Changdong roughly understood. The phrase "dying with blood flowing as one steps through the gate" was no mere metaphor. Historically, only shadow puppeteers had succeeded in passing this threshold—transforming rigid cowhide puppets into lifelike, expressive figures—processes that were both subtle and demanding, requiring the infusion of bones and the summoning of spirits. Thus, Zhao Guanshou emphasized that the Li family's secret art of shadow puppetry, particularly the principle of "bone flowing westward, spirit looking eastward," was crucial. Gold is precious because it can be exchanged for food, drink, and all other necessities; yet, merely holding gold without using it will lead to starvation. Though the interior region was rich in gold, its agricultural and material resources were indeed limited—barely sufficient to maintain a modest livelihood. To enjoy a life of luxury and indulgence, one had to draw resources from beyond the frontier—through the shadow puppet caravans, which effectively served as a vital supply route. The Yulin Guard and the court magicians, as privileged elites, had already secured an early advantage; by controlling the sole supply corridor, their position of dominance became nearly unshakable. Thus, the phenomenon of the sun appearing in the southern constellation poses a severe crisis for the privileged: the entire shadow camel caravan comes to a standstill, the "flowing west, yearning east" spirit consolidates upon a single individual—more pressing still, this person may not be aligned with them. Beside one's bed, how can another sleep soundly? This is not merely sharing the bed—it's disturbing the very bed. "Fei Tang murmured: 'If it were me, suddenly gaining such a special ability—how happy I'd be! Every time I go out and come back, I'd be helping people buy things, running a freight company, counting cash all the time—how could I possibly rebel? That would be so tiring!' Zhao Guanshou glanced at him with disdain: 'So you're just an ordinary person.' 'The one born under the Southern Dipper, destined to bring chaos to Yumen, is precisely the one who will disrupt the region. Li Wangdong was able to quickly establish the "Beast-Head" rebellion movement, gain widespread followers, and conquer cities and towns because he promised to go eastward, back to a world free of demons and spirits.' Now I understand—Zhao Guanshou's remark that 'life inside the pass is no different from outside, and sometimes even better' applied only to a small group of privileged individuals. For most people, life is one of constant suffering under the relentless attacks of demons and spirits. Their yearning for life beyond the pass is no less than their longing for paradise." Fei Tang was indignant: "Hear that tone—'you're just an ordinary person'? What's wrong with being ordinary? Ordinary people have fewer worries, live more freely, and enjoy greater ease. He huffed. Zhao Guanshou corrected him: "No, she just won't die suddenly—she can still pass away from illness or choose to take her own life." Chang Dong exhaled gently, relieved. Ye Liuxi was unexpectedly silent, taking a while before finally offering a soft "Ah." She felt a little proud: she had never thought of this advantage before—thanks to not having a tail, otherwise she'd definitely have been thrilled to the point of being overwhelmed. She turned to Zhao Guanshou: "And then what?" "We don't want to go through another 'Beast-Head Crisis.' This time, we'd like to be proactive and seek cooperation." "But the Unwritten Heavenly Scroll isn't a magic solution—it only offers broad, general guidance. We don't know who the born one will be, nor where she will reside." "It's taken over a decade to finally locate your village—only to find that the Eye Tomb has been wiped out and abandoned." "We didn't find you until another two or three years had passed. At such a young age, you were already worldly and seasoned—sold into servitude, you even fainted the guard and escaped on your own. You were bold and resolute, often fighting, gaining a reputation, and now people follow you. Fortunately, we found you early; if we had waited any longer, you'd surely have established yourself by now." "You mentioned yourself that during the time of the Eye of the Eye's village destruction, you hid in a water cistern, thus surviving." "We brought you back to Black Stone City and enrolled you in the Feathers of the Forest Guard, assigning you to transport supplies in and out of the city, believing that peace had finally been secured. Who could have guessed...?" Zhao Guanshou paused, his tone somewhat melancholy. "Who could have guessed that not long after, the Scorpion's Eye Uprising broke out, led by Jiang Zhan." "This came as quite a surprise to us, because the Scorpion's Eye's momentum was clearly that of another beast-headed leader—someone who not only communed with the spirits but also came with overwhelming force. Soon, the Huyang City on the northeastern frontier "You might have heard of the three hexagrams divined by Emperor Wu using turtle-shell characters. The first hexagram foretold the southern constellation breaking through the Yumen Pass. The second predicted the crisis, named 'Westward Passage through Yumen.' The third revealed the solution." "Strange enough, the third hexagram is exactly the same as the second—one phrase of four characters: 'Westward Passage through Yumen.' 