[player] As servants of the gods for thousands of years, shamans are said to have magical spiritual powers, the ability to communicate with ghosts and gods, and help people improve their lives while avoiding harm...
[player] ...passed down from generation to generation and cultivated in a closed environment, they learn divination, shamanic treatment methods, Nuo dances, blessing prayers, and more. Their skills, behaviors, and logic cannot be fully understood by modern science... therefore this is... one of the top ten ancient professions suitable for introverts... Hold on... seriously?
[-] I swipe my phone screen to take a closer look at the article featuring the keywords "Nanxiang Shaman." Finally I notice it titled "Where to Find the Magical Professions in One Han City," authored by Chihori Terasaki.
[player] After seeing this, I am no longer surprised by the unique perspective of the conclusion.
[-] From this point of view, A-Yuan's strange request seems to make sense...
[player] Is there anything I can do to help?
[A-Yuan] There really is something that I need you to do for me.
[A-Yuan] Please bring me two bowls of the signature spicy beef noodles of Nanxiang Beef Noodle Restaurant tomorrow. They need to have scallions and cilantro and be spicy enough for locals to enjoy them. I also want a plate of pickled radish, two plates of golden beans, and three servings of chopped celery. Thank you.
[player] Huh? Um... okay...
[-] Although I don't understand the logical relationship between bowls of signature spicy beef noodles and being able to invite the ancestors successfully for the ritual, I decide to leave this matter to the professional. A good supervisor only needs to be fully supportive.
[Employee] Here you go! Your two bowls of signature spicy beef noodles to go are ready!
[player] Thanks...! Why is this so heavy?
[Employee] I heard that these two bowls of beef noodles were to be taken to the Ancestral Hall, so we put some extra snacks in the bag.
[player] Why?
[Employee] Well, didn't our manager get into an argument with the shaman yesterday? These snacks are an apology gift to appease her. Please help us ensure the ritual is successful!
[-] The employee holds my hand tightly while saying this, and the other employees who are working hard around me also look at me expectantly... Suddenly, I feel like I'm not holding two bowls of beef noodles...
[-] What I'm holding is the weight of the people's expectations! My newfound sense of purpose fires me up.
[player] Leave it to me! I'll definitely deliver this warmth to A-Yuan personally!
[-] Ancestral Hall
[player] A-Yuan isn't here?
[-] My new goal fails almost as quickly as I set it. I rush to the Ancestral Hall as quickly as I can, only to find out that Hua Yuqing is the only one there.
[-] Today, Hua Yuqing is wearing a white silk qipao and sporting a more gentle-looking side ponytail instead of yesterday's double buns. Her facial features are as delicate as ever, but her temperament seems slightly different. Even her eyes look a little darker...
[Hua Yuqing] Oh, Bamboo Cloud's Deity Puppet Artisan is sick, and A-Yuan has gone to visit her.
[player] I see... Sorry, Deity Puppet Artisan you say?
[Hua Yuqing] ...
[Hua Yuqing] As the name suggests, they are artisans who make deity puppets. They pass their skills down from generation to generation.
[player] Thanks for telling me that. Um...
[player] Hua Yuqing, you... seem a little different from yesterday.
[Hua Yuqing] Is that so...?
[Hua Yuqing] Maybe it's due to the change in my hairstyle and clothing. As an opera actress, I tend to subconsciously change the way I speak according to what I'm wearing.
[player] I see, you're such an amazing opera actress.
[Hua Yuqing] Haha, you sure are interesting.
[???] PLAYER! You really make me speechless!
[-] Suddenly, a girl who has the same facial features as Hua Yuqing appears from the next room. She gives me the same familiar feeling from yesterday.
[player] Hua Yuqing? You're... twins?
[Hua Yuqing] That's right. Well, do I look like my older sister?
[player] Um, yes, but your personality...
[Hua Yuqing] WHAT ABOUT IT?
[???] Yuqing, don't be rude.
