幽灯鬼 Lantern Holder
夜阑无光自有明，召阴克阳火荧荧。
好似庄户急收麦，行割随手取性命。
When night falls deep, his light shines down,
Summoned is the Yin, suppressed is the Yang.
Like harvesters hastening before the dawn,
He reaps with his blade, and souls are gone.
虫妖们素来不爱巡夜，因为扑火的天性，让他们很容易在夜晚受伤。幸而，有群自西边来的青面夜叉，登界游方，最终在盘丝岭安家落户。他们主动请缨，要承担巡夜的工作，虫妖们便顺水推舟，把这个招人嫌恶的缺儿让与了他们。
夜叉秉性桀骜，虽然落草为寇，今非昔比，但他们仍然积极划分族群，早晚都点着灯笼，很少与虫妖们来往。虫妖也视夜叉为稀奇的异类，看不惯他们目无尊长，不分上下地戏耍作乐。更令虫妖们迷惑的是，夜叉们开心时，看似关系很亲密，但他们经常翻脸吵架，次次都言语犀利，锋芒毕露。
某夜，又有四个夜叉在巡夜时闲磨牙，继而争执了起来。因为闹得动静太大，将洞外的虫妖们全都吵醒了，它们急急赶来劝道:“你们每天如此，山前吵完，山后和好，到底闹腾些什么?何不如我们一般，客客气气的多好。”
四个夜叉原本争得面红脖子粗，一听此话，马上合力反驳道:“你有所不知，言论畅达才能积极进取。”
另一个帮腔道:“意见之不和，说开了方好，彼此相知，感情才能厚笃。”
第三个也赶紧道:“正是。我们互相扶持，一路残存到此，即便言语激动，也不伤和气。”
最后一个总结道:“我们夜叉才不像你们虫妖，面和心不和，外头客客客气气，心里实存许多怨怼。”
说罢，他们四个又勾肩搭背地一起离开了，留下无法理解他们的虫妖们以白眼对之。
The insect guais loathed patrolling after dusk, as their instinct to chase after light made the nighttime perilous for them. But luck favored them when a tribe of pale-faced yakshas from the west of the place, having traversed the world, chose to settle at the Webbed Ridge and volunteered for the night watch, a task the insect guais were only too happy to relinquish to these newcomers.
The yakshas are proud and fierce by nature. Turned into feral yaoguais, yet they still clung to their old ways in the days they were revered. They kept to their own, with lanterns lit from dusk to dawn, and rarely mingled with the insect guais. To the latter, they were a curious sight with their merriment and banter that paid no heed to hierarchy or status. Yet, what puzzled the insect guais most was the yakshas' bond; close-knit in joy, yet they'd often erupt into disputes and hurl sharp words with no restraint.
One night, a quarrel broke out during an idle chatter among four yakshas on patrol, and their raucous noise woke the insect guais. "Why must you carry on as this?" the insect guais rushed to mediate, persuading them. "Arguing one moment, chummy the next. Why not treat each other with proper respect, like we do?"
In an instant, the quarrel ceased, and in unison, the yakshas retorted, "You are mistaken," one spat. "Only through open discourse, we grow." Another chimed in, "Exactly, when we air out our disagreements, it only makes our bond stronger." A third added, "Indeed. By having each other's backs, we've made it through a lot of tough times. Our harsh words don't mean any harm." The last concluded, "Unlike you insect guais, we hide no secret grievances under the guise of harmony." With that, arm in arm, they departed, leaving the insect guais to dismiss the exchange with bemused eye rolls.
