PDLP Chapter 177 My Old Self Under the Lamp
Chapter 177 My Old Self Under the Lamp
The lamp in front of the main tent had its flame flickering low.
The lights weren't bright, yet they illuminated that face very clearly.
Even the faint mark on the brow bone is the same.
That was an old wound Chen Fan had sustained at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain, where he was grazed by loose rocks. The wound had long since healed, but the mark remained faintly visible.
The person in front of me also has that.
Chen Fan remained silent.
He first looked down at his hands.
My hands were still shaking, not heavily, but like I had just touched ice water.
Sun Wukong took half a step forward, holding his golden cudgel horizontally in front of him, his eyes already changed.
"If you're going to pretend to be a ghost or spirit, at least make sure you look like a real person."
The person under the lamp glanced at him.
"The Monkey King still has such a quick temper."
When he opened his mouth, even his voice sounded like it.
It's not an accent learned from a shadow.
It's Chen Fan's habit of holding back a bit before uttering his words completely when he speaks.
Pigsy's scalp tingled with fear, and he shrank back behind the Bull Demon King, carrying his rake.
"Damn it, this is really a ghost story."
Xuanzang did not move.
He stared at the account pages on the table.
The ledger pages were very thick and had no borders.
It's like layers of old skin pressed on the table.
The first page has been turned.
There is only one line of text above.
The tenth operation, operated by Chen Fan.
Below the name, there is a drop of ink that hasn't dried yet.
The ink wasn't black; it was a dark reddish-brown.
Like it just squeezed out from someone's fingertips.
"It's not an illusion."
Xuanzang spoke first.
"It has a position, an account seal, and a signature."
The white-bearded old deacon knelt on the ground, his face as white as paper.
"The lampstand does not reflect the physical body, nor does it record inanimate objects, nor does it accept external thoughts. Only the one who keeps the records can sit under the lamp."
He looked up, his lips trembling.
There is only one place available for bookkeepers.
"You're here."
"He's here too."
"This...this is not proper."
The person under the lamp smiled.
"By the ninth time on the same stage, the rules have long been ruined."
As he spoke, he tapped his finger lightly on the ledger page.
Snapped.
The sound was very soft.
The newly opened black stone doors all around trembled simultaneously.
The dust seeping from the crack in the door all retreated back.
It was as if the entire venue was listening to him.
Chen Fan then looked up and stared at him.
"Who are you?"
"You're not asking sincerely."
The person under the lamp leaned back in their chair, speaking in a very calm tone.
"You already have a guess in your mind."
"You just don't want to admit it."
The tightness in Chen Fan's chest intensified.
From the moment his name was added to the top of the ledger, he had a very awkward feeling.
It was as if someone had worn his clothes, sat in his seat first, and even done half of what was on the table.
This feeling is disgusting.
It wasn't that I bumped into an imposter.
He bumped into someone who had arrived here even earlier than him.
Sun Wukong turned his head and glanced at Chen Fan.
"Old Chen, should we fight?"
"Listen first."
Chen Fan uttered two words without looking away.
The person under the lamp nodded.
"That's somewhat like you."
"You can take your time to guess who I am. Let me tell you something first."
"The tenth time, not the first time."
"It has been moving since the moment your name appeared."
"The first page is what I wrote down for you."
Chen Fan asked coldly, "What makes you think you can take notes for me?"
"Because you're late."
The person answered very quickly.
"That's because you didn't get to this point the previous nine times."
The room fell silent.
The Bull Demon King frowned, understanding only half of what he said.
"The previous nine times?"
"What do you mean? This isn't our first time here?"
The person under the lamp didn't look at him.
His gaze remained fixed on Chen Fan's face, as if looking in a mirror and suddenly seeing himself come alive, looking at the person from the opposite direction.
"You think you woke up from under the Five Finger Mountain and it's your first day in the game?"
"no."
"You think this is the first time the system has contacted you?"
"No, not exactly."
"The hundred years you fed the monkeys is real. And everything you did afterward is also real."
"But there were nine more accounting sessions before you."
"Nine times I wrote it, but it was all ruined in the first place."
Pigsy couldn't help but curse out loud.
"Bullshit. I, Old Pig, have followed you all the way here. Where did this nine times come from?"
"You're following this one."
The person under the lamp finally looked at him.
"This is the only time you'll remember."
Zhu Ganglie opened his mouth, but couldn't reply.
Xuanzang then raised his hand and pressed his brow.
The old Buddhist mark on his forehead flickered, as if something was being stirred up by those words.
"This humble monk..."
He paused for a moment.
"When I was in the Kingdom of Women, I saw a road in my dream."
"The roadside was full of upside-down prayer flags."
"At the far end sat an accountant."
"I never got a clear look at that face."
As he said this, he looked up at the light.
"So it was you."
The person under the lamp had a slightly weaker smile.
"You got too close that time, so I pushed you back."
A golden light flashed in Sun Wukong's eyes.
"So those broken parts weren't just a misunderstanding by Lao Sun."
"You were the one who laid a hand on me."
"It wasn't a matter of taking action."
"Just wiping the curtains."
After saying this, the person under the lamp reached out and pushed a stack of old pages on the corner of the table forward.
With a whoosh.
The ledger pages were spread out.
At the very top of every page, the same name is written.
Chen Fan.
Some of the ink marks are old, some are new.
Some were followed by a string of names.
Sun Wukong, Xuanzang, Ao Lie, and the Bull Demon King.
Some only had two characters written on them.
termination.
There were still a few pages left, so I simply tore them in half, leaving only one piece.
Chen Fan stared at the words, his back teeth clenching tighter and tighter.
He's not afraid of seeing a mess.
What he fears is that after all his hard work, someone might suddenly tell him that he has already lost nine times in this game.
That would crush people's morale.
The person under the lamp seemed to know what he was thinking and slowly began to speak.
"Don't be disgusted yet."
"You weren't useless the first nine times."
"From the very beginning, this place never intended for you to win."
He raised his finger and pointed to the top of his head.
There was nothing above.
As that finger fell, fine lines gradually appeared on the wall behind the black stone door.
It's like someone took a knife and carved words all over the stone.
It is not scripture.
It's a name.
Densely packed.
Behind each name is a thin thread.
Finally, gather all the loose ends towards the bottom of the main tent platform.
The white-bearded old deacon looked up and immediately bowed down.
"Old roster..."
"How did it get found..."
Chen Fan followed the lines and his expression gradually darkened.
He recognized too many of those names.
Li Jing, Guanyin, Taibai, the Jade Emperor, and Buddha.
Look down again.
And there's Sun Wukong.
Xuanzang.
Zhu Ganglie.
Ao Lie.
Even the old monkeys who had died long ago in Flower Fruit Mountain were on it.
All the names were eventually recorded in the audience.
Like everyone else in the world, we all have to settle our accounts here in the end.
