Chapter 2 The First God of This World
"Brother... I'm here!"
A string of clear childish voices rang out from outside the door.
Hearing the sound, a picture of an eight-year-old Xiao Yatou immediately surfaced in Zhang Xuan's memory, and a feeling of doting fondness and warmth welled up in his heart.
The Xiao Yatou was the daughter of the owner of the neighboring Zha Zhi Shop, named Liu Han'er.
The Zha Zhi Shop and Lingsu Residence had a very close relationship; although they were two separate businesses, their relationship was almost like that of one family.
Before Zhang Xuan was five or six years old, he was practically raised in the Zha Zhi Shop by Liu Meng and his wife.
After all, Zhang Xuan's adoptive father was just a rough Old Man, and it was a bit difficult for such a rough Old Man to raise a child.
After the age of five or six, Zhang Xuan returned to Lingsu Residence, but he still spent most of his day at the Zha Zhi Shop.
Often, Zhang Xuan would follow his adoptive father to practice wood carving and clay sculpting techniques in the morning, and then go to the Zha Zhi Shop in the afternoon to learn zha zhi techniques from Liu Meng and his wife.
Therefore, in addition to having exquisite wood carving and clay sculpting skills, Zhang Xuan also had very good zha zhi skills.
When Zhang Xuan was eleven or twelve years old, Liu Meng and his wife gave birth to the Xiao Yatou Liu Han'er, and from then on, Zhang Xuan also gained a younger sister.
From the original owner's memory, Zhang Xuan found that the original owner truly treated the Xiao Yatou as his own sister, and his adoptive father also treated her like his own daughter, even doting on her much more than he had on Zhang Xuan back then.
Along with the childish voice, the main door was pushed open with a "creak...", and a Xiao Yatou holding a large bowl skipped in.
Zhang Xuan watched, afraid she would drop the bowl on the ground.
From the age of five, the Xiao Yatou also began to learn zha zhi techniques, and she would often come over to learn wood carving and clay sculpting techniques from Zhang Xuan and his adoptive father.
The Xiao Yatou came over often; she was both Zhang Xuan's little apprentice and little assistant.
Liu Han'er came up to Zhang Xuan, handed him the large bowl she was holding, and said, "Brother, Mother made your favorite cassava balls, hurry and try them."
Cassava balls were steamed balls made from cassava flour, one of the original owner's favorite snacks.
Zhang Xuan took the large bowl, picked up a ball and put it in his mouth.
It tasted really good, much better than brown rice.
Liu Han'er found a stool for herself, sat next to Zhang Xuan, picked up a carving knife, and began to carve a God statue.
Even though the Xiao Yatou was young and small, and her movements were much slower than Zhang Xuan's, her technique was already quite good.
Actually, it was already noon at this time; Zhang Xuan had woken up this morning close to noon.
Zhang Xuan ignored the Xiao Yatou for the moment, stood up, tidied up the various God statues on the counter, and cleaned up a bit.
During this time, people came over one after another, mostly to request God statues.
In a short while, the more than twenty God statues drying in the courtyard were basically all requested; seven or eight from the counter were also requested.
Zhang Xuan looked at the sun; it was already close to the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), and he needed to go to the Wang Family Ancestral Hall as soon as possible.
Zhang Xuan said to the busy Xiao Yatou, "Han'er, Brother is going out for a bit, you watch the door at home."
Then, without waiting for Liu Han'er's response, Zhang Xuan turned around and left the house.
Wangjia Town was a small town, with about three hundred households and a population of sixteen or seventeen hundred.
As Zhang Xuan walked along the road, both sides were lined with low-rise houses, with adobe walls and thatched roofs, interspersed with a few brick and tile houses.
Actually, Zhang Xuan's family in the northwest part of the town was already considered wealthy, as it was not easy to afford a brick and tile house.
The distance was really not far; how big could a small town with about three hundred households be?
After about ten minutes, Zhang Xuan arrived in front of the Wang Family compound.
The reason Wangjia Town was called Wangjia Town was because the Wang Family had once produced a Master who was a Juren (successful candidate in the imperial provincial examination).
Wangjia Town was originally just a small village.
Later, a Juren named Wang Yun was produced from the village.
After entering the officialdom, he rose all the way to the position of Prefect.
Later, he resigned from office and returned to his hometown to retire.
After his death, he accepted great sacrifices from the villagers and became an ancestor spirit, protecting his neighbors.
Surrounding villagers gradually migrated over, eventually forming a small town.
At this time, the side gate of the Wang Family was wide open, with people coming and going, mostly to place or take away God statues.
Zhang Xuan followed the crowd into the compound, passed through three courtyards, and arrived at the Ancestral Hall in the Wang Family's backyard.
Looking around, the Wang Family Ancestral Hall covered an area of about fifty square meters.
In the center of the Ancestral Hall was a high platform, on which were placed the ancestral tablets of the various ancestors of the Wang Family.
The tablet in the very center was precisely that of the Master who was a Juren.
Below the high platform was a large incense burner, with smoke curling up inside, showing how prosperous the incense was today.
On the left and right sides of the incense burner were two long tables, each about one meter forty-five long.
On these tables were placed more than a dozen God statues, mostly carved from peach wood or jujube wood, and occasionally two or three porcelain God statues; these were the ones placed by the Wang Family themselves.
On the left and right sides of the Ancestral Hall, there were three more rows of longer tables, with dense arrangements of God statues placed on each row, mostly clay sculptures, and also a part that were wood carvings; these God statues on both sides were basically from ordinary people's homes.
