Spiritual residue might lurk within the Confinement 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 'resentment,' and their manifested spiritual bodies were merely formed by the resentment lingering in the spiritual realm.

In this world where spirits are purely formed by the living's memories, 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 some 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 confinement 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 Confinement 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 documentation.

After all, pregnant women were an extremely 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 came 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 some dust off the registry book before gingerly picking it up.

The damaged cover bore a few characters.

"Four Directions Confinement 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.

"'Confinement Registry' admonition:"

"The Confinement Chambers are crucial for nurturing newborns for the Four Directions Family. Shrine maidens and priests must care for the pregnant women 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 Confinement 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 imprisonment for any lack of care.

He read further.

The "Confinement Registry" contained sparse details—mostly the conditions of newborns, names, genders, birth dates, and family affiliations.

But as Beichuan skimmed 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 "Confinement Registry," he finally found the name he sought.

Four Directions Wangyue.

But—

Beichuan frowned, a look of surprise crossing his features.

Behind him, Magong Yongshi drifted out timely.

She too was visibly shocked at the unexpected scene before them.

Covering her small mouth, she stared at the line clearly written behind the "Confinement Registry," her emotions flurrying.

"Four Directions...Huixue?"

Beichuan remained silent.

What was going on here?

Why would the name Four Directions Huixue appear here?

And why... was Four Directions Huixue's name... appended precisely after Four Directions Wangyue?

Could it be... had Four Directions Wangyue changed her name to Four Directions Huixue?

But that name... the daughter of the Four Directions Family Head who led Beichuan into the spiritual realm... her name was also Four Directions Huixue.

Beichuan pondered.

Was the duplication of these names merely coincidental?

What exactly had happened back then within the Four Directions Family?

Beichuan flipped back and forth through the "Confinement Registry."

Even with repeated examination, no further useful information surfaced.

This "Confinement Registry" simply documented brief information on births over a span of a decade.

Beichuan set down the "Confinement 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 moment.

Beichuan couldn't believe the exact match between those two instances of the name Four Directions Huixue was just a coincidence.

"Four Directions Huixue..." Beichuan muttered the name 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 "Confinement Registry" into his backpack and walked over to the bookshelf.

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