The candle flickered, and the shadows it cast on the temple wall were long and wavy. Ning Caichen tried to concentrate on his book, but he kept thinking about the woman in white. Her skin was too pale, and her footsteps were too light, as if she were walking on air. There was something wrong with her. He pushed the thought away, though. Maybe it was just the loneliness of the night making him think that way.
He read for another hour, until the candle was almost gone. He was just about to blow it out and go to sleep when he heard soft footsteps again. This time they were quieter, as if she didn't want to wake him up. He looked up and saw her again. Nie Xiaoqian was standing in the doorway, her white dress glowing softly in the moonlight.
This time, she didn't stand far away. She moved with a measured pace, her gaze burning with an unmistakable longing. "Sir, I can't sleep," she murmured, the words scarcely audible. "The night is cold, and I don't have anywhere to go. Can I stay here for a little while?"
She got closer, and Ning Caichen could smell a faint, sweet smell that was like osmanthus flowers but hinting of something cold and otherworldly. As she leaned closer, her hair grazed his arm. A shiver coursed through him, not from the temperature, but from the peculiar sensation.
Ning Caichen said firmly, "Miss, this is not right," and pulled back a little. "I'm a scholar, and you're a young lady. We can't spend the night in the same temple. It would hurt your reputation."
Nie Xiaoqian's lips shook, and her eyes filled with tears. "Reputation?" she said with a sad and bitter laugh. "What good name do I still have? There is no one in this world who cares about me. It's been a long time since I've met someone as nice as you."
Her hand brushed against his, and it felt like a block of frozen metal.
Ning Caichen quickly pulled his hand away, making his resolve stronger. He said, "I'm sorry, but I can't help you. There are villages nearby where you can go and ask for shelter. I won't let you stay here."
For a moment, her face looked like it was in the dark, like a shadow had passed over it. But it was gone in a flash, and a look of deep sadness took its place. "You truly are unlike anyone else," she murmured. "Most men would have jumped at the chance to have a woman like me with them. Why are you so set in your ways?"
"Because I know what's right and what's wrong," Ning Caichen said. "A gentleman does not take advantage of a weak woman, no matter how pretty she is."
Nie Xiaoqian looked at him for a long time, her eyes full of both sadness and admiration. Then she let out a soft, sad sigh. "You are a good man, Ning Caichen. You have no idea what this world is really like, or who I am, for that matter."
She turned and walked to the corner of the temple before he could ask what she meant. Ning Caichen saw something he hadn't seen before in the shadows: a faint, glowing mist that was swirling around her feet. As she stepped into it, her body started to disappear, as if she were melting into the dark.
"Wait!" He sprang up, his voice a shout. "What the hell are you? Tell me the truth!"
Nie Xiaoqian stopped, her back to him. She didn't turn around, but her voice was soft and broken as it reached him. "I told you... I'm not just any woman. I'll tell you everything tomorrow night. But be careful, sir; this temple isn't safe. Some things are beyond imagination."
And just like that, she vanished, the delicate scent of osmanthus lingering in the air. The mist dissipated, and the temple was still again, the quiet more profound than it had been.
Ning Caichen remained frozen, his pulse hammering in his ears.
He was sure now that the woman was not a person. But what was she? A ghost? A ghost? And why hadn't she hurt him? He remembered how she had looked at him with admiration, how sad her eyes were, and how cold her fingers were.
He snuffed the candle and stretched out on the unforgiving earth, yet slumber eluded him. Thoughts churned in his head, a tempest of uncertainty, and a peculiar heaviness weighed down his heart. It wasn't fear; it was curiosity. He would return tomorrow night. He would learn the truth about Nie Xiaoqian.