The Eternal Way

Does the ritual really have an effect?

It should, otherwise, there wouldn't be a progress bar titled "Ritual Enhancement."

Could staying behind really allow him to share in the benefits of the ritual?

Li Qi didn't know. He was simply gambling.

Living a muddled life as a boat puller, selling his labor for survival, wasn't what he wanted.

He didn't want to live like this forever.

---

At that moment, on the other side of town.

On the Guanhe Tower by the Lǐ River.

To monitor the water level at any time and also to oversee the city, there stood the towering Guanhe Tower by the riverside.

The building rose a hundred zhang high into the sky, even taller than most modern skyscrapers.

The lower floors housed restaurants and entertainment venues, but above 99 meters (30 zhang), access was restricted to the public. The top floor was typically managed by river officials, who were responsible for overseeing river traffic, monitoring passing vessels, and managing dredging and flood prevention tasks.

The prosperity of Lizhou depended entirely on the Lǐ River.

The safety of the Lǐ River was tied to the livelihood of the entire state, making its importance self-evident. Thus, the upper levels of the Guanhe Tower were strictly reserved for officials and no outsiders were allowed.

But today, the tower was filled with layers of altars and nine masked shamans wearing peculiar attire.

These shamans wore robes made of lotus leaves and aquatic plants, with lotus crowns on their heads and colorful masks painted on their faces. They writhed and chanted incantations.

In the center, surrounded by the altars, stood a man with disheveled hair, holding a wooden paddle, dressed in a simple loose robe.

He recited loudly, "Heaven and earth are distant, each producing its own resources. Tang's craftsmen, eastern corners, western metals, southern horns, northern mines—each place cannot produce all, thus relocation is needed, this is called the benefit of circulation!"

"Alas! Deity of Lǐ River, connect the treasures from all directions, build boats to navigate waters, command ninety million people, travel ten thousand miles, your achievements are immeasurable, admired by the people!"

He shouted the sacrificial words while waving the paddle.

Nearby, the shamans took up crocodile skin drums and began beating them vigorously.

Crocodiles, known as tuó in ancient times, had skins used to make drums which could please the water god.

As they continued, a strange energy seemed to rise throughout the city of Lizhou.

Accompanying this, streams of water suddenly gushed out from the altars, converging towards the man in the center.

The man continued to chant, "At the beginning of spring, the heavens give birth! Harmonize cold and warmth, follow nature's will, delight the gods, cleanse the mind, clear and pure, clean as if invisible, precious sands shine through, illuminating the depths! Pour forth, dispel my calamities!"

He was submerged by the water.

Meanwhile, the surrounding shamans stopped and collapsed onto the ground, drenched in sweat, too exhausted to move.

Their dance didn't seem strenuous, yet now they looked as if they hadn't rested for ten days, their muscles twitching uncontrollably, sweating profusely.

At this moment, a young gentleman appeared.

If Li Qi were here, he would recognize this as the same young man who had been with the Lizhuang Gang!

"The great affairs of a nation, only sacrifice and warfare matter. Lord Prefect, your dedication to these ceremonies every year must surely please the ruler," the young man said, looking at the figure enveloped by water.

"Why such words, Mr. Zhu? Sacrifice is the foundation of witchcraft, the Deer State was founded on witchcraft, respecting the laws of ghosts and spirits, how could we not take sacrifices seriously?" the Prefect replied, floating in the water yet able to speak normally.

Upon closer inspection, his chest still rose and fell, clearly breathing underwater.

"In a state founded on witchcraft, why are there no shamans or diviners, no seers, dream interpreters, or fortune tellers in the palace? Instead, there are prefectures and counties, officials, and bureaucrats who honor the king. Is this witchcraft or humanity?" asked Mr. Zhu with a smile.

However, the Prefect's expression became awkward upon hearing this.

"Mr. Zhu, your words are harsh. The Deer State certainly follows witchcraft, but the methods of humanity excel at gathering the strength of the masses. To expand and strengthen the nation, we merely borrow the guise of humanity," the Prefect quickly explained.

"That's best then." Mr. Zhu nodded, seeming about to say more.

But the Prefect didn't want to hear more, so he quickly interjected, "Mr. Zhu, I heard you've been close to commoners lately, often seen among the poor. Why?"

"I performed a major divination a few years ago predicting that an Outer Path object would appear in Lizhou. So, I had them search for it," Mr. Zhu waved dismissively, not elaborating further.

"Outer Path objects, though somewhat unusual, are mostly useless junk. Using a major divination to find one seems... extravagant," the Prefect commented.

"Not at all, the divination was for general good or bad omens, not specifically for finding it. It was just a fortunate discovery," Mr. Zhu casually responded.

Then, without waiting for the Prefect to continue, he looked puzzled, "Lord Prefect, your ceremony seems weaker. Why?"

"It's nearing the end of the ceremony, weakening is normal. There are always fluctuations," the Prefect didn't seem concerned and immersed himself in the water to absorb its power.

Indeed, it had weakened, but only by less than a thousandth, within normal fluctuation range.

However, Mr. Zhu thoughtfully glanced downstairs.

Downstairs, in a corner,

Li Qi was in an odd posture, reciting sacrificial texts.

Where did the texts come from? Naturally, from what the Prefect had recited!

It went something like: In Qinghua Palace resides the deity of Lǐ River, commanding forty-two divisions, overseeing myriad spirits. You, pullers, belong to one division, aiding ships upstream, relieving heavenly disasters, benefiting the underworld. For today's grand opening ceremony, you've resolved calamities and deserve rewards.

This world somehow used characters similar to Chinese, so Li Qi understood some of it.

So, he slightly modified it: We, pullers, belong to one division, diligently pulling boats. Then he changed the latter part: Today's grand opening ceremony, our division resolves calamities, eliminates sins, please reward us!

Was it effective?

Certainly!

Because the progress bar moved!

He had tried many times before, adjusting word by word, including body movements, standing idle initially, but found no effect.

Even when the opening ceremony reached 99.6%, he saw no hint of sharing the benefits.

Then Li Qi immediately started trying different things.

He changed postures, altered texts, tried many times, but nothing worked.

Because he realized one function of the progress bar: determining whether something works!

If it works, there will definitely be a progress description!

After trying for three quarters of an hour, finally, when he prostrated himself facing the Lǐ River and recited the text, the progress bar: "Ritual Enhancement, 1%" finally popped up!

Just as he figured out the method, the progress bar for the opening ceremony had reached 99.8%.