"This place is not for calculating merits and demerits."
Chen Fan said in a low voice.
The person under the lamp gently tapped the table.
"Finally, we're getting to the point."
"This is neither the register of Heaven nor the book of Buddhism."
"This section records operational wear and tear."
"Who lives, who dies, who changes course, who leaves the group—all of these will be recorded in the final tally."
"Nine restarts of the original venue, it's not the heavens or the earth that's been wasted, it's all the living people in there filling the void again and again."
The Bull Demon King's forehead veins bulged as he listened.
"You mean, we fought our way through, only to end up being the ones filling the holes?"
"almost."
"And what about you?"
Sun Wukong stared at the person under the lamp.
"You sitting here, isn't that also a sum of money being counted?"
The person under the lamp remained silent for a moment.
He didn't respond immediately the first time.
After a few breaths, he said, "I was Chen Fan first, and then I became the bookkeeper."
"At the end of the ninth time, I didn't go out."
"The seats are empty, but someone has to sit them."
"Did you sit down there yourself?" Chen Fan asked.
"no."
"Who made you sit down?"
The person under the lamp looked up and stared at Chen Fan.
There was no provocation in his gaze, only a deep weariness.
"you."
Everyone in the room was stunned.
Pigsy forgot to catch his breath.
Chen Fan frowned.
"Explain yourself clearly."
"At the end of the ninth round, you're almost there."
"You've uncovered the main ledger and found this table."
"You know that as long as the stage keeps running, it will open for the tenth time."
"You can't just burn it down. You can't leave it empty either. If you leave it empty, the temple will find someone to fill the gap itself. First Sun Wukong will fill the gap, then Xuanzang, and then everyone around you."
"You chose the dumbest path."
The person under the lamp paused.
"Leave me here to reserve a spot."
Chen Fan's breath hitched.
That's absurd.
But the expression on the person's face under the lamp didn't seem like they were making it up at all.
He continued, "You know, leaving someone who hates this kind of thing here can at least buy some time for the people who come after us."
"I'm asking you, why me?"
You said it's because you don't trust others, and you don't trust yourself next time.
"You only believe Chen Fan, who will flip the table when cornered."
After he finished speaking, the area in front of the main tent became extremely quiet.
The flame in the lamp flickered gently.
Chen Fan suddenly realized where that nausea came from.
It wasn't because I saw someone who looked exactly like me.
It's because this person could very well be him.
Not the person he is now.
He was forced to sit here sometime before, and that's how he ended up where he is now.
Sun Wukong took another step forward and stood beside Chen Fan.
"Old Chen, don't put it in his mouth."
"We'll find out if it's true or not after a fight."
The man under the lamp looked at Sun Wukong and actually nodded.
"You're right."
"Truth and falsehood must eventually be distinguished."
He stood up.
As soon as the lamp was lifted from the table, the entire main tent resounded.
It wasn't a roar.
It was the soft sound of wood cracking, section by section, creeping from the edge of the platform to the ground.
The chair under the lamp was revealed to be its original state at this moment.
It's not a chair.
It's a lock.
Nine jet-black iron hoops fasten from the back of the chair all the way down to the seat.
He was sitting there, but he was actually locked up the whole time.
The white-bearded old deacon's voice cracked when he saw the nine iron hoops.
"Nine old seals..."
"You really are the one who stayed behind last time!"
The person under the lamp raised their hands.
Two thin chains were wrapped around her wrist.
He tugged at it, and the chain made a screeching sound.
"I can't go too far from Taiwan."
"Don't even think about killing me now. If you do, the account will be taken over by someone else immediately."
"Whoever is closest goes up."
Pigsy stumbled back three steps.
"Then stay away from me."
The Bull Demon King cursed, but did not go forward again.
Anyone who falls into this trap is doomed.
Chen Fan stared at himself opposite him and asked one last question.
"Are you stopping me because you want to live, or because you want me to sit here in your place?"
"Yes, we have them all."
The person under the lamp answered decisively.
"I've been sitting here too long, I want to go out."
"Now that you're here, you should go back to your seat."
"Whether you agree or not is another matter."
After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and made a gesture.
The first page of the ledger turned over by itself.
On the second page, a new line of text slowly appeared.
Two names listed side by side, account conflict.
The following judgment is made: leave one, then proceed one by one.
Chen Fan's eyes twitched when he saw those eight words.
This is not a matter for discussion.
These are the rules given by the general ledger.
Only one of the two Chen Fans can be kept.
The man under the lamp looked up at him, as if he were looking at an old creditor who had finally come to him.
"From now on, everything we say and do will be remembered."
"Whoever resembles the real Chen Fan will be able to push the other one out."
"If you lose, you sit down."
"If I lose, I will settle the score."
He pushed the lamp forward an inch.
The lamplight shone on the edges of the ledger pages and also on the tips of Chen Fan's boots.
"bring it on."
"Let's start from the first page and see who is more deserving of this name, you or me."
Chapter 1: First establish the rules, define the roles, and establish the dangers; don't rush into fighting.
"You're too late."
When the person under the lamp spoke, their voice was not loud.
It's like someone is talking in an old well.
It comes out layer by layer.
Everyone heard it clearly.
Because they heard it clearly, the room became even quieter.
Chen Fan stood still, the black stone beneath his feet still pushing upwards.
The outer platform of the Ninth Original Field has been completely enveloped in gray fog.
There are no walls on all sides.
Only rows of broken pillars, each about a person's height, formed a semi-circle. Beyond the gaps between the pillars, there was still that hollowed-out gray expanse. The bottom was invisible, as if the entire port area had been lifted up from its original position by this platform.
Sun Wukong took half a step forward first.
He held his golden cudgel horizontally, pointing it at the face under the lamp that looked just like Chen Fan's.
"Where did this monkey-like thing come from?"
"He imitated him quite well."
The man looked up and glanced at Sun Wukong.
His gaze lingered for only a short time.
"Your temper is even worse this time than it was the seventh time."
A single sentence was uttered.
Sun Wukong's expression changed instantly.
Zhu Ganglie stared with his mouth agape for a long time before finally managing to utter a single sentence.
"Does he still recognize the number of rounds?"
The Bull Demon King slammed the handle of his axe on the ground, not daring to charge forward.
It's not that he didn't want to rush.
Something's not right here.
The main platform in the center looked like wood, but its edges gleamed with a cold, metallic sheen. A dim lamp cast a halo around it, its light not reaching far, only illuminating an area of about ten feet around the platform. Outside the lamplight, people's faces appeared ashen.
Xuanzang looked down at his cuffs.
A layer of fine black ash had appeared on the edge of the monk's robe at some point.
Like scraps of paper that fall after the ledger pages have burned.
He raised his eyes, his voice steady.
"Don't make a move yet."
"This is about recognizing people, and also recognizing positions."
Yang Jian remained silent.
