Chang Dong said, "You really are impeccable." Long Zhi smiled modestly, "That's an overpraise. In this world, only truth is flawless; any embellishment must have flaws—take the case of Bǔ Kuí, for instance. Throughout one's life, one inevitably meets many friends. You may be certain that someone specific exists in your memory, yet others may insist they've never heard of that person. Over time, you'll begin to doubt yourself. As for Dài Kuí, given to Jiang Zhǎn, it's clearly about substitution—yet in Jin Yang's cave, you yourself heard him say that I've changed so much over the past year, that I no longer seem like myself. Then there's Tūn Kuí, given to Ye Liuxi. A person whose memory is so fragmented, with no clear beginning or end—anyone would naturally want to investigate further." "Therefore, Kuí Long is merely a tool. To truly achieve something, one still needs to act with purpose and effort." Chang Dong felt a quiet unease. Long Zhi's arguments were both solid and consistent with his own reasoning—yet why was she so openly and confidently revealing everything? She must have something to rely Long Zhi suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right—my explanation was all over the place and didn't confuse you, did it? Ye Liuxi is actually the true Qingzhi. I completely forgot to mention that." She gave Chang Dong a significant look, observing his expression. Chang Dong remained silent. He knew that at this moment, he should have been visibly stunned, yet he was naturally honest and never good at pretense—especially not at such an exaggerated one. So he simply said nothing. Long Zhi glanced at Zhao Guanshou again: "See? In this game, no one is truly naive. Even if we're leading, we're only a few steps ahead—compassion might be our downfall." Being gently reminded by a junior like this, Zhao Guanshou felt quite embarrassed. Long Zhi curled her index finger and lightly tapped the table: "Where should I begin? Let's go chronologically." "Twenty years ago, when the sun appeared in the southern dipper, all the shadow figures in the region suddenly lost their strength and became paralyzed." Yefu Li was born at that time—though back then, she wasn't called Yefu Li. In a modest family, names were always plain and rustic; she was originally named Ye Qingzhi. "Having learned the lessons from Li Wangdong, we naturally knew something was seriously wrong. But the Unwritten Heavenly Seal... I'm not undervaluing the Seal family at all—indeed, they're always accurate, yet they often fall short, merely indicating that someone is in a remote village. Honestly, in my eyes, outside of Black Stone City, every place within the region was just a village." She sighed, "Moreover, the Unwritten Heavenly Seal isn't like a game of cards—you can reshuffle and play again immediately. For the same person, sometimes it takes a year or two before you get a reading. That's what truly frustrates us... Well, actually, I was only just born then. So really, it was my father and Aunt Zhao, along with the Seal family, who were constantly troubled by this." "Several more years passed before the circle finally shrank down to a specific area near the Yashui Yadan ruins—yet the challenge was that there were quite a few people living there. Indeed, it was no coincidence that at that time, the Yanzhong once again awakened." Changdong's face tightened. "So, you've not only known about the Yanzhong's village-clearing campaign—you've even allowed it, or even encouraged it, haven't you?" Long Zhi smiled indifferently. "It was just a matter of course—every time the Yanzhong awakens, villages within ten to twenty li are inevitably wiped out. Let it act as a sieve, helping us filter out Ye Qingzhi. After all, those protected by the Nandou Star are immune to the Yanzhong's wrath." "But she was truly fortunate. Later, I heard that she had fallen asleep on a pile of wood, only to wake up and find the Yanzhong devouring her father. She then quietly hid herself inside a water cistern, where, by chance, a small golden scorpion had climbed up the rim—the Yanzhong fears scorpions, as you know—so she "But the village had been abandoned, and all they could do was wait to die. She took the little golden scorpion with her and wandered for a while. However, at that time she was still young and found it hard to make a living. There weren't many kind-hearted people in the interior regions, so she changed hands several times before eventually being sold into a gold mine." As she spoke, she smiled. "Did you know? We checked the mine's register of names, and it's quite interesting—Ye Qingzhi disappeared almost immediately after joining the mine." Chang Dong couldn't help asking, "Disappeared?" Long Zhi nodded with admiration. "She was around thirteen or fourteen then, full of spirit, bold, and fiercely independent, with a touch of cleverness. She simply wouldn't accept hard work or hardship. The mine had many winding tunnels and side passages, and later we began to suspect that once she entered one of them, she never came out again. She must have set up a hidden shelter inside and would emerge at night to steal food." Chang Dong felt a softness in his heart. This truly seemed like something Ye Liuxi could have done. Then she met Jiang Zhan. To be honest, Jiang Zhan came from a far better background than hers. His father belonged to the Yulin Guard family, though not one of the major branches. Originally, he held a civil post in Yulin City, managing the financial records of the gold mine. But later, he made a serious mistake, and as a result, his entire family was dragged down—either dying or being exiled. Jiang Zhan, being young, was sent to the gold mine. Such a delicate, scholarly young man, thrust into such a rugged environment, was lucky to survive at all. He must have noticed Ye Liuxi hiding in the mine tunnels, yet he