Lanyun was enchanted by the dancing blue flames. Though he knew that the buzz of the Night Market was behind him, he could’ve sworn that he heard even more boisterous laughter and rowdy singing deeper within the forest. 

Before his mind could follow, Lanyun began walking forwards, drawn towards the revelry. He could smell smoke in the air. The Night Market must’ve extended further than he thought, and there were more vendors inside the forest. Lanyun felt compelled to go inside and investigate. Someone working in the forest would surely know more about the ghost flower inside. 

Lanyun’s shoes crunched on the dead leaves of the forest floor. Suddenly, a hand shot out from behind him, grabbing his arm tightly and forcefully yanking him backwards. 

Surprised by the sudden force, Lanyun stumbled back and collided with someone’s chest. Before he could swing his elbow into the side of his unknown assailant, he heard a familiar voice curse beside his ear.

“What in the eight realms do you think you’re doing?” Renwu’s harsh words sounded close to his ear. 

The pressure on Lanyun’s arm loosened as Renwu withdrew his hold, and Lanyun turned around to face the celestial. Contrary to the anger that he had expected, Renwu’s expression was a mixture of shock and confusion. 

“W-what’s wrong?” Lanyun asked, giving Renwu a perplexed look.

“What’s wrong?” Renwu huffed in disbelief. “I just found you mindlessly wandering deeper into the forest after you didn’t arrive at our agreed upon spot, and you have the gall to ask me that?”

Lanyun glanced around their surroundings and realized with a start that he had somehow walked further into the Guwang forest than he had thought. The sun had set long ago, with only a few streaks of moonlight seeping through the canopy. Looking behind Renwu, he saw a tiny cluster of orange lights in the distance, the lanterns from the Night Market. But the blue flames that he had originally been following had disappeared. 

“There were these flames,” Lanyun tried to explain. “I saw them at the entrance to the forest and they made this path, so I started following. I didn’t realize I had come so far. I must’ve lost track of time or something.” 

Renwu’s expression hardened as his demeanor turned serious. “What color were these flames?” 

“Blue.” Lanyun looked at Renwu worriedly. “Is everything alright?”

“Ghost fire,” Renwu murmured breathlessly with wide eyes. Reaching forward, he suddenly grabbed Lanyun’s face with one hand and tilted his head up. 

Lanyun felt his neck bend uncomfortably as Renwu examined him under the moonlight. Without warning, Renwu pinched Lanyun’s jaw open before forcefully shoving two fingers down his throat. 

Lanyun immediately gagged at the sudden pressure, and he doubled over, retching onto the forest floor. Everything he had eaten that evening was purged out of his body until he was left coughing with nothing more to heave. Lanyun’s throat burned from the stomach acid as tears welled up in his eyes from the force of the vomiting. A hand reached out to move his hair out of the way as Renwu gently patted his back to prevent him from choking. 

“You had consumed spirit food,” Renwu explained. He pointed to a pile of black sludge amidst the half-digested items before them. “It had begun tying your soul to the spirit domain, which is why you were able to see the ghost fire and follow it into the forest. If I had searched for you any later, you would’ve already been lost amongst the spirits. But spirit food is not easy for a human to come by. Can you recall what it might’ve been?”

Lanyun thought back to the foul tasting mooncake he had tried. “I had tried this one mooncake that tasted terrible like dirt and ash. The seller said that he had made the filling from these berries he had gathered in the forest.”

“He must’ve accidentally stumbled into the spirit domain when he picked those berries,” Renwu said, nodding in understanding. “Eating that must’ve been what opened your connection to the spirit domain. You should be fine now, though, since it’s left your body.”

“What if someone else eats it?” Lanyun wondered, knitting his brows in worry. “The man must still be selling them at the Night Market.” 

“You said the mooncake tasted of ash and dirt? I doubt anyone else would finish the entire thing after their first bite,” Renwu said, looking at Lanyun with a wry smile. “Not to mention, though your time in the celestial realm had been brief, increased consumption of celestial food might’ve made you more sensitive to the effects of spirit food. But just in case there’s another glutton like you, we can return to the seller and purchase and dispose of any more mooncakes that might’ve been contaminated by the spirit domain.” 

Lanyun and Renwu exited the forest and returned to the Night Market’s street. Thankfully, the mooncake seller hadn’t left and the number of his “special berry” mooncake hadn’t decreased either since Lanyun last saw him. 

“Your mooncake is inedible,” Renwu declared to the man as they approached his table. “My companion here vomited shortly after consuming it. I heard that it was made from a ‘special berry’?” 

With Lanyun’s haggard visage and the undeniable smell of bile surrounding his person, the mooncake seller couldn’t refute Renwu’s words. 

“Please forgive me, young lords,” the mooncake seller said nervously, bowing his head deeply in apology. “I had picked these berries from the forest. Though I had never seen them before, I did not think they were poisonous. It is true that it tasted strange when I tried one myself, but I thought they were still safe for consumption. What can I do to fix this mistake?” 

