
After seeing the woman off, Lin Shi sat alone in the side hall, his face calm, but his eyes were filled with ice.
Woodworms have appeared.
In just two months, someone actually used the name of clergy to extort money.
This is no small matter.
Faith is most vulnerable to contamination.
Once villagers begin to believe that sincerity is not as important as money, and that divine favor can be bought and sold, the foundation of their faith rots.
Moreover, if word gets out, what will those poor families who can't afford to give think? What will those who offer devoutly but don't see divine favor think?
This must be addressed!
Moreover, it must be handled openly, fairly, and rigorously!
Lin Shi did not act immediately. He needed evidence, not something he could sense, but something tangible that ordinary people could see and touch, and something irrefutable and convincing to everyone. He had to find out just how deep the worm had corroded.
Lin Shiru presided over the affairs of the ancestral hall, explained the doctrines, and inspected the fields as usual, seemingly unaware of everything. However, he secretly did a few things.
First, he asked Yang Qianchui to secretly keep an eye on Sun Fu's whereabouts, especially at night. Second, he asked Zhang Hong to go to the houses that Sun Fu had contacted and subtly inquire about his whereabouts. Third, he met with Sun Ming and others and explained the whole situation in detail.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Lin Shi glanced at Yang Qianchui and Zhang Hong standing in front of him, his face extremely grim. The information he had gathered was shocking.
Sun Fu solicited bribes not only from that one woman, but also from at least five other households under the guise of communicating with the gods and making preferential requests.
Some gave money, some gave grain, and one family even received a hen that laid eggs. They specifically targeted those who were in dire straits and anxious, taking advantage of their piety towards the dragon god and their helplessness in the face of adversity, using both soft and hard tactics.
"snort!"
"Sun Fu is incredibly audacious!"
"Not only did they accept bribes privately, but they also dared to illegally create talismans for communicating with the divine!"
Lin Shi recalled the inferior yellow talisman he had found in the furnace ash a few days ago.
Sun Fu claimed that the enhanced talisman was a true transmission from him. He said that as long as it was pasted next to the image of the Kitchen God and he performed the ritual, the household would be peaceful and the sick would recover quickly.
Each talisman costs money!
When Zhang Hong was inquiring about the news, an old man from a family held her hand, tears streaming down his face. They only had a little food left, but Sun Fu said, "If we don't offer our heartfelt thanks, the Dragon God won't accept our incense offerings." We were terrified.
The setting sun dyed the eaves of the ancestral hall blood red.
Lin Shi glanced at the detailed testimonies and physical evidence spread out in front of him.
A few copper coins!
A small bag of wheat! The hen was sold by Sun Fu to a neighboring village, the money has been recovered, and there are still three unsold, low-quality yellow talismans.
"Faith is like clear water, greed is like ink. A drop of ink can pollute a vat of clear water. Even a small termite can erode a building. We must use swift and decisive measures to remove the rotten flesh and restore order."
Lin Shi waved his hand and told Yang Qianchui and Zhang Hong to notify the core members of Shixi Village and Shanghe Village, including core believers and village elders.
Yang Qianchui and Zhang Hong left in a hurry and went to notify the people on the list Lin Shi had given them.
Lin Shi entered the main hall, stood in front of the Flood Dragon God statue, and with a thought, immediately merged with the Flood Dragon clone at the bottom of the pool. A response immediately came from the depths of the pool.
The power consumed by the Prayer for a Good Harvest Ceremony has not only been fully restored, but is also growing stronger every day.
The dragon opened its golden vertical pupils, its icy gaze filled with cold anger at Sun Fu's act of defiling the power of faith.
Eight oil lamps.
The hall was brightly lit, as if it were daytime.
They gathered in the main hall of the ancestral hall.
More than forty people sat on both sides, their faces solemn. Rumors had already spread that afternoon that something had happened to Sun Fu.
When Sun Fu brought him in, his face was deathly pale and his legs were weak. He was practically carried to the center of the hall. He glanced up at Lin Shi, but when he met Lin Shi's calm and unwavering eyes, he hurriedly lowered his head again.