When she heard about Ye Liuxi, her first thought was: "Then let's go check it out." Chang Dong felt his courage being steadily pushed out of him by her: "Do you have anything you're afraid of?" "Yes, poverty." That wasn't far off—sometimes, poverty was even more terrifying than ghosts. The two of them followed the little shadows, moving and pausing as they went, and the large group of them drifted gently, shifting direction now and then, most of the time resembling a cluster of ghostly flames. Chang Dong thought that if they kept going like this, when they returned, finding their way back would be a real challenge. Just as he was thinking this, the group of little shadows suddenly sped up, as though being drawn toward something, their forms resembling comets leaving trails, gradually thinning out. Ye Liuxi urged him: "Hurry!" But no matter how fast he moved, he couldn't keep up with their pace. When they finally stopped, looking up, the scene was truly magical: a thin thread, like a green string, steadily weaving its way into the sky at a single point. Everything fell silent. Yexiu took another few steps forward, reaching out as if she could grasp the invisible handle of the door. In the end, she came back with a sigh of disappointment. Changdong remained gazing upward into the air, "Doesn't it resemble a wind eye or a water eye?" Yexiu frowned, "What exactly is that?" She thought Changdong's imagination was truly rich—words like "wind eye" and "water eye" had first sounded unfamiliar to her, but then, as she listened, she found them perfectly fitting. Changdong explained, "Imagine you fill a pond with water, leaving only a small outlet at the bottom. At first, the water seems still. As time goes on, the flow speeds up. Eventually, you'll see a vortex—the center of the vortex is the water eye. The smaller the water eye, the finer the stream entering it." Yexiu thought about this, and imagined the main gate of Yumen Pass perhaps resembling a gradually narrowing water eye, drawing back everything it had temporarily released. She murmured, "Then what do we do now?" Suddenly developing a compulsion, she reached out, firmly grasping that watery opening, roughly tearing open a passage to squeeze herself through. Chang Dong said, "Remember this spot—the inevitable will come again." He gathered some clumps of sand and piled them into an arrowhead at the final stopping point. Ye Liuxi also went to collect sand clumps to help arrange it. As she was arranging, she suddenly thought of something and asked, "When you finally find the door, will you be able to enter?" She had no doubt about her own ability—she was nearly certain she was someone from beyond the threshold. Yet she felt a bit uneasy about Chang Dong: having carried him all the way with a photograph of Kong Yang, yet so far, everything she had discovered had only held meaning for her. She wasn't overly greedy—she truly wanted to share what she had found with him—but didn't know how. Chang Dong brushed off the sand from his hands and simply said, "Enter." "He seemed to know exactly what she was thinking: 'Have you never heard that old saying? When it's darkest just before dawn, when everything is invisible, the outcome is often near.' 'Once you find Kong Yang, will you go back?' Chang Dong paused, then nodded. Ye Liuxi hummed softly, placing the last lump of soil on the tip of the arrow: 'That would be nice.' In her heart, she wasn't thinking that way. Chang Dong was indeed quite useful—quick-thinking, reliable in action, physically capable, and especially, he worked well with her. Such a person was hard to come by; one that simply fell from the sky, not something you could mold or train. When the time came, she'd find a way to keep him around. Where else could they find a livelihood but here? She could simply offer him a salary, or if money was tight, keep it on credit. If he proved uncooperative, she'd just knock him senseless with a stick, tie him up, and have him set up a stall—then, with his quiet, unassuming nature, he'd likely be even more obedient. She couldn't help but smile at the thought." Chang Dong looked at her strangely, "What are you laughing about?" Ye Liuxi said, "Nothing really. Just happy for your future life." Chang Dong replied, "Just look at your face—my new life doesn't look very promising." "Bro Dong, I've taken my uncle's money—shouldn't you have done anything behind my back? Who knows, maybe you're holding back something when you go out at night?" Chang Dong lifted the lid of the pot and stirred the porridge with a spoon. "You