Two figures were muttering in low tones when suddenly two living dead shambled toward them, their conversation drifting over about Zhang Yuqiu. “That little wench has quite the striking appearance.” “A pity she backed the wrong side, throwing in with the wraiths.” “If she were willing to become an Undead, surely there’d be a way to change her, right?” “Old man, stop dreaming. She’s a key figure among the spirits; there’s no way she’ll turn into an Undead for you to marry.”

These speakers were two men, one tall and one short. The taller one clearly held a peculiar fascination for Zhang Yuqiu, while the shorter man constantly tried to discourage him, urging him to abandon his ‘unreasonable desire’ to turn her into a living corpse. The pair paused by the pool of water for a moment, exchanging glances. Finally, the shorter man pointed toward the water channel in the pool: “You first.” The taller man countered, “On what grounds do I go first? There’s no danger out there—just a monkey and an ordinary person, and Li Bingyu is right there. She might have already subdued them both.” “Do you honestly believe that woman would bind them up and leave them on the ground waiting for us to capture?” “What else would she do?” “Ninety percent chance she’ll stall them with tears. By the time we arrive, standing before us won't be a monkey and two people tied up, but two lively, vigorous people walking around the edge of the pool, one of them a Wraith-monkey. Do you believe me?” “I believe it. That woman is never meek or submissive; she’s always hesitating or agonizing, either wrestling with her conscience or plotting something else in her mind. You can never truly tell what she’s thinking.” “Perhaps all women in the world are like that.” “Zhang Yuqiu isn’t. I find her quite straightforward. If she was caught, she was caught; not the slightest bit of struggle.” “You must have been hit by her aphrodisiac incense today, siding with others.” “What now? Jump in or not?” “We jump together.”

And so, the two plunged into the pool with a resounding splash. After a brief tumult of water, the pool instantly returned to stillness, just as it had when Zhang Yuqiu descended. Had Hou Dayong and Wang Jue not been hiding behind the crystal formation, overhearing every word spoken by the two living dead, they might never have realized the weeping sound beneath the candlestick was specifically staged for them.

The moment the tall and short men departed, Hou Dayong pulled Wang Jue toward the deeper recesses of the cavern. At first, Wang Jue didn't grasp the urgency, pulling his hand away from Hou Dayong. “The way you’re running, they’ll find us quickly.”

“If we don’t run, that’s when they’ll find us. Didn’t you hear those two? They’re coming out to hunt us down. If they meet Li Bingyu, she’ll surely tell them we already slipped through the pool and escaped into the cave. Then they’ll have to double back for us anyway. Rather than wait here to die, we might as well risk it all and charge ahead. Let’s see what secret this crystal cave is hiding.”

Wang Jue found Hou Dayong’s logic sound. Since their presence had already been detected, staying put was tantamount to inviting execution. Yet, this crystal cave was vast, filled with jagged, towering stone formations, some large, some small, but nowhere offered another hiding spot as good as the last. If pursuers caught up, or if the group who just left returned, what would he and Hou Dayong do then?