Chapter 126

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Protagonist:

Shaowei

Liu Qi

Thirty-two Wu Nu and thirty-two Wu men, arranged in two columns, ascended the bonfire-surrounded altar in order.

Zhu Zhi watched the figures of the Wu taking the stage, breathing deeply, striving to suppress the discontent and unease gathering in his chest.

He had received the Emperor's permission to participate in tonight's Great Sacrifice, but upon arriving he had been unable to approach the Emperor; he was furious in his heart and was about to have the blocking eunuch summon Guo Shi, when a disciple of Red Yang appeared, saying he brought a message from the Immortal Master:

"Your Majesty is worried beyond measure due to the defeat in the North Land war, and further troubled by hearing that a Wu Nu was harmed by an evil spirit. Since Lord Zhu has come, please rest assured and observe the ceremony; there is no rush for other matters."

After hearing this, Zhu Zhi sneered inwardly; a Wu Nu harmed by an evil spirit—so this was the groundless claim Red Yang had someone spread.

Red Yang sending this message was nothing more than not expecting him to also appear at the Great Sacrifice, thus reminding him to be careful in word and deed, lest someone notice something amiss and find a handle against him, causing trouble before the Emperor whose mood was already poor, and implicating his Red Yang Immortal Master.

He naturally had no habit of reporting everything to Red Yang; the two had merely cooperated out of mutual need, just as he would not now reveal to the other the reason for his participation in this Great Sacrifice, nor that the little Wu had not yet been killed by him.

He disdained speaking more with Red Yang, but understood the pros and cons; since the Dragon Heart was displeased, it was best not to cause unnecessary trouble.

Thus he gave up the idea of inquiring about news of the missing Wu Nu, lest he be noticed and seem guilty like a thief.

He had decided to focus only on the ceremony, but when the eunuch led him to the end of the military officials, he still felt immeasurable annoyance; the military officials beside him were merely petty people who had flattered him in every way, and now he was actually forced to participate in the sacrifice alongside these inferior goods.

Noticing those silent mocking gazes, Zhu Zhi suppressed his anger, nearly rising to leave, only because he kept that fantasy in mind did he force himself to remain motionless.

Accompanied by drum and konghou music, the Wu on the altar began to dance.

Zhu Zhi stared fixedly at the altar, waiting for the appearance of the great Wu Hu Li whom he had not yet seen.

To the front side, Red Yang, still wearing a black cloak and holding a white whisk, knelt at the front of the Daoist row, with the people of Xian Tai Gong behind him.

The daytime ritual altar ceremony had concluded smoothly; at this time he was free of worry, his eyes half-closed as he quietly listened to the drum and music.

The only small change was that Zhu Zhi had appeared tonight, but he had had someone remind and someone watch, ensuring Zhu Zhi would not hear news he should not know in advance.

Zhu Zhi would not know that the little Wu he killed was precisely the Hu Li who was supposed to serve as the great Wu tonight.

When the day came to know, it would be when the charges were investigated and he bore the crime of rushing and damaging the National Sacrifice; by then Zhu Zhi would have no chance to defend or accuse others, just like those who once died in the Brocade Guard prison, unable to send out their voices even in death—this was precisely the Cursed Cycle Zhu Zhi should bear.

Amidst the music, Red Yang slowly closed his eyes, calm as water.

On this altar tonight there would be no dance of variables; he only needed to appreciate this chapter of the Heavenly Way.

Ming Dan knelt among a group of youths; beneath her solemn expression was a relaxed and happy mood.

The news of the Wu Nu incident was considered ominous and not allowed to be discussed, but she had secretly inquired and learned that among the Wu Nu involved was precisely that Hu Li...

Because discussion was forbidden, the news was not detailed; some said Hu Li was dead, some said she was missing, and others said she dared not serve as great Wu and had hidden herself to escape.

In short, whichever it was, it was reassuring news; someone who disturbed people's minds should just disappear.

