Painting Enchantment - chapter 5

The great hall fell into a deathly silence, a long and heavy stillness.

Then came a soft laugh.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah!”

The Little Ghost beside me tugged at my sleeve, shoving me hard, tears streaming down his face.

“What nonsense are you spouting! How dare you sully the Prefect’s reputation for no reason! Prefect, I don’t know this crazy woman, I just happened to pick her up in the Yellow Springs Ravine, it’s none of my business, I’m leaving, I’m leaving!”

…Who was it just now that said my ghost Husband and I were cavorting together?

The Little Ghost was terrified, his voice deafening.

I was dizzy from his shoving, but I hadn’t said anything wrong. This Prefect looked exactly like Lu Yanzhi.

I glanced over.

Even the mole on his hand was the same.

I opened my mouth, then closed it again.

Perhaps there really are people-ghosts-so alike in this world.

I gave up thinking altogether.

“Prefect… Can I go reincarnate now?”

I’m tired. The sooner I die and transcend, the better.

“No.”

The Prefect glanced at me, leaving no room for negotiation, smiling as he pointed outside the hall.

“Don’t believe me? Try getting on the boat.”

He meant the Yellow Springs Boat.

All souls, to pass through life and death and reincarnation, must: first, ride the Yellow Springs Boat; second, drink Meng Po Soup; third, cross the Naihe Bridge; fourth, enter the Human World Mirror.

Only after completing these steps can one enter the cycle of reincarnation.

If you can’t even board the Yellow Springs Boat, don’t even think about reincarnation.

Fine, I’ll try.

…The boat sank, thoroughly and completely.

With no other choice, I returned to the hall.

Dejected, I asked, “Why?”

The Prefect was not surprised: “You should know very well yourself. Or shall I ask again, how did you die? Hmm… Tell the truth.”

He seemed to smile.

I struggled inwardly for a moment, but couldn’t resist, and with a miserable face, I said:

“It was my Husband. He killed me.”

“He obtained a Beauty Painting, and somehow became obsessed with it, bewitched by the spirit within the painting. One night, he murdered me.”

Yes.

I still remember, ever since he got that Beauty Painting from the County Magistrate’s Son, he gazed at the woman in the painting every night, his expression full of tender affection.

And that painting, when I searched for it during the day, I could never find it, let alone burn it.

I was terrified the rumors about the County Magistrate’s Son would come true.

Night after night, I tossed and turned, but could not escape.

I always wondered.

We were husband and wife-was I really worth less than a mere painting?

All those countless nights of racing heartbeats, his loving words entwined with me, so real and earnest.

Could it all vanish because of a painting?

But that night, in my sleep, I suddenly felt my breath stop.

I opened my eyes in terror, but couldn’t make a sound.

Pain spread through my limbs and bones, devouring my life.

By the bedside, Lu Yanzhi leaned over, quietly watching me.

I saw in his eyes the coldness of dead water.

“Does it hurt?”

I opened my mouth wide, wanting to beg him for help.

But I couldn’t speak, and Lu Yanzhi remained motionless.

“Does it hurt?” he asked again.

His icy hand rested on my neck, tightening bit by bit.

…

I lost the bet.

They say if one dies with a grievance, the resentment is too heavy for the waters of the Yellow Springs to carry, and thus one cannot reincarnate.

Am I going to become a vengeful ghost?

I covered my face, tears splattering onto the ground.

When I looked down, a flamboyant, blood-red Bi An Flower had bloomed.

Such deep resentment-my tears could blossom.

I cried even harder.

But if I can’t reincarnate, where can I go?

…I want to go back.

I lifted my head:

“Prefect, could you let Zhou Yan return to the mortal world?”

Footnote:
1. Naihe Bridge(奈何桥): In Chinese mythology, this is the bridge that souls must cross to enter the cycle of reincarnation. It is said that souls drink a concoction on this bridge to forget their past lives. The bridge represents the inevitability and helplessness of fate.
2. Meng Po(孟婆): In traditional Chinese culture, Meng Po is a mysterious figure who oversees the Naihe Bridge in the underworld. She prepares “Meng Po Soup” to help souls forget their past lives before reincarnation.