After entering the platform, he kept staring at the broken pillars around him.
The third eye wasn't fully open; it was only slightly cracked.
After that ray of golden light swept by, even his brows furrowed.
"This is not inside the stadium."
"This is just an outer shell."
"The original scene is still inside."
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan felt even more tense.
Field shell.
This was the first time he had heard the word.
But I only understood half of it after hearing it.
Like an account book cover.
Like a door within a door.
They haven't actually gone in yet.
The person under the lamp picked up a pen and lightly touched the open ledger page.
"Finally, someone has hit the nail on the head."
"The ground beneath your feet is merely the outer platform of the Ninth Original Arena. It's a place where people can stand, speak, and establish rules."
"If a fight really breaks out, we'll have to go inside."
After saying that, he pushed the page of the account forward half an inch.
Chen Fan saw a line of small print in the upper right corner of the first page.
— Page 1 of the tenth time, already recorded.
The handwriting was almost identical to his usual accounting style.
The stroke ends a little slanted.
It always has a little hook at the end.
Pigsy took a closer look and his face twitched.
"It really was you who wrote it."
"Old Chen, when did you start doing this behind my back?"
"How come I had no idea?"
Chen Fan ignored him.
He stared at the words, his shoulders slowly slumping.
It's not a panic.
It's that feeling of finally getting to know someone you've been smitten with.
From the moment his name appeared in the operator's column, he knew that this wasn't just someone using him as a scapegoat. There was an even earlier hand involved.
Now that they've seen this character, that hand has revealed its true intentions.
Chen Fan looked at him under the lamp, as if looking at himself in a mirror.
"You know what this means."
"I've noted down the first page. I'll reserve the operator field for now."
"The 'you' outside is at best a figurehead."
The white-bearded old deacon was already kneeling.
Upon hearing this, he immediately kowtowed to the ground.
"First come, first served..."
"How can there be two operators?"
"The general ledger won't accept it, the general ledger will never accept it."
The voice just fell.
The green lamp suddenly hummed.
It's not bright.
The flame shot upwards a bit.
A line of black characters slowly appeared above the tent platform.
—A dual-operator accounting conflict was detected.
—Restrictions enabled.
Only one person may hold the pen in a round.
The words floated in mid-air, and everyone could see them clearly.
Even the outer port area of the gray fog can probably be seen.
The Bull Demon King couldn't help but curse.
"That's fucking reasonable."
"Let me tell you straight, only one bookkeeper can survive."
Pigsy's mouth twitched.
"This rule is too rigid."
"They won't even let us pretend to be confused."
Chen Fan's eyelid twitched.
He understood.
This isn't asking who can remember.
It's forcing them to first figure out who Chen Fan is.
Sun Wukong hates this kind of roundabout way the most.
He lifted the stick and tilted his chin toward the green lamp.
"Let's put the pen aside for now."
"Smash the light, and the words will be gone."
That sounds like something he'd do.
It was straightforward, direct, and even a bit reckless, like someone who knew the ropes.
The Bull Demon King's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
"That makes sense."
"Rules are revealed by the light; first, break the light."
"This is my specialty."
Chen Fan smiled under the lamp.
It's not mockery.
It's more like they knew someone would bring this up.
"Smashing the light is acceptable."
"You all go back to where you were."
"This platform should be retracted immediately."
"The tenth year will proceed as planned, the operator column will remain in place, the group of people outside will be in chaos first, and half of the port area will collapse first."
"If you're unlucky, you might even be bounced back to the first landing point."
As he said this, his gaze fell on Sun Wukong again.
"That's how you went back last time."
Sun Wukong paused for a moment.
It's not fear.
He overheard something.
"Last time."
Someone here remembers his last time.
Chen Fan looked at himself under the lamp and finally spoke.
"You're not a fake."
"It's not a shadow either."
"What exactly are you?"
Under the lamp, Chen Fan placed his pen on the edge of the tent.
I tapped the wooden surface twice with my fingertips.
"The you outside is the vessel for this cycle."
"It will hurt, it will get injured, it will run, it will make mistakes."
"Your current physical condition, your current state of mind, and your current thoughts are all part of this new cycle of reckoning."
"I'm different."
"I am a backup compiled from the first nine rounds."
No one on the field responded.
Even the wind seemed to have stopped.
Zhu Ganglie didn't quite understand, and his forehead was covered in sweat.
What is a backup?
Where did you save it?
"In the lamp?"
Chen Fan glanced at him under the lamp.
"almost."
"In each of the first nine rounds, Chen Fan never made it to the end. Someone collected the scattered account pages, pressed them into a draft, and stored it here."
"If you keep it for a long time, it will become you."
He raised his hand and tapped his chest.
"I remember where the first nine wheels broke."
"I also remember who turned against me first, who died first, and who still wanted to gamble at the last minute."
"Before the tenth opening, the general ledger gave me the right to record the first page first."
"I'll reserve the spot first."
Upon hearing this, Xuanzang's brows furrowed more and more.
"In other words, if Chen Fan outside is the main character in this round, then you are just a figurehead created from old grudges."
"If the general ledger recognizes you as the person holding the pen, he will be removed."
"If the head accountant admits he held the pen, you will be dismissed."
Chen Fan nodded under the lamp.
"That's roughly the idea."
"That's why I said you're late."
Chen Fan didn't rush to answer.
He has a lot on his mind.
The fifth fragment buried in Huaguo Mountain.
The seventh time, the unfinished sentence in the navigation was deleted.
He also had a feeling that someone had paved half an inch of the road for him, and then dug a hole half an inch away from it.
Now they can all be connected.
It's not about counting him from a distance.
The first nine rounds really did leave behind crumbs.
These slags, piled up, formed a self sitting under the lamp.
Yang Jian then spoke.
"He didn't say the whole thing."
Everyone looked at him.
Yang Jian stared at the green lamp, his tone cold.
"Backup is neither a person nor a soul."
"It's more like an old draft that can replace the operator."
"Once the main ledger fully acknowledges him, all new traces of Chen Fan outside in this round will have to be incorporated into it. After that, it's hard to say whether anything will remain as it was."
Zhu Ganglie felt a chill run down his spine.
"Isn't this just swallowing?"
Chen Fan did not refute under the lamp.
He simply looked at Chen Fan calmly.
"You can say swallow it up."
"You can say it's settled."
"It depends on which side you're on."
Sun Wukong grew impatient.
He hoisted the stick onto his shoulder and grinned, a chilling smile spreading across his face.
"I hate people like you who keep accounts the most."
"You've made everything sound plausible."
"Either he swallows you, or you thrust into him."
"We have to choose one eventually."
"Then why waste your breath?"
Chen Fan raised his hand to stop him.
When this stopped him, Sun Wukong actually stopped.
It's not because of anything else.
Chen Fan is also thinking about something right now.
If the person under the lamp truly holds the first nine wheels, then he must know more than I do.