'We've kept thinking: 'Westward Passage through Yumen' is both a crisis and a source of renewal. You, Ye Liuxi, are both the one who ties the bell and the one who unites it. So we've made a decision: you will go close to Jiang Zhan—essentially, a spy.' Ye Liuxi couldn't contain his restlessness: 'Then what?' 'Then, you fell in love with Jiang Zhan.' Ye Liuxi felt a jolt of surprise, instinctively glancing at Chang Dong. His brow seemed to... slightly furrow. Ye Liuxi felt a bit uneasy, pausing before asking Zhao Guanshou: 'Then, after that, I betrayed the Yulin Guard?'” "Not exactly. We were afraid you would rebel, so we devised a strategy to compel your return: we sent envoys to Jiang Zhan to accuse you, while at the same time informing you of the situation and offering you a choice—you still had time to leave, and escape routes had already been arranged for you." H Zhao Guanshou sighed, a wry smile playing at his lips. "But you, by nature, are rebellious and resistant to pressure. Our very efforts ended up pushing you closer to Jiang Zhan, and you believed Jiang Zhan would not harm you, so you chose to break away from us." Ye Liuxi stared at him. "Then what about Jiang Zhan? What did he do?" Zhao Guanshou spoke slowly and deliberately. "He decided to hang you to death outside the city of Hu Yang as a warning." "Although we have spies stationed in Hu Yang, we found it completely impossible to rescue you from prison. I consulted with Long Shen, the foremost master of divination, and together we devised a plan." "Have you ever heard this saying: in the midst of a night storm, the faintly floating yellow earth city in the sky—actually the ghost of the Yumen Pass?" The wording is slightly different, but the overall meaning is similar, and Ye Liuxi nods. Zhao Guanshou says: "The Yumen Pass city remains in its original location. What floats into the sky is the spirit of the pass itself. The Long family has employed a spell to summon the wind, lifting the pass city and forcibly relocating the main gate of Yumen Pass to outside the Poplar City." "Jiang Zhan will never be able to kill you outright. When the wind and sand rise, they will apply the technique of translocation, pushing you—body and tree—out beyond the pass. Then, with your Liuxi bones, you will naturally emerge beyond the pass." "But the spell that moves the gate itself is taxing to both body and spirit. After the Lady of the Long family performed the ritual, she has remained chronically ill. If you don't emerge from Yumen in the proper way, the physical toll is significant, and you may even lose your memories of the pass interior. Therefore, we must provide you with "The undercover officer told me to take your usual bag, the one you carry constantly—the one with the jade pendant shaped like a beast. It serves as a kind of locator signal: the Unwritten Heavenly Scroll can detect whether the jade pendant has come into the world. As soon as you return, we'll know immediately. I also added a camera, containing photos of the Yadan formations found at the scene of the corpses—though we can't leave the site, you once mentioned when driving in and out, that beyond the gate there were vast stretches of Yadan formations resembling those of the corpse site. We believe this might be a clue. When the wind blew, the officer managed to hang the bag onto a tree during the commotion." Chang Dong suddenly felt a dryness in his throat: "Who owns the camera? And who took the photos?" Zhao Guanshou glanced at him: "That's something to ask the Scorpion's Eye. The camera belongs to them, and naturally, the photos were taken by them." "Ye Liuxi furrowed his brow: 'Why make it so complicated? Just leave me a letter, clearly explaining the reasons and the steps for clearing customs—wouldn't that be sufficient?'" Zhao Guanshou chuckled, "Sending her out of the pass serves three purposes: first, to save her; second, as per the divination of Emperor Wu, 'going west through Yumen' is itself a key to resolving the crisis; and third, without returning to the pass, how can she still be merely a ghostly figure?" Ye Liuxi smiled, "Your implication is that my journey in and out will help resolve the troubles of the Scorpion's Eye? But I've heard the Scorpion's Eye is growing more chaotic—just two days ago, they even took over Xiao Yangzhou." Zhao Guanshou remained composed, "Wasn't Jiang Zhan who hung you from the ceiling? Didn't you feel any desire to avenge yourself?" Ye