XuYang slowly raised his head.His eyes moved from the mirror to the elderly Heavenly official before finally settling on the place where the masked figure had disappeared. His thoughts were in complete chaos."Then...who are we supposed to believe?" he asked quietly.No one answered .Lin Chen let out a slow breath and rubbed the back of his neck."I don't understand any of this anymore."He forced a bitter smile. "First Heaven says one thing.Then the mirror says another.Now that masked man tells us not to trust either of them."He looked helplessly at Chen Yu."How are we supposed to know who's telling the truth?"
Chen Yu remained silent for several moments before answering,"Maybe...that's exactly why Xu Yang was chosen."Everyone looked toward him.Chen Yu's expression was unusually serious."If either side simply told him everything,the truth would always belong to them."He glanced toward the endless staircase beneath the shrine."Only if he sees it with his own eyes...can he decide what to believe."Zhao Ming gave a faint nod."Truth loses its meaning the moment someone chooses it for you." Yan Luo's eyes remained fixed on Xu Yang. "Whatever waits below...Don't let anyone force your answer." Hei Long quietly added, "Whether it's Heaven...the shrine...or that masked man...listen to them..."He paused before finishing,"...but trust only what you witness yourself."
Xu Yang slowly closed his fingers around the broken silver chain.The masked figure's warning echoed through his mind once again.Don't believe either side...until you see the truth yourself.He drew a slow breath before looking toward the place where the projection had vanished."I have so many questions..." he murmured."Who are you...?Why have you been protecting me...?What happened a thousand years ago...?"His voice gradually became softer."And...why does it feel like you've been waiting for me?"Without realizing it,he instinctively reached toward the empty space where the masked figure had been standing.
*Crack...*A faint sound echoed beneath Xu Yang's feet.His outstretched hand froze in midair.He slowly lowered his gaze.Thin fractures quietly spread across the white stone beneath him like strands of broken glass.His pupils instantly contracted. "What?" Chen Yu's expression changed immediately."Xu Yang!Move!"He rushed forward without another thought.Yan Luo reacted at almost the same instant."Get back!"He pushed off the ground and reached toward Xu Yang as fast as he could.
Xu Yang instinctively tried to step backward. Before he could floor exploded beneath him. And Chunks of white stone shattered and vanished into the darkness below.His footing disappeared in an instant.His body dropped straight downward. "Xu Yang!" Chen Yu shouted as he threw himself forward with all his strength,stretching his arm desperately toward him.Xu Yang instinctively reached upward.Their fingertips came within a hair's breadth...but never touched."No!" Lin Chen cried out,his face turning deathly pale.Yan Luo lunged after Xu Yang without the slightest hesitation.His fingers brushed against Xu Yang's sleeve for the briefest instant before it slipped through his grasp."Damn it!"Yan Luo roared.
Hei Long's eyes narrowed.He didn't hesitate for even a single second he immediately leaped toward the collapsing opening."I'm going after him!"Zhao Ming's expression changed."Hei Long,stop!" Before Hei Long could dive into the darkness...*BOOM!* Massive slabs of white stone burst from every side of the opening.They slammed together with overwhelming force and violent shockwave exploded throughout the shrine.Hei Long crossed his arms in front of himself,but the impact still threw him backward several meters.He landed heavily before sliding across the smooth floor.
The deafening sound slowly faded.The floor had become perfectly smooth once again. There wasn't even the smallest crack remaining. It was as though Xu Yang had never been standing there.Chen Yu dropped to one knee and slammed his fist against the sealed floor."Xu Yang!"His voice echoed desperately through the shrine,but no answer came.Yan Luo drew his sword and struck the floor with all his strength.*Clang!* And Bright sparks scattered through the air. The white stone remained completely unharme and not even a single mark appeared. Yan Luo stared at the untouched floor.His grip around the sword slowly tightened."It healed itself." Lin Chen staggered back a step.His face had completely lost its color."He...he's really gone..."Nobody answered.Everyone stood staring at the place where Xu Yang had disappeared.Only the ancient mirror remained silent.
