The moon was exceptionally bright that night.
But the road leading to the Nameless Shrine was strangely dark.
The three of them had been walking for nearly an hour.
There was no sound of insects.
No birdsong.
Even the wind was silent.
Mạnh Ái carried the lantern between Hạnh Nhi and Tô Tuấn.
She looked at the road ahead, then glanced to either side.
"Does anyone else think this is strange?"
Hạnh Nhi answered:
"Yes."
"Then why are you still walking?"
"Because we're here."
Mạnh Ái looked up.
At the end of the road stood a small shrine.
The stone gate was covered in moss.
There was no name on the sign.
Only a deep slash through the center.
Tô Tuấn stared at it.
"How long has this shrine been here?"
Hạnh Nhi stepped closer.
"At least a hundred years."
"You know that?"
"I read about it once."
"In a Mao Mountain book?"
"Yeah."
"Then who is worshiped inside?"
Hạnh Nhi fell silent.
Mạnh Ái immediately asked:
"You don't know?"
"It has no name."
"How can something with no name be worshiped?"
"That's exactly why it's called the Nameless Shrine."
The three of them stepped inside.
There was only one main hall.
No deity statues.
No memorial tablets.
Only a stone altar.
A red lantern sat on top of it.
The flame inside burned with perfect steadiness.
Hạnh Nhi stopped.
"Don't take another step."
Mạnh Ái immediately froze.
"What is it?"
"A ritual formation."
Tô Tuấn looked around.
"Where?"
"Under our feet."
Hạnh Nhi took out an old coin and tossed it onto the ground.
Clang.
Red lines immediately appeared across the floor.
A huge circle covered the entire hall.
Mạnh Ái swallowed.
"We're standing inside it?"
"Yeah."
"Can we still get out?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Hạnh Nhi looked at the red lantern.
"Wait for him to appear."
Tô Tuấn asked:
"You know he'll come?"
"This is where he wants us to come."
"Then where is he?"
A voice rang out from behind them.
"Here."
Mạnh Ái spun around in shock.
There was no one there.
Hạnh Nhi didn't turn around.
"Come out."
"You're still as cautious as ever."
The voice came from the roof of the shrine.
Hạnh Nhi looked up.
A figure stood on the roof.
He wore black.
A silver mask covered half his face.
The silver ring on his hand reflected the moonlight.
Huyền Sát.
He jumped into the courtyard.
He made no sound at all.
Tô Tuấn stared at him.
"Are you the one who harmed the Tô family?"
Huyền Sát smiled.
"No."
"I only helped you see what had already existed."
Tô Tuấn frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your family has owed this debt for a very long time."
Huyền Sát looked toward Hạnh Nhi.
"And you..."
"You carry a debt owed by Mao Mountain."
Hạnh Nhi tightened her grip on her sword.
"You know me?"
"I do."
"Since when?"
"Before you knew who you were."
Hạnh Nhi froze.
Mạnh Ái looked at her.
"You know him?"
"No."
Huyền Sát laughed.
"You really don't remember?"
"I don't need to remember."
"Then let me remind you."
Huyền Sát raised his hand.
A black talisman flew out.
It didn't attack Hạnh Nhi.
Instead, it flew straight toward the lantern.
Whoosh!
The red flame suddenly flared.
The scene before the three of them instantly changed.
The Nameless Shrine vanished.
In its place...
Stood a snow-covered mountain.
Hạnh Nhi stood in the middle of a stone courtyard.
A girl of about seven knelt on the ground.
She wore Daoist robes far too large for her.
A cinnabar mark stood on her forehead.
A woman stood before her.
"What's your name, child?"
The girl raised her head.
"Hạnh Nhi."
"Where did you come from?"
"I don't know."
"Do you remember your parents?"
The girl shook her head.
"No."
The woman sighed.
"Then from today onward..."
"You are a disciple of Mao Mountain."
Hạnh Nhi stood there, stunned.
Mạnh Ái looked at her.
"That was you?"
Hạnh Nhi didn't answer.
The scene continued to change.
The girl grew older.
Ten years old.
Twelve.
Fifteen.
Eighteen.
Always practicing her sword alone.
Studying talismans alone.
Going down the mountain alone.
Then one day...
A man in black appeared before the gates of Mao Mountain.
He stood facing an elderly Daoist.
"Give me the child."
"No."
"The girl belongs to Xuanmen."
"The girl belongs to Mao Mountain."