Taking action now may not necessarily bring any advantage.
What's worse, the rules have already been made public.
Two operators cannot record transactions simultaneously.
As long as the pens haven't been distributed, every step they take on this platform is uncertain.
Xuanzang took half a step forward.
The sole of the shoe scraped against the black stone, making a soft sound.
"Since we're establishing the rules first, let's explain them thoroughly."
"Only one person can stay to hold the pen. How should they stay?"
"Kill one, scatter the others, or is there another way to judge?"
Under the lamplight, Chen Fan looked up at the top of the tent platform.
It's like waiting for the general ledger to provide the information itself.
The green lamp swayed gently twice.
A moment later, three more lines appeared in the air.
—The determination of the right to hold the pen is underway.
—The venue has not yet opened; it cannot be forcibly taken.
—Within the outer platform, only evidence can be presented; killing is prohibited.
The white-bearded old deacon raised his head, his voice trembling.
"Evidence..."
"You need to prove your identity first."
The Bull Demon King scratched his head.
"Isn't that just a matter of words?"
"Who wouldn't say they're telling the truth?"
Yang Jian shook his head.
"That's not what I meant."
"It's about taking the account records."
He looked at Chen Fan, then at Chen Fan under the lamp.
"Only those who can reconnect the main tent that was broken in the ninth original arena are qualified to enter the inner circle."
"Only after entering the inner layer can one truly wield the pen for judgment."
Sun Wukong sneered.
"So that's where they were waiting."
"Don't let them fight yet."
"Let the two of you admit your mistakes first."
Chen Fan finally stood up under the lamp.
As he stood up, his shadow under the dim lamp was stretched long.
It was dragged all the way to the edge of the platform.
"That's right."
"First establish the rules, establish the identity, and establish the danger."
"Fight, don't rush."
"If you rush things, you'll just fall back to square one."
He looked at Chen Fan as if he were looking at an old piece of paper that he had written on many times.
"If you want to take back the operator's slot, come and take over the Ninth Original Field Master Account."
"You can get in now, go inside."
"If you can't keep up, you don't even have the right to compete for the pen."
After saying that,
A crack silently appeared on the right side of the tent platform.
It's not a door.
Like a thick sheet of paper turned up in the middle, revealing a narrow step underneath.
The steps were covered with black and gray footprints.
Someone has been up there.
More than once.
Chen Fan stared at the narrow steps, and the tightness in his chest dissipated.
At this point, the path has become clear.
First, verify your identity.
Let's talk about holding a pen again.
Without connecting the ninth original scene, he wouldn't even have the capital to ask more questions.
Sun Wukong turned his head to look at him.
"Should we go or not?"
Chen Fan exhaled and stepped forward.
"superior."
He had just taken a step when Chen Fan added another sentence under the lamp.
"Oh, right."
"If you want to ask why they're opening the door for the tenth time right away, I can give you half a sentence first."
Chen Fan stopped.
Under the lamp, Chen Fan looked at him, his finger gently pressing on the first line of text on the first page.
"The ninth time, it's not that it wasn't finished."
"Someone tore out the last page before you even entered the port."
Chapter 602, Tenth Time, Page 1
The lights were dimmed.
The first page lay open on the table, its surface yellowed, the edges curled up as if it had been repeatedly crumpled.
Si Mo stood to the side and read it once.
"Port area accounts must be returned to their original locations within three days."
After he finished reading, his throat tightened.
The white-bearded old deacon reached out and pressed down on the corner of the paper, his knuckles tapping the tabletop repeatedly.
"This is a mandatory clause for administrators." His voice was deep. "Once the time has passed, no one can change it."
Chen Fan stared at the line of text without looking up.
He's been watching for too long.
The first nine times, he died at the same fork in the road.
Save people first. If the door is opened too early, the entire port area will be overturned.
If you open the door first, people will scatter first, and once the accounts are in disarray, all that's left to bring them back is a pile of tattered pages.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temples, as if pressing back those nine dead ends.
"The order is wrong," he said.
Si Mo was taken aback: "Then how should we arrange them?"
The person under the lamp sat in the shadows, their voice even more steady than the lamplight.
"Seal the tent first," he said, "then rescue the people. Only open the door last."
Si Mo frowned: "But the first page says to return to the original venue within three days. You're going to wait until the third day?"
"It's not waiting," Chen Fan looked up, "it's blocking it."
The white-bearded old deacon's expression changed.
He didn't expect this person to actually use the administrator's terms as a weapon.
Chen Fan reached out and pushed the first page back a little.
"The first nine times, I always tried to snatch things," he said calmly. "Snatching doors, snatching people, snatching time. In the end, nobody got anything."
He looked at himself under the lamp.
"That's how you died too."
The man didn't argue, but simply turned the wick a little brighter.
The firelight flickered, illuminating the edges of the next few pages.
Chen Fan stared at it: "Show me the next page."
The man under the lamp closed the ledger.
"no."
Why?
"The real name of the person who created the account is written on the back page."
The room fell silent as soon as those words were spoken.
Even Si Mo didn't say a word.
The white-bearded old deacon withdrew his hand from the paper, as if afraid of breaking something.
"Once your real name is revealed, whoever sees it first will die," the man under the lamp said. "If you want to turn the tables, you'd better think carefully: do you want to live, or do you want me to live?"
Chen Fan smiled.
The laugh was small, as if it had been soaked in cold water.
"I've thought about it nine times already."
He rolled up his sleeves, revealing the black line on his wrist.
Those are the marks left from the previous nine times.
Each time you die, you gain one more lap.
Now it's wrapped around my whole wrist.
"This time, we won't look at the next page," he said. "Let's get the first page solid first."
The white-bearded old deacon looked up: "What do you want me to do?"
"Seal off the port tents," Chen Fan said. "Put the live tents back in the warehouse first. No one is allowed to touch the bolts for three days."
Si Mo was taken aback for a moment, then realized: "You mean you're going to lock everyone up?"
"It's not about closing it off," Chen Fan said. "It's about protecting it. If the door opens, the people standing closest to it will be the first to suffer."
He pointed to the first page.
"This rule is written very rigidly. It requires people to return to their original place. So let's first send people back to where they can survive."
The white-bearded old deacon remained silent for a moment before finally nodding.
He took out a copper seal from his pocket and pressed it onto the paper.
With a snap, the inkpad was pressed firmly.
The words on the first page looked as if they had been re-stamped.
A copper bell immediately rang outside.
One sound, two sounds, ten sounds.
The general ledger has started moving.
Si Mo's face paled: "The tenth time, is the official countdown starting?"
Chen Fan hummed in agreement.
He stood up and walked to the lamp.
"The me under the lamp, I'll ask you one last time," he stared at the man, "who exactly are you?"
The person did not answer immediately.
He reached out and touched the lampshade, as if he were touching a piece of old iron.
