"What... what in the world is going on?" Luan Lihui stared at the hellish scene before him, his mind completely blank.
"It's Blood Shehuo, also called Zhua Kuaihuo. It's a type of Shehuo folk performance, and the most unusual kind. It's especially popular in Shaanxi. The custom is based on the Water Margin story of Wu Song killing Ximen Qing to avenge his brother, Wu Dalang. The scenes are terrifying and bloody, and look incredibly realistic," Yao Shunyu explained in a hushed voice.
Huang Jun stared at the "corpses" in their bizarre poses, his voice trembling. "So... so these people are wearing makeup?"
Once they had calmed down a little, they noticed a few things were off. The blood on these "corpses" was all on their bodies and faces, with almost none on the ground. If their injuries were really that severe, the whole place would be swimming in blood.
"I... I know Water Margin, but what does that have to do with any of this?" Luan Lihui stared at the villagers' strange clothes, some bright and colorful, others entirely black. He couldn't shake the feeling that they had some other purpose.
Yao Shunyu had only heard Li Bai tell him a little about Blood Shehuo. But what he saw now wasn't quite like the Shehuo Li Bai had described. This was Blood Goddess Shehuo, and it was probably a custom unique to Heishui Village.
"Dong..."
Before Yao Shunyu could think it over, the sudden toll of a bell made his heart clench.
"Dong..."
"Dong..."
The bell rang from the courtyard with the temple dedicated to Zhusheng Niangniang. Huang Jun and Luan Lihui clamped their hands over their ears, fear written in their eyes.
When the third toll faded, all the made-up villagers outside the courtyard stopped moving and abruptly