Nijon must have explained the whole story about that European to Laba. As a result, Laba not only was used himself, but we were drawn in as well; naturally, he felt indebted to us. Still, I didn't want to dwell on that issue. Regardless, I had already decided to get involved with the Golden Eye Silver Bead—I’m an odd duck; the more people tell me not to do something, the more inclined I am to do it. The Tibetan girl’s actions yesterday were just too mysterious, so mysterious that not interfering would feel like a disservice to myself.

So when Laba looked at me, I offered him a brilliant, completely unconcerned smile. He awkwardly tried to make small talk: "The weather is nice today."

Xu Zhiwu sensed Laba’s discomfort and immediately jumped in to save him: "It is. Why don't we all go out for a walk?"

Nijon smiled pleasantly: "You all go ahead. I need to visit a few friends in Lhasa anyway. It’s been a long time… if they find out I only came to see Big Brother Laba and neglected to look them up, I’ll be scolded." I took it as a joke, but contrary to my expectation, as soon as he finished speaking, he pulled out his phone right in front of us and called his friends in Lhasa, saying he was coming over immediately. After the call ended, Nijon naturally departed to visit his other acquaintances. As he left, he gave Laba a meaningful look.

As soon as Nijon was gone, Xu Zhiwu followed suit, cheerfully telling us he was also going out to find a friend. He then pulled Laba aside and whispered something to him. Laba returned to the bedroom and brought out a small, square cloth bundle, which he handed to Xu Zhiwu. Xu Zhiwu took the bundle, chatted with us for a bit longer, and then left.

As for what Laba gave Xu Zhiwu, it was naturally not for me to ask.

With Nijon and Xu Zhiwu gone, Old Li and I are both quiet men, and with Laba joining us, the three of us just stared at each other—the atmosphere was exceedingly awkward and stiff. I genuinely wanted to ask Laba how Nijon explained the matter of the European, but the words caught in my throat several times.

Thank heavens. Not long after Xu Zhiwu left, he returned, his face alight with excitement. He handed the small, square cloth bundle back to Laba. Then he turned to Old Li and me and said, "You two will definitely have to put in some hard work these next couple of days."

Old Li and I quickly replied, "Not at all," and "What is it?"

"Here’s the thing," Xu Zhiwu began. "Laba isn't an outsider, and neither of you two are. But I can only say this when Nijon isn't around. Laba’s Golden Eye Silver Bead holds a colossal secret. Nijon’s move is to 'lure the snake out of its hole'—he sold the bead to Laba, attempting to draw out the second Golden Eye Silver Bead. However, the moment the first bead reached Laba’s hands, it attracted two groups of Germans, all trying to scheme ways to get their hands on it. The thieves who broke into Laba’s house before were connected to this."

Test? What was Xu Zhiwu’s strategy? Why test the Golden Eye Silver Bead? Thinking this, I casually asked.

Xu Zhiwu explained, "I don't think the Germans will believe that the Golden Eye Silver Bead merely holds a secret to immortality due to some abstract mystical power. They are always meticulous and rigorous in their work; there must be substantial scientific evidence guiding their actions… So, I thought, let's have the bead tested to see if there’s anything anomalous about it. If there is, things will become much simpler."

His idea had some merit, but the Golden Eye Silver Bead inherited the craft of the ancient Guge Silver Eye; it was inherently extraordinary. I wondered how his friend planned to conduct a test rigorous enough to uncover its uniqueness.

Laba’s complexion seemed slightly better after Xu Zhiwu returned, less strained than when Nijon was present, and less constrained and awkward than when he was with Old Li and me. "Can it be measured?" he asked Xu Zhiwu.

Xu Zhiwu shook his head. "I don’t know… I’m just trying my luck."

Laba suddenly sighed inexplicably: "Ah, everyone… Nijon tells me one story to my face, and another to others. Zhiwu, you too; you never told me about these things earlier. Immortality—you’re an expert in Tibetan culture, a well-read, highly educated intellectual—how could you believe in something so absurd! Whether a person lives to be a hundred or a thousand, in the end, they still die. How is it possible not to die?"

Xu Zhiwu glanced at Laba hesitantly, stammering, "Immortality, theoretically speaking, isn't entirely impossible… Also, it wasn't Nijon’s strange behavior that made me think so much; it was other things… Laba, our families are old friends; do you doubt my character?"

Laba sighed again. "If I didn't trust you, why would I let you take the Golden Eye Silver Bead for testing… You should know, Nijon wanted to buy the bead back last night, at five times the price I originally paid for it. I still refused." This clearly indicated how much he cherished the item.

