The road south was so clear and sunny it was almost hateful. It seems that miserable winds and bitter rain never truly fall for those departing, nor do the cold moon and lonely stars shine specifically for the melancholy; they simply are what they are.
Storybooks always claim that cultivators are unharmed by common steel and immune to heat and cold, but life in this world is never as carefree as in the tales. Since the widespread rise of cultivation sects two thousand years ago, the environment has grown increasingly harsh. Winters and summers have become more extreme, and in densely populated areas, the "Yin-Erosive Rain" I had seen before has even begun to fall—especially in the capital region. As we headed south at the start of summer, the heat was already becoming unbearable.
Perhaps intending to accommodate my low spirits, Eldest Brother led us at a leisurely pace. Just as Wei Qingming had suggested, we departed early from our inns each day, found a tavern at noon to eat and rest, and then took advantage of the cool summer night breeze to fly through the sky for several hours before settling down to sleep. When we had come to the capital at the start of spring, we had spent the whole journey in the sky; to protect a young girl’s delicate skin from the biting wind, the carriage curtains had been kept tightly shut, and I had seen nothing of the scenery. This time, however, the shimmering waters and mountain colors were laid bare before my eyes.
Once we left the capital region, we entered Zhaozhou. The prosperity abruptly shifted to desolation; sometimes we would ride for two hours without seeing a soul. Both sides of the official road were covered in vast wheat fields. The golden-green waves of grain sent a fragrant, wheaty breeze into my nose, stirring a rare sense of pastoral longing even in me. In the early mornings and evenings, we made it a habit to ride our horses on the road for a while to soothe the nerves frayed by high-altitude flight. From the early-ripening fields, the occasional sound of rustling movement or the rhythmic *shush-shush* of harvesting reached us. These were the estates of wealthy families. Bullying overseers, who found even their light clothing too much for the heat, kept their chests bared as they shouted and whipped the scrawny demon slaves harvesting the wheat. Seeing Lu Lingfeng and me—two women on horseback—traveling through the dawn or dusk, they would squint and size us up. The more insolent ones even dared to whistle in an attempt to harass us. I was in a foul mood and didn't even bother to spare them a glance. I didn't need Eldest Brother to act; Lu Lingfeng simply released her Ghost Phase to run wild in the fields...
Zhaozhou is separated from Jin Prefecture by a body of water: the Yang River, one of the three great rivers that traverse the Kingdom of Jing. Legend says the Yang River originates west of the Kunlun Mountains in the west—the place where the sun falls—and ends at the Yang Valley where the sun rises in the east, eventually flowing into the vast, boundless Eastern Sea of Min. It is said to be the nocturnal waterway used by the goddess Xihe to return east after her revels, hence the name "Yang River." We reached the riverbank at midnight. Looking at the faint mist rising and rolling over the vast surface of the water, I couldn't help but think that since the water clearly flows from the west, the fact that it wasn't named after its place of origin but rather the "Yang" of its destination, Yang Valley, was likely due to the common people's superstitious desire for auspicious names. If it were up to me, I would have called it the "Sunset River" or the "River of Falling."
After watching for a while, Lu Lingfeng grew impatient and was the first to spur her horse into the sky. I followed behind her. It took a full fifteen minutes of flying over the water to cross the river, the moist, warm mist dampening the wings of our celestial horses. I wondered if Goddess Xihe’s small boat also passed this way—was she enjoying herself in carefree revelry, or was she closing her eyes to contemplate the many events of the past?
Once across the Yang River, we were in the south. By then, we had been traveling for three full days. Eldest Brother suggested we rest for a day in Yunmeng City, the provincial capital of Jin Prefecture. I had intended to mope in my room doing nothing, but Lu Kaifeng knocked on my door, smiling as he said he would take me out of the city at dusk to see a beautiful sight. His sister, naturally, had gone off again to scout graves and catch ghosts. Although her Ghost Phase was at the Meal-of-Clouds realm, its cultivation had long since been drained; she didn't know how many minor ghosts she would have to devour to restore it to its peak. Whenever she saw a place with a dense concentration of burial mounds along the way, she would often gallop off alone without a word. At first, her brother would accompany her to look after her, but eventually, he simply let her be and stopped worrying.
