"No, the timeline doesn't add up. The serf from the Lhaba family—from his grandfather's era. Even if that serf were ancient, he couldn't possibly be someone from the Guge Kingdom that vanished two or three centuries ago. He could only be a descendant." Xu Zhiwu observed.

"Of course, that serf can only be a descendant of the Guge people," Nyangjong replied. "But he wasn't an ordinary Guge person; he was a craftsman who knew how to make the Gold Eye and Silver Bead. If you place him in the Guge Kingdom, he would be the one making the Guge Silver Eye. You must understand that craftsmen held significant status and were deeply respected in the Guge Kingdom."

If this were true, and the Guge King truly led his subjects to an immortal realm, there would be no reason not to take the craftsman who knew how to make the Guge Silver Eye. So why didn't that serf from the Lhaba family go? It seemed contradictory. Furthermore, Nyangjong's words carried subtle inconsistencies. Setting aside other points, how could something as precious as the Gold Eye and Silver Bead suddenly be sold to Lhaba on a whim? And regarding the rock carvings, I had a nagging feeling Nyangjong was deliberately avoiding something... In short, I had a premonition that this seemingly frank and honest man might not be who he appeared to be.

"Then why didn't the Guge King take the ancestor of that serf with him?" I couldn't hold back the question any longer.

Lhaba first paused, then composed himself, saying, "A nation has hundreds of thousands of people; how could the king possibly attend to every single one? Moreover, you might not know something. Not only did the Guge Kingdom have one craftsman who made the Guge Silver Eye who didn't follow their king to the other world, but there was also an entire lineage of High Priests who chose to remain in our world. As far as I know, this family is still in Tibet, but they dislike public attention, so very few people know of them."

Now it was Xu Zhiwu's turn to be astonished. He exclaimed, "What? You mean there are still Guge subjects stranded in Tibet?" His face instantly lit up with joy. "Brother Nyangjong, you absolutely must take me to visit this family... Once this information is released, the entire world will be in an uproar... Hahahaha, then Old Xu's name will echo across the world, just like the Potala Palace."

I couldn't help but laugh along, for reasons other than believing Xu Zhiwu was naive enough to trust everything Nyangjong said. If descendants of Guge truly existed, with our current research capabilities, even if they lived on the moon, wouldn't we have found them long ago?

Nyangjong became serious. "Zhiwu, it’s not difficult for me to take you to find them. It’s just..." At this point, he looked troubled. "It’s just that the Guge people are notoriously devout Buddhists. I am not an orthodox disciple of Buddhism, nor am I related to them by blood or kinship. Without any solid reason, bringing a stranger to meet them suddenly feels rather inappropriate."

Xu Zhiwu asked impatiently, "Then how can we meet them?"

Nyangjong lowered his head and pondered for a moment, appearing hesitant to speak. Xu Zhiwu grew more anxious, "Just tell me what needs to be done?"

Nyangjong seemed extremely conflicted. "We must bring a gift when visiting them."

After all that talk, it turned out he wanted an opportunity to demand riches. Did Nyangjong really underestimate us? Not to mention someone like me, who hasn't been deeply involved in society, could see the hidden meaning in his words, let alone an old hand like Xu Zhiwu.

Indeed, Xu Zhiwu also caught the implication in Nyangjong’s statement. "A gift?" he asked. "What kind of gift?"

Nyangjong looked flustered, stammering, "The Guge people are very attached to the past. If we bring them modern gold and jewelry, they might not accept it... If... If... we bring an ancient Guge artifact, that would naturally be a different matter altogether."

Guge artifacts. Didn't Nyangjong and his group guard the Guge ruins? Finding an old object shouldn't be hard; every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, every stick of wood was an ancient Guge relic. "Then we can just find something in the ruined city to take to them," I suggested.

"Little Luo brother, if only it were as simple as you imagine," Nyangjong said with a wry smile. "What status and position did the High Priest hold in Guge? What kind of treasures haven't they seen? If he fancied anything in that Guge ghost town, he would have already sent people to retrieve it long ago. Why wait for us to deliver it? Do you think just bringing some mundane object would catch his eye?"

It seemed Nyangjong was determined to play hard to get. "Then what do you think would be a suitable gift to bring?" My suspicion grew stronger, and I asked him in a low voice.

"This... this..." Nyangjong looked between the two of us, still appearing troubled. "If I say it, I'm afraid you'll say I'm intentionally making things difficult."

"How could we?" Looking at Xu Zhiwu, it seemed he would agree if Nyangjong asked him to offer his own life savings as a gift right now. "Just tell us what gift is required, Brother Nyangjong. I, Xu Zhiwu, still have some connections; finding a treasure shouldn't be too difficult." He spoke urgently, afraid that Nyangjong might change his mind and refuse to take him to see the Guge descendants.

Nyangjong lowered his head and thought again for a long time, then said with great difficulty, "When I mention this, if you feel you cannot accept it, then just take it as a joke, laugh it off. If you can take it to heart, then that would be best... Here's the situation: didn't I mention before? The Guge people were devout Buddhists. The Buddha they worshipped was the world-famous Guge Silver Eye Buddha. They bowed to no other statues. And as for the Guge Silver Eyes, apart from those already excavated and housed in museums, the rest were taken by their king to another world..."

