Chapter 311

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Chapter 311: Life or Death

Bai Wei walked beneath the crimson moonlight.

Unconsciously, tiny golden particles overflowed from his shoulders, resembling tiny fireflies or sparks flying from a flame.

Such phenomena always seemed to occur when mysteries met. If it weren’t for the faint remnants of his once-great power that had been restored, Bai Wei would never have willingly bathed in the crimson moonlight. Its influence was growing stronger, nearing what it had been five hundred years ago.

Recalling the faint song he had heard when infected by the Scarlet Curse, Bai Wei glanced up at the moon and mused that someday, he might actually have the chance to visit it—preferably alone, with his golden throne.

He followed the moonlight along the rugged mountain path, where no one else seemed to walk. The few scattered footprints he saw hinted that very few people had passed this way.

The journey up the mountain was perilous, filled with wild beasts. Bai Wei encountered several large carnivorous animals. They exchanged a brief glance, but Bai Wei continued climbing, unfazed. The animals quickly vanished, running into the distance, their scent masked by the earthy smell of the forest.

Not long after, a sacred gate appeared ahead.

This sacred gate separated two different worlds, inside and outside.

Bai Wei stepped through, but oddly, he didn’t sense any immediate changes. It seemed the protective barrier here had long lost its effectiveness. The sacred ropes were disordered, and the gate itself was dirty, lacking the vibrant crimson color it once had. Instead, it had faded into a dull, dim yellow.

There were no signs of anyone having stayed here. After all, staying in such deep mountains at night could attract wild beasts. The rooms inside the shrine were locked and undisturbed.

“Are there no traces of visits?” Bai Wei furrowed his brow, surveying the area.

Suddenly, a pale exclamation mark appeared in his vision, drawing his attention.

He followed it and discovered a wooden frame with many Ema hanging from it—wooden plaques with wishes or prayers to the gods. Most were old, except for one piece that appeared brand new.

Taking it off, Bai Wei snapped his fingers, and a golden shimmer dispelled the darkness, illuminating the patterns on the Ema.

The design was simple—two people holding hands. When flipped over, it revealed a fragment of an ancient poem: “May I win someone’s heart, and never part until our hair turns white.”

Bai Wei’s heart skipped a beat—not because of the deep emotion the poem suggested, but because the line originated from the Poem of White Hair. If one read the entire poem, it revealed the inner thoughts of a forsaken woman. The most striking part was the last line: “A man should value loyalty, why use riches and mighty power to forget about me.”

The fact that this line was chosen suggested a confession, but not just any confession—a reproach toward men.

Bai Wei’s mouth twitched. “I feel so unjustly accused!”

As he gazed at the Ema, an exclamation mark reappeared, revealing two options within his field of vision.

[Dead end]

[A way out]

[Note: Choose one, the dead end is not your dead end, the way out is not your way out.]

“What a beach volleyball,” Bai Wei muttered, sensing the challenge ahead.

The choice was simple: most people would pick the way out. But given that the dead end was not truly a dead end, it didn’t matter.

Bai Wei found himself standing at a literal dead end with only two options in front of him.

The Ema began to glow gently, and Bai Wei felt a sudden weightlessness sweep over him. His body was involuntarily pulled forward, and a hollow appeared in the center of the bird-shaped gate. It was transparent, ethereal, like the hollow gate beneath the Meishin Taisha. It seemed to lead into the depths of the universe.

This was a door, but Bai Wei had no idea where it would lead.

He never imagined that he would encounter such a dead end. He tried to remain still, but the pull of gravity was too strong. Within a few seconds, he was thrown into the hollow gate, floating in mid-air.

As time stretched, he felt as though he had leapt from a high place, crossing several steps. Yet, the whole process was extended tenfold, making moments stretch into minutes.

Bai Wei blinked. The scenery around him shifted rapidly. The ground alternated between light and darkness, trees withered and bloomed, snow fell and melted, and maple leaves changed colors.