Following the bustling summer evening crowds, we strolled leisurely out of the city. The sun had already set, but the sky remained lukewarm and bright. The scent of lakes and marshes drifted from afar on the wind, feeling quite refreshing. Scattered lanterns began to light up in the city, and the men, women, and children in the crowd all held small waterproof lanterns; it seemed they were heading to the river to release them and pray for blessings. The young men and women were all meticulously dressed, and the sound of laughter was incessant. For a moment, I felt as if I had returned to that Qingming Festival at Cold Spring Mountain in the capital's suburbs—except now, no one would ever push through the teeming crowds to find me again.
Eldest Brother brought out several lanterns he had prepared long ago, smiling as he let me choose one. I hesitated for a moment, passing over the small purple lantern shaped like a cluster of paulownia flowers and the white gardenia that symbolized myself. I took a cluster of white roses from his hand and hung it casually at my waist.
In ancient times, Yunmeng was a great marsh. Later, it was likely that two powerful masters fought a duel here, causing mountains to move and the lake to be filled. The waters of the Yunmeng Marsh carved out a path that eventually joined the Yang River, creating the Yunmeng City that now sits at the confluence of the two rivers. The destination of the crowd was the end of the Yunmeng River. As far as the eye could see, young men and women in light, waterproof clothing were splashing and playing in the water, jumping and swimming. Wealthy sons had brought singing girls dressed in red and green; they set up wooden frames on the spot and hung the beauties' clothes as screens. The sounds of singing, dancing, and laughter, along with graceful, swaying silhouettes, filtered through the hazy red garments in the twilight. Palm-sized, shimmering lanterns were hung haphazardly upon them, dotting the scene with starlight of varying heights.
Lu Kaifeng looked at the sky, muttered "still early," and spread a soft blanket on the ground. He invited me to sit, and the two of us brewed tea and chatted.
Finally, the night turned pitch black. The starlight in the sky began to compete with the starlight of the human world, and it, too, admitted defeat. To the west of the Yunmeng River, a white jade sacrificial altar slowly rose. An old monk chanted Sanskrit verses and was the first to release a green lotus river lantern, which drifted and swayed as it fell into the water. At this, the people ceased their laughing and playing, standing solemnly before approaching the water's edge to bend down and release their own lanterns. Pure young maidens knelt by the river, fingers crossed and held to their brows, some with sweet smiles and others with sorrowful frowns, closing their eyes in prayer. Their lovely faces, reflected in the sea of lanterns, appeared even more radiant.
Lu Kaifeng signaled for me to release my lantern as well. We waited until the first few waves of people had retreated from the riverbank before squeezing in. Eldest Brother released the two lanterns for himself and his sister, then pulled seven more lanterns from his "One-Thread-Tether" storage, releasing one for everyone on the mountain, including our Master. Thinking of how a man of such elegant bearing was acting like a peddler pulling melons from a vine to perform these fussy, mundane tasks, I let out a small laugh as I crouched to nudge my lantern.
After laughing, I fell silent for a while, quietly kneeling to pray like the others. Since she said my wishes were too many and the gods would find me too greedy, then I would simply pray for her a few more times.
The white rose flower-balls bumped gently against each other, merging into the millions of lanterns that shone like drifting clouds until they were no longer visible.
Even after everyone had released the lanterns in their hands, the eminent monk seated upon the jade platform remained still with downcast eyes. I didn't understand the purpose of this festival's gathering until I heard a faint humming coming from far behind my head. It grew clearer and clearer—the sound of insects vibrating their wings. There seemed to be thousands upon thousands of them; the collective vibration sounded like the rolling of muffled rain. The swarm blotted out the sky, entering my field of vision in an instant.
They were millions of mayflies carrying a phosphorescent glow, having just broken out from the earth, preparing to spend their brief, single day and night of brilliant life.
