Chapter 242: Drums, Shaman, Dance

Chapter 242: Drums, Shaman, DanceIt seemed as if the sun, absent for several days after the snow stopped, decided to show its face today, causing everyone's anticipation to rise. The sun's rays reflected off the pure white snow, creating a dazzling brightness that filled the air. However, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe paid no heed to this spectacle as they eagerly craned their necks to peer inside the house.

Inside the room stood the prominent figures of the Green Sparrow Tribe: the Divine Child, the shaman, the Eldest Senior Brother, Shang, and the Third Senior Brother.

In the center stood the Divine Child, holding two drumsticks, explaining something to the others, who nodded in understanding.

After a while, the Eldest Senior Brother emerged and instructed everyone outside to stand properly while the shaman donned his feather crown and grasped his bone staff.

Normally, the shaman would dance during ceremonies, but this time was evidently different.

The people of the Green Sparrow Tribe were not accustomed to lining up, and although they tried their best to stand in order, it was still chaotic, with some indistinct and discordant voices rising like mosquitoes buzzing.

"Boom!"

At that moment, a deep, muffled sound suddenly reverberated, exploding in their ears.

The shaman's body trembled, and his bone staff nearly slipped from his hand. The Eldest Senior Brother and others also started, even though the Divine Child had forewarned them; the sudden booming sound still stole their attention.

The buzzing outside ceased, and everyone fell silent, mouths agape in astonishment.

After a brief moment of stupefaction, feelings of surprise, panic, and fear emerged among them.

Some timid individuals trembled, while others gazed up at the sky.

The sky was clear, without a single cloud in sight

But where did this sudden thunderous sound come from?

The crowd was baffled, and their fear of the unknown only grew stronger.

"Boom!"

Amidst the crowd's uncertainty, another identical muffled sound reverberated.

Then came a series of "boom boom boom!"

There!

It was the Divine Child!

Inside the house, Han Cheng's sudden pounding of the drum had left the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang, who had been momentarily stunned, at a loss. They only remembered the Divine Child's instructions and quickly moved to stand on either side of the totem pole.

As they left, the obscured scene inside the house finally became clear to the people outside.

The Divine Child!

It was the Divine Child!

They thought to themselves.

The Divine Child stood there, holding a drumstick in each hand, vigorously striking the newly crafted drum, which he called a "god's drum."

With each strike of the drumstick, a humming sound reverberated, awe-inspiring and spine-chilling, reminiscent of thunder during a summer rain.

This belonged in the heavens, yet now, it was tamed by the Divine Child and brought to their Green Sparrow Tribe

At that moment, they suddenly felt an urge to worship.

To the gods, to the Divine Child, to this astonishing drum that could produce thunderthis was a thought they had never entertained during past ceremonies.

The shaman's aged cheeks turned pale, then flushed with excitement as he watched the Divine Child strike the drum, his body trembling with emotion.

Although he had previously learned about the drum's purpose and effects from the Divine Child, the power displayed by the drum at this moment far exceeded his imagination.

Like everyone else, he wondered if the Divine Child managed to capture the thunder from the heavens within this drum.

It seemed as if the sun, which hadn't shown its face for several days after the snowfall, was specifically waiting to witness the ritual of the Green Sparrow Tribe. Today, after hiding for days, its rays burst forth, casting a golden glow over the pristine white snow, creating a dazzling scene.

However, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe paid no heed to this spectacle. With hearts full of anticipation, they tiptoed and craned their necks to peer inside the house.

After a while, the Divine Child suddenly stopped.

The thunder ceased, and the world fell silent. Frowning, the Divine Child looked at the drum, muttering to himself.

The shaman, puzzled, stopped his impending dance and approached the Divine Child, wanting to know what had happened.

The Divine Child muttered, "This isn't right. The sound shouldn't be this soft"

The shaman froze, nearly stumbling.

My Divine Child, the sound was almost shaking the roof, and you still find it not loud enough?

Even the composed shaman didn't know how to express his feelings.

"Light a fire," Han Cheng said, breaking the silence after a moment of contemplation.

Two people were assigned to start the fire, and soon, a blaze crackled outside the door.

Following Han Cheng's instructions, the Eldest Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother, initially tasked with carrying the drum, took it outside.

They carried the drum with even greater reverence, mixed with awe, now that they knew its power.

As instructed by Han Cheng, they carefully placed one end of the drum over the burning fire, about twenty centimeters away, to let the heat seep into it.

