The invincible female ghost is a bit love-struck.

Chapter 313 The gap faces north, the light is ahead.

The woman looked at the white gloves, and her body trembled again.

"He came here."

"When?"

"After you go up the mountain..."

"What did he take with him?"

"A child."

Xu Erxiao immediately looked up.

"The nameless child from White Wolf Gully?"

The woman nodded.

"The child is not here."

"Shen Yanshan sent her to Laolongbei."

He said there was the last name deletion seal there.

"He wants to use the child's name to open the seal."

Lu Yuan unfolded the back of the paper.

The back was soaked in water, revealing a simple diagram.

The three places, Majiagou, Bailanggou, and Laolongbei, form a triangle.

A red dot marks the center of the triangle: "General Name Well".

Wang Chengan whispered, "It's not three name-erasing seals."

"All three wells were opened at the same time."

"Children are the last key."

Song Qinghe looked at the woman.

Why did Shen Yanshan bring her along?

The woman said, "Because she has no name."

"The nameless can bear all the fame."

"As long as the names of the Thirty-Six Villages, the old name of Beiling, and the remnant name of the main altar are all incorporated into her, she will become the new main name."

Xu Erxiao slammed his fist on the wooden cabinet.

"Didn't he already promise not to put up a door?"

Lu Yuandao said, "He agreed to use 'tan san' (a type of Chinese liquor)."

"No alternative will be appointed without prior agreement."

Suddenly, muffled footsteps came from above the stone chamber.

Someone is walking down the well wall.

step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Quewanliu looked up, his face turning pale.

"He's back."

Lu Yuan distributed the seven books to everyone.

"Get ready to leave."

Xu Erxiao asked, "Which way do we go?"

The willow branch with the missing bowl pointed to the secret passage behind the wooden cabinet.

"The main well connects to thirty-six other wells."

"But the secret passage only leads to White Wolf Gully."

"We're going to Laolongbei."

"Going through Bailanggou is faster than going up there."

Lu Yuandao said, "Lead the way."

Clutching the broken tiles, Que Wanliu turned and pushed open the last drawer of the wooden cabinet.

Sure enough, a narrow hole leading upwards was revealed behind the drawer.

The six people crawled in one after another.

Wang Chengan was walking at the back when he suddenly turned around and glanced back.

Inside the stone chamber at the bottom of the well, thirty-six drawers were closing one by one.

The name of the village on each drawer was crossed out with a white line, and three new words were added next to it: "Supplementary Register".

Only the central well had a new name appear on its wall: "Willow with a Missing Bowl".

She is no longer an unknown person.

But she still looked back at the white glove.

The five fingers of the glove slowly curled, as if someone inside had clenched a fist.

Wang Chengan quickly turned around and caught up with the others.

When they emerged from beneath an abandoned granary, they had already reached the back of Bailanggou Mountain.

The sky was just beginning to brighten.

The sound of children talking could be heard from down the mountain; Han Qiusheng was leading them in tidying up the collapsed archway.

Xu Erxiao shouted, "Han Qiusheng!"

Han Qiusheng looked up and saw Quewanliu emerge from the secret passage; his expression immediately turned extremely ugly.

"How did she get out?"

Que Wanliu looked at him.

"I wrote my own name."

Han Qiusheng remained silent for a moment, then bowed to her.

"Willow with a missing bowl".

She nodded.

The youngest, Amei, ran over and took her hand.

"Are you coming with us too?"

Quewanliu looked down at her.

"I have no idea."

Ah Mei said, "Then let's follow the lamp first."

Song Qinghe picked up the bronze lamp.

Quewanliu looked at the lamplight and nodded gently.

After hearing about what happened at the bottom of the well, Han Qiusheng immediately realized that Shen Yanshan had gone to Laolongbei.

"I'm staying here with my child."

"You guys go to Laolongbei."

"Once the well is opened, the children of Bailanggou will be rewritten."

"Hold onto the sign they wrote themselves."

As Han Qiusheng spoke, he removed the old skin graft from under his right eye and peeled out the last small piece of black wood.

The piece of wood was only the size of a fingernail, yet it matched perfectly with the name-erasing seal in Lu Yuan's hand.

Two pieces of wood were pieced together to form a broken handprint.

"This is the last key to erase the name stamp."

"Was it originally inside me?"

"No."

Han Qiusheng said, "It was originally in Han Shoumo's possession."

"I just stole it from him."

"Han Shoumo didn't stop it?"

"He knew I would steal."

"So he gave it to you on purpose?"

Han Qiusheng looked into the depths of Bailanggou.

