My girlfriend is a Miao demon.

"No, I didn't!"

Sawako's voice suddenly rose, but Xiang Nanfeng's gaze remained unwavering. Mao Xi, the Gu Master, also put down his chopsticks; his eyes betrayed his inner doubts.

"Yes, Miss Zuo. Although there is no absolutely fixed standard for when people start to remember things, most people's clear memories are from when they were three or four years old. Even if a very small number of people can recall scattered memories from before the age of two, they are still quite vague."

"Oh, so do you know why most people only start remembering things around the age of three or four, and why even if a few can recall scattered memories from before the age of two, those memories are quite vague?"

"this……"

Zuo Hezi's tone subtly changed. Loud denials and blind defenses would not surprise the questioners, but her initiative to seize upon the reasons that gave the questioners confidence was enough to catch them off guard. This not only foreshadowed the upcoming shift in the balance of power, but also meant that the person being questioned would have to confront the ironclad evidence presented by the questioner himself, thus beginning a rebuttal.

"The reason why people start to remember things from the age of three or four is that the hippocampus, which is responsible for storing long-term memories, does not gradually mature until around the age of three. Therefore, even if memories exist before the age of three, they are difficult to retain stably."

Zuo Hezi's self-questioning and answering were fluent and clear, as if she had prepared in advance:

"Master Mao Xi, when you asked Noah Hansen, my father's student and assistant professor, for my phone number, he must have told you that I'm currently studying at the Carol Hawkins School of Medicine, one of the best medical schools in the United States, right?"

"Yes, yes. But that..."

"There's no 'but' about it. I know everything you know. But there's something I know that you don't. That's not strange at all. I can not only clearly remember things from when I was two years old, but I also remember everything I've seen, heard, smelled, tasted, touched, and thought about since I was two."

The two looked at each other, bewildered by what they heard. Sawako, however, didn't stop there and continued:

"Have you heard of hyperthymesia? Its full name is hyperautobiographical memory. No wonder, it's a rare disease, and it's said that only a few dozen people in the world are so unlucky. You've probably never heard of it."

"Hyperthymesia? Hippocampal developmental abnormalities? Memory impairment?" Xiang Nanfeng asked tentatively.

"You know?"

"You got it?"

Xiang Nanfeng and Zuo Hezi exchanged a glance, both taken aback.

As Zuo Hezi herself said, this rare disease is so rare that there are only a few dozen patients worldwide, and even most psychiatrists have never heard of it. In real life, this was the first time she had ever met someone who could continue the sentence. Therefore, she naturally found Xiang Nanfeng's erudition unbelievable.

Xiang Nanfeng found it equally unbelievable; who would have thought that he would witness firsthand a rare disease with only a few dozen patients worldwide?

"I heard that patients with this disease only need a timeline to quickly and completely retrieve their experiences within that point in time, and that the content of their memories is all accurate? So, that's why you remember it so clearly—1994…what…what day was it again?"

"Yes, July 25, 1994. My memory must rely on a timeline; in other words, I will never forget any of the details of everything I have subjectively experienced since the day I became aware of dates."

When did your understanding of dates begin?

「1994年，4月3日上午9点18分。我妈妈教会了我看日曆。」

"My God, my God!" Mao Xigu Master exclaimed excitedly, "So cool! So cool! This... this is called an illness?! Has your brain become a super cloud drive?"

"But normal people can selectively forget painful memories, thus achieving self-repair. But will hyperthymesia last forever...?"

Compared to Mao Xigu's utilitarian instincts, Xiang Nanfeng was obviously much more considerate. He knew that while these patients possessed extraordinary memories, they also had to endure mental pressure that was difficult for ordinary people to bear or even imagine. Therefore, they would become depressed, anxious, and constantly face all the pain of their entire lives.

Xiang Nanfeng's gaze softened from surprise. He seemed to suddenly understand the extraordinary Sawako that Shen Feng had mentioned. Why could a girl simultaneously win the U21 Karate Championship and the Women's Team Championship and Individual Runner-up in the Kendo Championship? Perhaps people like them really need to relieve unimaginable pain and pressure through high-intensity competitive sports.

Xiang Nanfeng remained silent. He didn't know how to face Zuo Hezi, especially the hurt he had caused her through his recklessness. But Zuo Hezi was clearly used to the ignorant and unintentional slander of the world. On the contrary, she understood Xiang Nanfeng's goodwill and apology. So she casually said, "I can't forget any of the bad things you've said or done to me," and then continued eating, giving the two of them a way out.

The chill was kept out by the heavy door, and a light rain was falling outside the window, but the room was so warm it was almost unsettling. The air conditioner's warm air gently wafted out, and the flames in the simulated fireplace danced with an orange-red glow, softening the colors of the oil paintings hanging on the wall.

The hot pot bubbled in the center, the rich, red broth bubbling and releasing tiny bubbles. White steam, carrying a spicy aroma, rose and blurred the features of the three people.

