"The ancients said, in the month of early spring, the great virtue is in wood, one should use wood to worship the door."

"It is also said, spring, the yang energy emerges, worship it at the door, it is the inner yang."

"Early spring is the first month of spring, and also the first month of the year, that is, the first lunar month. In this season, all things begin to sprout, and various life forms that have been hibernating through winter start to stir, with trees being the most prominent, hence ’wood’ is used for worshiping the door."

"The term ’worshiping the door’ means to perform rites to the door, it is the foremost of the five rites, correspondingly there is also ’worshiping the gate’, which is held in September to ’gather the concealment of heaven and earth’."

"As for why worshiping the door and gate are separate, it is because the ancients had ’the distinction between door and gate’. The ’Character Book’ explains that ’one panel is called a door, two panels are called a gate’, and others say, ’located east of the hall is called a door, located at the premises is called a gate’, yet some believe ’outside is called gate, inside is called door’... In short, according to ancient rites, worshiping the door is separate from worshiping the gate, our family adopts the last interpretation..."

When Zheng Qing cleansed his hands, burned incense, and with full piety inserted willow branches into the various ’doors’ of the Greenhill Mansion, Su Shijun held Poseidon and tirelessly explained the related ancient rites to her.

To be honest, much of the content was new to Zheng Qing, who listened intently, feeling that he listened even more seriously than the little fox.

Naturally, worshiping the door is not as simple as just inserting a few willow branches.

Inserting willow branches on the doors is the first step.

Burning peach branches under the doors is the second step—here, lighting peach branches is both a traditional ritual to ward off evil spirits and also to adhere to the ceremony requirements of ’worship it at the door, it is the inner yang’—then sprinkle the peach tree ashes in front of the door, silently reciting prayers, to achieve the magic effect of ’children enter unafraid, but ghosts fear it’.

The ’ghosts’ here do not simply refer to lifeforms in ghostly states, but all malevolent spirits.

Speaking of ghosts.

After sprinkling some peach tree ashes, Zheng Qing couldn’t help but look back.

He felt that Jiang Yu was almost turning into a ghost now.

Ever since that Little Orange Lamp was ’taken’ away by Su Shijun using almost sophistical skills, Jiang Yu became somewhat listless, although she still followed Zheng Qing’s side, she seemed to be sleepwalking, making the young cost student constantly worry she would fall asleep while walking.

Carrying this pressure, he instinctively sped up the process of ’worshiping the door’.

The Greenhill Mansion wasn’t small, even though not every door needed him to personally insert willow branches and sprinkle peach tree ashes, after hanging branches in key places like the front hall, main room, left and right side rooms, and covered walkways, half an hour had already passed.

"There is still one last thing, the ceremony of food offering."

The owner of the Greenhill Mansion held the little fox, leading a group of maids, cheerfully waving to the busy young cost student who was planning to take leave.

A line of fox maids carried trays of date-colored wood, coming out sequentially.

The tray contained various sacrifices including wine, celery, dates, chestnuts, vegetable soup, along with red chopsticks, yellow candles, ruyi scepter, conch shells, ritual drums, golden bell, jade platform, wooden fish, among other ritual instruments, numerous and varied.

Looking at those dazzling items, Zheng Qing felt a bit overwhelmed.

"These..."

"Haven’t you noticed something after inserting so many willow branches?"

Su Shijun interrupted Zheng Qing’s words, with implied meaning, then she lowered her head, scratching Poseidon’s ear, continuing her lesson to the little fox:

"The ceremony of food offering has two interpretations, ’Heaven’ and ’Human’. The former as a ritual for the divine spirits, food offering also called ’Food Plucking’, plucking food into doors, evil spirits retreat, is a disaster elimination ritual; the latter as a tribute to sages, ’The Book of Rites’ says, university inauguration, cap and vegetable offering, is a display of respect for the Dao. It means at the start of university, we should wear ritual attire, prepare offerings to worship sages, showing respect for teachers and the Dao."

At this point, Su Shijun raised the little fox’s front paw, happily waving it at Zheng Qing: "Of course, you could understand it as Father starting to teach at the university, hence holding a food offering to show respect for teachers and the Dao."

The cold night was windless.

Zheng Qing couldn’t help but shiver.

Just because of that word which made him uncomfortable—though he had long accepted the special relationship between Poseidon and himself, and admits the ambiguity between him and Su Shijun, publicly he had never used the term ’Father’ such as this.

He instinctively glanced sideways at Jiang Yu.

But she was hanging her head, seemingly oblivious, as though already asleep. Compared to the worry from a few minutes earlier, now Zheng Qing earnestly hoped the witch was indeed sleepwalking.

The warlock’s sneaky gesture was subtle.

But under the Big Wizard’s gaze, it couldn’t escape unnoticed.

Su Shijun couldn’t help but scratch Poseidon’s belly, mocking: "Dong Dong, don’t imitate your Father, being so brazen in action, yet acting like a sensitive plant, curling up when touched..."

Zheng Qing blinked, still figuring out how to refute her words, suddenly, he heard Jiang Yu’s voice, slightly dazed.

"Sensitive plant? Not at all." The witch muttered, almost in a dreamlike state, "I think he’s more like a ripe persimmon, gently touched and he bursts into a puddle..."

Zheng Qing’s face darkened.

He never imagined that in the minds of the two witches, he would be seen as such an odd image.

Yet, hearing Jiang Yu’s mumbling, Su Shijun, carefully surveying her languid figure, surprisingly did not tease the witch and instead glared at Zheng Qing reproachfully.

"You should let her rest well, not take her around recklessly."

Saying so, she handed the little fox to the Head Maid, then walked to Jiang Yu, casting hand jue to realign her magic power and rejuvenate her spirit, earnestly suggesting: "The semester has just begun... you should know, lacking sleep won’t yield good results."

Jiang Yu raised her head, seemingly waking from a deep sleep, gazing at the jade hand randomly touching her, momentarily overwhelmed, instinctively looking towards Zheng Qing.

But Zheng Qing pretended not to see, gazing upwards at the willow branch he had just hung on the door of the main hall, punching his palm, a look of realization on his face.

"I got it!"

His finger pointed at each spot where he hung willow branches, nodding very slightly: "Although the willow branches are hung at different locations, now they are pointing in the same direction... which means the location of the food offering ceremony is at the convergence point indicated by those willow branches?"

"Very good, but no reward."

The owner of the Greenhill Mansion turned, holding Jiang Yu’s arm, leisurely heading towards the side room: "Once the offerings are arranged, candles lit and chopsticks inserted, your task is complete, return from where you came... as for other trivial matters, they will handle it, no need to worry... by the way, Student Jiang Yu can’t waste time with you anymore, she does need a proper sleep."