[???] Let me introduce myself. I'm Hua Yubai, the acting leader of the Floating Dreams theater. As you can see, I'm also Yuqing's twin sister.
[player] Hi, I'm PLAYER.
[Hua Yubai] Yuqing was just telling me about you at home last night. I didn't think I would get to meet you in person today.
[Hua Yuqing] We know each other now, so let's just skip the pleasantries. Shall we go look for A-Yuan now?
[Hua Yuqing] Yubai and I need to talk to her about something too, so instead of just waiting here for who knows how long... why don't we just go to her?
[player] But I don't know where the Deity Puppet Artisan lives.
[Hua Yubai] I know.
[Hua Yuqing] The stars have aligned! Let's go!
[-] Leave the Ancestral Hall and go with the twin sisters.
[player] Hua Yubai and Hua Yuqing are the leading actresses of the Floating Dreams theater. The twins have rekindled the interest of young people in One Han City in opera with their mesmerizing performances... Opera actors and actresses are trained and raised in a theater since youth. This profession is another top ten ancient professions suitable for introverts...
[-] On the way to the Deity Puppet Artisan's home, I open the article called "Where to Find the Magical Professions in One Han City" again.
[player] ...If I kept reading this article, I would have read the introduction about you two.
[player] What brings you two to the Ancestral Hall today...?
[Hua Yubai] Bamboo Cloud invited Floating Dreams to perform at the anniversary celebration, and White Snake will be performed at Ms. Minami's request. However, she wants it to be adapted to better reflect Nanxiang's culture.
[Hua Yuqing] So we've been reading lots of information about Nanxiang recently and came up with an idea that we wanted to discuss with A-Yuan today.
[player] No wonder you knew so much about the ritual yesterday.
[Hua Yuqing] I know way more than that. You can ask me anything you want to know. Even if I don't know the answer, I'm sure my sister would know.
[Hua Yubai] Yuqing...
[Hua Yuqing] Hehe.
[player] In that case, can you tell me what the deity puppets you mentioned earlier are used for?
[Hua Yuqing] The ancestors will need a vessel to return to the world. You can think of these deity puppets as their temporary bodies in the human world.
[Hua Yubai] The Nanxiang people believe that the spirits of their ancestors will possess these deity puppets and observe the human world during the parade.
[Hua Yuqing] Yes. They look like real people, and each one is at least half the height of a person. If you factor in the height of the people carrying them, they end up being around two to three meters tall! They are really impressive!
[player] It looks like I still have lots to learn.
[Hua Yuqing] Pfft! As they say, you can never be too old to learn. I'll teach you opera singing next time. Opera culture is incredibly profound too.
[Hua Yubai] We're here. They should be in the house up ahead.
[-] We pass through winding streets and alleys and arrive at an old house hidden at the end of an alley on Champion Street. After noticing us, a girl in plain clothes comes to greet us from the door.
[Girl in Plain Clothes] Miss A-Yuan told me to wait here because some people might come here to see her. I'm Xiaoyun, a Deity Puppet Artisan of Bamboo Cloud. Please follow me.
[-] Following Xiaoyun inside, I see countless sticks of bamboo covering the courtyard of this old house. Some are fully intact, and some have been cut into bamboo strips. There are even some semi-finished bamboo weavings, which look vaguely like puppets.
[Xiaoyun] This giant bamboo is used to make the frame of deity puppets because it is both lightweight and flexible.
[-] Xiaoyun shares her knowledge with us as she takes us across the patio to a large hall.
[Xiaoyun] Please wait here for a moment. As we store the deity puppets here, there are no open flames or electrical wiring, which means it's very dim here. I'll get some flashlights.
[-] We wait at the entrance of the hall after Xiaoyun rushes off. After my eyes adjust to the dim environment, I find myself enchanted by the breathtaking scene before me.
[-] Many tall deity puppets are lined up solemnly in the hall. Some look benevolent and solemn, while others glare angrily. Looking up at them is akin to looking into the eyes of gods in the heaven. In the dim light, it feels like a powerful force is pressing all onlookers to lower their heads and look away...