"You've raised her long enough."
"No."
The man in black drew his sword.
The battle began.
The image immediately shattered.
Hạnh Nhi returned to the Nameless Shrine.
She looked at Huyền Sát.
"What are you trying to say?"
"You really don't remember?"
"No."
"Then I'll tell you."
Huyền Sát removed his mask.
A still fairly young face appeared beneath it.
But his eyes were terrifyingly old.
"I was once a disciple of Mao Mountain."
Hạnh Nhi froze.
"Eighteen years ago, I was expelled."
"Why?"
"Because I found something Mao Mountain didn't want the world to know."
"What?"
Huyền Sát pointed at the shrine floor.
"The Yin River isn't where the dead go."
"It's another world."
"And at the end of the Yin River..."
"Something is sleeping."
Hạnh Nhi's voice turned cold.
"What is it?"
"No one knows."
"But Mao Mountain sealed it away."
Huyền Sát smiled.
"No."
"Mao Mountain didn't seal it away."
"They're guarding it."
Hạnh Nhi fell silent.
Mạnh Ái asked:
"What's the difference?"
"There is a difference."
Huyền Sát looked at her.
"Sealing something means keeping it from getting out."
"Guarding it means waiting for the day it wakes up."
The air in the shrine immediately turned cold.
Tô Tuấn asked:
"Then why do you want to open the door?"
Huyền Sát looked at him.
"Because I want to know what's in there."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
Hạnh Nhi shook her head.
"No."
"You're lying."
Huyền Sát smiled.
"That's right."
"I also want to save someone."
He looked toward the red lantern.
A small shadow appeared.
A nine-year-old girl.
Tô Tuấn recognized her immediately.
"My sister!"
The girl stood beside Huyền Sát.
But this time...
Her face was no longer indistinct.
Her eyes had pupils.
The girl looked at Tô Tuấn.
"Big brother."
Tô Tuấn stepped forward.
"Tiểu Vũ."
Hạnh Nhi raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't."
Tô Tuấn looked at her.
"That's my sister."
"I know."
"Then why are you stopping me?"
"Because her soul is bound."
Huyền Sát smiled.
"You saw through it."
"Let her go."
"No."
"Then I'll take her myself."
Hạnh Nhi drew her sword.
Huyền Sát drew his as well.
The two swords collided.
Clang!
The sound rang throughout the shrine.
Hạnh Nhi was faster.
One strike.
Two.
Three.
Huyền Sát blocked every one.
Mạnh Ái stood outside the ritual formation, afraid to enter.
"Can she fight him?"
Tô Tuấn watched the two of them.
"It looks like..."
"No."
Mạnh Ái cut him off.
"She's injured."
Indeed.
The black mark on Hạnh Nhi's neck had yet to disappear after she rescued Tô Tuấn.
Every time she circulated her energy, it spread a little farther.
Huyền Sát noticed.
He smiled.
"You're using your yang energy to suppress the curse talisman."
"And you still want to fight me?"
"I can manage."
"No."
Huyền Sát suddenly appeared behind her.
He struck her directly in the back with his palm.
Hạnh Nhi was sent flying.
Mạnh Ái screamed.
"Hạnh Nhi!"
She ran over.
Hạnh Nhi used her sword to push herself back to her feet.
"Don't come in."
"But you're hurt!"
"I know."
"Then let me help!"
"You can't help me."
Mạnh Ái gritted her teeth.
Huyền Sát looked at her.
"You want to save her?"
"Of course."
"Then I'll give you a choice."
He raised his hand.
A stream of black smoke wrapped around Mạnh Ái.
"Come with me."
"I'll remove the Yin Seal."
"No!"
Hạnh Nhi spoke up immediately.
Mạnh Ái looked at Huyền Sát.
"Are you telling the truth?"
"I've never lied about what I want."
"Then I'll go."
Hạnh Nhi turned around.
"You can't."
Mạnh Ái looked at her.
"You just said I can't help you."
"I did."
"Then at least I can trade myself."
"No."
"Why?"
Hạnh Nhi didn't answer.
Mạnh Ái stepped forward.
"You always tell me I have to live."
"But you've never asked me how I want to live."
Hạnh Nhi froze.
Mạnh Ái looked straight at her.
"I want to live."
"But I also want to make my own decisions."
"I don't want other people saving me forever."
Huyền Sát laughed.
"That's right."