were supposed to go out and make a phone call today, weren't you? Go tell your uncle about it!" Ding Liu grew so angry her face turned pale. She paused, then turned and walked off, returning to her car and slamming the door shut. Gao Shen paused, awkwardly clutching the half-eaten biscuit bag in his hands, then wiped his lips before saying, "Now we can go." Ding Liu was even more exasperated—what a drag, not knowing how to even raise her voice. —— Fei Tang had dreamed of being abandoned alone in Bai Long Dui, only to wake up startled when he heard the sound of the approaching vehicles, thinking his nightmare had come true. When he peered through the window, he realized it was Ding Liu and her team who had already left. Fei Tang felt rather crestfallen—he had also planned to go out to find a signal and connect to the internet, yet no one had offered to come along, showing absolutely no sense of teamwork. Ye Liuxi was still asleep, and Chang Dong didn’t want to disturb her, so he asked Fei Tang to drive his own off-road vehicle. With so many people gone, the camp seemed completely deserted, the porridge having been prepared long ago. Chang Dong had tucked the pot into the embers and ash to keep it warm, and set up a small fire beside it, placing a set of bone plates over the flame, gently heating and roasting the bone gel. The bone glue was made from the off-cuts and trimmings left over when he carved the hides. After dyeing the shadow puppets, they were brushed with a final layer of bone glue to lock in the color, giving it a vibrant hue. Holding a brush, he carefully applied the glue along the carved patterns. When Dingzhou first taught him how to make shadow puppets, he had said, "This is a task that wears on one's patience—don't mind it, it's good for you." Indeed, it was beneficial. His earlier temperament had never been so steady; it had been shaped bit by bit through carving and shaping, both the puppets and himself. Suddenly, Ye Liuxi said, "Master artist." Changdong looked up—she must have woken up at some point and had been watching him for a while. Her usual lazy, slightly critical demeanor now seemed entirely pleasant. Changdong said, "Get up, I've left you a meal." He continued with his own tasks, but as soon as she arrived, the camp grew quiet, and his mind could no longer settle. She stretched, moved about, brushed her teeth, washed her face—every action was her own. In the end, she still held her lunch box and sat beside him: "Changdong, why don't you use me as a model to carve a shadow puppet?" Changdong replied, "Puppetry doesn't aim for realism." The charm of shadow puppets precisely lies in that very sense of imperfection and stylization. Ye Liuxi sighed, stirring the porridge with her spoon: "The story goes that the spirits summoned by the sorcerer were actually shadow puppets of Li Lady. To avoid Emperor Han Wudi noticing, they insisted on keeping a curtain between them—how could Emperor Han Wudi possibly be so naive? The puppets are so exaggerated in their lines, yet he still weeps with genuine emotion..." Changdong added, "Perhaps their shadow puppets are even more refined." Then, the sound of approaching cars came—immediately upon hearing the engine's hum, he recognized it: "FATANG has returned." —— The result of FATANG's translation of those ancient seal characters into simplified characters: LIUXI BONE, WARDING EAST SPIRIT. Changdong remained silent, at a loss for words. Ye Liuxi also said nothing—six characters, and she had claimed two. Moreover, her unique quality wasn’t supposed to be blood, right? How come bones were now mentioned too? Was it implying that her entire body was a treasure? Fei Tang pondered deeply and began to see the point: “East brother, actually, the structure here is quite parallel. Look—‘Flow’ and ‘Look’ are both verbs. West corresponds to East, bone to soul. And if you reverse it, the parallelism holds perfectly…” Reversed it becomes… “Soul to the East, looking toward the West, flowing.” Fei Tang added, “Doesn’t this resonate with those people who were shackled and sent into exile? When they were exiled, their bones were carried westward, yet their souls remained oriented eastward—toward home. Isn’t that exactly what the saying goes: ‘When leaves fall, they return to their roots’? I suspect she’s always been longing to come back.” That made sense, yet it still felt too surface-level. Ye Liuxi grew impatient: “We’re overthinking this. Why not just go and Fei Tang felt puzzled and sensed an odd atmosphere, pausing carefully: "Dong, what have you