Changdong’s mind was a mess. When he looked at Ahuo, he could no longer make out her face—he only saw her mouth opening and closing, never stopping. "How could I recognize people anymore? I only recognize blood and flesh. I don’t even know if they feel pain… My father said the creatures dug through the house, their fingers worn down to the bone, never pausing." "I don’t know if we can wipe them out completely… They can surely reproduce, can’t they?" "Why not? People have gender distinctions, they go through mating seasons too." Changdong said, "The ground is so stuffy—I need to go outside and breathe." Ahuo seemed to have offered some advice, and Gao Shen also spoke, both expressing concerns about the outside world being unsafe. What Changdong had said, he no longer remembered. All he remembered was pushing aside the barrier at the stove opening and breathing in the fresh air outside—cold, almost freezing. He stood in the courtyard, where the tree shadows swayed gently. Since entering the desert, plants had been short and sparse, the air dry, forcing them to huddle close to the ground—so seeing tall trees always felt warm and familiar. There were many trees along the Hui Muslim street, and also in the back of the theater courtyard, their green canopies like umbrellas, shading the eaves. People's voices filtered through the tree gaps, bustling and lively—back then, he often found them too noisy. Yexiau smiled, "Don't misunderstand me. If it were my choice, I'd rather my boyfriend remembered me at my most beautiful—never mind a stiff, formal image that keeps popping up in his memories of me later on." Changdong said, "I haven't decided yet." "Then just think about it. When you're ready to entrust me with something, simply let me know—then I'll give your car that fresh scent." She waved the bottle of perfume in her hand and walked straight out. The corridor outside was dark and empty, and Changdong, worried about her safety, hurried after her. With a steady hiss of pressure, a sweet aroma filled the air—like ripe peach, a flavor favored by girls her age. Yexiau asked him, "Doesn't it smell good?" She sprayed generously, pouring out the fragrance with full force, pressing the nozzle all the way down each time. Changdong had once accompanied Kong Yang to buy perfumes. The well-groomed salespeople were skilled, holding the perfume bottles and spraying just a little bit into the air, then holding a small sample card to catch and preserve the faint scent, and offering it with a gentle request: "Smell this—do you like it?" Changdong felt his sense of smell had grown coarse from the desert winds and sands; each time, he found it hard to detect much, especially since Kong Yang favored very light perfumes, claiming she liked the sense of presence that was just barely there. "Faint yet present"—this was quite a demand of his nose, yet Kong Yang remained patient, reminding him: "I apply it to the back of my neck—here, the pulse beats, that's the point of evaporation..." Sometimes, Changdong would deliberately press his lips against her neck, and during moments of intimacy, he truly sensed a subtle fragrance drifting to his nostrils. Then, the girl who insisted on refinement would appear meticulously beautiful before him—beautiful to herself when he wasn't looking: the coordination of colors, the pairing of top and bottom garments, even the harmony of scents... Suddenly, she would transform into a pale, terrifying figure in the deep night, her body oozing with mucous, her teeth still holding fragments of flesh. The old sign had just arrived, pretending to be helping organize things, and took a moment to whisper to her, "I have no idea what they do—just let them in like this." Ahu glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, "Don't you think? Who among us can actually drive a tin-truck? Those who can really make connections only benefit themselves. I think they're decent people—perhaps you should be a bit more courteous." The elder sign hadn't yet fallen asleep, facing the young man directly, recalling Ahuo's words about being polite to others. So he said, "You're quite lively, young sir." The voices were clear and carried, since the beds were close together—everyone nearby could hear. Nearby, Ahuo gave a cool sniff, and Ye Liuxi couldn't help but smile. Fei Tang smiled warmly, feeling it was improper to come without reciprocating, and after a moment of small talk, asked, "So, you're a fortune-teller?" The elder sign replied, "I don't go by the surname 'Sign.' Also, don't let the young girl call me that—during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, people like us were respectfully