Chapter 137: The Legend of the Ghost Fire

Legend has it that the island in the center of this lake is called Soritary Island, and upon it stands the Pavilion of the Parting Soul.

The master of the pavilion purchased a young girl from a fisherman to take her in as an apprentice, bestowing upon her the name A-Li.

Within the pavilion, A-Li learned to read, recite poetry, and master the arts of dance and song.

Eighteen years passed in the blink of an eye. Thanks to her extraordinary talent and a visage as ethereal as a celestial being, A-Li became the most sought-after geisha in the entire pavilion.

Whenever A-Li performed, vast throngs of patrons would gather around Solitary Island, many traveling from afar solely to witness her dance.

With every performance, layers of lanterns would rise across the water's surface, illuminating the ripples until they resembled sheets of flickering flame.

Because of this spectacle, A-Li acquired another moniker: "The Geisha of the Fire-Sprite," for her every appearance invariably summoned a blaze of fiery light, much like the legendary grand yokai known as the Fire-Sprite that always manifested accompanied by billowing, crimson flames.

"Is this the famed Geisha of the Fire-Sprite?"

Today was yet another night of A-Li's performance. The waters surrounding Solitary Island were already densely packed with eager onlookers, the countless boats choking off every passage.

Aboard an elegant skiff, an Onmyoji sipped clear sake from his cup as he gazed toward the Pavilion of the Parting Soul at the island's heart, a faint smile curving his lips. "To think a mere geisha commands a reputation rivalling the Fire-Sprite. I, Kamo no Yoshinori, rushed here believing the legendary yokai had truly appeared, only to find it is merely a songstress bearing the name."

On the stage of Solitary Island, a young woman gradually emerged, a paper fan held before her face. Her slender silhouette and graceful posture instantly drew a roar of thunderous applause from the surrounding spectators.

"A-Li has appeared!"

"A-Li, the Geisha of the Fire-Sprite!"

"I love you, A-Li!"

On the stage, the songstress swayed her hips, her paper fan fluttering in rhythm with her form. She moved with the startled grace of a wild swan, dancing with exquisite elegance.

"This is...!" Even Kamo no Yoshinori, the Onmyoji aboard the nearby boat, was utterly captivated by the maiden dancing within the pavilion.

As the dance drew to a close, the maiden lowered her paper fan, revealing a breathtaking countenance—a peerless face of otherworldly beauty that one could search the entire world over without ever finding its equal.

"So beautiful...!" Kamo no Yoshinori rose instinctively to his feet.

Out upon the water, a young attendant of the pavilion was rowing a small skiff, collecting tips from the surrounding patrons.

Seizing the moment, Kamo no Yoshinori hastily penned a letter. When the boy rowed his boat alongside, the Onmyoji placed both his monetary offering and the letter onto the vessel.

The young attendant looked up in surprise at Kamo no Yoshinori, who could only offer an embarrassed smile.

Accepting the letter, the boy waited until the performance concluded before returning to the pavilion. Making his way to a private chamber, he handed the missive directly to A-Li, who had just finished her performance.

"A man gave this to you," the boy said softly.

A-Li unfolded the letter, scanned the contents for a moment, and then murmured a few words into the boy's ear while rewarding him with a tip.

The boy smiled. "Understood."

As the deep night wore on into the small hours, A-Li slipped away, trailing quietly behind the young attendant as they pushed a small boat out into the darkness and headed toward the mainland.

Waiting anxiously on the shore stood a lone man, pacing back and forth.

"Floating life is like a dream, with bound wings—when shall they ever be unbound?"

A-Li stepped off the boy's wooden boat and onto the bank, reciting the verse aloud.

"She has come...! The Geisha of the Fire-Sprite has actually... truly kept her promise."

The man wore a look of utter astonishment, which swiftly melted into profound delight.

"How beautiful!"

"The poem in your letter must be Thoughts of the Autumn Moon, is it not?" A-Li stepped past the boat and onto solid ground, while the young attendant remained waiting patiently in the skiff.

"You are an Onmyoji? Kamo no Yoshinori—that is how you referred to yourself in the letter!" A-Li walked right up to Kamo no Yoshinori.

By now, Kamo no Yoshinori was standing completely transfixed, lost in a daze as he gazed upon her.

"Well... since you brought me out here, surely you don't intend to just stare foolishly at me all night?" A-Li covered the corner of her mouth with her hand and chuckled.

"Ah, my apologies!" Kamo no Yoshinori finally snapped out of his trance. "I am Kamo no Yoshinori, an Onmyoji of the Kamo clan!"

