Uncle Ming, having spent much time adventuring in the South Seas, immediately sensed the stench of decay emanating from the gold watch and concluded someone had cast a Jiang Tou (a type of Southeast Asian sorcery). The arts of Jiang, Gu, and Tui are known as the Three Great Evil Arts of the South Seas. Tui involves creating potent poisons through unimaginable methods; Gu centers around the concept of "deception," using enchanted insects to bewitch and corrupt the mind; while Jiang Tou employs talismans, corpses, or spirits to inflict harm. Its derivations, Corpse Jiang and Ghost Jiang, can spread like an epidemic, causing mass death in humans and livestock, far surpassing the lethality of the plague, and are notoriously unpredictable.

Merchants and sailors who traversed the seas for a living often met their end in maritime disasters. If their bodies were devoured by fish, so be it. However, some remains became trapped within wreckage or were washed ashore. Many fishermen and local gatherers in the South Seas made a living by salvaging valuables from the dead—known as "prying open green heads." To guard against such misfortune, some sailors would plant Gu or Jiang spells on their own gold and silver ornaments, specifically to retaliate against sea bandits and pirates who plundered for ill-gotten gains, or against the salvagers who dishonored the deceased. Once someone took an item from a shipwreck victim, they would often fall prey to the sorcery and meet a tragic, violent end.

Fatty and I had heard whispers of such matters. But when we dove into the wreck of the Marilyn Monroe and saw that dazzling gold watch underwater, Fatty’s innate greed—his inability to resist a petty temptation—took over. Once that avarice ignited, not even ten thousand Vajra Arhats could subdue it, so he casually pocketed the watch.

However, because the Guixu (a place of immense spiritual energy) generated too much vital force, the Corpse Jiang within the gold watch never manifested. Later, as everyone was desperately fleeing, Fatty lost the watch, and nobody could recall where it ended up. Logically, if it had been lost then, that would have been fortunate. But who could have foreseen that the watch would somehow end up in Duoling’s possession?

The vessel we were on, this "Tortoise Shell Ship," was barely more than a raft, jammed tightly with six people. We had no water, no food, and crossing the sea was uncertain enough, let alone the fact that one of us, Duoling, was exhibiting the initial stages of corpse spots all over her body. She had been afflicted with Corpse Jiang, and though still alive, her body would progressively resemble a highly decomposed corpse. If she wasn't thrown overboard soon, the rest of the survivors on the boat would contract the corpse plague and perish.

Uncle Ming’s voice was stern and severe: “Hu Zi, Fatty... and Miss Yang, think carefully about the stakes. Don't sacrifice the lives of everyone aboard for the sake of one insignificant local gatherer. When we return to Coral Temple Island, I, your uncle, will personally pay to send the Five Saints out to sea, helping her transcend this karma. Cursed by Jiang Tou, she is doomed inside and out; there’s no need for us to be buried with her.”

Gu Cai saw Duoling developing corpse spots like a dead body and noticed Uncle Ming’s abnormal agitation, intending to persuade everyone to toss the still-living Duoling into the sea. His eyes instantly turned red, and like a maddened beast, he drew his knife, ready to fight Uncle Ming to the death.

Uncle Ming, being cunning and worldly-wise, had no fear of the teenage Gu Cai. A vicious glint flashed in his eyes—he was clearly ready to kill. Without making a sound, he rested his hand on the hilt of his diving dagger. His intention was unmistakable: this situation concerned life and death, and he might have to kill Gu Cai as well, disposing of the body at sea to eliminate future trouble.

The lone boat, bound by the tortoise shell and whale bones, bobbed upon the ocean surface beneath the starry sky. The sea breeze sighed mournfully across the leather sails; the ocean was eerily calm, yet the tension aboard the vessel was nearly solidified. I saw the situation was extremely precarious. Although Uncle Ming was focused only on survival and wanted to cast Duoling overboard, it was a desperate measure born from cornered desperation. Duoling’s corpse energy was growing heavier; once she transformed into a rotting corpse, everyone else would be infected, leading to total annihilation. Yet, I absolutely could not stand by and watch a living person thrown into the sea to feed the fish.

I had no choice but to step between Gu Cai and Uncle Ming, preventing either from attacking the other. Uncle Ming grumbled at me, “Hu Zi, it’s not that we’re heartless. Blame Duoling herself for picking up that gold watch. I’m an old man; I’ve enjoyed what I’ve enjoyed. Dying now is enough, but you and Fatty are still young; your future is long. Don’t tire of living right here and now…”

Gu Cai called out from behind me, “Boss Hu, don’t throw my A-Jie (older sister) into the sea! She’s still breathing… she can still live!” At this moment, Shirley Yang urgently added, “Old Hu, don’t listen to Uncle Ming. This is murder! The Lord will not forgive it!”

