The ghost car, its front wheels stuck, couldn't go forward or backward, so it just stood there dumbfounded in the middle of the street.
"It's Wu Nuo!"
Suddenly, some imaginative passerby shouted, and the martial arts performers who were originally the grand finale on the ghost carriage froze, unable to believe that their job had been taken away.
Rather than causing greater chaos, it is better to observe the grand exorcism ceremony on the winter solstice.
Thinking of this, Yu Zigui said loudly: "In ancient times there were demons, and demons gave birth to ghost servants. There were many ghost servants, one in twelve."
Upon hearing the recitation of "The Song of the Twelve Faces that Eat Ghosts," Shangguan Yi understood immediately. He bought two masks symbolizing the exorcising spirits from a street vendor and threw them into the middle of the street.
Seeing Yu Zigui and Xiao Kuang wearing masks, the chaotic crowd gradually calmed down. With a hint of excitement, everyone looked towards the center of the street.
Eleven ghost masks and Fang Xiangshi.
"Later, you'll be responsible for protecting the people," Yu Zigui said to those behind him.
“No way.” Xiao Kuang glanced at the street. “I don’t want to get scolded by my uncle again.”
"I will not show any mercy."
Xiao Kuang didn't hear the whole sentence before he saw a flash of red light and a warrior wearing a mask symbolizing war and calamity was kicked away. He moved quickly and managed to stop the man before the colorful canopy on the street collapsed.
It turns out the masked figure protecting the people from being kicked out was smashed to death...
Xiao Kuang's face twitched.
At this moment, as if invigorated by the concise and graceful movements, the musicians on the ghost carriage began to beat the drum again.
Thump—thump—
Deep and urgent, the sounds echoed through the quietly approaching winter solstice night.
"Drive away the demon tigers, and the war will be quelled." Pointing to the demon masks that had left the stage, Yu Zigui said in a clear voice, then looked at the other demon masks that had drawn their curved swords, "The plague is ominous, what will you do with it?"
“Chase…”
From the crowd, someone responded softly at first. Then people looked at each other, as if seeing in each other's eyes a longing for the coming year.
He drove away plagues, quelled wars, controlled floods, and brought peace to all. He only wished that the old man would open his eyes and see the common people.
"Chase them away!"
"Chase them away!"
The roars rose and fell, converging into a sea, surging fiercely through the streets of the capital.
The masked figures seemed to have their momentum dampened; instead of attacking one by one, they chose to attack as a group. Under the cover of night, their curved blades gleamed coldly. Three men crouched low, aiming for the ankles; three leaped up, slashing at the head; and three others charged forward, blades in hand, aiming for the chest and abdomen.
The chilling murderous aura made the onlookers hold their breath, and the timid ones even closed their eyes.
Just when Ghost Face thought victory was assured, the curved-hem robe spun up, and the fists and feet moved so fast that they were invisible. By the time Ghost Face thought he could see them clearly, they had already become a blur.
In the blink of an eye, ghostly masks flew everywhere. Xiao Kuang managed to catch eight curved blades with all his might, but the remaining one, swift as a shooting star, was aimed directly at the musician on the ghostly chariot. Just as he was about to shout for help to dodge, a person appeared as swift as the wind, as if they had sprouted wings, and grabbed the hilt of the blade before it fell.
After a brief silence, the streets were bustling with people again.
"No ghost! No ghost!"
People shouted as if the evil spirits had truly been vanquished.
Just as the celebration was in full swing, the sound of galloping hooves filled the air as cavalrymen, swords in hand, charged in.
The leader held a red-tasseled gold halberd, a symbol of the capital's security, and pointed it directly at Fang Xiang, who was wielding a curved sword.
"The Five City Guards are here! Who dares to disturb the people!"
On the night of the winter solstice, the Great Nuo Dance ceases.
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Author's Note:
Daylight broke, and dawn broke in the blink of an eye.
Do you know how hard it is for me? *tears* I was whipped eleven times. If it weren't for that cute boy, would I have had to revise it so many times?
I'll beat you hard, SM, MS, you little brat, I'll torture you to death!
11: This is clearly misplaced anger! Misplaced anger!
Ni: It's not just taking out one's anger on others, but also venting one's frustration!
Eleven spurts of blood, congealing into four words: "Give me back my purity!"
The "Da Nuo" ritual was a customary shamanistic performance by ancient people on the winter solstice. Yes, that's it.
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Chapter Sixteen
The young swordsman in white descended from the sky, repelled the villains, and then drifted away amidst the admiring gazes of the crowd.
Isn't this how it's often written in "Tales of the Strange"? Although her clothes are not white, she is still a newly promoted leader of the alliance. How come things turn out so absurdly?