I could hardly breathe, staring in a daze at these shimmering, beautiful creatures. In an instant, even the man-made starlight floating downstream to guide the way paled in comparison.
The wings and skeletons of these mayflies were transparent and snow-white. Refined scholars had given them a poetic alias: "Night-Illuminating Moths." They truly overwhelmed the starlight, illuminating the night with absolute clarity. From the chest of each one, a point of pure blue light radiated outward, causing faint, rainbow-colored patterns to emerge on every wing. They were the embodiment of fragility. Long, long ago, they would be attracted by the lights of the provincial city, crashing like falling snow to their deaths before the lanterns of the human world. It wasn't until three hundred years ago, when Grandmaster Hui Jiao traveled to Sanjue Temple in Yunmeng City, that he took pity on their cycle of being born in the morning and dying by dusk. He said, "The birth and death of man is like a drop of water; bubbles rise and bubbles burst, only to return to the water." How was human life any different from these tiny mayflies? Thus, he personally performed a ritual to light twelve lotus treasure lanterns on the river to drift and guide them, opening a path for the mayflies to reach the ancient forests downstream to mate and reproduce. This became the Lantern Crossing Festival.
The joyful cries of the young women were incessant. Lu Kaifeng turned to look at me with a smile, only to find that I was already streaming with tears.
He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to me, his voice tinged with regret. "I intended to help you relax, but it seems I've made things worse."
I shook my head while sobbing, repeatedly thanking him for his kindness. I was simply reminded of that night with her in the tomb—the blue light of the Nether-Spring Flowers at the spiritual eye was so similar to these tiny creatures of fleeting life and death.
We traveled for another two days in a wandering fashion until the territory of Myriad Demon Stronghold was in sight. Suddenly, Lu Lingfeng fainted. We were riding our celestial horses at the time; she didn't have Wei Qingming’s ability to sit and sleep, and she tumbled straight off her horse. Fortunately, Lu Kaifeng reacted quickly, leaping off his horse to catch her mid-air. I broke into a cold sweat and quickly whistled, grabbing the reins of all three horses.
Holding his sister, Lu Kaifeng rode for a short while before finding a flat area to land. He placed her on the ground.
I tied up the horses and ran over to check, feeling Second Senior Sister's pulse. Lu Kaifeng said, "It's alright. Since she opened her Heavenly Eye, this happens occasionally." Only then did I feel somewhat relieved. She must have been bored sitting on the horse and used her Heavenly Eye to look at too many things she shouldn't have, so the Heavens punished her by forbidding her from looking further...
The two of us looked after her for a while, but seeing she still hadn't woken up, I realized we were in Panchuan Township, the most treacherous area before Myriad Demon Stronghold. It was surrounded by deep mountains and old forests with winding roads that formed a natural illusion array. Without an experienced local guide, one could not enter lightly. The landing spot Lu Kaifeng had chosen was near the relatively level main road.
I was lost in thought while holding a wild flower when I heard the rumbling of carriages approaching. A merchant caravan was also traveling by night, driving their carts through this area. There were about a dozen large carts; the drivers were all dressed in short tunics with bare arms, horsewhips tucked into their waists, looking relaxed as they joked with one another.
Warily, I summoned the Glimmering Light blade into my sleeve, hiding it against my arm. Lu Kaifeng also watched the group with cold caution. However, neither of us was afraid; after all, a simple flick of the wrist to set a small illusion array would be enough to make us invisible to these people.
From the lead cart, a man sitting next to the driver said in surprise, "Little Brother Lu? Why are you here?"
Only then did Lu Kaifeng stand up normally, smiling as he cupped his hands. "Brother Sun, what a coincidence."
It turned out this "Brother Sun"—Sun Tong—was one of the famous guides of this region. Panchuan Township was adjacent to Myriad Demon Stronghold, and over the past ten years, Eldest Brother had frequently passed through here on business, so he inevitably dealt with him. Even I was not a stranger to him, so I stood up and offered a greeting as well.
***
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