"You didn't understand why you died the first nine times," he said. "I'm the other half you're afraid to acknowledge."
"And what about this time?"
"This time, it doesn't matter whether you admit it or not." He looked up. "The bill needs to be settled."
Chen Fan did not ask any further questions.
He reached out and pressed down on the first page of the account book, then on the copper seal.
"We'll wait three days before opening the door," he said. "During those three days, no one should touch the back pages. Whether it's a real name or not, leave that for now."
The white-bearded old deacon glanced at him and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least this way, we can survive."
"Just being alive is enough," Chen Fan said.
For the next three days, the port area remained calm.
The white-bearded old deacon stood guard in front of the storeroom, refusing to let anyone in.
Si Mo led his men to check the accounts and re-register each household.
The green lamp under the lamp never went out.
Chen Fan stood guard beside him, his eyes never closing.
On the evening of the third day, the tide receded a bit.
When the bolt fell, the entire storehouse trembled slightly.
When I turned to the first page again, the words had faded.
"The accounts in the port area have been merged back to their original locations."
After reading it, the white-bearded old deacon's fingers trembled slightly, and then he put the bronze seal into his sleeve.
"It's done."
Chen Fan remained silent.
He turned to look at the back pages of the ledger.
It's empty there.
The true name of the person who built the account has been burned to ashes.
The person under the lamp has also disappeared.
Only one lamp remained, and the wick slowly shrunk until it became a tiny red dot.
Si Mo stood by the door and asked in a low voice, "Where is he?"
Chen Fan closed the ledger.
"They've gone back to their tents."
Will it come out again?
"No more."
He handed the account book to the white-bearded old deacon.
"Seal it in an iron box. No one is to open it again."
The white-bearded old deacon solemnly accepted it and nodded.
Later, the port area was under construction for a full year.
The old door was replaced with a new bolt, and all the broken cabinets were dismantled.
Si Mo took over the position of steward, and the white-bearded old steward retreated to the backyard, where he spent his days tending flowers and never touched the accounts again.
Sun Wukong led the group from Flower Fruit Mountain back to the mountain. The mountain path was still the same, but no one dared to use iron chains to restrain them anymore.
After Tang Sanzang went to the Western Continent, he shaved his head and did not stay there. He opened a small study and taught his children to read.
The Bull Demon King and his son guarded the Flaming Mountain and stopped causing trouble down the mountain. Occasionally, they would send a cart of charcoal to the port area in exchange for a few jars of wine.
The general ledger was locked in an iron box and pressed at the bottom of the warehouse.
Since then, no one has heard the sound of pages turning again.
Chen Fan stayed in the port area and became the last accountant.
He didn't look for any more real names, nor did he ask about the next page.
Winter goes and spring comes, and the sea breeze still blows across the docks as usual.
By the following spring, the lamp in front of the door had also gone out.
The story ends here.
Chapter 603 Chen Fan and Chen Fan Settle Accounts
The lights were still on.
The first page of the tenth time was like a thin sheet of paper. As soon as it was laid on the table, the green lamp burned a yellow edge around it.
Chen Fan stood, he didn't sit.
He looked at the account pages first, then at the person under the lamp.
The other man looked exactly like him, even the faint mark on his brow bone was the same. Only his complexion was more aged, as if he had lived in a room where the sun never shone, his face always covered with a layer of lamp ash.
Xuanzang remained silent, standing to the side of the door.
Wukong leaned against the pillar, holding the iron chain in his hand. He didn't wrap it around or swing it, but simply coiled it around his wrist. Halfway through, he loosened it.
The atmosphere was tense.
Chen Fan was the first to speak.
"I won't ask how the first page came about."
"Since you say the general ledger is for people, then follow the rules for bookkeeping."
"First, let's check the three main accounts."
Chen Fan nodded under the lamp.
"Go ahead and ask."
Chen Fan held up three fingers.
"First, was my transmigration an accident?"
"Secondly, who provided the system without morality?"
"Third, who put me in the position of operator?"
He spoke very calmly and enunciated each word clearly.
As soon as those three sentences were uttered, even the faint cracking sound of the lamp wick exploding could be heard in the room.
Chen Fan didn't rush to answer under the lamp.
He raised his hand and turned two pages forward in the ledger. The edges of the paper were old, and it made a dry, rustling sound as he turned the pages.
"I can answer half of your first and second questions."
"I can't answer the third question right now."
Wukong scoffed.
"I can't say it, because I dare not say it."
Under the lamp, Chen Fan didn't even look at him; he just stared at Chen Fan.
"It's not that I'm afraid, it's that if I say it, the pages will get messed up."
Xuanzang then raised his eyes.
He was telling the truth.
"At least the first two sentences are the truth."
"He deliberately left an opening in the following sentence."
Chen Fan understood.
It wasn't a lie. It was deletion.
Those in the accounting department know this method best.
All the numbers are there, but the most crucial one is missing. You check them one by one, and they all match. But in the end, someone is always missing to pay for it.
Chen Fan pulled out a chair and finally sat down.
"answer."
Under the lamp, Chen Fan placed his hand on the ledger pages.
"Your arrival here was not an accident."
"You were chosen."
As soon as he said that, Chen Fan's eyelids twitched slightly.
Under the lamplight, Chen Fan continued, "It wasn't chosen by the Heavenly Court, nor by the Buddhist sect. The moment you arrived, a servant was supposed to die at the foot of Five Fingers Mountain. When someone dies, a vacancy is filled. But it shouldn't be you who fills that spot."
"You were able to get in because someone changed the order."
"First change the air at the foot of the mountain, then change your path."
"You didn't crash in. You were shoved in."
Wukong straightened up a bit.
"Who?"
Chen Fan didn't answer under the lamp, and moved on to the second question.
"The system isn't a reward either."
"It's not for you to turn your life around."
"It's a patch."
Chen Fan stared at him.
These two words are even more jarring than the previous sentence.
"What do you mean by 'supplement'?"
"Fill in a missing page."
Under the lamp, Chen Fan tapped the account page with his fingers.
"In the beginning, you weren't there."
"You weren't in the later rounds either."
"One page was written incorrectly. So incorrectly that the next few hundred pages couldn't be connected. Someone tried to patch up that hole with an immoral system, hoping to keep the accounts going."
"You are the thread that was sewn on."
The room was quiet for a moment.
Chen Fan suddenly remembered his earliest missions.
It's not about promoting someone to the right path, saving the world, or ascending to heaven and attaining enlightenment.
It's all about prying, robbing, cheating, and breaking the rules.
At first, he thought it was just a shady system. Looking back now, all that work seemed like tearing down an old wall.
It tells him to poke the wall that cracks first.
It's not about helping him.
It was through his hands that the pages were being edited.
Chen Fan leaned back in his chair and tapped his knuckles twice on the table.
Will the patch come with rewards?
