Chapter 40 animal prophet

Out of admiration for the gods and curiosity about the upcoming events, the emperors awarded walking sticks decorated with dove birds to the elderly over 100 years old and asked them to serve as advisors to the dynasty.They hope that the old man, like a long-lived and wise dove, can provide prediction and guarantee for the policy of the empire.  Dove is a symbol of longevity and prediction.Most of these birds can live to be over 100 years old.For the first half of their lives, they feed on insects, and for the next 25 years they switch to eating the delicate twigs and leaves of trees.They then switch to the leaves that fall naturally, and do so only during the next three months of the year in late autumn.In another 10 years, they will no longer eat anything tangible, but absorb the dark red sun's rays twice a day at dawn and dusk.Doves over 100 years old don't even need to do this activity. They don't need to eat anything, they just gaze at the changes of time leisurely.

 The king of doves is said to be the oldest of them all.Because his life is too long, he has insight into the ins and outs of everything in the world, and can infer the future development of the world based on this.He only appeared during the change of dynasties, and told his people about the upcoming changes in the human world and ways to avoid military chaos.Naturalists know very little about this dove king, and there is only news about him in the "Shen Yi Jing".The author Dongfang Shuo said that King Jiu was the servant and messenger of the Eastern Prince, and he once chatted with her at the banquet hosted by the Queen Mother of the West for the Eastern Prince.Dongfang Shuo also wrote down the name of King Jiu: Qiantanba.

 Although the great prophetic ability of King Dove cannot be used by humans, people quickly found a substitute.The ancient Chinese discovered that, as another long-lived animal, the tortoise also carried the spiritual seeds of prophecy.Tang, the first great priest in Chinese history and the founder of the Shang Kingdom, discovered that a tortoise will gradually become lighter after it is over 300 years old, and when it is about 500 years old, it is so light that it can easily crawl on flower petals.Turtles with a lifespan of more than 1,000 years have blue serrations on the edges of their shells.Kill the tortoise and take the shell. After praying, burning and other procedures, the tortoise will write its prophecy on the shell for human reference.The older the turtle, the more accurate its predictions.

