But this led to a contradiction.

Four Directions Wangyue and Four Directions Wenji were mutually attracted and each possessed a Hook Jade. No one should have been able to interfere with their love anymore.

Yet in reality, Four Directions Wangyue's whereabouts were unknown, and Four Directions Wenji had been escorted to a wooden cage prison, eventually torn apart by vile creatures that emerged from Moon Ghost Lake.

Thinking of this, Beichuan Si turned his head and looked at the Shinra Bell and called out, "Yongshi."

"Is something the matter, Mr. Temple?" Magong Yongshi emerged from the Shinra Bell, her expression somewhat baffled.

"I have a question for you."

Beichuan Si put down the vermilion document, his expression somewhat serious.

Upon seeing Beichuan Si's demeanor, the previously puzzled look on Magong Yongshi's face disappeared; she straightened up seriously and looked at him, "Please ask."

The earnest manner of these two even made the Shenzhu Shihui, who had been hiding in the Shinra Bell, curious enough to drift out.

Meanwhile, Nishijou Kurenai, who was perched on Beichuan Si's shoulder, also pricked up her ears silently, listening intently.

Under their scrutiny, Beichuan Si showed no hesitation; he spoke concisely and straightforwardly.

The content was very simple.

So simple that it left Magong Yongshi without thought, instinctively responding.

"Is your chastity still intact?"

"It is."

Silence—

The air suddenly fell dead silent.

Beichuan Si's question was decisive.

Magong Yongshi's reply was focused and serious.

But...

Hmm...?

Huh?????

Um...

Magong Yongshi's face trembled rapidly; even without the ability to blush, given she was a good spirit, it was evident she was shaken to the core.

What did Mr. Temple just ask me?

Is my chastity still intact?

Magong Yongshi felt her brain turn to mush, her mouth opening and closing without words.

The question Beichuan Si asked was essentially the equivalent of asking Magong Yongshi, "Are you still a virgin?"

What about my response?

How could I so boldly... utter such rude words before Mr. Temple?!

She gasped for a long time, then suddenly bowed her head, her voice, usually gentle and submissive, now panicked, "I'm sorry! Truly very sorry! I cannot believe I spoke such disrespectful words before Mr. Temple... No... Such vulgar, such offensive words... Ah! Please forgive me, Mr. Temple!"

Magong Yongshi was flush with embarrassment, hurriedly bowing her head repeatedly to Beichuan Si.

Her demeanor left Shenzhu Shihui speechless.

Shenzhu Shihui opened her mouth, and it took a good while to mutter, "But wasn't it Beichuan who asked you? Shouldn't the problem be Beichuan's?"

"How could that be!" Magong Yongshi turned her head, matter-of-factly retorting, "How could Mr. Temple possibly be at fault?"

"I..." Shenzhu Shihui's eyes widened in shock.

Magong Yongshi's self-assured statement left her temporarily at a loss for words to counter.

Then, she heard Magong Yongshi's supposedly justified words, "Since Mr. Temple has no problem, then the problem must definitely lie with me."

"..." Shenzhu Shihui's mouth twitched.

Magong Yongshi's way of speaking had her nearly dizzy.

What does it mean that if Mr. Temple has no problem, then it's my problem?

Isn't the fact that you think that way the real problem?

Ignoring the bewildered Shenzhu Shihui, Magong Yongshi turned to look at Beichuan Si, who was in deep thought, "May I know why Mr. Temple suddenly asked this question?"

"I was just thinking about something. I remember... a priestess should maintain a pure and chaste body, right?"

Beichuan Si posed the question.

"Indeed. A priestess must maintain purity, and she must be an unmarried woman. This should be a prerequisite in any kind of ritual."

Magong Yongshi thought for a moment, then added a sentence in her reply.

Is that really the case?

Beichuan Si picked up the vermilion document.

If even the family head's daughter couldn't defy the Four-direction Hook Jade legend... then what if she herself served Tsukuyomi... that is, the Moon Witch of the moon?

If she accepted someone else's Four-direction Hook Jade, could she marry that person?

Just a little thought was all it took to find the answer.

The legends of Yueyou Mountain were all built upon the belief in the moon, so what was a mere wedding purification ceremony compared to the taboo of touching upon the "moon?"

From this, one could also conjecturally deduce that this Four Directions Wangyue must have been the last Moon Witch of the Four Directions Family.

However, since the key evidence that Four Directions Wangyue was the Moon Witch had not yet been found, Beichuan Si's speculation was merely a rough estimate.

But what could be certain was that all the previous clues had now been connected.

Was this generation's Moon Witch, Four Directions Wangyue, destabilized because the Four Directions Family had confined Four Directions Wenji, thus leading to the failure of the ceremony?

There were still doubts in this regard.

Beichuan Si pulled out the blood-stained document from his backpack.

It was a document written by Four Directions Wenji, with the writing on the top clearly visible.

"Why treat her this way? Ah... Ah... Four Directions Family... Why treat her this way?"

"I must get out of here, out of this wooden cage prison. She's still waiting for me... Yes, I can feel it... she's still waiting for me..."

As the Moon Witch, Four Directions Wangyue's status should have been extremely noble.

What exactly did the Four Directions Family do to such an important person?

And why do those things to her?

Beichuan Si was indeed curious.

But now, thinking about these things was utterly useless.

Beichuan Si conducted another sweep of the Wedding Purification Hall but did not find any trace of the Moon Gazing Mirror.

"It's time to leave," Beichuan Si moved and walked toward the door.

He had already investigated for about four hours, from eight o'clock to just past midnight.

And the time he had arranged to meet with Four Directions Huixue was at one in the morning.

Beichuan Si still had time to scout the spread of buildings to the left.

But that was just scouting, after all, they also needed to assemble.

It would be somewhat inappropriate if he returned late and aroused Four Directions Huixue's suspicions.

Beichuan Si briefly checked the items he had obtained.

An unknown-use hook jade, two wood ema plaques, "Moon Netherworld Marriage Purification Book," one "Moon Ghost Document," the blood-stained document...

Aside from the hook jade and ema plaques, Beichuan Si was more concerned with the rest of the "Moon Ghost Document."

Since the Moon Ghost Document in his possession was the first volume, there must also be a second volume, a third volume... and presumably several more halls of ritual as well.

He wondered what the contents of the documents in those halls of ritual might be.

Thinking this, Beichuan Si bit into a compressed biscuit, took a sip of water from his canteen, then changed the batteries in his flashlight before lifting his foot to continue moving forward.

But as Beichuan Si was moving forward, the ground beneath him suddenly trembled again and again.

It's as if the entire spiritual realm was shuddering with these vibrations.

"Earthquake?" Beichuan Si frowned.

This was the spiritual realm, how could there be an earthquake?

He steadied his stance, and after quite a while, the inexplicable trembling dissipated.

Everything stabilized once more, as if nothing had happened.

"..." Beichuan Si.

Strange...

Beichuan Si looked up.

Was this disturbance a common occurrence... or was it caused by something else?

With this in mind, he then continued to walk forward.

However... before Beichuan Si had gone far, the sound of a signal flare shot into the sky from behind him.

The fiery brilliance forced Beichuan Si to stop.

This was the assembly signal sent by Four Directions Huixue.

Upon receiving this signal, one was to exit the Shrine promptly.

But...

Beichuan Si pulled out his phone and glanced at it.

It was only half-past twelve now, why had Four Directions Huixue already sent out the signal to assemble?

Beichuan Si shook his head expressionlessly.

Spiritual Dagger Jian Ding was fired, piercing through the head of a resentful spirit lurking in the shadows, then he leisurely made his way back the way he came.

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