Chapter 148: Nuo Opera

They soon arrived at the Siji checkpoint. Unexpectedly, yet understandably, the checkpoint was manned by soldiers, seemingly to prevent spies. The entire border fortress was heavily guarded; even those entering showed little to no emotion on their faces. However, with the help of silver, the two groups successfully passed through the checkpoint.

Once they left Siji, a land of many rivers and lakes, the surroundings quickly became desolate. The trees gradually thinned out, giving way to the Gobi desert. By the evening of the tenth day, there were no trees left. The deeper they ventured, the more desolate it became. Li Huowang had already surmised that this was perhaps the true nature of Later Shu.

“Huuu~” Zhao Wu, on night watch, breathed out a puff of white air. He rubbed his numb, frozen hands and continuously blew warm air on them. It was almost early summer, so it shouldn't have been this cold. However, in this wild, remote place, without even rocks to block the wind and no firewood to start a fire, it was naturally bone-chilling. Turning his head, he glanced at Li Huowang, who was sleeping by the carriage, embracing Bai Lingmiao. Zhao Wu's eyes filled with deep envy. He looked down at his frail body, his eyes reflecting profound self-consciousness. He yearned for a wife, but as a good-for-nothing, no woman would ever want to be with him. He inhaled a breath of dry, cold air to clear his mind of drowsiness, then roused his spirits and practiced writing characters on the ground with a small stone. Some of these were taught by Senior Brother Li, while others he painstakingly persuaded Gao Zhijian to teach him.

“I must learn to read, I absolutely must!” Zhao Wu’s eyes were filled with determination. He wanted to prove to his father that he wasn't useless! Once he learned to read, he could one day be like the blind fortune tellers at the temple fairs, earning money by writing letters for others. As long as he learned to read, he could eventually read more books, pass the imperial examinations, and become a high-ranking official!

“By then…” Just as he was envisioning his future, he suddenly sensed someone behind him. This unusual shift instantly sent a chill through Zhao Wu. His body involuntarily began to tremble. Just as he steeled himself to loudly warn his fellow disciples, a hand without fingernails covered his mouth. “Don’t make a sound, it’s me!” Li Huowang’s voice quickly put Zhao Wu at ease. He whispered, “Senior Brother Li, what’s wrong?” He looked around; there was only the dark Gobi Desert, nothing else. “Shhh, something is approaching. I’ll try to see if it’s a living person first.”

Staring intently at one spot, Li Huowang cleared his throat, then suddenly shouted in that direction: “Three elders, four youths, lean on the path; a sea-stirring dragon swims out from the river. I wonder which trick you’re playing now?” Li Huowang’s voice echoed far into the empty desert, also waking the others. “Is the Spring Code open?” A voice, even hoarser than Li Huowang's, carried from a distance. “The Spring is open!” “Comrade, present the vine?” Li Huowang performed a Daoist salute in that direction. “A wondrous pagoda! Facing the green village, backed by sand! The hand-folding vine!” “So it’s Realized Master Li. Are you passing through or waiting?” “Just passing by. May I ask your esteemed surname, shopkeeper?”

After Li Huowang spoke, there was no longer any response. It wasn’t until dawn that Li Huowang realized the person had already left. “I didn’t expect the code language taught by Escort Leader Zhao to be so useful so soon,” Li Huowang murmured to himself. Although he had keenly sensed the person’s arrival last night, he couldn't discern whether it was a single individual or a group. Now, if a conflict could be resolved by merely speaking a few words, then that would be ideal. After all, no one knew if these unknown bandits had any hidden tricks up their sleeves.

When Scholar Lu learned of the night’s peril from Li Huowang, he was immediately struck by a wave of lingering fear. “Goodness gracious, we’ve only been here a short while, and already there are highwaymen. This Later Shu country doesn’t seem peaceful either.” Li Huowang picked up his belongings and sat up. “Regardless of whether it’s peaceful or not, we’re just passing through. Let’s hurry; if we press on today, we should be able to reach a town by nightfall.”

The rest of the journey was relatively normal; although the surroundings remained desolate, at least there were no more highwaymen. Just as Scholar Lu was lavishing praises on Li Huowang, they finally spotted signs of human habitation.

“Father, why is that horse so strange? Why does it have two bumps on its back?” asked Young Scholar Lu. “Are you stupid? That’s a camel!” “Jingle, jingle, jingle~” The camel bells continuously rang as the camel team slowly advanced along the hard road. Li Huowang glanced at the camel driver, noticing that his face was covered, seemingly to guard against sandstorms. The appearance of the camels seemed to be a signal; soon, more and more people began to gather.

Finally, Li Huowang and his companions reached the first town in Later Shu before nightfall. As soon as they entered the town, Li Huowang noticed the differences between the Later Shu people and the Siji people; both their architecture and their attire were rougher. He wasn’t sure if it was to protect against sandstorms, but many people in the town had their faces covered. However, this also had an advantage: the other disciples, who wore black veiled bamboo hats, wouldn't stand out as much here.

“Let’s go find an inn to stay in first. We’ve been traveling for over ten days; everyone needs to rest their feet.” The dusty and weary companions immediately showed expressions of relief. Days without firewood or water were truly unbearable. The group followed the others, blending into the town’s bustling crowds. From nearby stalls, the aroma of roasted foods and noodle soup tantalized everyone’s taste buds.

As they walked, they arrived at an open area that appeared to be the town’s center. The sounds of drums and gongs immediately drew everyone’s attention towards the crowded area. “This must be Nuo opera, right?” Li Huowang murmured to himself, watching the three figures leaping and dancing within the crowd. Shaking heads, twisting bodies, squatting and trembling, circling wrists, stepping, leaping and jumping. The three figures, their heads wrapped in red cloth and adorned with grotesque wooden masks, had extremely strange dance movements, as if performing actions beyond human imagination. Accompanying these bizarre dances were the chaotic rhythms of gongs and drums. And from time to time, a horn-like instrument would also make an appearance. The sound emanating from the black ox horn was like the wailing of a female ghost. The gongs, drums, and ghostly wails, combined with the grotesque dance, made Li Huowang feel increasingly uncomfortable. Yet, the people around him seemed to feel differently; they sat there, watching in captivated enchantment.

“What is this? Can this even be called an opera?” Scholar Lu, who was traveling with them, voiced his opinion with a look of disdain. No sooner had he spoken than the three figures twisted their bodies even more intensely. Accompanying their contortions, sharp white fangs trembled and extended from the mouths of their wooden masks. It wasn't just one or two, but a full sixteen fangs. All sixteen fangs trembled along with their Nuo opera performance. “This is… tooth artistry?” The three performers' tooth artistry was excellent. As Li Huowang watched the white fangs retracting and extending flexibly from their mouths, he almost believed they were genuinely growing from inside them.