Spiritual residue might lurk within the Confinent Chambers, but unlike those formidable spirits of shrine maidens and priests outside, the spirits here largely consisted of unborn children who hadn’t fully developed.
These spirits were not as powerful as common knowledge might suggest.
On the contrary, they were quite weak.
After all, these children had died in the womb, unaware of notions such as ’longing’ or ’resentnt,’ and their manifested spiritual bodies were rely ford by the resentnt lingering in the spiritual realm.
In this world where spirits are purely ford by the living’s mories, the strength of infant spirits was naturally low.
After conducting rites for these spirits at Beichuan Si, he also searched room by room.
But, just as Beichuan had thought earlier, he found no useful information in these small rooms.
Even searching for so trace of Four Directions Wangyue proved fruitless.
It was no surprise.
After all, Four Directions Wangyue was at least ten years old, certainly a young girl, and the occupants in the confinent rooms must have changed over the years. Post-delivery, Wangyue’s mother would have moved out, leaving no information behind.
However—
Beichuan didn’t believe such an extensive Confinent Chamber would operate without record-keepers or caretakers.
Even if nothing could be found within the chambers, there should be records in the rooms of the shrine maidens or priests tasked with docuntation.
After all, pregnant won were an extrely vulnerable group; the Four Directions Family would not have settled them in just any room.
Beichuan lifted his flashlight again, the beam cutting through the darkness.
At the end of his view was a firmly closed Japanese-style paper door.
That room...
Beichuan’s gaze flickered as he stepped forward to the paper door.
He tentatively tugged at the door.
With the sound of sliding and the falling dust, the room’s interior ca into view for Beichuan.
A simple wooden bed, with bedding laid on.
A writing desk, and a bookshelf leaning against it.
The office-like setup invigorated Beichuan.
He quickly stepped inside, approaching the desk.
A thick registry book lay open on the desk.
Beichuan exhaled, blowing so dust off the registry book before gingerly picking it up.
The damaged cover bore a few characters.
"Four Directions Confinent Registry."
The traditional, thread-bound book looked ancient and worn at first glance.
Beichuan held the flashlight, directing all the light onto the registry.
He flipped to the first page.
"’Confinent Registry’ admonition:"
"The Confinent Chambers are crucial for nurturing newborns for the Four Directions Family. Shrine maidens and priests must care for the pregnant won properly."
"Negligence in duties is not tolerated."
"Should there be negligence, shrine maidens and priests will be sent to the wooden cage prison as criminals."
"Do not permit unauthorized entry into the Confinent Chambers."
As Beichuan had speculated, this place was indeed where the Four Directions Family nurtured newborns, and shrine maidens and priests were indeed punished by imprisonnt for any lack of care.
He read further.
The "Confinent Registry" contained sparse details—mostly the conditions of newborns, nas, genders, birth dates, and family affiliations.
But as Beichuan skimd these entries, an idea struck him.
Wasn’t this a perfect clue to finding Four Directions Wangyue?
He carefully flipped through the pages.
Four Directions Wangyue...
Four Directions Wangyue...
Four Directions Wangyue...
As Beichuan neared the middle of the "Confinent Registry," he finally found the na he sought.
Four Directions Wangyue.
But—
Beichuan frowned, a look of surprise crossing his features.
Behind him, Magong Yongshi drifted out tily.
She too was visibly shocked at the unexpected scene before them.
Covering her small mouth, she stared at the line clearly written behind the "Confinent Registry," her emotions flurrying.
"Four Directions...Huixue?"
Beichuan remained silent.
What was going on here?
Why would the na Four Directions Huixue appear here?
And why... was Four Directions Huixue’s na... appended precisely after Four Directions Wangyue?
Could it be... had Four Directions Wangyue changed her na to Four Directions Huixue?
But that na... the daughter of the Four Directions Family Head who led Beichuan into the spiritual realm... her na was also Four Directions Huixue.
Beichuan pondered.
Was the duplication of these nas rely coincidental?
What exactly had happened back then within the Four Directions Family?
Beichuan flipped back and forth through the "Confinent Registry."
Even with repeated examination, no further useful information surfaced.
This "Confinent Registry" simply docunted brief information on births over a span of a decade.
Beichuan set down the "Confinent Registry" and took a deep breath.
He had believed he was on the verge of connecting all the threads of the mystery, only to encounter such a startling twist at the crucial mont.
Beichuan couldn’t believe the exact match between those two instances of the na Four Directions Huixue was just a coincidence.
"Four Directions Huixue..." Beichuan muttered the na to himself.
He felt that what lay before him was, perhaps, a secret buried decades ago under the Four Directions Family, known to very few.
Carefully, Beichuan placed the "Confinent Registry" into his backpack and walked over to the bookshelf.
Reviews
All reviews (0)