Lu Na took out her last earth wall ward. She activated it, sensing the spirit energy from the ward reaching out to the earth below her. If she couldn’t find the wards that were embedded in the bridge, then she was going to have to do it another way.

  When the spirit energy from the ward touched the bridge, Lu Na focused it to take the earth from the bridge itself. Instead of creating stone, she did the opposite. She made the earth shrink, become loose like sand.

  In moments, the soldiers screamed as they fell into the pit with the feral spirits. Most of the other soldiers stopped but there were enough still running toward Sun Ren.

  Lu Na activated the earth wall ward again and this time she made earth rise in front of Sun Ren until it formed a dome. She couldn’t bring herself to push these men to their deaths into the pit. That should slow them down at least.

  “Shall we go then?” Zi Xu asked.

  “Do you have a safe space we can go to?” Sun Ren asked.

  “Of course. But I must warn you, it’s safe from the soldiers, but not entirely safe from other spirits or ghosts.”

  “Then let’s go.”

  “Wait, we need to carry Nugua,” Lu Na said.

  “Allow me.” Hen Li stooped and with Lu Na’s help, they slid the naga spirit onto Hen Li’s back. It was awkward as they wrapped her tail around Hen Li’s waist, but it was the only way she would stay.

  Zi Xu led the way, walking at a slow, leisurely pace. He held his hands behind his back as if he was strolling through the gardens. Except the gardens he was strolling through were a wide open space with no buildings. There were multiple hallway entries deeper into the labyrinth.

  “Can you go faster?” Sun Ren asked.

  “Why, of course not. This is the gentleman’s pace. I can’t go faster. That would be rude.” Zi Xu said.

  “Sun Ren, the soldiers are creating a rope bridge,” Lu Na said.

  “Point the way and we’ll walk ahead,” Sun Ren said. “You can keep walking slowly if you wish, as you’re already dead. We don’t wish to join you.”

  Zi Xu stopped and smiled.

  “Of course, of course. Where are my manners? I have been dead for so long that I forget that the living has only a limited life span.” Zi Xu pointed to the second hallway from the right. “That one will lead you to temporary safety. But be warned, there will be many ghosts in there that will want something from you.”

  Sun Ren took off like an arrow without waiting for anyone else. Despite her injuries, she moved gracefully.

  Hen Li moved ahead as well, despite carrying Nugua.

  “Wait, is there a technique of some sort that you can teach me to ward ghosts?” Lu Na asked. This was as good a time as any to learn something new in this new world. The last thing she needed was for her companions to faint again, like back in the village.

  “There is, but it requires a ghost hunter’s ability. While I admire your inventions, you don’t have the skill set for that.” Zi Xu continued walking. “But since you have the key to the labyrinth, the ghosts will most likely leave you alone.”

  “Thank you.” Lu Na walked ahead.

  “Of course, that only applies to the sane ones.”

  Lu Na wasn’t sure if the ghost wanted her to hear that last comment, but she did. She would have to be more careful as she went in. There was no telling what would happen. So she held her mother’s silver phoenix hairpin in her hand and walked into the dark hallway behind her companions.

  The dark hallway lasted only a few moments, as there was light at the end. It led to an open area with one-story buildings. But gone were the drab, earthy tones of the labyrinth they had seen so far. Every building was colored in fantastical colors that featured red, green, purple, orange, and blue. There were people all over the streets, most of them hawking their wares behind stalls.

  There were children!

  They flew kites and played with toys as they ran around with no care in the world.

  That’s when the smells hit Lu Na, making her mouth water. She smelled meat. It was roasting not too far away.

  “How is this possible? Jie’s village was on the verge of breaking down,” Lu Na said.

  “Maybe these people are higher class and thrived despite being trapped here,” Sun Ren said. “Whatever the case, we need to find some place safe to fix ourselves and restock if possible. The first thing I want is food.”

  “Amituofo, that is not wise,” Hen Li said. “While I have not practiced the mystic arts of Buddhism, my sifu has given me the gift of clear eyes. Everything here is a mirage.”

  “Clear eyes?” Lu Na asked.

  “It’s a special technique that requires sanctified water that they put over your eyes to see reality as it is. And right now, all I see are ghosts parading around as if they were alive. Amituofo. These poor souls are trapped here, living in constant limbo.”

  “So the smells, the colors, it’s all fake?” Lu Na asked.

  Hen Li nodded.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Sun Ren’s face soured. No, she was scowling. But she took a deep breath and fixed her face. If Lu Na didn’t know her any better, she would have expected her friend to throw a tantrum of some sort.

  Yet that was the difference between them. Lu Na was too tired to throw any tantrum even if she wanted to. Then again, the last time she threw a tantrum was before her mother left.

  “So where do we go, monk? I don’t want to walk into these ghosts to find our souls devoured or something,” Sun Ren said.

  Hen Li took the lead and walked toward a temple. The building was a small one that had an open door and an altar all the way in the back. It had a large statue on it of some kind of spirit deity. It looked like Nugua, half woman, half snake. It was in the middle of shaping something from the ground. The smell of incense filled the room.

  A person dressed in all black and had a white headband greeted them.

  “Welcome to my temple,” the man said.

  “Amituofo. We know that you’re a ghost. But might we stay here for a while to rest?” Hen Li asked.

  “Of course. This temple is a safe space. The other residents of this labyrinth won’t dare to come in here for fear of the dragon deity protecting the temple.”

  “Does that include spirits?” Lu Na asked.

  The man nodded. He walked away and began cleaning the altar.

