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Feng Yu’s flame orb cast dancing shadows across the damp cave walls. The soft glow illuminated patches of luminescent moss clinging to the rough stone surface. Xiulan inhaled the musty underground air, tasting minerals and decay on her tongue.

Ren Chun led the formation, his earth qi resonating with the surrounding stone. The rock seemed to part before them, revealing stable footing amid treacherous ground. Each step echoed in the confined space despite their careful movements.

Something rolled beneath Xiulan’s foot. She stumbled forward, colliding with Feng Yu’s back.

Looking down, bleached white bone gleamed in the firelight—a human femur. Mei Chen pressed in closer from behind, hand claiming a section of cloth from Xiulan’s robe.

The passage opened into a wider chamber. Feng Yu’s flame revealed more scattered bones across the floor, piled against walls, arranged in grotesque tableaus. Ribs jutted from earth like macabre fence posts. Skulls gazed with empty sockets from crude pyramids of bone.

Their formation tightened instinctively. Shoulders brushed as they navigated the narrow corridor beyond the bone chamber. The walls pressed close, rough stone scraping their shoulders.

Waves of frigid qi pressed against Xiulan’s skin as they advanced deeper into the cave. Glowing motes of yin energy drifted through the air like spectral fireflies, casting an eerie blue-white illumination across the rough stone walls.

The narrow passage opened into a circular chamber carved from ice. Xiulan’s breath caught.

A luminescent figure hovered near the ceiling, her impossibly long hair winding around the chamber multiple times like frozen ribbons. Below her, a crude stone altar held scattered human remains as she frantically attempted to piece together a skeleton from mismatched parts.

"Ugh." Feng Yu recoiled beside her.

Xiulan pulled her sleeve across her nose. The frozen air had masked most of the stench, but the putrid smell of decay still permeated the chamber.

"We found the wrathful spirit..." Ren Chun shifted into a defensive stance.

"What is she doing?" Xiulan studied the spirit’s desperate movements.

"Obviously doing evil things!" Ren Chun gripped his weapon tighter.

The spectral woman wailed, her ethereal hands trembling as bone fragments slipped through her grasp. Tears of yin energy streamed down her translucent face.

A flicker in the formation’s energy drew Xiulan’s attention. She turned to find Mei Chen staring at the scene with wide, haunted eyes.

"She’s trying to bring back her husband," Mei Chen whispered.

The wrathful spirit’s head snapped up, milky eyes fixing on their group. An otherworldly shriek pierced the chamber, sending vibrations through Xiulan’s bones. The spirit’s hair writhed like serpents, spreading outward in threatening tendrils as frost crackled across the walls.

Xiulan sensed the surge of earth qi around them as Ren Chun traced a complex pattern in the air. The density of spiritual energy thickened, creating a protective barrier.

"She’s been a spirit for thousands of years at least!" Feng Yu shouted over the howling wind. "Her husband’s been dead longer than that!"

The spirit’s form twisted in rage. Spears of ice materialized from the frigid air, launching toward them in a deadly barrage. Chunks of stone ripped free from the floor, intercepting the ice projectiles in an explosive collision. Crystalline shards and rocky debris rained down, filling the air with a glittering cloud of dust and ice.

Xiulan blinked against the stinging particles. The dust obscured her vision until she could barely see her own hands. Only Mei Chen’s small fingers gripping her sleeve anchored her in the chaos as the other girl pressed against her side. A familiar touch found her forearm—Feng Yu’s hand sliding down to grasp her fingers tightly.

"Don’t lose track of each other!" Ren Chun’s voice cut through the maelstrom.

The array wavered as the supernatural wind tore at their clothes and hair, threatening to separate them in the blinding storm.

Understanding blazed through Xiulan’s mind like lightning. Earth qi anchored and modulated wind. It was a weird thought that wasn’t entirely relevant to her channeling the wood qi to Feng Yu.

Ren Chun’s earth qi surged outward, taming the supernatural storm. The dust settled, revealing empty space where the wrathful spirit had been. A perfect circular hole punctured the ceiling, tunneling straight up into the mountain’s heart.

"It’s escaping!" Feng Yu pointed toward the dark shaft above.

The chamber’s icy walls began to melt, sending rivulets of water cascading down the stone. Chunks of rotting flesh twitched and rolled across the floor, animated by some dark power.

A piece of meat lurched toward her and Mei Chen. Xiulan gripped Severing Light one-handed, stabbing through the writhing flesh and flicking it away. Their elemental array shattered with an audible crack.

