Wei Ying sighed. Perhaps honesty was the best policy.

"We need your help." He said, pulling out the box from the pouch in his sleeve. Before he showed it to the curious spirit, he added, "I can assure you that our intentions are pure. We wish no harm to anybody."

He then pointed out the writing.

"The text is incomplete." The spirit responded immediately.

Wei Ying was reminded of the Queen mother's words in his dream.

"But we checked the all over it, there are no more characters."

"That you can see," finished the spirit.

"So you think it's inside the box?"

The spirit nodded in approval.

"How do we open it?"

The spirit gestured to the bridge.

Melting Snow on Broken Bridge,
Shining in the Moon's glow,
Reveals the inner light, but
Beware, for herein lies Danger

Wei Ying repeated the words in his mind, crossing over the aged flagstones. The bridge was broken further along, but if one was careful, it was still possible to cross it completely.

When they reached the middle of the structure, his attention fell on a particular stone that seemed out of place, a different colour to those surrounding it. Pure instinct led him to place the box upon it.

Moon beams illuminated the wooden box, and a whirring sound reached his sensitive ears. Quietly, the lid opened by itself. On the underside, more characters appeared.

If Force Dictates,
Then suffer an equal Fate.
Innocence harbours a healing Heart

Another puzzle...

The contents of the box took his attention away from the text. He was right; there were two items.

A bronze mirror with a silver frame gleamed, reflecting the moon above. And next to it, a wrapped packet that made a shuffling noise when he picked it up. He didn't want to touch the mirror, remembering his dream and the Jade Emperor. Wei Ying closed the box.

"This bridge is special." The spirit said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"Really?"

"Yes, it is said that if one's heart is pure, that person can make a wish. And it will come true."

"Is that so?" Wei Ying started to think hard.

"There's no harm in trying." The spirit looked mischievous. "Many years ago, the woodland spirits blessed this river. It is said that a holy man had visited. He walked with a limp and an iron crutch, and a gourd that needed filling. He built the temple aways from here to appease the nature deities - if they had a place where people could make offerings to them, they could be satisfied. They were so pleased with his hard work and good wishes for their well-being, they offered him a boon. But he said he had no wishes for worldly desires, instead they could grant the wishes for their own benefactors who had visited the temple and made offerings to them. Thus it became a clear give and take deal."

Wei Ying suddenly knew exactly what he wanted. He turned and bowed to the forest and made his wish. He stared too long into the greenery and then suddenly stooped to pick up something from the ground.

The children and Lan Zhan watched his every move, questions in their eyes. They had moved off the bridge before, leaving Wei Ying still standing at the centre of the arch.

Suddenly, lots of shouting at the further end of the bridge alerted them that something was terribly wrong.