Changdong's mind was in a whirl, as if dozens of shadow puppets from a theater set had all crowded onto the stage, their colors overlapping, their rhythms uneven, and their dialogue interwoven with the music—so confused was he that he couldn’t tell which play it was or where in the performance he was. The study was unnaturally still. Long Zhi sat back down, picked up the teapot, and poured fresh tea to raise the level in each cup. "The time we experienced separation of body and spirit at Yumen Pass was indeed quite startling. We hadn’t expected the sandstorm to be so fierce. When we regained consciousness, a soothsayer calculated that we had already moved beyond the Pass—so frightened were we that our faces turned pale, for 'one step beyond the Pass means drying up to the bone.' As you said, we didn’t know how long it would take for the Pass to reunite our body and spirit. If, when that reuniting occurred, we hadn’t yet passed through the Pass, then everyone except Ye Liuxi would turn into dry corpses. At that point, travelers from beyond the Pass discovering this would surely create a host of mysterious tales and unsolved enigmas." "On the way back, someone suddenly noticed a four-wheel-drive vehicle half-buried in sand not far ahead." "Such a vehicle is a rare find, and with one, we'd be able to return much faster. So Ye Liuxi ordered us to search everywhere for any other discoveries—soon, we found the first body buried beneath the sand." Long Zhi's lips curved into a smile, her eyes glowing with a peculiar light, as if she had stepped back into that unforgettable night. That night, she had climbed into the vehicle, using a flashlight to inspect it: the car was brand new, clearly not abandoned. There were fresh, sealed food bags inside, some opened and held open by clips, indicating that someone had recently eaten from them—this discovery instantly electrified Long Zhi. She had never imagined that one day she would be so close to the legendary 'people from beyond the frontier.' This was a divine opportunity—one that only the people from beyond the frontier could offer to kill Ye Liuxi! During that period, she kept secretly meeting with Zhao Guanshou, discussing strategies to deal with the crisis at Xieyan's court. Whenever they found themselves at a loss, Zhao would sigh, saying, "If only we could have a suitable person from beyond the passes—unfortunately, we can't get out, and people from beyond also can't come in." Zhao had once considered taking the opportunity when Yu Men Pass was experiencing a separation of body and spirit, to venture into the 'gray zone' and see what might happen—perhaps just luck would bring them across a few people from beyond the passes, and with generous compensation, he could enlist their help to eliminate Ye Liuxi. After careful thought, however, this plan proved unworkable: for Yu Men Pass, a separation of body and spirit was already a rare occurrence; while the Long family could forcibly apply the spell, it came at a significant cost to the practitioners. Moreover, beyond the pass lay an uninhabited region, where the chances of encountering ghosts might even exceed those of meeting people. Even in the best case, if they were truly fortunate enough to meet someone from beyond, would a regular character be capable of standing up to Ye Liuxi? Once paid, the person would How much favorable timing, location, and human cooperation does it take to assemble the very setup he desires? Forced to reluctantly give up, she still often, whenever she grows discouraged, brings it up with lingering dissatisfaction. ... Long Zhi was so excited her heart pounded wildly—she hardly noticed the car tipping over, as there were several newspapers and magazines on board, all related to travel and outdoor activities. The newspapers featured extensive coverage of the plan to establish four uninhabited zones for tea plants, and upon reading the accompanying proposal, she finally realized: that’s why the cover star of the magazine was Chang Dong—he had been invited specifically to serve as a guide. Just as she was deeply engrossed, someone suddenly knocked on the window. She looked up and saw Ye Liuxi. Ye Liuxi gestured toward the booklet in her hands: “What are you reading?” Before Long Zhi could answer, someone from across the way shouted, “Master Qing, another body has been found—now we’ve discovered seven in total.” Yet Ye Liuxi remained unmoved, still focused on Long Zhi. Long Zhi felt a bit nervous. With Ye Liuxi, their relationship had always been neutral—neither suspicious nor particularly