Chapter 33: The Woman from Two Thousand Years Ago

Xia You and the others joined the crowd, moving slowly forward along with the tourists.

Two rows of stalls lined the street, selling all kinds of delicious snacks and various trinkets. Seeing that Satoshi was looking interested, Xia You bought a few snacks to share with everyone.

When he noticed Kasumi pausing in front of an accessory stall only to walk away silently, Xia You approached the stall, carefully made his selection, and bought a hairclip to give to her.

A smile appeared on Kasumi's face; although she didn't say much, her expression made it clear that she loved the gift very much.

As in previous years, this festival was held with great fanfare. They walked forward a bit further and even saw a woman in elaborate attire performing an exotic dance amidst the music and the cheers of the crowd.

However, unlike the relaxed Xia You and his companions, Takeshi was in no mood for sightseeing. He walked behind them with his head down, a look of longing on his face. Clearly, he was still infatuating over the woman at the pier, and he was even muttering something under his breath.

"Please wait a moment!"

An old but vigorous voice suddenly rang out from behind them.

Xia You turned around to find an old woman with white hair, standing less than a meter tall, holding a cane and dressed in purple robes.

The old woman had a large mouth and very dry skin; her eyes, in particular, looked quite sharp.

Takeshi, who had been immersed in thoughts of the beautiful woman, was startled by the old woman's appearance when he turned around. Caught off guard, he tumbled backward and sat hard on the ground.

"Whoa! A shriveled... shriveled old kappa appeared!"

"Who are you calling a kappa!?" the old woman snapped irritably. Her gaze then swept back and forth between Xia You and Takeshi as she said mysteriously, "Listen well, you must be very careful of beautiful women, otherwise, you will surely have bad luck today!"

"What kind of nonsense is that!" Kasumi pouted. She shot a quick glance at Xia You and said somewhat bashfully, "How could I possibly cause him bad luck!"

"Idiot!" the old woman shouted. "I said beautiful women, not a green little girl like you!"

"What!? You called me a little girl!" Kasumi instantly flared up; clearly, those words had struck a nerve.

Beside them, Takeshi looked thoughtful after hearing the old woman's warning. Only Xia You, knowing that she was actually a phantom transformed by a Gastly and had simply set her sights on them, simply smiled it off and didn't pay much mind to her words.

However, Kasumi did not want their rare festival outing to be ruined by this old woman.

"Such nonsense! Alright, let's stop paying attention to her and just get out of here quickly."

With that, she pushed Xia You's back with one hand and grabbed Takeshi by the ear with the other, turning to leave.

The destination of this festival was a shrine at the edge of the town.

As Xia You and the others followed the crowd to the shrine, they saw an old priest striking the ceremonial drums to mark the hour.

"Everyone, please be quiet! The treasure of the Maiden Shrine is about to be exhibited!"

Beside the old priest stood a scroll, though it was currently covered by a white cloth, making it impossible to see what was painted on it.

The people surrounded the shrine as they listened to the old priest continue, "This painting is a secret treasure that has been passed down in our Maiden Shrine since two thousand years ago. It is only exhibited once a year during the summer festival. Now, I invite all our guests to observe it with care!"

With that, he pulled away the white cloth, fully revealing the scroll to the crowd.

In the painting was a portrait of a woman. Her eyes looked straight ahead, and her hands were placed against her chest as if she were engaged in prayer.

Although the painting was strictly black and white without any other colors, it still allowed people to sense the woman's beauty and her profound sorrow.

Beside them, Takeshi was greatly astonished, because the beauty in the portrait was exactly the woman in the white dress he had seen at the small pier at noon!

The old priest's voice echoed in the ears of the crowd like a narrator: "Two thousand years ago, there was a young couple who loved each other dearly. But because of war, the man was forced to enlist. As the army set sail for battle, he made a promise before leaving: that he would return in triumph once the war was won.

And so, the woman waited for many years, but in the end, the man never returned. Her endless, agonizing waiting caused her to turn into a rock, standing upon the cliff, still waiting for her man to this day."

It was indeed a sorrowful legend, and after hearing it, the people's moods inevitably slumped.

At that moment, as if possessed, Takeshi suddenly asked, "Then may I ask, where is that rock located now!?"

"Eh?" The old priest was stunned. "You don't know about the Maiden Rock?"

...

Nightfall shrouded the earth.

Upon the seaside cliff, a wooden house stood in isolation.

As Xia You and the others climbed the rugged mountain path to the cliff and passed the wooden house, they immediately saw a stone statue of a woman situated on a precipice jutting out from the shore.

After countless years, the statue seemed to have become one with the cliff itself.

Waves crashed against the reefs. In the distance lay the lights of the many homes in Maiden Gorge Town; even though they were far from the town, they could still faintly hear the festive sounds of celebration drifting from there.

But here, just like the legend, it was filled with desolation.

Looking at the Maiden Rock, Kasumi whispered, "Do you guys think this rock really was that woman?"

"Who knows," Xia You shook his head. "At least I don't see any signs of artificial carving."

It was already ten o'clock at night. Dark clouds suddenly covered the moon, and a light breeze blew through, bringing a chilling cold.

Relying on instinct—perhaps sensing that something was about to happen—Xia You pulled out two Poké Balls. With a flash of blue light, Charmander and Jolteon appeared at his feet.

The flame on Charmander's tail and the occasional sparks of electricity from Jolteon not only illuminated the surroundings but also gave him a profound sense of security.

"There's nothing much to see here anyway. Let's head back to town."

Compared to the bustling streets, Kasumi naturally had no desire to stay here. However, she didn't expect that just as she turned around, she would see the door of the small house behind them slowly creaking open.

*Creak...*

At first, she thought the wind had blown the door open, but in the next second, a blurry, glowing figure suddenly drifted out from within.

"Eek! A ghost!!"

(End of Chapter)