"People have to know how to choose."
Mạnh Ái turned to him.
"Fine."
"I'll go with you."
Hạnh Nhi immediately grabbed her hand.
"No."
Mạnh Ái looked at her.
Hạnh Nhi spoke very softly:
"I'll save you."
"I promise."
Mạnh Ái smiled.
"I believe you."
At that very moment...
A sword pierced through the ritual formation.
Huyền Sát wasn't the one who struck.
It was Tiểu Vũ.
The girl held a small sword.
She drove it straight into Huyền Sát's chest.
He froze.
"You..."
The girl raised her head.
"You're lying."
Huyền Sát staggered backward.
"What?"
"You don't want to save me."
"You want to use me."
Huyền Sát looked at the girl.
A surge of black energy exploded outward.
"You little brat!"
Hạnh Nhi immediately rushed forward.
She used her sword to sever the stream of 阴 energy.
Tiểu Vũ was pulled toward Tô Tuấn.
"Big brother!"
Tô Tuấn wrapped his arms around her.
"I'm here."
The girl trembled.
"Run."
"He'll kill everyone."
Huyền Sát stood in the middle of the shrine.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
But he was still smiling.
"Too late."
Hạnh Nhi looked down at the floor.
The ritual formation was glowing.
Seven red lines connected to form a circle.
Mạnh Ái suddenly screamed:
"Hạnh Nhi!"
"Look under your feet!"
Hạnh Nhi lowered her head.
Hundreds of tiny characters had appeared on the stone floor.
They were all names.
People who had died.
People who had been cursed.
People who had been used as sacrifices.
And at the end of the list...
There were three new names.
Tô Tuấn.
Mạnh Ái.
Hạnh Nhi.
Hạnh Nhi stood frozen.
Huyền Sát looked at her.
"Do you understand now?"
"I don't need to kill you."
"All I needed was for you to step inside."
"The ritual formation is complete."
Boom!
The Nameless Shrine shook violently.
The stone altar split apart.
A stream of black energy erupted from beneath the ground.
Tô Tuấn carried Tiểu Vũ as he backed away.
Mạnh Ái stood pressed against Hạnh Nhi.
"What did you say it was?"
Hạnh Nhi stared at the crack beneath the altar.
Her face had gone deathly pale.
"A door."
"What kind of door?"
"The real door."
Huyền Sát burst out laughing.
"It's finally open."
A sound rose from beneath the ground.
It wasn't a roar.
It was...
a knock at the door.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Hạnh Nhi looked down.
She suddenly realized something.
The Yin River hadn't opened on its own.
Something on the other side...
was knocking.
And it knew they were here.
Hạnh Nhi immediately pulled Mạnh Ái along.
"Get outside!"
"What about him?"
"Everyone!"
The three of them ran together.
But the shrine's door had disappeared.
In its place...
stood a black wall.
There was no way out.
Hạnh Nhi turned around.
Huyền Sát had disappeared.
Only his voice echoed through the shrine:
"Hạnh Nhi."
"If you want to save your friend..."
"If you want to save the Tô family..."
"If you want to learn who you really are..."
"Then go down into the Yin River."
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
This time...
the knocking sounded directly behind Hạnh Nhi.
She slowly turned her head.
In the crack beneath the shrine floor...
A colossal eye was opening.
It wasn't a human eye.
It wasn't a ghost's eye.
It was a pale-yellow eye, so deep it seemed capable of seeing straight through the soul.
It stared directly at Hạnh Nhi.
Then a voice sounded inside her head.
It wasn't loud.
But it was clear.
"At last..."
"You've returned."
Hạnh Nhi stood there, stunned.
Mạnh Ái looked at her.
"Hạnh Nhi?"
She didn't answer.
Because in that moment...
she saw a memory she had never had.
A newborn baby.
A weeping woman.
A Daoist in black robes.
A Mao Mountain sword.
And herself...
being placed before the door to the Yin River.
Beside her lay a piece of red jade.
A single character was carved into it.
"Hạnh."
Hạnh Nhi opened her eyes.
Cold sweat trickled down her temple.
She looked at her wrist.
Beneath her Daoist robes...
A red mark was slowly appearing.
It was identical to the symbol on the door.
For the first time in her life...
Hạnh Nhi felt genuine fear.
Because she understood.
Perhaps she wasn't the one chosen to stop the door from opening.
Perhaps she was...
the one who had once been born on the other side of the door.