Chapter 587

It turns out the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān truly exist, and the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ truly exists.

My heart raced; since Xiǎo Dàoshì knows everything without reservation, I have no more scruples and continue asking: "Can the affinity bound by the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ be undone?"

"Yes." Xiǎo Dàoshì said, "but so far no one has done this."

Xiǎo Dàoshì paused, then added a sentence: "Of course, only those with affinity can see the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān; to enter, one must also undergo severe trials, and to pass the Tiěsuǒ Qiáo smoothly and stand in the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān as a couple is already rare, and for both lovers to be of one mind and willingly bind their fates lifetime after lifetime is even rarer."

After all, if anyone regrets, they must retrace their steps; when the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ is opened, both will suffer a tremendous backlash.

Many couples have stood before the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ, only to retreat at the last step; even now, the number of Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ still locked in the Sānshēng Diàn can be counted on one hand.

I exchanged a glance with Liu Junyan; although we were mentally prepared, knowing it wouldn't be easy, I didn't expect it to be this difficult.

I also recalled that post I had seen on the forum.

Xiǎo Dàoshì said the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān is on the mountainside of Jūnzhú Shān, and to enter it one must indeed cross the Tiěsuǒ Qiáo.

That post, however, said that someone saw the Tiěsuǒ Qiáo falling from the mountain peak.

Thinking of this, I asked: "Does the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān have anything else, like the mountain peak?"

Xiǎo Dàoshì obviously hesitated a moment, then said: "Yes."

Indeed!

I pressed further: "What is on the mountain peak?"

"There is a Dēngtiān Diàn on the mountain peak."

It seems Xiǎo Dàoshì is indeed entrusted by Chénghuáng Lǎoyé, truly knowing everything without reservation.

It is apparent that Xiǎo Dàoshì has become more cautious.

But for me, every piece of information and every detail is now crucial.

So I could only ask relentlessly: "What happens upon entering the Dēngtiān Diàn?"

"The Dēngtiān Diàn, as the name suggests, means a single step to heaven." Xiǎo Dàoshì said, "To enter the Dēngtiān Diàn, besides needing sufficient cultivation, there is a strict condition: sever love and affection. After entering, it is said one can receive the supreme merit of the Dēngtiān Diàn and ascend to immortality."

I frowned; the Sānshēng Diàn is meant to lock affinities, whereas the Dēngtiān Diàn requires severing love and affection.

This reminds me of the saying: "Upon reaching shore, first cut down the beloved."

Yet there remains a contradiction here.

"The Sānshēng Diàn and Dēngtiān Diàn are also connected by the Tiěsuǒ Qiáo, right? Is this the only necessary passage?"

"Yes."

"Then I don't understand: how can couples who go to the Sānshēng Táng to seek the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ also manage to both sever love and affection?"

Xiǎo Dàoshì said, "Because the lock in the Sānshēng Diàn is double-sided; the front engraved with a lovebird pattern is the Tóngxīn Suǒ, while the back engraved with a sword pattern is the Líxīn Suǒ. After the Tóngxīn Suǒ locks a couple, if it is flipped, it becomes the Líxīn Suǒ, and the affinity thread just formed between the two lovers is confiscated outright, so they will never have affinity again in lifetime after lifetime—thus achieving true severance of love and affection."

Of course, whoever turns the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ is the one who breaks the vow; the 'love' or 'desire' among the Seven Emotions and Six Desires is directly taken back, and since 'love' or 'desire' is part of the Shēnghún, this person will henceforth be incomplete lifetime after lifetime, suffering the eight torments in both body and mind.

The more I listened, the more alarmed I became.

What Xiǎo Dàoshì said made me involuntarily see myself in the situation.

Of course, I wasn't projecting myself onto it; rather… Yu Nian.

Yu Nian is indeed plagued by misfortune, and her body has always been incomplete.

I finally asked: "In other words, the Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ and the Líxīn Suǒ are two sides of the same lock, thus sharing a single key, right?"

Xiǎo Dàoshì stared blankly for a moment, then gave an ambiguous answer: "You could also see it that way."

I turned my head to look at Liu Junyan and exchanged gazes with Liu Junyan.

Liu Junyan nodded at me, and I said to Xiǎo Dàoshì, "If the two of us want to enter the Sānshēng Diàn, could you guide us?"

"Sure." The little Daoist said, "But it's still the same thing—whether you can see Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān still depends on whether you two are Yǒuyuán Rén. You can rest a bit, discuss it further before making a final decision. If you decide to give it a try, come back at midnight, and I'll wait for you until three a. m."

I thanked Liu Junyan, saying we'd first wander around and come back at night.

After leaving Chénghuáng Miào, Liu Junyan and I went straight back to the car.

The car stopped in a secluded spot at the mountain's base, and Liu Junyan and I again did an in-depth analysis of what we had just learned.

I asked Liu Junyan, "Āyàn, although the pawn ticket says 'Yuānyāng Tóngxīn Suǒ', perhaps the key originally locked was actually a Líxīn Suǒ?"

Liu Junyan gave no definite answer: "Without seeing it with our own eyes, we can't jump to conclusions."

The passenger seat was reclined a bit; I leaned against it, covering my eyes with one hand, my thoughts a little tangled.

After a while, I said, "Āyàn, to be honest, when the little Daoist mentioned the Líxīn Suǒ, I thought of my senior sister, and also the signature on the pawn ticket, that 'Ā Chén'—do you think it could just be the mundane world?"

Liu Junyan likewise couldn't give me an answer.

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence." I said, "After all, Fánchén is merely a speck of dust that cultivated into form; he… would he have Qīqíng Liùyù like ordinary people?"

"Xiao Jiu, don't make things hard for yourself." Liu Junyan said, "Since it's a redemption of the pawn, we can't refuse; we must inevitably enter the Shíjiǔ Dòngtiān. Once we go in, everything will become clear."

I asked, "Āyàn, do you think we are Yǒuyuán Rén?"

Liu Junyan said firmly: "Yes. Since the other party found us, we must be Yǒuyuán Rén."

The stale breath that had been pent up in my chest finally exhaled; my whole body relaxed, and I stopped thinking wildly.

Having come, we should settle down.

I believe that at this delicate juncture in Yin Dang Hang of Wufu Town, every upcoming transaction must not be overlooked.

In the unseen, everything is fated.

At ten o'clock at night, Liu Junyan and I returned to the front gate of Chénghuáng Miào.

At this moment, although the gate of Chénghuáng Miào was still open, inside was utterly silent; the daytime bustle had completely vanished without a trace.

Liu Junyan and I did not rush into the gate of Chénghuáng Miào; instead, we lifted our eyes to gaze into the distance at Jūnzhú Shān.

On the mountain was a blanket of darkness; nothing could be seen clearly.

As we walked hand in hand into Chénghuáng Miào, the gate behind us boomed shut on its own.

Ahead, the little Daoist came forward with a beaming smile, just as during the day, leading us onward.

Passing the main hall, going past the various rear halls, and further back, the little Daoist continually led us to the rear gate of Chénghuáng Miào.

The moment the back courtyard door opened, a wave of humidity hit my face—outside the door was directly connected to a Tiěsuǒ Qiáo!

The Tiěsuǒ Qiáo soared straight up, heading straight for the mountainside.

On the mountainside, sure enough, there was another world hidden within…