Spring, the King's first month.
Correction: the day before the King's first month.
Correction again: Lunar New Year's Eve—
Shen Le, dressed in heavy dark-red ceremonial robes, stood in the shadows beside Lady Xiang Shrine and looked toward the plaza.
At the center of the plaza stood the Chime Bells he had restored with his own hands, arranged perfectly in the most prominent position. Carefully adjusted spotlights flowed over them with the deep, lustrous glow of Chu.
Across the plaza, a group of professional dancers had long been waiting in the shadows.
They wore dance costumes steeped in the spirit of Chu, combining historical weight with stage beauty. Their makeup was refined and solemn, their gazes calm.
Everyone was tightly bundled in thick down jackets, lightly stamping their feet in the cold wind and rotating their ankles and wrists, warming up as quickly as they could in the ways most familiar to them.
In the deeper shadows, cameras, recording equipment, and lighting consoles were packed tightly together. The staff bustled about in the night wind, sweating heavily despite the cold.
The signal lights on the broadcast vans flashed steadily. The director stared intently at several monitors, speaking quietly with every department to ensure every detail fit seamlessly together:
It was about to begin—
It was starting soon—
Shen Le tipped his head back slightly, feeling the night wind blowing over Dongting Lake, along with the soft, familiar threads of cool spiritual energy carried within it.
That was Lady Xiang. He knew it. It was the wind blowing from the Xiang Mountain Secret Realm. At this very moment, she was holding her breath within the Secret Realm as she waited:
Waiting for him to begin this performance, waiting for him to draw forth enough power of faith to awaken Lord Xiang,