Lucas’s mind was a blur as he tried to recall the events of the previous night. Everything felt like a dream, so real yet so unreal. Slowly, he made his way back into the ancestral hall.

It was just before dawn, the sky outside turning a faint blue, with the east beginning to lighten. But inside the hall, it was still dim, the floor a dark, indistinct mess. Unsure of what to do, he glanced around and could barely make out some scattered debris—bricks, tiles, and possibly some things left behind by the man who had fled in the middle of the night. The hall was otherwise empty, with nothing to take or investigate. So, Lucas picked up his bedding, tucked it under his arm, grabbed his machete and oil lamp, and headed out.

His steps were unsteady as he left the hall and walked down the narrow alleyway. He hadn’t gone far when a door opened, and a man stepped out, staring at him in surprise.

“Well, well! You really made it through the night?”

Lucas turned to look at the man, whom he didn’t recognize. After a moment, he realized this must be someone from the Wang family, keeping an eye on whether they had really spent the night in the ancestral hall. “Something like that,” he replied.

“Come on, let’s go see the old master!” the man said, taking the items from Lucas’s hands. Lucas let him take whatever he wanted and followed him as he led the way.

With every step they took, the sky grew brighter.

By the time they reached the large courtyard of the Wang family’s estate, the sun was just rising in the east, casting its morning light over the mountains.

The Wang patriarch was already awake, sitting in his usual spot on the grand chair in the main hall, sipping his morning tea. When the man accompanying Lucas reported on his night in the hall, the old man seemed surprised, looking over at Lucas.

“You really spent the night in there?”

“Yes, sir. I didn’t leave,” Lucas replied, now fully awake and beginning to shake off the dreamlike feeling of the night.

It still felt like a dream.

“The other man ran off in the middle of the night, and you didn’t?”

“No, I didn’t run.”

“I must say, I underestimated you!”

The old man peered at Lucas with curiosity. “You look a bit out of it. Did you not sleep, or did something in the hall mess with your mind?” He turned to a nearby woman. “How are you treating our guest? Get him a cup of tea.”

“It’s neither of those,” Lucas said, shaking his head.

“Then what is it?”

“It just feels like... like it was all a dream.”

“So, did you see something last night?” The old man put down his teacup, now clearly intrigued.

“I had some kind of encounter…” Lucas thought back to the small figure he had seen in the early morning, and the vague, half-forgotten figure from his dream. He shook his head again. “But I didn’t see anything clearly.”

“You’re our guest. Don’t just stand there—sit down and tell me all about it. How did you get through the night?” The old man, who had clearly seen much in his long life, didn’t seem overly surprised by the possibility of spirits. Perhaps he had encountered such things before and wasn’t alarmed by the idea that one had visited his family’s ancestral hall. Even so, he might not know exactly what kind of spirit it was or what it looked like, especially since the three people who had previously stayed in the hall hadn’t seen anything either. One had slept through the night, and the other had probably left dismissing the idea of any spirits.

The woman brought Lucas a cup of tea, and he took a sip. The bitter, fragrant taste of chrysanthemum flooded his mouth, waking him up considerably.

“There’s no need to worry, sir. The spirit left early this morning, so your family’s ancestral hall should be safe from now on,” Lucas assured him.

“Left? Why would it leave? Tell me everything!”

So Lucas began to recount the events of the night in detail. As he spoke, more and more people gathered in the hall—family members, important figures, and even some onlookers who peeked through the door, all eager to hear the story.

Lucas patiently explained everything.

There were only questions, no interruptions.

The more he spoke, the more detailed his story became, as they pressed him for every bit of information.

The listeners held their breath, eyes wide with surprise, some with scrutinizing looks, but none openly doubting him.

“I woke up just before dawn,” Lucas finally concluded, sitting back in his chair.

The old man took a sip of his tea, then looked back at Lucas. “If that spirit really has left, we owe you our thanks.”

“There’s no need to say that,” Lucas replied, considering his words carefully. “The spirit left because, first, you put up the reward, which made it uneasy. Then, two others—a scholar and a butcher—came before me, and it found them too troublesome to deal with. I was just the final straw. It wasn’t all my doing.”

The old man chuckled, then asked, “How old are you?”

“I just turned fifteen.”

“Well, that’s something…”

The old man nodded thoughtfully. “Today, let’s assume that what you say is true, and the spirit really did leave. Whatever the case, you deserve the most credit.

“Since even the spirit recognized your filial piety toward your uncle, and our Wang family is known for our good name, we certainly can’t be outdone by a spirit. Besides, we’re neighboring villages, and your family is going through a hard time. If we can help, we should.

“So, since you stayed the night while the other man didn’t, I’ll give you his share of the reward as well. What do you say?”

After hearing Lucas’s story, the old man seemed to have taken a liking to him, even asking for his opinion.

“Thank you, sir,” Lucas said, standing up and bowing.

He knew he couldn’t refuse such a generous offer, despite his humble words.

The old man looked Lucas over once more, his interest growing. “Give him twenty taels in silver—it’ll be easier for him to carry.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t rush off just yet. We’ve prepared a nice meal for you, so stay and eat with us.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’d better get home. My family must be worried since I didn’t come back last night. And with my uncle so ill, my aunt and cousin are doing their best to care for him. I can’t enjoy a good meal while they’re struggling.”

“Fair enough,” the old man said with a smile. “In that case, we’ll send some food and drink to your house later.”

“I’ll humbly accept your kindness.”

“And if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Lucas could only express his gratitude over and over.

After a strange night, Lucas left the Wang family’s estate with three silver ingots in his possession, each worth ten taels. The extra ingot was for his uncle’s medicine. The weight of the silver pulled at his rough clothes as he walked in the bright morning light, feeling a sense of ownership that was hard to describe.

As he made his way back to Shu Village, the magical feeling from the night before hadn’t faded with the joy of receiving the silver. If anything, it grew stronger, making everything seem even more surreal.

There was a strange sense of unreality, as if he were living in a world completely different from the one he had known.

As he passed the bridge pavilion and turned the corner into the village, he saw the village elder and the group of children again.

Maybe it was because he hadn’t slept much, or maybe the battle with the spirit had drained him, or perhaps it was simply the fatigue of seeing a side of the world he hadn’t known existed. Whatever the reason, Lucas found himself stopping, leaning against the wall, staring blankly in that direction.

The elder was still telling his stories about gods and spirits.

The children were listening with rapt attention.

The story drifted into Lucas’s ears, mixing with all the other tales he had heard before, taking hold of his thoughts.

Foxes, ghosts, good and evil, gods…

A golden pill to ascend to heaven; 

A wicked deed to bring misfortune. 

Half-truths, half-fantasies, all spoken from someone’s lips.

The flavor of these stories was hard to capture in words. It was something you could only feel in your heart—not shocking, not logical, but mysterious and romantic, full of vivid imagery.

Lucas stood there, lost in the story, while his mind continued to wrestle with the question that had been haunting him: What kind of world is this?

If there are spirits, then are there ghosts too? And if there are ghosts, are there gods and Buddhas, and are there paths to immortality through Daoist cultivation? Is there a three-thousand-world cosmos like the Buddhists say? A way to eternal life, as the Daoists claim?

And how would I find it?

Where is the path to immortality?

And where can I find the so-called soul-stabilizing method?

Somehow, Lucas made his way home, greeted his aunt, and checked on his uncle. He briefly explained the events of the previous night and handed over the thirty taels of silver. After his aunt’s worried advice, he finally returned to his room.

It was a simple room, but it felt like a safe haven.

Yet something felt off.

He turned around to see an old book lying beside him