"Boom! Boom! Boom."
The drumbeats began first from the Drum Tower.
Slow and unhurried, unhurried and heavy, heavy and deep—each beat knocked against the chests of the crowd.
Three drumbeats rang out.
At the two sides beneath the Drum Tower, two bare-chested men swung their great hammers and took up the rhythm.
Three more beats sounded. Beyond the Azure Stone Street, another bare-chested man swung his arm.
One after another, drum after drum, strike after strike—the rhythm passed onward in relay.
"Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom! Boom boom boom!"
The drums stretched onward, passed onward, thundered together—like a torch being handed down, like a slumbering giant beast awakening. Yellow dust lightly rose from the ground, ripples stirred in water jars, little stones on rooftops trembled and shifted. Every visitor stopped in their tracks, held their breath, and held their hearts.
The sound reached Shang Rao Wharf.
Thirty-six men stood in two rows upon the altar, one hundred and eight men along two routes.
The men relayed their one-handed swings, then switched to gripping their hammers with both hands. Their waists twisted, their strength wound tight, and together they struck the great drums three times. Thirty-six brass horns rose in unison from the left side of the drums, pointing toward the heavens.
"Woooooo—"
The deep, oppressive hum of brass resounded through heaven and earth.
The drums ceased. The horns fell silent.
Heaven and earth held their breath.
The Eternal Spring Tree stopped rustling, and the Big Fish amid the waves stopped swimming.
The Painted Boats on the river stopped drifting, every door and window aboard thrown wide open.
The Wild Boar Roller Coaster, Jade Crystal Ship, Water Spider, Wooden Capsule... all ceased operation.
No parents needed to coax them quiet. The children's crying stopped along with the horns, their eyes