I felt a prickle of fear in my heart, hesitant to decide immediately. That hazy path possessed an indescribable strangeness. "I..." I looked back at Old Li with the same questioning gaze. We exchanged glances, neither daring to step onto that road first.

Behind us, Matias and Hans, along with the others, watched us with wary, predatory eyes, prepared either to prevent us from bolting or to confront any monster that might suddenly appear.

"We have no choice but to walk; not walking means death anyway." Steel set in my heart, I stepped onto the path without looking back. Old Li followed instantly. The moment my foot touched the surface, my whole body felt suddenly weightless, my head devoid of substance, my balance lost, and with a thud, I collapsed onto the ground.

It wasn't exactly unconsciousness, rather, an inability to stand; my head spun in a daze, yet I perceived that all my sensory organs—sight, smell, hearing, taste—were fully active, able to clearly register every movement around me.

Old Li seemed to sway for a moment before falling stiffly beside me. Matias, seeing us collapse, turned ashen-faced, constantly glancing towards Hans and his group—now utterly lacking anyone to back him up, Hans and his men could dispatch him with ease.

Hans and his men paid him no mind whatsoever, completely ignoring his existence. They focused intently on monitoring me and Old Li, their faces registering more disappointment than anything else. Of course, I didn't believe they would shed a single tear or feel a flicker of sympathy if I died. Who was I? Merely an insignificant outsider, unconnected to anyone. Life or death, it seemed, mattered to no one.

My head grew increasingly clouded. Lying on the cold ground was not a pleasant sensation. I tried to curl up to generate some warmth, but found my brain utterly incapable of commanding my body. No matter how hard I strained, it was as if the signals failed; I remained prone, unable to move a muscle.

After a while, Hans called Stafan over to gently nudge our bodies with the butt of his gun. We remained immobile, allowing him to strike us repeatedly with the weapon's stock. Yet, I felt no pain, only the knowledge that my body was being struck by a blunt object, unable to resist.

Stafan vented his frustration before slowly moving back to report to Hans that we showed no signs of life. Hans looked at us with profound regret, seeming uncertain what to do next.

After what felt like an age, even as my body grew cold, they lingered, agonizing over what to do, staring fixedly at us. If I had any strength, I would have jumped up immediately to verbally assault every man, woman, and child in their lineage—we were in trouble, and they wouldn't even offer a hand?

A little later, Riske hesitated, about to step forward, but Hans decisively stopped him, pulling him back. After taking a few more looks at us, ensuring we appeared truly dead, they dragged their guns and moved off elsewhere. Matias, naturally, trailed obsequiously behind them. The others said nothing, treating him as if he were air.

By the time they had gone so far that not a single sound remained, the meager, hazy light illuminating our narrow path vanished, and the surroundings plunged into profound darkness.

I remained limp and weak, my various senses beginning to blur... blurring, until I vaguely felt hands gripping my head and feet, lifting me up... I had no idea what state Old Li was in.

...

When I opened my eyes again, the scene before me was startling: four or five Tibetan people surrounded me, all craning their necks with curiosity.

My first thought was for Old Li! Where was he? I scanned the area frantically, only to realize I was surrounded alone, with no other presence nearby.

"..." Seeing that I was awake, they appeared somewhat excited, chattering incessantly while gesticulating or perhaps appraising me. I lay motionless on the ground, observing them. I noticed that every one of their faces was extraordinarily pale, utterly lacking the rosy glow common among Tibetans living at high altitudes.

"You—" I struggled to sit up, "Who are you?"

Then, a girl with a bright, clear voice stepped forward to reply, though her tone was somewhat rough, as if unused to speaking. "We're here to save you." The girl offered a mischievous smile, then proceeded to examine me from head to toe with the scrutinizing gaze one reserves for a national treasure.

"I... I need to know about Old Li; he is my companion." I managed.

The group exchanged glances, seeming unsure how to answer. Impatiently, I called out loudly, "Old Li, Li Zeng!"

The girl who had spoken earlier looked at me with a faint smile, answering slowly and deliberately, "You are looking for Li Zeng? He is in another place; perhaps you will meet him there." I was instantly furious. What did "perhaps" we will meet mean? "If you know, tell me now!" I snarled at her.

