Old He walked up behind me, patted my shoulder, and said, "Xiaoyu, I have to head back to the Public Security Bureau; I can't stay with you. I already took extended leave, and if I don't return soon, I might lose my job."

I couldn't stop him from leaving. When Wenshu told me Wang Jue had been fired from the hospital, I was already filled with guilt, blaming myself for delaying Wang Jue and leaving him without means of support. This time, even if Old He hadn't mentioned it, I planned for him to return to the Bureau. If I wrecked another man's livelihood, I couldn't support him even if I worked as a laborer for the rest of my life.

"Then, the three of us can go together," Xiaoshu said cheerfully, already hoisting his backpack, ready to pull me along.

Seeing his enthusiasm, I hesitated instead. Could I really set off with him and Hua Gu? My heart began to pound, filled with doubts about the whole affair. Although Xiaoshu had displayed superhuman energy back at the villa, this journey without him would likely be arduous. But was his mind, after being scrubbed clean, truly reliable? Would he betray us at a crucial moment?

As I hesitated, Granny finally spoke up: "You two go, but Hua Gu shouldn't come. It’s inconvenient for a girl to travel alone with a man. You don't know how many days it will take until you return, traveling rough and sleeping outdoors. Hua Gu can stay here and keep me company."

At these words, I let out a huge sigh of relief. I secretly gave Granny a thumbs-up. The old woman had bailed me out, helping me shed a massive burden.

However, Hua Gu was not pleased. Pouting, she knelt at Granny's feet again, pleading on her own behalf. Granny smiled, shook her head, picked up her pipe from the table, tapped the bottom against her leg to knock out the remaining ash, and then addressed Hua Gu with the empty pipe: "Child, Granny is out of tobacco. Go inside and get some for Granny."

Hua Gu reluctantly took the pipe, rose, and went into the inner room to load it. Granny waved at Xiaoshu and me, signaling us to leave quickly while Hua Gu was gone. I glanced down at the monkey by my feet; she fished two pieces of hemp rope out of the desk drawer and told us to tie the openings at both ends of our clothes tightly, saying we didn't need to worry about anything else.

Old He and Xiaoshu stepped forward and swiftly tied up the top and bottom openings of our garments. When it was done, I knelt on the ground, kowtowed to her twice, then turned and left the courtyard with Old He and Xiaoshu.

The three of us drove back toward Xiangcheng. Since I would be partnering with Xiaoshu to find Ah Li and Xing'er, listening to his advice was necessary. He said that from the underwater villa, one could not reach the Sea of the Dead; only the portion of the villa belonging to Li Xiaohao had a passageway leading there. This meant we might have to go through the passage at the funeral parlor to step into Li Xiaohao's territory.

The last time, Hou Dayong had led me and Wang Jue through that passage into Li Xiaohao’s villa. Recalling it now felt like a lifetime ago. Of the three of us, one was dead and one had fled; only I remained to fight against the various calamities associated with the Sea of the Dead. Everything felt like a chain of fate; once trapped within, one must constantly work to untie the knots that linked one to the next, lest one never return to a normal life. But when these knots would finally end was utterly baffling.

Three people, two cars, and silence all the way. Seven hours later, we arrived back in Xiangcheng. I was still wearing the coarse farmer's clothes Hua Gu had gifted me, which looked rather peculiar in the city. I decided to go home first to change and take a bath, thoroughly washing off the bloodstains that had clung to me over the past few days. Xiaoshu said he didn't want to go to his own home yet, so I ended up bringing him back to mine.

It was still afternoon when we reached my house. Old He walked with us to the doorway, bade me and Xiaoshu to take care, and then drove off in his own car.