warm. As a result, she had always been cautious and careful in his presence. …… Long Zhi seemed a bit absorbed. Chang Dong couldn’t help asking, “Then what?” Only then did Zhi come back to herself, smiling, “Oh, where did I go off to?” “You discovered the first body buried beneath the ground.” “Yes, we found the first one, then the second, then the third… I found Ms. Shancha’s plan, and told the Qing Master that there were eighteen bodies. But then, upon seeing your proposal for the wedding, I realized—there should be one more.” “I was both nervous and excited, though at that time I hadn’t yet worked out a detailed plan. Still, I knew the moment was irreplaceable—I had to seize it right away.” Chang Dong asked, “Are the bodies also your opportunity?” Zhi smiled lightly, lifted her teacup, drank it all at once, and when she set it down again, her smile carried a sense of satisfaction and pride. “In theory, the Li family has long been masters of shadow puppetry and should be the foremost among the scholars of the arts. But do you know… why have we the Long family been ahead of them?” "Chang Dong said, "I'm not interested. I just want to know what happened when I died." Long Zhi came away somewhat disappointed, but she knew that once she began speaking, no one could stop her: "That's because our Long family has two extraordinary techniques. First, the Dragon Soaring and Tiger Roaring technique, which is powerful enough to drive away the demonic array; second, the resurrection spell—the妖咒术—where with seven fingers plucking the strings, one can regulate the seasons, and with three fingers, sustain the change between cold and heat." Chang Dong found himself a bit puzzled: "So your family has an exceptional musical instrument?" Long Zhi extended her left hand and gradually unfastened the silver chain from her right hand, her voice low: "The heart strings." As she spoke, she slowly released the clasp of the chain and reached to the head of the chain, as though grasping something, then slowly drew it out. Chang Dong held his breath. It was a silver thread—more precisely, a slender strand of silver light, straight, taut, floating in midair, only about half a meter long. "Within the realm, there's a spirit known as the Silver Moth. It spins silk only one meter and one centimeter long—once it has finished, it dies. This silk is called the Heart String. The Silver Moth naturally holds the Heart String within itself, making it the perfect vessel for it. Thus, after the Silver Moth passes, we cast its body into a silver chain and encase the Heart String within—each descendant of our Dragon family carries one such chain with them at all times. Do you know much about the ancient zither? If so, you should know that the standard length of a zither string is precisely around one meter and one centimeter." Chang Dong looked at the Heart String. "Are you using this as a zither string?" Long Zhi spoke with a touch of scorn. "With all the times I've come and gone, do I still carry a zither with me? This single Heart String—I'll cut it in half. One half will take root in your heart, and the other half will remain with me to perform my spells." To be honest, you're also quite fortunate. It's not easy to cultivate a heart-string—two conditions must be met. First, from the moment of death until the heart-string is planted, the body must never be exposed to sunlight, because sunlight carries too strong a yang energy. Once anything is exposed to light, it becomes visible and can no longer remain hidden. Reviving someone after death is against the natural flow of energy, so sunlight is strictly avoided. Second, at the time of death, there must be no external injuries, because the body's true energy flows within a closed system. Even a small cut on the hand would disrupt this system and prevent the heart-string from being planted. Because he’s just become a father, with elders above and young ones below, he’s easily influenced—willing to go to any lengths, even risk his life, just to be close to his wife and children. But here’s the problem: The Yumen Pass is a filtering checkpoint. It doesn’t accept living people unless they’re brought in by Ye Liuxi. Once someone dies and is admitted into the pass, they remain dead, no matter how strong their heart strings may be. This explanation was a bit convoluted, and Chang Dong took a while to grasp it: Long Zhi wanted to revive a person from outside the pass using heart strings, but if that person died upon entering the Yumen Pass, the heart strings would be ineffective. Chang Dong