Zhuxin

A mysterious young woman who guides amber butterflies using her Spirit Lantern. Zhuxin is an enigmatic young woman from the town of Zhu'an, nestled in the mountains of the Cadia Riverlands. Using her Spirit Lantern, she guides the ember butterflies and walks between life and death. She is able to hear the desires of mortal hearts, and those who successfully overcome her trials will have their wishes granted. For nearly a thousand years, she has wandered in search of the purest desires to realize, in the hope of one day finding her own.

===A wish=== Who is she really? What are its activities? Where does she wander? Some call her unpredictable, others a researcher in the arms of the night and still others an enigma. His entire existence is shrouded in secrecy. What do I wish for? What do you want? What do everyone dream of?

The city of Zhu'an, a dreamlike place where the supernatural is found in every corner.

Divinatory rituals, dancing paper dolls, incense that makes you dream... there is no shortage of strange wonders and no shortage of fables that arise from this enchanted city. Among them, the most enigmatic is perhaps “his” story.

Legend has it that a mysterious young woman named Zhuxin can often be seen wandering at night in Zhu'an with a lantern in her hand. She possesses the ability to summon ember butterflies, which she uses as a medium to satisfy the deepest desires of mortals.

Zhuxin cared neither about wealth nor power, only the purest wishes had value in his eyes. It is said that anyone who accepts his help will be subjected to his trials, which can range from betting entire fortunes to crossing the line between life and death. Some try to curry favor with her, while others call her a malicious witch, but she doesn't care what others think. When people say she's temperamental, she's the first to nod. However, once a pact is made and the butterflies begin to dance, neither heaven nor earth, nor life nor death can stop him from fulfilling a wish.

No one knew where she came from or what her purpose was, only that she was always searching for something. His existence was as enigmatic as the night itself.

But Zhuxin didn't always like the night.

A thousand years ago, Zhuxin was just an orphan wandering the streets of Zhu'an. For her, the night represented only danger. In the darkness, the wickedness of human nature emerged to dance with the devil.

But Little Zhuxin loved bright flames. Every year, during the summer solstice celebrations, townspeople lit countless braziers throughout the city. Their warm glow made the smiles of every passerby more radiant and welcoming, but Zhuxin still kept her distance. The elders say that Zhuxin was born an orphan. According to stories, she was found crawling out of the coffin after her parents died. She possessed such extreme Yin energy that people considered her a bad omen. Little Zhuxin could only approach the warmth of the lingering embers after the crowd had returned home. On lucky evenings, she could even find a flowery pastry among the discarded leftovers.

And on those nights, under the glowing embers, Zhuxin held her pastry tightly in her small, soot-covered hands and felt warmth in her heart.

But even these small comforts would not last. When the balance between Yin and Yang was broken, war broke out in the riverlands of Cadia. Monsters emerged from the shadows and terrorized the continent. Fear gripped the entire city. People were hiding in their homes and no one dared to come out to light the braziers. Little Zhuxin endured many freezing nights until she finally exhausted the last bit of her warmth.

Surrounded by darkness, she took her last breath.

But Zhuxin's Yin energy prevented his soul from dissipating. Was she still alive or had she become an apparition? What should she do? Where should she go? She tried to find answers, but couldn't escape the night, no matter how hard her little legs tried. It was a strange feeling; she no longer needed to breathe, but had never felt so suffocated. Whether in life or death, in light or in darkness, was there anyone who had an answer? Was there anyone who could spark a glimmer of hope?

A light pierced the darkness.

Little Zhuxin opened her eyes as a pure light descended from the heavens: it was the Great Dragon, the guardian deity of the Riverlands of Cadia and one of the twin dragons.

“Are you here to chase me away?”

The Great Dragon did not respond. Instead, he manifested a flower-shaped lantern that gently fell towards Zhuxin.

As she touched his hand, ember butterflies flew from the lantern and lit up the night. Little Zhuxin suddenly found herself floating in the cosmos with the Great Dragon. In the sea of ​​​​quiet clouds, the candle of the lantern illuminated the sky, and they were conversing in the clouds. The Great Dragon explained that Zhuxin could not pass into the afterlife because she had no wishes. If we live and die without desire, what meaning is there in life? But if we can leave without regrets, there will be nothing to fear. Only by fulfilling her wish can she embark on the next journey.

"My wish? What could it be?"

“Child, I gave you this lantern to light the way, but your wish is something you must seek for yourself.”

“Could I…have anything to wish for?”

"Naturally. Your existence is proof of that."

Zhuxin bid farewell to the dragon and left with the lantern.

At first, she wandered aimlessly, not even knowing what she was looking for. Finally, she thought that if she still couldn't find her wish, maybe she should grant others' wishes first. So she summoned her ember butterflies as messengers, seeking, listening, and granting countless wishes.

Night after night, Zhuxin listened to the hearts of strangers. Sometimes she fell into the trap of their plans; other times, she exposed their true intentions with plans of her own. Until the day when, by chance, she granted a wish so sincere that her lantern lit up enough to warm her heart; it was the same feeling from his childhood.

Zhuxin then realized that only these genuine wishes were worth pursuing. However, mortals are complicated creatures and their hearts are too easily led astray by wealth and power. So, she began organizing various trials to test the value of people's wishes. Even when her trials caused people to misunderstand, fear, and curse her, she never fought back, because none of that mattered.

What really mattered was finding those forgotten wishes buried in the ashes and giving them a gentle tap to reignite their flames. When she helped a young man bring a flower to his blind sister, Zhuxin was able to sense the sweet scent of flowers for the first time. When Zhuxin helped a crying soul who had perished in a foreign land deliver a letter to his wife, she understood that death cannot separate true love. Each precious wish made his lantern shine brighter and the world in his eyes became more alive.

Although Zhuxin has yet to find her own wish, she now understands that it must be something bright enough to bring warmth to the long night; enough to make this trip interesting.

His existence was undoubtedly worthy of such a wish.

===The price of a wish===

===Tales of Zhuxin===