Chapter 795: Chapter 596: Green Ghost
Upon seeing the strange masks on these people’s faces, as well as the colorful garments and animal skin robes they were draped in, Yang Xiao’s first reaction was the same—this seemed like a Nuo opera.
Nuoxi is known as the "ancestry of White Play," originating from the Fangxiangshi’s grand Exorcism Ceremony during the Shang and Zhou Period, commonly known amongst the people as "Ghost Play," "Tan Tang Opera," "Duan Gongxi," "Earth Play," "Ghost Play," "Transforming People Play," and so on. It is the oldest kind of ritual and canon for worshipping deities, exorcising ghosts, driving out plagues, avoiding epidemics, and conquering demons and Evil Spirits.
In ancient times, there were three major sacrifices: the La Sacrifice, the Yu Ceremony, and the Nuo Sacrifice, with the Nuo Sacrifice being the most influential and grandest of the three.
Performers of Nuoxi were known as witches or priests and were regarded as spiritualists who communicated between ghosts, deities, and ordinary people. They dressed up in various costumes and masks during their performances, imitating and representing the actions and images of gods and ghosts, and used the name of these supernatural beings to expel ghosts, drive out diseases, and pray for blessings and wishes.
Nalan Shuo’s words were even more to the point—as there were both grand and small Nuo ceremonies. The grand ones mainly took place in the palace, and according to ancient texts, the grand exorcism aimed to "drive out the yin energy and guide the yang, as nowadays people beat drums the day before year’s end to dispel the epidemic, which they call exorcism."
What appeared before them at this moment was exactly the palace’s grand exorcism ceremony, involving no less than a hundred participants, all wearing masks, dressed in strange attire, each carrying different weapons, including iron chains and heavy hammers, creating an eerie and bizarre spectacle.
Many red lanterns hung in the courtyard, in all shapes and sizes, and instead of the character for longevity, they were replaced with paper cutouts of human figures in peculiar poses, all uniquely different and invariably dyed green.
Under the flickering flames inside the lanterns, contorted shadows were cast onto the ground and walls. As the firelight danced, these shadows seemed to come alive, giving the sensation of a mob of demons running amok, providing a stark contrast to those stiffly standing during the ceremony and adding an ominous air to the exorcism ceremony that was about to commence.
Steward Wu took out a wrinkled piece of yellow paper from his bosom, which was very much similar to the one he had given Xiang Fengchen the night before. It had a crude map drawn on it with the positions for the nine of them that night, roughly forming a circle, with the center being the high platform behind the curtains.
"After thirty minutes, you will take your positions here. The drum sound will be the signal. At the first beat of the drum, the exorcism begins. At the second beat, the Evil Spirit will appear, and you must chase it with the weapons in your hands. After the third beat, there might be a ’robbery,’ and if a robbery occurs, you must defeat it at all costs and slay the Evil Spirit. The fourth beat of the drum indicates the successful completion of the exorcism, while the fifth, which is also the last beat, signifies that the ceremony is thoroughly over." Steward Wu scanned over the people before him with an icy gaze as if making a final confirmation, "Did you understand?"
"I understand everything, but what is this ’robbery’... What exactly is it?" Gong Banlan waited a few seconds, saw no one else asking, and couldn’t help but utter softly.
"’Robbery’ is just ’robbery,’" Steward Wu stared at her, pronouncing each word deliberately.
Being glared at with such a deathly gaze, Gong Banlan couldn’t help but shiver and subconsciously shut her mouth.
"Wait here, the exorcism... is about to begin." Having said this, Steward Wu turned and left straight away.
As Yang Xiao and his group were guided into the courtyard, the next second, the wooden door behind them closed. This wooden door was much thicker and sturdier than they had imagined; it gave a muffled "thud" as it shut.
A foreboding feeling rose in their hearts. They were locked in here—it didn’t feel like an exorcism ceremony, but rather some sort of bloody sacrifice.
And they, were tonight’s offerings.
The sudden change in events inevitably caused a slight panic among the group, and Nalan Shuo’s eyes looked toward the north side of the courtyard, where a band of musical instruments could be seen.
"It’s the Four Great Instruments," Xiang Fengchen whispered.
"Yes," Nalan Shuo nodded, "Big drum, big gong, big cymbals, and big chime; it’s certainly an exorcism, and judging by the look of things, it’s a martial nuo."
"There’s a distinction between Civil Nuo and martial nuo in Nuoxi plays, and it’s not hard to tell them apart. Civil Nuo usually accompanies Civil Dance, with the dancers and priests holding things like feathers and fans, while martial nuo involves weapons, and the scenes are typically more sinister and bloody."
"There is also a saying that the more and the more bizarre the weapons that appear in martial nuo, the stronger and more terrifying the Evil Spirits being exorcised in the process, thus the higher the level of danger," Nalan Shuo explained for everyone.
"Exorcism is divided into Open Mouth Nuo and closed mouth Nuo. We have been here for so long, and none of the masked participants in the ceremony has spoken a word. This is closed mouth Nuo. The characteristic of closed mouth Nuo is that the performers keep their mouths shut during the entire performance, saying nothing, and everything is conveyed through gestures or bodily movements."
"Compared to Open Mouth Nuo, the style of closed mouth Nuo is rougher, with exaggerated movements and sharp edges, following the principles of ’square, round, flat, oblique,’ with big movements. To avoid accidental injuries, we need to be careful."
"Mr. Nalan, what exactly is the ’robbery’ that Steward Wu spoke of?" Chang Chuchu asked politely.
"’Robbery’ doesn’t specifically refer to anything; it’s more of an imagery, representing unexpected occurrences that may arise during the exorcism ceremony. Lighter examples might be falling over, or accidental burns from fire, or cuts from weapons—these are considered ’robberies.’"
"If it’s more serious, it could be troubling, like unexpected deaths during the exorcism, or encountering some unexplainable mysterious events. Ancient people usually believed that’s the Evil Spirit causing trouble, as it doesn’t want to be expelled."