"He wanted everyone to believe that the name seal had been taken away."

"Actually, the real seal is still on the old dragon's back."

Lu Yuan put away the two pieces of wood.

What exactly is the relationship between Han Shoumo and Shen Yanshan?

"It was the same person."

Everyone was taken aback.

Han Qiusheng said, "Han Shoumo is the name he took after entering the altar."

"Shen Yanshan is the old name he later gave himself."

"He deleted his name back then, trying to prevent the main altar from establishing a new name."

"But he discovered that simply deleting names would only create more anonymous people."

"So he began searching for someone who could bear the full name."

"Was that child the vessel he was looking for?"

"Yes."

Han Qiusheng said, "He doesn't want the child to make decisions for others."

"He wanted his child to be a part of everyone's memories."

"But once memories are concentrated on one person, they can still become another form of engulfment."

Lu Yuan looked north.

"The one in white gloves is Shen Yanshan."

"He refused to reveal his real name because he was afraid that others would find out that Han Shoumo was still alive."

"It's also possible that he no longer knows who he really is."

Suddenly, Que Wanliu spoke up: "He knows."

"He called his own name by the well last night."

"What's your name?"

She answered, "Shen Yanshan."

"Then, he erased the name."

Wang Chengan whispered, "He also deleted his own name."

Lu Yuan gripped the broken knife tightly.

"Go to Laolongbei."

They headed north along the hunting trail behind Bailanggou.

Before leaving, Amei stuffed a new wooden plaque into Lu Yuan's hand.

The wooden sign read: "Ah Mei, please take it yourself."

There is a small light pattern on the back.

"Take this," Amei said. "Just in case your names are changed too, look at this."

Lu Yuan accepted the wooden plaque.

"it is good."

At the end of the hunting trail, the snow-covered mountain ridge resembles a reclining dragon.

A dilapidated stone pavilion stands in the center of the dragon's back.

A white lamp hangs inside the pavilion.

The person under the lamp was still wearing white gloves.

He was holding a three- or four-year-old girl in his arms.

The girl's eyes were open, her wrists wrapped with red threads. Each red thread led down the mountain in a different direction, with wooden signs for each village tied to the ends.

Shen Yanshan stood in the pavilion, with a black stone seal behind him.

The bottom of the seal is a complete left hand.

He saw Lu Yuan and the others and said calmly, "You guys were quicker than I expected."

Lu Yuandao said, "Put the child down."

"She has no name."

"She can get it herself."

"She's too young."

"Then let's wait until she grows up."

"I can't wait."

Shen Yanshan looked down at the child.

"Her mother died in Bailanggou, and her father's whereabouts are unknown. If I don't establish a name for her, she won't even have the chance to be found."

"Are you going to give her a name, or are you going to put all the names on her property?"

Shen Yanshan did not answer.

The black stone seal behind him began to glow.

At the foot of the mountain ridge, the sound of water came from thirty-six wells at the same time.

The well in Majiagou was the first to sound.

The well in Bailanggou then resounded.

Finally, a third sound came from below the old dragon's back.

The three wells are already in operation.

The red thread on the child's wrist tightened suddenly.

She winced in pain, but didn't cry.

Lu Yuan raised his sword and pointed it at the black stone seal.

"Shen Yanshan, state your own name."

Shen Yanshan looked up.

"My name is Shen Yanshan."

"Report again."

"Shen Yanshan".

Where is Han Shoumo?

Shen Yanshan's eyes flickered slightly.

"He's already dead."

"Who will collect his body?"

"no."

"Who keeps his books?"

"no."

"Then why are you still wearing his white gloves?"

Shen Yanshan looked at his hands.

The white gloves were spotless, without a speck of snow on them.

"Because his hands have done wrong."

"I put it on him as a reminder to myself."

Lu Yuandao: "Aren't you reminding me?"

"You are using his sins to continue to act as the righteous one for everyone."

On the black stone seal behind Shen Yanshan, the complete left handprint suddenly opened one eye in the palm.

That eye was fixed on the child.

The red line on the child's wrist began to converge towards the black stone seal.

Song Qinghe stepped forward with a lantern.

"What's the child's name?"

Shen Yanshan said, "She hasn't yet."

"Then let's remember what she looks like now."

"She's not enough."

People don't have names because they need to know if they have enough.

Xu Erxiao walked around to the side of the stone pavilion and stared at the child.

"Can't she speak for herself?"

Shen Yanshan replied, "Yes."

"Then ask her."

Shen Yanshan looked down at the child in his arms.

"What do you want to call me?"

The child didn't look at him.