I was torn. The lives of one person versus five—the weight of that decision was obvious, but it wasn't a measure that could be easily calculated like buying vegetables or meat at the market. I glanced at Fatty again. Fatty sighed and said to me, “Commander Hu, this choice reminds me of an Albanian film I once saw, The Morning of the Battle. The heroic, people’s Albania was a beacon in Europe. In the film, among six brave guerrillas, there was a beautiful female fighter who was wounded. To cover her comrades’ safe withdrawal, she resolutely chose to stay behind and hold off the German devils, ultimately being killed by them on a high mountain ridge. While our venture of gathering green heads, while valuable, cannot be equated with the grandeur of the world’s anti-fascist struggle, still…”

I cut Fatty off, knowing that whatever came out of his mouth would be twisted: “Duoling isn't a guerrilla fighter. What does an Albanian movie have to do with this?” But this delay gave me a few moments to think. I finally made up my mind, turned to Uncle Ming, and said, “When Ruan Hei was dying, he entrusted us with taking Duoling and Gu Cai to France. We all gave our word then. Now, before Ruan Hei’s bones are even cold, you want to throw his apprentice Duoling into the sea, and even plan to kill Gu Cai to silence him? Don’t think that just because I’ve fought battles, fired guns, and blasted pillboxes or rolled over landmines, that I’ve seen so much death that I’ve become numb. But I absolutely cannot bring myself to kill a companion who shares this boat with us.”

Seeing that I wouldn't yield, Uncle Ming quickly tried to persuade me, “We won’t ask you to do it personally. We just throw her into the sea and let her fend for herself. It’s not that we’re cruel, but we are a single leaf drifting on the sea. Who can save someone afflicted with Corpse Jiang unless the Guanyin of the South Sea descends? Don’t be soft-hearted…”

I clapped Uncle Ming on the shoulder: “You’ve actually hit on something. We can’t summon the Bodhisattva Guanyin, but we happen to have an object belonging to a Buddha Bodhisattva’s green head.” With that, I yanked out the piece of jade Buddha robe we recovered from the shipwreck from Fatty’s sealed bag. This treasure was likely housed in some major temple in Thailand, somehow smuggled out, and buried with the Marilyn Monroe at the bottom of the Coral Spiral. This garment, shimmering with golden-green jade, kept mortals warm in winter and cool in summer. This sacred relic, blessed by high monks throughout the ages, could extend life, cure chronic illness, and repel evil spirits.

Although it was rumored in the South Seas that consecrated Buddhist artifacts could ward off evil, whether this was true remained unknown. But I knew jade was the essence of stone; they say, "One emerald, two jades, three agate." Ancient jade can prevent corpses from decomposing, and emerald’s nature is deeply yin. If we wrapped the all-jade "Buddha Robe" around Duoling, perhaps the Corpse Jiang wouldn't act up. In any case, this was a plan, better than everyone catching the corpse plague or throwing Duoling alive into the sea.

When everyone heard what I said, they were overjoyed. They had been so panicked they had forgotten about this life-saving Buddha robe. They quickly wrapped it around her. The nature of the jade suppressed the corpse energy, and the stench of decay in the sea wind gradually dissipated. However, Duoling was still running a high fever and muttering nonsense. Whether her life could be saved was still highly uncertain.

At this point, Shirley Yang cut a slit in Duoling’s collar to ease her breathing and discovered a small locket hanging around Duoling’s neck. It was a small box that could be opened. She casually opened it and found a photograph of a couple inside. Gu Cai told Shirley Yang those were photos left by Duoling’s birth parents.

My curiosity piqued, and I leaned over to look. To my shock, the French couple in the tiny photo looked incredibly familiar—just like the spectral figure I had seen in the shipwreck. Could the owner of the Marilyn Monroe have been Duoling’s long-lost French military officer father? After withdrawing from Vietnam with the French army, he stayed in the South Seas to engage in smuggling ancient artifacts and secret treasures? If that were the case, this smuggler shipowner, after failing to inflict harm with Jiang Tou, ended up endangering his own daughter. It seemed there was an inescapable cosmic retribution; Duoling would likely never find her relatives in France.

These thoughts merely flashed through my mind; I didn't share them with the others to avoid causing Duoling and Gu Cai needless worry. After settling Duoling, the sun was already rising over the sea. Suffering from thirst and hunger aboard the boat, everyone had to resort to an ancient formula passed down by the Mountain-Moving Daoists: drawing "Sea Wells" to quench their thirst and catching flying fish for sustenance, solving their predicament with primal, ancient methods.

