Chapter 13: A Mountain and a River at the Edge of Town

The town was bordered by a mountain and a river.

The mountain was called Old Mountain, and the river Old River.

In truth, Old Mountain was extremely remote. If you tried to pinpoint it on a map, the roads leading there were so obscure they defied navigation.

That was why none of the children in town ever ventured up the mountain alone. It wouldn’t have been an exaggeration to say the night was crawling with venomous snakes and ferocious beasts.

A narrow path snaked up from the foot of the mountain, no more than a meter or two wide. It was meant only for pedestrians—no vehicles could pass.

Meng Bai went home first. She ate dinner, washed the dishes, and waited until Lin Li had gone to bed before sneaking out of the house.

Miao Bai was waiting for her in a quiet spot where few people passed. The two set off together.

The night breeze was cool, and walking shoulder to shoulder with Miao Bai felt strangely intimate. Meng Bai still couldn’t fathom why Miao Bai had agreed to her unreasonable request.

All she could say was that Miao Bai was wonderful. Truly wonderful.

“Will it bother you if I turn on my flashlight?”

“No,” Miao Bai patiently explained. “As long as the light doesn’t shine on me.”

“Okay.”

They slowly circled out of town. At first, there were still a few low houses around, but gradually, all signs of buildings vanished.

The path grew more desolate, hemmed in by dark, swaying trees on every side. And that wasn’t all—the autumn night wind cut right through her. Meng Bai hadn’t dressed warmly enough, and she shivered all over. The flashlight’s beam was feeble, barely illuminating the narrow trail ahead, while endless darkness stretched beyond. It always felt like something was lurking just up front.

“Miao Bai.”

“Yeah?”

“It feels kind of creepy.” Meng Bai halted, trying to draw level with Miao Bai. “Can I stick close to you while we walk?”

“Don’t you think this path is a little narrow for two?”

It was narrow, but it was so eerie.

“Let’s just squeeze by.” Ignoring everything else, Meng Bai pressed on shoulder to shoulder with Miao Bai. The path truly was narrow—their shoulders had to brush together just to make progress.

Meng Bai’s steps were hurried and flustered, her breathing coming a little faster.

“Miao Bai, the mountain’s so huge. Finding Zhou An will be tough.”

“Why do you think she’s up here in the mountain?”

“Carpenter Zhou said he came looking for her here, so the odds are good that she’s around.”

“But if even he couldn’t find her, what makes you think we can?”

“You’re right, but I just want to take a look anyway.” Meng Bai refused to give up on any place where Zhou An might possibly be found. She thought of Ye Hong again, and the day’s events. “Yesterday, you asked me if I’d search like this for some other missing girl.”

Miao Bai said nothing, simply waiting quietly for her to go on.

“Honestly, right then, I wasn’t sure. But today at school, one of my female classmates died suddenly. Just twenty-four hours earlier, she’d smiled at me. And then, when I spotted her through the crowd, there she was, lying still in the flower bed with a white sheet draped over her. Someone said her face had been smashed. In that moment, I felt this overwhelming sadness. Life is so fragile.”

Life is so fragile.

Miao Bai suddenly felt a flicker of disorientation. It had been ages since she’d heard anyone speak of “life.” Memories surged from many years ago, back when she was still a girl who breathed and laughed. She’d loved this small town then—deeply, passionately.

“So, for any disappearance or unnatural death, even if it was a total stranger, I think I’d do everything in my power to help.”

“Not just for Zhou An?”

“Not just for Zhou An.”

Miao Bai came to a stop, her gaze settling on Meng Bai.

Meng Bai stopped too, her expression turning awkward. “Did that sound too phony?”

“No.” A hint of warmth entered Miao Bai’s eyes. “I’m just surprised.”

At her age—seventeen or eighteen—this girl could grasp the meaning of life and view every unnatural death or disappearance as a profound wrong.

“Alright, we don’t need to search anymore. She’s not on this mountain.”

“Huh?”

Miao Bai gave her a sidelong glance. “I said she’s not on this mountain. Do you believe me?”

Meng Bai nodded frantically. “Yes! Of course I do.”

In her heart, Miao Bai was like a goddess. Would a goddess ever lie?

“I promise you.” Miao Bai finally gave in.

“Huh?” Meng Bai blinked in confusion. “Promise what?”

“Finding Zhou An.” Miao Bai’s tone was perfectly even, as if she already had the whole matter well in hand.

To Meng Bai, though, it was monumental.

How to describe that feeling? You’d poured every ounce of effort into something, yet it still left you feeling hollow and powerless—no direction, no clear path ahead.

And then someone steps up and says, Don’t worry—I’ll take care of it for you.

And from those words alone, you knew it could be done.

Meng Bai trusted Miao Bai without reservation. She was convinced Miao Bai possessed that kind of magic.

“Really?” Meng Bai still hadn’t quite caught up. “You’re not messing with me?”

