The focus could now shift to how Hu Tao handles this unexpected interruption of her "marketing" experiment, or perhaps explore the perspective of the guest who has stumbled upon this mystical performance.
It wasn't a contract or a burial rite, but a series of cryptic instructions titled "Misemono"—the art of the spectacle.
As she recited the incantations, the air grew thick and humid. The ritual wasn't meant to summon spirits, but to heighten the senses and "unmask the hidden nature of the performer." Hu Tao felt a strange, tingling warmth spreading from her fingertips. Her usual playfully sharp wit softened into something more fluid, more magnetic.
The atmosphere at the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor was uncharacteristically heavy, even for a place of rest. Hu Tao, the ever-energetic Director, found herself staring at a peculiar, ancient scroll discovered during a routine clearing of a "difficult" client’s estate.
Driven by her trademark curiosity and a desire to drum up business through "unconventional marketing," Hu Tao decided to perform the scroll’s ritual. She set up a private stage in the back of the parlor, lighting silk-red incense that smelled of Jueyun Chili and old paper.
She began a dance, not the usual rhythmic tapping of her polearm, but a slow, hypnotic movement that mirrored the flickering shadows on the walls. The "Misemono" effect began to take hold: her traditional garb felt tighter, more restrictive, and her skin glowed with a soft, ethereal light.
As the ritual reached its crescendo, the heavy parlor doors creaked open, breaking the rhythmic silence. A draft of cool night air rushed in, clashing with the heavy scent of incense and causing the lanterns to flicker violently. A familiar figure stood silhouetted against the moonlight, watching the strange spectacle in silence.