kept her secret, always setting aside half of his daily rations for her, bringing them in each day. He also taught her to read and write. And thus, they spent two or three years together. As I mentioned earlier, Ye Liuxi lived in the tunnels, spending her time wandering around, eventually becoming thoroughly familiar with every passage deep within the mountain. She was bold and adventurous, and eventually managed to reach even the Golden Lord’s chamber. With Jin Xie guiding her, she dug out a pile of dog-headed gold in that dome cavern Chang Dong was struck by this. Previously, when leading teams into Lop Nur, they always passed through the gold mine at Jikeshan Pass, where they would rest and hear the gold miners speak of "dog-head gold." Typically, in conventional gold extraction, fine gold sand is obtained from the ore—about three to four grams per ton of ore—considered quite good. Dog-head gold, however, is rare: it refers to large, irregularly shaped gold masses, though slightly impure, whose imperfections are often negligible. He had even heard of a dog-head gold piece weighing over one kilogram fetching millions of yuan. This pile of dog-head gold must be the capital that has fueled Xieyan's rise. Yet, according to the mine's production statistics, finding just one or two such pieces would be considered normal; a pile, however, seems almost deliberate. Long Zhi seemed to sense his thoughts: "It's not over yet. Among this pile of dog-head gold, there's also a box set with jade inlay and pearls. Once opened, inside you'll find a jade stag and a letter from Li Wangdong." "Changdong couldn't help but interrupt: "The dog-headed gold and the box—both were arranged by Li Wangdong, weren't they?" Long Zhi nodded: "When Li Wangdong died and Black Stone City fell, the sacred beast jade was nowhere to be found. The family's diviners consulted the unmarked celestial scroll, predicting that the master of the jade would only appear when the sun aligned with the southern dipper constellation. Thus, the Yulin Guard and the scholars never pursued further, never imagining that Li Wangdong would bury all the treasures deep within the Jin Yang cave." "The letter stated that after taking control of Black Stone City, Li Wangdong attracted a large number of scholars. The diviners found that no matter where he concealed his secrets, people with the same fate as him would inevitably discover them." "Li Wangdong repeatedly chose locations, eventually settling on the Jin Yang cave. His lifelong ambition was to open the Yu Men Pass and carry the people inside out. Yet, he fell short in achieving this." He summarized his own experiences and lessons, offering hopes for the next person under the protection of the Southern Dipper constellation, providing numerous suggestions and sharing many key insights—such as the unique significance of "the west-flowing bone yearning for the east-souled soul"—all in the tone of a seasoned elder guiding the younger generation, speaking without reservation, fully and transparently. In his final section, he speculated that after his death, the interior region would inevitably fall back into the hands of the Yulin Guards and the court alchemists, and that the person who would open the box would be someone opposing the current authorities—likely a laborer serving a lifetime in the mines. Since that was the case, he had prepared financial resources and also ensured a clear path of escape for the incoming person. Chang Dong remained composed: "Then that path of escape is the Golden Pool, isn't it?" Long Zhi asked him: "Have you heard of snake's saliva? That is, the saliva of a snake. Have you noticed that the Golden Pool has a golden-foamy appearance?" Chang Dong nodded. Generally, metal wastewater in mine tunnels carries an eerie luster, which he had always assumed was a sign of dirty or "You've never actually been down there, have you? That light is actually the glow of saliva droplets—the golden lord's saliva settles into the pool as pearls, which can be retrieved. When heated with saltwater, these pearls dissolve. If a person has been submerged in such warm saltwater, fully immersed without rising, they can avoid the water of the Golden Pool for a few days. I only learned this firsthand when I accompanied Jiang Zhan and plunged into the pool this time. Now, you've always treated the golden mine as so crucial—how could you have kept such a secret from me? Or perhaps, once I hear this, I won't live long enough to tell you?" Chang Dong fixed his gaze on Long Zhi. "You've made the golden mine so important. How could you have kept such a secret from me? Or is it that, once I hear this, I won't live long enough to tell you?" Long Zhi chuckled. "Chang Dong, you're far too cautious. If I wanted to kill you, I'd simply raise my knife and be done with it. Who would take the time to tell you stories, to the point of drying out my mouth? Where did I get to, exactly?" Chang Dong didn "As you can probably guess, Ye Qingzhi and Jiang Zhan managed to escape from Jinchi. They have gold, so their livelihood is secure, and soon after, Ye Qingzhi began to emerge from her meditation, opening up a steady stream of income—thus, the Scorpion Eye began to rise, which we initially overlooked. But when we finally realized that a large volume of newly accumulated supplies had started appearing on the market, and that this was connected to the events of the old days involving the Japanese and Nandou, the Scorpion Eye's momentum surged like a flame fed with oil—now unstoppable." "At that time, we only knew that Jiang Zhan was the leader of the Scorpion Eye, having once worked as a laborer in the gold mines. The Yulin Guard sent numerous undercover agents to penetrate the Scorpion Eye and gather more intelligence. However, the Scorpion Eye's organization was highly structured, and once the