For the common people, the Wandering God festival is an incredibly grand event. To ensure it goes well, the procession teams will begin preparations and rehearsals more than a month, or even two months, in advance.
The event organizers will carefully select men and women, young and old, from the village who meet the requirements to form the procession team. The participants are responsible for carrying deity statues, holding ceremonial flags, playing gongs and drums, and more. Each person has a specific role, forming a professional and orderly procession.
With the changing times, the Divine Competition has also evolved significantly. The deities worshipped during the event are no longer just a few specific ones; instead, they vary from place to place.
With Wenchu People leading the way, the four of them quickly got ready and left the hotel.
Although it was just after 3:00 AM, a time when the streets should have been completely quiet, small groups of people were already appearing in twos and threes.
A hint of freshness filled the air, and a few stars twinkled in the dim sky.
As they got closer to the street where the Wandering God procession would take place, the small groups merged, gradually forming a stream of people.
Within the crowd, there were not only outside tourists like Li Xiao, but he also saw many elderly people and children who were clearly dressed as locals.
‘It seems that even though today isn’t the official Wandering God event, it’s still a huge draw for the Chaoshan locals, who are so passionate about worship.’
As he drew nearer to the event venue, the faint sound of gongs and drums, along with the cheerful laughter of people, drifted from the distance.
It wasn’t far. Li Xiao and the others soon walked onto the designated performance street.
The performance street was in the old town. The ground wasn’t even concrete but paved with grey bricks, a clear sign that the street had been around for quite some time.
On both sides of the street, which was wide enough for a two-lane road, police tape had already been set up.
The center of the road was the area for the Wandering God procession, while the crowd of onlookers and tourists could only watch from behind the lines.
As the time drew near, more and more people joined the waiting crowd. Everyone was craning their necks in anticipation, waiting for the Wandering God ceremony to officially begin.
Although the sky had not yet fully brightened, the event area was already illuminated by lights, filled with a festive atmosphere.
Soon, the Wandering God event officially began.
First to appear was the gong and drum troupe, beating out a lively rhythm on their instruments to kick off the entire event.
They were followed by the lion and dragon dance troupes. Their performances were full of power and beauty, capturing the attention of countless spectators.
The lions of the lion dance troupe leaped about nimbly, while the dragon dance troupe’s dragons soared and writhed wildly in various formations, creating an incredibly lively scene.
Right after them came the Yingge dance troupe. The performers in the troupe were mostly portraying the heroes from *Water Margin*.
The lead dancers of the troupe this time were the red-faced, red-bearded Qin Ming and the black-faced, black-bearded Li Kui.
Following behind the two was a snake dancer dressed as Shi Qian, whose main role was to help direct and lead the dance.
The Yingge dance was very festive, quickly heating up the atmosphere at the scene.
Once the Yingge dance procession had passed, the most anticipated part arrived: the parade of the deity palanquins.
The palanquins were carried by devout followers, moving slowly through the crowd with each step appearing solemn and sacred.
The deity statues on the palanquins were exquisitely decorated, looking majestic and mysterious.
‘Maybe because this isn’t the real Wandering God festival, the sanctioned brawls I saw online didn’t happen.’ Li Xiao felt it was a bit of a shame.
By the time they had watched the entire event, the once-dark sky had already brightened.
The Wandering God event was over, but the crowd didn’t disperse immediately.
This was because in the area where the procession had taken place, stalls of all sizes had begun to appear one after another, selling a variety of goods with a strong folk-custom feel.
At the same time, food stalls selling local snacks also sprung up like mushrooms after rain in the area.
After all, this was a tourism event launched by the local culture and tourism bureau. Simply having tourists watch was certainly not what the bureau had hoped for.
They hoped even more to boost the development of the local tourism economy.
Therefore, it was only natural for all sorts of stalls to appear afterward.
Li Xiao had wanted to pick a few stalls to try, but his idea was immediately shot down by Wenchu People.
“There are a lot of stalls here, but I took a look, and most of them aren’t very authentic.”
“They’re probably just some shops whose business isn’t usually that great, or some people with free time at home who came to join the fun on a whim.”
“I’ve been to a lot of similar events before. The events themselves are great, but the food at these stalls is never very good.”
Since a local had already scouted out the landmines for him, Li Xiao didn’t insist on being stubborn.
He glanced at the time—it was just past 6:00 AM. Li Xiao asked:
“It’s not too early, but it’s not too late either. You can choose to go back to sleep for a bit and then get up for lunch, or we can get breakfast now and then go back to sleep.”
The little assistant immediately chimed in:
“I’m fine with either.”
“It’s up to the two Miss Wens.”
Wenchu People looked around, checking on everyone’s condition.
Even though they had all gotten less than four hours of sleep last night, everyone was still quite energized after watching the Wandering God event. They probably wouldn’t be able to fall asleep for a while anyway.
So, she tentatively suggested:
“I see everyone’s still pretty energetic. Why don’t we get some breakfast first? I know a place nearby that’s really good.”
Beside her, Wen Yaqian nodded in agreement.
“Right, right, there is a really good breakfast place nearby. I just don’t know if it’s still there.”
One abstention, two votes in favor.
As a hot-blooded young man, Li Xiao naturally wouldn’t object either.
“Alright, let’s get breakfast first, then head back to the hotel to catch up on sleep.”
The four of them didn’t go back to the hotel to get a car. Instead, they casually scanned QR codes for some bikes on the street and quickly rode toward their destination.
The destination wasn’t far. After passing through a few alleys, the four bikes soon stopped in front of a shop with a somewhat retro decor.
Even though it was only 6:30 AM, the shop was already full. The tables set up outside were also occupied by quite a few people. Business was clearly booming.
Li Xiao looked up at the sign: Hai’s Pig Blood Soup.
His brows twitched slightly at the name. He ate pig blood often enough, but he had never heard of pig blood soup.
Clearly, it was another local Chaoshan specialty.
The four of them parked their bikes and found a table outside to sit at.
The restaurant’s kitchen was just to the left of the entrance.
On seven or eight stovetops sat several small, long-handled iron pots filled with various ingredients, making a BUBBLING sound.
As soon as he got close, a rich, meaty aroma washed over him, and Li Xiao’s interest was instantly piqued.
This meaty fragrance didn’t come from seasonings, but was the pure aroma of meat itself.
Wenchu People confidently led the group to the entrance.