On a mountain not far from Exile Town, there was a small lake—ordinary people couldn't see it. The lake was gray, and streams of gray mist continuously bubbled up from its depths.
Mixed within these streams was Deathbane Aura. The lake, once pure thanks to the Buddha Statue of Visions, had, after centuries, begun to fill with this sinister presence.
“I heard this place is pretty interesting, hehe.”
A crisp voice rang out—Rufina Howard had arrived at the lakeshore. She took a deep breath, then suddenly began to cough.
“Ugh, what is this? I came looking for something pure, did that uncle lie to me?”
From Rufina Howard’s demeanor, it seemed she’d heard legends about this place elsewhere. Driven by curiosity, she’d come to see for herself, but now she looked deeply disappointed.
Just then, laughter echoed from the lake. Rufina Howard quickly stood up and pulled several long, cylindrical tubes from the small cloth bag on her back.
“Whatever’s causing trouble here, show yourself.”
I saw that these tubes were made of bamboo, their ends sealed with a layer of white paper. A faint power emanated from within, likely a kind of spiritual technique meant to suppress ghosts.
Ever since that flash of light centuries ago, no ghosts had come here. Though the area’s unique aura drew them, they were always repelled by the mountain’s overwhelming and sacred power.
So, in these nearly three hundred years, this place has grown increasingly prosperous, and the city has expanded far beyond its original boundaries.
Beneath this lake, all sorts of temples—large and small—stand in clusters. Rufina Howard had visited before, but she scoffed at these useless temples, dismissing them as mere decorations.
There is something in this lake.
"Can you see me?"
I widened my eyes as a wisp of gray mist drifted out of the lake, slowly gathering into a humanoid shape. Its eyes were black holes, its mouth split wide in an exaggerated grin, as if laughing.
Suddenly, Rufina Howard raised a bamboo tube, peeled off the white paper sealing its mouth, and with a whoosh, a streak of pale blue light shot out, piercing through the gray humanoid entity.
"How could it be useless?"
The gray humanoid entity laughed like a child, clapping its hands. The pale blue beam had only passed through its body, which dispersed like mist but quickly reformed.
"What are you?"
Rufina Howard stared in shock as the gray humanoid entity drifted to her side, its misty form curling up her body. Rufina screamed, frantically waving her hands to disperse the mist, but it only scattered and reformed. The gray humanoid entity laughed, as if playing.
After a long while, Rufina Howard, exhausted, stopped and sat by the lake. The gray humanoid entity floated above the water, clapping and laughing.
"So what exactly are you? You're not a ghost or a soul—how strange."
Rufina Howard realized this thing wasn't threatening, so she began observing it, her face full of curiosity as she watched the gray mist.
But then the gray humanoid entity began to move, its mouth miming speech. From its throat came a voice just like Rufina Howard's, but it sounded awkward and mechanical, disturbingly unnatural.
"I'm a person..."
Rufina Howard immediately stood up and pointed at herself, and the gray humanoid entity did the same, speaking as she did.
"I'm a person..."
"Stop copying me."
"Stop copying me."
The gray humanoid entity mimicked Rufina Howard, and she stomped her feet in anger. The entity copied her movements exactly.
Rufina Howard pouted angrily, hands on her hips, glaring at the gray humanoid entity that kept mimicking her.
By now, dusk had fallen. Rufina Howard's stomach growled, and the gray humanoid entity stared at her with its hollow eyes, echoing the rumbling sound.
The gray humanoid entity tried to imitate Rufina Howard, puffing out its cheeks and attempting to make a stomach rumble, but after a long effort, it could only produce bizarre sounds.
"Ha! You can't copy that, can you? Hunger is something only humans feel."
The gray humanoid entity seemed to get angry, spinning in the air, clutching its head with both hands, looking utterly frustrated.
Just then, I was startled to see a stream of black mist appear behind Rufina Howard, gradually forming into a humanoid shape. Its pale, hollow eyes and mouth looked furious, and it suddenly lunged at Rufina.
"Whoa, what is that..."
Rufina Howard screamed as the Deathbane Wraith passed through her, grabbing the gray humanoid entity with one hand and striking it with the other. The two—one gray, one black—began to scuffle, the sound of blows echoing.
"Hey, hey, stop fighting! Cut it out!"