"Well, that didn’t last long. What the fuck," Xiulan muttered. She sensed water qi building inside of her and attempted to channel wood qi to do something… useful. Unlike the intuitive yin-yang shifts she’d practiced, nothing clicked. The gathered energy dissipated uselessly and her connection to Mei Chen broke.

Heat exploded outward as flames erupted around them. Feng Yu’s fire spread in an expanding circle, incinerating the animated flesh. The intense heat drove back the supernatural cold.

"Forget the array. We can’t let it escape!" Ren Chun shouted over the crackling flames.

Mei Chen tugged at Xiulan’s sleeve. "The tunnel leads to the mountain peak!"

Ren Chun launched himself upward, his qi propelling him toward the dark shaft. Earth qi surged through the tunnel walls, brick-like protrusions erupting in a spiraling pattern. He bounded from foothold to foothold, disappearing into the darkness above.

"Wait, you fool!" Feng Yu’s shout echoed off the chamber walls. "We need to stay together!"

Ren Chun’s footsteps faded into silence. Feng Yu cursed and turned to Xiulan and Mei Chen. "Stay together. We can’t split up and leave anyone alone."

Fire blazed around Feng Yu as she leaped toward the tunnel, following Ren Chun’s path upward. The orange glow of her flames diminished until only darkness remained.

Xiulan stared at the black void above. So much for planning . She shouldn’t have expected better from their group of young, headstrong idiots!

A few half-burnt pieces of flesh still twitched across the chamber floor.

Her gaze shifted to Mei Chen. If she went into her spirit form, it would be easy enough for her to go up.

But for Xiulan to do so while carrying Mei Chen’s body... That would be harder. Leaving it behind amid the animated decay wasn’t an option.

"Miss?" Mei Chen’s voice quavered.

"What do you want to do?"

Mei Chen pressed against Xiulan’s side. "I’m afraid. I heard everything she screamed, even if you couldn’t."

"What?" Xiulan’s muscles tensed.

Arms wrapped around her waist as Mei Chen buried her face in Xiulan’s robes. "I’m sorry."

Xiulan patted Mei Chen’s back, her mind racing. Why the fuck did Qingfeng send us here?

Mei Chen straightened abruptly, tugging at Xiulan’s sleeve with trembling fingers. "Miss, wait—it’s a trick!"

"What?" Xiulan pivoted toward the tunnel entrance.

"She’ll return. The spirit didn’t flee—she tried to draw us away from here, from her husband." Mei Chen pointed toward the scattered bones. "She wants to protect what remains."

"What husband?" Xiulan scanned the bone fragments littering the chamber floor.

Mei Chen shuffled forward, indicating a particular bone that pulsed with a faint, ethereal glow. "That single immortal bone. It’s all that survived."

She sniffled. "She’s spent millennia attempting to restore him. They were trapped for a long time. Both of them have faded so much. I couldn’t understand everything but—their story breaks my heart."

"Pretty sure we don’t have time for a tragic ten chapter backstory flashback right now." Xiulan adjusted her grip on Severing Light.

Crystal tears sparkled with spiritual energy as they rolled down Mei Chen’s cheeks. "If you die, I won’t try to bring you back."

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Xiulan blinked, running gentle fingers through Mei Chen’s hair. "That’s fine. Instead, you can discover what brings you joy and share stories about the things that remind you of me whenever you want to remember."

Mei Chen shuddered against her, refusing to release her grip.

"Mei." Xiulan kissed Mei’s cool forehead gently. "While I appreciate discussing my hypothetical death, I’d rather focus on staying alive. We should prepare some sort of trap before she returns."

Mei Chen stepped back, staring up at Xiulan with wide, glistening eyes, and nodded.

Xiulan pulled her pack off her shoulder, the leather straps catching briefly on her robe. The talismans Ming gave us might actually be useful here.

She rifled through the contents, pushing aside packets of medicinal powder and cultivation pills. The stack of talismans glowed faintly in the dim light—barrier formations traced in black ink alongside the more numerous object repair scripts obviously meant for Mei Chen.

"These barrier talismans should work against spiritual entities." Xiulan handed the stack to Mei Chen. "Place them around the chamber in a containment pattern."

Mei Chen darted off into the shadows, her footsteps light against the frost-covered stone. The soft rustle of paper and whisper of spiritual energy marked her progress around the chamber’s perimeter.

Xiulan turned to the grotesque bone display. She cleared away the scattered remains, leaving only the immortal bone untouched in the center. It pulsed, casting strange shadows across the chamber floor.

Something’s not right about this. Xiulan studied the bone from different angles without touching it. If this bone means so much to the spirit, why leave it behind? Unless...

A chill ran down her spine that had nothing to do with the chamber’s supernatural cold. It has to be trapped. No spirit this obsessed would abandon their treasure without protection.

