Welcome Ceremony (Thanks to Dream's Mistake for the Three Love-Powered Gifts, Thank You)
"It's not that dancing can kill, nor is it the power of masks. How should I put it? Nuo Dance and Shu Illusory Mask Sect Nuo Mask essentially a manifestation of power, using the power of prayer. The stronger a person's belief and the more people pray, the stronger its power becomes. This is somewhat different from the Shu Illusory Mask Sect in Sichuan Province, which emphasizes performance. The more convincing your performance, the stronger your power. But both are derivatives of Nuo culture."
"The masks of the Ling Nuo Lü Mansion are divided into four categories: righteous gods, fierce gods, mortals, and animals. You will learn about this later. Their usual cultivation involves mastering these masks, using dance to enter the Dao, and using masks to carry the gods. The more ordinary masks one can master, the stronger one's power will be. The legendary Heaven-Joining Nuo could master all masks, including those of righteous gods. Unfortunately, such a genius has not appeared for a long time."
Hermione absorbed the knowledge here with fervor. She found the East University incredibly interesting. The system here was so diverse, completely different from the Europe Ministry of Magic, where magic was only cast using wands. But at the East University, everything Eight Gates, with all sorts of things.
"Is the dancing ritual the same as the one you did in the Map of Mountains and Seas last time?"
"You could say it's all part of the culture... but their place is the professional one. I was just having Harry do some real shamanistic rituals. Actually, the Weasley twins don't need to keep kowtowing. Don't tell them any of this..."
Su Yu winked at Hermione, which made Hermione and Ginny burst into laughter.
The welcome party that Ling Nuo Lü Mansion held for Su Yu and his group was very impressive. When Su Yu and his party pushed open the gate and entered the Daoist temple, a big fire suddenly broke out in the center of the courtyard, illuminating the entire night sky.
The surrounding mountains and forests were completely silent, with only the flickering Kakkō on the incense table casting long, distorted shadows of the Nuo Lord and Nuo Mother statues.
Dozens of camphor wood Nuo Mask were neatly arranged against the wall, their deep-set eye sockets outlined in cinnabar and their fangs covered in years of black ash. They stared silently at Su Yu and his group at the door, like a group of dormant, yet-to-awaken Yin spirits.
A thick layer of ashes from paper money covered the bluestone slabs, and the thick smoke from incense lingered, drifting on the ground and pressing down on people's chests, making them feel suffocated.
The dull, rumbling sound of the cowhide drum suddenly erupted without warning, startling Ginny and the other girls who screamed and hid behind Su Yu, only their heads peeking out. The drumbeats came one after another, so slow they were agonizing, interspersed with the cold, crisp clinking of cymbals, sending chills down everyone's spines.
The abbot, dressed in a faded dark red robe, his face hidden in the shadow of his towering crown, played a long, mournful tune on his ox horn. The sound swirled around the roof beams, indistinguishable as either a human voice or the wailing of a spirit.
Eight dark figures slowly emerged from the wooden doors on either side. Each person wore a heavy wooden Nuo Mask, with black gauze curtains hanging from the edges of the masks, completely covering their necks, revealing no trace of human life.
The masks, with their blue faces, fangs, and fierce eyes, gleamed with a dark, wooden sheen in the flickering candlelight; none of them possessed the gentleness one would expect from a living person.
They wore old, gray-black cloth robes, with faded red ropes tied around their waists, and tightly gripped blackened peach wood cudgels in their hands. Their steps were slow and stiff, unlike the way ordinary people walk, as if they were puppets being pulled by invisible threads.
The group began to take the Yu Step, their feet landing heavily and silently, without a sound, except for the dull thud of sticks striking the stone slabs. They spun around in pairs, their wide robes sweeping across the incense ash on the ground, stirring up the thick smoke and cutting their figures into fragments. Their masks remained facing the incense table, their empty eye sockets seemingly spying on the filth wandering around them in the dark.
The drums and gongs suddenly quickened, and a dancer wearing Demon Nuo Mask stepped out of the formation, slamming his baggage heavily on the ground. He uttered a low, obscure ancient incantation, his voice hoarse and dry, unlike any human voice.