"Yes," Chen Fan said under the lamp. "If you can fix it, I'll give you the work. If you can't, I'll find someone else."
"So how many have you met?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Fan paused for a moment under the lamp.
very short.
Just once.
Chen Fan caught him.
"This isn't the first time you've met me."
"I'm not the first Chen Fan you've ever met."
Chen Fan smiled faintly under the lamp.
"You're half right."
"I've seen shadows before, but I've never seen you so complete."
"Some went mad as soon as they reached the foot of the mountain. Some took the system and then turned around and went to join the Heavenly Court. There was one who died as soon as he reached White Bone Ridge, and he couldn't even remember his own name."
Wukong frowned.
"Then who are you?"
Chen Fan looked at him under the lamp.
"Backup".
"My old self".
"He's also someone who didn't manage to stay on the first page."
Even Xuanzang fell silent this time.
At this point, the meaning is quite clear.
The person in front of me is neither an evil spirit that appeared out of nowhere, nor a demon in my heart.
He was a draft left behind by the general ledger from a previous round, or several previous rounds, where a certain Chen Fan hadn't finished his journey.
Chen Fan suddenly felt a dryness in his throat.
It's not fear.
It's disgusting.
It's like someone tells you that every step you've taken so far isn't a first-time experience. You think you're forging your own path, but in reality, you're stepping on the old footprints left by others.
He raised his hand, picked up the cold tea on the table, and drank half of it in one gulp.
"You won't answer the third question."
"Then let me guess."
"You weren't the one who put me in the operator's position."
"You just didn't stop it."
"The one who truly wants me to rise to the top is the person who establishes the cycle. Or rather, the person who holds the first page."
The smile in Chen Fan's eyes disappeared under the lamplight.
"You're faster than the previous ones."
"But that's enough for you to guess. If you guess any further, things will really get messy."
Xuanzang then took two steps and stopped at the table.
He wasn't lying.
"He didn't say everything."
"He deliberately avoided mentioning a key figure. Not because his name couldn't be mentioned, but because he didn't want you to know right now which side that person was on."
Chen Fan turned his head and glanced at Xuanzang.
Xuanzang remained calm.
"If that person is on your side, you will go to them immediately."
"If that person were standing opposite you, you would kill them immediately."
"Both of these things right now will result in bad debts."
Under the lamplight, Chen Fan nodded to Xuanzang.
"So I only answered half of it."
"It's my turn to name my price."
Chen Fan put down the teacup.
"explain."
"Tenth operator privileges".
"Change the distribution diagram of the nine locks in the ninth original field."
Wukong immediately cursed.
"You really know how to talk."
"You haven't even warmed your tenth operator privileges yet, and you're already trading them for a piece of junk?"
Chen Fan remained unperturbed under the lamplight.
"That's not a broken picture."
"The Ninth Original Site is the break point. Nine locks are pressing down on the overturned edge of the main tent. If you don't take that map, whoever goes there afterward will die."
Chen Fan felt a slight sinking feeling in his heart when he heard the words "Ninth Original Field".
This wasn't the first time he'd seen this name.
It flashed by once in that gray page deep within the system, and then it was gone without even stopping.
He only remembered two words at the time: original scene.
Like a place where everything really happened.
It is not a duplicate page, nor a copy.
It was the earliest one.
"What do you need permission to do?"
"Open the archives," Chen Fan replied quickly under the lamp. "I can't get into the tenth column. You can. I need to borrow your name to retrieve a page from the old appendix."
Which page?
"Continue on the first page"
Chen Fan's eyes turned cold.
"You just said that no one can write before you."
"So I'm borrowing, not stealing." Under the lamp, Chen Fan spread his hands. "We'll each keep half the record. The first page of the main column is yours. I'll only look at the subsequent columns, I won't write anything."
How can I trust you?
"You don't need to believe it."
"All you need to know is that without the Nine Locks diagram, you can't move on to the next step. Without the tenth column of the appendix, I won't survive to turn the next page."
This is not a threat.
It's like they're counting off.
Wukong threw the iron chain, which clattered loudly on the ground.
"Stop beating around the bush. If you want to cooperate, then cooperate. If not, I'll smash this lamp right now and see if he can still sit there and talk."
Chen Fan looked up at him under the lamp.
"You can smash the lamp, but you can't smash me."
"I've cancelled it, so this account is closed. If it's closed once, and we reopen it next time, I might not be able to keep you on the page."
Wukong's hand veins bulged.
He hates people who only tell half the story and hide the other half.
But he could also tell that this man wasn't just bluffing. A real fight would be even more damaging.
Chen Fan reached out and pressed down on Wukong.
"Don't smash it yet."
"The accounts haven't been reconciled yet."
He looked at Chen Fan under the lamp and remained silent for a long time.
In that short while, he went through everything that had happened before.
A century under Wuzhi Mountain.
The system beeped for the first time.
The white dragon horse exchanges its life for his.
Xuanzang revised the scriptures.
Taking advantage of the Flaming Mountains.
Today, this lamp, this ledger, this old self.
As the threads were pulled out one by one, the traces of the hand that had touched the back of the room could finally be seen.
It's not clear enough.
That's enough for him to make a decision.
"Tenth operator privileges, I'll lend them to you once."
"Give me the Nine Locks Diagram now."
"Add one more."
Chen Fan raised his eyebrows under the lamplight.
"explain."
"From today onwards, we'll each keep half the accounts. Neither of us is allowed to write on the first page of the follow-up column. You can look at it, but you can't add anything. I can check it, but I won't delete your old records."
"If anyone breaks the rules—"
Chen Fan placed his hand on the cover of the ledger.
"Whoever's entry is recorded first in the general ledger, that person is responsible for recognizing it."
Chen Fan looked at him for a moment under the lamp and nodded.
"Can."
He pulled a thinly folded piece of parchment from his sleeve and pushed it over.
As soon as the parchment touched the table, the flame of the lamp suddenly dipped downwards.
Chen Fan unfolded a corner of the window, glanced at it, and felt a chill run down his neck.
There are no mountains, no sea, and no city in the picture.
There are only nine locks.
Next to each lock was a name he knew all too well.
Sun Wukong.
Xuanzang.
Ao Lie.
Bull Demon King.
Red Boy.
Yang Jian.
Nezha.
Guanyin.
The last one is written as Chen Fan.
Not one.
There are two.
Chen Fan slowly raised his head.
The person under the lamp was also looking at him.
This time, no one said anything unnecessary.
The old accounts have been laid bare, and the first line of the new accounts has been written.
The night breeze outside blew through the eaves, and the curtain gently touched the door frame.
Xuanzang reached out and flattened the Nine Locks diagram.
Wukong wrapped the iron chain back around his hand and did not go any further.
Chen Fan put away the parchment and closed the ledger.
That's all for tonight.
"Starting tomorrow, you will come with me to investigate the Ninth Original Site."
