New Year's Day, early morning.
At the ancestral altar of Meishan, in front of Zhang Wulang's statue, Fu Yao and Long Tang led thousands of navy troops from ten clans and seven tribes, conducting the grand sacrificial ritual. The ceremony was an annual tradition, though not typically held on New Year's Day. However, in response to the state's call to enhance the festive atmosphere, they adapted accordingly.
On the table were ritual offerings of three livestock and six animals, along with various tributes. Incense and candles burned, smoke curling into the air.
Fu Yao shook a bell in her left hand, dipped her right hand into a bowl of water, and transformed it into a longsword. With one precise motion, she lifted a talisman, and with a soft "pop," clouds surged from all directions, rolling and shifting to envelop the entire site.