Zuo Hezi lowered her eyes, picked up a slice of fatty beef with her chopsticks, lightly dipped it twice in the clear broth, and put it in her bowl, but didn't touch it much. Xiang Nanfeng's chopsticks rested on the edge of the hot pot; he wanted to speak several times, but in the end, he put down his chopsticks and silently added a spoonful of mushroom broth for her. Mao Xiguzhu slowly and methodically processed the tripe, precisely timing the "seven up, eight down" motion with his chopsticks, without breaking the silence.

The unintentional offense she had just made to Zuo Hezi still lingered like a thorn in the table, making even the bubbling of the hot pot seem particularly jarring. Although she had offered a way out, neither of them seemed willing to back down. The lively and excited conversation that had been going on suddenly stopped, with only the soft clinking of chopsticks against the rim of bowls, the low hum of the air conditioner, and the simulated sound of "firewood" burning in the fireplace, all intertwining in the warm air and making the awkwardness in the cozy atmosphere all the more apparent.

In the end, it was Zuo Hezi who broke the silence amidst the warmth:

"Xiang Nanfeng, you just mentioned the Twin Gates that her grandmother walked through. Not only is the speed of historical development different on both sides, but the historical process itself has also changed. One side has Jiang Yang, while the other side doesn't. One side has Panhu's betrayal and extermination of the Flower Seedlings, while the other side doesn't. Time is different on both sides of the Twin Gates. Don't you want to know if the space on both sides of the Twin Gates is also different?"

"Yes, yes! Could it be... could it be that you know?"

When this issue was mentioned earlier, Xiang Nanfeng did indeed press Mao west Gu Master for details, but Mao west Gu Master said that when his grandmother told him about the Twin Gates, he was only eight or nine years old. At that time, he was very playful and his interests were only in the Stubborn Stone Gu and the Spirit Snake Gu. He had no concept of time or space, so he was indifferent to the Twin Gates.

When he finally got into university and became truly fascinated by the Twin Gates, his grandmother had already passed away many years ago. So, regarding the Twin Gates, he only remembered his grandmother saying that time on one side was fast and time on the other side, but he knew nothing about the differences beyond time.

But for Xiang Nanfeng, he was clearly more concerned about where the Twin Gates were than the time difference.

At this moment, when Zuo Hezi picked up where they left off and brought up the location of the Twin Gates again, Xiang Nanfeng was so excited he was almost overjoyed:

"You know? You know where those twin gates are?"

Zuo Hezi nodded, then shook her head:

"I don't know where it is, but I guess my father and his grandmother must have been just as concerned about the location of the Twin Gates as you are now. Because my mother has been by my side since I was born and can remember things, and the night of July 25, 1994, was the first time I was separated from my mother, so I cried and cried non-stop after I woke up from the dream. To stop me from crying, my father held me and kept telling me stories. The story he told me was about a little girl."

"Is that little girl my grandma?"

Mao Xigu asked, and Zuo Hezi nodded, then continued:

"He told the story of how the little girl was chosen by one of Jiang Yang's elders, how she followed Jiang Yang and the elders to learn witchcraft, and how she crossed the Twin Gates to come to our world. He told the whole story for more than 3 hours."

"I'm sorry, I don't remember the exact time. I woke up from a nightmare and was crying. When he picked me up to tell me a story, he said, 'Zuo Hezi, it's not even 3 a.m. yet. Why are you awake? Let Daddy tell you a story.' Then, he held me and started telling me a story while walking around the room. We would pass by a clock in the living room. The last time I saw the clock, it was pointing to 6:03 a.m. After that, I fell asleep and don't know anything after that."

"And at least half of the story he told was about how the 'little girl' bravely crossed the Twin Gates. So, if you want to know about the spatial issues of the Twin Gates, you might find clues in that story."

The hot pot bubbled and steamed, the aroma of the food rising to the table and blurring the light and shadows. Even though they already knew that Zuo Hezi, as a patient with hyperthymesia, didn't have the ability to forget, the two people at the table were still stunned when she actually displayed her unparalleled "super memory." Mao Xigu, the master of the Gu, held the dried vegetable between his fingers, frozen in mid-air, his posture like a statue. Xiang Nanfeng's eyes widened, his Adam's apple bobbing several times, but he couldn't utter a sound.

Amidst the rising aroma, only Zuo Hezi, like a record player with an old melody, mechanically played the story her kind father had told her on a rainy night in Youdu 18 years ago:

"Back then, Adorya was just a little girl with her hair in two buns. Her cheeks were rosy, like wild cherries just ripening in the mountain valley. It was the fifth day of the third lunar month. On that day, the warm spring sun shone on the thousands of peaks and valleys of Sanwei Mountain, and the streams sang clear songs. Ancestor Jiang Yang found Adorya. Ancestor Jiang Yang's eyes were very bright, as if they held two stars. He stroked Adorya's head and said in a gentle yet solemn voice, 'Child, it's time to go, it's time to go!'"