She looked at the wooden plaque in Lu Yuan's hand, then at Song Qinghe's lamp.

Finally, she stretched out a little finger and pointed towards Bailanggou outside the mountains.

"Ah Deng".

Song Qinghe was taken aback.

The child then said, "I want to be called Ah Deng."

Shen Yanshan closed his eyes.

"That's my childhood nickname."

"I chose it myself," the child said.

The sound was very soft, yet crystal clear.

The eyes on the palm of the black stone seal suddenly closed.

The red line immediately loosened by half.

Shen Yanshan raised his hand to press down on the seal surface.

Lu Yuan had already rushed up to the stone pavilion.

The broken sword collided with the black stone seal, sparks flying everywhere.

"She made the choice herself."

"You heard me."

Shen Yanshan gritted his teeth.

"She doesn't know what a name can bring."

"Knowing the answer doesn't necessarily mean you can choose for her."

Both exerted their strength simultaneously.

A thin crack appeared in the black stone seal.

What seeped from the seam wasn't blood, but a stream of thick, black ink. The ink climbed up Shen Yanshan's white glove, covering his wrist.

"Let go!" Lin Zhaoxuan shouted.

"It's imprinted on him!"

Zhou Heng threw out a copper coin, which struck the palm of the seal.

The black stone seal trembled slightly, and Shen Yanshan's hand was knocked away.

Taking the opportunity, Song Qinghe presented the green lamp to the child.

Under the lamplight, the red thread on the child's body became visible.

Each thread end has a name written on it.

"Amei".

"Han Shun".

"The Nameless Child".

"White Wolf Gully Thirteen".

"Candidate for overall title".

The last thread was wrapped around the child's neck, with the words "Six Hundred and Forty-Eight" written on it.

Wang Chengan's expression changed drastically.

"Six hundred and forty-eight again."

"It wants to use this child to make up for the overall debt."

Lu Yuan severed the red thread on his neck with a single stroke.

The moment the red line broke, all thirty-six wells roared simultaneously.

Red paper from the villages at the foot of the mountain flew up in flutters, gathering into a long black snake that lunged towards the stone pavilion.

Shen Yanshan looked up at the black snake.

The overall name has been finalized.

"Only the seal remains."

He no longer blocked the black snake.

The black snake coiled around the stone pavilion, and the thirty-six villagers transformed into thirty-six pairs of eyes, all looking at the child.

"Ah Deng".

"Ranked 648th."

"Bearing the names of the people."

"Open the main well."

The child was so frightened that he shrank into Song Qinghe's arms.

Song Qinghe protected her.

She denied it.

Lu Yuan stood at the edge of the stone pavilion, looking down at the thirty-six wells below the mountain.

Seven shadows floated beside each well.

The six realms belong to the paths they have previously walked.

The seventh path is the shadow of Shen Yanshan.

"Shen Yanshan, didn't you want to make the nameless remember?"

"What you are doing now is to regroup the thirty-six villages into a single line."

"If you really want to stop the main altar, then cut off your own shadow first."

Shen Yanshan suddenly looked down at his feet.

His shadow was being led by a black snake, reaching towards the child.

Two names emerged from the shadows: "Han Shoumo".

"Shen Yanshan".

The two names are tearing at each other, like two opposing paths growing out of one person.

Shen Yanshan raised his foot, but could not break free.

"I can't stop."

"The wells are broken, and no one is taking care of the thirty-six wells."

"You've taken care of her for decades, and what's the result?"

"At least someone remembers the result."

"Remember, it's not about turning a person into your body."

Shen Yanshan looked up at the black snake.

"If I were to lose my shadow, all the old books would be in disarray."

"Then let them run wild."

"What happens after things fall into chaos?"

"Re-divide into volumes."

"Will you make it in time?"

Even if there's no time, we'll still split it.

"What if we can't divide it all?"

"Leave it to those who come after."

Shen Yanshan suddenly smiled.

The laughter no longer carried the previous chill, only weariness.

"You always think too highly of those who come after you."

Lu Yuandao: "It's not a good idea."

"It acknowledges that they also have the right to choose."

Shen Yanshan reached into his waistband and drew a short knife.

The knife had no blade; it was just a straight black line.

He cut his own shadow.

The black snake sensed danger, and all thirty-six pairs of eyes opened simultaneously. Countless red threads rose from the foot of the mountain and wrapped around his arm.

Shen Yanshan's white gloves were torn one by one.

"Han Shoumo!"

"Shen Yanshan!"

Two voices rang out from his chest at the same time.

He looked up and said to the child, "A-Deng."

