In the modern ruins where the moonlight withered and the temples collapsed, the spirits of the twelve zodiac animals who had been worshiped by incense reawakened, only to find that they had been abandoned by the rapidly iterating human civilization. They gathered in a deserted threshing floor, and under the meager moonlight once a year, they held a ridiculous and sad meeting to complain about the gods. From the old scalper's lament for the passing of the farming era, to the Jade Rabbit's fear of urban cages and laboratories; from Chen Long's detached observation of the changes in faith, to the cold and biting resentment of the snake and the crazy and shattered dream of glory of Wu Ma - every soul is telling its own path of "falling out of favor". They are not only the afterimages of traditional cultural symbols, but also metaphors for groups that have been crushed, consumed, and forgotten in the rapid transformation of contemporary society. This article uses the style of magical realism to weave a modern fable about memory, identity and value. It is full of irony and humor, but also imbued with deep regret and questioning. It is the first chapter of the "Twelve Zodiac Signs of Paradise Lost" series, thus starting a spiritual journey through ancient and modern times and interrogating existence.