"You go first."
Chen Fan smiled under the lamp.
"Afraid I'll run away?"
"I'm afraid you'll die too young."
Chen Fan picked up the green lamp and turned to walk out.
He paused at the door but didn't turn around.
"There's another small matter."
"Since you are also Chen Fan, you should know my flaws."
"I will collect everything that is owed to me."
The room fell silent for a moment.
Then, the voice from under the lamp faintly followed.
"What a coincidence."
"Me too."
Chapter 604 Nine Locks General Map
A gust of wind blew through the eaves outside, causing the lamplight to flicker.
Chen Fan closed the door, placed the lamp on the table, and didn't sit down. He stood, pressed the old account book against the corner of the table, and took out a roll of yellowed parchment from his pocket with his other hand.
The parchment paper was very stiff, and the edges were frayed.
Chen Fan glanced at it under the lamp, his eyelids twitching slightly.
"You actually found it."
"I didn't flip through it." Chen Fan unfolded the parchment. "The first page just popped out on its own."
Once the parchment was opened, everyone in the room fell silent.
Si Mo, who had been leaning against the window, came over when he saw the map unfold. The white-bearded old deacon didn't say anything, but gently pressed down the string of old copper keys in his hand, as if afraid they would ring on their own.
The image is not large.
There is only one mountain, one tent, one harbor, and nine locks in total.
Next to each lock were small characters written, the handwriting looked like it had been soaked in water, the edges were blurred, but it was still legible.
Storehouse lock.
Recycle lock.
Delete the lock.
Named locks.
Successor lock.
Causal lock.
Housing lock.
True Source Lock.
The mountain is locked.
Sun Wukong didn't recognize the characters for "accountant" and pointed to the area around the port on the map.
"I've met the first three."
"I've seen it, and I've also suffered losses," Chen Fan said.
He pointed to the outermost layer of the diagram.
"The warehouse lock is located under the East Sixth Wharf. When the warehouse caught fire, a pile of unclaimed wooden crates were unearthed. It wasn't that no one wanted the crates; they had all been returned to the old accounts. Whoever took them was recorded as a thief of old items."
"The recycling locks are in the port authority's back warehouse. Shredded ledgers, names of the deceased, scrap ship tags—they can all be recycled and pieced together to create new entries. We smashed half of them last time."
"Delete the lock in Tiechao Lane. You knock over that well with a stick, the well is gone, but the person didn't die. All the employee numbers that were deleted from the well reappeared."
Yang Jian stood by the door and only spoke after hearing this.
"The first three locks are from the old layers of the port area, and they rely on book-related permissions."
"What about the last six locks?"
Chen Fan moved his finger inward and stopped at the belly of Huaguo Mountain.
The area in the picture is not a mountain or rock, but a mass of layers of ink.
It's like someone wrote about an entire mountain and ruined it, then forcibly kneaded it back into one piece.
"The latter six locks are all deep within the true source," he said. "The three locks in the port area are just the outer gate. The real authority is here."
Xuanzang stared at the three words "naming lock," and stopped moving the prayer beads in his hand.
"Naming. Renaming?"
"It's not about changing people's names," Chen Fan continued under the lamp. "It's about naming an event. If you call it a rebellion, it's a rebellion. If you call it a relocation of granaries, it can be moved from the tent. Once the name is given, the entire page following suit."
The white-bearded old deacon took a low breath.
"Then the successor lock..."
Chen Fan nodded.
"The succession lock determines who can take over whose position. The old mountain lord is dead, and the new mountain lord's qualifications are not based on who has the most power, but on whether the lock recognizes him."
Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong chuckled.
"Then this lock is destined for Old Sun."
Yang Jian glanced at him but didn't respond.
Si Mo raised his hand and pressed down on the other corner of the picture.
"The causal lock, the shell lock, the true source lock, and the mountain lord lock. These four are the tough nuts to crack."
"I know a little about the causal lock," Xuanzang said. "It's not used to punish people. It's used to tie strings. If you change the first page, everyone and everything connected to the first page has to go through it all again. If the lock can't be opened, the words that follow won't stay."
Chen Fan hummed in agreement.
"The shell is what locks the pipe. The port area, the mountain gate, the old warehouse, and the sea route are all shells. If the shell doesn't break, the access inside can't be retrieved."
"The True Source Lock is the most troublesome." Chen Fan looked up under the lamp. "That place isn't a warehouse, nor is it a cave. It's like a root. You can cut off the branches and leaves, but it will still grow back. Only by opening the True Source Lock will the things changed on the first page not grow back on their own."
"Where is the Mountain Lord's Lock?" Sun Wukong asked.
No one spoke immediately.
Those three characters were located in the deepest part of the picture, with the darkest ink, as if pressing down on the entire piece of paper.
Finally, it was the white-bearded old deacon who spoke up.
"The mountain lock is not a door lock."
"It's a seat."
The room was quiet for a couple of breaths.
The old deacon placed the bronze key beside the diagram, his voice very slow.
"For so many years, everyone has said that the mountain lord of Flower Fruit Mountain is the Great Sage. But that may not be recorded in the records. If the mountain lord cannot unlock it, then the one sitting deep within the true source may be someone else."
The smile on Sun Wukong's face disappeared.
As he stared at those three words, the veins on the back of his hand bulged out.
"Who?"
The old deacon shook his head.
"I don't know. All I know is that the last time the old register was changed was not at the Water Curtain Cave."
Chen Fan pushed the parchment forward half an inch.
"There's one more thing, and that's the most crucial one tonight."
He opened the old account book, revealing a small black sheet of paper tucked inside. There were no words on the paper, only nine pale red dots arranged in a line from the outside in.
"Every time a lock is opened, a portion of the access privileges will be leaked on the tenth time."
Si Mo narrowed his eyes.
"The tenth time?"
"It's because after it's recorded nine times, the tenth time it can't hold down the record." Chen Fan pointed to the nine points. "We've already checked the first three locks. There have been strange things happening in the port area these past few days, and it's not a coincidence. The old warehouse is opening its doors by itself, dead files are flipping pages by themselves, and the dock bell is ringing in the middle of the night—these are all loose ends."
Yang Jian understood immediately.
"The further you drive, the more things leak out."
"That's right," Chen Fan said. "If the naming lock is leaked, people and places outside will start getting their names mixed up. If the succession lock is opened, many old positions will find new owners on their own. If the cause and effect lock is leaked, all the debts that were held up in the past will come back to collect. When it comes to the mountain lord lock, what leaks out can turn the entire port area upside down."
Xuanzang raised his head.
"Is there a time limit?"
Chen Fan pressed the black paper back into the tent, his voice becoming deep.
"Yes. The first page must be changed before all nine locks are unlocked."
"What if it can't be changed?"
Chen Fan answered for him under the lamp.
"All living people in the port area will be treated as historical cases."
