Chapter 107: Gods and Ghost Hear the Tale of the Blood-Soaked Fire Social
Xie Lian immediately rose to this feet. Shi Qingxuan, too, stomped a foot down on the table, rolling up his sleeves as if ready to charge right down. Xie Lian hastily held him back and said, "It's nothing, don't worry, Lord Wind Master, please calm down."
"IS IT NOTHING EVEN WITH EYEBALLS SQUEEZED OUT???" Shi Qingxuan was alarmed.
"It's nothing." Xie Lian reiterated. "What a rare chance that we can witness a Bloody Fire Social here!"
Shi Qingxuan immediately dropped the leg that was on the table and asked, "Bloody Fire Social? What's that?"
The two sat down anew and Xie Lian explained, "Different regions have different kinds of Fire Socials, and the Bloody Fire Social belongs to a special type, extremely rare. I've only heard about it too, I've never seen it before. Since their performances are gruesome and freakish, and their makeup artistry is an untold secret that isn't passed down, there's less and less of them."
Shi Qingxuan was stunned, "Makeup artistry? That's all fake? Th-th-th... That's just too real, and here I thought it was something transformed by evil!"
His words weren't exaggerated, and Xie Lian sighed in awe too, "There are many extraordinarily talented people in the world."
Watching those performers in the parade, not only did they have weapons "deeply embedded" in their skulls, some also had exposed innards, missing limbs, crawling on the ground, crying and howling; there were a few carrying a large wooden stack, a woman hung on one of the beams, a rope wrapped around her neck as if she was hung to death; and then came two who were dragging the two legs of a woman, and that woman herself had clothes all ripped into rags, her face down dragged along the road the entire way leaving long trails of blood. This was truly a very real sight of hell. Even though it was clearly a performance done by humans, it was more horrifying than the ghosts of Ghost City. In comparison, Ghost City was almost like a bustling human market. Just how was all the makeup done? Even if Xie Lian had heard of this tradition, at first glance he'd also almost thought it was the coming of ghosts.
There were quite a few women and children who tried to squeeze in the front of crowd to spectate out of curiosity, but screamed from fright after having actually seen and backed away. Shi Qingxuan commented, "Your Highness, didn't you say that the point of Fire Socials was to celebrate? Who celebrates like this? People are running scared, and those little girls are going to have nightmares. Do people really feel happy watching these kinds of performances?"
It really was hard to tell whether if people would feel happy after watching such performances. However, in truth, slaughter and the sight of blood did create excitement in people. Whether or not there was fear, after the initial shock was over, a rush of adrenaline would be produced in many's heart. There seemed to be a slang for Bloody Fire Socials such as this called "Stabbing Ecstasy", and Xie Lian figured it meant: once a person was stabbed violently to death, the heart would be filled with ecstasy.
There's a thirst for 'slaughter' deep in the hearts of people.
Of course, Xie Lian didn't say that much on the subject and only watched intently for a while. In that impressive parading troupe, there was a pale-faced man dressed in black, his form tall but skinny as a twig, his hand gripped a weapon, and he was striking towards the head of one of the lavishly dressed performer. That knife instantly penetrated through the other's skull, and he took out a long spear right after, hoisting the other up and hung the other in the air, cruel and gruesome, as if it was a real murder happening right there, and the crowd screamed in waves of horror though some also cheered.
"I'm guessing they're enacting a tale." Xie Lian said, "That black clad man should be the protagonist and the people he killed should be the antagonists, the villains. This entire story is expressing the defeat of evil and the proclamation of good."
Having said that, something clicked in Xie Lian's mind and he said, "Lord Wind Master, watch closely."
"I am watching." Shi Qingxuan said.
"No, I'm telling you to watch for the story." Xie Lian explained, "Watch for the characters they're performing, and the kind of story this is. There must be a reason why that Reverend of Empty Words brought you here, and picked today of all days. Maybe it was so you'd watch this Bloody Fire Social."
That black clad man had a deep frown, looking to be in severe agony, 'butchering' hundreds of 'villains' in the troupe by himself, and he himself was also pierced by all sorts of weapons all over his body. At the end, he carried a number of mangled 'corpses' with white bandages around their throats and lowered his head, unmoving. It was an ending where all perished together. As one troupe went past, another troupe followed and continued to perform, and the parade cycled around thus.
