The sound of wailing wind jolted me awake. I rubbed my eyes—I'd only dozed off for a short while, but the wind had disturbed my rest. I kept watch, but Old Man Rivers still hadn't appeared.
I checked my phone for a while. It was already past 3 a.m. Though I still felt sleepy and wanted to rest, I decided to wait another hour. If nothing changed, I would just go back to sleep.
After a while, I began to reflect. Maybe that day, Evan Zhao was simply overwhelmed by grief—so much so that it nearly crushed him. Perhaps his Sorrow Soul couldn't bear to watch him suffer and split from his body, carrying all of Evan Zhao's sadness. Gradually, it took root in Fallen Hollow, making the town's name and Evan Zhao's soul nearly interchangeable.
Eventually, the sorrow borne by Evan Zhao's soul began to spread throughout the entire town, covering it in grief. Everything here started to decay, until it became this miserable ruin. Anyone born in Fallen Hollow would never accomplish much, and in the end, they'd always return—drawn back by the influence of Evan Zhao's soul.
Time ticked by. At 4 a.m., I stood up, stretched, and moved around a bit, ready to have Yixue Han take me home. But just then, my vision blurred—I saw a scene unfold before me.
"Tianhe, it's all right, really. It's not your fault. If anything, it's my fault—I shouldn't have forced you. I should've just listened to you."
In the ruined courtyard of the Rivers Family, Evan Zhao was curled up beside a pillar. Old Man Rivers sat near him, constantly trying to comfort Evan, whose face was twisted with grief, almost crying—his voice thick with sobs.
"Father, it's my fault. Your son is unfilial—so unfilial."
"Enough, Tianhe. I may not know how you returned here, but I'm already dead, and so are you. Why don't we leave this place? The dead shouldn't linger here—it'll affect the rest of the Rivers Family."
No matter how Old Man Rivers tried to persuade him, Evan Zhao just stayed curled by the pillar, refusing to leave. Old Man Rivers seemed helpless; he slowly floated upward, apparently intending to seek out a capable Taoist to save Evan. But as soon as he left the courtyard, I saw him yanked back by a powerful force—he couldn't escape the Rivers Family estate.
After that, Old Man Rivers tried again and again, but as a Yellow Ghost, he could never step beyond the Rivers Family courtyard. He finally realized the problem lay with Evan Zhao.
"Tianhe, come outside with me, all right? I miss the orchard—I want to see it again."
But Evan Zhao just muttered to himself, as if he'd lost his mind. Old Man Rivers could only comfort him, while Evan's face grew more and more sorrowful, repeating the same words: "It's all my fault. Everything is my fault."
No matter what Old Man Rivers said, Evan Zhao just kept squatting by the pillar. Old Man Rivers was helpless and could only stay with him. Years later, he was shocked to see someone walk into the courtyard—an older, sickly Evan Zhao, accompanied by a woman and child. They began cleaning the house. Old Man Rivers looked at Evan squatting by the pillar, completely bewildered.
Gradually, Old Man Rivers learned that his son hadn't died—instead, he'd made a fortune elsewhere. Knowing his days were numbered, Evan brought his wife and child back to the Rivers Family, hoping to entrust them to relatives and old friends in Fallen Hollow. But Old Man Rivers grew anxious, realizing he was now a ghost, and the confused Evan by the pillar was something else—only able to mutter endless apologies.
Several times, Old Man Rivers tried to send dreams to his dying son Evan Zhao, but he was powerless—he couldn't reach Evan, and Evan couldn't see him.
Old Man Rivers watched as his son Evan Zhao grew weaker day by day, and even his grandson seemed affected by the sorrow, becoming withdrawn and joyless. His daughter-in-law was the same. Old Man Rivers grew angry, wanting to take the Evan Zhao by the pillar away, but no matter what he did, it was impossible.
In the end, Old Man Rivers watched as Evan Zhao died, and many members of the Rivers Family left—but somehow, those who left always came back, overcome by sadness, and eventually wanted only to die. Old Man Rivers could only watch as his daughter-in-law died and his grandson suffered, inching closer to death.