"How is it that an Onmyoji has fallen under the spell of the Pavilion of the Parting Soul?" Stirred by the nocturnal breeze, A-Li's alluring posture appeared even more ethereal, and the delicate fragrance emanating from her was utterly irresistible.

"To tell the truth, I came here hunting the grand yokai known as the Fire-Sprite. Over a decade ago, it burned my hometown to the ground, and I have spent all these years tracking it. When I heard rumors of the Fire-Sprite appearing here, I rushed to the scene, never imagining that I would..."

"Find only an ordinary mortal instead?" A-Li paced through the night, the moonlight washing over her to render her even more arresting.

"Do you wish to leave the Pavilion of the Parting Soul?" Kamo no Yoshinori suddenly asked.

"Why do you ask?" A-Li turned around to look at him.

"I can tell that you desperately desire to leave this place. Though your dancing possesses the grace of a startled swan, I can see the imprisonment within your soul. Surely you do not wish to spend the rest of your life trapped in this pavilion, do you?" Kamo no Yoshinori asked, looking earnestly into her eyes.

"Do you intend to pay my ransom? And take me away from here?" A-Li met his gaze.

"Would that be allowed?" Kamo no Yoshinori asked, utterly spellbound by the celestial beauty standing before him.

A-Li covered her lips and laughed softly. "What if I told you that I am the Fire-Sprite herself?"

"The Geisha of the Fire-Sprite! A-Li!" At that moment, Kamo no Yoshinori's heart and soul were completely ensnared by the geisha.

"Recite it for me—the poem you wrote in your letter."

As she spoke, A-Li brought out the paper fan she kept hidden behind her.

"Y-Yes!" Kamo no Yoshinori said, his eyes flickering with emotion. "Yearning for you beneath the bright moon, where does one seek a departed soul? Grief surges from the depths of a silent heart, halting tears before they fall; a single long sigh echoes through the desolate night."

Beneath the moonlight, A-Li, the Geisha of the Fire-Sprite, danced gracefully. Countless fireflies swirled around her, speckling the night sky with points of light, making the entire scene feel entirely dreamlike.

As dawn began to break, A-Li stepped once more onto the boy's wooden boat. Just before departing, she turned her head and called back to Kamo no Yoshinori standing on the shore, "Do you truly intend to take me away?"

"Yes!" Kamo no Yoshinori answered with unwavering conviction.

As the small boat glided away, A-Li returned to the Pavilion of the Parting Soul. However, inside her chamber, a man was already waiting with a lavish array of gifts.

Seeing A-Li return, he stood up with a smile, his face radiating boundless arrogance. "I am the lord of this city. I can grant you whatever you desire. I will make you my one and only Fire-Sprite."

A-Li frowned slightly. Walking past the man, she plucked a white bloom from her vanity. "An exquisite flower must be held in the hands of someone who truly understands her to reveal her true value!"

With those words, A-Li extended the white blossom toward the man who claimed to be the city lord.

"What is the meaning of this?" The lord took the flower, glanced down at the wilting petals, and tossed it disdainfully to the floor.

A-Li furrowed her brow at the sight.

"There is nothing here that I desire," she said, turning toward the door.

"No one has ever dared to reject me, the lord of this city! I shall give you one final chance: become my exclusive Geisha of the Fire-Sprite." The self-proclaimed lord wore a look of utter disdain mixed with anger.

"I said there is nothing here that I desire!" Disgust was plain upon the visage of the Fire-Sprite.

"You dare speak to me in such a manner? You are nothing more than a lowly geisha, and you shall pay dearly for this!" the lord roared furiously.

Without a backward glance, A-Li walked away, leaving him behind.

The following day, Kamo no Yoshinori walked through a tranquil village, his mind still lingering on the tryst he had shared with A-Li days before.

"A-Li, the Fire-Sprite—I will surely take you away from this place!"

Suddenly, a wave of commotion erupted around him. Several squads of soldiers boarded boats and set off in the direction of Solitary Island.

"What is happening?" A heavy sense of foreboding welled up in Kamo no Yoshinori's chest.

"Have you not heard? A-Li of the Pavilion of the Parting Soul has been unmasked as a yokai by the city lord, and troops are being sent to exterminate the demon," several villagers discussed among themselves nearby.

"To think that such a breathtakingly beautiful geisha was actually a yokai all along!"

"Well, come to think of it, how could any mortal woman possess such perfection? Of course she was transformed by a demon spirit!"