"Have you all figured out what the story was about?" Xie Lian asked.
Shi Qingxuan knitted his brows and said, "No. I don't think I understand. He's doing nothing but killing people."
Next to Xie Lian, Hua Cheng said lazily, "Seems it's not a widely known story. Ask a local and see if it's someone of renown from around here."
Coincidentally, that waiter came by again to bring their orders and inquired, "Honoured guests, how's the show? Is it exciting?"
"It's good. Very exciting." Xie Lian responded, "May I ask, who is the character this town's Bloody Fire Social is enacting?"
Sure enough, that waiter said, "Oh, outsiders usually don't know and always had to ask. The Fire Social of our town Fu Gu enacts the story of a legendary character. This was passed down through word of mouth, but many centuries ago, there was a scholar here named He."
"This He Sheng, although his family was very, very poor, he was quite the man of talents. He was scarily intelligent since his youth, and picked things up fast and precise. He was also known everywhere as a good son; there's really nothing bad to say about the guy. Unfortunately for him, he's just very unlucky, and nothing good ever lasts."
"He studied hard and took national exams, and even though he clearly did well, the best of them all, because he didn't pay up a greeting gift to the examiner, he offended the officials and they hid his test scrolls, exchanging them for blank ones, and for years he couldn't land a rank. He got engaged, his fiancee was a childhood friend, beautiful like flowers, kind and compassionate, but both his wife and little sister were kidnapped by a wealthy household who turned them into bed attendants; one wouldn't obey and was beaten to death, the other couldn't bear the shame and committed suicide. He went to quarrel but the other turned around and accused him of committing adultery instead. He was locked up in jail and almost died from starvation. His old ma and pa of seventy years begged for mercy for him, kowtowed their heads an entire night, but no use. He was jailed for two years before he was released. His mom had no one to take care of her and was long dead from illness, and his dad had to labour for the family by himself and had only but a breath left. He couldn't study anymore and got into business, but because he was too good at it, the other merchants ganged up on him to suppress him. All the money he made was cleaned away and instead he owed an entire string of debt."
"..."
"So what do y'all think?" That waiter sighed, "How can anyone be so unlucky?"
Xie Lian cleared his throat quietly and said earnestly, "Yea."
How can anyone be so unlucky other than him!
After having lamented, that waiter's face changed, looking cheery and alive, "And then that man went crazy, going completely mad. One night, the day before the last day of Autumn just like today, he took up a bunch of weapons and butchered everyone who hurt him! It was a bloody sight, flesh and gore flying all over, extremely satisfying! Since all those he killed bullied all the people in town for ages, everyone cheered for him. So that's why, every year on the day before the last day of Autumn, the town would commemorate him with a Bloody Fire Social, pray Lord He Sheng would watch over us and kill all the villains."
Although it was supposed to be the defeat of evil and the proclamation of good, it seemed like neither ended well. That waiter went away and Xie Lian saw Shi Qingxuan had on a face of contemplation so he asked, "Lord Wind Master, do you have any thoughts?"
Shi Qingxuan snapped out of it and said, "I'm having some baffling thoughts, but... it's too confusing so I can't put my finger on it. What about you, Your Highness?"
"I'm thinking, could the Reverend of Empty Words be this He Sheng in its past life?"
In between their exchanges the next troupe had started performing the same story again and Shi Qingxuan looked over, "His past life?"
"That's right." Xie Lian said, "Monsters that are similar to humans are usually born from the extreme grudge or obsession of some person. For example, I hear there's a monster in Dongying called 'The Bridge Princess", and it was formed by the grudge of women. They say it was from the grief of women who waited for husbands that never returned, and others say it was the madness of jealousy. If, the Reverend of Empty Words came from the misfortune of someone, it's not impossible to say it was formed by that person's jealousy of another's fortune or the hatred of his fate?"
"Check for landmarks. Match the timeline." Ming Yi said.
"Right. This needs to be verified." Xie Lian said.