found it amusing: “So, you can only save people in that gray zone between life and death. But with so many scorpion eyes scattered at the scene, how do you avoid them? And since you’re on the move, Ye Liuxi won’t give you much time to pause. Once you’ve revived someone, you’ll likely barely have time to finish your story before you have to leave—by then, the heart string will have been wasted.” "Long Zhi smiled, 'Yes, but fortunately—well, just when I was hesitating, suddenly someone nearby cried out. Oh, look, this man and woman, still holding hands.' This sentence is actually quite plain, yet somehow it lands perfectly. Chang Dong's hands trembled slightly as he looked down. Now, his palms were empty. Before losing consciousness, he had anticipated that death was inevitable. His last thought had been to tightly grasp Kong Yang's hand—so that, should they be found after his passing, the two would not be separated. He looked up at Long Zhi, 'Did I die?' 'Yes, both of you did. But honestly, the scene was rather touching. At that very moment, as if guided by some unseen force, I suddenly changed my mind. And then, I realized how brilliant my decision had been." “I’ve reviewed your proposal for the wedding. You must be in the midst of a tender, intimate phase—neither growing weary nor growing distant, with no misunderstandings, no obstacles, no shifts in affection. Such a love that fades only at its peak is truly unforgettable. Imagine a man who, amid such a calamity, loses his beloved without even finding her body—can you imagine him, year after year, thinking constantly of the duty to collect her remains? Why must I bring him all the way to Yumen Pass? Could I not simply set a lure and gently draw him in?” “So, with no further hesitation, after I sent away that scorpion-eyed person, I took the opportunity to plant a subtle thread of longing in your heart. The dragon family’s magical incantation requires seven fingers to pluck the strings and three fingers to sustain the seasons—meaning, life is renewed only for three years at a time. Now, it’s nearly two years in. Good thing, truly, that the heavens have protected you, and that you arrived in time with Ye Liuxi into the pass. If only a little later, you might have succumbed to a sudden heart attack.” "Changdong, stop looking at me with such an impolite gaze. After all, I've been the one who've given you your fortune these past two years—how much care I've shown you! When Jiang Zhan tried to shoot you with an arrow at Jin Yang's cave, my first instinct was to push him aside. Do you remember that time when a massive boulder came crashing down toward you, pushing Ye Liuxi out of the way? Yet you survived—have you ever thought about it? Who used a spell to move that boulder away from you?" Long Zhi feigned ignorance: "The Green Master?" In reality, she understood the reason: the village of Yanzhong had been slaughtered, and only Ye Liuxi had been saved by Jin Xie. Thus, she felt an unspoken sense of care for those who had survived great trials. Indeed, Ye Liuxi said, "Since he has survived, heaven must have intended to keep him. Why then disturb him? Why do such things that harm others without benefit to oneself?" Long Zhi bowed respectfully, nodding in agreement: "The Green Master is right." Ye Liuxi waved a hand, summoning the physician: "When we enter the pass, there may be more wind and sand. Think of a way so that this person isn't buried by the wind and sand—then it would be truly a pity." ... Long Zhi smiled. Now, recalling the scene, it was truly ironic. Indeed, surviving great trials meant heaven had intended to keep him, to use him against you. Chang Dong asked something, but Long Zhi didn't catch it: "What did you say?" "I was wondering if the photo of Kong Yang you mentioned was taken by you?" Yes, it was her finest work. Long Zhi nodded. "I took the photo. At that moment, she was being swallowed by the living tomb but not quite fully consumed. Before we went to the pile of corpses in the Yadan terrain, I told Jiang Zhan that eliminating the Eye Tomb was of great significance and that we should take some photographs to commemorate it. He agreed, so I arranged for someone to bring a camera, and I brought one myself. Yet I only managed one shot—clearly capturing Kong Yang—because I was afraid that when you see the photo in the future, you might not recognize her. I wonder if any man, as sincere as he is toward his fiancée, wouldn't take some action upon seeing such a photograph?" "Changdong, your time is running out. Don't you want to renew it?"