The final day felt like a revisit to old ground. In the morning, we arrived at the small Yangzhou, stopping to refuel at the city gate still under renovation. It's remarkable how quickly the market has changed hands. When we last left, the market was wrapped tightly in the stems of Cui Jiang, looking like a mound of a tomb. Now, it's clear that control has firmly returned to the Yulin Guard—though this return must have happened just over the past couple of days. The remnants of the Cui Jiang stems, blackened by fire, hang from the eaves and gables, their yellow ash coating the surfaces, mingling with the lingering scent of burnt wood. Chang Dong speculates this was the work of Long Zhi: she and Zhao Guanshou had journeyed out with the Yulin Guard to Black Stone City, but their route was faster, and they vanished after passing the Welcoming Gate. Likely, someone of her stature would treat a trip abroad as a private visit, stopping along the way to attend to various matters. Fei Tang entered the city and returned to report that people lay all along the streets—alive, not dead. These were the common people of Xiao Yangzhou, just recently freed from the embrace of the Qiliang grass, but now all unconscious, pale and emaciated, some even looking like skeletons. He learned that after the Scorpion-eyed forces took control of Xiao Yangzhou, they swiftly received secret orders from Jiang Zhan, dispatching their elite troops to gather at Black Stone City to launch an assault on the Golden Mine. Thus, only a small number of troops remained to defend the city. However, after their defeat and Jiang Zhan’s own mishap, contact with the defenders was completely severed. Fearing that with such a small force they might not be able to hold the city, the defenders dared not take risks and allow the Qiliang grass to loosen its hold. As a result, the grass remained firmly wrapped around the people, gradually drawing nourishment from them. The current state of paleness and emaciation was thus fortunate; with continued nourishment, they could recover. But if the delay continued, the Qiliang grass would eventually release only hollow, skeletal frames. Starting from Xiaoyangzhou, after half a day's drive, they passed through another remote village. The lead vehicle seemed determined not to stop, rushing right past it. Ye Liuxi simply ignored it, asking Fei Tang to park at the village entrance. As soon as Fei Tang stopped, the vehicles behind followed suit, while the ones ahead had already driven far ahead, only to realize the convoy had shortened by half and hurried back. Ye Liuxi knocked on the back door of the ambulance. Ding Liu opened it, but Ye Liuxi found her blocking his view, so he reached out and gently pushed her head aside, turning to Chang Dong and saying, "We've reached the village. Why don't you take a look at Kong Yang?" Chang Dong was momentarily surprised, and Ye Liuxi stepped aside to make room for him. Ding Liu watched Chang Dong step down, completely forgetting to object to Ye Liuxi's movement of her head. Only when Chang Dong had gone far away did she begin to complain, "Oh, Xi-jie, how could you make Dong-gong go and see Kong Yang?" "The louder she spoke, the softer her voice grew—perhaps she realized how unkind her words were: after stepping out, her chances of returning seemed dim, both in sentiment and reason, so she ought to make an effort. Ye Liu Xi asked, 'What's wrong?' Ding Liu murmured softly, 'As for the former partner—best to mention nothing. You don't mind that, but you still give him opportunities to reminisce.' Ye Liu said, 'Finding a man, chasing him, blocking him—don't you get tired? With the man I've chosen, I'm confident enough to let things unfold naturally. If he doesn't come back, I'll simply say I was blind.' Then she reached out and took her hand, 'Come on, let's go down.' Ding Liu clutched her hand and jumped down, 'What for?' Ye Liu replied, 'Let's find our home.' — The houses in the remote village were all similar: wooden doors with cracks and openings, simple stoves, stacks of firewood and water jars in the corners. The water jars were empty, some broken, others rolled over into the courtyard. Ye Liuxi visited one house after another, most of them worn down and ancient, dust settling on her clothes as she moved in and out. Ding Liu carefully observed Ye Liuxi’s expression. "Actually, Sister Xi, this area isn't just this one village—your home might not even be in a remote hamlet. Isn't it possible you simply can't recall it?" Ye Liuxi said nothing, merely looking down at the tattoo on her left wrist. Tongkui remained as stiff and unassuming as a poorly executed painting, circling her wrist once, then again, silently digesting her memories and emotions as if chewing on hay, steadily settling into the belief that she would never move it—her steadfast anchor in the eyes of the observer. If she wished to preserve this hand, the memories swallowed would never return; she would carry these gaps throughout her life, until her final days. Was it truly worth it, for this hand? Ye Liuxi looked toward the ground. There, Chang Dong was carefully adding a handful of soil to Kong Yang’s solitary mound. Once a person passed away, the grave became a kind of house, and it had to be larger, heavier, so as to better withstand the winds and rains. Meanwhile, Ahuo was writing something on the ground with stones, and Fei Tang watched intently, stretching his neck all the way. Long Zhi and the others had ample time to prepare, plan, refine the procedures step by step, and meticulously review every detail. How carefully the village of wilderness had been arranged—would their final escape truly unfold as expected? Ye Liuxi was