The Fox Lantern Shines on Bones - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Early the next morning, Ah Heng shouldered her medicine box and headed to the back mountain.

The back mountain of White Water Village was perpetually shrouded in mist. Deep within the woods stood a ruined temple that the village children never dared to approach. Granny Liu used to forbid her from going up the mountain, saying that the things enshrined there weren’t proper gods-if you bowed too many times, you’d end up bowing your life away.

Ah Heng carried the Fox Lantern as she made her way up. The flicker of blue fire inside the lantern looked exceptionally eerie amidst the white fog. Rong Yu did not manifest; he only spoke to her from within the lantern, his voice sounding as if it were pressed right against her ear. “There’s a set of old stone steps behind the third withered Scholar Tree on the left. Don’t take the incense path in front; that’s the road for the dead to ascend the mountain.”

Ah Heng paused slightly. “How do you remember the path so clearly?”

“I used to live here.”

“In the temple?”

“In the Scholar Tree behind the temple.”

Ah Heng imagined him dressed in white, sitting on a branch and watching the world go by. For some reason, he really did seem like a fox spirit-and a rather narcissistic one at that. Just as the corner of her mouth twitched, the sound of rustling footsteps suddenly drifted through the fog ahead.

She hid behind a tree and watched as two women, carrying bamboo baskets, came from the other side of the mountain path. Red cloths covered the baskets, and they spoke in low voices as they walked.

“Granny Lu said the Bone Flowers are being forced to bloom early this year. We have to add new incense.”

“That Han family girl probably won’t hold out much longer.”

“If she can’t hold out, we’ll just replace her. It’s not like she’s the only unwed girl left in the village.”

The other woman shuddered. “I dreamed about those faces in the Well last night. Every single one of them was skinless, just bared bone smiling at me…”

“Shh! Shut your mouth. The village only has the prosperity it does today because we’ve made offerings for all these years. If not for the Flower God’s protection, how would we have such good harvests?”

The two women walked away. Standing behind the tree, Ah Heng’s palms were slick with cold sweat.

She continued upward, passing through a section of collapsed perimeter wall until she finally saw the ruined temple. Only half of the temple door remained. On the lintel, the three characters for “Flower God Temple” were blackened by soot and smoke.

The courtyard was overgrown with waist-high weeds, yet the incense burner in front of the main hall was remarkably clean, clearly indicating frequent visitors.

Just as Ah Heng stepped through the temple gates, the Fox Lantern gave a violent jolt. Rong Yu’s voice turned somber. “Don’t go to the main hall. Check the backyard first.”

In the backyard was a dry Well. The mouth of the Well was covered by a heavy iron grate, surrounded by tangled, dried white vines. Ah Heng crouched down. The moment her fingertips touched the rim of the Well, she smelled that familiar cold, sweet fragrance, so thick it was almost cloying.

She peered through the gaps in the iron grate. The walls of the Well were dripping wet, and deep within, white shadows seemed to be floating like flowers soaking in water.

Suddenly, a splitting headache struck her.

Fragmented images forced their way into her mind: heavy snow, a red bridal sedan, leaping flames, and a figure in white standing by the Well, turning back to reach out a hand to her. His lips moved as if calling her name.

“Ah Heng!”

Someone yanked her back with a sudden force. When Ah Heng came to her senses, she was sprawled on the ground. She had scraped a layer of skin off her palm against the rim of the Well. Her blood dripped onto the bluestone, but it was instantly absorbed by something beneath, leaving not a single trace behind.

Rong Yu stood before her, his face terrifyingly pale. He had clearly forced himself out of the lantern. One of his hands was still clamped around her wrist, his grip so tight it trembled. “Who gave you permission to touch the Well directly?”

Ah Heng had never seen him lose his composure like this. Stunned, she stammered, “I just-”

“Just wanted to look?” Rong Yu’s voice was cold. “If you had looked a moment longer, it would have recognized you.”

“Recognized me as what?”

Rong Yu stared at her as if there were words he couldn’t bring himself to say. Finally, he only said, “Recognized that you’ve returned.”

