Lantern Warden#

Ancient temple trees reach high, In dungeon shadows, life's threads lie. In darkness, light appears, Most vivid at the abyss near.

The ancient temple on the mountain peak, weathered by the passage of time, had gradually fallen into disrepair. When the abbot returned after many years and saw the temple in such a state of ruin, he was filled with sorrow. Determined to restore the temple to its former glory, he spent a large amount of gold and silver to fund it reconstruction, hoping to showcase his path to the ultimate bliss.

The abbot selected a towering forest in the mountains, intending to use the ancient trees there as beams for the new temple. The craftsmen responsible for the timber set up their shelters at the edge of the forest and began felling trees according to the abbot's instructions.

Everything proceeded smoothly, and within half a year, all the necessary timber was prepared. The craftsmen received their wages and packed up, ready to descend the mountain the next day.

That night, a craftsman on night watch was patrolling the area, carrying a lantern. Suddenly, rustling sounds from the forest set his nerves on edge. Terrified, he woke everyone up. With their lanterns lit, and axes in hand, all the craftsmen treaded into the forest to locate the source of the sound. As they ventured deeper into the forest, someone let out a scream and was abruptly dragged into the darkness along with his lantern by an unknown force. Then, one by one, despite their attempts to hide and flee, all craftsmen were all dragged away. Only one clever craftsman quickly extinguished his lantern. Trembling with fear, he groped his way through the forest. Fortunately, a faint light appeared in the distance—the sun was about to rise.

With this faint light, he found his way back and hurried towards the shelters. As he reached the edge of the forest, the sunlight suddenly became blindingly bright, filling his eyes with a white glare. Enduring the pain, he looked closer and realized the light was not from the rising sun but from his companions' lanterns. These lanterns were held up by vines that had replaced his companions' heads, propping up their corpses. A chubby boy with a pale face, dressed in a yellow robe, rode a tall four- legged beast whose head emitted strange sounds. Just as the craftsman was about to plead for mercy, he felt a chill on his back. Then, he felt himself being lifted higher and higher until he was level with the lanterns. The chubby child patted the beast's head, the sounds ceased, the lanterns went out, and the night returned to its eerie stillness.

The chubby boy laughed and said, "Good materials should be used to their fullest."