"You can't be serious?" I stared wide-eyed at Nyangjong. "You mean you want us to find a Guge Silver Eye to give to him?" That was a joke. A Guge Silver Eye wasn't something people like us could casually find. If it were that easy, it wouldn't be a Guge Silver Eye; it would be an ordinary clay statue. Did he think we had supernatural powers just because we traveled from Lhasa to here? He was clearly just making an excuse not to take us to see the High Priest's descendants. If he didn't want to take us, fine, but why use such a pretext! Moreover, we didn't even know there were Guge High Priest descendants living among us until he brought it up, and now he offers this kind of justification!

I don't know if Xu Zhiwu was genuinely naive or just pretending to be. He explained to Nyangjong with an innocent face: "Brother Nyangjong, you know the Guge Silver Eye is a national treasure. I've been struggling in the archaeology field for so many years. I've never even heard—even the highest official, unless he is a specialized authority in this area—could see a Guge Silver Eye. My field of study is Tibetan folk culture and history; the Guge Silver Eye is just a tiny topic within it. I haven't even had a chance to lay eyes on one, let alone the opportunity to acquire one for you..."

Nyangjong smiled and nodded. "I understand. I didn't say it absolutely had to be a Guge Silver Eye. The Gold Eye and Silver Bead—" He paused—"that should work too, right?"

"You..." Hearing this, Xu Zhiwu and I were momentarily speechless. Didn't he himself possess a Gold Eye and Silver Bead earlier, which he sold to Lhaba? Now he suggests taking a Gold Eye and Silver Bead to visit the Guge High Priest's descendant. What did that mean? Wasn't he blatantly telling us to buy one from Lhaba? It turned out that, in the end, everyone, including Lhaba, was plotting against us, trying every trick to make us buy the Gold Eye and Silver Bead in his possession.

Realizing this, I immediately felt displeased and let out a slight "harrumph" without speaking.

That fool Xu Zhiwu was still trying to haggle with Nyangjong. "Brother Nyangjong, the Gold Eye and Silver Bead are extremely valuable. They are currently with Lhaba. We truly cannot afford to buy it, nor can we manage to bring it to that Guge person. Can you... can you think of another way for us?"

"Buy???" Nyangjong looked at Xu Zhiwu with feigned astonishment. "Who told you to buy it?"

"Then you mean..." I was utterly confused and asked him with equal surprise, "You don't mean we should obtain it through... less than honorable means?"

"Hahahaha..." Nyangjong suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly. "A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding. It’s all my fault for not making myself clear."

Xu Zhiwu and I exchanged glances, not understanding what Nyangjong was trying to say.

"What I mean is, you only need to bring a pair of Gold Eyes and Silver Beads to show him, just so he knows you are sincere. When the High Priest sees the Gold Eyes and Silver Beads, he will naturally know what to do," Nyangjong said after his laughter subsided.

"A pair?" I was confused again. Didn't Lhaba only show us one Gold Eye and Silver Bead? Why hadn't we ever heard that the Gold Eye and Silver Bead came as a pair? Even when Nyangjong spoke of the origin of the Gold Eye and Silver Bead, he only mentioned the one given to Shengtai.

"Brother Nyangjong, I am completely lost," Xu Zhiwu said. "There is only one Gold Eye and Silver Bead; where would a pair come from?"

"Of course there is a pair; otherwise, why would I say this?" Nyangjong stated seriously. "However, the only one currently known in the world is the one in Lhaba's household. The other one is lost somewhere unknown."

Damn it! In the end, not only did he want us to target the Gold Eye and Silver Bead at Lhaba's place, but he also expected us to find another one whose existence was uncertain. Wasn't he clearly toying with us? "Damn it!" I cursed his ancestors silently in my mind, my expression showing a touch of anger.

What angered me further was Xu Zhiwu, still foolishly asking, "We don't even know where that Gold Eye and Silver Bead is; how can we look for it?"

Nyangjong replied mysteriously, "If one has appeared, the other will surely surface eventually. You just need to closely monitor the people Lhaba does business with regarding antiques."

This suggested that Lhaba might not be fully informed; he only knew the preciousness of the Gold Eye and Silver Bead but not its other purpose. Otherwise, judging by Nyangjong's tone, it sounded as if Lhaba was planning to sell the Gold Eye and Silver Bead away.

I was completely bewildered, failing to grasp Nyangjong’s intended meaning.

Xu Zhiwu was left speechless too, looking at Nyangjong, waiting for him to continue.

"Am I not being clear? It means that when you have found both Gold Eyes and Silver Beads, you can ask me to help find a way to meet the Guge High Priest. Zhiwu, once you meet the Guge High Priest, a few casual words from him can make you instantly famous in the archaeological world, gaining both fame and fortune." As Nyangjong said this, his eyes shone brightly; he was extremely excited.