With utmost care, Qingchong and Su Yougui fashioned a makeshift stretcher and jointly carried the Great Grasshopper. Meanwhile, Young Master Liu and Fan Debiao hoisted the baggage and followed Jackson in swimming across.

Moments later, the group had swum into the stone chamber. Young Master Liu flicked on the heavy-duty shell lamp, revealing a nearly circular natural cavern. The rock walls were identical to those they had just climbed. Indeed, this was the bottom of the cliff.

Because the water was so piercingly cold, Young Master Liu took only a cursory glance, daring not to linger a second longer in the frigid water, intent only on escaping it as quickly as possible.

Just as Young Master Liu’s awareness began to drift into a fog, Jackson shouted, “We’re here.”

Young Master Liu roused himself and saw, ahead of them, a cave—it was taller than a man. From within wafted an alluring yet faintly desolate fragrance. Zhang Enpu had once warned him: anything emitting an unusual scent is rarely benign. That is to say, anything that gives off a strange perfume is suspicious. Recalling Zhang Enpu’s words now, Young Master Liu hesitated before entering.

Fan Debiao urged him on, “What are you dawdling for? Move! We’ll all turn into ice sculptures soon enough.”

Hearing Fan Debiao, Young Master Liu realized they were still in the most perilous spot. He reasoned that whatever lay inside couldn't be more sinister than this. To hell with it; better to be poisoned than frozen to death.

Young Master Liu exchanged a meaningful glance with Fan Debiao, who nodded in understanding. They both pushed upward simultaneously with the weight of the bags, using the hands holding the bags for leverage, and sprang into the cave.

Fan Debiao, due to his bulk, failed to haul himself up after two or three attempts. Seeing this, Young Master Liu gripped Fan Debiao’s right hand with both of his own. As Fan Debiao jumped, Young Master Liu yanked hard, finally hauling Fan Debiao into the cave.

Inside, Jackson was rolling about vigorously in the mud, claiming it helped warm his body faster. The Great Grasshopper and Qingchong sat slumped nearby, the Great Grasshopper laid flat on the earth, seemingly still unconscious.

Suddenly, Young Master Liu felt a wave of heat wash over him, followed by total weakness, and then oblivion. He sank into darkness, unconscious.

He had no idea how long he slept before Young Master Liu slowly began to regain consciousness. He opened his hazy eyes and sat up weakly. A throbbing headache instantly gripped his skull, and his body felt boneless. Sitting amidst the black mire, his hands trembled uncontrollably, making him wonder if he had been poisoned. This felt precisely like the signs of impending doom. A chill instantly crept into his heart, sparking rising panic. Though trying not to think about it was better, the pain now spreading through his entire body suggested this black mud truly was toxic. Alas, we few have achieved eternal glory here today!

Fan Debiao noticed something was amiss with Young Master Liu and slapped him on the shoulder, saying, “Young Master, what’s wrong? Spacing out over there?”

Fan Debiao’s slap was quite solid; Young Master Liu’s weakened body nearly felt as if it might shatter. Could it be that Fan Debiao isn't poisoned? Countless thoughts began to swarm in his mind.

With a sharp smack, Fan Debiao slapped him again, harder this time, exclaiming, “Young Master, are you possessed, for crying out loud!”

Far from knocking him down, Fan Debiao’s blow actually energized Young Master Liu. The headache vanished, and strength returned to his limbs. It was over; this must be the final surge before death. He immediately stood up and said to Fan Debiao, “Brother, my time is short. It seems I won’t be making it back from this trip. Please tell my parents that we can only fulfill our filial duties in the next life. And… never mind.” Tears began to stream down his face, and his throat constricted.

Fan Debiao cursed, “When is your time short? Stop talking nonsense. Look at you, full of vigor—you look nothing like a dying man! Jackson has been here a whole day and he seems fine.”

Hearing Fan Debiao, Young Master Liu also found it strange. He looked around at the others. Jackson was holding a double-barreled pistol, his body and face smeared with mud, looking exactly as he did when they first saw him, watching Young Master Liu with a helpless expression. Nearby lay another pistol, suggesting Fan Debiao and Jackson had been examining the gun while Young Master Liu was out. Great Grasshopper, Qingchong, and Su Yougui were eating compressed biscuits. Startled by the commotion, all three looked at Young Master Liu with biscuits stuffed in their mouths. The Great Grasshopper remained unconscious.

Young Master Liu concluded he must have overthought things; that initial feeling was probably just a reaction caused by the rapid shift between hot and cold. Now, being stared at by them all made him uncomfortable. His face flushed, and he lowered his head sheepishly, but his mood had significantly lightened, as he was certainly not meeting Marx anytime soon.

Seeing Young Master Liu calm down, Fan Debiao remarked, “Young Master, did you have another nightmare? Seems your imagination is quite rich. It’s a real shame you aren't making movies.”

Young Master Liu shot Fan Debiao a look and retorted, “You only know how to needle me. This tomb is filled with dangerous things. If you experienced what I just did, I bet you’d be scared half to death before you even managed to utter your last words.”

Fan Debiao was eager to study the double-barreled pistol and had no patience for sparring with Young Master Liu. He chuckled, sat back down in the mud, and resumed discussing the gun’s capabilities with Jackson.

Young Master Liu took a deep breath, and immediately a wave of fragrance entered his nostrils, as if a surge of power had been injected into his body, invigorating him further. Unexpectedly, this mud wasn't poisonous; it actually possessed the restorative quality of boosting stamina.

His curiosity was immediately piqued by the mud. He wanted to investigate what differentiated this mire from ordinary soil. He plunged both hands deep into the mud and lifted forcefully, instantly turning over a large pile of submerged earth.

Mixed in with the upturned earth were some white objects. Could these strange scents be emanating from these white things? Thinking this, Young Master Liu reached out to scoop up the white objects. After wiping the mud off with his sleeve, he froze in terror. The white object was a human forearm bone. His first instinct was to drop the bone and stagger back two steps, terrified that a vengeful female spirit in white would emerge from the mound of mud.

Young Master Liu collapsed back into the mud, screaming, “Ghost! There’s a ghost in this mud!”

Seeing Young Master Liu’s extreme reaction, Fan Debiao quickly aimed his pistol at the pile of mud he had disturbed. “Where’s the ghost? What ghost? I’ll give it a couple of bursts, Fatty here will handle it!”

Young Master Liu looked and saw the white bone lying right by Fan Debiao’s feet. He quickly said, “Fan Debiao, at your feet!”

Fan Debiao looked down, let out a startled yelp, and leaped into the air. Even while airborne, Fan Debiao remembered to fire two shots at the bone. With two muffled bangs, the bone was severed in two.

Witnessing this, Jackson swung his entrenching tool and smashed at the bone, muttering something incomprehensible all the while. His actions, however, were quite comical. After a few strikes, Jackson shoveled the bone fragments back into the mud.

Fan Debiao wiped the cold sweat from his brow and muttered, “Looking for trouble by scaring Fatty,