Amid the vast expanse of white snow, facing Mount Luo, Lang Yue kept walking without looking back. Her steps faltered, blood streaming down and dripping onto the snow, leaving a trail of crimson against the pale landscape. Her breath came in ragged gasps, and her vision blurred. The red ribbon tying her long hair fluttered softly in the cold wind.
At last, her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the snow-covered ground.
Through her fading sight, the only thing she could still make out was the vibrant red Camellia blooming stubbornly in the heart of winter.
With a trembling voice and her final breath, she whispered, "At last… I've… atoned for my sins."
Her body slowly grew numb, and surrounded by silent Camellia trees, Lang Yue exhaled her final breath.
•••
300 Years Later.
Yanhui City, Southern Gui Kingdom.
Heavy rain poured down on Yanhui City that evening. The townspeople still going about their activities moved back and forth under umbrellas. Most of the umbrellas were red, symbolizing the city's festive atmosphere and its association with good fortune.
Most of these people were servants or workers employed in noble households.
Amidst the sea of red umbrellas moving beneath the downpour, there was one black umbrella that stood still—striking and out of place.
Beneath the black umbrella stood a woman dressed entirely in black. Her eyes were fixed on a single stalk of red camellia in her hand, her lips curved into a faint smile.
"Demon."
A young man's whisper pierced through the noise of the rain. He walked unsteadily through the crowd in a red wedding robe, without an umbrella, letting the rain soak him completely.
His eyes were blank, his face pale.
"That demon killed my bride… That demon killed my bride… That demon killed my bride," he muttered, as if possessed.
The woman under the black umbrella turned her head toward the young man. Her expression was calm, showing no curiosity at his odd behavior.
"Isn't that Yuan Tao? Tsk, tsk, tsk… Acting crazy again. Ever since his bride died on their wedding day, he's been mumbling strange things and refuses to take off his wedding robe. I bet he smells awful by now," a plump woman said, starting a conversation while staring at the young man.
The woman with the black umbrella turned, realizing the comment was directed at her. She gave a slight smile and replied, "Perhaps he loved his bride so much that his soul shattered along with her death?"
The plump woman scoffed. "Hmph, that doesn't make any sense. Yuan Tao never loved Ming-er. He used to beat her because he didn't want to marry her. His parents arranged the marriage because he got her pregnant. They didn't want to deal with the shame, so they married them off with a simple ceremony. They didn't even spend any money on the wedding, despite the Yuan family patriarch often selling his land at high prices. Who knows, maybe Yuan Tao himself killed Ming-er because he couldn't accept the marriage."
The woman with the black umbrella tilted her head, confused. "Madam, you sound rather upset."
"Ah!" The plump woman realized she had said too much and turned to the woman under the umbrella. "Forgive me, I was talking too much."
The black-clad woman shook her head. That faint smile never left her serene face. "Any woman would feel upset after hearing your story. Rich parents yet stingy, a young man who got a girl pregnant and never intended to take responsibility, and a girl who bore all the shame, only to die without ever tasting a drop of happiness. Isn't that too tragic a fate for a human?"
The plump woman was stunned by her words. "Young lady, you…"
"Just call me Yue-er. I'm merely a traveler who happened to pass through this city."
"Oh! Call me Wei Wei. I'm just a regular citizen of Yanhui City," Wei Wei said with a small bow.
"No need to be so formal," Yue nodded. "According to your story, that young man has been without his bride for days. Could you tell me more?"
Wei Wei nodded and began to recount what she knew.
Two weeks ago, the wedding between Yuan Tao and Ming-er took place. Everything went smoothly. Yuan Tao was dressed in his wedding attire, and Ming-er had been prepared as the bride.
But as they arrived at the temple where the wedding was to be held, it suddenly began to rain heavily. The sky turned so dark and cloudy that people thought night had fallen, even though it was still midday.
During the ceremony, all the candles in the temple suddenly went out, plunging the place into darkness.
When the candles were relit, both the bride and groom had vanished without a trace.
Everyone began searching for them, but for three days, they remained missing.
At the time, people assumed they had run away together to escape the arranged marriage.
However, three days later, a villager found Yuan Tao unconscious in the middle of the forest, still wearing his wedding robes.
Yuan Tao was found unharmed—but his bride was not so lucky.
Ming-er was found soaked in blood, her stomach ripped open. Even more strangely, the baby in her womb had also disappeared.
From that day on, Yuan Tao began acting strangely, repeatedly muttering, "That demon killed my bride."
"Was this the first time something like this has happened?" Yue asked.
Wei Wei shook her head. "No, this is the third time."
•••
Elsewhere, a young man dressed neatly in white robes resembling those of a Sect disciple slightly bowed to the person in front of him, holding an umbrella in his left hand.
In front of him stood a man in a green robe adorned with intricate silver embroidery along several parts of the fabric. The man had straight hair, a small braid running down the center of his head, and two silver strands framing each side of his face.
"The second case involves a servant from the Yuan mansion. He impregnated one of the Yuan Family Head's concubines, and both were subsequently banished from the mansion. After that, they decided to marry. On their way to the temple, they both vanished and were found three days later by the riverside, in the exact same condition as Yuan Tao and his bride-to-be. The servant eventually died after remaining unconscious for days... The first case was about Landlord Fusu. He impregnated one of the daughters of the Yuan Family Head. At first, the Yuan Family Head refused to accept the marriage, but eventually gave his blessing on one condition — that Landlord Fusu hand over half of his land as part of the marriage agreement. Before the wedding could even take place, both the bride and groom disappeared from their homes and were found three days later in the temple courtyard, in the exact same state as the other couples."
The man with the white umbrella plucked a single red Camellia flower, its petals wet from the rain, and gazed at it in silence. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, and his brows were shaped like blades. When he spoke, his deep voice seemed to hypnotize anyone who heard it.
"All of the cases follow the same pattern, and they're all connected to a single point."
He closed his eyes and gently inhaled the faint, sweet fragrance of the Camellia before continuing,
"Find that point and tear it apart — only then can we destroy the core."