Beneath the Surface

The shrine loomed in front of them, dark and foreboding, its crumbling stone walls a testament to the centuries it had stood abandoned. The thick forest pressed in from all sides, as though the trees themselves were trying to swallow the structure whole. Li Wei could feel the weight of the place, the oppressive energy that seemed to seep from the very ground.

Zhang Yi stood beside her, his face set in grim determination. He moved forward, pulling a rusted iron lantern from his pack. The flame he lit was weak, casting faint shadows across the twisted vines that had overtaken the shrine. Li Wei's pulse quickened as she watched the flickering light barely push back the darkness.

"Are you sure we should go inside?" she asked, her voice quieter than she intended. She could feel the malevolent presence from the shrine growing stronger, its pull almost physical now.

Zhang Yi didn't answer immediately. His gaze remained fixed on the heavy wooden door before them, rotted with age but still standing firm. "We have to," he said at last. "There's no other way. The answers are inside."

Li Wei swallowed hard. She knew he was right. If they were going to break the curse—or at least understand it—they would have to face whatever waited for them within the shrine's decaying walls. Still, the knot of fear in her stomach tightened with each step closer to the entrance.

Together, they moved toward the door. It was swollen from years of neglect, the wood warped and covered in patches of mold and rot. Zhang Yi pushed against it, his muscles straining as the door groaned and resisted. For a moment, Li Wei thought it wouldn't budge, but then, with a loud creak, it gave way, swinging open just enough for them to slip through.

Inside, the air was damp and stale, thick with the scent of decay. Dust clung to everything—the floor, the crumbling stone walls, and the remnants of wooden beams that had once supported the roof. What little light filtered through the gaps in the walls cast eerie shadows across the ground, and the temperature dropped noticeably the moment they crossed the threshold.

Li Wei took a cautious step forward, her eyes adjusting to the dim light. The shrine was small, just one main room with a raised platform at the far end. On the platform stood an ancient stone altar, cracked and weathered. Vines snaked their way across the floor, up the walls, and around the altar itself, as though nature had long since claimed this place for its own.

But there was something else here, too—something that didn't belong.

"Do you feel that?" Li Wei whispered, her breath visible in the frigid air.

Zhang Yi nodded, his expression tense. "The curse," he said softly. "It's stronger here. This is where it all started."

Li Wei's gaze drifted to the altar, her heart racing. The oppressive energy that had been pressing down on her since they entered the shrine was almost unbearable now, as though the very air was alive with malice. She could hear it again, too—faint whispers that seemed to come from all around them, just beyond the edge of her hearing.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to move forward, step by cautious step, until she stood just a few feet from the altar. Her eyes scanned the surface, noting the deep cracks that marred the stone. There were symbols carved into the altar, ancient and faded, but still faintly visible. They looked like some kind of script, though she couldn't make out their meaning.

"What is this place?" she murmured, more to herself than to Zhang Yi.

Zhang Yi moved closer, his lantern casting a soft glow over the altar. "It's where they made their offerings," he said. "The villagers used to come here, long ago. They believed this shrine was sacred, that it protected them from evil. But something happened. The offerings stopped, and the curse began."

Li Wei frowned, her mind racing with questions. "What caused it? Why did they stop the offerings?"

Zhang Yi was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed in thought. "I don't know for sure," he admitted. "But I think it has something to do with the priestess."

"Lian," Li Wei said, recalling the name he'd told her earlier. "The one who was betrayed."

Zhang Yi nodded. "She was the last priestess to serve at this shrine. The stories say she was beloved by the villagers, but someone close to her turned on her. They killed her, buried her body here, and left the shrine to rot. That's when the curse took hold."

Li Wei's throat tightened. "But why would someone kill her? What did she do?"

Zhang Yi's face darkened. "That's the part no one knows. The elders refuse to speak of it, and the villagers are too afraid. But there's something buried here, some truth that's been forgotten. And I think it's tied to the curse."

Li Wei's eyes drifted to the ground near the altar. There was something about the floor—it didn't look quite right. The stones were uneven, as though they had been disturbed at some point. Her heart skipped a beat as a thought occurred to her.

"What if… what if her body is buried here?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Right under the shrine."

Zhang Yi followed her gaze, his expression grim. "It's possible," he said. "If she was killed here, they might have buried her right beneath the altar. But that means…"

Li Wei finished his sentence for him. "That means her spirit is still trapped here. She's bound to this place."

The weight of that realization settled heavily on them both. If the priestess's body was still here, then the curse that had plagued Fenglu Village for centuries might never be broken—unless they could somehow set her spirit free.

Zhang Yi knelt beside the altar, brushing aside the dust and debris that had collected over the years. His fingers traced the outline of the uneven stones on the floor, searching for any sign of a hidden chamber or burial site. Li Wei crouched beside him, her heart racing as she watched him work.

Suddenly, there was a soft click, and one of the stones shifted beneath his hand. Zhang Yi paused, glancing up at Li Wei with a mixture of surprise and apprehension. Slowly, he lifted the stone, revealing a dark, narrow hole beneath it.

Li Wei's stomach churned as she peered into the darkness. The hole was just wide enough for a person to fit through, but it descended into blackness, with no way of knowing how deep it went or what lay at the bottom.

Zhang Yi stood, wiping his hands on his pants. "Looks like we found something."

Li Wei swallowed hard, the cold sweat forming on the back of her neck. "Are we really going down there?"

Zhang Yi gave a nod, though there was hesitation in his eyes. "If we want answers, we have to."

Li Wei stared at the hole, her heart pounding in her chest. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back, to leave this cursed place behind and never look back. But deep down, she knew there was no running from this—not anymore.

With a deep breath, she nodded. "Let's go."

Zhang Yi handed her the lantern, and she took it with shaking hands as he lowered himself into the hole first. His feet disappeared into the darkness, and for a moment, Li Wei's breath caught in her throat. But then she heard his voice from below.

"It's safe. Come down."

Li Wei hesitated only a moment longer before following him into the blackness, the lantern's light barely illuminating the narrow passage as she descended. The walls were cold and damp, and the air grew thicker, more suffocating with each step.

Finally, her feet touched solid ground, and she found herself standing in a small, hidden chamber beneath the shrine. The air was even colder here, and the oppressive energy that had been building since they entered the shrine was almost unbearable now.

Zhang Yi held up his own lantern, casting a dim glow across the chamber. At the far end of the room, something lay on the ground, partially covered by dust and debris.

Li Wei's heart stopped as she realized what it was.

A body.

The remains were skeletal, long since decayed, but there was no mistaking it—the bones of a woman, her arms outstretched as though in silent plea. The remains of her robe were still visible, tattered and stained with age. And there, clasped in her bony hand, was a small, intricately carved dagger.

Li Wei's breath caught in her throat as she knelt beside the body. "This is her, isn't it?" she whispered. "This is Lian."

Zhang Yi nodded, his face pale. "It has to be."

As they stood there, the oppressive energy in the room seemed to pulse, growing stronger, more malevolent. The whispers that had haunted Li Wei since she arrived in Fenglu Village grew louder, filling the air with a cacophony of voices. The temperature plummeted, and the light from their lanterns flickered, casting strange, shifting shadows on the walls.

Li Wei felt a chill run down her spine as she realized something terrifying.

They weren't alone anymore.

"Stay tuned for the next chapter" 🙂