Under One Person: The Taoist Priest Descends the Mountain

Xia He couldn't help but interject, "Grandpa Xia, what you're saying still requires you to first sense the Qi and understand those rules before you can do it, right? It's still useless for the little Taoist."

"Don't rush, little seedling, I haven't finished yet." Xia Liuqing chuckled, his mustache twitching slightly. "In ancient times, the cultivation system was far less sophisticated than it is now. Nuo dance didn't represent any specific deity, but rather symbolized a more abstract divine essence of heaven and earth."

He paused, then continued, "Wearing such a Nuo mask during Nuo dance is a process of guiding participants to experience that divine charm. Legend has it that some high priests, after donning the Nuo mask, became the representatives of that region, able to command wind, rain, thunder, and lightning."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Mo and Xia He were both taken aback, their expressions showing emotion.

Xia He exclaimed in amazement, "This...this is the true power of a god?"

Xia Liuqing shook her head: "From what I know, I'm more inclined to believe that this is an exaggerated description by the ancients. After all, in our time, if any ordinary person were to take a submachine gun back to that era, they would probably be regarded as the reincarnation of Thor."

Cheng Mo seemed to understand Xia Liuqing's line of thinking: "What the old man means is... he wants me to try playing the role of a deity? To trigger inner understanding through external imitation and rituals?"

Xia He blinked and blurted out, "Huh? Isn't this just like the house we played as kids? Wearing a mask and pretending to be a god?"

Xia Liuqing chuckled: "Little seedling, what are you saying? I'm just playing the role of a god, aren't I?"

Xia He ran over and shook his arm, acting coquettishly: "Grandpa Xia, how can you be the same? You have your own methods and great abilities. If a little Taoist priest were to learn from you, wouldn't he just be playing house like a little kid?"

Xia Liuqing stroked his beard: "Of course, acting blindly won't work. As I just said, some Nuo masks don't have a specific deity in mind, but rather imitate the spirit of heaven and earth. Young Cheng, try to understand the spirit of heaven and earth from these Nuo masks; perhaps that will unlock the treasure within you."

Cheng Mo seemed to be thinking, "Does the old man mean I should learn from the Nuo opera troupe?"

Xia Liuqing shook her head: "It's not about having you join a troupe to perform on stage, but about learning how to make Nuo masks."

Cheng Mo was taken aback: "...This should be an industry secret, right? You can just teach me like that?"

Xia Liuqing waved her hand: "Of course you can't go by yourself. With this old man leading the way, there won't be any problem."

Xia He immediately thanked him sweetly, "Thank you, Grandpa Xia~"

Cheng Mo also bowed respectfully: "Thank you, sir."

Xia Liuqing suddenly sighed: "Actually, I don't know whether the ancient Nuo opera has evolved or degenerated into the modern-day changyou (a type of folk opera). Nuo opera can perform strange phenomena of heaven and earth, while we changyou can only cultivate the gods we worship."

Cheng Mo comforted him, "It must be that some ancient Nuo master found that his apprentice couldn't learn the profound ones, so he simplified them."

Xia Liuqing: "..." This kid really has a unique way of comforting people.

Xia He patted Cheng Mo and said earnestly to Xia Liuqing, "Grandpa Xia, I think that whether you are playing a deity or a god, the most important thing is that people don't lose their sense of awe."

"In ancient times, high priests wore masks to communicate with heaven and earth. Now you wear a mask to invite the gods into the play. In the end, it's all about people wanting to get closer to those grand things. As long as the intention is there, the path is not wrong."

Xia Liuqing glanced at Xia He, the melancholy in her eyes fading slightly. She chuckled softly, shook her head, and led the two away from the brick kiln.

On the way, Old Man Xia introduced to the two that there were several skilled Nuo mask craftsmen in the Tongren area, who not only supplied the local area of ​​Guizhou, but also Nuo opera troupes from Hunan, Anhui and other places often came to purchase them.

As I was walking, I heard a familiar commotion ahead.

The three of them looked in the direction of the sound and happened to pass by the temporary residence of the Nuo opera troupe where Wang Zhenqiu was.

In the courtyard, Wang Zhenqiu was standing in a horse stance with a bowl of water balanced on his head.

Master An paced back and forth in front of him, his face stern: "This is how you practice the basics! Keep your back straight! If you spill a drop of water, you have to practice for an extra half hour!"

Wang Zhenqiu still joked, "Master... I feel like this bowl is targeting me..."

"Enough nonsense!" A young apprentice beside him suppressed a laugh and deliberately poked him in the side with a feather duster. "It's wobbling! Add another fifteen minutes!"

"Hey, no, no! I can stay still! I can stay still!" Wang Zhenqiu immediately grimaced and adjusted his posture, the water above his head shaking violently, barely managing not to spill.