The other dancers then changed formations, circling the incense table in layers, their shadows overlapping and intertwining, creating the illusion of several non-existent phantoms at first glance.
In the center of the courtyard, a pile of red-hot charcoal Mars flickered. The dancer stepped barefoot into the sea of fire, the scorching heat hitting her face and Mars flying from her feet, yet not a single cry of pain could be heard.
The wooden doors on both sides creaked open once more, and three more stagnant black figures slowly emerged—the three guardians of the Official Generals' Altar Patrol.
The White Crane Youth leading the way wore a plain white robe, his pale crane -Nuo Mask mask with hollow eyes, and wisps of incense smoke seeping from his head. He lightly touched the ground with one foot and stepped out with the Heavenly Dipper Step, Guiding Seal with one hand. The white silk fluttered without wind, and the mask slowly scanned the surroundings. Wherever his gaze fell, the candlelight suddenly dimmed.
The two generals, Zeng and Sun, stood on the left and right respectively, their menacing aura overwhelming.
The General Zeng on the left, with his crimson Nuo Mask and ferocious fangs, wore a red robe and a bronze tiger plaque. The iron chains in his hands jingled as he strode forward, shaking up incense ash. He slapped the tiger plaque against his chest and abdomen, and roared to disperse the surrounding foul air.
The General Sun on the right, with a dark and fierce face, wore a black robe embroidered with blood-red talismans. He gripped a three-pronged iron halberd tightly, his steps were ruthless, and the tip of the halberd Cleansweep the cold wind with a whistling sound. He clapped a burning token in his palm, dedicated to apprehending evil spirits that cause chaos.
The White Crane Youth led the way from the center, with the two generals, Zeng and Sun, positioned on either side to protect him. They stepped out in unison with precise Yu Step, their chins hidden by black veils, their hollow eyes scanning every shadowy spot.
What a wonderful Nuo Opera! What a magnificent Heavenly Official Generals' Patrol! Su Yu and the Kurama led the applause and cheers, only to be glared at by the White Crane Youth, whose pupils bulged out, though he quickly returned to normal.
"Su Yu, he's glaring at me!"
Kurama complained to Su Yu, "No, there are so many people here, why are you glaring at me? What did I do to you?"
"Giving you a glare is already being lenient. If I hadn't discovered you weren't carrying any vengeful spirits, General Sun would have given you a whack with his fork. You're full of malevolent energy, and you're a demon at that. Who else would he glare at if not you? He usually only kills, he doesn't save. He's in a good mood today, so he didn't take you away."
Su Yu rolled her eyes at Kurama. This little brat, she told her to step back and stop being so eager to join in the fun, but she wouldn't listen. She stuck her head out to peek, as if afraid others wouldn't realize she was a demon.
This welcoming ceremony was quite an eye-opener for Malfoy and his companions. What was supposed to be a demon-slaying ritual looked more eerie and terrifying than seeing a ghost.
"We should really invite them back; they could definitely cleanse our school of all those ghosts."
Blaise clicked his tongue and sighed.
"If you put it that way, then Peeves should be the first to kowtow and admit his mistake, because he committed the biggest offense..."
Callis made a joke.
"Welcome, welcome, dear guests who have traveled from afar."
The main hall of the Daoist temple opened, and a kind-looking old man came out, leading the temple's disciples to Su Yu and his companions.
"May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings; Li Guanfu."
Zhang Qinwan wrapped her left hand around her right hand and clasped her hands in a fist salute.
"This is Li Guanfu of the Ling Nuo Lü Mansion."
Then, Zhang Qinwan began introducing everyone, and Grindelwald followed her Zhang Qinwan and made the same gesture.
"That's what you call classy. Their skills are obviously profound and unfathomable. What do we say at East University? They have the air of immortals! And look at ours, is it like Dumbledore Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans?"
Young Master Malfoy made a sarcastic remark and almost received a sharp rap on the head from Grindelwald.