Aduoya nodded, her little hands tightly gripping the hem of Ancestor Jiang Yang's clothes, and followed him onto the mountain path. Their destination was a strangely shaped mountain—the entire mountain looked as if it had been cleaved by a giant axe from the heavens, its three sides steep and sheer, forming a rare triangular shape. The mountain path was difficult to traverse, covered with loose stones and sharp thorns. Aduoya's little shoes were covered in mud, and her trousers were torn in several places, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent.

"At midday, when the sun was at its strongest, golden rays spilled onto the rocks on the mountaintop, and they finally reached the summit. The wind howled at the top, making Ancestor Jiang Yang's white beard flutter and A Duo Ya's hair ribbon fly. Ancestor Jiang Yang did not stop, but led A Duo Ya around to the back of the mountain."

"The area behind the mountain is quite different from the area in front of it. There is no glaring sunlight, only a cool shady spot. Under the shade of the trees stands an old maple tree with a trunk so thick that it would take three adults holding hands to encircle it. Its branches stretch out in all directions like a giant open umbrella. Beside the roots of the tree lies a large, dark blue stone, polished smooth by the years and covered with lush green moss."

"Ancestor Jiang Yang bent down, braced his hands against the large blue stone, and with a heave, slowly moved the stone that looked to weigh over a thousand pounds. As soon as the stone was moved, a cool breeze carrying the dampness of the earth rushed out, revealing a cave behind the stone. The cave entrance was round, about a foot in diameter, like an open black eye."

“Child, follow me and climb in.” Ancestor Jiang Yang turned to A Duoya and said.

"Adoya was a little scared, but seeing the ancestor's firm eyes, she nodded and crawled into the cave entrance on both hands and feet."

"The cave was very narrow, and the stone walls were rough and painful. Even someone as tall as Ancestor Jiangyang could only move forward with his back hunched and shoulders shrunk, and would occasionally bump into the rock wall, making a dull sound."

"Adoya was small, but it wasn't easy for her either. She had to curl up into a ball, her knees rubbing against the cold stone, her palms burning from the friction, and her forehead and shoulders repeatedly hitting the hard stone wall. She grimaced in pain, but bit her lip and dared not cry out."

After climbing for about ten meters, the light outside the cave was completely cut off, and it was pitch black all around, so dark that you couldn't see your hand in front of your face. Aduoya felt panicked and reached out her little hands haphazardly, grabbing the hem of Ancestor Jiang Yang's clothes.

"Don't be afraid." Ancestor Jiang Yang's voice echoed in the darkness, carrying a reassuring power. As soon as he finished speaking, a warm yellow flame lit up in his palm. That flame wasn't an ordinary candle or a torch; it was a fire-generating Gu summoned by Ancestor Jiang Yang—a magical sorcery that could produce a continuous stream of light and heat without firewood or oil. Adorya stared intently at the flame, her eyes practically glued to it. She deeply regretted that her playfulness had prevented her from learning this sorcery.

"With the light of the flint, the path ahead became clearer, but the cave was winding and without any landmarks. Adorya didn't know how long she had been climbing or how far she had gone; time seemed to stand still, and space became blurred. All she could hear were her own and her ancestor's breathing, and the soft rustling of her hands and feet against the stones. Her knees were blistered, and her palms were calloused, but the curiosity and awe in her heart overwhelmed all the fatigue and pain."

"After an unknown amount of time, the originally narrow and cramped cave gradually widened. After crawling forward for a while, the light from the wooden flint suddenly illuminated the scene before her, and Adorya was so surprised that she opened her eyes wide."

"It was a magnificent stone chamber, with many ancient patterns carved on the stone walls that she couldn't understand. Some looked like fluttering butterflies, some like thriving seedlings, and some like eagles with their heads held high. In the very center of the stone chamber, there was an unfathomable well. The wellhead was dark and bottomless, as if it held the secrets of the entire Sanwei Mountain."

Ancestor Jiang Yang straightened up, dusted himself off, and took out a black wooden box from his robes. The box was smooth and delicate, emitting a faint fragrance of herbs and trees. It was a cursed insect, the "Child-Losing Gu," refined from mulberry trees from the banks of the Qi River. He carefully placed the box into A Duoya's arms. The box, pressed against her chest, still carried a trace of the ancestor's warmth.

The ancestor knelt down, cupped Adorya's small face in his hands, his eyes filled with deep affection, expectation, and an endless sorrow. Looking into Adorya's eyes, he spoke each word with utmost solemnity: "We've arrived, Adorya. Remember, you will always be the best child of the Flower Miao! Remember, if you can come back, come back and restore the kingdom; if you can't come back, live on. You belong to the entire Flower Miao!"