Leaving the Capital for the Jianghu

Toot--!

At the third quarter of the Tiger Hour, a deep horn sounded from the corner tower of the Forbidden City.

The Vermilion Bird Gate swung open with a thunderous roar amid the grinding of gears and winches.

Five hundred Black Armored Golden Guards stood in two lines along the Imperial Way, holding vermilion "Silence" and "Keep Clear" plaques studded with copper nails. Behind them stood the Grand Master of Ceremonies' ritual officials, carrying black banners embroidered with nine streamers.

The statue of Sui Lun True Monarch towered over twelve feet high, making the surrounding crowd seem especially tiny. Three hundred and twenty army strongmen bore it atop a Mystic Iron palanquin, advancing slowly.

This was the state sacrificial ceremony. The ritual music was solemn, and every official of the court, great or small, had arrived. Yet not one dared make a sound; they merely followed the procession.

At the beginning of the Dragon Hour, the Jingyang Bell rang within the imperial palace.

Emperor Xiao Qixuan donned the twelve-symbol ceremonial robe and crown before boarding the carriage. Behind him followed the leaders of the Daoist sects, including Zhang Tianshi of Dragon Tiger Mountain and Qiu Changchun of Mount Zhongnan, all with grave expressions.

Beneath the vermilion steps of the Altar of the God of Earth and Grain, the Commandery Commandant Office's firearm unit formed a wall of men, resting their Flintlock Guns against the ground. Their barrels gleamed cold blue in the morning light.

As the strongmen slowly carried the statue into the great hall, the Minister of the Ministry of Works loudly recited The Artificers' Record: The Carriage Makers' Chapter, while twelve white-haired grand ritualists from the Court of the Imperial Clan shook mountain-and-river banners covered in copper bells.

After that came the complicated consecration ritual.

Several Daoist sect