The fifteenth day of the seventh lunar month—Zhongyuan Festival.
Auspicious for: groundbreaking, burials, and praying for blessings.
Inauspicious for: marriage.
At nightfall, Lu Chen and his family drove toward the mountains in the southwest suburbs.
There were barely any pedestrians along the way, and a chill hung in the air.
A few sheets of joss paper slapped against the car window in the wind. Lu Chen looked over and saw a family burning joss paper at the corner of an intersection.
They placed a basin on the ground, lit eternal lamps and incense beside their feet, their expressions somber and grave.
On Zhongyuan Festival night, the whole city seemed steeped in sorrow and desolation.
"So this tradition still exists here," said Zhongli.
Lu Chen nodded slightly.
"But technically, open flames are banned in the city."
These memorial rites were done in secret, so they were simple and lacked the grandeur of past ceremonies.
Lu Chen turned his gaze away.
"No wonder the flames didn't burn strong," Hu Tao said, eyes fixed on the intersection.
Lu Chen could feel she was itching to jump in—like she wanted to host a grand memorial on their behalf.
On this ghostly night, the family was heading to the deserted hills to hold a funeral.
A funeral without a deceased...
And this night was ghostly in the truest sense. Through the "Memorial Mirror," Lu Chen had seen more than a few ghostly figures drifting through the streets.
Wandering souls with no place to go drifted through alleys and boulevards. The farther they drove into the remote areas, the more spirits appeared...
As expected, his words proved true—tonight felt like a parade of a hundred ghosts.
"Do you guys think... this will really work?" Venti looked around, doubtful.
"You mean..." Lu Chen replied, "the funeral mission, or everyone's dreams?"
"Both."
Lu Chen fell silent. The former seemed doable, but the latter...
He glanced at the two members from the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor. This funeral without a deceased was their idea—Zhongli and Hu Tao's.
He didn't know much about the details.
"Of course it'll work!" Hu Tao said cheerfully, fiddling with funeral tools in the back seat. "Don't underestimate the Director! This funeral is gonna be a spectacle!"
Venti still looked skeptical. "There's no body, and not even a target to mourn... I've never seen a funeral like this."
"Who says there's no one to mourn?" Hu Tao looked at them all. "Everyone here has someone they want to grieve, someone they want to say goodbye to. This funeral is for all of you!"
"Huh?" Lu Chen and Ei exchanged a glance.
Even Miko, who was driving, turned to look at them.
"A funeral... for us?" Ei frowned.
Hu Tao cleared her throat. "A funeral for your lingering obsessions."
Lu Chen fell silent. Unknowingly, images from his dream surfaced—Makoto, Kitsune Saiguu, Sasayuri, Mikoshi Chiyo...
The illusions of the dream gradually gave way to their real forms.
"Funerals are for saying farewell to the departed and letting out one's sorrow," Hu Tao sighed. "In Liyue Harbor, being a sailor is a dangerous job. Out at sea for years, their fate's uncertain, and shipwrecks are common."
"When storms hit, there's not even wreckage left—much less a body."
"No burial, no return to their homeland..."
"So we place the belongings they left at home into a coffin. After cremation, their obsession disperses, and their family finds peace."
"This is called a secret burial." Hu Tao looked at everyone. "Right now, you're all haunted by obsessions over the dead. So let tonight's fire truly bury the past."
Lu Chen noticed the Dust Lock in Zhongli's hand.
"But..." He turned to Ei.
Ei looked a little helpless.
"We didn't bring anything."
"It's fine, it's fine!" Hu Tao smiled again. "Some sailors had no home or possessions—I've done funerals for people like that."
She patted the space behind her—an ebony coffin lay there.
"Put any keepsakes, spirit tablets, things you want to say—anything—into the coffin. That works too."
"Oh." Lu Chen nodded, saying no more.
The car drove from city roads into the rural outskirts. The terrain grew uneven, and the lights of civilization faded.
Zhongli and Hu Tao had chosen a spot with favorable feng shui—a flat area on a gentle slope. After getting out, Lu Chen helped Hu Tao carry the coffin up the incline.
From the slope, they could see the distant coastline—a place backed by mountains and facing water, ideal in feng shui terms.
"Is this place safe?" Venti glanced around. Lighting a fire here might get noticed.
"It's fine!" Hu Tao waved it off. "Who would come out to this kind of remote place?"
"Forest rangers..." Lu Chen muttered. This wasn't Wuwang Hill—these woods had watchmen.
"If someone shows up, we just grab the coffin and run! Find a new spot!" Hu Tao said while unpacking the ritual tools.
Lu Chen scanned the surroundings. The sparse trees swayed in the wind, casting claw-like shadows. The atmosphere was unsettling.
On Zhongyuan Festival night, spotting people running through the woods with a coffin would terrify anyone...
Since Hu Tao arrived, sneaking into the woods at midnight had become a regular thing.
So had dealings with the spirit world.
Midnight arrived.
Once Hu Tao finished arranging the tools, a brilliant flame burst forth from her spear's tip.
The coffin lid lay open—empty. Yet no one seemed intent on placing spirit tablets inside.
Venti was the first to approach, holding a feather formed from Anemo—barely visible.
The feather drifted lightly on the breeze, falling into the coffin.
"There's not much to say," Venti smiled, scratching his head. "I saw the real sky for you. The poetry and music beyond the cage. So... maybe you're free of regrets now…"
Miko, silent until now, stepped forward and gently placed a petal inside.
Lu Chen recognized it as a cherry blossom.
She turned and smiled at Lu Chen and Ei.
"I don't have anything to say either. Just hope Makoto can finally sleep well tonight."
Ei's eyes were filled with concern. Lu Chen worried about Miko's health too, but what came out was teasing.
"After tonight, sleep all you want."
Miko shot him a look.
Then it was Zhongli's turn. He placed the Dust Lock inside without a word.
Lu Chen noticed—the lock had been opened.
With the wisdom and power of the Geo Archon, how could he not open a small stone lock after a thousand years?
Turns out, he never wanted to open it.
Noticing Lu Chen's gaze, Zhongli gave a faint smile.
"You're curious what's inside the lock, aren't you?"
Lu Chen was, but he shook his head.
Zhongli smiled deeper. "No matter. I can tell you."
Lu Chen looked at him curiously, and Zhongli said slowly,
"There's nothing inside. The Dust Lock is empty."
"I see..." Lu Chen didn't know what to say.
"Yin and yang are orderly, fate ever shifting..."
"With this butterfly flame, I guide your way…"
Fiery light scattered, taking the shape of butterflies. Hu Tao's hair danced in the wind.
The fire blazed brighter and brighter.
At last, Lu Chen and Ei stepped forward.
Ei placed a purple gentian flower inside, while Lu Chen pulled out the source of it all from the system—the Memorial Mirror.
Hu Tao's eyes widened at the sight of the small mirror, already once destroyed.
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Lu Chen nodded, tossing the mirror into the flames without hesitation.
The fire flared.
Crack! The sound of glass shattering.
After that night, no one had those nightmares again.
...