The three quietly stepped beyond the last stone bridge. None of them spoke for several moments. Even their footsteps became lighter.Qing Li suddenly reached out and caught a glowing blue butterfly as it landed on his sleeve. He watched it carefully before it dissolved into countless tiny specks of light between his fingers. His eyes widened with childlike curiosity. "It... disappeared."Hei Long glanced at him before smiling faintly. "Maybe it just decided you weren't interesting enough." Qing Li immediately looked at him. "Excuse me?" Hei Long calmly continued walking. "Butterflies usually avoid noisy people."
Qing Li stared at him in disbelief before pointing at himself. "Noisy?" He hurried after Hei Long. "You used to defend me!" Hei Long looked genuinely thoughtful for a moment."Did I?" Qing Li gasped dramatically."Listen to him!" He turned toward Wang Xio. "He's changed!" Wang Xio didn't even look back as he continued studying the spiritual road ahead. "No." Qing Li folded his arms. "You're taking his side again." Wang Xio quietly replied, "I'm observing." Qing Li narrowed his eyes. "You planned that answer." A faint smile finally appeared on Wang Xio's face. "Maybe." Qing Li let out an exaggerated sigh. "Great. Now both of you have become impossible." Hei Long softly chuckled. "You finally noticed."
Qing Li looked between the two of them before muttering under his breath, "Ling Yuan spent too much time around both of you." The moment those words left his mouth... the smiles quietly faded. Silence settled over the three children once again. Hei Long slowly lowered his eyes. Wang Xio's steps became noticeably slower. Qing Li immediately realized what he had said. "Sorry." Neither of them blamed him. Wang Xio simply spoke quietly."Let's keep moving." Qing Li silently nodded.
The spiritual road stretched endlessly before them. Silver rivers flowed through the sky above their heads, weaving between floating cliffs like streams of liquid starlight. Crystal trees swayed although no wind touched their branches and every glowing leaf that drifted from them never reached the ground. Instead, each leaf quietly transformed into tiny stars before disappearing into the mist. White cranes circled high above the clouds, their elegant cries echoing across the valley. Ancient stone bridges floated one after another, connecting cliffs that should never have been able to stand in midair.
Blue butterflies continued dancing through the glowing moonflowers growing along both sides of the road. The flowers slowly opened whenever the children walked past them, as though silently welcoming their arrival. Even stranger, the silver mist drifting around their feet reflected a full moon beneath every step despite the bright daylight overhead. Qing Li stopped walking again. He quietly stared at the moon reflected beneath his feet before looking toward the clear blue sky above. "Is the sky lying..." he asked softly, "...or is the ground?" Hei Long looked down at the reflection before answering with a small smile. "Maybe neither." Qing Li blinked. "Then why are there two different worlds?"
Hei Long looked toward the floating river above them."Maybe one remembers the day." Then he lowered his eyes toward the moon beneath the mist. "And the other refuses to forget the night." Qing Li quietly repeated those words to himself. "Refuses to forget..." Wang Xio suddenly spoke without turning around. "Places remember things that people can't." Qing Li looked toward him curiously. "Do you really believe that?" Wang Xio slowly nodded. "Ancient spiritual lands don't forget easily." He gently touched the trunk of a crystal tree as they passed. "Sometimes..." His fingers paused upon the glowing surface. "...they remember too much." Qing Li looked around again. The beauty surrounding them suddenly didn't feel comforting anymore. Instead... it felt like they were walking through someone's unfinished dream.
The spiritual road finally came to an end and silver mist slowly parted before them. Beyond it stood an ancient village hidden beneath endless white clouds. The wooden gate remained open and colorful prayer ribbons still fluttered gently from the rooftops. Wind chimes softly rang beneath the eaves of every house. Thin streams of smoke no longer rose from the chimneys, yet everything else appeared untouched. Qing Li smiled faintly. "Maybe people really do live here." Wang Xio quietly remained where he was. "Look carefully."