In the Ancestral Hall, people queued up to offer incense, and the line gradually decreased.
In an instant, it was Zhang Xuan's turn to offer incense.
After three kowtows, Zhang Xuan inserted the three incense sticks into the incense burner.
Then, he placed the two wooden God statues he had brought on the left side table.
Then he walked to the right side table, found the two God statues from his own family that he had placed there last time from the back row, and gently picked them up.
Leaving the Wang Family, Zhang Xuan hurried back home.
He looked up at the sky; it was still early before dark.
He pulled up a chair and sat down, casually picked up an unfinished wood carving next to him, and took out his carving knife with his right hand.
Regarding the appearance of God statues, there were actually no special requirements, at least from the original owner's memory, none were found.
Therefore, the God statues made by the original owner had all sorts of appearances, old and young, male and female, beautiful and ugly, and their clothing and styles also varied.
While his mind was wandering, his hands did not stop, and in a short time, the God statue in his hand had taken shape.
This time, he carved the image of a scholar, wearing a scholar's cap, a long robe, holding a folding fan in his hand, the fan half-open, and a long sword hanging at his waist, exuding an indescribable sense of ease and freedom.
Zhang Xuan looked at the God statue in his hand and found that his carving skills seemed to be quite a bit stronger than the original owner's.
However, looking at this God statue, he always felt a bit awkward.
After pondering for a while, Zhang Xuan realized.
He said it was a God statue, but what he had carved was a scholar.
Speaking of God statues, what Zhang Xuan subconsciously thought of were the images of Immortals from his previous life's memory.
Compared to those, it was no wonder it felt a bit awkward.
He reached out and picked up another piece of peach wood from the side.
After a moment of thought, Zhang Xuan decided to try carving a statue of an Immortal from his previous life.
In this world, there were no mentions of Hell deities like land god, City God, Black and White Impermanence, Ox-Head and Horse-Face, King Yama, etc., nor were there mentions of the Gods of the Heavenly Court like the Three Pure Ones, Four Emperors, Lei Gong, Electric Mother, Dragon King, etc.
Which Immortal should he carve?
Zhang Xuan's first thought was the God of Wealth, but then he reconsidered, thinking, no, in this world, where people didn't know if they would survive the next day, seeking wealth was clearly not their primary need.
People's primary need should be protection and safety.
For protection and safety, Zhang Xuan first thought of the Door God, but then he thought again, that wouldn't work either.
The Door Gods in his previous life were basically pasted on the door.
If he carved a Door God, he couldn't possibly hang it on the door, could he?
Of course, they could also be placed in the courtyard or room like the current God statues, but Zhang Xuan always felt it would be strange.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck, and he slapped his thigh.
That's right, carve a land god!
The land god was too suitable.
The land god was a legitimate Lord God of Blessing and Virtue.
Protecting the peace of the home, ensuring favorable weather, and abundant harvests... all fell within the scope of the land god's divine duties.
In his previous life, the land god was not only worshipped in dedicated land god Temples in villages; households often also had dedicated land god shrines where land god statues were placed.
Of course, although there were no mentions of the existence of the Gods of the Heavens in this world, Zhang Xuan was not sure if carving out a land god would have any divine effect.
However, Zhang Xuan just had an urge to carve out all the Immortals from his previous life.
He acted as soon as he thought of it.
Holding the peach wood firmly in his left hand, he carefully recalled the appearance of the land god statue in his mind, and his right hand began to carve with the carving knife.
As soon as he started carving, Zhang Xuan felt that he had entered a very wonderful state.
It seemed as if his entire world was left with only the carving knife and the peach wood in his hand.
"Hoo..." He blew out a breath, and wood shavings flew everywhere, and the first land god statue in this world gradually revealed its true appearance.
Zhang Xuan carefully examined the land god statue in his hand, and the more he looked, the more satisfied he became.
He saw a very old Man, wearing a squire's hat, a squire's robe, holding a dragon-headed staff in his right hand, and a golden ingot in his left hand.
His face was kind and benevolent, with a beaming smile.
Zhang Xuan examined it for a moment, took out a file, slightly polished the rough parts of the God statue, and then used the carving knife to carve the nine characters "Lord God of Blessing and Virtue Land Godhood" in the Chinese characters of his previous life on the back of the God statue.
As the nine characters were completed, suddenly a muffled thunder "boomed..." across the sky.
"Huh...?"
Zhang Xuan looked up at the sky, wondering why it was suddenly thundering on such a clear day.
Was it going to rain?
He lowered his head and looked at the remaining God statues on the stone table next to him, frowning.
It seemed he would have to put these God statues away soon, otherwise, it would not be good if they got wet from the rain.
As the thunder exploded, a massive ball of Xuan Huang Qi suddenly surged out from the sky, rolling down and enveloping Zhang Xuan and the God statue.
"Hmm...?"
Zhang Xuan suddenly felt as if a warm current had enveloped him.
He felt warm all over, like taking a hot bath.
The feeling of weakness and lack of strength he had felt when he woke up in the morning instantly disappeared without a trace.
Zhang Xuan placed the land god statue on the stone table next to him, stood up, and moved his limbs.
He felt unusually good, warm all over, and full of strength.
This was precisely: "When a Lord God is born, Heaven and Earth celebrate; the Celestial Master, Ignorance , sculpts the heavenly secrets."