  “Good enough for me.” Sun Ren plopped down on one of the prayer mats and took out the pack she hid in her clothes. She laid them down and sorted them back into a pack she could carry, but there was not enough food there for the three of them.

  Hen Li put Nugua down on the floor by the altar. He stretched a little and tended to his wounds. When he lifted his sleeves and pants, he was bruised all over. He rubbed them with the palm of his hands, but he didn’t make a sound.

  If that was Lu Na, she would have fainted by now. How did he walk and carry Nugua without complaint?

  Lu Na sat down against the wall and closed her eyes. The shallow cut on her leg stung a bit, but other than that she couldn’t feel anything else wrong with her. There was that extreme exhaustion though and after the last few days, it has only gotten worse.

  “We have enough provisions to last us a day at most,” Sun Ren said. “Unless you two carried something with you from the packs we got from Jie’s village.”

  Hen Li shook his head.

  “Sorry, I left everything behind with Baihu.” Lu Na wasn’t planning on running through the gate when she launched her rescue mission with Baihu.

  “Let’s hope my spirit is smart enough to get around the rebel base and reach us. But that means we’d have to find a way for her to find us.” Sun Ren took out a flare from her hair, the same type she used at the Wintersweet Sect. “I could use this, but that would also alert the rebels.”

  “Is there no other way you can contact Baihu?” Lu Na asked.

  “No, she’s too far away. For now, we have to move on the assumption that we’ll have no provisions. Hey temple owner, do you know how long it would take us to reach the labyrinth’s center?”

  The man in black turned toward Sun Ren.

  “What center? You’re already in the center of the city. There’s nowhere else to go. You should all consider staying here.”

  “That’s not what I asked.”

  The man shrugged.

  “I do not know. I can’t help you.”

  “And he won’t,” Zi Xu said from outside the temple. “He’s one of those ghosts that died here many years ago and still thinks he’s a part of a vibrant city. These trapped souls continue their afterlife as they had in life.”

  “Where have you been?” Sun Ren asked.

  Zi Xu walked into the temple, his hands still held behind him, and took that leisurely pace.

  “I’ve been following you all this time. It only took me a little longer, that’s all. I hope you ate nothing here.”

  “Why? It all smells so good,” Lu Na said.

  “Because everything is made from dirt,” Zi Xu said. “Nothing here is real and the ghosts only want you to stay with them forever.”

  “Hen Li told us about that already,” Sun Ren said. “All I want to know is if there is any actual food or water we might get.”

  “I’m afraid there’s not much of anything here. The entire outer sanctum lost its life preserving devices not too long after the labyrinth was constructed. That there is a working one outside is already a miracle after all these years.”

  “Do you mean Jie’s village?” Lu Na asked.

  “Ah, you’ve heard of Jie. Yes, that one. Her village is the only place in this entire labyrinth, with actual food and water. Well, at least until those soldiers took it all.”

  “Why are you helping us?” Sun Ren asked.

  Zi Xu smiled as if he was about to tell us the greatest secret known to man. He pointed at Lu Na.

  “It’s because of her.”

  “I’ve noticed that so many people gravitate toward the Young Miss Lu,” Sun Ren said. “It’s like she’s got this unique aura.”

  “She does. More importantly, she’s the first person who used devices like the original Xia in the labyrinth.” Zi Xu’s stare made Lu Na feel uncomfortable. It was as if he went from predatory salesman to just predator. “Most importantly, with a little luck and a lot of help from me, you will finally solve the puzzle and release us from this miserable existence.”

  “If you want to help, then help us find food and water. We won’t last more than a few days here. Otherwise, we’ve got to move fast to the center.” Sun Ren had packed all her stuff up.

  “I’ll get to that right now. I didn’t tell you to come this way for no reason. And your friendly monk found the perfect place.” Zi Xu turned to the man from the temple. “Brother, might I trouble you for some offerings?”

  The man in black frowned.

  “You come in here without offerings of your own and you wish to get offerings from me? No.”

  “Please. These travelers will help our city finally be free.”

  “That’s what you said the last time you were here. No.”

  “Then, brother, you leave me with no choice.” Zi Xu grabbed the naga statue and threw it to the floor, shattering it.

  The man in black stared in horror.

  Lu Na felt the entire room turn cold. It was as if the coldest breeze came from a lake, chilling their very bones.

  Gray wisps rose from the shattered statue. They swirled around the room.

  “What’s going on?” Sun Ren asked.

  Lu Na used her spirit sight. The statue that Zi Xu broke became activated upon shattering on the ground. Every piece glowed blue as it released more wisps. It looked like it was a device that was supposed to capture something.

  It didn’t take long before they saw what that something was. The gray wisps combined into a large massive whirlpool. Then it shifted until it looked like a naga, half woman, half snake.

  “Finally, we’re free,” the naga hissed. She stretched her body, arms and tail in ways that body parts weren’t meant to twist.

  Sun Ren had her sword out and dagger ready. Hen Li had his palms pressed together and started praying again.

  Lu Na shook her left wrist, hoping that her bracelet was ready to go again. If it was just one naga spirit, then it shouldn’t be too difficult. The only worry she had was that Nugua laid not too far from it.

  “Sisters and brothers, come forth. Don’t be shy,” the naga said.

  The other gray wisps solidified into more nagas right next to the first. It was just like Nugua’s ability to disappear and reappear.

  “Oh look, the ghosts even served us lunch,” the naga said.

  As one, all the nagas hissed, their claws flexed, and coiled their tails.