Uncle Ming and Shirley Yang used the Jiao sinews from the boat to fashion a small fishing net. Fortunately, we had brought up about thirty pearls from the sea eye. Using the pearls as a lure, they attracted flying fish, which leaped near the boat; some even jumped right onto the deck. In the South Sea, there is a type of transparent jellyfish, commonly called "Sea Well" by the local gatherers, which is drawn to the pearl light and floats to the surface during the day. After netting them, we used small knives to split open the Sea Wells. Inside was a transparent soft nodule resembling a gallbladder, containing a pool of clear, sweet, and crisp water. Although each Sea Well held barely a mouthful of water, it was enough to satisfy the immediate emergency.

However, the pearl essence from the Coral Spiral was too potent; it couldn't be used at night, lest it attract large deep-sea fish that would capsize the boat. We relied on the ancient methods of the Mountain-Moving Daoists for filling the sea—fishing and netting wells. Uncle Ming, with his experience and knowledge of ocean currents, navigated by the sun, moon, and stars. Luckily, we weren't far from Coral Temple Island. After drifting for several days, we knew that once out of the Coral Spiral, we would encounter passing vessels.

When everyone returned, having narrowly escaped death, Professor Chen and Big Gold Tooth were nearly frantic. Communication was cut off in the Coral Spiral, and no boats dared risk entering. They could only wait day after day, their eyes fixed on the horizon until the salvage team finally appeared.

After getting ashore, I had no time to go into detail with Professor Chen about what happened. Fatty, Gu Cai, and I immediately carried the near-dead Duoling straight to Bai Wu, the green-head merchant in the Coral Temple Island black market, urging him to find a doctor quickly.

Bai Wu was startled when he saw us emerge—sunburnt dark, peeling skin, and disheveled clothes. He was even more astonished that anyone could return alive from the Coral Spiral. Upon learning the whole story, he realized Duoling was afflicted with Corpse Jiang. Coral Temple Island was tiny; there were no doctors to be found, and neither Western nor Chinese medicine would work against this evil art from the South Seas. If she hadn’t been wrapped in those several hundred slices of fine jade, she would have already swollen, rotted, and turned into a walking corpse.

Bai Wu said, “But don't worry too much. There is a Jiang Tou master in the fishing village; hurry and take her to see him.” Saying this, he quickly led us to the sorcerer’s house. When the master saw it was Corpse Jiang, he dared not be careless. He lit a white candle and singed it over Duoling’s body, immediately causing a few drops of whitish corpse oil to seep from her skin.

The master shook his head repeatedly. This girl was beyond saving; Corpse Jiang and Ghost Jiang were too vicious. Although Duoling’s body hadn't decomposed or emitted a foul odor, the vital spark of life had fled. While being wrapped in the jade robe kept her from decaying, she was essentially a vegetable, destined never to wake up. At this rate, she wouldn't even be able to swallow water or porridge in a few days unless a Millennium Corpse Elixir could be found to save her life.

I knew that in the South Seas, the concepts of Internal Elixirs and External Elixirs were acknowledged. Corpse Elixirs belonged to the internal category—abnormal growths that form calcified nodules within a living creature and continue to grow even after death. But it was exceedingly rare for an internal calculus to remain uncorrupted and immortalized after death, as internal elixirs were formed by absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and the essence of the sun and moon. They were like stones within a living body. In my lifetime, I had only seen one in the body of an old weasel in the Hundred-Eyed Cave that possessed a Corpse Elixir; other ancient corpses usually only had pearls stuffed in their mouths, never a medicinal pill inside.

The corpse and elixir of the Great Yellow Immortal of the Northeast had long been destroyed. Such rare occurrences are difficult to witness even once without extraordinary luck. I sighed. Although I had failed Ruan Hei’s trust, I truly had done everything I could.

By then, Professor Chen had learned the full story from Shirley Yang. He felt a great responsibility for Duoling’s fate, his anxiety evident. He wanted to help but felt helpless. However, he suddenly seemed to recall something and pulled me aside, whispering low, “Living internal elixirs within ancient corpses are truly rare; I’ve never seen one in my life. But I recall many years ago… back during the warlord era of the Republic of China, there was an incident involving haunting from ancient corpses in the border region between Hunan and Guizhou. Superstition was prevalent then, and the news of the ‘Corpse King of Western Hunan’ caused nationwide alarm through exaggerated rumors. It was rumored that when the Yuan Dynasty zombie in the ancient tomb of Bottle Mountain in Western Hunan was roused by tomb robbers, it spat out a red pill that had not melted for a thousand years…”