As the Big-Mouth Monster lunged to bite the Cocooned Man, Mayartis and his group scrambled to get up, intending to flee towards us. But the moment they rose, that dense swarm of black, looming face-monsters rushed forward with wet, slapping sounds, obscuring the way.

Seeing the Germans attempting to escape with the opening, the Big-Mouth Monster immediately abandoned the Cocooned Man and rushed back. The Cocooned Men, showing perfect synchronization, sidestepped and swiftly moved to surround the Germans entirely.

When the Germans saw this formation, every one of them collapsed onto the ground like a heap of mud, trembling violently, their flesh shaking as if they were suffering from a severe chill.

Once the Germans were subdued, the Big-Mouth Monster prepared to sink its jaws in, but the Cocooned Men were unwilling to let it end there; they advanced again to obstruct it, immediately becoming embroiled once more in the previous struggle of will.

I grew impatient watching, thinking the Big-Mouth Monster and the Cocooned Men should just fight to the death instead of engaging in this tiresome probing match. It was vexing to witness. Just as I was getting restless, Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly said to me, "Technician Luo, let’s go. We won’t see a result anytime soon. Don't let the Big-Mouth Monster’s power fool you; the Cocooned Men are no easy prey when driven to the limit."

I glanced at the collapsed Germans on the ground, thinking that even if the monsters fought, it was still a matter of several human lives. To simply stand by and do nothing felt wrong. I looked at Old Li, wanting to ask his opinion, but he merely pointed toward Zhuoma Yangjin, signaling that she was the one in charge.

"Then... what about Mayartis and the others?" I asked Zhuoma Yangjin after a long hesitation, stammering slightly. She looked back at me with an astonished expression and retorted, "What do you want to do? Save them? Have you forgotten how they treated you, Li Zeng, and me?"

"But... they are still human lives..." I offered.

Zhuoma Yangjin sneered, "Human lives? Are we not human lives? If I hadn't discovered this early and acted quickly, do you think you would even have this chance to discuss saving that group of Germans with me? They would have finished you off already. You are still too naive."

What Zhuoma Yangjin said was true, but... I still felt a pang of conscience. She seemed to read my thoughts and continued, "Think of the effort our ancestors expended over generations to guard against these Germans and Japanese. Never mind that. Just look at Zhuoga and the others, and Wangmu—" She gestured toward the old woman and the smiling young girl, "—how many of their loved ones have been sacrificed for this! And now look at you. You were lucky not to be bitten to death by dogs, and now you come to plead their case."

I had barely managed a sentence or two before Zhuoma Yangjin unleashed a torrent of rebuke. It was clear there was no saving them. "Ah..." I sighed, saying nothing further.

Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly fell silent for a moment, observing my expression. She said sadly, "Since you want to save them, then... Ah, forget it. I will try my best, but I can only say I will try. I dare not guarantee they will be saved completely... Originally, I intended to capture them all at once, to prevent them from causing trouble in the future."

I knew she was yielding because of me, agreeing to save the Germans. A sudden, ineffable surge of emotion washed over me, a strong impulse to reach out and take her hand, to thank her. Yet, though I thought it, outwardly I only offered polite thanks and courtesy.

Zhuoma Yangjin waved it off lightly. "There's nothing to thank me for. I just don't want you to carry guilt later. Even if they cause trouble again, I have ways to handle it. Alright, let's go. This is something Zhuoga and the others need to handle." Saying this, she waved to the young girl, Wangmu, beckoning her to follow. The rest naturally stayed behind to assist Zhuoga.

I stammered, "I... I..." wanting to stay and see how Zhuoga intended to rescue them. But before the words left my mouth, Zhuoma Yangjin decisively cut me off: "Outsiders are not permitted to observe their work—that is our rule. Even I am stepping away, let alone you?"

Hearing this, Old Li and I had no choice but to follow her meekly. As for Hans and the others, Zhuoma Yangjin had promised me she would save them; that much was certain. Whether they could be rescued unharmed, however, was an entirely different matter.

The young girl, Wangmu, walked with us for a while. Seeing that Zhuoma Yangjin intended to walk close beside me, she immediately cut across, inserting herself between us. She made no attempt to hide her indignation on Zhuoma Yangjin’s behalf. "Princess, who is this man! And what is your station!"

Zhuoma Yangjin gave Wangmu a slight look of annoyance, striving to maintain a composed demeanor. "Station or no station, Wangmu, what have I taught you? Have you forgotten?"

Upon hearing this, Wangmu's expression shifted subtly, and she immediately bowed respectfully and stepped back, not daring to walk abreast with us. She murmured, "Forgive me, Princess... I... I am distressed on your behalf. You’ve gone to such great lengths to save him, to help him, and look... does he show any gratitude? Does he appreciate any of it?"

The "he" Wangmu referred to was clearly me, yet... I was profoundly unaware, including why they called Zhuoma Yangjin 'Princess.' In my mind, she was simply an intelligent, rare Tibetan woman who had received a high level of education. That was all.

