Chapter 3: The Mountain
1340 Words
The carriages finally stopped.
Lianyi lifted her head from the window.
Beyond the road stood a massive stone gate covered in old carvings. Mist curled around the mountain behind it, hiding most of the peaks from view. Tall trees crowded both sides of the entrance, their branches stretching over the road like they were trying to keep the outside world away.
“We're here.”
The head maid's voice came from the front.
One by one, the girls stepped out of their carriages.
Lianyi climbed down and looked around.
There were far more people than she had expected.
Candidates from several clans had arrived together, each dressed in their clan colors. Some were still looking around with curiosity. Others were already complaining about the mountain air and the long journey.
The guards began unloading the luggage.
Boxes.
Travel bags.
Wooden cases.
Several girls watched eagerly, clearly expecting someone to carry them inside.
Lianyi waited too.
Surely the servants would come.
She looked around.
Nobody came.
The last carriage was emptied.
The guards dusted off their hands.
Then the head maid turned toward them.
“Take your belongings.”
A girl blinked.
“Excuse me?”
“Your belongings,” the head maid repeated. “Carry them inside.”
The girl looked at the luggage piled beside her.
“Us?”
“Anyone else here?.”
“But where are the servants?”
“They aren't entering the mountain.”
Another girl looked toward the guards.
“Then who is going to help us?”
The head maid's expression didn't change.
“You are.”
Lianyi looked down at the two bags beside her.
One was small.
The other was definitely not.
She grabbed the smaller one first.
Nearby, a girl struggled to lift a large wooden case.
“It's too heavy.”
Another candidate tried to pull hers across the ground.
The case barely moved.
“This is ridiculous.”
Lianyi watched for a few seconds.
Then she put down her own bag.
“Let me help.”
The girl looked at her in surprise.
“You?”
“Yes.”
Lianyi grabbed one side of the case.
“Lift.”
The girl quickly took the other side.
Together, they managed to move it.
“Thank you.”
“You're welcome.”
Lianyi smiled.
Behind them, Ruolan had already picked up one of her own bags.
She noticed another girl struggling and walked over.
“Here.”
The girl looked embarrassed.
“No, it's fine.”
“It looks heavy.”
Ruolan took one of the handles.
“Come on.”
The girl's expression brightened.
“Thank you, Miss Ruolan.”
“You don't need to thank me.”
Ruolan smiled.
“Everyone is tired after the journey.”
Lianyi watched them.
She smiled too.
Lianyi lifted her second bag.
This one was heavier than she expected.
She pulled it closer.
“I can do it.”
“Are you sure?”
Ruolan glanced at her.
Lianyi nodded.
“Yes.”
She struggled for a moment before finally getting it off the ground.
Ruolan laughed softly.
“You should have let me help.”
“I can carry it.”
“You're stubborn.”
“You're also stubborn.”
Ruolan smiled.
“Then we're even.”
They followed the other candidates through the stone gate.
The moment Lianyi stepped inside, the air changed.
It was colder.
The mountain was quiet in a way she couldn't explain. Even the sounds of the forest seemed farther away.
She looked up.
The trees were enormous.
Their trunks were wider than some rooms back home, and their roots pushed through the stone paths in places.
Lianyi tightened her grip on her bag.
She didn't know why.
But she suddenly understood why the guards weren't coming inside.
The mountain felt different.
By the time everyone reached the residence prepared for them, most of the girls were exhausted.
The building was large, with several connected courtyards.
Their rooms had already been arranged according to their clans.
Lianyi placed her bags beside the bed.
Her maid wouldn't be staying here.
That still felt strange.
She had never had to arrange her own things for long before.
She opened one of the bags and began taking out her clothes.
Outside, voices echoed through the courtyard.
After everyone had settled in, the head maid called them out.
The girls gathered beneath the covered hall.
“Listen carefully.”
The head maid looked across the group.
“There are several areas of the mountain you are forbidden from entering.”
She pointed toward the eastern side.
“Do not cross the stone boundary.”
Her hand moved toward the northern path.
“Do not enter the forest beyond this point.”
Several girls exchanged looks.
“And after sunset, remain within the residence.”
“What time?” someone asked.
“Eight.”
The head maid's answer was immediate.
“You are to be back in your chambers by eight in the evening.”
A girl raised her hand.
“What if we have something important to do?”
“You will do it before eight.”
“What about—”
“You will receive further instructions regarding the selection later.”
The girl lowered her hand.
Lianyi glanced toward the mountain.
The rules were strange.
Why were there so many places they couldn't enter?
And why did they need to return before eight?
She remembered the conversation again.
The girls disappear every year.
She looked at Ruolan.
Her sister was standing a few steps away, listening quietly.
Lianyi waited until the others began dispersing.
Then she walked over.
“Ruolan.”
Ruolan turned.
“What?”
“Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
Lianyi looked around.
Nobody seemed to be paying attention.
She lowered her voice.
“I heard something last night.”
Ruolan's expression remained calm.
“What?”
“About the selection.”
That caught her attention.
Lianyi hesitated.
She didn't want to say where she'd heard it.
“I heard that the girls who come here…”
She stopped.
Ruolan waited.
“They don't always go back.”
Silence.
Lianyi quickly added, “Someone said they're disappearing.”
Ruolan looked at her.
“Who told you that?”
Lianyi shook her head.
“I can't say.”
“Why?”
“Because I wasn't supposed to hear it.”
Ruolan studied her for another moment.
“Are you sure you heard correctly?”
Lianyi nodded.
“I think so.”
“You think so?”
“I heard them say the girls disappear every year.”
Ruolan was quiet.
Lianyi looked at her hopefully.
“What do you think?”
“I don't know.”
Ruolan reached out and adjusted the ribbon in Lianyi's hair.
“You worry too much.”
“I don't.”
“You do. If there's something wrong father would have say so.”
Lianyi frowned.
“But...”
Ruolan smiled.
“Then be careful.”
Lianyi looked at her.
“That's all?”
“What else should I say?”
“I don't know.”
Ruolan glanced toward the residence.
“Go back to your room. I'll come find you later.”
Lianyi nodded.
“Okay.”
She turned and walked away.
She made it halfway across the courtyard before stopping.
Something caught her attention.
Beyond the residence stood a narrow stone path.
It disappeared between the trees.
Lianyi looked toward it.
There was no one there.
She glanced back.
Ruolan was no longer watching her.
Lianyi hesitated.
Then she stepped onto the path.
She only wanted to look.
That was all.
The trees became thicker after a few steps.
The sounds from the residence faded.
Lianyi looked around.
She noticed a wooden sign half-covered by vines.
She moved closer.
The writing was old.
Forbidden.
Lianyi stared at it.
“Oh.”
She should probably go back.
Instead, she pushed the vines aside.
Something moved deeper inside the garden.
Lianyi froze.
“Who is there?”
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