Qing Li frowned before looking again. The smile slowly disappeared from his face. There were no footprints,no voices, no laughter and no animals wandering between the houses. Yet every window remained open exactly halfway. Every curtain gently moved. Every flower pot remained perfectly watered. Hei Long slowly walked toward the nearest doorway then he noticed pair of cloth shoes rested neatly outside. He quietly crouched beside them before lightly touching the fabric. "Warm." Qing Li's eyes widened. "Warm?" Hei Long slowly nodded. "As though someone wore them not long ago."
Qing Li hurried into the nearest house. A small wooden table stood beside the window and three bowls remained arranged around it. Steam no longer rose from the food... but nothing had spoiled. A cup of tea rested beside one chair. Qing Li carefully leaned closer. Tiny ripples suddenly appeared across the tea's surface. He immediately stepped backward. "Did... did you see that?" Wang Xio entered quietly. "I did." Qing Li pointed at the cup. "Nobody touched it!" Wang Xio slowly looked around the room. His eyes noticed that calendar hanging beside the wall hadn't been turned. A sewing needle remained halfway through unfinished cloth and chessboard still held pieces in the middle of a game. It looked as though every person inside the village had stood up... at exactly the same moment... and never returned.
Hei Long quietly whispered, "No one left." Qing Li slowly turned toward him. "Then where did everyone go?" No one answered. The soft sound of wind chimes continued echoing through the empty streets. Wang Xio slowly stepped back outside. His eyes carefully swept across every silent house surrounding them. Then he quietly spoke. "We're not looking at an abandoned village." Qing Li looked toward him."Then what are we looking at?" Wang Xio's expression slowly became solemn. "A village that was interrupted." Qing Li frowned. "Interrupted?" Wang Xio gave a slow nod. "Look around." He pointed toward the nearest house. "Someone was sewing." Then toward another doorway. "Someone was drinking tea." His gaze shifted farther down the street. "Someone was playing chess." He slowly exhaled. "None of them finished what they were doing." Qing Li turned slowly, his eyes moving from one silent house to another. "It's like..." He struggled to find the words. "Like everyone heard the same sound." Hei Long continued. "And walked away together."
Qing Li immediately looked at him. "Without closing their doors?" Hei Long nodded slightly. "Without taking their shoes and without touching their tea." Wang Xio added quietly, "Without coming back." Qing Li rubbed his arms unconsciously. "This place feels like it's watching us." Hei Long looked toward the empty windows lining the street. "No." Qing Li looked at him. "What?" Hei Long's eyes remained fixed upon the village. "It feels like it's waiting for someone else." Wang Xio's gaze sharpened slightly. ".Or waiting for someone to return." None of them spoke again. The wind chimes continued ringing softly above their heads. Each clear note echoed through the empty streets, making the silence between them feel even heavier.
The three slowly continued walking deeper into Moonfall Village. The streets became wider and houses gradually gave way to larger stone buildings carved with ancient symbols that none of them recognized. Blue flowers quietly bloomed beside the roads, untouched by time. Stone lanterns standing along the streets suddenly lit one after another as the children walked past them.. Qing Li immediately stopped walking."Did..." He pointed at the lantern nearest him. "Did that just happen because we walked by?" Hei Long looked back. "Looks like it." Qing Li stared suspiciously at the glowing lantern. "I don't know if I should feel welcomed..." He slowly glanced around. "...Or trapped."Wang Xio quietly replied, "Sometimes those two feelings aren't very different." Qing Li looked at him helplessly. "Can you stop saying things that make this place even creepier?" A faint smile briefly appeared on Wang Xio's face. "I'm trying." Qing Li sighed dramatically. "Please don't."