Thud.

Bai Wei’s feet landed once more on the mountain path. He looked around, surprised to find the familiar scenery surrounding him, though there were notable changes. The torii gate, once dull and yellow, was now a vibrant vermilion red.

He stepped forward with excitement, realizing that the shrine before him had transformed—its old, broken structure had been renovated. The sacred ropes were replaced, and the divine aura returned.

Inside the torii gate, a separate little world had formed.

Bai Wei couldn’t believe it had all happened so quickly. Could a construction team have come through? The recent changes seemed vivid and fresh in his mind, sparking a connection in his imagination.

He glanced at the Ema again, this time feeling certain about who had left it behind.

“Hokusinn Kichyō.”

This girl had a deep connection to Kamitsumi Shrine, and she seemed to have a special bond with time travel.

Is it time again?

Bai Wei’s face remained calm.

Before, it had been a continuous loop, but this time, it didn’t seem like a loop. Instead, it felt as if they were being transported to a time far in the future—or perhaps, a time long past.

He entered the shrine, thinking that since it was intact, there should be someone inside. It wouldn’t hurt to ask what year it was tonight, much like in the funny picture, “We have successfully time-traveled, let’s ask a passerby what era it is.”

With this thought, his mind eased. If they had time-traveled, he could investigate the cause, maybe even alter certain events.

As he walked toward the shrine, he suddenly heard a woman’s voice.

“Before entering the shrine, you need to purify yourself. At the very least, wash your hands clean,” she said calmly.

Bai Wei scanned the area and saw a shrine maiden standing beneath an ancient tree in the courtyard. She wore traditional blue-and-white attire, but her clothes had a cool tone, lacking the usual vibrancy. Her features were obscured by the shadows, but Bai Wei noticed her short hair. He could tell she wasn’t one of the shrine maidens he knew.

“I never expected the shrine maiden to be open for business so late at night,” Bai Wei remarked.

“I never thought anyone would come up the mountain so late,” the shrine maiden replied.

Bai Wei shrugged. “I’m a visitor from afar, here to pay my respects to this shrine.”

The shrine maiden tilted her head. “Do you mean what you just said?”

“Are we not allowed to pay our respects here?”

“Allowed, just that I’ve traveled so far to offer my respects…” She sized him up. “You don’t really look like a backpacker, though.”

“Alright, you caught me,” Bai Wei said with a raised hand. “I got lost.”

The shrine maiden gave him a long look, then sighed. “You’re still lying.”

“Why?”

“This is halfway up the mountain. If you’re lost, you should be looking for the path down, not climbing up.”

“I saw a faint light in the distance, so I came closer, thinking there might be a shrine or temple here where I could stay the night.”

“The lies are convincing, but this shrine has been deserted for a long time,” the priestess said, shaking her head. “Even outsiders won’t come here.”

“Why?”

“This is a question I should be asking,” the shrine maiden repeated. “If you still won’t speak your intentions, I may have to close up and ask you to leave.”

Bai Wei scratched his head. “Actually, I came here to find someone.”

“I told you before, no one has been here for a long time,” the priestess sighed. “Whoever you’re looking for, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

“May I not even ask for your name?” Bai Wei persisted.

“I’m sorry, but I have to ask you to leave,” the priestess said politely. “Please, leave this place.”

An air of estrangement enveloped him, and Bai Wei found himself involuntarily stepping back.

Had it really come true in one fell swoop? What was this—alchemy of gold, or the power of words?

“Hokusinn Kichyō,” Bai Wei spoke the name. “Has she been here by any chance?”

The estranged feeling disappeared, and Bai Wei finally saw the shrine maiden emerging from the shadows. Her eyes—pale golden vertical pupils—became visible, as did her face concealed by a terrifying Hannya mask.

“Where did you hear this name?” she demanded.

The estranged feeling vanished, but in its place came a more intense sense of oppression.