decided?" Chang Dong replied: "We might have found a way into the Jade Gate Pass." Fei Tang nodded. This response surprised Chang Dong: "Are you going?" Fei Tang said: "Of course I am." He went through the conditions on his fingers: "If only you and Xi-jie go, leaving us behind, Ding Liu will definitely hold me and press charges—what kind of outcome could I possibly have? If you and Xi-jie take Ding Liu and the others in, leaving me behind, she won't agree either. I'm here as an expert in appraising treasures—now that we're heading into the Pass, if I run off, how could she let me go?" "Anyway," he looked rather crestfallen, "just give me a little protection from you and Xi-jie." "Changdong instructed them: 'At least bring two days' worth of dry food, essential gear, and comfortable tools—everyone will ride in my car.' Ding Liu was unhappy: 'Why? Is it only your car that can get through the checkpoint? Five people in one vehicle—too crowded!' Changdong replied: 'It's not just my car that can get through. Only the vehicles operated by Liu Xi can enter—except her, we're all cargo.' This was the most reliable assumption: the soothsayer had said, 'Never heard of anyone making it through.' According to the legends, the Tang merchants would follow one another, only to suddenly lose their way, driven away by the wind and sand—those who strayed would be swept off course. This closure seems to recognize people, not just vehicles. — By sunset, all preparations were complete. Changdong drove along the marks he had previously made, all the way to the arrow-shaped mound." Here, the yan dan stand tall, the ground uneven. What unsettles even more is that earlier, when it grew dark, they hadn't noticed clearly—just ahead, a yan dan platform rises over 20 meters high, with the dragon's body stretching across nearly a hundred meters. Chang Dong parks here, opens the car door, and gently pushes the blood drawn in advance from the syringe down. Ding Liu feels a bit puzzled, wondering why they've driven all the way to such a remote, rugged terrain: "What now?" Chang Dong replies: "We'll wait." ... It's unclear how long they've waited—then the wind starts. This time, the wind and sand are stronger than ever, the fierce gusts sweeping across the ground like waves, causing the car windows to vibrate with a constant hum. White streaks of light flash continuously—this is a natural phenomenon resulting from the wind colliding with the salt and phosphorus elements within the yan dan. The shifting light and wind's mournful sound transform the entire area around the vehicle into a spectral realm. Chang Dong steps out and exchanges places with Ye Liuxi. Ye Liuxi gripped the steering wheel, eyes wide open, imagining a massive doorway ahead—but there was none, only the Yadan formations. Another strong gust swept past, causing the heavy off-road vehicle to sway noticeably, and Ding Liu grew uneasy, asking, "Will the car be blown over?" Chang Dong didn't respond. He closed his eyes, leaned close to the seat, and felt the vibrations of the vehicle. "Liuxi?" "Hm." "The strongest wind came from ahead." Ahead stood a Yadan formation over twenty meters high—according to past camping practices, it should have been wind-blocking. Ye Liuxi's heart leapt. She said, "Hold on!" and pressed the accelerator. As the headlights illuminated, the towering Yadan terraces appeared like massive beasts rushing toward the vehicle. Ding Liu screamed, "What are you doing! You're committing suicide!" Before... she had no time to reach out for Ye Liuxi. Ding Liu stared in horror, her face flushing with blood as if it surged straight to her cheeks—no collision had occurred as expected. The car sped on, until suddenly a figure rushed straight toward the front, being thrown off. Ye Liuxi slammed on the brakes. The wind ceased. For a moment, the surroundings became indistinct, and the passengers in the car breathed heavily, their breaths rising and falling in a steady, heavy rhythm. Ye Liuxi unbuckled her seatbelt, "I just thought I'd hit someone..." She reached for the door handle, but Chang Dong caught her hand and murmured, "Hold on." He turned off the headlights. Outside, it was pitch black. A soft hissing sound came from the roof, as if something were climbing. Soon, the creature crept up to Chang Dong's side window, slender and with a large, stiff head that turned with a creaking, rigid motion. Its hands pressed against the glass, resembling the bone structure of a radiographic film from a hospital's radiology department—each finger joint sharp and distinct.