Chapter 16

Tangnan Mountain, located to the south of Luanan Prefecture, has steep terrain and winding mountain paths. It has no unique scenery or historical anecdotes, but it is the most famous mountain in Luanan Prefecture.

The reason for this is that at the summit of the mountain stands the most famous temple in Luanan Prefecture—the Grandmother Temple, which enshrines the Two Immortal Holy Mother.

Although it is a temple, the one in charge is not a monk or a nun, but a family of shamans surnamed Zhang. According to the generations of the Zhang family, they are the direct descendants of the Two Immortal Holy Mother and are protected by her.

The legends of the Two Immortal Holy Mother are widely and diversely spread in Luanan Prefecture. They include dragon taming, demon slaying, saving people, and granting children. In short, the Two Immortal Holy Mother possesses all the abilities and powers that fox spirits and ghosts should have. Such propaganda has greatly deceived many people.

During the early Ming Dynasty, the Zhang family used the money and grain donated by believers to buy Tangnan Mountain and built the Grandmother Temple on it. Its influence gradually grew, and it gained countless believers. It has now become the leading force of shamanism and witchcraft in Luanan Prefecture. Even if Buddhism and Taoism want to establish themselves in Luanan Prefecture, they must first consult the Zhang family. This shows the extent of their influence.

Of course, although the Zhang family has some influence, it depends on who they are compared to. On this day, a person of great importance came to the Grandmother Temple, someone the Zhang family could not afford to offend.

This person of great importance is Xu Qingyan, the attendant of Zhao Junchen, a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, a close minister to the current emperor, and an imperial envoy.

Although he is just an attendant, Xu Qingyan represents Zhao Junchen, and in the eyes of the Zhang family, he is a person of great importance, even more so than the Prefect Liu Chang'an.

Therefore, Zhang Daquan, the current head of the Zhang family, naturally did not dare to be the slightest bit negligent. He personally accompanied Xu Qingyan and, to avoid disturbing his mood, even politely sent away all the believers who came to the Grandmother Temple to pray that day.

Since Xu Qingyan did not reveal his purpose, Zhang Daquan did not dare to ask. He only accompanied Xu Qingyan in appreciating the various sights within the Grandmother Temple.

Leading Xu Qingyan to the main hall where the Two Immortal Holy Mother is enshrined, Zhang Daquan introduced, "Young Master Xu, please look over here. This is the main hall of the Grandmother Temple, called the Holy Mother Hall. Inside, the Two Immortal Holy Mother is enshrined. The Two Immortal Holy Mother is immensely powerful, with many miracles and can do anything..."

Although Zhang Daquan spoke eloquently and vividly, Xu Qingyan showed little interest.

In fact, although the Grandmother Temple has a significant influence in Luanan Prefecture, it is not particularly magnificent or grand in scale. Apart from the different deities enshrined, it is not much different from ordinary city god temples. There is nothing particularly worth seeing.

Moreover, before Xu Qingyan came here, Zhao Junchen had already told him about the tricks of these shamans and witches. The deities they promote are mostly fabricated, and some even worship weasels and fox spirits. They exaggerate to the extreme to deceive the people, and most of what they say is false. There is no need to take them seriously.

Therefore, Xu Qingyan did not pay attention to Zhang Daquan's introduction and was not interested in the Two Immortal Holy Mother. Instead, the two side halls next to the Holy Mother Hall caught his attention. Compared to the main hall, these two new halls were built with newer bricks and wood, seemingly recently constructed. More surprisingly, the left side hall enshrines the Jade Emperor, and the right side hall enshrines the Buddha. This arrangement, flanking the Two Immortal Holy Mother in the main hall, seemed neither Buddhist, Taoist, nor shamanic, making it look very awkward.

Out of curiosity, Xu Qingyan asked, "Isn't this place only dedicated to the Two Immortal Holy Mother? Why are the Jade Emperor and the Buddha also enshrined here?"