Zhuoma Yangjin immediately waved her hand, stopping Wangmu mid-sentence, signaling her to be quiet, then quickly smiled apologetically toward me. "This girl has been with me since childhood; she lacks discipline. Please excuse her." I hastily assured her it was fine, absolutely fine.

Old Li suddenly interjected, "Yangjin, for you to grace us with your presence and help us—we are deeply grateful." His language had suddenly become quite formal. I found this strange.

Zhuoma Yangjin smiled dismissively. "I favor Luo Lian; it is only natural that I do these things for him."

I hadn't expected her to be so open about it in front of me. My face flushed crimson, and I mumbled helplessly, "I... I..."

Before I could finish, Zhuoma Yangjin quickly continued, "You don't need to do anything. My liking you is my business. It has nothing to do with you." It was said that Tibetan women were passionate and forthright, and I was certainly witnessing it now, yet I was entirely put on the spot. She was my savior; how could I respond? Should I say I hadn't yet moved past my past heartache, or what? Either seemed likely to hurt her feelings. In the end, I could only offer a noncommittal smile.

Wangmu let out a cold snort upon seeing this. Zhuoma Yangjin quickly lowered her head, saying no more. Old Li nudged my shoulder, signaling that I should cooperate. But... I truly couldn't manage it.

However, just as the atmosphere reached peak awkwardness, Wangmu broke the tension. She announced, "We are about to head out. Only the Grand Hierophant and his direct family are qualified to walk through this passage with their eyes open. Therefore, the three of us must have our eyes covered while the Princess leads us out." With that, she deftly pulled three narrow strips of cloth from her Tibetan robe and handed them to Zhuoma Yangjin.

Zhuoma Yangjin accepted them without hesitation and prepared to blindfold us herself. She started with Wangmu and Old Li, saving me for last. She looked at me openly, her eyes holding an undeniable sorrow and melancholy. I looked back at her, unsure how to speak.

"I am the Princess of the Gyuq Dynasty, and the Grand Hierophant is my kin." As she covered my eyes, she spoke this sentence, her hand trembling slightly.

I was flooded with a complex mixture of feelings, unsure how to react. Perhaps I should be thrilled—the seemingly vanished Gyuq Dynasty still had descendants among the living! What a world-shattering discovery that would be. Perhaps I should feel overwhelmingly honored that a genuine Princess held affection for a mere Luo such as myself. For a moment, I couldn't truly believe Zhuoma Yangjin could be a golden-blooded Princess...

Fortunately, my eyes were covered, and Zhuoma Yangjin could not see the whirlwind of thoughts in my mind.

"Let’s go," Zhuoma Yangjin’s voice suddenly carried a note of deep sadness. She grasped one of my hands; her hand was icy cold. By feeling, I knew her other hand held Old Li. "Wangmu, you come and hold onto the edge of my robe. Be careful not to touch Li Zeng," she instructed.

We began to move through the darkness, relying entirely on Zhuoma Yangjin to guide us. No one spoke. I didn't know what to say; Old Li was not a man of many words to begin with. Wangmu also remained quiet, and when she did speak, it was only to praise the Princess, leaving no room for us to interject.

After walking for some time, Zhuoma Yangjin plainly told us that the journey was still long and that we shouldn't expect to reach the surface soon; we needed to prepare ourselves mentally.

Walking through the darkness with her hand holding mine, a strange warmth suddenly welled up in my heart. I felt perfectly safe, completely unafraid that another monster might appear.

"Princess, you plan to take them to the surface and then let them go, right?" Wangmu asked after a long silence.

Zhuoma Yangjin continued to lead us forward, calmly replying, "It depends on the situation."

Wangmu pressed on, "What if the Grand Hierophant finds out what you are doing..."

Zhuoma Yangjin immediately cut her off sharply, "What about what I am doing? Will the Grand Hierophant subject me to family law?"

Wangmu responded with a very worried, hesitant "Mmm."

Zhuoma Yangjin let out a faint laugh. "Wangmu, you truly are a foolish child. Have you ever seen the Grand Hierophant punish his Princess?"

Wangmu fell silent.

Zhuoma Yangjin clearly wished to divert the conversation. She asked me and Li Zeng, "Luo Lian, Li Zeng, have you not noticed that when I speak, there is a scent of medicinal herbs on my breath?"

Her question made me recall something. Yes, when we were below the altar, her speech did carry that herbal smell. However, that wasn't the strangest part. The strange thing was that I remembered one of her subordinates had merely dipped a finger in some blood on the ground, smelled it, and immediately determined it wasn't her blood—she wasn't injured.

This led me to wonder whether her family possessed supernatural abilities, or if she herself was something extraordinary.

I remained quiet, but Old Li spoke up, picking up the thread. "We did notice, but not understanding your customs, we dared not ask rashly."

Hearing this, Zhuoma Yangjin stopped, gazing into the distance as if in thought. "Customs... customs..." she murmured, before resuming our forward pace. After a moment, she added, "What customs are there? We are all the same. I will just tell you, as if it were a story."