Chapter 347: Chapter 315: I’m already an adult, let me tell you a story! (Vote for monthly tickets!)
"!!"
Kashigyakya blinked, a little confused and also somewhat displeased.
He was already an eleven-day-old adult, no longer a baby needing milk!
"Supreme Lord!"
"Rest well after the auspicious thirteen ceremonies, you should sleep like a child!"
The friendly immortals pressed their hands together in greeting, bowing deeply.
"???"
On hearing this, Indra blinked, his face showing puzzlement.
How come he had never heard of this ritual?
"What are these auspicious thirteen rituals?"
Indra asked.
Upon hearing this, the friendly immortals stood up straight, turned to one side, and smilingly said, "These auspicious thirteen children’s rituals are my own creation. At the moment I created them, Mahadeva summoned me, instructing me to assist Kashigyakya!"
"I believe!"
"This must be the Supreme Lord guiding me to use and spread these auspicious thirteen children’s rituals."
The friendly immortals shook their heads, faces full of smiles.
Ah?!
Created by the friendly immortals!
Indra was quite astonished, looking at the friendly immortals with surprise.
The friendly immortals gave a slight smile.
The next moment, he flipped his staff, and a piece of wooden citrus leaf appeared in his hand. With a gentle toss, the wooden citrus leaf tumbled in the air.
Whoosh!
A stroke of golden light instantly shot out from the wooden citrus leaf, transforming into a beam of light and shadows.
"After a woman becomes pregnant, the first thing to do is the Pregnancy Ritual, praying for the early birth of a noble child; then follows the Celibacy Ritual, where the husband must restrain his desires!"
"After four months of pregnancy, the wife undergoes the Fetus Protection Ritual."
"Separation requires the Childbirth Ritual."
"Eleven days after the baby’s birth, the Naming Ritual is performed, and after four months comes the Leaving House Ritual, which allows going outdoors."
"The Eating Ritual begins at six months."
"One year later comes the Tonsure Ritual, removing the fetal hair."
"Starting at five years of age, there is the Ear Piercing Ritual, piercing the ears; in the same year is the School Entrance Ritual, wearing the Sacred Thread, and learning the Vedas."
"Once the learning is done, the Graduation Ritual can be performed, signifying that the child is about to enter life’s second phase— the Home Living period."
"Next is the most important, the Marriage Ritual, representing the beginning of the home living period!"
"After forming a family, there is the Home Living Ritual, where the bride says farewell to her parents and comes to live with her husband’s family!"
"Roughly these are it!"
"All created by my summation!"
The friendly immortals nodded slightly.
As he spoke, the light flickering from the wooden citrus leaf shone more and more intensely.
Mysterious lines of Sanskrit appeared among them, displaying in front of the gods.
The words of the friendly immortals were just a brief version, within the golden light one line following another, the golden light generating text rapidly downward, filling in the details.
For instance, during the Tonsure Ritual.
Holy Water must be used to wash the infant’s head and shave off all body hair to be offered to the gods, to be scattered into the river water, while at the same time turmeric powder is applied to the crown of the infant’s head to soothe it.
Kashigyakya too raised his head, mouth agape, staring in astonishment at the flickering light and shadows.
Shaving off all body hair!
Kashigyakya swiftly moved his hands, immediately covering the top of his head.
He definitely did not want his hair to be shaved off!
"Tonsure!"
"To offer to the holy river, if the shaved off hair is thrown into the Ganges, surely the Ganges Goddess would take that as a provocation, right?"
"After all, the Ganges didn’t get to adopt the child but instead received the sent fetal hair."
Indra observed the scene.
He shook his head, a thought occurring, and could not help but laugh.
"Friendly immortals, your ritual is not bad, it’s just that you’ve got the wrong person!"
"Kashigyakya does not need this!"
Indra said.
His gaze was focused and calm, with a hint of a smile as he slowly looked towards the friendly immortals.
"What he needs now is to learn combat skills!"
"The sooner he becomes a highly skilled warrior, the sooner he can save the Three Realms!"
"These are not important!"
Indra said.
Upon hearing this, the attending immortals frowned and shook their heads.
"Castle Destroyer, how can you utter such words!"
"These thirteen are all meticulously categorized and created following the Vedas; each one contains the power of auspiciousness to protect future generations."
"Whether it is Mahadeva, Narayana, or Brahma, I believe they would all recognize it."
"Wise ones! Guardians!"
"These are the auspicious ceremonies I’ve distilled from my travels across the Mortal Realm! They are my ascetic practice!"
"How can you say they are not important!"
"How can you deny these auspicious ceremonies!"
The attending immortals’ brows furrowed deeply.
He gripped his staff tightly, his expression becoming somewhat unsightly.
These were the auspicious ceremonies he had painstakingly formulated; how could they be deemed unnecessary!
Upon hearing this, Indra laughed.
He shook his head and walked to his seat, settled down comfortably, and then calmly watched the attending immortals with a smile.
"Friend of the world,"
"Have you ever heard of the fable ’Little Horse Crossing the River’?"
Indra asked.
"???"
"I haven’t heard of it!"
The attending immortals looked at Indra with puzzled faces, questioning in their gaze.
The Devas also blinked, exchanging glances filled with confusion.
Little Horse Crossing the River?
They had not heard of it either; perhaps it was a tale from Kamapala, one of Indra’s incarnations?
Kashigyakya also looked on with curiosity brimming with excitement!
"Everyone, please take a seat, let me tell it slowly!"
Indra smiled slightly.
He waved his hand grandly, and a faint golden light scattered from it like the dawn’s rosy streaks, spreading before everyone’s eyes, turning into a vast carpet.
The crowd sat down on the ground.
"Listen to this story of the animal kingdom!"
"Upon the earth, there was a mare whose color was like moonlight, her wisdom shining as bright as her mane, a great sage among the animals!"
"She had a child!"
"One day, the mare needed the colt to carry a load across the river alone."
Indra continued his tale.
Strands of Divine Light illuminated from the carpet, projecting into the air, shaping a robust and beautiful mare, along with a sprightly colt.
Indra went on.
"The colt came to the riverbank and encountered a bull, and asked if it could cross the river!"
"The water is very shallow, barely past the shins, the bull replied!"
"But a squirrel jumped down, blocking its path and said: The water is very deep, my companion fell in and drowned."
Indra narrated.
In the play of light and shadows, the little colt stood by the river, occasionally lifting its hooves but not daring to move forward.
"The frightened colt returned home and encountered its mother!"
"The extraordinarily wise mare said, the experiences of others might not suit oneself; go and try!"
"The colt came to the riverbank again and entered the river!"
"Then it found, the river was neither as shallow as the bull had said, nor as deep as the squirrel had claimed!"
Indra said calmly.
Kashigyakya had an epiphany and said, "What suits others may not suit oneself!"
The Devas blinked as well and looked towards the attending immortals.
"..."
Upon hearing this, the attending immortals’ expression darkened; he understood the story.
But the story was clearly mocking him!
Whoosh!
The next moment, the attending immortals stood up.