“I never lie to people.”

“Miao Bai!” Overcome with emotion, Meng Bai closed the distance and grabbed Miao Bai’s hand without thinking. Joy flooded through her in the wake of all that heaviness. “You’re the best Miao Bai in the whole world!”

Meng Bai’s hand had been cold, but the instant she clasped Miao Bai’s, she realized Miao Bai’s was even colder.

She’d heard that ghosts had no body heat, and Miao Bai seemed to be the same. But she wasn’t scared—not one bit.

In that moment, she even thought that if Miao Bai turned out to be a ghost, it wouldn’t matter. She liked this ghost right in front of her.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Miao Bai eyed her. “Your flashlight’s shining on my feet. It hurts.”

“Oh! Sorry!” Alarmed, Meng Bai hurriedly switched off the flashlight, her voice thick with apology. “I forgot!”

A gust of wind swept through, rustling the camphor leaves all around them. Miao Bai slipped her hand free and turned away, murmuring softly, “Let’s go.”

Meng Bai hurried after her, her voice bright and cheerful. “So, where to now?”

“Home.”

“We’ve come all this way, and we’re just turning back?”

Miao Bai stopped short, and Meng Bai skidded to a halt behind her.

“Don’t want to go home? What do you want to do, then?”

“Take me out for some fun.”

“Fun?” Miao Bai shot her a peculiar look. “Aren’t you swamped with schoolwork? Anyway, I don’t have anything fun to show you.”

Meng Bai didn’t buy it for a second. With Miao Bai’s “superpowers,” there had to be all sorts of wondrous things.

Meng Bai grinned like a fool. “Whatever you do for fun normally, let’s do that.”

“I usually just tend my flowers and pick a few walnuts. Nothing much in the way of hobbies.”

Miao Bai frowned. “Which one?”

Meng Bai shifted awkwardly. “The one that makes people hallucinate. The illu… illusion technique?”

Oh, the illusion technique.

Miao Bai couldn’t help but think this kid had some nerve. She was curious about everything under the sun, yet she’d been terrified of ghosts just moments ago.

Refuse her, though, and what about those eyes brimming with eager anticipation?

Miao Bai fell silent for a moment.

Meng Bai realized she’d been pushing her luck.

“What do you want to see?” Miao Bai finally asked.

“Eh?”

“I’m asking what you want to see.”

Meng Bai’s blood surged with excitement—Miao Bai had actually agreed! “I’ll look at whatever you show me!”

“Look into my eyes.”

Meng Bai met Miao Bai’s gaze. Those almond-shaped eyes held a profound, shadowy light, like a swirling vortex, like invisible hands drawing her inexorably closer, closer… Then Miao Bai’s figure blurred, growing hazy amid spinning circles of color, the scene whirling rapidly around her.

So dizzy—

So bright—

Was this daytime? A scorching sun blazed overhead, baking her eyes until they stung. The sound of rushing water filled her ears. Glancing down, she saw a crystal-clear stream bubbling beside her, fish darting through the water. Before she could make out their shapes, Miao Bai’s voice came again:

“Look into my eyes.”

Meng Bai looked up, and there was Miao Bai once more. She followed the direction of her gaze, and the world spun wildly, twisting the previous scene into oblivion. Now trees heavy with snow loomed around her—it was winter.

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky, one after another, settling lightly on Meng Bai’s skin. She reached out to catch one, and it felt utterly real.

“Look into my eyes.”

A bell tolled suddenly, followed by the steady tick-tock of an old-fashioned wall clock.

She was in a school building at sunset, the dying light’s afterglow spilling across the lectern. Drowsiness washed over Meng Bai; she yawned and glanced out the window.

In the building across the way, a girl in a white dress stood on the rooftop. She leaped—

“No!!!”

Meng Bai jolted awake from the illusion, utterly drained from how vividly real it had all felt. Her legs gave out beneath her, and she sank to the ground, gasping for breath.

“That was terrifying—too terrifying! Why did you have to show me the last one?”

“The last one was your own fantasy, not something I created. The first two were mine.”

Seeing how shaken Meng Bai was, Miao Bai felt a twinge of remorse. She crouched down to comfort her. “Sorry. It was all fake—all of it.”

Meng Bai shook her head. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine in a minute.”

She had asked to experience the illusion technique, after all. She couldn’t blame Miao Bai for it.

Now she understood why Zhang Zhou had been so frightened that night. The female ghost he’d seen in the tree must have been even more lifelike.

The two of them lingered in that desolate little hillside for a while longer before Meng Bai managed to stand.

“Let’s head home.”

Miao Bai checked once more. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” To Miao Bai’s surprise, Meng Bai even managed a smile. “You said it yourself—it was just an illusion. Besides, first time’s the hardest. Next time, show me something else.”

Miao Bai let out a soft huff of laughter through her nose.

This kid was actually feeling pretty pleased with herself.