On the altar.
At each of the four directions stood the Four Symbols and the Twenty-Eight Constellations, all sculpted from Netherworld Stone, lifelike and encompassing the cosmos above. Green banners swayed, scattering ashes and fragments into the air, appearing as stars, while colorful-robed witches waved their banners and chanted, singing the ancient songs of Ying City.
"O soul, return! Away from your constant toil, what lies in the four directions?
Forsake your place of joy, and leave what is ominous there."
"O soul, return! The East is not suitable for rest.
Giants of a thousand fathoms high, only the soul seeks solace there."
The lingering, prolonged melody seemed capable of pulling one back into antiquity. The Ancient Chu people sang such tunes to call forth lost souls from the underworld. And now these underworld witches sang to guide the departed souls back to the mortal realm.