"I have it done!" Mei Chen’s excited shout echoed off the chamber walls as she bounded back to Xiulan’s side.

Xiulan studied the chamber, calculating their options. "You’ll need to control the ice when she returns. We can’t rely on earth techniques here—it’ll have to be water-water cancellation rather than water-earth control."

"I can manage it for a little while." Mei Chen fidgeted with the safety seal at her neck. "But if I removed—"

"Stop right there." Xiulan captured Mei Chen’s hand and held it still.

"That’s strictly last-resort territory. We don’t want you draining your power or getting hurt." She met Mei Chen’s eyes with stern intensity. "Remember what Master Qingfeng said? That path leads straight to becoming like our friend up there."

Mei Chen pulled her hand free, crossed her arms, and frowned at her. "I’m not stupid. I listened to everything he taught us."

A grin spread across Xiulan’s face as she patted Mei Chen’s arm. "If you’d said that a week ago, I would’ve sworn you were possessed!"

Pink tinged Mei Chen’s pale cheeks. "I just... it was..." She stammered, looking down at her feet.

A frigid gust swept through the chamber from the entrance tunnel, carrying the sharp scent of supernatural frost. Xiulan raised Severing Light. "Quiet. I think she’s coming back."

Xiulan pressed the last barrier talisman against the cold stone behind the glowing bone. Her qi flowed into the paper, igniting the inked inscription lines with spiritual power. She grabbed Mei Chen’s wrist and pulled her toward the chamber wall, pressing them both flat against the frozen surface.

An invisibility technique would be really useful right about now. Xiulan held her breath as snowflakes swirled into the chamber like crystalline dancers.

The wrathful spirit entered with a second rush of supernatural frost. She flew straight to the bone, ethereal hands reaching for her treasure. The barrier flashed brilliant white, repelling her palms.

The screech of rage echoed off the chamber walls.

"Now!" Xiulan’s shout pierced the frigid air.

Spiritual energy surged as Xiulan activated her share of the barrier talismans. Mei Chen’s qi ignited the remaining scripts.

Webs of white light erupted from the glowing papers, intersecting and connecting in complex patterns. The barrier contracted inward, trapping the spirit in a shrinking cage of light.

The spirit’s piercing shriek assaulted Xiulan’s ears. Spectral hands clawed at the barrier while tendrils of frozen hair whipped against it.

Unfortunately, the barrier didn’t contain the ability to manipulate the qi inside the chamber already. Spears of ice materialized around them, launching toward Xiulan and Mei Chen in deadly volleys.

Mei Chen thrust both hands forward. The supernatural cold twisted away from them like water around stones in a stream. Ice shattered against the chamber walls instead of their bodies.

Yang energy blazed through Xiulan’s meridians as she channeled it into Severing Light. The blade glowed with increasing intensity until it rivaled Feng Yu’s flames. She cleared the distance to the center of the chamber in a single zig-zag with Heavenly Two-Step.

"Yin Spirit Seeking Strike!" Xiulan lunged forward, driving Severing Light through the barrier. Though the blade stopped short of the spirit’s form, yang energy leaped from the weapon. Lightning-like tendrils of power arced through the air, striking the trapped spirit.

The spirit weathered the attack better than Xiulan expected. She jumped backward as the spirit’s frozen hair lashed out like whips. Mei Chen’s qi surged, redirecting the storm of ice and frost away, creating a tunnel-like effect.

Xiulan slashed Severing Light in a wide arc, the barrier’s luminescent walls containing the wrathful spirit’s retaliatory strikes. At least her ’physical’ ones. Ice shards slashed at her cheeks despite Mei Chen’s best efforts.

Severing Light blazed with spiritual energy, dissolving the spectral hair wherever it attempted to touch the weapon’s surface. Good job Elder Lei! You crafted something incredible here.

Despite the advantage, the spirit’s core form remained frustratingly out of reach, dancing away from each strike. Xiulan’s gaze locked onto the glowing bone. She pivoted, bringing Severing Light down in a decisive strike.

The spirit reacted instantly, ripping stone from the chamber floor. A pillar of earth erupted between Xiulan and her target. The barrier’s web-like pattern stretched outward as pressure built inside, forcing Xiulan to retreat several steps.

"Hurry!" Mei Chen’s urgent shout echoed off the chamber walls.

Crimson light flooded the tunnel above. Feng Yu plummeted from the ceiling, flames trailing behind her like a comet. She hurled Liuhuo toward the spirit. The tiny serpent opened his mouth, releasing a small fireball that expanded into an inferno.