growing impatient when suddenly a voice cried out from ahead, "There! There! We found it!" Turning to look, on the tall, imposing Yadan terraces in the distance, there stood a dragon's head with reddish-gold tangled hair and fierce eyes—exactly like the dragon head seal they had seen before. The lead vehicle roared forward, speeding toward the spot, Fei Tang flooring the accelerator to catch up, "West Sister, tonight's accommodation seems quite thoughtful." As they drew near, the sun had already set, and the atmosphere was noticeably tense. The lead vehicle opened its doors, and two Yulin guards stepped out. The two moved swiftly, racing down to the base of the terraces and scaling up with agile grace. Ye Liuxi noticed that both wore iron-gripping gloves designed for climbing. Climbing up near the龙头 golden stamp, the two stabilized themselves and each produced a lighter, igniting the flame and bringing it close to the dragon's eyes. As soon as they approached, a sharp "pop" sounded—like a gas stove had been lit. Fine, straight streams of flame rapidly extended outward from the dragon's eyes, reaching upward and spreading in all directions, bending and adapting to the terrain, quickly forming a vast, luminous net of flame that covered at least a thousand square meters. As soon as the net took shape, the atmosphere relaxed. The Yulin Guards began disembarking and preparing for camp. Someone came over to explain to Ye Liuxi and her companions: "The pile of corpses in the Yadan terrain is different—there's a constant, eerie wind, and few have ever come here. Who knows what kind of spirits or ghosts might be lurking. Therefore, we need to cast incantations and set up protective barriers—the net is just like the circle Wu Song drew with his golden staff. Nothing can enter, and as long as you stay within, you're absolutely safe." Ye Liuxi asked, "Then if I go out, will I be burned to death?" Li Jin'ao interjected: "No, the diviner's incantation barrier is specifically designed against spirits and demons, not people. People can move in and out freely, but spirits and demons cannot." Seeing Li Jin'ao had answered, the man felt relieved and began to turn to leave. Ye Liuxi called him back: "Will you be traveling tomorrow?" The man shook his head: "They said they've arrived at their destination." Ah, they've arrived. That means the current location is already very close to the main gate of Yumen Pass—the Bogu Spirit Array. —— Probably confident in the protection of their incantation barrier, the garrison posts of the Yulin Guard have grown more relaxed compared to the previous two days, even setting up stoves and fires, clearly adopting a more leisurely, picnic-like atmosphere. Chang Dong went to the commander of the Yulin Guard from the convoy and requested to meet someone higher up. The man glanced at him sideways and replied: "We're merely following orders. As long as no instructions come from above, we simply remain in place. How could we possibly take the initiative to seek out someone?" Long Zhi had yet to make an appearance, and Chang Dong felt increasingly restless, just about to speak when suddenly, a loud, unified burst of laughter erupted from the edge of the canopy. This laughter drew more people’s attention, and the noise grew steadily louder. Chang Dong found this unusual, so he stepped closer to investigate—what he saw instantly sent his mind reeling. Several slender figures swayed within the canopy’s outer edge, fierce and eager to charge forward, only to suddenly hesitate and recoil. Some officers from the Yulin Guard held up the tent poles, extending them to strike and guide, as if playing with monkeys in a zoo. These figures were clearly human in form, their throats making soft, rasping sounds, their sunken eyes glowing with an eerie light. They had been wandering among the corpses and雅丹 formations before, perhaps drawn by the canopy’s bright light, or perhaps because the people inside the canopy were themselves fresh, tempting prey. Thus, they had gradually gathered here, eager to act, yet unable to find the strength or the means to begin. Chang Dong felt a heavy pressure in his chest; his hands, hanging by his sides, trembled slightly. Previously, when he didn't know that all these last batch of figures were from Shancha, he had found them ugly and terrifying—each one lacking human form. But now, as he looked at their faces, each one seemed familiar. Someone approached and took his hand. Chang Dong recognized it as Ye Liuxi, and gently returned the grip. As the Yulin Guard laughed more freely at the awkwardness of the figures, their cheers grew even more unrestrained— "Let's take up the crossbow!" "No, no, no—let's use the composite bow! Let's build hedgehogs! See who can make the most spines!" "This thing moves too fast—don't think they'll hit anything. Let's just bet on one. Who shall we choose?" Ye Liuxi pulled Chang Dong along, "Come, let's go back." As they left, the head of the Yulin Guard, frustrated, shouted loudly, "Let them go! They won't be able to come in!" ... On the way, Chang Dong couldn't hold back any longer and slowly knelt down. He had already been struck and affected by emotional strain, and now with the tightness in his chest, it felt as though fire were burning and searing there, making it hard to breathe. Ye Liuxi bent his knees, kneeling halfway, and gently stroked his back repeatedly. After a while, Chang Dong finally murmured, "I'm fine." Ye Liuxi reached to help him rise, but Chang Dong shook his head and whispered, "Do you remember when we discussed the plan earlier—the key challenge was to create some chaos to mask our intentions?" Ye Liuxi nodded. "Then let's just use the staff of the man."