The Mightiest Little Master of Metaphysics
Chapter 162 - 160: God-Worship Parade (First Update)

Chapter 162: Chapter 160: God-Worship Parade (First Update)

Taking Qin Luo’s private jet to Guyue County.

This place has a stark contrast with the bustling metropolises like the Capital City and Hai City.

The air is fresh, the pale blue sky clear and cloudless, lacking tall buildings and bustling traffic. Most houses are standalone. In the evening, they stayed at the best hotel in Guyue County, nestled by the mountains and water. From the terrace, one can see the distant beautiful mountains and a winding river like a white ribbon encircling the foot of the mountain village. The village fields are crisscrossed, green trees provide shade, and a five-arched stone bridge spans the river, resembling a rainbow.

Upon checking into the hotel at dusk, Qin Luo returned to his room to freshen up and personally led Little Dumpling down for dinner.

Yang Xiu kept guard beside Qin Luo, while Yang He went out to gather information.

Yun Qi held the local specialty glutinous rice snack with both small hands. The glutinous rice was sweet and soft, yet sticky to the teeth.

The five-year-old Little Dumpling chewed with big bites, wary of the glutinous rice sticking to her teeth and looking unsightly, her cheeks puffed out, eating earnestly but with great effort.

Qin Luo sat opposite on the sofa chair, his handsome features serene, eyes like a splash of dark ink, his beautiful pupils diffusing. With a quietly charming demeanor, he held a glass of water, smiling softly while watching the Little Dumpling eat. This pleasant scene reminded him of the little squirrels he encountered every morning, who loitered outside his window for food.

Feeding them peanuts also left their cheeks puffed and eyes wide open.

Yun Qi finally finished a piece, sighing with effort.

"Enjoying good food isn’t easy."

Qin Luo picked up another piece and handed it over.

Yun Qi shook her head, her large eyes shining brightly, looking particularly endearing, "I can’t eat any more. Grandpa says Qi needs to change teeth, can’t eat sticky stuff."

"Oh, so won’t you become a front-toothless girl who whistles when speaking soon?" Qin Luo teased with a light laugh.

Little Dumpling imagined herself missing two front teeth, whistling when speaking and leaking soup while eating, hugged her arms, and gave a soft, defiant huff.

Qin Luo found her exceptionally adorable, hardly matching up with the revered Master Xuan Kong from the Capital, couldn’t help but shake his head with a light chuckle.

Even he previously thought Master Xuan Kong was a seventy or eighty-year-old elder with white hair and a childlike face.

Unexpectedly, it turned out to be this cute little dumpling with a pink face and a red mole between her brows.

"Alright then, Brother will also change teeth soon, we’ll be even."

Little Dumpling won this round, excitedly raising her brows to ask, "So will Brother whistle when speaking too?"

Qin Luo nodded, leaning forward slightly, his deep dark eyes sparkling, his voice crisp and pleasant, "Then it’s agreed, when changing teeth, neither of us will laugh at the other."

"Yes!" Yun Qi nodded vigorously, quickly stretching out her little finger.

Qin Luo was a bit taken aback but soon realized, also extending his slender pinky to hook with the slightly chubby white little finger, pressing down heavily with his thumb.

The atmosphere here was joyful and relaxed. Yang He entered briskly, "Young Master, I found out there’s an annual deity parade in the town tonight. It’s the biggest event here; I’ve heard every household will participate."

Qin Luo nodded, looking towards Yun Qi.

Yun Qi looked full of anticipation, "Of course, we have to go."

***

The so-called deity parade evolved from ancient Nuo culture and has a significant influence among the locals.

Yun Qi and Qin Luo had just gotten ready when they heard the sound of drums and firecrackers from outside the hotel, so they followed the sounds towards the largest temple.

The sky had not completely darkened, and an altar was already set up in front of the temple. A Taoist in a yellow robe was offering incense and lighting candles to the Gods. A long red silk thread crisscrossed the top of the altar, hung with Spirit Talismans and cloth banners shimmering in golden light.

Yun Qi tip-toed and craned her neck to look at the Taoist at the altar, "Strange."

She muttered softly, furrowing her brows as she did.

Qin Luo inclined his ear, bending slightly, "Qi, what’s wrong?"

"Brother, to host such a grand event, the Taoist mustn’t be an ordinary Taoist, right?" Her young voice was particularly clear. The temple lights fell onto her charming eyes, brows furrowed gracefully, like a crescent moon hanging on a treetop.

"Right, what’s the matter?" Qin Luo looked at the Taoist chanting the ritual text before the altar, who appeared forty or fifty-ish. Although he didn’t seem celestial as imagined, hosting such a grand ceremony certainly meant he held a high status in the local Xuan Sect.

"But I can’t feel any Spiritual Energy from him. Even a novice Taoist with a couple of years of cultivation has a bit of fresh Spiritual Energy, and the higher the cultivation, the denser the Spiritual Energy. Yet, he doesn’t have any. Strange!"

The moment Yun Qi finished speaking, a local standing behind couldn’t hold back.

"You little girl, what nonsense are you spouting? You’re from out of town, right? This is our most famous Heavenly Master Huang Mingzhuo. He’s capable of deity blessings, demon suppression, and exorcism. You shouldn’t talk nonsense. Offending Heavenly Master Huang is like offending the local Gods."

"Who are your local Gods?" Yang He asked.

"Lei Shou and Thunder General. In Guyue County, this belief is the most effective."

Just as the person finished speaking, a burst of applause erupted from the crowd.

Yun Qi tip-toed to look but could only see a sea of heads and jostling figures.

Yang Xiu chuckled, "Didn’t expect the Little Master to be stumped for once."

With that, he hoisted Yun Qi onto his shoulders.

Seeing his younger brother do that, Yang He turned to Qin Luo beside him, "Young Master, maybe..."

"No, I don’t need it." The aloof and dignified youth refused the suggestion without thinking.

Yun Qi was young and didn’t feel shy being carried, as she naturally held onto Yang Xiu’s neck, squinting her eyes, "So many people."

Heavenly Master Huang Mingzhuo’s sacrifice had ended, and it was time for the deity parade.

Large parade groups had gathered in front of the temple, each group had three to four hundred people minimum, going up to five or six hundred. The division of labor was clear: some beat gongs and drums, others set off fireworks and firecrackers, while others dressed as demons and ghosts, marching with the sound of gongs and string instruments grandly into the long street, parading along it.

The crowd moved along with the parade troops, and Qin Luo and his companions were carried along with people, joining in.

Looking more closely, there were all kinds of demons and ghosts in the procession. As the largest local folk event, the costumes, makeup, and props were of the highest standard, not just thrown together.

The Nine-tailed Fox was snow-white, with some mechanism in the costume making the nine tails extend with the actor’s movements, incredibly lifelike, as if the nine tails genuinely belonged there.

The Maid Puppet had a face painted stark white, with crimson lips, balancing a large heavy updo and crown from which thin ribbons hung, suspending her arms. Her movements were stiff, closely resembling a manipulated puppet.

Then there were the tongue-sticking hanged ghosts, the blood-red marriage ghosts with disheveled hair, the screaming scared ghosts, the Black and White Impermanence with tall hats, each vivid and lively, perfectly blending eeriness, fear, and beauty.