After a brief moment of contemplation, he coughed. The indistinct figure guarding the bedside moved silently to the door, standing watch to prevent any disturbances.
In haste, he wrote a short note with the pen and ink he carried. After unscrewing the pen barrel, a slender, delicate fox emerged. It ate two beans the old Court Official offered and then, with the note in its mouth, vanished in a flash.
Soon after, the old man's consciousness suddenly dimmed, as if he were plunging into darkness.
At the end of the darkness lay a vast, flowing, cold river. Among clumps of crimson lycoris flowers, a ghostly palace stood upon a plain of white bones.
The old man's consciousness instantly fell into the deepest part of the palace, where he saw several waiting shadows.
In the highest seat, the figure behind the hanging screen was motionless, as if in a deep sleep.