Sun Wukong frowned.
"What do you mean? Speak like a human being."
Si Mo looked at the picture, his face turning pale.
"It means that the people in the port area are still breathing, but they will be written as things that are already dead in the accounts. Like old ship drawings, like the list of the dead, like the insect corpses sealed in the warehouse. They can be seen, they can be remembered, but they can't be considered living people."
The white-bearded old deacon's lips trembled slightly.
"What about the children? Those working at the docks, the bakers at the tea stalls, the ones on night duty at the Coast Guard..."
"It's all the same," Chen Fan said. "Once they've judged the sample, they won't even remember it for tomorrow. You talk to him, he'll answer. You turn around, and he's no longer on the new page."
No one made a sound inside the room.
A gust of wind blew outside, causing the window paper to bulge, as if someone had patted it from the outside.
Sun Wukong looked up first.
"How do we divide it?"
Chen Fan seemed to have planned it all out in advance. He raised his hand and drew a line down the middle of the diagram, his fingertip stopping between the first page and the mountainside.
"Divide the troops."
"I, Si Mo, the old deacon, will turn to the first page."
"You, Yang Jian, Xuanzang, step out of the lock."
Under the lamplight, Chen Fan raised an eyebrow.
"And me?"
Chen Fan glanced at him.
"You and I."
"On the first page, I need to acknowledge the records, recognize the old characters, and write it in parallel with another Chen Fan. I can't concentrate on writing it without you here."
Chen Fan smiled under the lamp and did not refute.
Sun Wukong reached out and tapped the name lock on the picture.
"Old Sun can go inside. Yang Jian can see the way, and the monk can read the lines. Who should lead the way?"
"You," Chen Fan said, "you touched the first three locks, and the remnant seal recognized you. Starting with the fourth lock, Yang Jian opened his eyes. If you see a struggle for position with the fifth lock, don't fight for it; let Xuanzang speak first. From the sixth lock onwards, smash as many as you can."
Yang Jian frowned.
"So thick?"
"It's not that it's crude," Chen Fan said. "It's that the deepest levels of the True Source don't have that many rules to follow. It recognizes people, and it eats people. If you follow the plan every step of the way, that map is just for you to choose your own coffin."
Xuanzang put the Buddhist prayer beads into his sleeve.
"If I see someone from the old monastic register before I take over the position, will I not stop them?"
"I won't stop them." Chen Fan looked at him. "Just ask them one question: which page are they on now?"
Xuanzang nodded, as if he understood.
The white-bearded old deacon hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.
"So, what should we change on the first page?"
Chen Fan stared at the ledger, his gaze fixed on it.
"Change the first line first."
The original sentence should be: "Flowers and fruits are stored in the granary, the port area is included, and people and goods are registered together."
"I want to remove the words 'Appendix'."
Si Mo said in a low voice, "Just two words, is that enough?"
"Is that enough? We need to go inside and see," Chen Fan said. "This port area has been hanging on someone else's back for so many years. If the appendix isn't removed, it will always be a corner that can be cut off at will. If the first page isn't changed, even if all nine locks are opened, it's all in vain."
Under the lamplight, Chen Fan suddenly reached out and pressed down on the curtain that he was about to close.
"There's one more thing you didn't mention."
"explain."
"Why is the Nine Locks Master Chart only being released now?"
Chen Fan looked up.
Under the lamp, on that face that resembled his, there was no smile, only the coldness of auditing accounts.
"It's not waiting for us to find it. It's urging us on."
Everyone in the room looked at the piece of paper.
Chen Fan did not deny it.
"Yes. The overall map has surfaced on its own, indicating that the tenth round has begun its warm-up. It will last a maximum of twenty days. After that, the first page will automatically close."
Sun Wukong slammed his golden cudgel on the ground.
The floor tiles shook.
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's leave tonight."
"Tonight won't work," Yang Jian said. "The entrance to the deepest part of the True Source hasn't been decided yet."
"The entrance is behind the water curtain," the white-bearded old deacon suddenly said.
The group all looked over at the same time.
The old deacon seemed to have made a tough decision. He took out the half of a wooden plaque that he had been hiding in his sleeve and placed it on the map. The wooden plaque was so old and worn that only the character "山" (mountain) remained on it.
"This thing, I've kept hidden for forty years. It's not a doorplate, but a loan seal from the old mountain lord's treasury. It's on the third layer of stone wall behind the Water Curtain Cave; if you shine it on the light, you can see the hidden crevice."
Sun Wukong stared at the plaque for a long time before finally reaching out and picking it up.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
The old deacon lowered his head.
"This old servant dared not speak then. I feared that if the Great Sage went in, he would not be able to come out."
Sun Wukong didn't question him further, but simply tucked the wooden plaque into his waistband.
"You dare now?"
"If we don't tell now, none of us will survive," the old deacon said.
Chen Fan put away the master plan and handed the account book to Si Mo.
"First page line. Three things to do tonight: seal the lantern tower, clean the old ink, and find the first place to start writing."
"Unlock the line, head to the beach now. Get through the waterfall before dawn, don't startle the mountain monkeys, and don't touch the old flag."
Yang Jian nodded.
Xuanzang turned and walked out, but stopped after taking two steps.
"What if we unlock the successor lock first, but the first page hasn't been modified yet?"
Chen Fan said, "Delay it."
"How do we drag it?"
"Leave the lock on before the ninth turn. It's better to stop than to let it go into the tenth turn."
Sun Wukong grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.
"I know this old Sun well."
He finished speaking and walked towards the door.
Yang Jian followed. Xuanzang was the last to leave, and as he passed Chen Fan, he softly said, "If the first page recognized you, it wouldn't have let the other you come out alive."
Chen Fan didn't look at him, only hummed in response.
Once the three people had gone far away, only four people remained in the room.
The lamp was burning a little too low, and the wick made a soft crackling sound.
Under the lamp, Chen Fan picked up the ledger, flipped through a couple of pages, and tossed it back onto the table.
"Let's go to the first page."
Chen Fan didn't move.
He looked at the three characters deep inside the mountain on the scroll, then suddenly reached out and ran his fingertip across the words "Mountain Lord Lock".
A faint black line immediately appeared on his fingertip.
It looks like ink, and it also looks like ash.
He stared at the darkness, his voice very soft.
"The Nine Locks are not for us to open."
Si Mo looked at him.
"Then who should it be given to?"
Chen Fan withdrew his hand and picked up the green lamp.
"For the one sitting in the mountains, it's for changing its shell."
After saying that, he pushed the door open and went out first.
A night breeze blew in, causing a corner of the parchment on the table to curl up. The white-bearded old deacon quickly reached out to press it down, his palms sweaty.
Chen Fan stood at the doorway under the lamp and glanced back at the old man.
"Take the keys with you."
"Starting tonight, every debt owed will be brought to light, one by one."