Upon hearing Xu Qingyan's question, Zhang Daquan's expression did not change. Instead, he spoke even more fluently, saying, "In the beginning, when the universe was in chaos, it was only after Pangu split the heavens and the earth that the current vast world was formed. After Pangu split the heavens and the earth, he exhausted his strength and died, transforming into the Three Pure Ones of Taoism, all becoming sages. However, before the universe was formed, there was not only Pangu, but also another great being named Xuanling, who also helped Pangu split the heavens and the earth. However, after the chaos was shattered, the power was too great, and even the powerful Xuanling could not protect himself. His body was destroyed, and his consciousness was split into three parts. After countless reincarnations, these three parts finally attained enlightenment. One became the Jade Emperor, who governs the Heavenly Court; one became the Buddha, who governs the Western Paradise; and the other became the Two Immortal Holy Mother, who protects the people. Therefore, the Two Immortal Holy Mother, the Buddha, and the Jade Emperor are originally one. When we worship the Two Immortal Holy Mother, we naturally also offer incense to the Buddha and the Jade Emperor."

Clearly, Zhang Daquan's words were all nonsense. Although Xu Qingyan had not learned much from Zhao Junchen over the years, he had enough knowledge to see through the deception. He sarcastically said, "If that's the case, since the Three Pure Ones are Pangu's incarnations and Pangu had some connection with Xuanling, shouldn't your Grandmother Temple also offer incense to the Three Pure Ones?"

What was meant to be a sarcastic remark, but Zhang Daquan nodded repeatedly and said, "Young Master Xu is indeed a wise man. That's exactly right. Since the beginning of the year, the rear hall of the Grandmother Temple has started to build a grand hall for the Three Pure Ones. Additionally, to thank the Dragon King for regulating the weather and the Empress Nuwa for creating humans, their side halls are also being built. However, the locust plague has caused some delays. Otherwise, Young Master Xu would have seen them today."

Upon hearing Zhang Daquan's response, Xu Qingyan was speechless. He finally understood why Zhao Junchen said that the deities worshipped by the shamans and witches were a mess. This Grandmother Temple was not just a mess; it was like a hodgepodge of all the deities in the sky.

For a moment, he did not know how to respond. After a long silence, Xu Qingyan said, "The deities you worship here are truly all-encompassing."

It was unclear whether Zhang Daquan heard the sarcasm, but he solemnly said, "The universe evolved from chaos, and although there are three thousand great paths, the cosmic truth is one. Although there are countless sects and deities in the world, their purpose is the same: to protect the people and enlighten their hearts. If that's the case, why can't the five teachings—Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, shamanism, and witchcraft—be unified? Why can't deities, Buddhas, demons, and immortals be worshipped together and share the incense?"

Hearing Zhang Daquan's reasoning, Xu Qingyan found it to be sophistry but could not find the words to refute it. He could only huff and leave it at that.

However, if Zhao Junchen had heard Zhang Daquan's words, he would have been extremely surprised.

The earlier part of Zhang Daquan's speech, claiming that the Two Immortal Holy Mother, the Jade Emperor, and the Buddha are the same person, was clearly nonsense and laughable. However, it must be admitted that in this era, such imagination is valuable. More importantly, Zhang Daquan's theory has created a new mythological system!

Moreover, while worshipping the Two Immortal Holy Mother, he also worships other deities. Although it is chaotic, it is the easiest for ordinary believers to accept and the easiest to expand influence.

His subsequent words, though shocking and absurd, not in line with the mainstream of the era, and even considered heretical by religious people, are still a relatively rigorous religious theory.

With a mythological system and a religious theory, shamanism and witchcraft are no longer just shamanism and witchcraft. They have transcended the realm of primitive religion, transforming from deceiving the people to enlightening the people, gradually evolving into a true religion that fits the tide of the times, like Buddhism and Taoism!

And this Zhang Daquan, who can speak such words, is no longer just a simple shaman. As long as his theories and doctrines are accepted by the people, he will inevitably become a great founder of a religion. Even if they are not accepted, he will still be a genius shaman.

A talent.

If Zhao Junchen were here, he would certainly marvel at Zhang Daquan in this way.

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