In another corner of the courtyard, several apprentices cleaning up props chuckled. One of them whispered, "That blond guy wanted to help us paint masks yesterday, but he ended up painting himself into a clown cat and had to wash himself in three big basins of water..."

The three of them watched quietly for a moment from the corner of the alley. Xia Liuqing shook his head: "That bastard." But the corners of his mouth were turned up.

Cheng Mo noticed his expression and asked, "It seems the old man really thinks highly of Qiu'er and wants to take him on as his apprentice?"

Xia Liuqing waved his hand: "I'll pass on my skills to someone else, but it's not good to take them to my grave."

Cheng Mo remained silent.

Judging from Xia Liuqing's words, she wanted Wang Zhenqiu to inherit her skills, but not to formally become her disciple, thus avoiding any master-disciple relationship.

He couldn't understand why that scoundrel-like appearance was so popular with the older generation.

Xia He blurted out, "Grandpa Xia, aren't you being a little too nice to that blondie?"

Xia Liuqing laughed heartily: "If the little seedling is willing to learn, this old man is even more willing to teach her!"

Xia He stuck out her tongue: "I'm already too busy practicing with the little Taoist priest~"

Xia Liuqing was not annoyed, and even somewhat gratified: "Taoist cultivation methods that combine the cultivation of body and mind are indeed more reliable."

The three of them did not linger and continued on their way. After walking for a while, they even left the city and walked about three miles along the dirt road until they arrived at a quiet little village.

At the end of the village stood an old ancestral hall, and Xia Liuqing led the two straight inside.

The ancestral hall was dimly lit, and two people were working inside.

A middle-aged man in his forties was engrossed in carving, while a young man in his early twenties was polishing a half-finished product beside him.

The middle-aged man looked up at the sound of footsteps, saw Xia Liuqing, and quickly put down his carving knife and stood up: "Uncle Xia, what brings you here?"

Xia Liuqing waved her hand and pointed to Cheng Mo: "This is Cheng Mo. He wants to learn how to make Nuo noodles. You can teach him."

He then turned to introduce Lin Yongnian to Cheng Mo and the other person, "This is Lin Yongnian. His family has been making Nuo noodles since his grandfather's generation. It's a decades-old craft, and he has captured the essence of it."

Cheng Mo bowed and said, "Uncle Lin, thank you for your trouble."

Lin Yongnian repeatedly said "You're too kind," but couldn't help looking at Cheng Mo with curiosity: "Young Master Cheng, are you also a performer?"

Cheng Mo's heart skipped a beat. Could this Master Lin also be an extraordinary person?

However, he didn't ask any further questions, but simply shook his head: "No, it's just that I've encountered some obstacles in my cultivation and want to apply them to other areas."

Xia Liuqing patted Lin Yongnian on the shoulder: "This kid is no ordinary superhuman. Just teach him what you know, no need to hold back."

Lin Yongnian immediately said he understood.

Xia Liuqing waved her hand: "Little Hemiao, let Cheng boy figure it out here by himself. Accompany this old man for a stroll around the neighborhood."

"Okay~" Xia He gave Cheng Mo an encouraging look, and then followed Xia Liuqing out of the ancestral hall.

Cheng Mo withdrew his gaze and turned to Lin Yongnian.

Lin Yongnian didn't say much, but pointed to the worktable: "We've just reached the second step, shaping and shaping the clay. Please take a look, Brother Cheng."

A piece of blank material that had been air-dried was fixed on the worktable, and the outline of a face could be roughly seen.

Lin Yongnian picked up a wide, flat chisel and explained while demonstrating: "In Nuo mask making, after selecting the materials and letting them air dry, the next step is to shape them. The positions of the facial features are determined, and the basic shape is roughly carved out. The force should be even, following the grain of the wood."

He lowered the chisel steadily, and sawdust fell in a flurry.

"The masks we make are different from ordinary handicrafts. When carving them, we need to infuse a trace of our intention into the wood grain with the carving knife, imagining the spirit they represent—"

"Whether it is majesty, compassion, or a certain atmosphere of heaven and earth, it is the foundation for a subtle resonance with the wearer in the future."

Cheng Mo watched intently without interrupting.

Seeing his focused expression, Lin Yongnian continued to explain, from rough carving to fine carving, from polishing to painting, pointing out the key points of each step, especially mentioning several crucial points that required coordinating with breathing rhythm, and when to calm the mind and meditate.

Cheng Mo listened attentively, nodding slightly at key points, his eyes following Lin Yongnian's movements as he silently memorized those key points.

So far, he hasn't grasped the mystery of the mask; perhaps things will be different once he gets his hands on it.