Ming Dan's gaze shifted slightly, and she quietly turned her head to look straight ahead.

The Emperor, wearing ritual robes, knelt with dignified composure; to his left and right lower seats were Rui Huanghou and Crown Prince Cheng.

Further back, one could see the figure of an old man—her great-uncle, Marquis Lu.

Her great-uncle no longer concerned himself with court affairs, but because this Great Sacrifice was related to the collapse of Changling, and because he was a founding merit subject who would be buried here after his death, he had arrived at Changling today to participate in the sacrifice.

Though he did not concern himself with court affairs, once Great-uncle appeared, he could sit beside the Son of Heaven, showing his extraordinary status.

Ming Dan unconsciously straightened her back a little, feeling increasingly happy; she looked at the altar, merely regarding it as a song and dance performance.

But after watching for a while, she felt it was not the same thing; those Wu wore dark green ritual robes and fierce ghost masks, dancing to the music, sometimes baring teeth and claws, sometimes bowing and swaying, chanting incomprehensible ancient tunes beneath their masks, eerie and terrifying in the firelight, as if they would rush down from the altar at any moment to tear and bite her.

Ming Dan was a little frightened, but soon calmed down; these Wu were playing evil spirits, and they were allowed to run rampant for a while, but soon a great Wu would appear to subdue them.

The great Wu should be appearing soon? —the great Wu replacing that Hu Li.

The drumbeats became urgent, and the evil spirits danced wildly.

Behind the altar, the great Wu in Choose Yi Zhu Chang took a deep breath, gripped the ritual spear taller than a person in his hand, and prepared to step onto the altar.

On the second day of the second month she had played the great Wu before and was not lacking experience, but this time was different; within Changling, the Wu had died or been injured without a trace, the Son of Heaven scrutinized, the ministers watched...

"Go, it is time."

With Yu Si Wu's hoarse and numb reminder, the great Wu composed herself and lifted her foot, but suddenly a hand pressed down on her shoulder from behind.

The next moment, another hand reached out and took the long spear from her hand; a familiar voice drifted past her ear: "Give it to me."

The great Wu suddenly turned her head, only to see another great Wu dressed exactly like her, wearing Choose Yi Zhu Chang and a Zhu Gold Mask.

She let go of the long spear in astonishment, with the reverence of returning something to its rightful owner.

The drumbeats thundered; Yu Si Wu grabbed the arm of the person who had suddenly appeared in disbelief, opening her mouth but unable to speak.

Four eyes met through the Direction Masks; beneath the mask came a girl's voice: "It is me, I am back."

The drumbeats seemed to urge; among the participants there were not a few confused people looking around—why had the great Wu not yet appeared?

Ming Dan couldn't help but amusingly guess in her heart: perhaps the substitute was also afraid and shrank back?

Unable to continue guessing, on the swaying bonfire altar, a gold-lacquered ritual spear emerged from the stone steps behind the altar; another step, and a God Direction Mask; two more steps, Choose Yi Zhu Chang—the great Wu emerged holding the spear.

The Taichang Temple Minister secretly breathed a sigh of relief; finally they had come out, nearly thinking the situation could get worse... Regardless, he only hoped to successfully complete this ceremony.

Yu Si Wu remained in shock, unable to return to her senses, until she saw several drops of red vermilion falling on the stone steps before her.

Was that... blood?

How could there be blood? From where had they returned?

Could the sacrifice still be completed? Could the dance still be performed?

Her complexion changed as she raised her head to look above the altar, only to see that the figure in Choose Yi Zhu Chang was soon surrounded and blocked by many Wu.

To the rhythm of the drumbeats, the Wu danced closer to the great Wu in the red robe; soon someone noticed something was wrong—who is this? Who is this?

Though masked, having rehearsed together many times, the great Wu before them was clearly very much like the missing Hu Li!

The shamans gathered around her, dispersing and regrouping, dancing while doubting, shocked, and retreating; an evil spirit facing gods and spirits should have exactly this posture, every step so lifelike it seemed no mere performance, causing those below the altar to involuntarily focus their attention to watch and discern.

