Tang Shengyi opened her eyes slowly. The last thing she remembered was being hit on the head by something, then falling into the water. She looked around, but the sudden movement made her head pound, and she lifted a hand to prod gingerly at the lump forming on the back of her skull.
Sitting up, she contemplated her current situation. She was lying alone at the edge of the lake she had been attempting to cross by raft earlier. Given that the surface of the water was still, it was highly unlikely that she had simply been carried to the lakeshore by the current. That meant someone must have pulled her out, but there was no sign of life anywhere.
Getting to her feet, Shengyi attempted to wring the worst of the water out of her soaked skirt and considered her options. She had made it to the other side of the lake, at least, even if the method of doing so wasn't entirely to her liking, and the pouch holding her money and most precious belongings was still firmly attached to her belt. The only thing to do, therefore, was simply carry on her journey, and she could thank her saviour at a future date if they ever made themselves known.
She glanced up at the sun. It was high in the sky and its rays beat down fiercely on her upturned face. That meant it was most likely the middle part of the day. Just around lunchtime. While the heat did not make for a good travelling companion, it did mean that her clothing would dry out quickly, and she did not have the luxury of waiting around in her undergarments with her dress draped over a branch for the next hour or so. If whatever hit her had been deliberately aimed, the perpetrator may return at any time to check on their handiwork.
Decision made, Shengyi turned to face east and set out along a faintly visible path leading away from the water's edge. With any luck, she would reach the provincial capital by nightfall.
Tang Shengyi was no sheltered maiden, but neither could she be said to be particularly worldly. After her parents died young, she had been raised by her aunt and uncle in a small community on the outskirts of Jing Province. There, she had learned martial arts alongside her male cousins, and matters of household management in the company of her aunt. While she could not be described as exceptional in any way, Shengyi was content to refer to herself as well-rounded and generally quite self-sufficient, which was why she was now making her way, alone, to the largest provincial city within a few days' walking distance.
It was time to strike out on her own, she had decided. She did not want to be a burden to her aunt and uncle any longer, and she had no desire to marry any of the eligible young men in the surrounding area. Those that devoted themselves to physical exploits were not exactly good conversationalists, and the ones who did focus on their studies believed themselves to be intellectually superior. Neither option was particularly appealing.
When it had become clear that Shengyi's mind was made up, her aunt had suggested that she make her way to the provincial capital and become an apprentice to a distant, but well-disposed relative with a successful herbalist business. The arrangement had been finalised in short order, and the young woman was now on her way to begin her new life.
The rest of Shengyi's journey passed uneventfully, and when she finally reached the inn that her aunt had recommended, she was relieved to find that they still had a room available. Staying awake only long enough to consume a bowl of noodles, she then stretched out on the comfortable bed and was asleep in moments.
Just a few short hours later, Shengyi sat bolt upright. She looked out of the window. The moon was still high. She would not have woken naturally at this hour. Something must have disturbed her. She sat quietly for a moment, and as her eyes adjusted to the dark, a patch of white light appeared a few feet in front of her and slowly began to expand. Before long, the fuzzy shape resembled a person. From the look of it, it was a man, and he appeared to be sitting at the bottom of her bed.
No doubt at this point, most people would have run screaming from the room, but Shengyi was not easily frightened, and possessed a relatively open mind about mystical occurrences and the spiritual world.
Clearing her throat, she spoke.
"Excuse me. I'm not sure it's appropriate for you to be in here."
The apparition turned towards her and, even though its features were hazy, it appeared that it was more surprised to see her than she was it.
"You can see me?" a soft, low voice asked.
"And hear you," she replied. "Who are you?"
"I'm not sure anymore." The shape sighed. "I know who I was until two nights ago, when I died in my sleep in this room."
Shengyi glanced down in horror.
"They changed the bedding," the apparition added, helpfully.
The young woman decided to switch the subject before she had a chance to think too much about the unpleasant revelation.
"Have you been here the whole time?"
"Yes. People have been in and out of this room a few times, but you are the only one who could see me. Why do you think that is?"
"I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me."
When it was clear that no response would be forthcoming, Shengyi folded her arms and thought furiously. Perhaps she had some sort of connection to this particular spirit, although he didn't seem familiar at all. The other option was that she had developed the power to see spirits generally, although it was unlikely to have suddenly manifested without some sort of trigger, and the only thing of significance that had happened recently was her unexpected dip in the lake.
"If that's what you're thinking, you're right."
Another voice. Also male. She searched around for the owner until her eyes alighted on a small silver dragon flying around near the ceiling. When he was sure he had been spotted, he glided lazily down to circle around Shengyi's head. She frowned.
"What 'that' are you referring to?" she asked the new arrival.
"You almost drowned earlier today, and it triggered your abilities. Near-death experiences will do that sometimes."
"Are you a spirit, too?" she wondered out loud.
"Yes, but not like him," the dragon cocked its head in the direction of the man on the bed. "He's a spirit of the dead. I was born a spirit and cultivated to become what I am now."
Shengyi nodded. It made sense. The dragon's form seemed much more substantial than the male spirit. The question was, why were they here? She opened her mouth to ask the question but, once again, it seemed as though the dragon had read her mind.
"He's here because he can't move on for one reason or another. I'm here to guide you in your new role as a spirit agent."
"Spirit agent?"
"Yes. It's now your job to act as a conduit between the mortal realm and the afterlife, helping spirits who can't move on to cross over, and giving the ones who don't want to go a little nudge, so to speak."
Shengyi decided to inquire about the nudging part at another time.
"How do I do that?" she asked, instead.
"For the ones who want to leave but can't, it's quite easy. You just need to resolve whatever issue is keeping them here. It's usually some sort of unfinished business."
"But that could be anything!" Shengyi exclaimed. "And what if it's something immoral, or dangerous?"
The little dragon thought for a moment.
"You can get creative. You don't have to carry out their wishes exactly. As long as what you do brings them closure, it's enough."
"And what if it doesn't?"
"You make them go," the dragon responded, somewhat grimly.
Rather than continue the conversation, Shengyi decided to test the theory.
"What do you want?" she asked the male spirit, who seemed pleased to be back in the conversation.
He raised a ghostly arm and pointed to the corner of the room.
"I have a twenty-year aged wine hidden under the floorboards over there. I was going to enjoy it on my birthday, which would have been the day after I died. I was so looking forward to tasting it."
Shengyi looked the spirit's almost translucent frame up and down, doubt etched on her face.
"He can't drink it," the dragon confirmed. "Even if he could, he wouldn't taste it."
"He can't," the young woman responded, "but I can."
Getting to her feet, she strode purposefully over to the corner of the room where the spirit had pointed and started pressing on the floorboards.
Sure enough, before long it became apparent that a couple of them were loose. Prying them up, the jar of wine was immediately visible.
Moving over to the table, she pulled out the container's stopper. It was fortunate that her alcohol tolerance was relatively high, she thought. Pouring herself a cup, she prepared to drink.
"Wait!" The spirit glided across to where she was sitting and settled his wispy form in front of her. "What does it smell like? Describe it to me. And I want exact details. Every single thing you smell, taste, feel. I need to know it all."
Shengyi took a deep breath. It was going to be a long night.