Yeming's Lament: The Mountain's Silent Witness

In the heart of the Wuyi Mountains, where the clouds touch the peaks, there lay a mountain known as Yeming. It was said that the mountain itself was a sentient being, a guardian of ancient secrets and a silent witness to countless tales of sorrow and triumph. But none of these tales were as haunting as the story of Yeming, a demon who had once been a human, and whose lament echoed through the mountains like a ghostly siren call.

Yeming's story began in the kingdom of Liao, a land of emerald fields and silver rivers. He was a young scholar, a dreamer with a heart full of ambition and a mind brimming with knowledge. His only desire was to serve the kingdom and bring prosperity to its people. Yet, fate had other plans.

One fateful night, as Yeming walked home from the palace, he was ambushed by a group of bandits. They took him captive, stripping him of his clothes and his dignity. But it was not the bandits who would claim his life; it was the king's own hand that would seal his fate. The king, a cruel and greedy ruler, had ordered Yeming's execution for a crime he had not committed. The scholar, innocent and betrayed, was to be killed by the same sword that had been forged by the mountain's heart.

As the executioner approached, Yeming's eyes met the king's. In that final moment, he saw not the face of his executioner, but the face of his own reflection. It was then that he transformed, his essence shifting from human to demon. The mountain, feeling the sorrow of its innocent son, whispered to the sky, and a storm raged, lightning striking the very ground where Yeming's lifeless body lay.

The mountain, Yeming's silent witness, bore witness to the injustice. It felt the weight of Yeming's sorrow and the weight of its own powerlessness. The mountain knew that it could not interfere with the kingdom's laws, but it could not bear to watch its son suffer. So, it whispered to the winds, and the winds carried Yeming's spirit to the heavens.

In the heavens, Yeming's spirit was met by the gods. They heard his lament and felt the depth of his sorrow. The gods, moved by Yeming's innocence and the mountain's silent witness, granted him a chance for redemption. Yeming was to be a guardian of the mountains, a demon who would protect the innocent and punish the wicked.

The mountain, now imbued with the essence of Yeming, began to change. Its peaks grew taller, its valleys deeper, and its forests denser. It became a place of refuge for those who sought shelter from the world's ills. And Yeming, as the Mountain's Silent Witness, watched over them, his lament now a song of hope and justice.

Years passed, and the kingdom of Liao fell into disrepair. The king's greed had led to the kingdom's downfall, and the people suffered. But the mountain, with Yeming's spirit, protected them. It whispered to the winds, and the winds carried the king's message to the gods, who punished him for his crimes.

The people, grateful for the mountain's protection, built a temple at its base. They called it the Temple of Yeming, a place of worship for the demon who had become a guardian angel. And every year, on the anniversary of Yeming's death, the people would gather at the temple to remember him, to sing his song, and to thank the mountain for its silent witness.

The legend of Yeming spread far and wide, becoming part of the folklore that wove through the kingdom. It was a tale of injustice, of redemption, and of the enduring power of hope. And the mountain, with its melancholy and its silent witness, remained a testament to the enduring spirit of Yeming, a demon who had become a legend, and a guardian of the mountains forevermore.