The child peeked out from Song Qinghe's arms.

Shen Yanshan said, "Remember, this is the name you chose yourself."

"No one can take it away."

Shen Yanshan plunged the dagger into the center of the shadow.

The black line snapped with a loud crash.

Thirty-six wells simultaneously spewed out columns of water.

The red thread slipped from the child's body and flew back down the mountain to their respective village registers. The names of the thirty-six villages were washed away by the water, turning into countless tiny water droplets that fell back into the well.

Shen Yanshan's shadow did not disappear.

It was pinned to the snow by a dagger, and the two names inside gradually separated.

"Han Shoumo" faces south.

"Shen Yanshan" faces north.

Shen Yanshan knelt in the middle, his hands supporting him on the ground, like a person being forcibly separated by two roads.

Lu Yuan stepped forward, intending to draw his dagger.

Shen Yanshan shook his head.

"Don't pull it out."

"This is what I owe."

"You want to let the two names each go their own way?"

"Yes."

"What will you become?"

"A person wearing white gloves."

He watched the shadow of "Shen Yanshan" gradually recede into the distance to the north.

"An old name that remains."

Then he looked south.

"A name that made a mistake."

"You have to remember them all."

The black stone seal rolled out of the pavilion.

The complete hand at the bottom of the seal has been broken in two.

Lu Yuan picked up the black stone seal, scraped off the words "Candidate for General Position" with the tip of his knife, and recarved: "A-Deng, take it yourself."

The child reached out and touched the print.

The black stone seal immediately shattered into powder.

Shen Yanshan's body then fell backward.

Han Qiusheng's voice came from down the mountain: "Shen Yanshan!"

Shen Yanshan did not turn around.

He gazed at the northern mountain pass and said softly, "Don't call me Han Shoumo."

Han Qiusheng stood by the Bailang Gully, remained silent for a moment, and then answered, "Shen Yanshan."

The sound carried very far.

The sound of water from the thirty-six wells in the south gradually subsided.

Those names that were still struggling in the old books finally found different destinations.

Shen Yanshan closed his eyes.

That's enough.

"That's not enough," Lu Yuandao said. "You still owe those you deleted an explanation."

Shen Yanshan opened his eyes.

"I can write."

"Who should I give it to after I finish writing it?"

"Leave it to them."

"Can you deliver them all by yourself?"

"We can't deliver them all."

"Then divide it into thirty-six portions."

Shen Yanshan paused for a moment, then nodded.

"it is good."

Lu Yuan handed him the "I am the witness" booklet from the seven indexes.

"Start by writing your own name."

Shen Yanshan took the booklet.

He turned to a blank page and wrote on it: "Shen Yanshan once entered the forum under the name Han Shoumo."

"Names were deleted, doors were erected, and public opinion was consulted."

"He later repented, but still failed to pay his debts."

"We are now voluntarily distributing the old books, and we are not making decisions on behalf of others."

After finishing writing, he handed the pen back to Lu Yuan.

"It's your turn."

Lu Yuan said, "Let's go to Bailanggou."

"The child needs to go home first."

Shen Yanshan nodded.

"The archway at Bailanggou has collapsed, and there is no gate for the time being."

"This is a good thing."

"The gate will be erected again."

"Then leave an opening."

Shen Yanshan stared at the self-defense wooden plaque in Lu Yuan's hand.

"You guys have gotten addicted to leaving gaps."

Xu Erxiao said, "If there's a gap, people can come in and go out."

Shen Yanshan put the booklet away.

"There is still an unexplored well in Beiling."

"where?"

"Behind Old Dragon."

There are no hamlets or villages there.

"There is only one tomb without a tombstone."

Lu Yuan looked at the black stone seal that had just shattered.

"The well in the main name has not been completely sealed yet."

"It can't be sealed off."

Why?

Shen Yanshan said, "There is another person below the well."

"Who?"

Shen Yanshan did not answer immediately.

He looked at the child, A-Deng.

Ah Deng was holding onto Song Qinghe's clothes, clutching a wooden sign that read "Ah Deng, take it yourself."

"Her mother."

"She's not dead?"

"He's dead."

"Who is that person?"

Shen Yanshan said, "She was the first person in the Thirty-Six Villages to refuse to return to the public treasury."

"He was also the first person to retrieve his name from the master register."

"She gave birth to her child by the well, and left only one request before she died."

"Don't name the child."

"But why did she leave the child in the well?"

"Because she knew that outsiders would be vying to name the child."

She wants to wait for the child to speak up himself.

Song Qinghe looked at A Deng.

"Sōmei wants to use her mother's dying wish to force the child to bear all the names."

