Lin's big toe kicked the tree root and tripped and nearly lost his balance and fell. A few paces ahead, Peria turned around.

"Do you need my old bone to slow down and wait for you? Ha! She laughs.

"No, you don't." He said, staring at his feet. The old aunt Peria had snow-white hair and was too old to straighten her waist, but she was still a few inches taller than Lin. He wished he could be as tall as his badly broken brother - he had better be a cut above both of them.

Lin had never been to such a deep woods. The pines are closer together, and the midday sun can only leave a few spots of light between the shadows of the trees.

Peria stopped in front. At first, he thought she was facing a mossy boulder, but when he got closer, he saw a stone statue that had been corrupted by time. Lin's hand was coiled around a pebble in his pocket.

"Aha! Do you know who this is? Peria asked.

"Uh, an old nobleman from the city?" Lin replied.

"Wrong!" "Many people thought she was just a shadow and a myth. This man is called the 'Masked One'. ”

Peria held up a lantern and approached the statue. Its left arm was severed from its shoulder, but its right hand was spread out, as if inviting them to come forward. On her head, what was once certainly a delicate veil was now obscured by rattan. Her shoulders protruded from her shoulders with a pair of feathered stumps, looking tattered and withered. Part of her face was deliberately destroyed, and Lin couldn't help but shiver when she saw this. The rest of her face wasn't pretty—one eye was full of mud and her expression was full of disgust, as if she had a mouthful of rancid milk in her mouth.

"Don't like her?" Peria quipped, "You're not the only one. She's not the most loved. But she knows all about revenge. ”

Lin's eyes widened. He thought he was careful enough.

"Yes, yes, I hear the clatter of the pebbles in your pocket," said Peria, "and I know you're plotting revenge on your brother." But he didn't mean to hurt you, you know it. ”

"He smashed me in the eye with the back of his axe!" Lin cried and cried, "Did you say he did it on purpose? Shouldn't he be taught? ”

"He's teaching you where to chop wood. You know very well that he will never intentionally hurt you. Peria said.

"He deserves a black eye, too!"

"If you hit him, what lesson do you think he'll learn, huh?"

Lin knew that Peria wouldn't like his answer, so he kept silent.

"Don't speak? Then listen to a story," said Peria, "well, listen well! ”

Lin sat down in front of the statue. He sighed and rested his head on his palm.

"Once upon a time, there was a deep, dark wood, so dense that you could not even see the sky and the stars in the sky, and the masked people lived there, far from any town or village. Although few people talk to her, it is believed that she is older than the dawn and more astute and wise than anyone else on earth. If people have a dispute that they can't mediate, they will ask her for an explanation. They seek wisdom, forgiveness—and occasionally punishment. But their visits were all done with caution, because it was known that the lessons she had given could be severe.

"One day, a priest with his apprentice entered the woods in search of the masked. Because the apprentice was angry and struck the priest with an incense burner, and committed the sin of disrespect to the elder. The incense left an unsightly burn on the priest's face. The apprentice knew that he had made a mistake and wanted to repent.

The master and apprentice walked for a day and a night, and then found the masked man.

"They entered a cave with many candles lit. The roof of the cave was dripping, and strange potions were placed on the walls of the cave. The smell of grave dirt and moss floated in the air. Dozens of raven-black feathers were scattered on the ground.

"A figure came out of the shadows silently to meet them—the masked ones. A black turban obscured most of her face, but her strange eyes shone purple through the veil. A pair of bare feet on the icy rocky ground. The apprentice tells his story, and she stares at him the whole time.

"'It seems that your actions were not accidental,' the masked man finally said. Although few people heard her speak, her voice was as sharp as a thorn. Your purpose is clear. However, now you are in pain because you have hurt your teacher. ’

"'Yes, I want to be able to make amends for my sins and cleanse me from my sins.' He said.

"'Sin can teach a sincere and humble heart many things. Why did you attack your teacher? She asked.

"That's an act of rage. I was wrong. The apprentice said.

"'Maybe. What makes you angry? The masked man asked.

The apprentice looked at the priest, then immediately lowered his head.

"'I'm stupid to teach, and I want to stop him from teaching another student.'" The apprentice said.

"'What kind of lesson?'

Before the apprentice could reply, the priest interjected.

"'My students need guidance in many ways,' he said, 'and I teach them propriety, patience, and restraint. I use a whip when necessary. I don't enjoy punishing others – but it's my sacred duty. ’

The masked man looked sideways at the priest. Beneath the turban, her eyes seemed to pierce his flesh.

"'But you're having fun.'" She said.

"'Please—'

"'Tell me, Master with scars, is your lesson really all for the good of the students?' Or do you punish them to taste their pain? The masked man said.

"'No,' said the apprentice preemptively, 'it's not so, he cares about us—'

The priest raised his hand and slapped the boy.

"'It's not your turn to defend me with lies,' said the priest fiercely, his scarred face furious.

The masked man spread his palms and imprisoned the priest with a smoky flame. The flames shone ghostly purple, but no matter how much the priest struggled, he couldn't break free.

"'You came to me to punish others,' she hissed, 'but you ignored your sins. Pastor, pathological pride infects you again and again, and swells you more and more. Since you refuse to reflect on yourself, then you have to feel the pain you have caused. ’

"By holding him in chains, the Masked Man made him endure all the shame, pain, and loneliness he inflicted on his apprentices. At that moment, the priest's heart went into arrest as a weight he had never seen before bound his soul. He fell to his knees, frozen there in agony, unable to move, as the flames of the shadows licked his flesh.

"'Stop, please stop!' The apprentice cried. 'Punish me if you want it.' He's had enough of the pain! ’

"'Even now, you're defending him.' The masked man said, 'The despicable have so much to learn that they will not rest until they die.' He must personally feel the pain he has caused in order to never hurt others again. You have come here to seek realization—and now the burden will be on your shoulders. ’

"For a long time afterwards, the apprentice did not show up in the monastery. But in the end he was no match for hunger and fatigue, and forgot the fear of his teacher's whip. When he returned, he found that the pastor had changed completely. This once ruthless old man is now patient and considerate. Although the burns on his face have not yet healed, the masked man's lesson is even more unforgettable. ”

Peria placed the lantern on the base of the statue. The rocky gray face had been completely shrouded in darkness, and mottled shadows flowed down her coat like tears.

"Lin, make a wish for others to be punished, be very careful. Can you teach your brother a better person? Even if he does hit you on purpose, you shouldn't punish him for selfish purposes. ”

Lin felt the pebble in his pocket.

"I think my brother did apologize. After I hurt my eye and fell to the ground. So saying, he reluctantly threw the stone to the ground.

"Great! Let's thank the masked man,"

Peria turned on the lantern and blew out the candle.

"Remember—revenge is a sign of pride, but the teachings are selfless," she said, "and if you forget, I'll keep an eye on you!" Ha! And the masked ones might be staring at you, too! ”

Lin saw the green smoke spread and disappear in front of the stone statue's hollow eyes, shrouding the stone statue in shadow. When he turned back, Peria had gone into the woods and began to walk back towards the village. Lin hurriedly followed.