Chapter 554: Jiwang Temple
As Shi Jian slipped into Jiangzhou City, he began to look around, his gaze darting this way and that. The embroidered Heavenly Lord, pinned to his chest, also seemed to be looking left and right, searching for anything that could quickly win over the local populace's faith.
He hadn't expected to find anything, but what he saw was truly remarkable.
The Heavenly Lord and Shi Jian's eyes were simultaneously drawn to a massive temple.
Shi Jian asked, "Captain Qin, what temple is that?"
Qin Changqing replied, "That's Jiwang Temple, built during the Yuan Dynasty. It's dedicated to Jiwang, and most of the local people are devout followers of Jiwang. They often go there to offer incense."
Shi Jian uttered, "Oh, so it's Jiwang."
Both of them seemed quite familiar with Jiwang, but Li Daoxuan, in his inner world, felt a sudden blank. "Jiwang? Which deity is that? Had I missed another piece of basic knowledge?"
Well, ignorance wasn't a problem; with a computer, one could become an encyclopedia expert in an instant.
Li Daoxuan swiftly switched back to his actual self outside the diorama box, typed "Jiwang" into his computer, and searched...
It turned out Jiwang was Houji, the Ancestor of Agriculture and God of the Five Grains.
Li Daoxuan chastised himself deeply for his lack of ancient knowledge, then quickly returned to the diorama box. The moment he was back, he heard Qin Changqing scoff, "What good is worshipping this Jiwang? Ancestor of Agriculture, my foot! When a drought hits, this Jiwang is nothing but a useless ornament. These wretched commoners knock their heads raw before his statue, yet they still can't grow a single grain of food! Last year, they stubbornly refused to pay their taxes. I had to beat a few instigators to death before I could finally collect them, nearly causing my performance review to be substandard."
The moment these words left his mouth, the Heavenly Lord's embroidered eyes narrowed. He rarely felt a surge of murderous intent, yet Qin Changqing's words had just triggered it.
Shi Jian also felt a prick of anger, but facing Qin Changqing directly, he didn't want his thoughts to be discerned. So he merely grunted, his face remaining impassive.
While Qin Changqing was still rambling on, Shi Jian muttered in a low voice, "Heavenly Lord, this fellow seems to be a wicked official, just like Zhang Yaocai."
The Heavenly Lord hummed in agreement.
The group soon reached the main entrance of Jiwang Temple. Peering inside, they saw a spacious courtyard. Surrounding the courtyard were several halls, with an imposing statue of Jiwang seated in the central hall. Crowds of commoners squeezed into the hall, kowtowing before the statue, exclaiming, "Thank you, Jiwang, for the blessed rain!"
Those who couldn't fit inside the hall knelt across the courtyard, all bowing to the Jiwang statue, "Thank you, Jiwang, for the blessed rain!"
Li Daoxuan himself was an atheist and didn't put much faith in gods or Buddhas. However, Jiwang wasn't just any deity; he was the manifestation of Houji, recognized as one of the founding ancestors of the Chinese people. As such, he was still worthy of respect.
The Heavenly Lord also observed Jiwang with a respectful gaze.
Yet, Qin Changqing scoffed, then loudly declared to the kneeling commoners in the courtyard, "You worthless wretches! The rain has fallen for days, and next year will surely bring a bountiful harvest. If you drag your feet or make excuses when it's time to pay taxes next year, don't blame this official for merciless punishment."
Hearing this, the commoners turned their heads. Seeing Qin Changqing standing at the temple entrance, their faces filled with fear. Many trembled, unable to utter a word.
Qin Changqing turned back to Shi Jian with a smile. "Captain Shi, pay no mind to these commoners. Please, come to my official residence and rest."
Shi Jian simply said, "Oh!"
He followed Qin Changqing into the residence, where he drank two cups of tea and exchanged some meaningless pleasantries. Skipping over an untold number of trivialities, Qin Changqing eventually left to attend to his own affairs. Only then did Shi Jian lower his head and say to the Heavenly Lord, "Heavenly Lord, I want to chop this wretch to pieces."
The Heavenly Lord snorted coldly, "This man certainly needs to be dealt with, but you have now infiltrated the imperial court. You cannot easily kill an imperial official, or all your efforts would be for naught."
Shi Jian clenched his fists. "But such a fellow..."
The Heavenly Lord interjected, "Our main objective this time is to pacify the common folk, to ensure they aren't alarmed by the gigantic shovels digging the river. The matter of killing Qin Changqing can wait..."