Several minutes later Wang Xio suddenly stopped walking. Qing Li, who had been looking up at the floating silver rivers above them, wasn't paying attention and immediately bumped straight into his back. "Ow!" He rubbed his forehead before glaring at Wang Xio. "You know... normal people usually warn others before stopping." Wang Xio didn't even turn around."I assumed you'd notice." Qing Li folded his arms dramatically. "You assume too much." Hei Long quietly walked past both of them and glanced at Qing Li with a calm expression. "He's right." Qing Li immediately turned toward him. "Whose side are you on?" Hei Long answered without hesitation. "The side that watches where it's walking."
Qing Li stared at him for several seconds before pointing accusingly. "You've changed." Hei Long blinked once. "Have I?" Qing Li nodded repeatedly. "Ever since we left the shrine you've been talking exactly like Wang Xio." Hei Long actually paused to think about it. "Maybe a little." Qing Li let out an exaggerated gasp. "You admitted it!" Hei Long couldn't help and he laughed. Qing Li's eyes widened. "You laughed!" Hei Long immediately returned to his usual calm expression. "Did I?" Qing Li quickly looked toward Wang Xio. "Tell him he laughed."
Wang Xio glanced back over his shoulder, the corner of his lips lifting ever so slightly. "He definitely laughed." Qing Li pointed triumphantly at Hei Long. "See?" Hei Long calmly replied,"One laugh doesn't count." Qing Li threw both hands into the air. "Who made that rule?" "I just did." Hei Long answered so seriously that even Wang Xio quietly smiled. Qing Li looked from one to the other before covering his face with both hands. "Great." He sighed dramatically. "Now there are two Wang Xios."
Hei Long quietly replied, "Thankfully there's only one Qing Li." Qing Li protested. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean?" Hei Long softly smiled. "It means the world probably couldn't handle two." Qing Li opened his mouth to argue before suddenly laughing himself. "Fine... that was actually a good one." Wang Xio quietly continued walking again. "Finished?" Qing Li hurried after him. "Not even close." Hei Long followed beside them. "...You said that five minutes ago." Qing Li looked offended. "I'm persistent." "You're noisy." Hei Long corrected. Qing Li pointed at him again. "See? That's another Wang Xio sentence."
This time even Hei Long quietly laughed again. The laughter echoed gently through the silent spiritual road before gradually fading. Qing Li's smile slowly softened. "Ling Yuan would've laughed too." Silence quietly settled between them. Wang Xio lowered his eyes for a brief moment before quietly saying, "No." Qing Li looked toward him. Wang Xio's faint smile remained. "He would've laughed the loudest." Qing Li smiled to himself. "Yeah..." Hei Long nodded gently. "Then he'd tell Qing Li to stop pretending he wasn't the one who started the conversation." Qing Li scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "He probably would." None of them spoke again for several moments. Although Ling Yuan wasn't walking beside them anymore... somehow, for that brief moment... it almost felt as though he still was.
The crystal trees gradually became fewer. The floating silver rivers slowly curved away into the clouds. The glowing blue butterflies disappeared one after another until only silence remained. Even the white cranes could no longer be seen. Wang Xio's footsteps gradually slowed. His expression quietly changed. Hei Long immediately noticed."What is it?" Instead of answering, Wang Xio slowly raised one hand, silently telling both of them to stop. Qing Li became serious.He followed Wang Xio's gaze through the drifting silver mist ahead. Something enormous slowly emerged from within it.
An ancient building stood at the very center of Moonfall Village. Unlike every surrounding house, it had been built entirely from pale white stone, its massive pillars rising high into the sky while countless ancient carvings covered every wall, every doorway, and every beam. Although centuries should have passed, the building looked untouched by time itself. Not a single crack could be seen anywhere. Above the entrance hung an enormous wooden plaque with three ancient characters deeply carved into the weathered wood. *Moonfall Archive.* Qing Li slowly read the words aloud. "Moonfall Archive..." He tilted his head as he stared up at the enormous structure. ".Who builds something this huge just to keep records?"
