Chapter Text
“A case of restless ghosts in Yiling. Jingyi, Sizhui, Xiying will come with me,” the leading senior disciple, Lan Ping instructs. “The rest will go with Lan Hai.”
The disciples follow their respective leaders and split off into two separate groups.
“Isn’t Yiling where the Yiling Patriarch lived?” Xiying whispers loudly.
“Gee, I wonder where he got that title from,” Jingyi replies sarcastically, rolling his eyes but he looks away when Lan Ping glares behind him.
“A-are we going anywhere near the Burial Mounds?” Sizhui asks.
“No, of course not,” Lan Ping says curtly. “We’re forbidden from going near there. The former Chief Cultivator has put out that order for many years and the current one has continued it. The only people who are allowed are the sect leaders because they check to make sure the arrays are reinforced.”
“And to check if the Yiling Patriarch is really dead?” Jingyi adds. Sizhui winces silently, remembering what Hanguang-jun had told him.
“They never found his body. None of the sects did,” Lan Ping replies. “He may or may not be dead but if he isn’t and he does return, the whole cultivation will be thrown into chaos again.”
“I still think it’d be cool to meet him!”
“Doesn’t he capture naughty children and eat them?” A disciple calls out.
“Eat them?” Jingyi sputters. “But he’s a human being!”
“No, he’s a demon!”
“Have you ever seen what he looks like? How would you know?”
“He was Sect leader Jiang’s former shixiong. The Jiang Sect raised him. He is human,” Sizhui says calmly.
“No bickering,” Lan Ping says sternly. “As I’ve said, we won’t be going anywhere near the Burial Mounds. Not even for studying purposes. It’s much too dangerous for inexperienced juniors such as yourselves. Even I wouldn’t go near it. Let’s just keep moving.”
It doesn’t take long before they arrive at the village. Whoever these ghosts were, they were extremely hostile. Sizhui frowns deeply at the smell of thick blood in the air. Nobody had come to greet them. The streets were empty and the doors of every house were shut tight. The only movement that implies there are any signs of life here is the swift peeking of heads of curtains from the houses.
“People are afraid,” Sizhui murmurs half to himself. “Just how malevolent are these ghosts?”
“The village just got built recently...and it’s near Qiongqi Path. Maybe that is related to it,”Jingyi suggests.
“Maybe…”
“This is a good time to test out your Inquiry skills.” Lan Ping tells them. “Make sure you have a partner with you. Since there are three of you, there should be no problem.”
“Which one of us should play?”
“Sizhui can do it. He’s the oldest here,” Jingyi says.
“Okay,” Sizhui agrees. They find a quiet place near the village and sit down. Sizhui takes out his guqin and starts playing the notes to Inquiry, trying his best to get in contact with the spirits nearby. After a few minutes more of concentration, something responds to him.
“What is your name?”
“Li Yushen.”
“How did you die?”
“Killed in a night-hunt.”
“Why are you unable to move on?”
“I was not buried properly….”
“What can we do to help you?”
“I want my family to know what happened. They do not know about my death.”
“Tell us where your home is and we will help you.”
When Sizhui finishes talking to the spirit, he drops his hands away from the guqin and puts it away back into his Qiankun Pouch. He explains what had happened to the rest of the disciples who were looking at him with anticipation.
“Then we just have to find his bones?” Jingyi piped up.
“His death was recent...I do not know if the body has decayed yet,” Sizhui replies. “But he has told the details of the possible location of his death. We should go navigate there now.”
The disciples quickly follow his lead without protests. They find the body quite quickly after the disciples split up among the trees. They lift the body carefully into the stretcher and cover it with a cloth. Then they head back to the village where Lan Ping and the other disciples were waiting.
“You found a body? Report to me what happened,” She orders and Sizhui obeys.
“Let’s find his family at once then,” Lan Ping says briskly and takes the lead once Sizhui’s finished explaining. “For our own restless ghost...we weren’t able to find a body unfortunately, but we did find a belonging of hers.”
“Her?”
“It was a little girl...she got lost in the woods. Then she got attacked by a beast and was killed.”
“How devastating,” Jingyi says quietly.
“It is indeed a tragedy,” Lan Ping agrees. They arrive at the house and knock upon the door.
“Sizhui, you can tell them. Since you spoke to him.” Lan Ping steps back to allow the younger disciple to stand in front of the door. Sizhui swallows and takes a deep breath as the door opens to reveal a elderly woman.
“Madame Li?”
“My esteemed cultivators, how may I help you?”
“Madame Li...your son…”
“Have you found him then?” Madame Li’s eyes look hopeful. Sizhui swallows again but maintains eye contact.
“I’m so sorry for your loss… we did find him...and,” He pauses, his eyes drifting back to the covered stretcher briefly. “We wanted to grant his last wish.” The woman’s face shifts into a look of devastation as she follows his gaze.
“You spoke with him?” A male voice asks. An elderly man steps up from behind the woman.
“Yes. The Lan sect are skilled with communicating with spirits. It is part of our cultivation,” Sizhui explains. “He wanted us to bring his body back to you.
“A-Chun,” The woman sobs and pushes past them to get to the stretcher. The man follows right behind her. The Lan disciples step back to allow the couple to grieve for their son. By nightfall, they’ve buried the body and created a makeshift tomb for the deceased man. Sizhui lights a few incense sticks to show his respect before following the other disciples back to the inn.
“I was really worried about dealing with an actual resentful ghost,” Jingyi says that night as they are getting ready for them.
“We may have to deal with them eventually,” Sizhui says mildly.
“Ugh, I know, but I rather not think about that.” Jingyi shudders.
“I’m curious...what exactly triggered your fear of ghosts?”
“Oh...well when I was younger, I think it was before I met you. I was around 4 or 5. My mother brought me to the town. At night, there was suddenly an attack of a resentful ghost at the inn we were staying at. It was terrifying. ” Jingyi squeezes his eyes shut at the memory. “My mother was so brave though. She protected me...but she...she got hurt and I was so scared at the time.”
“It’s hard to forget something traumatizing like that.” Sizhui squeezes his friend’s shoulder in comfort. “Everyone has their own reasons for being scared of something. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Even the bravest cultivator is scared of something .”
“What are you scared of then?” Jingyi glances at him with a curious look in his eyes.
“I...I guess I’m scared of losing my loved ones. Isn’t that something that everyone fears?”
“Yes...you’re right.” Jingyi nods. He sighs and lies down into the blanket. Sizhui blows out the candle then does the same.
“My parents aren’t around anymore so...I guess you’re my only family now. You’re like a brother to me…”
“You’re like a brother to me too, Jingyi.” Sizhui smiles at his friend in the darkness. Sizhui realizes that he didn’t have much family either. It was just Hanguang-jun and Jingyi. Maybe Zewu-jun too. But he was the sect leader . Sizhui isn’t sure if he had any right to claim Zewu-jun as family, despite Hanguang-jun being a father-like figure to him his entire life.
“Good night, Sizhui.”
“Good night, Jingyi. Sleep well.”