Above the royal city, a corpse suddenly twitched.
It was the very player who had first lit the fuse of civil unrest in Biqu City. He slowly climbed to his feet, his face twisting until it became a painted opera mask slathered in thick greasepaint. The lines on this face were formed by countless, tiny, writhing runes. One eye was painted in a vicious sneer, while the other wept tears of blood, its corner drooping downward.
He was none other than Huodou, the "Jing" Pillar of the Floating Life Opera's "Four Great Pillars."
Around him, the members of the "Ensemble" who had previously been playing the roles of "imperial spies" and "concerned officials" also revealed their true forms. Their faces all transformed into various opera masks—some with mouths split open to their ears, others with eyes growing on their cheeks.
Several of the "Luogu Dan," wearing the opera masks of qingyi roles, let out shrill laughs as they teased one another.
