With that thought, I remained silent, waiting to see how Old Li would respond, as this was ultimately his comrade's affair.

Old Li paused, then suggested, "How about this—should we go and offer some help? After all, Senior Luo and I have been through a few things together; perhaps we can be of assistance." As he spoke, Xu Zhiwu next to him kept making exaggerated faces and gestures, signaling that he shouldn't invite unnecessary trouble. I felt the same way; strange incidents like this happened all over the seaside, riverbanks, and lakes. The local fishermen surely had ways to handle it; there was no need for outsiders like us to interfere.

Unexpectedly, this Tang Minghao was not one bit reserved. Upon hearing Old Li offer help, he offered no pretense of polite refusal but instead burst out with undisguised joy, "If you are willing to go, that would be the best thing in the world. Thank you so much, I truly appreciate your trouble. Senior Luo, Expert Xu, please forgive the inconvenience..." Before we could even voice our agreement, he started thanking us profusely, clearly intending for us to go along. Moreover, we found ourselves unable to refuse.

I glanced at Old Li with considerable dissatisfaction. He gave me a slightly roguish smile, and I couldn't do anything about him; whether we went or not, it seemed we were going anyway. What choice did I have, having shared life and death with him twice?

After the third round of dishes, seeing that we had eaten our fill, Tang Minghao moved to settle the bill. I didn't stop him, figuring it wouldn't be his turn to pay anyway. As expected, the waiter who came over reported that someone had already paid. Tang Minghao was stunned speechless, thinking he’d run into an old friend treating him. He immediately started clamoring to meet the person who paid.

I, too, was surprised, not expecting Jomayangjin’s influence to stretch this far. Xu Zhiwu sighed, "There are Tibetans in Yunnan too, quite a few of them," likely saying this because he sensed the confusion in Old Li and me.

Tang Minghao, hearing Xu Zhiwu's comment, quickly asked what was going on. I didn't want to make the matter public knowledge, so I vaguely replied that it must have been a familiar friend who paid, and he shouldn't bother looking for them.

Just as Tang Minghao was about to press further, Old Li, knowing I preferred not to elaborate, quickly cut in and asked Tang Minghao when they planned to leave for Chengjiang. Tang Minghao was perceptive enough to realize the group didn't want to discuss it further, so he followed the momentum, saying, "The sooner, the better, of course."

Thus, after a brief rest, we set off for Fuxian Lake.

Fuxian Lake lies at the junction of Chengjiang, Jiangchuan, and Huaning counties. Tang Minghao's ancestral home was in a small village by Fuxian Lake within Chengjiang jurisdiction. When we arrived, the presence of three strangers disturbed the watchdogs of every household in the village. The incessant barking—Woof, woof!—drew people out to quiet the dogs, and some called out greetings to Tang Minghao. From their expressions, it was clear that Tang Minghao held a significant position here.

Tang Minghao led us through the dense cluster of homes. Soon, we heard sounds of long sighs and lamentations drifting from one house, punctuated by repeated utterances of "What a tragedy, what a tragedy."

Tang Minghao’s expression immediately darkened, yet he had to muster the energy to greet us, his three guests. With a gravelly voice, he said, "This is my cousin's house—mine is right next door. Perhaps you could stop by my place for a cup of tea first?"

Of course, anyone could see the anxiety etched on his face; going to his house for tea was out of the question. The three of us quickly insisted we should see the patient first. As we were speaking, a short, elderly woman spotted us and hurried over to greet Tang Minghao. She mostly questioned why he wasn't rushing inside, and asked if we were his friends, urging him to quickly bring his guests in for refreshments if we were. Her dialect was extremely rapid, and I could only vaguely guess at the meaning.

Tang Minghao respectfully called out, "Third Auntie," and quickly led us over. The old woman’s face was filled with sorrow, yet she remained very warm, ushering us inside.

Upon entering, we saw a pitch-black lacquered coffin. The room was packed with dark-skinned villagers of all ages. The moment we stepped in, the previously noisy, chattering crowd instantly quieted, everyone staring to see what we were there for. The old woman quickly explained to the group that we were Minghao's friends, and so on.

Tang Minghao nodded vaguely to the crowd and immediately took us to see his cousin. The house was two stories. His cousin was in a bedroom upstairs. As we ascended, the upstairs was comparatively much quieter. A slightly plump young woman was carefully feeding thin porridge to the patient, who was lying down. Upon seeing Tang Minghao, she quickly dabbed the corner of the patient's mouth with a towel, set the bowl aside, stood up, and said, "Big Brother…" She then greeted us with a smile, politely addressing all of us as "Big Brother."

Tang Minghao asked her, "How is Mingjie?" So his cousin was named Mingjie, and this young woman was likely his sister-in-law. I noted this down silently.

"He's a bit better now; he can manage a little food," the young woman said, her eyes slightly red. "We called the doctor, but it was no use. We’ve gone to invite Old Lady Man."

Tang Minghao frowned, "Isn't Old Lady Man a shaman? Why invite her?"

The young woman lowered her head, "For both spiritual healing and medicine. The medicine isn't working, so we have to ask her."