known as 'scholars of the arts and techniques,' not just fortune-tellers." Emperor Wu of Han? Ye Liuxi felt a spark of recognition, coughed lightly to signal that he hoped Fei Tang would pick up on the cue and ask more questions. To his surprise, it was Ahuo who spoke first, her tone cool: "Without some ability to drive away spirits and ward off demons, how can someone be called a 'scholar of "The older official slowly countered, 'You're mistaken. If the practitioners of the Way could truly cure these strange ailments, why would they be exiled? It's precisely because they've spent so much money for the Emperor Han Wudi—without achieving any results—that they've ended up in trouble.' Ahu puffed out her breath, 'You're in trouble, but you've also brought us misfortune.' The older official replied, 'When you're made of tofu, don't laugh at tofu dried into sheets. Your ancestors didn't commit any crimes, so you wouldn't be here at all—perhaps you're even on a flight to the heavens right now.' Ahu fell silent. Fei Tang grew more and more confused, interrupting, 'Wait a moment—wait a moment. Didn't Emperor Han Wudi dismiss the practitioners of the Way because their efforts to seek immortality failed?' He remembered clearly—both in the historical records and in the annals of folk history—that Emperor Han Wudi shared the same flaw as Emperor Qin Shi Huang: a deep passion for immortality and the pursuit of longevity, mobilizing the entire nation to recruit practitioners of the Way, and refining elixirs and medicinal formulas." Until his later years, after enduring numerous setbacks, he finally came to his senses and lamented, "In my earlier days, I was so ignorant and deceived by the healers—how could there be immortals in the world? They were all mere fantasies!" In a fit of rage, he dismissed all the healers. At that time, Fei Tang thought the Han Wu Di was truly well-tempered—having been deceived for so many years and spent so much money, he had only chosen to dismiss them, rather than punish them. In contrast, if Qin Shi Huang had been in his position, he would surely have buried both the healers and the scholars alive. The elder official remarked, "What about seeking immortals and pursuing spiritual enlightenment—how could you possibly know the basics? Qin Shi Huang sought them for so long without success, and Xu Fu sailed his great fleet to Japan, yet brought no immortals back—wasn't that a clear lesson? How could Emperor Han, who wasn't foolish, fail to learn from it? How could he possibly seek again?" Fei Tang stammered, "Then... then what did he actually do?" The elder official replied, "Didn't you hear of his greatest achievements throughout "Changdong suddenly said, 'I've heard of it, but the reasons aren't very clear.' Old Qian felt particularly pleased—Ah Huo always found him at a loss, often complaining that he was just 'a fortune-teller' who 'spoke little and did much,' and it was truly rare to have someone listen. 'The story of Chen A-jiao's witchcraft and pestilence was the starting point. Emperor Wu deeply resented these strange supernatural events. By driving the Xiongnu to the north, he had already achieved a great merit; in his pride, he felt that he should go further and accomplish even greater feats that his predecessors had not managed. Thus, he conceived the idea that all these spirits and demons, which harmed people, and all the ghosts and monsters that disrupted the people's lives, as well as the magical and occult practices that disrupted governance, should be completely eradicated.' 'Yet at that time, such actions could not be carried out openly. First, the people were generally ignorant, and the custom of venerating spirits and strange phenomena persisted across regions—fearing to offend these spirits, even local officials were willing to defy them. Second, the Emperor himself was also afraid of provoking these supernatural forces "So, under the pretense of seeking immortality and pursuing spiritual enlightenment, they gathered capable talents and experts, and to divert attention, even sent ships out to sea, claiming to search for the mythical Penglei immortals, performing rituals and summoning deities—yet all these were mere distractions." "This grand-scale initiative indeed proved effective, but problems arose—perhaps due to insufficient strength, as it could not fully eradicate the threats. Some were captured and subdued, yet could not be eliminated; others were killed and their original forms restored, but over time, they would inevitably rise again." "Emperor Wu was furious. He had invested so much effort, aiming to establish a legacy that would endure for generations, to