Ah Heng’s mind grew even more chaotic. She pulled her hand from his grasp and used the edge of the Well to slowly push herself up. “I remember nothing. If you truly want me to believe you, stop trying to brush me off with half-truths.”

Rong Yu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly gave a faint, fleeting smile. “Fine. Then I will tell you a truth. A hundred years ago, in order to pray for bountiful harvests, longevity, and heirs, White Water Village made offerings to a Well.

“The method of offering was to throw unwed young maidens down alive. Their ‘bone-spirit’ was harvested to nourish flowers, and the fragrance of the flowers blooming from the Well would, in turn, sustain the entire village. Those white shadows you saw just now were the lingering remnants of those Bone Flowers.”

Ah Heng’s breath hitched.

“And then?”

“Later, someone set fire to the temple, wanting to destroy the Well.” Rong Yu looked at her, his eyes flickering like fire one moment and cold as snow the next. “The fire failed. That person died, and I was sealed inside the lantern.”

Ah Heng’s chest felt tight and suffocating. She didn’t know why she felt so distressed; clearly, none of this had anything to do with her. Yet, hearing the words ‘that person died’ made her nose sting with a sudden urge to cry.

Just as she was about to ask more, the sound of a cane thumping against the ground echoed from the front of the temple. Granny Lu stood at the courtyard entrance, flanked by several sturdy men. Her gaze was cold and sinister. “I knew you would find your way here sooner or later.”

Ah Heng instinctively shielded the Fox Lantern. Granny Lu’s eyes landed on the lantern, her expression shifting slightly before she broke into a sneer. “It really is you. That damned fox who refuses to stay dead.”

Rong Yu stepped forward, shielding Ah Heng behind him. His voice turned icy. “You’ve managed to stay alive longer than I expected.”

“By the grace of the Flower God.” Granny Lu didn’t even look at him, her eyes fixed solely on Ah Heng. “Girl, put down the lantern and we can pretend today never happened. Otherwise, your end won’t be any different from Granny Liu’s all those years ago.”

Ah Heng’s heart jolted. “How did Granny Liu die?”

Granny Lu smiled but did not answer, merely raising her hand. The men immediately swarmed forward.

Ah Heng drew the medicinal knife from her waist, but before she could move, a blast of cold wind billowed from Rong Yu’s sleeve. The wild grass in the courtyard bent low as the men were violently shoved back, sent flying until they crashed against the wall, unable to get up.

However, after this display, his form visibly paled. Granny Lu seemed to have anticipated this; she pulled a handful of grayish-white powder from her sleeve and threw it toward them.

Rong Yu couldn’t dodge in time. As the powder touched his sleeve, it immediately scorched a trail of singe marks. Ah Heng caught the scent-it smelled like burning cremated remains.

“Bone Ash Suppresses Demons,” Granny Lu cackled. “How much longer can you hold out?”

Rong Yu’s lips grew paler, yet he still shielded Ah Heng firmly behind him. “Long enough to take her away.”

Ah Heng suddenly reached out and grabbed his ice-cold wrist. In that instant, the green flame within the Fox Lantern flared brilliantly, as if ignited by the heat of the blood in her palm.

Rong Yu’s body jolted, and his form actually solidified once more. He looked down at her, a flash of shock crossing his eyes.

Ah Heng didn’t have time to overthink it. Taking advantage of Granny Lu being forced back half a step by the lantern’s light, she dragged Rong Yu toward the back door. They tumbled all the way down the hillside, wind and snow whipping against their faces, the sound of howling gales filling their ears.

It wasn’t until they reached an abandoned hunting cabin at the foot of the mountain that she finally leaned against the doorframe, gasping for air.

Rong Yu leaned against the wall, his long lashes lowered as if he were utterly exhausted. Ah Heng looked at the hand she had used to grab him; a trace of chill still lingered in her palm. It didn’t feel like touching a ghost, but rather like touching a piece of jade that had been kept cold by a winter night for far too long.

“Why did the lantern light up when I touched you?” she asked.

Rong Yu looked up. After a long pause, he said softly, “Because this lantern was originally lit for you.”