“A river cannot mend the canyon it has carved in the earth,” Renwu said reproachfully. “But since my companion was not harmed any further, we shall not turn you over to the officials for attempted murder. Still, I cannot leave here in good faith, knowing that your mooncakes are poisonous. Are these all of your mooncakes?”

“Yes, these are all that I have made,” the mooncake seller replied.

“And do you have any more of the berries kept somewhere?” Renwu asked.

“No, I used all of them when making the mooncakes,” the mooncake seller said, shaking his head.

“Pack them all up for me,” Renwu commanded, pointing at the special berry mooncakes. “I will safely dispose of them where no beggar may accidentally stumble upon and consume them.”

Heeding Renwu’s words, the mooncake seller neatly wrapped bamboo leaves around the mooncakes into a small bundle. When he gave them to Renwu, the celestial dropped a few qing coins into his hand in return. 

“If you ever see these berries again, do not pick them,” Renwu said sternly. “I will not be this lenient next time.”

“Your benevolence is deeply appreciated,” the mooncake seller said gratefully, bowing his head again. 

“I’m surprised you paid him for the mooncakes,” Lanyun remarked as they walked away, heading back to the Shan Hua inn. 

“Noblesse oblige,” Renwu stated plainly. He tucked the bundle into his sleeve. “I understand now, after seeing him for myself, why the man was able to discover and harvest the berries in the first place. Under normal circumstances, this situation would’ve never occurred.”

Thinking over their interaction with the mooncake seller, Lanyun couldn’t notice anything particularly strange. “I didn’t see anything amiss?” 

“That just further demonstrates the difference between our abilities,” Renwu said with a cocky attitude. “There was an aura of sickness around the man. I have no doubt that the raggedy scarf he was wearing served to cover up the scars from the plague. His soul must be on the brink between life and death, which is why he was able to cross into the spirit domain. It is a miracle that he hadn’t become lost when he did. After all, if I didn’t find you in time, the ghost fire would’ve easily led you to your doom.” 

“Thank you,” Lanyun said earnestly. He shuddered to think about what might’ve happened to him if Renwu hadn’t gone to find him. “I had forgotten to say it to you back at the forest, but I’m truly grateful for your help. It felt as if I was hypnotized by the ghost fire. I’ve never encountered such a thing before, and I don’t know what I could’ve done to protect myself.” He held his chin thoughtfully. “Is it possible to kick a spirit, or would my foot just pass through them?”

Renwu suddenly turned to Lanyun with a puzzled expression as he appeared to have remembered something. “Didn’t you say earlier that your grandmother was a shaman? I remember that the shamans had signed a contract with some celestials a millennium ago to gain insight into the spirit domain. All blood descendants of shamans should’ve inherited the unique sight to recognize ghosts and spirits as well as the ability to protect against them.”

“Oh she’s not my real grandmother,” Lanyun said.

“What?” Renwu said, visibly taken aback. 

“My sister and I were abandoned in the woods when I was around two years old,” Lanyun said, kicking a pebble on the street. “My grandmother found us and decided to raise us as her grandchildren since she never married nor had any children of her own.”  

“And your parents?” Renwu asked.

“I don’t remember them.” Lanyun shrugged. “My sister still has some faint recollection of them, but she doesn’t enjoy talking about them. Besides, I never bothered to wonder about them when I already have my grandmother.” 

Renwu fell silent, appearing to be lost in deep thought. The rest of their short walk back to the inn remained quiet until Lanyun remembered something at the inn’s entrance. He had been so shaken up by the ghost fire incident that it had slipped his mind until he saw the front desk’s floral decor. 

“That’s right!” Lanyun exclaimed as he stopped Renwu from walking ahead. “The mooncake seller told me that when he was in the forest, he saw a flower resembling the spider lily except it was a different color and glowing. If the information on the ghost flower that Granny Tao gave me was accurate, then there’s a great chance that the mooncake seller had caught a glimpse of the ghost flower while he was berry picking.” Lanyun’s eyes widened as he thought of something. “Do you think the potential ghost flower he saw might actually be in the spirit domain? Considering the name, I think it makes a lot of sense.”

Renwu nodded thoughtfully in agreement. “All the evidence we’ve gathered from the Night Market does indeed solidify our hypothesis that the ghost flower can be found in the Guwang forest. Although, the appearance of a spirit domain inside will…complicate our search.” His golden eyes slowly looked Lanyun up and down. “Especially in regards to you.”

“But that’s why you’re here,” Lanyun said with a cheeky smile. “Didn’t you claim to be a powerful celestial? Surely it’ll be no problem for you to protect a mere human in the spirit domain? Especially since we’ve already signed a contract that you will ‘ensure my safety’.”

“But only under the assumption of ‘the best of my abilities’,” Renwu reminded. “I’ll do what I can, but you need to stop doing anything inane like eating random foods and being hypnotized by ghost fire. Don’t forget that the contract also states that you must follow my directions.”

“Of course,” Lanyun agreed readily. 

 “It’s refreshing that you have such a confident attitude,” Renwu said with a calculating smirk. “Let’s see how long it can last.”