Guo Ping's voice cracked as he threw up his hands. "Still—why me?! Why do I have to be the one sacrificed for that… that Pale Gorge Wraith? I'm still young!"
"Pale Gorge Wraith?" Astra repeated under her breath. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Senior Mo shot her a look, then answered without pause. ""The Pale Gorge Wraith is a spirit born of deep grief and betrayal. Long ago, the Pale Gorge was a sacred site—home to warriors of divine blood who served the God of War. They were once the second-strongest force in the realm, surpassed only by the Emperor's bloodline."
"But everything changed during the collapse of the Eastern Lineage. A brutal massacre turned that sacred land into a cursed ground. From the sorrow and bloodshed, the wraith was born. Since then, it has haunted the gorge, feeding on lingering emotions. It lures the living with illusions… and slowly drains them of life."
Astra blinked, stunned by what she was hearing. Beside her, Seiya stiffened, his expression darkening as he silently took in every word.
"For years, it remained a distant threat, never powerful enough to breach its bounds. But this year… something changed. It grew stronger—dangerously so after feeding on overwhelming emotions, especially the fear of death. It began to lash out, destroy, and kill. Only recently were we able to pinpoint its movements and locate its presence."
Astra whistled low. "So it's like a ghost with a grudge."
"Not like. It is a ghost with a grudge," Senior Wei said. "That's why we need Junior Guo. He has the natural scent to lure it in."
Guo Ping blinked. "Wait. What scent?"
Senior Wei remained composed. "You were born under the Star of Huixin—the 'Veil Cross'. It's a rare celestial alignment. That, combined with the fact you were born on the Day of Hollow Spirits, makes your aura irresistible to wraiths. To them, you're practically bait wrapped in divine thread."
Guo Ping stared at him in horror. "That's supposed to make me feel better?!"
Senior Mo rolled her eyes. "You're not being eaten. You're just helping us draw it out. Once it appears, we'll trap it in the Sorrowbind Gourd—a prison realm forged to contain spirit-class entities. Don't worry, you'll be fine as long as you don't run again."
She added with more gravity, "It's already kidnapped twenty young men and women from nearby villages. We've found five bodies. We don't have time to wait for another alignment."
Guo Ping still waved his arms wildly. "I still don't want to become its next target! Pick someone else, Senior Mo. Anyone else!"
Senior Wei let out a quiet sigh, his voice calm but resolute. "You weren't chosen by chance, Guo Ping. You're part of the sect now. You took the oath—to protect the living, no matter the cost."
"I didn't know it would involve being live bait!" Guo Ping cried.
Astra leaned toward Seiya, whispering, "You know, I kind of get why they call him Shrieky Ping now."
Seiya smothered a laugh behind his hand. "Yeah, look at him, he's practically vibrating like a scared squirrel."
Senior Mo had enough. She grabbed Guo Ping by the back of his collar. "You're coming with us. No arguments. We need to catch it tonight, before sunrise or more will die."
With no further warning, she began dragging him through the crowd like a squawking chicken, his tray of skewers long forgotten on the ground.
"W-Wait! My skewers—my dignity—!"
Senior Wei exhaled deeply, clearly used to this. But as he turned to follow, his eyes paused on Astra for a brief second. A flicker of something uncertainty, or a whisper of suspicion passed through his gaze.
Then Senior Mo called out impatiently, and he turned without a word, disappearing into the alley after them.
Astra's expression sharpened. Without hesitation, she spun on her heel and started walking in the same direction.
Seiya's brows shot up. "Wait—where are you going?!"
"I want to watch," Astra said with a smirk. "How Shrieky Ping becomes the great sacrificial hero and how they catch the ghost. Come on."
Seiya half-jogged to catch up with her. "Are you crazy? We should return! Are you trying to get us into another disaster? I'm not agreeing to this!"
Astra stopped just long enough to glance back at him. "Seiya… we'll just hide and watch from a distance. That's all."
She paused, a memory surfacing in her eyes. "I remembered now—his father was the village head. Master Guo. He kicked us out after his son came back tied to a firework cart wearing chicken feathers."
Seiya groaned. "Yes. Because you tied him to it!"
"I know, I know," she said, tugging his sleeve. "But come on. I want to see this through. You're with me, right? I'm not going alone. We'll return fast. Promise."
He frowned, clearly unconvinced, but her grip on his arm was already dragging him forward.
"…But still—"
"Shh. Just follow me," she said, eyes glinting with mischief.
As the two of them melted into the winding streets, Seiya cast a wary glance upward. Fireworks exploded over the sky in bursts of color.
"I have a really bad feeling about this..."
The bustling lights and noise of the streets faded behind them, replaced by the hush of the woods and the whisper of wind in the trees. The moonlight barely cut through the thick canopy overhead, casting a pale silver glow on the mossy forest floor.
Astra and Seiya crouched behind a massive boulder, its surface damp and cool against their backs. Shadows danced between the trunks as faint murmurs echoed from the clearing ahead.
Seiya tugged at Astra's sleeve, whispering harshly, "We've come way too far. I don't feel good about this. Ryoma's going to murder me for taking you out here!"
"Shhh, don't make noise," Astra whispered back, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Look—they're starting!"
She pointed beyond the rock, where the masked cultivators Senior Mo, Senior Wei, and a visibly trembling Guo Ping stood in a formation around a narrow circle etched into the dirt. Incense smoke curled upward, glowing faintly with spiritual light.
Seiya glanced around nervously, ducking lower. "If anything happens—anything at all—we're running. No arguments, no delays. Understood?"
Astra nodded solemnly. "Understood."
But even as she said it, her gaze didn't move from the ritual beginning to unfold before them, and a strange chill crept through the woods as the ground seemed to hum with distant, mournful energy.
Something old… and angry… was listening.