Hei Long quietly observed the endless carvings surrounding the entrance before answering, "Someone who was afraid history might disappear." Qing Li looked toward him and softly muttered, "That's... actually kind of sad." Wang Xio slowly walked toward the entrance, his calm eyes never leaving the ancient building. "...Or..." he quietly said, "someone who was afraid history would be changed." Qing Li's expression became serious. "Changed?" Wang Xio gave a faint nod. "If someone controls history..." His fingers lightly brushed across one of the carved pillars. "...They control what future generations believe."
Hei Long silently looked around the village behind them before quietly adding, "And if everyone believes the same story..." His gaze returned to the archive. "No one will ever question it." Qing Li slowly lowered his eyes."So this place isn't protecting history..." Wang Xio finished his sentence. "It's protecting the version of history that survived." None of them spoke again.
The enormous wooden doors were already slightly open. Before anyone reached them, they slowly creaked inward by themselves and cool breeze quietly drifted out from the darkness beyond the entrance, carrying the faint scent of old paper and ancient ink. Almost immediately, dozens of lanterns hanging throughout the enormous hall lit one after another without anyone touching them. Warm golden light slowly spread through the darkness, revealing endless rows of towering wooden shelves stretching farther than the eye could follow.
Qing Li instinctively took half a step behind Wang Xio before nervously whispering, "I'm beginning to think this village knows exactly where we are." Hei Long quietly watched the lanterns continue lighting themselves deeper and deeper inside the archive. "Maybe..." he softly replied, "...it always has." Qing Li swallowed quietly. "Can it hear us too?" Hei Long looked toward the darkness ahead before answering with a faint smile. "Let's hope it doesn't mind noisy visitors." Qing Li immediately looked at him. "You're talking about me again, aren't you?" Hei Long calmly replied, "You figured it out surprisingly fast." Qing Li folded his arms. "I'm choosing to believe that was a compliment." Wang Xio quietly interrupted before the conversation continued. "Stay alert." They quietly nodded before following him into the archive.
The three stopped almost after crossing the entrance.Before them stretched an endless sea of scrolls. Thousands... No... Tens of thousands. Rows upon rows of towering wooden shelves disappeared into the darkness above and beyond them until the end could no longer be seen. Every shelf overflowed with ancient scrolls carefully tied with faded silk ribbons of different colors. Some shelves reached so high they seemed to disappear into the ceiling itself. Qing Li slowly turned in a full circle, his mouth hanging slightly open in complete disbelief. "How many scrolls are even in here?" Hei Long lifted his eyes toward the endless shelves before softly replying, "Enough that counting them would probably take a lifetime."
Qing Li immediately looked at him. "Please don't volunteer me." Hei Long answered without changing his expression. "I wasn't planning to." Qing Li dramatically let out a relieved sigh. "Good." Wang Xio quietly walked toward the nearest shelf and removed one scroll. Surprisingly, there was no dust anywhere. The old paper remained perfectly preserved, as though someone had placed it there only yesterday. Qing Li slowly stepped closer and looked between the shelf and the scroll. "That's strange." He gently touched the wooden shelf with one finger before immediately pulling his hand back. "Even our village library gets dusty."
Hei Long quietly ran his fingertips across another shelf before looking at Wang Xio. "Someone has been taking care of this place." Qing Li immediately looked around the enormous archive. "But... there's nobody here." Wang Xio slowly unrolled the ancient scroll. The old paper made a soft rustling sound that echoed through the silent hall. The moment it fully opened, all three quietly froze. Stamped across the very top of the parchment was a seal every one of them recognized immediately. A circle of silver clouds surrounding a golden sun. Qing Li's eyes widened in disbelief."The Heavenly Court..." He immediately grabbed another scroll from a nearby shelf. Then another. Then another. Every single one bore exactly the same seal. Hei Long silently looked across the endless archive."They're all the same." Qing Li slowly turned toward Wang Xio, confusion written all over his face. "Why would Heaven keep records here?" Wang Xio remained silent for several long moments.He gently placed it back onto the shelf exactly where it had been. Finally he quietly answered, "Because..." His gaze lingered upon the countless forgotten records surrounding them. "History belongs to the victor."