Old Man Rivers had thought he could see his son again after Evan Zhao died, but he never even glimpsed his son's soul. The Rivers Family grew more and more decrepit, and Old Man Rivers began scolding the mad Evan by the pillar, but it was no use.
Then, on a rainy day, lightning struck and the mountain behind the Rivers Family began to collapse, cutting off the road. In the rain, Old Man Rivers was consumed by grief and anger, calling out to Evan Zhao over and over.
"Tianhe, what will it take for you to leave? Just answer me, please. Because of you, this place has become unbearable. I'm begging you—leave here. I don't blame you, truly, I don't blame you."
But Evan Zhao just smiled vacantly, repeating, "It's all my fault."
Years passed, and Old Man Rivers started to lose his own mind. Even as a ghost, his body grew weaker, until he could barely move. Slowly, he became more transparent, merging with the gray clouds over the town. I realized then—those clouds were the physical manifestation of Evan Zhao's sorrow, affecting everyone in Fallen Hollow.
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"Sorry, young lady—I lied to you."
I snapped awake, staring in shock at Old Man Rivers. His eyes were filled with sorrow as he looked at me.
"Why are you..."
Before I could finish, Old Man Rivers burst into tears.
"All these years, whether people or powerful ghosts—even my real son Tianhe came home—but none of them could see me. I tried to tell them things, but they couldn't hear or see me. Young lady, you're the first person who's ever seen me. There were some powerful Taoists and monks who visited; one Taoist could see me, but said he was powerless to help, only telling me to keep waiting. If I couldn't endure, there'd be no hope. So I waited, and finally, I met someone who could see and hear me—you. That's why I said a ghost told me long ago. Sorry, young lady."
I sighed helplessly, clenching my fists. Maybe I could see all this because of coexistence—but soon I realized, it wasn't just coexistence. It was also because of rebirth.
"So what's become of Evan Zhao now?"
I asked, and Old Man Rivers sighed before answering.
About a hundred years ago, Evan Zhao returned as the powerful Green Wraith. He fought his Shard of Sorrow for a long time, and finally, the two merged into one. Old Man Rivers thought he'd finally be able to talk with his son, but Evan had changed—he'd become a Green Wraith consumed only by sorrow, unable to see Old Man Rivers. Old Man Rivers was just a ghost spirit in Evan's Shadow Realm, his consciousness clinging to the ghostly form, but he couldn't do anything.
"Old Man Rivers, how can I enter Evan Zhao's Shadow Realm?"
I asked, and Old Man Rivers replied.
"Young lady, the water you drank that night—you need to find its source. Over the years, I've realized why everyone here is affected by the power of Evan's Shard of Sorrow. It's the water. Evan's endless tears of sorrow seeped into the land, eventually contaminating the water source. Anyone who drinks it becomes filled with sorrow. Over time, their hearts know only pain, and in the end, they're drawn back here."
I swallowed hard.
"So you just have to drink the water here?"
Old Man Rivers shook his head.
"Not always. Only some water contains the power of Evan's Shard of Sorrow. That night, you must've drunk water infused with it—that's why you stumbled into the Shadow Realm. But your own power quickly dissolved the sorrow. It's because your heart is full of hope that you could dispel this pain."
Suddenly, I understood, nodding happily. Gradually, Old Man Rivers smiled and faded away like a wisp of green smoke. I swallowed hard.
With two gusts of wind, John Chou and Isabelle Frost appeared at my side. I smiled at them.
"It's settled. All we have to do is find the source of the water here. You two should know where it is, right?"
John Chou just smiled.
"Rachel Lan, do you think we're immortals? We're ghosts. If you want to find the water source, you'll have to ask the villagers. There isn't even a single ghost here."
I sighed helplessly and returned to the auntie's house, planning to look for the water source tomorrow. After all, not every drink contains Evan Zhao's sorrowful power—only by finding the source can I find the origin of that sorrow, and maybe then I'll know what to do.
Isabelle Frost took me straight to the auntie's house.
"Go to sleep. I'll look for it now. Even though John Chou said we're ghosts, as long as I can trace the earth veins, I should be able to find the source."
"I'll leave it to you, Miss Frost."
I lay down with a smile, closed my eyes, and finally felt at ease.