Yu Zigui looked up at the moon. The moonlight was beautiful tonight, but it was separated from him by an iron window...
It's infuriating! Once I get out, I'll make sure Cong Luan corrects the inaccurate descriptions in "Tales of the Strange." After all, fights don't happen for nothing, and even great heroes have to go to jail.
He sighed, and then heard an uncontrollable cough coming from the other side of the wall.
"Third Young Master, you are still recovering from serious injuries, why bother to take action?" The voice was deep and powerful, perfectly matching Gao Dashan's imposing figure.
If Wei Zhuofeng hadn't intervened and caught the curved sword that Xiao Kuang couldn't put away, an innocent life would have been lost.
Thinking of this, he felt a little apologetic and said to the wall, "Thank you, Young Master Zhuofeng."
Whether he didn't expect someone to be listening from behind the wall, or was so startled by the sudden sound that he was speechless, his coughing stopped abruptly.
There was silence on the other side of the wall for a long time. Fearing something might have happened, he called out, "Young Master?"
Don't let anything happen here. Shi Ying is the young master of the Wei family, the younger brother of Ninth Senior Brother. She can't afford to pay for it.
She was anxious and approached the wall of the cell block when she heard a soft laugh.
"What? Is Zigui feeling sorry for you?"
"Ziyu is here too..." It's strange that even though I feel completely at ease, my words become a little weak when they come to my lips.
"Disappointed?" The smile grew even wider.
"Of course not!" Yu Zigui replied immediately without hesitation.
Just kidding! Even without seeing him, I can imagine the shape of his dark, curved eyes. They must resemble the scimitar of the Northern Barbarians, which would mercilessly chop down any morning glory that peeks over the wall.
A chill ran down her spine, and she subconsciously touched her smooth neck, muttering to herself.
"I just didn't expect it would implicate Ziyu."
She was the one who kicked, and Xiao Kuang was the one who caught the knife. Although they weren't exactly seamless partners, they were definitely accomplices. Initially, she was surrounded by layers of guards as the leader, when a cavalryman behind her reported, "Two accomplices, master and servant." Young Master Zhuofeng and Gao Dashan, huh? Not surprising, given that someone had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. She thought to herself, oblivious, even secretly relieved that her men had escaped. But before she could even chuckle, the cavalryman added, "No… someone has surrendered, three accomplices…" His voice held a hint of disbelief. Indeed, surrendering—what a righteous word! Such foolish people were practically extinct in the Great Wei.
Before she could even turn around and look, she was escorted to the prison with the "highest honors." She had assumed this foolish yet loyal person was either Xiao Kuang or Eleven, but it turned out to be Ziyu.
Misunderstanding her silence, Shangguan sighed and got up.
"Ziyu!" Even through the wall, one could hear the sadness and disappointment in his voice.
"Hmm?" The voice sounded expectant again.
I was thinking of you just now.
"What are you thinking about?" A smile returned, but this time in a warm, gentle tone.
"Why is Ziyu here?"
"If it wasn't me who stayed, could it have been A-Kuang?" Shangguan Fu sat down again and said in a gentle tone, "The capital is not peaceful right now, and my master and senior brothers are both weak scholars. A-Kuang is more useful than me outside."
This person...this person...
Her heart softened slightly, and she leaned against the wall and whispered, "The ground is cold, Ziyu, don't get cold."
"That's true." A very cheerful reply.
"Cough...cough..."
A suppressed cough rose again, and she had completely forgotten that there were two other people present. Just as she was about to call out to Zhuofeng, she suddenly remembered someone's scimitar-like black eyes and said in a roundabout way, "Ziyu, can you do me a favor?"
"Great!" someone said, in a good mood.
"Please check on Young Master Zhuofeng's injuries."
A moment of silence followed behind the wall.
"Ziyu?" she whispered.
"Can I do you a favor?" The smile was clear again.
"I always feel uneasy about involving outsiders," she said softly, shrinking back without any backbone.
"Okay, I'll help."
This sound was clean and straightforward, unlike the previous veiled sarcasm.
Fearing she would realize he hadn't gone far and that he couldn't fool her, Shangguan Yi stood up, took a few steps, and coldly looked at the master and servant in the corner.
Behind the imposing mountain, Wei Zhuofeng sat cross-legged, seemingly regulating his breathing, with clear bloodstains on his wrist.
When he saw the scar on Zigui's wrist yesterday, he had already planned to do this. If it weren't for Wei Zhuofeng, how could that fool have stood up for himself, and how could he have been ambushed? Whether he was angry or jealous, he held a grudge against Wei Zhuofeng.
However, the wounds were far from enough to quell the hatred in his heart.