Tang Minghao nodded thoughtfully, walked over to Tang Mingjie's bedside, and softly called, "Mingjie, Mingjie." Tang Mingjie slightly opened his eyes, and seeing it was Tang Minghao, became visibly agitated. "Big Brother…" Before he could finish, tears streamed down his face, and he sobbed uncontrollably.

Tang Minghao patted his shoulder. "Don't get agitated. I know everything that happened; I came back to help you figure things out."

Tang Mingjie choked out, "Big Brother, my other brother… he…" At this point, he broke into loud sobs. "My elder brother is gone… even his body is gone…" Seeing a grown man cry like this made me, an outsider, feel deeply troubled. The young woman beside him also wiped away tears, murmuring, "It's good he can finally cry. It's better now."

Tang Minghao, having seen more intense situations, comforted Tang Mingjie while skillfully drawing us into the narrative, describing how formidable we were, how we were experts he had specifically invited from Lhasa, and that we would surely find a way to recover his cousin's body. After comforting him like this for a long time, Tang Mingjie finally stopped crying and calmed down. His crying had released the suppressed emotions in his heart, and he no longer appeared as weak and on the verge of death as before.

The young woman tried to offer the porridge to Tang Mingjie again, but he waved his hand. "Yuying, I can’t eat; I’m not hungry. Go downstairs and stay with Mom and Sister-in-law; I worry they won’t hold up. I need to discuss matters here with Big Brother and the others." Yuying nodded, her eyes red, and went downstairs.

Tang Minghao only had a hazy understanding of the situation. Once Tang Mingjie was somewhat emotionally stable, he asked exactly what had transpired. Tang Mingjie then slowly repeated the events, which were largely similar to what Tang Minghao had told us, with only slight discrepancies concerning where he was when the incident occurred.

Tang Mingjie said that just after he had pushed his boat out onto the lake, less than ten meters from shore, some strange impulse made him stretch his leg out over the gunwale to air it. In just a few seconds, there was a whoomph sound from beneath the water, like an animal roaring. Before he could process it, something icy wrapped around his ankle and began dragging him underwater. Terrified beyond measure, he struggled and shouted for help, vaguely glimpsing a white, humanoid shadow in the water before his vision went black, and he knew nothing more.

"A white silhouette?" I immediately connected this to the humanoid object rising vertically from the water that Tang Minghao had described earlier. However, that had seemed rigid, not actively attacking. "Are you sure you saw a white figure clearly?" I asked again, worried Tang Mingjie might be mistaken.

Tang Mingjie looked at me, his eyes wide with lingering horror. "Yes... definitely. I will never forget it. And I can confirm that whatever grabbed my leg and pulled me down was it."

Tang Minghao, perhaps afraid that asking too many questions would agitate Tang Mingjie further, quickly changed the subject to other matters. I looked helplessly at Old Li and shrugged, indicating there was nothing I could do. Old Li then looked at Xu Zhiwu, seeking if he had found any clues. Xu Zhiwu shook his head.

With that, the three of us couldn't press for more answers and could only offer occasional perfunctory acknowledgments just to show we were present.

After a little while, Yuying came up and said to invite everyone downstairs for tea, saying she would stay and keep Tang Mingjie company. Tang Minghao didn't say much and immediately led us downstairs for tea. On the way down, he remarked, "Do you three think Mingjie is possessed? Is he talking nonsense?"

The three of us exchanged a knowing, noncommittal smile and remained silent.

Whether it was possession or not, Old Li likely had the most insight into that. However, after asking that question, Tang Minghao didn't pursue it further. Old Li also didn't get a chance to speak.

Soon we were downstairs having tea, and the old woman approached us again, speaking in a choked, tearful voice to express her gratitude. We hadn't done anything yet, but she walked over, trembling, and tried hard to encourage us to eat more. Seeing her brought a pang of sadness to my heart. She had lost her elder son in a matter of days, and her younger son nearly died and was now bedridden. How much fortitude must one possess to endure this!

Tang Minghao’s eyes were also red as he spoke many words of comfort to the old woman, adding that we would immediately go check out what was happening at Fuxian Lake and, of course, would do our utmost to find the elder brother’s body.

At the mention of the word "body," the old woman burst into silent tears, nodding repeatedly in thanks, trying desperately to hold back her cries. Tang Minghao comforted her for a few more moments, then asked her to go attend to the other guests, assuring her that he would handle things here.

After the old woman left, Tang Minghao said, "Li Zeng, Senior Luo, and Expert Xu, given the circumstances, I have no choice but to shamelessly beg you all to help me."

Old Li quickly replied, "Old Tang, we're all like brothers; no need for such formality."

Tang Minghao said, "Very well. Then I'll be direct. Li Zeng, you are a disciple of the Daoist path; I know this. So I want to ask you to carefully examine whether Mingjie is possessed, and also check Fuxian Lake to see if there are any malicious water spirits haunting it. As for Senior Luo and Expert Xu, you are intellectuals who speak of science, so I ask you to use a scientific perspective to see if you can uncover any clues. In short… my elder cousin must either be found alive, or his remains must be recovered."