"The barrier—" Xiulan’s warning came too late.

The explosion shattered the spiritual cage. Yin energy burst outward in a freezing wave as flames engulfed the spirit’s form.

Feng Yu landed in a crouch, flames still dancing around her form. She sprang forward without hesitation, her weapon blazing with spiritual fire. Xiulan darted in beside her, Severing Light pulsing with yang energy.

The wrathful spirit’s hair writhed like frozen serpents, spreading outward in an arctic web. The lashing forced them to dodge and weave.

New ice shards materialized from the frigid air. Xiulan ducked beneath the crystalline barrage as Feng Yu swept her hand upward.

A barrier of flames erupted between them and the spirit, melting the incoming projectiles into harmless steam. The supernatural cold fought with the intense heat radiating from Feng Yu’s techniques.

The spirit’s form twisted through the chamber like smoke, trailing tendrils of frozen hair. Xiulan reached for her darts, charging one with yang energy. The projectile sparked between her fingers as she took aim.

Before she could release, a strand of spectral hair lashed out. The dart discharged prematurely, yang energy dissipating uselessly into the frozen air. "Fucking, bullshit!"

Footsteps echoed from the entrance tunnel. Ren Chun burst into the chamber, earth qi swirling around him. The spirit’s ice curved away from the energy, creating a path through the supernatural storm.

He charged forward, joining their assault.

Xiulan dropped low, slashing at the spirit’s trailing form. Above her, Feng Yu’s blazing weapon cut through the air where the spirit’s torso flickered. Ren Chun leaped high, his attack aimed for the spectral head.

The spirit twisted impossibly, evading all three strikes.

Frozen tendrils whipped toward them in a counterattack. Xiulan jumped over a sweeping length of hair as Feng Yu’s flames incinerated another reaching tendril. A wall of stone erupted from the ground as Ren Chun blocked a third attack. He punched forward, launching shards of rock through the air, but the spirit’s ice intercepted them in a crystalline explosion.

Xiulan adjusted her grip on Severing Light, preparing for another assault. The supernatural blizzard stopped abruptly as the wrathful spirit went rigid, spectral form turning toward the chamber’s center.

Xiulan followed the spirit’s gaze. Mei Chen stood in the middle of the room, holding up the glowing immortal bone.

Tears streamed down Mei Chen’s face, crystallizing into droplets of spiritual energy before they hit the ground. "Like this, you’ll never chance meeting again! Is that really what you want?"

The wrathful spirit froze, her strands of frozen hair hanging motionless around them like suspended icicles.

Mei Chen lifted the immortal bone above her head. Golden light pulsed from within, growing stronger with each beat. The bone crumbled into motes of spiritual energy, scattering upward like windblown seeds caught in a divine breeze.

The spirit shot toward the ascending light; her form trailing wisps of frost. All aggression vanished as she reached for the golden particles with desperate longing.

Xiulan sprinted to Mei Chen’s side, Severing Light held defensively. The chamber’s supernatural cold pressed against her skin as she positioned herself between Mei Chen and the spirit. There was no need.

The wrathful spirit paid no attention to their movements. Her spectral form dissolved into points of blue-white light that swirled together with the golden motes. The merged energies danced through the air like fireflies.

The chamber floor glittered with scattered spirit tears, their faint luminescence casting prismatic patterns across the ice-covered walls.

Feng Yu knelt, lifting one to examine the swirling energy trapped within. "Hey aren’t these winter’s tears? Each one should fetch at least a spirit stone at the Treasure Pavilion."

Ren Chun raised his sword toward the chamber ceiling. "We’ve saved the entire region from a dangerous wrathful spirit! Our names will—"

Xiulan’s boot connected with his shin. He hopped on one foot, clutching his leg. "What was that for!?"

"Heroes don’t gloat over others’ tragedy." Xiulan wrapped her arms around Mei Chen’s trembling shoulders.

The victory felt empty. No glory or triumph filled her chest—only a deep ache for the lovers separated by death and time. Mei Chen’s quiet sobs echoed through the chamber.

Feng Yu gathered a handful of the crystallized tears and held them out to Mei Chen. "Here. You should keep these." The forced cheerfulness in her voice fell flat against the chamber’s solemn atmosphere.

"We should..." Mei Chen’s words dissolved into fresh tears. "We should... I don’t know."

Feng Yu gathered stones from around the chamber, stacking them carefully in the center where the immortal bone had rested. She pulled an incense stick from her pack and touched the tip with a finger. A tiny flame ignited the fragrant wood.

"All we can do is remember their grief." Feng Yu planted the burning incense among the stones. "And hope they return to karma to find each other again."