The Shadow of the Nuo Opera Mask

Gu Ying learned Nuo opera from her grandfather. He always warned her, “Never wear a Nuo opera mask after midnight, or the ‘Mask Shadow’ will latch onto you.” After he died, she was sorting through the masks when she found a red one she’d never seen before. Inside it were the words “Save me,” and its pattern was identical to the design her grandfather had drawn on a piece of paper shortly before his death.

An old village performer told her, “Your grandfather’s consciousness is sealed inside this mask. Back then, he sealed his soul in it to suppress the evil lurking in the village.” Following the performer’s instructions, Gu Ying puts on the red mask at midnight. Suddenly, she sees her grandfather’s figure. “The evil is about to break free. You’re the only one who can wear the mask and finish the exorcism dance.” That night, the village shrine suddenly lights up. Wearing the red mask, Gu Ying dances the Nuo opera, and the patterns on the mask slowly transform into exorcism runes.