He Pingchun, temporarily taking over for the Brocade Guard, hurried forward and knelt beside the Emperor with bowed head, speaking a sentence in a low voice.

The Emperor's gaze narrowed, looking toward the altar.

Liu Cheng heard it too, staring wide-eyed in disbelief at the dancing great shaman; she was back? Where had she returned from? How had she returned?

On the altar, the great shaman swept up her right leg, her red robe flying, her long halberd raised high, like a divine bird with golden head and vermilion body spreading its wings in fire.

The night wind blowing from the east side grew stronger and stronger.

"Boom boom boom!"

Amidst the drumbeats, the great shaman wielded her long halberd, her raised right leg slowly landing; at the moment her golden-threaded vermilion shoes touched the altar, flying dust—whether shaken by her landing or lifted by the wind—swirled, and every evil shaman recoiled in shock.

This scene exuded an awe-inspiring mysterious power, and below the altar arose a burst of noisy exclamations.

The wind was changing, and so was the atmosphere; Chi Yang slowly opened his eyes, first gazing up at the sky's wind and clouds, then his sight slowly descended, landing on the great shaman on the platform.

In his calm, shallow pupils, wind and clouds gradually shifted; this was an omen brought by a tremendous variable.

The music of the phoenix-headed konghou sounded like a phoenix's cry; behind the altar stretched endless high mountains, and that girl danced beneath the gaze of the sky and the great mountains.

"Boom—!"

A thunderclap rolled out from within the wind and clouds.

The little shamans seemed unwilling, once again lunging toward the solitary great shaman, dancing to surround her tightly.

The great shaman retreated several steps, falling within the encirclement, seeming to have been submerged and devoured.

The roaring sound rose again, indistinguishable whether drum or thunder, accompanied by a chant; at the center of the altar the long halberd was raised high, and countless little shamans suddenly retreated.

The great shaman reappeared, originally in a fallen sitting posture, then she raised her head and bowed her waist to slowly rise; she lifted her head to see the sky, and in this instant, cool rain threads fell into her dark eyes; the Heavenly Way looked down from above, watching this thing that should not exist in the world, wind, rain, and thunder seeming like admonition or warning.

But the girl refused to stop, wielding her halberd as she spun and danced, her steps more determined, her spirit more stubborn, her will more majestic.

She drove away the little shamans, her wide, complex sleeves and great vermilion robe dancing and flying, several times sweeping past the crackling bonfire; her clothing shadows flitted like flames.

Below the altar, no one could look away anymore.

This was an extremely vivid and splendid Nuo Sacrifice, and the celestial changes seemed like some kind of response.

The striking great shaman was contending against the evil spirits played by the little shamans, yet it seemed she was contending against more than just evil spirits.

Those little shamans finally could not hold out, dispersing slowly like wind, then gathering together like clouds, bowing with lowered heads, making a posture of being subdued.

Next, the great shaman should lead the subdued little shamans down from the altar, along the altar to drive away evil and dispel sickness, burying the fire rope representing the whipping and burning of evil spirits and sickness into the earth; this was "Burying the Demon," and thus this Nuo Sacrifice would be considered complete.

Yu Si Wu's heart finally settled; the Divine Bird had returned in time, the ceremony had been completed well, the curse was lifted...

But the great shaman Divine Bird on the altar had absolutely no intention of leading the little shamans down from the altar.

Amidst the bowing and surrounding of those little shamans, she held her long halberd level with both hands, knelt down, raised her head, and said:

"Thunder fills, rain is dim, east wind drifts, divine spirit rain—Heaven and Earth above, mountains and rivers have spirits; now I sacrifice to the Mountain Ghost, please descend the gods, execute evil and remove calamity, protect our land and grain!"

The girl's voice was clear and loud, revealing supreme determination.

Yu Si Wu suddenly raised her head.

