The Forgotten Path

The cold air bit at Li Wei's face as she hurried down the dirt path leading away from the inn, her breath coming out in short, visible puffs. The note with the single, terrifying word—Leave—still weighed heavily in her pocket, but something deeper gnawed at her, a growing realization that simply running away might not be an option.

She glanced over her shoulder. The village still lay shrouded in an unnatural quiet, its weathered rooftops and crooked chimneys looking as though they belonged to a place forgotten by time. As the wind rustled the leaves in the nearby forest, she felt as if unseen eyes were following her every move, watching from the shadows between the trees. Something was wrong, deeply wrong with this place, but she didn't know what.

Just as she reached the edge of the village, a figure stepped into the road, blocking her path.

"Leaving already?"

Li Wei skidded to a halt, her heart racing. The man in front of her looked to be in his late twenties, his tall frame slightly hunched and his eyes shadowed with exhaustion. He had the rough, weathered look of someone who had spent a lot of time outdoors, and his clothes—dark, heavy fabrics—looked worn from years of use. His eyes, though. They seemed far older than the rest of him, as if they'd seen things that could never be forgotten.

"I—yes," Li Wei stammered. "I think I've made a mistake coming here."

The man didn't move, his expression unreadable. "A mistake? That's one way to put it. Most people who come to Fenglu Village don't realize what they've stumbled into until it's too late."

Li Wei frowned. "What do you mean?"

The man's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he sighed, running a hand through his disheveled black hair. "This place… it's cursed. Always has been. The people here—those who stay—they know it, but they don't talk about it. Fear keeps them silent."

Li Wei felt a chill run down her spine. "A curse? You mean the ghost?"

The man's eyes darkened at her words. "You've heard the whispers, haven't you?" he asked softly. "They say she was betrayed long ago. Murdered. And now her spirit is restless, haunting the village, luring outsiders like you in with false promises of peace."

Li Wei's pulse quickened as she recalled the whispers she'd heard in the inn, the unnerving sensation of being watched. "What's your name?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Zhang Yi," he replied. "And you must be Li Wei."

Li Wei blinked in surprise. "How do you know my name?"

A faint, humorless smile crossed his lips. "In a place like this, word travels fast. Everyone knows who you are, and why you're here."

The weight of his words settled heavily on Li Wei's chest. "I didn't come here for any reason other than to get away," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "I just wanted some peace and quiet."

Zhang Yi's expression softened, but only slightly. "You won't find peace here. Not in Fenglu Village."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The wind howled between the trees, and the sky above darkened as the sun dipped lower behind the mountains. Li Wei felt trapped—caught between wanting to flee and needing to understand what was happening in this place.

"I need to know more," she said at last, her voice firm. "If there's something wrong here, I need to understand what it is."

Zhang Yi regarded her quietly before nodding. "You're not the first outsider to think that way. But if you want to know the truth, you'll have to be willing to face things you might not be ready for."

Li Wei swallowed hard. "Tell me everything."

Zhang Yi gestured toward a narrow path that led into the forest. "It all starts with the temple," he said. "There's an old shrine deep in the woods, long abandoned, but it's the source of everything that's wrong here. The curse… the ghost… it's tied to that place."

Li Wei's eyes widened. "A shrine? How old is it?"

"Centuries," Zhang Yi replied. "No one remembers exactly when it was built, but the stories say it was once a place of worship. Until something went terribly wrong."

He turned and started walking toward the path, motioning for Li Wei to follow. She hesitated for only a moment before falling into step beside him, her curiosity outweighing her fear.

As they ventured deeper into the forest, the trees grew denser, their twisted branches forming a canopy overhead that blocked out most of the remaining sunlight. The air was thick with the smell of moss and decaying leaves, and the sound of their footsteps on the forest floor seemed unnaturally loud in the silence.

"People used to make offerings at the shrine," Zhang Yi continued, his voice low. "They believed it kept the village safe from evil. But one day, the offerings stopped. No one knows why, but soon after, strange things began to happen. People disappeared. The crops withered. And then the ghost started appearing."

Li Wei felt a shiver run down her spine. "Who is she?" she asked softly. "The ghost, I mean. Do you know who she was?"

Zhang Yi nodded grimly. "According to the stories, she was a priestess who served at the shrine. Her name was Lian. She was said to be beautiful, kind… but she was betrayed by someone she trusted. They say she was murdered in cold blood, and her body was buried in the temple grounds. Ever since, her spirit has been trapped here, cursed to haunt the village until her soul finds peace."

Li Wei felt her throat tighten as the weight of the tale settled on her. A vengeful spirit, seeking retribution for a life cut short. It was the stuff of nightmares, but here in Fenglu Village, it was reality.

"Why hasn't anyone tried to stop her?" she asked.

Zhang Yi gave a bitter laugh. "People have tried. They've gone into the forest, to the shrine, hoping to break the curse. But they never come back. The village elders say it's too late—that the curse has taken root, and nothing can undo it now."

Li Wei's heart pounded in her chest as they continued walking. The forest seemed to press in around them, the air growing colder with each step. And then, through the thick underbrush, she saw it.

The shrine.

It was barely visible at first, its stone walls overgrown with vines and moss, blending into the forest as if it had always been there, hidden from the world. The roof had long since collapsed, and the entrance was blocked by a heavy wooden door, weathered and rotting from years of neglect.

But even in its dilapidated state, Li Wei could feel the power emanating from the place. It was an oppressive, malevolent energy that seemed to pulse through the air, making it hard to breathe.

Zhang Yi stopped a few feet away from the entrance, his eyes fixed on the shrine. "This is where it all began," he said quietly. "And this is where it will end."

Li Wei swallowed, her throat dry. "What do we do now?"

Zhang Yi turned to her, his expression grim. "We find a way inside," he said. "And we confront whatever is waiting for us."

"Stay tuned for the next chapter" 🙂