Qing Li lowered the scroll in his hands and frowned. "Then..." He hesitated before asking, "...does that mean history can lie?" Wang Xio didn't answer right away Instead, he picked up another scroll and examined the Heavenly Court seal pressed into the paper. After several moments, he quietly replied, "History rarely lies." He brushed his thumb across the seal. "But the people who write it sometimes do." Qing Li slowly looked around the endless archive. "So everything here could be true..." He swallowed quietly. "...Or only the truth Heaven wanted people to remember."
Hei Long folded his arms and observed the towering shelves disappearing into the darkness above. "If Heaven collected every record..." His voice remained calm. "Then what happened to the records they didn't want anyone to see?" None of them spoke.
Wang Xio closed the scroll before placing it exactly where he had found it. "That's probably what we're really here to find." Qing Li nodded slowly. "The missing history." Hei Long quietly glanced deeper into the archive. "Then we shouldn't waste time reading what's already been approved." Wang Xio looked toward him with quiet approval. "Agreed."
The three separated slightly, and searching different sections of the enormous archive. Qing Li wandered between shelves far taller than any tree he had ever seen, occasionally standing on his toes to read faded labels tied beneath each row. "Village records and Harvest Reports..." "Spirit Contracts..."He stopped again before letting out a long sigh. "Whoever organized this place must have been obsessed with putting everything in order." His voice echoed softly through the silent hall.Wang Xio, who was already examining another shelf several rows away, calmly replied without looking up, "Order makes information easier to hide."Qing Li raised an eyebrow."Hide? I thought order was supposed to make things easier to find."
Wang Xio rolled another scroll open before quietly answering, "Only if you already know what you're looking for." Qing Li frowned thoughtfully."That's annoyingly reasonable." He folded his arms before looking around once more. "Talking to you is exhausting." Wang Xio's expression remained calm. "Yet you keep talking." Qing Li couldn't help laughing. "That's because if I don't, this place feels creepy." Hei Long looked over from another aisle, the faint smile appearing on his face. "So you're admitting you're nervous?" Qing Li immediately shook his head. "I'm admitting the archive is nervous. I'm just keeping it company." Hei Long gave him a questioning look. "The archive?"
Qing Li nodded with complete confidence. "Think about it. It's been empty for years. Imagine how boring that would be." Even Wang Xio paused for a brief moment before quietly saying, "If the archive could hear you..." Qing Li grinned. "Then at least it wouldn't be lonely anymore." Hei Long let out a quiet chuckle. "You're either very brave..." He looked around the endless shelves before calmly finishing, "...or completely unaware of when you should stay quiet." Qing Li pointed toward him with a playful smile. "I'll accept the first one." "I wasn't giving you a choice," Hei Long replied. Qing Li placed one hand over his chest in mock offense. "You two really enjoy ruining my confidence."
Wang Xio finally looked up from the scroll in his hands. "You rebuild it fast enough." Qing Li blinked before smiling. "Was that your way of saying something nice?" Wang Xio calmly rolled the scroll closed again. "Don't get used to it." Qing Li laughed quietly. "Too late." Then Wang Xio examined another section filled with scrolls marked by different centuries. Every record remained perfectly preserved.
Hei Long slowly walked toward the darkest corner of the archive where only a single lantern burned. Something about that quiet corner felt... different. His eyes carefully examined the wooden shelves before suddenly stopping. "Wang Xio." His voice wasn't loud, but both Wang Xio and Qing Li immediately turned toward him. Hei Long slowly knelt beside the lowest shelf. "Come here."