BOUND BY A MORTAL FLAME

Lantern Night By The Yang River

Chapter 6B:🏮Lantern Night by the Yang River 🏮*

By the time the sun dipped behind the gray cliffs, Yangcun Village looked like it was made of stars. Lanterns hung from rooftops, stalls, and trees, casting warm red and gold light over every street. Kids ran around with smaller paper lanterns, laughing as they bumped into each other. The scent of incense drifted from the small shrine at the square, mixing with the smell of grilled fish and sweet rice cakes.

Drummers had set up by the well and were playing a slow, steady beat for the evening’s dance. Old men clapped along, and young couples spun in circles, their shadows long on the packed earth.

Chen Hao left them at the square with a wave. “Be safe, you two. And Lian - if that demon shows up, throw the lantern at it. Maybe it’ll be scared of the light.” He tried to sound light, but Lian saw the worry in his eyes.

Lian managed a small laugh. “I’ll try. If I see it, I’ll tell it you sent me.”

Then he turned and headed back toward the forge, his silhouette swallowed by the crowd and the red lantern light. The sound of his boots on stone faded quickly.

“We should go to the Yang River and float our lanterns,” Mei said softly. They each carried a large lantern now, the bamboo frames warm against their hands. Lian was quiet, still thinking about Chen Hao’s words and the image of headless men.

“Mei, is Yangcun really this beautiful?” she whispered. “I’ve never seen it like this. Everything looks perfect. Like a painting someone hung in the sky.” She held the fish lantern higher, watching the light move across its scales.

“That’s because you only celebrate Buddha’s Birthday in your room,” Mei teased, bumping her shoulder gently. “You spend too much time caring for Grandma and not enough time looking up. You need to come out more and enjoy the scenery.” She glanced at Lian’s face in the lantern light. “And stop thinking about Binghe for one night. If there’s a demon, we’ll deal with it when you get there. Tonight, it’s just you and me and the lanterns.”

Lian nodded slowly. “You’re right. Grandma says beauty like this doesn’t last. That’s why I want to remember it.”

Mei didn’t have a reply for that. Instead she said, “Let’s write our wishes on the lanterns first, before we go to the river. The old priest at the shrine said Buddha hears wishes written before the floating better. Something about the fire carrying them.”

“Okay.” Lian nodded, grateful for the distraction.

“There!” Lian pointed to a quiet table by an empty stall that sold paper and ink. The stall owner had already left for the festival, leaving the table open and a brush still wet with ink. They walked over together, the crowd thinning as they moved away from the square.

They sat across from each other. The lantern light flickered over their faces, making shadows dance.

Lian dipped the brush carefully. Her handwriting was messy but sincere:

_Dear Buddha, please let my Grandma get well. Let her pain go away. Let me meet my soulmate someday. And please, protect Mei while I’m away in Binghe. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you. Keep her safe from whatever is out there._

She folded the paper, slid it into the lantern, and lit the small candle inside. The flame caught and glowed through the paper fish scales, making the carp look alive.

Mei wrote slower, each stroke careful:

_Lord Buddha, please protect Lian on her journey to Binghe. Make Grandma well so she can enjoy life again. Send kind helpers to Lian in the village. And give me the strength to be a good friend while she’s gone. Don’t let fear keep us apart._

She lit her candle too. The lotus lantern glowed white and pink in the dark, the flame steady.

“Mei, let me see your wish,” Lian teased, leaning over the table, trying to peek around the lantern.

“Are you Buddha now? Why would you look?” Mei pulled the lantern back, hiding it behind her. “Wishes don’t work if someone else sees them before Buddha. That’s what Grandma always said.”

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” Lian tried to play innocent, reaching around. “Friends share everything.”

“Not this,” Mei laughed, dodging her. “You’ll know when it floats down the river. Patience, Lian.”

They spent another ten minutes joking, teasing, and nearly knocking each other’s lanterns over. A group of kids ran past, splashing water from the trough and making them both jump and shriek. Lian’s laugh sounded real for the first time since the market.

Finally, when the moon was high and the drumming had slowed to a softer rhythm, they headed down the stone path to the Yang River.

The river was wide and slow here, reflecting the lanterns like a mirror. Dozens of other lanterns were already floating - some shaped like flowers, others like animals, a few with names written on the side in careful script. The water whispered against the bank.

Mei set her lotus lantern gently on the water. She pressed her palms together and whispered a silent prayer. Her lips moved but no sound came out. The wind caught her hair and she didn’t brush it away.

Lian watched her for a moment, then smiled and did the same. She set the fish lantern down carefully, letting the current take it. For a second she hesitated, thinking of Chen Hao’s story, but then she let go.

For a long moment they stood side by side, watching the two lanterns drift away together, glowing side by side on the dark river. The fish and lotus moved as one, the red and white lights dancing.

“Promise me something,” Lian said quietly, not looking away from the water.

“What?” Mei’s voice was just as quiet.

“Promise you’ll come find me in Binghe if I’m gone too long. If the letters stop, if you don’t hear from me…”

Mei turned to her, serious now. The lantern light made her eyes shine. “I promise. And you promise to come back before the wheat harvest. Before autumn.”

Lian nodded. “I promise. I’ll come back before the leaves turn.”

The river carried their wishes downstream, and for a moment, it felt like nothing could break them apart. Not distance, not demons, not fear. Only the light on the water, and the two friends watching it together.

Behind them, Yangcun burned bright with lanterns, and for one night, it felt safe.