"Look at you. We saved you, and instead of gratitude, you are aggressive. It proves that men are all the same." The girl kept smiling placidly. "If our master hadn't wanted to save you, do you think your own abilities would have you standing here alive, shouting at us now?"

I instantly realized my impropriety and quickly apologized repeatedly. The girl continued to be the spokesperson, waving her hand casually, "No need for such formality." She maintained her ever-present smile, and the others looked on with similar curious, harmless smiles.

My body was still weak, making it impossible to stand. Someone instantly and deftly helped me up. "Where is this?" I finally asked a sensible question. The girl nodded in satisfaction. "You should have asked that long ago." With another smile, she added, "Where this is... well... if you were an ordinary person, you certainly wouldn't be qualified to know. It’s a pity... someone asked us to treat you well. So, I'll reluctantly tell you. This place is... is... is the very spot where you collapsed... Would you believe me if I said that?"

I quickly scanned my surroundings. I saw nothing but unfathomable darkness, no recognizable landmarks, leaving me uncertain of my location. So, I shook my head helplessly. Whatever this girl said didn't matter; I wouldn't know the difference anyway.

"Why aren't you asking who did you such a favor, risking grave danger to save you both? Actually... you greedy people don't deserve saving at all," the girl quipped, sharp-tongued.

Still, I should have asked who would go to such lengths to help me in this perilous underground environment where death lurked constantly. So, honestly, I repeated her suggested question.

The girl burst into a soft laugh. "I told you our master wanted to save you. I already said so. You really are too honest—I told you to ask, and you asked!"

Being teased by the girl made my face flush crimson up to my ears.

At this point, an older Tibetan woman among them admonished the girl sharply, her expression displeased. The girl pouted, feigning deep offense, and retreated to the side.

The old woman's face was also extremely pale. She tried to speak to me with concern, but after only a few words, she realized I didn't understand Tibetan, so she beckoned for the girl to return. The girl mumbled, "Just now, she told us not to neglect the delicate guest, then sent the person aside, and now she calls for them again, really..."

I found the term "delicate guest" odd, wondering why they addressed me that way. Delicate guest? I was utterly perplexed; I was just a coarse individual.

The old woman patiently waited for the girl to finish complaining before pointing at me. The girl slowly said, "Luo Lian [a name the girl uses for the narrator], since you've come this far, we should tell you some things. Otherwise, if others ask you later and you know nothing, it will be embarrassing." She finished with another sly grin.

I looked at her blankly, unsure what she meant to convey.

The old woman muttered a few more sentences in Tibetan. The girl waved her hand impatiently. "I know, I know." Then, she smiled sweetly at me again. "Delicate guest, you are currently on the fifth level of the Underground Pagoda. As for your friend Li Zeng, he might be on the third or fourth level, or perhaps he has already returned to the surface." Hearing this, I felt a surge of panic. If Old Li had gone back to the surface—then I—

At this, the old woman shot the girl a fierce glare. The girl defiantly met the gaze, then turned back to me. "See, the chief steward is getting angry. I won't say those baseless things to frighten you anymore. Besides, I don't feel like speaking Chinese; it saves me effort." She then pouted and sulked for a moment before concluding, "Fine. Your friend is safe; he was rescued by our people long ago. Now, do you have any other questions?"

I looked around in confusion, feeling an intense dizziness. I wanted to ask them so many things—who their master was, how he possessed the power to descend underground to save me, whether this place truly offered immortality, or perhaps... but I couldn't find the words to begin.

"Let me put it this way," the girl said righteously, "otherwise, you might rack your brains and never figure it out. Our master shared a difficult time with you, has always... and... and..." She hesitated briefly before continuing, "In short, you are a very good person. He tried many ways to stop you from coming to Guge. So many hints and suggestions in Lhasa, but you, you always believed you were an unparalleled hero who could handle people with ulterior motives like Xu Zhiwu, Nüqiong, and the Germans with your bare hands."

Blindsided by her outburst, I didn't know how to respond. I wanted to explain that I hadn't intended to come here, but she immediately rushed on: "Didn't our people operating outside tell you anything? Didn't a girl singing Tibetan opera in the restaurant tell you not to come to Guge? When you were depositing the gold eyes and silver beads at the bank, didn't a shoe-shiner approach you to speak? And Nüqiong—how dare he! We specifically ordered him to protect you, yet he still..."