To find out if this theory stood, they must investigate how many hundreds of years ago this "He Sheng" character appeared. If his appearance was later than the earliest record of the Reverend of Empty Words than this theory would not hold. Shi Qingxuan nodded, pondered, but still said, "And another thing..."
Just then, a booming voice suddenly came from below, laughing heartily, "JUST WAIT! YOUR CLOSEST FAMILY, YOUR BEST FRIEND, THEY WILL ALL DIE TRAGICALLY BECAUSE OF YOU!"
Hearing this, Shi Qingxuan's face immediately changed. He slapped down on the table with his left hand and leapt down the restaurant, light as a feather.
That voice had come from the parading troupes!
Xie Lian yelled from atop the building, "LORD WIND MASTER! COME BACK!"
Shi Qingxuan landed in that crowd of bloody, live dead people and raged, "COME THE HELL OUT! COME OUT!!!"
However, those performers all bore wooden expressions; no one cared for him, and they continued to march like they were in a dream state. Shi Qingxuan was getting pushed around all over by the flowing crowd, and couldn't figure out just who looked fishier; this one looked suspicious, and he'd whip out his Wind Master fan to knock at them, but then another over there would look more suspicious. If he hit wrong, then it'd be a life on his hands. Hua Cheng pushed the veggies he hadn't touched on his plate into a smiley face, never having looked up once, "It's useless. It's too easy for a thousand-year old monster to hide its foxtails."
Amidst such a freakish parade, it was too easy for anything nonhuman to infiltrate. Besides, the Venerable of Empty Words already took on the forms of humans, nevermind the Reverend who was the strongest among them all?
A moment later, Ming Yi jumped down too and pulled Shi Qingxuan out. The group of them left the main street, walking towards that Temple of Wind and Water. Shi Qingxuan's hand that gripped his Wind Master fan was still trembling, but rather than from fear like earlier, it was more from anger. A small pot of wine from the restaurant hung from his hand, and after walking for a while, he took a long drink from the pot before the seething redness of his eyes faded away. "Ming-xiong, maybe you shouldn't be my best friend for the time being. Wait til I've killed that thing first!"
Ming Yi however, instantly said without holding back, "Who's that. I've never been."
"..." Shi Qingxuan was outraged, "MING-XIONG THAT'S TOO MUCH. CAN YOU NOT TURN YOUR BACK ON PEOPLE SO FAST WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH???"
The two of them were bickering and noisy, and Xie LIan shook his head, bringing out two little objects from his sleeve, "Here, Lord Wind Master I think you best use these after all."
Shi Qingxuan took the objects, "Ear plugs?"
Xie Lian nodded, "The idea might be a little dumb and it doesn't help the root problem, but it still works for the time being. As long as you can't hear, that creature can't do anything to you. I casted an array, the verbal password is "By Heaven Official's Blessings, No Paths are Bound". Let's just talk in the array if we need to talk to you."
Shi Qingxuan plugged his ears and sure enough, he could hear nothing after, and the four entered the array one after the other. Just then, Xie Lian suddenly heard Hua Cheng's voice floating next to his ears, "Gege, gege."
Xie Lian looked over and saw Hua Cheng was blinking at him. His lips weren't moving but his voice was still resounding next to his ears, "Didn't you say you wanted to talk to me? You won't come to me, so I'm reaching out to you."
Xie Lian smiled and replied, "Well, you're the one who set your password to something like that."
"Fine, fine. My bad." Hua Cheng said.
Shi Qingxuan adjusted the ear plugs and saw the two of them were looking at each other smiling without saying a word, and asked in the communication array, puzzled, "Your Highness, Crimson Rain Sought Flower, what are the two of you doing? Did you exchange verbal passwords? And now you're exchanging secrets?"
Xie Lian cleared his throat and said in the communication array with a serious voice, "Nothing of the sort."
Hua Cheng raised his brows slightly and passed another message, "You liar."
Xie Lian's slipped in his step.
Looking only straight ahead as he walked pretending to be serious, he replied, "San Lang, stop teasing me... I need your help with something."
The two of them walked side by side, not looking at each other, and Hua Cheng asked, "What is it?"
Xie Lian replied, "Work with me to test and see if someone is the Reverend of Empty Words."