Rufina Howard, confused by the chaos, shouted from the side. Just then, a stream of white mist descended from the sky, forming into the White Peacemaker. It pushed the gray and black entities apart, standing between them, arms outstretched, shaking its head as if trying to break up the fight.
"What exactly are you all?"
With a whoosh, the gray, white, and black entities gathered around Rufina Howard, circling her as if studying her.
"What do you want?"
Suddenly, all three began mimicking Rufina Howard, shouting in unison.
"What do you want?"
The three voices overlapped, and Rufina Howard, annoyed, turned away.
"The sun's setting. I'm heading home. I have to figure out what you three really are."
The three entities followed Rufina Howard all the way down the mountain, refusing to leave. Rufina was helpless; she found a restaurant, went inside, and ordered some food.
Ordinary people couldn't see the three entities. Rufina Howard ate her meal in irritation while the three sat beside her, copying her every move.
"Boss, bring out your best food and wine for me!"
A loud voice echoed from the doorway. It sounded familiar, so I looked over and gasped. In walked a young man in a white silk shirt, a pocket watch hanging from his chest, each of his ten fingers adorned with rings—clearly the heir of a wealthy family. It was Redmond. I stared in surprise, and beside him were Noah Grimm and Vivian Maple.
The waiter hurried over to greet them, but every table was already full. Only Rufina Howard, with a few plain steamed buns and a small plate of vegetables, sat alone at a table.
Redmond glanced over in confusion. He seemed able to see the three entities, then smiled and walked over, slapping a pile of silver coins on the table.
"Little girl, take this. I'm eating here, so move aside."
The boss came out, urging Rufina Howard to leave, but Rufina slapped the coins to the floor with a loud smack.
"Pfft, who wants your filthy money?"
She glared angrily at Redmond and kept eating. Vivian Maple still wore her veil, and Noah Grimm tugged at Redmond helplessly.
"Oh ho."
Redmond snorted coldly. He could indeed see the three entities, his gaze never leaving them. The entities, realizing the three newcomers could see them, circled over. Redmond was just about to act when a commotion broke out at the door.
A crowd of local gentry and a fat man squeezed inside.
"Ah, Mr. Chen is here! Why didn’t you send word ahead? There’s already a banquet set up at the manor—let us welcome Mr. Chen properly."
Redmond picked up the coins one by one and handed them to the boss, who nodded and bowed as he accepted them.
"Haha, Mayor Guo, I’m easygoing but stubborn. Today I’m eating at this table."
With that, Redmond sat down. The boss whispered something to Mayor Guo.
Soon, several soldiers came in, grabbed Rufina Howard by the arm, and lifted her out.
"What are you doing?"
Without giving Rufina Howard a chance to explain, they threw her out.
"You brat, do you even know your place? How dare you provoke Mr. Wu! Get lost. If you don’t, we’ll have you arrested."
Redmond sat down, laughing loudly, mocking Rufina Howard.
Vivian Maple looked displeased, Noah Grimm sighed, and the gentry and Mayor Wu entered, ordering the boss to bring out the best food and wine and sending someone home to fetch the Chen Family Reserve.
"Just you wait."
Rufina Howard stomped her foot in anger, then smiled and dashed into an alley beside the restaurant, peeking around. The three entities followed her, still mimicking her every move.
After a while, Rufina Howard reached the back of the restaurant. She rummaged through her belongings, grinning as she pulled something out.
"Just wait, I’ll show you all."
"Little girl."
Rufina Howard yelped in surprise as Vivian Maple grabbed her hand from behind.
A packet of white powder fell to the ground, and Rufina Howard stared at Vivian Maple in shock.
"Here, take this, little girl. I apologize for our young master’s behavior earlier—he’s always like that, but he means no harm."
With a snort, Rufina Howard pushed Vivian Maple’s hand away and stormed off.
"Ugh, I’m so mad, I’m so mad!"
In a room, Rufina Howard stomped around in frustration. The three entities copied her, pacing the room as she did.
"You three are so annoying. If you keep this up, I’m going to get really mad."
The three entities suddenly stopped mimicking her and stared blankly at Rufina Howard.
Then the gray entity suddenly picked up a bowl from the table and pretended to drink. The other two followed suit. Suddenly, Rufina Howard seemed to think of something, and she burst out laughing.