agents joined in, they were mostly assigned routine tasks—rarely given any significant responsibilities." Chang Dong smiled: "So, Lady Long, always confident in her own abilities, believed that her personal involvement would surely yield results—she actually took the lead herself?" "Long Zhi smiled: 'Yes. We reviewed the records of the gold mine. Among the people who disappeared during those years, besides Jiang Zhan, one name stood out to me—Ye Qingzhi. The "Wordless Heavenly Scroll" once predicted a phrase: "Two orchids competing in beauty, green qi coiling like a dragon"—and that name perfectly matches.'" "So I've always believed Ye Qingzhi must also be one of the Scorpion's eyes, and likely holds a high position." "Once, Jiang Zhan was near the gold mine and we kept a close watch on him. My uncle Zhao suggested we eliminate him immediately. But I thought, 'Haste makes waste—patience is key to catching a big fish.' So I arranged for the Golden Feathers guards to stage a performance in front of Jiang Zhan." Chang Dong asked: "You pretended to be a camp prostitute?" Long Zhi nodded: "When Jiang Zhan was sent to the gold mine, several of his female relatives were also sent to serve as camp prostitutes—many of them met tragic ends. Jiang Zhan probably felt deeply moved by this, and after rescuing me, he managed to 'break through' and escape." He asked me my name, and on purpose I said, "Yexi." "Since those under the Nandou Star are named 'Dong' for men and 'LiuXi' for women, and this name is ideally changed after taking residence in Black Stone City to signify destiny," Chang Dong continued: "Miss Long and Jiang Zhan share similar circumstances—both deeply thoughtful and perceptive—and I believe she will soon rise steadily within the Scorpion's Eye." Long Zhi smiled: "It has certainly taken some effort, but outstanding individuals are always treated differently. Jiang Zhan has greatly admired me and promoted me step by step—though I believe I can also achieve recognition easily, thanks to the consistent support of the Fei Lin Guard." "It wasn't until my status became second only to the Nine Elders of the Golden Scorpion that I realized the true leader of the Scorpion's Eye wasn't Jiang Zhan, but Ye Qingzhi. Everyone just quietly refers to her as 'Qing Master,' never mentioning her name." "Chang Dong generally understood: in any class society, transportation work wouldn't be something done by the leaders—yet in the interior region, it was special, as only Ye Liuxi could enter and exit. For long periods, she had been away, often alone, so she should have remained as low-key as possible, to avoid drawing attention. "Ye Qingzhi rarely returned to Xieyan. In my view, she spent more time outside the pass. Of course, if it were me, I'd prefer to stay outside too—movies always showed the outside world as fascinating. Unfortunately, I didn't have the fortune to do so. Since the Jade Gate Pass was sealed, only two people have been able to enter and exit: Li Wangdong and Ye Liuxi." Chang Dong suddenly remembered something: "When you used Dai Kui against Jiang Zhan, and when the sandstorm hit Hu Yang City, you caused the deaths of 112 Xieyan warriors—was that precisely to eliminate the roots, so that Jiang Zhan wouldn't have anyone left who could recognize Liuxi?" Long Zhi was slightly surprised: "You're quite sharp. When talking to intelligent people, you really don't have to exert much effort In fact, Jiang Zhan had mentioned that the existence of Qing Zhu was a secret—known only to Jin Xie and a few of his close bodyguards. But I, being meticulous and risk-averse, don’t want any potential risks. So I’ve been slow and cautious, ensuring that anyone who might have seen Ye Qingzhi has been removed—indeed, even those who’ve seen me. After all, the excuse of the fall of Hu Yang City is so strong; it allows me to sweep away a wide area and gain greater flexibility in my plans. Long Zhi spoke calmly: "Two days ago, I mentioned to Mr. Zhao our plan to 'go west beyond Yumen,' and it was time to bring it to you. But after searching everywhere, I couldn't find this magazine—something must have gone wrong. After all, Mr. Zhao is elderly and forgetful, yet he never takes things out of the study and leaves them scattered. When I asked further, I found that during this period, only Ye Liuxi had visited his study." "I asked the doctor at your residence to keep an eye out, and then I found it in your room—Chang Dong, that's quite surprising." She turned the magazine to the page featuring Chang Dong's exclusive interview. "How did I come by this magazine?" Chang Dong hesitated. "Perhaps it was accidentally brought in during one of Liuxi's product deliveries." "Longzhi burst out laughing: 'She brings so many things with her—just a magazine, and for it to be exactly the one I happen to notice, and just the page with your name on it—what a slim chance! You writers can't possibly arrange such a coincidence. Let me remind you once again.' She pulled out a drawer from her desk and tossed two bound volumes onto the desk. Changdong's eyes widened as his mind suddenly went blank, his consciousness hazy. In that haze, scenes from the past slowly came into focus— He laughed heartily and took it: "You're so thorough, aren't you? For a proposal, even the steps—number one, two, three—have to be followed, right?" ... The document Dragon Zhi had handed over was the original plan from Shanzhai's journey across the unpopulated region, along with several key pages prepared by the wedding planner, outlining critical details such as equipment placement and responsibilities for each person. Dragon Zhi's voice was cold, sharp as ice shards, piercing through the suddenly turbulent memories in his mind: "This was taken from the SUV that night when Shanzhai's team went missing. I retrieved it from your vehicle that evening."