[Hua Yuqing] Ah! {var:Shake}
[-] Hua Yuqing suddenly screams and grabs my hand, pulling herself close to me in fear.
[Hua Yuqing] D-Did that deity puppet just move...?
[player] Hey, don't joke about that here... AHHH! I saw it too! It really moved!
[Hua Yubai] ...Shush.
[-] While Hua Yuqing and I are screaming and hugging each other, Hua Yubai walks forward calmly to take a closer look at the deity puppet that seemed to move and lifts a piece of its clothing.
[-] A faint light shines through the darkness as a slightly dusty makeup-free face looks out innocently.
[Hua Yubai] ...Is that you, A-Yuan?
[A-Yuan] Oh, you're here.
[Hua Yubai] Um, what were you doing in there?
[A-Yuan] I was checking the deity puppets for damage. PLAYER, I think I know why the ritual failed. Come and take a look.
[-] A-Yuan shines the flashlight inside a deity puppet, revealing a frame made of woven bamboo under the gorgeous clothes. Although the deity puppet looks intact on the surface, the bamboo frame inside is partially rotten and broken.
[player] This looks like the work of insects...
[A-Yuan] Yes. It rained for an entire month during the rainy season of One Han City not too long ago. That must be when the insects caused this damage...
[???] Who let you in here?
[-] Hearing the scolding of an old lady at the door, we turn around to see that Xiaoyun has returned with an old lady who looks unwell and coughs from time to time.
[-] The hall becomes much brighter after Xiaoyun turns on the flashlight she has with her.
[Xiaoyun] Granny, these people are Miss A-Yuan's friends.
[A-Yuan] I'm sorry, Granny Yun. I didn't want to disturb you because Xiaoyun said you were sick. That's why I didn't get to tell you that I asked my friends to come and help me.
[Granny Yun] Hmph! Don't listen to her. I'm not sick.
[Hua Yuqing] Huh? But you've been coughing the whole time. It looks like you have a cold.
[Granny Yun] Nonsense! *coughs*... *coughs*...
[Hua Yuqing] ...
[A-Yuan] Granny Yun, I know what's going on here in the hall now. Let's discuss the specifics in another room.
[-] We help Granny Yun to her bedroom.
[A-Yuan] The quaint room is filled with bamboo crafts of all shapes and sizes, and their natural movement and realistic attention to detail are a testament to the ingenuity of their creators. Sitting on the bed, Granny Yun sighs while holding A-Yuan with both hands.
[Granny Yun] Sigh, so it really is because of the deity puppets.
[Granny Yun] The truth is that I already noticed what was wrong with the deity puppets a while ago, but the giant bamboo we need for the repairs is only available in Nanxiang. It has been raining heavily recently, and the young ones are all too scared to go into the mountains.
[Granny Yun] I can't possibly sit here and do nothing with the parade coming up, so I went back and asked some trustworthy old friends to cut some bamboo in the mountains. Due to some delays here and there... I didn't get back until yesterday.
[A-Yuan] I knew it, Xiaoyun already told me that. It must have been tough. It really is dangerous to go into the mountains when it's raining. Please let me know the next time this happens so I can tell Ms. Fuuka. I'm sure she will know a safer way of going about it.
[Granny Yun] Yes... I admit that I was acting rashly... Sigh, well, you were right. It was really dangerous in the mountains, and I wonder if I provoked an evil spirit because I've had a headache, fever, and body pain since I returned... I even have trouble standing...
[Hua Yuqing] (whisper) Yubai... why do I feel like provoking evil spirits isn't the kind of danger A-Yuan was talking about...
[Hua Yubai] (whisper) ...Shush.
[Granny Yun] That's why I've asked you to come today to help me drive away the evil spirit... or else we won't be able to repair the deity puppets in time.
[Hua Yuqing] Granny, it sounds like you are experiencing a fever from a cold. It's better to see a doctor quickly...