Xu Zhiwu looked quite ashamed. "Laba, I am truly sorry… I didn’t mean to hide things from you… It’s just that I genuinely wasn't certain myself."

Laba shook his head and sighed. "Forget it. I know you have your difficulties, and I believe you wouldn't harm me." As he said this, he seemed to recall something. "When we were eating at Tsung's Tibetan restaurant yesterday, didn't a foreigner come up and speak Tibetan with Nijon? They were discussing things related to the Golden Eye Silver Bead; Nijon didn't seem to want you to know about it." Old friends really are old friends; Laba spoke up before Xu Zhiwu could even ask. "He also explained to me last night that it was best not to let you know certain things about the bead, otherwise it would bring you great disaster. But since you’ve already gotten involved, you are surely heading for trouble… It’s all my fault; I shouldn't have bought this thing, and I certainly shouldn’t have shown it to Zhiwu… I even dragged Little Luo and Li Zeng into it." No wonder he looked at us with such complex expressions this morning; it turned out that was the reason.

Xu Zhiwu gave a secretive smile. "It doesn't matter; I accept the risk of disaster. It’s too late to back out now… Don’t you agree, Little Luo, Li Zeng?"

I was still spacing out, so when he addressed me, I was slow to react and only reflexively asked, "What?"

Xu Zhiwu asked, "Nijon said getting involved with the Golden Eye Silver Bead would lead to disaster. Are you afraid?"

I laughed. "Afraid… Of course I’m afraid, scared to death." Then I turned to Old Li and asked, "Old Li, are you afraid?"

Old Li also laughed. "If you aren't afraid, why should I be? I’m dead set on seeing what kind of marvel this Golden Eye Silver Bead truly is that it can grant eternal life."

"That’s wonderful, wonderful!" Xu Zhiwu clapped his hands and laughed loudly. "With you two alongside me, I don't have to worry about those German bandits just coming in and robbing us outright."

"Seriously though…" Laba said earnestly, "I don't understand why you are all so keen on this Golden Eye Silver Bead. Logically, since it originated from our family, our people should have the most authoritative say on its function. Yet, I've only ever heard how precious the craftsmanship is; nobody ever told me it was tied up with all sorts of nonsensical matters. I hear the serf who made this bead was extremely loyal to our family. If it truly held such power, wouldn't he have told his master?"

Xu Zhiwu countered, "That’s hard to say… Didn't that serf even go to the Shengtai Prefecture to steal the Golden Eye Silver Bead? Didn’t he fail to report it to your grandfather beforehand?"

Laba considered this. "That's true."

Speaking of the Guge serf from Laba’s family, it reminded me of everything I saw at the Guge ruins, especially that mural, which left me completely baffled.

"Do you really believe that king took his subjects to another world of immortality?" I asked Xu Zhiwu.

He replied, "You could put it that way… However, as long as we find the second Golden Eye Silver Bead, all these problems will be solved." Here, Xu Zhiwu looked troubled. "But where do we find the second one? All parties involved are waiting for the second bead to appear, but there hasn't been a single word about it."

Old Li, who had been silent until now, took up the conversation. "Isn't Nijon using the first one to lure the snake out of its hole, hoping to draw the second one out? As long as Big Brother Laba keeps the Golden Eye Silver Bead in his possession, we don't have to fear that the owner of the other one won't come looking for him."

Xu Zhiwu said, "That's what they say… but right now, several factions are waiting for the second bead to show up. And they all consider the bead Laba holds to be their property… This is only the prelude, and Laba's house is almost constantly under surveillance. If the second bead really appears, it’s no wonder Laba’s household will be turned upside down just from people trying to snatch the first one."

As we were talking, Xu Zhiwu's phone rang. He quickly got up and stepped aside to answer it. "Old Liu… How is it? It’s out?! That fast. Tell me quickly, what happened… What? Magnetic field… Oh, oh… I understand, I understand…" Although I wasn't deliberately eavesdropping, since everyone else was silent and he was the only one speaking, those words involuntarily drilled into my ears.

After a brief conversation, Xu Zhiwu hastily hung up and came back to sit beside us, but he remained silent, engrossed in his own thoughts. When he fell silent, the other three of us didn't know what to say either, so we collectively fell silent too.

From the sound of it, Xu Zhiwu had received a call from the person testing the Golden Eye Silver Bead and didn't quite grasp the meaning of "magnetic field." It felt as if all the answers were suddenly available, yet I was confused, still unable to grasp certain things. Nijon, the two groups of Europeans we encountered, Xu Zhiwu, and Laba… it was all so intricate and tangled.