Story

Grand Nuo Ritual

jianghu-legacy released imperial-palace lost-chapter nuo-ritual harmonizer healer-career

Summary

Kaifeng Lost Chapter at the Imperial Palace — heal Priestess Zhu En, perform the Nuo exorcism dance, and lay the echoing voices of Kaifeng's war-dead to rest.

Characters

Young Master of Heaven's Pier

Independent qinghe

The player character - infant rescued by Uncle Jiang and raised by Aunt Han at Blissful Retreat. After Heaven's Pier falls, the Young Master becomes a wandering xiake whose true origin remains unknown.
Zhu En

Imperial Palace kaifeng

Frail priestess of the Grand Nuo exorcism rite — her name invokes Rao Er, the filial-piety folk goddess of the Tang.

Connections

Story Prerequisite Throne and Tempest Unlocks Grand Nuo Ritual

Synopsis

Northeast of Wenming Hall, imperial guards rehearse the Grand Nuo — a Song-era exorcism rite where masked soldiers embody gods and demons to cleanse the palace of restless spirits. Attendant Chen Li brings word that Priestess Zhu En is coughing blood; only a Healer-career protagonist can treat her.[spoiler]Zhu En's name traces to Rao Er, a Tang folk figure deified for filial piety — which explains her frail frame and her role as invoker rather than warrior. After healing her, the ritual proceeds at Zi hour in the Narrow Hall: six preparation steps, divination with the Chief Eunuch, two exorcism dances with golden-spear guards, and a final Nuo performance. During the ceremony the protagonist hears voices of the dead — but Zhu En reframes them not as ghosts demanding gods, but as echoes of generations of warfare that have not yet faded. The harmonizer cosmology Qi Shen introduced in Qinghe returns: the world is structured as music, and laying souls to rest is an act of tuning dissonant history back into rhythm. The third eye on the Nuo mask opens briefly — Tianyan vision — before the echoes dissolve.[/spoiler]

Key Events

Observe guard rehearsal northeast of Wenming Hall boundary stone
Speak with Yan Yi and Chen Li about the failing ritual
Find and heal Zhu En using the Healer career and Wind Sense treatment
Wait until Zi hour and enter the Narrow Hall
Complete six ritual preparation steps
Perform the Nuo exorcism dance with masked imperial guards
Hear and harmonize the voices of the war-dead
Receive Demon Queller appearance and Echo Jade rewards

Outcomes & Revelations

Grand Nuo ritual completed; palace echoes laid to rest
Demon Queller cosmetic appearance unlocked
Harmonizer / rhythm-of-the-world framework reinforced for Imperial Palace arc
Echo Jade progression rewards granted

Gameplay Notes

Requires Character Lv. 32, Kaifeng Main Chapter I, Throne and Tempest completion, and Healer career unlocked. Time-skip to Zi hour required. Ritual segment is performance-based — follow Zhu En's six preparation prompts, then complete two Nuo dances and a final exorcism sequence.