After roasting for a while, they swapped ends as instructed by the Divine Child and then continued roasting.

The onlookers from the Green Sparrow Tribe were puzzled. Roasting food over a fire made sense, but why would the Divine Child want to roast a drum?

Of course, Han Cheng didn't intend to eat it. He remembered a method he had seen before to make the drum louder during cold weather.

As Li He wrote in "The Taoist Priest of Yanmen Pass": "With heavy frost, the drum's cold sound does not rise," and the Green Sparrow Tribe was just as cold now.

To make the drum louder, it was simpleheat it.

Once the fire heated the drum, it was carried back inside and placed on its stand. After signaling to the people inside, Han Cheng swung the drumstick down hard.

The skin covering the drum trembled rapidly, and a deep, thunderous boom reverberated from within the drum, spreading outward.

Both inside and outside the house, the people of the Green Sparrow Tribe shuddered, feeling as if the sound was exploding in their minds.

The shaman's eyes were filled with awe and worship, and his spirit trembled along with the resounding drumbeats. For a moment, he forgot to perform the ritual.

It was only when Han Cheng reminded him that he began to dance within the house, his movements more agile than ever before, flowing naturally like water. This old man, who had never successfully communicated with the heavenly gods, now felt a different connection amidst the thunderous drumbeats.

It seemed as if they were one step closer to the heavenly gods

Han Cheng knew little about drumming. He followed the rhythm he remembered: "Dong dong dong, dong dong dong, dong dong dong dong dong dong," occasionally drumming according to his mood. After all, whether anyone understood drumming or not, he was in charge here.

After the dance, the drumming temporarily ceased. Following previous instructions, the people gathered outside were separated, and the shaman, wearing his feathered crown and holding his bone staff, danced out of the house towards the cave entrance.

Next came the Second Senior Brother and Third Senior Brother, who carried the drum frame and the drum on top of it, and Divine Child, who carried the drumsticks and occasionally struck the drum as it was being carried low.

Following them were the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang, who carried the totem pole.

The rest followed behind the totem pole, heading towards the cave.

Inside the cave, amidst the booming drumbeats, the shaman danced around the totem pole, accompanied by the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang, who were carrying it, for three rounds, muttering something indistinctly.

After the three rounds, the totem pole was placed back in its original position.

A bonfire was lit, dispersing the darkness within the cave and illuminating everything.

Drumming was a strenuous activity, and Han Cheng was sweating by now.

Having had enough of drumming, he handed over the drumsticks to the idle Eldest Senior Brother.

The Eldest Senior Brother seemed hesitant because he desired to take on a more passive role; Han Cheng naturally didn't give him a chance to refuse.

After briefly explaining some simple drumming techniques, the drumsticks were in the hands of the Eldest Senior Brother.

The Eldest Senior Brother, gripping the drumsticks tightly, felt tense, excited, and a sense of sacred responsibility.

This was his first time participating in the ritual, not as a bystander.

Moreover, he would personally handle this object that could capture the sound of thunder

All of this filled him with excitement and anticipation.

Amidst the booming drumbeats, the ritual, different from before, began again.

Bows, arrows, and slings, the best offerings from the Green Sparrow Tribe to the heavenly gods, were respectfully placed on a stone platform in front of the totem pole.

Han Cheng, the pseudo-Divine Child, stood beside the totem pole as usual, enjoying the same treatment as the heavenly godsplaying the puppet role.

As the shaman danced and the drum thundered, the people sincerely thanked the heavenly gods for their blessings to the Green Sparrow Tribe and thanked the Divine Child for leading the Green Sparrow Tribe towards strength

With the drum's appearance, those participating in the ritual were more involved.

After a lively celebration, the ritual concluded, and the Eldest Senior Brother and Shang once again carried the totem pole back into the house.

Compared to the beginning, the ceremony seemed simpler and quieter.

Starting today, the ritual of the Green Sparrow Tribe was roughly divided into three stages: welcoming the gods, worshiping, and sending off the gods.

During these processes, the initial welcoming of the gods required the Divine Child to drum, the shaman to dance, and the chieftain and others to carry the totem pole where the gods resided.

During the worship, it was the chieftain who drummed

Compared to the shaman's solo dance in the past, this kind of ritual had more ceremony and allowed people to immerse themselves more fully.

It also highlighted the status of the Divine Child, shaman, and chieftain in the Green Sparrow Tribe.

Of course, these were just rough outlines, and new elements could be added as needed.