Liuxi shrugged, "It does sound frustrating, but I've never heard of him before, and I haven't even thought of drawing my sword to seek him out." Zhao Guanshou said quietly, "Life is full of surprises—who knows what will happen? Come, you've just returned. I've invited the family of the diviners here to cast a 'Heavenly Sign without Characters' for you—so we can see whether Zhao Guanshou looked at him. Chang Dong smiled, "You don't remember many things from the western region, so I've brought her here to the museum and explained each piece one by one. But as I listened, I suddenly realized something: you've left out several key details—such as the origin of Emperor Wu's campaign to eliminate the yinggui spirits at Yumen, or the ballad of the traveler who bled out at the very moment of crossing the pass. It seems as though you already know these stories, yet you didn't mention them. Why?" Zhao Guanshou replied, "No need to rush. Let's keep walking." —— The hall still had many displays and murals, yet Zhao Guanshou showed no intention of stopping; the embedded glimmers in the walls grew drowsy under the dim lighting, which made it hard to make out exactly what was on display. The next hall, however, was fresh and engaging. Countless glass cases and paintings lined the space, each sealed with the official seal of a court magician. The contents within varied widely—some even seemed to move gently, as if breathing. Zhao Guanshou slowed his pace: "This is essentially an archive of ancient spirits. The preserved items are either harmless or only mildly harmful—there's information posted nearby, so if you're interested, you can take a look for yourself. For the more damaging ones, we've only included images." Ding Liu couldn't help but approach closely to examine them, even though Zhao Guanshou had assured her they were safe. Gao Shen remained slightly concerned and quietly reminded her, "Don't get too close." In one glass case, there was a continuous sound—clanging, clattering—Ye Liuxi went over to investigate. Inside were several slender, black iron-like strips that would suddenly rise up and then collapse, lying down again. The plaque beside them read "Rigid and Strong," with a smaller line of text explaining that broken bones could be regenerated. Ye Liuxi found it quite fascinating and whispered to Chang Dong, "Look—when you break your leg in the future, you won't have to worry anymore. You can have a section of rigid iron bone reattached." Chang Dong stared at her intently. Ye Liuxi was puzzled, "What's wrong?" "You've been thinking about my leg more than "Why has it been standing there, and yet you keep finding it so displeasing?" Ye Liuxi chuckled, just about to speak when suddenly Fei Tang exclaimed loudly, "Hey, Mr. Zhao, the entire wall is covered with paintings—except right here, which is a golden panel. What kind of spirit does that represent? A golden spirit?" Zhao Guanshou replied coldly, "It simply means we have plenty of gold, and we use it merely as decoration." Fei Tang looked crestfallen and grumbled, "How impressive is money, then?" Ye Liuxi turned her gaze toward the wall and indeed saw paintings hung at various heights, with only one section covered by a golden panel—somewhat out of place. As she glanced upward, her heart suddenly leapt. On one of the paintings, the inscription read: "The Eye Tomb." Ye Liuxi felt her scalp prickle and stepped forward, holding her breath to observe closely. The figure depicted clearly resembled a human, hunched over, smiling oddly, eyes narrowed into slits, exuding a sense of awkwardness and discomfort from head to toe—nothing at all like a spirit. So unobtrusive, blending quietly into your daily life, you hardly notice anything out of the ordinary—except that one after another, your neighbors and friends vanish. Zhao Guanshou arrived without any warning and said, "This is the Eye Tomb. I remember you mentioned it to me. You were hidden inside the water cistern, peering out through the opening, watching him slowly devour your father." Ye Liuxi remained silent for a while, then murmured, "I don't remember now." Upon closer inspection, there was an additional small inscription beneath the signature: "Prefers salt; fears scorpions." Zhao Guanshou added, "It's not surprising at all—the Eye Tomb went extinct two years ago. From now on, we'll only encounter it in the illustrated catalogues of the Antiquarian Spirits." Chang Dong paused, instinctively saying, "Wait—when we first entered the pass, in the remote village, we encountered attacks by the Human Stands." Zhao Guanshou replied calmly, "That's not unusual. The Human Stands live for several years. After the Eye Tomb perishes, the Human Stands can linger for another two years, but after that, they're simply waiting to die. Two years ago, I heard that the last group of people with their frames totaled eighteen. Now, perhaps the number has decreased even further.