She wanted... to descend the gods?!

Wind moved, clouds moved, thunder moved, fire moved; the figure raising her head to invite the gods swayed and distorted behind it, all surrounding sounds did not cease, yet no human voice was heard.

Below the altar there was inexplicably great silence; after a moment, suddenly there was noisy surging.

Ming Dan somewhat blankly poked her companion beside her, asking in a low voice: "She... what did she just chant?"

What thunder dim, divine spirit rain... it sounded inexplicably scalp-tingling!

"It is Qu Zi's Mountain Ghost sacrificial words..." the girl said somewhat nervously: "It is said the Mountain Ghost is the Witch Mountain goddess... she is summoning the Mountain God!"

"Summoning the Mountain God..." Ming Dan murmured, unable to help but question: "Just because she says she summons it, does it come...?"

Although the witch dance she danced was indeed awe-inspiring, the thunder and rain had already existed before she summoned them; how to prove she was not spur of the moment wanting to use this celestial phenomenon as a disguise, pretending she had summoned the Mountain God?

While Ming Dan pondered, suddenly she felt something swiftly brush past her ear; she cried out softly, leaning toward her companion, only to see a crow flying toward the altar; no, not just one, there were also...

So many crows!

Not just crows, but bats, birds... all around, more and more!

Firelight, drumbeats, and cries could not drive them away; they circled above the altar, circling and crying out.

Everyone around was amazed; the Emperor also watched the phenomenon above the altar intently.

Blood beads seeped from between the fingers of the girl holding the halberd high, as if the price of inviting the gods.

The shamans were also shocked; they no longer knew how to dance, all looking at the great shaman Divine Bird whose aura had completely changed, for a moment neither daring to approach nor willing to retreat.

Birds circled and cried out; these birds governed by the Mountain God danced wildly in place of the shamans.

When the girl in the red robe rose again, she no longer held a halberd; in the firelight, she once again raised her head high, lifted one hand to the side, and with her other hand slowly struck her wrist; as she struck, tiny blood beads splattered.

This striking sound could not produce an ear-piercing sound among the various sounds, but it seemed to use fresh blood as a guide, resonating with Heaven and Earth.

Accompanying this rhythm, she cried out loudly: "—Gods descend!"

This voice using inner breath was especially loud.

Countless people's minds and spirits were all drawn.

Omens would bring more omens; the birds' unrest made the beasts in the mountain forest feel uneasy, and some monkeys began to cry.

Thunder rumbled, rain mist was dim, monkeys cried, birds cried, wind rustled, night curtain sank deep.

Liu Cheng trembled all over.

"Crack!"

On the altar, the tall girl struck her wrist again, as if some kind of summoning; her black eyes became as sharp as a god's mask; striking again, she opened her mouth: "—Evil appears!"

In the crowd, Zhu Zhi deeply inhaled the slightly cool damp air, excited to the extreme, unable to help but crawl forward on his knees... he felt it, he truly felt the legendary power of gods and spirits!

At the highest place, the girl in dark clothes and red robe began her Divine Dance.

The shamans spontaneously followed and surrounded her; no longer needing rules, they danced with all their heart and interest; the drumbeats became extremely stirring, and the konghou and bird cries sang together in harmony.

Yu Si Wu's eyes held trembling tears as she slowly knelt, bending her shaking spine to bow devoutly toward the Small Fox Great Witch above who had broken free of the Curse and shattered the Curse.

Zhu Zhi was still crawling forward.

At this moment, no one failed to be shaken and attracted by this abnormal phenomenon; the most primal worship in their hearts was stirred and awakened, exclamations rose all around, and those bowing to the Mountain God were not few, though Zhu Zhi's strangeness drew sidelong glances, for the moment no one had the leisure to attend to or stop him.

?? (This chapter took a long time to write; I spent a day researching materials and listening to Qu Yuan's "Mountain Ghost"—everyone can listen to various versions of Mountain Ghost while reading this chapter. Good night.)