permanently eliminate all spirits and demons—not merely to secure peace for a few decades. Thus, he issued a directive to the experts: either present a viable solution, or face elimination." "These experts, capable of driving away spirits and calming demons, were no ordinary figures. Among them, several itinerant talents submitted memorials to Emperor Wu, proposing that, just as the Xiongnu had been driven out of the north, it was not necessary to exterminate them entirely. Instead, it would suffice to expel them to a specific region Han Wu Di asked him, "Is there such a place?" He replied, "Yes, I've traveled far and discovered several unusual entrances. Though they appear to be dead ends, there's often a new world beyond—just by sealing off the entrance, it seems as though the two worlds are completely separated, no longer connected at all." Yexiu asked, "So you chose the area outside the Yumen Pass?" She found lying down uncomfortable, so she lay on the mat, propping her head with her hand, and had pushed the blanket down to halfway along her waist. Chang Dong thought that if she listened any more excitedly, she might just leap up and go. The elder signer said, "Indeed, Emperor Wu's view of spirits and ghosts is much like his perception of the Xiongnu. What a splendid choice—windy, sandy, and hard to find even basic sustenance." But fortunately, it's thanks to this very place—conditions are harsh, and some spirits endure less than humans. The first to perish are those who cannot tolerate water, followed closely by tree and vine spirits...” He seemed to have strayed from his point, then pulled the conversation back: “In any case, once the emperor issues his decree, there's a nationwide 'Westward Journey Beyond Yumen'.” Chang Dong interjected, “Well, we can accept that the spirits and ghosts are brought in, but why are the humans left behind?” The elder signer chuckled coldly, “Your mind seems destined for something other than the throne. The emperor doesn't merely eliminate individuals—he cuts roots to ensure no lingering threats. Why would he simply let spirits and ghosts thrive on their own, letting them grow stronger instead?” Fei Tang gasped, “And what about the scholars and practitioners of the schools of divination? Wouldn't they also have to come in?” "Yes, if there's any mistake, they'll have to step in to make up for it—whether they're willing or not. We'll have to forcibly bring them in, and especially the families of the witch-doctors and exorcists. So we'll need the Yulin Guard to oversee them. These people will need constant care, and the prisoners sent from various regions will be the first to suffer—especially the in-laws who've come to live with us." Ding Liu had been listening all along, but finally couldn't contain herself: "What's so special about the in-laws?" Fei Tang replied: "During the Han Dynasty, in-laws were considered lower-class people, just like merchants. People from such backgrounds could also be sent to the frontier." Ding Liu nodded, her gaze drifting deliberately toward the tall, dignified figure beside her. Ye Liuxi sighed: "These scholars and practitioners of the arts have also been rather unfortunate—having put in so much effort, they end up with a fate no different from exile." "The elder official said, 'Who could disagree? Emperor Wu probably felt quite regretful. He bestowed countless treasures, yet no matter how much gold and silver he offered, it all amounted to nothing compared to the burial goods. When the emperor looks at this place, he sees nothing but a tomb—how much more disappointing, when the land within the Guan region is so poor and rugged, with hardly any people at all? What good are the gold and silver if there's no one to receive them? Even the most valuable treasures pale in comparison to a single grain of rice or a single meal.' His voice gradually softened, as if he were growing drowsy: 'After all, it's just that we've come here. There's no need to complain. The eye-tomb is indeed full of pretentiousness—people act stiff and formal—but there's nothing extraordinary beyond that. What's the current state of affairs? Go and see elsewhere—how many markets have been abandoned, how many ancient furnishings have been overturned? It's as if the very foundations of tradition have been upended!' In silence, Ahuo quietly added, 'There are no spirits or ghosts beyond the borders. I've seen films at the markets. The people beyond the borders go out "The elder official said: 'It takes a full flow of blood to pass the frontier—something even a three-year-old can sing. Don't worry about the lands beyond; never has anyone actually made it out.' "