Shen Yanshan nodded.

"What you've rescued so far is only the surface of the child."

"Her mother's last wish remains at the bottom of the well."

Xu Erxiao said, "Then what are we waiting for?"

Lu Yuan looked at the sky.

White light was already shining in the distance.

They had been walking all night from Majia Gou to Bailang Gou, and then to Laolongbei.

But deep within the snowfield behind the old dragon, a new black line is slowly emerging.

At the end of the black line, a stone tablet without any inscription appears.

A woman's voice came from behind the stone tablet: "Who took my child away?"

Ah Deng suddenly raised her head.

She looked toward the stone tablet and called out to another person for the first time.

"daughter."

A sudden blizzard broke out.

Beneath the stone tablet, the snow had split open, creating a narrow gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

A very dim lamp flickered in the crack.

Beside that lamp stood a blank wooden sign.

A line of text slowly appeared on the card: "Mother's name to be identified."

Lu Yuan gripped the broken knife tightly.

"Go back to Bailanggou first, then go into the well."

Song Qinghe asked, "Why don't we just go down?"

"A-Deng has just regained her name; we can't let her enter the general name well before her name is stable."

"Her mother's last wish will come true."

"Then let her find a place where there are people first."

Shen Yanshan said, "Correct."

"The name of the well is not afraid of being forced in, but it is most afraid of having its name already taken."

They took Ah Deng down the mountain.

Han Qiusheng was already waiting at the old archway in Bailanggou. Behind him, twelve children stood in the snow, each holding a wooden sign they had rewritten.

When A-Deng saw them, she slowly walked over.

Ah Bai asked, "What's your name?"

"Ah Deng".

"Who named you that?"

"Myself."

"We chose those names ourselves."

The children stuck the wooden signs one by one into the snow, forming an open circle.

The center is empty.

Shen Yanshan placed the seven indexes outside the circle and did not step inside.

Han Qiusheng then placed a wooden sign at the gap in the circle.

It reads: "White Wolf Gully, temporary residence."

"Those who come may enter, and those who leave may leave on their own."

"You must state your own name; no one may choose it on your behalf."

Lu Yuan looked at the sign and said, "Now, there's a gate to White Wolf Gully."

Xu Erxiao said, "But there's no door frame."

"We'll talk about the door frame later."

"Leave an opening first."

The morning light fell on the snow.

The red paper for the thirty-six villages had all turned white, except for the one from Majia Gou, which still had a small red border. The last line of text emerged from that border: "The head village's account is incomplete."

Wang Shi'an tucked it into the "To be checked" booklet.

"The debt isn't settled yet."

"The well with the main name is still there."

Lu Yuan looked towards the back of the old dragon.

The dim light next to the stone tablet was not turned off.

The woman's voice came again from under the lamp: "Lu Yuan."

"Your master surrounds my name."

"Do you owe me money to pay it back?"

Lu Yuan did not answer.

He placed the missing wooden sign he had kept at the site of the old Bailanggou archway and added the following sentence to it: "Find the person behind the tent."

"Debts owed to teachers cannot be repaid on their behalf."

After finishing his work, he turned to the crowd and said, "Let's take a break."

"Then go to Laolongbei."

"I will not take credit for anyone's reputation."

"Light a lamp only for those who are willing to speak."

Xu Erxiao placed the sword across his lap.

"And my mother."

"If she's willing to talk, then listen."

"What if she doesn't tell?"

"Don't force me to pay."

Wang Shi'an opened the register to be checked, preparing to write down the new pages for A-Deng and Que-Wan-Liu.

Lin Zhaoxuan and Zhou Heng rearranged the tattered documents on the snow.

Song Qinghe carefully handled the lamp wick.

Han Qiusheng stood at the entrance of Bailang Gully, looking north.

Shen Yanshan sat alone beside the collapsed archway and began copying his old accounts.

There is no general name.

There is no main gate.

No one deleted those mistakes for him.

The dim light behind the old dragon kept flashing.

It wasn't until the sun was high in the sky that the second line of text appeared on the blank wooden plaque on the stone tablet: "Mother's name cannot be forcibly identified."

The third line appeared slowly: "But if she wishes, she may return today."

The wind blew from the north, carrying with it a very soft sigh from a woman.

Ah Deng raised her head.

"My mother is calling me."

Lu Yuan looked at her.

"are you going?"

Ah Deng gripped his wooden plaque tightly.

"Let's take a look."

"Will you come back after you finish watching?"

She thought about it.

"If she doesn't want to stay, I'll come back."

"What if she wants to stay?"