[Granny Yun] Nonsense! I've always been healthy, not to mention that I have the protection of the ancestors. How can a little rain make me sick? Like my granddaughter, you young people simply don't show enough respect to the gods.
[player] That's not true... Granny Yun...
[Xiaoyun] (whisper) ...That's enough. She won't listen to you.
[-] Xiaoyun's facial expression tells me that she has had many similar exchanges with Granny Yun before.
[A-Yuan] Granny Yun, I understand that situation now. Please sit down so I can take a closer look.
[Granny Yun] Thanks, A-Yuan.
[-] A-Yuan helps Granny Yun lie down, then she closes her eyes and raises her head like she is praying. After a while, she opens her eyes.
[Granny Yun] A-Yuan, what did the ancestors say?
[A-Yuan] Granny Yun, what you're experiencing is the magical powers of the ancestors, not the powers of an evil spirit.
[Granny Yun] What? Don't tell me... Are the ancestors angry because I haven't taken good care of the deity puppets?
[A-Yuan] It's the exact opposite. Having sensed your piety, the ancestors have used their magical powers because they can't bear to see you working so hard. They want me to tell you to take care of yourself and stop wearing yourself out.
[Granny Yun] R-Really...?
[A-Yuan] Granny Yun, don't you believe me?
[Granny Yun] Of course I believe you. You've never been wrong about anything as our shaman. Of course I believe you! Hmm... I understand now. I thank the ancestors for their benevolence...
[-] Xiaoyun thanks A-Yuan under her breath, then she helps Granny Yun take her medicine. After A-Yuan comes back to us, I can't resist the urge to give her a thumbs up.
[player] (whisper) Well done, A-Yuan! You managed to convince Granny Yun to get some rest with your white lie!
[A-Yuan] (whisper) I wasn't lying. All ancestors care about their descendants. If they notice their descendants tiring themselves out for their sake, I'm sure they will want their descendants to take good care of themselves.
[A-Yuan] (whisper) Hehe, so I wasn't really lying to her. I just conveyed the true thoughts of the ancestors based on my years of understanding and experiences with them.
[player] (whisper) You're acting without their permission though.
[A-Yuan] (whisper) PLAYER, don't you do the same? I doubt you ask Ms. Fuuka for her opinion every time you need to do something. When you do the right thing, you're solving the problem for your boss. It's only called acting without permission when you do the wrong thing.
[player] (whisper) ...I see.
[Granny Yun] A-Yuan...
[-] Granny Yun finishes taking her medicine during this time.
[Granny Yun] I just can't stop worrying about it. The deity puppets still haven't been fixed. Are you sure the ritual won't be affected? Also, what will we do about the parade...
[A-Yuan] Just relax and let me take care of that.
[A-Yuan] Granny Yun needs to rest, but it's true that the deity puppets need to be repaired, and Xiaoyun won't be able to do it by herself. Can you guys help her?
[player] Sure, I'll do anything you need me to do.
[Hua Yuqing] A-Yuan, you don't need to stand on ceremony with me.
[Hua Yubai] No problem. What do you need me to do?
[-] As the sky gets dark, inside her room, Granny Yun scrutinizes us while sitting cross-legged at the head of her bed.
[Granny Yun] Did you just say that you want these outsiders to learn how to fix deity puppets?
[A-Yuan] Yes, Granny Yun. I'll help too.
[-] To our surprise, A-Yuan wants us to learn how to repair the deity puppets with Xiaoyun. Although we're happy to help, Granny Yun seems to have some reservations about this suggestion...
[Granny Yun] The art of making and repairing deity puppets has always been passed down from generation to generation in Nanxiang since the time of our ancestors. To ask some outsiders for help is a little...
[Granny Yun] Sigh... I'm embarrassed to say this... but it looks like we'll need your help.
[player] Phew...
[Granny Yun] But... I need to ask you some basic questions first. I won't teach you anything if you get them wrong.
[player] Okay, ask ahead!
[Granny Yun] Question one... Do you know the identity of the ancestors worshiped by the Nanxiang people?
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