As he spoke, two unrelated thoughts suddenly *clapped* together in Li Daoxuan's mind, as if a broken wire had connected, and a lightbulb illuminated above his head.
The Heavenly Lord said, "Shi Jian, for now, play along with this Qin Changqing. I'll return to the outside world to handle some matters."
Shi Jian responded, "As you command!"
Li Daoxuan ended his co-sensing connection, and with a whoosh, returned to his actual self outside the diorama box. He aimed his camera at the Jiwang statue inside the box, snapping several pictures, capturing it from 360 degrees. Then, he brought out the 3D printer he had bought just days ago and submitted the captured images to it...
The printer quickly began its work.
Before long, a four-centimeter tall Jiwang statue was successfully printed. He switched the diorama box's view to an empty mountain valley, placed the Jiwang statue inside, and attempted to "co-sense." Failed...
Li Daoxuan could not co-sense with a statue that wasn't his own.
He thought again: He had an idea!
He started over, this time printing only a face shell of the Jiwang statue.
This time, it printed easily—just a thin layer, like a small mask.
Then, Li Daoxuan took out a four-centimeter tall silicone Heavenly Lord, complete with a metal skeleton. He had commissioned Cai Xinzhi to make it for him when he first discovered the co-sensing function, but he hadn't had a chance to use it yet. (For those who've forgotten, please refer to Chapter 446).
Now, it seemed he finally had a use for it.
He placed the Jiwang face mask onto the silicone Heavenly Lord's face.
Once the face mask was on, the incongruity was striking!
The silicone Heavenly Lord's body was made of silicone, resembling real human flesh, but Jiwang's face was typically Chinese in sculptural style, abstractly carved, with archaic, almost primitive features.
A sophisticated body topped with a crude face.
It was truly out of place.
However...
That wasn't important now!
Li Daoxuan once again placed this statue into an uninhabited area of the diorama box. "Co-sensing." With a flash, he found himself successfully inside.
What greeted his eyes was a very small, withered tree, reaching only to his waist.
No, the tree wasn't small; it was actually a four-meter tall tree. But Li Daoxuan's current body was a full eight meters tall, so the tree only came up to his waist.
The four-centimeter small statue became a full eight meters tall inside the diorama box.
"Heh!"
Li Daoxuan chuckled, "Excellent! Old Ancestor Houji, don't fault your descendant for impersonating you just this once. To save the common people, I'll do some good deeds under your name. You wouldn't mind, would you?"
(Note: "Captain Qin" was chosen for Qin Changqing as a polite address, but "Milord" is also an option for a magistrate. Given the emphasis on modern language, "Captain" (since he's a military officer) or simply "Mr. Qin" (if not military context) might be better. However, Shi Jian calls him "da ren" (da ren), which usually translates to "Milord" or "Your Excellence." " For the sake of flow and a more modern feel, I've used "Captain Qin" initially for Shi Jian to use, but then Qin Changqing is addressed as "this official" when speaking of himself and "Mr. Qin" would be too informal for an official of that rank. The glossary implies Qin Changqing is a magistrate, so "Milord" would be appropriate from Shi Jian. But Shi Jian is trying to be undercover. Let's reconsider.
Shi Jian calls him "Qin Da Ren" (Qin Da Ren). "Milord Qin" is fitting for a magistrate. I'll use "Milord Qin. "
And for "Shi Ba Zong" (Shi Ba Zong), "Captain Shi" is appropriate.
Let's re-evaluate "cotton thread Tianzun". "Embroidered Heavenly Lord" works to maintain the unique description while still identifying the figure. I used "Heavenly Lord" for subsequent mentions for brevity and flow. I'll stick to that.
"Not be alarmed by the giant shovels digging the river"-> "not be alarmed by the giant shovels digging the river". This is a direct and clear translation of the original context, which is that Li Daoxuan is using modern machinery (represented as giant shovels) that would be startling to Ming villagers. No need for "divine excavators" or "celestial machinery" if "giant shovels" conveys the idea adequately.
Rereading: "Captain Qin" is used in "Shi Jian asked, "Captain Qin, what temple is that? " and then "Qin Changqing replied". This sounds fine. The "adult" can be implied. I think this works for modern readability.
One more check on "Milord Qin": given "Captain Qin," then "Qin Changqing replied," it's fine. It reads naturally.
Okay, the choices seem consistent with the guidelines.
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