While one might think it, one couldn't just blurt out, "Yanzi, show us what you have in your chest, won't you?" Helplessly, Tang Minghao couldn't speak, utterly unsure how to defuse this farce.

"Minghao!" Seeing Tang Minghao getting more and more out of line, Old Li roared a sharp command, bringing him down without hesitation using a Qin Na Shou (Seizing Hand Technique). By rights, having been a soldier, Tang Minghao should know basic self-defense—especially since Old Li claimed he was once a top soldier. Yet, when Old Li moved, Tang Minghao showed absolutely no resistance, not at all like someone who had undergone strict training! This could only mean one thing: Tang Minghao’s condition was perhaps far more complex than they imagined. His entire body seemed to be under some form of external control.

Thrown to the ground, Tang Minghao remained still for a few seconds, then immediately started crawling toward Yanzi again, seemingly intending to grab her leg. Yanzi screamed in fright and leaped far away. She was nearly at her breaking point because of Tang Minghao, and she cried out to him, "What on earth do you want? Tell me, tell me! Can you please stop being so hands-on all of a sudden?"

Tang Minghao lifted his head and glanced at Yanzi (I clearly saw a fleeting look of pleading in his eyes). He pointed to his own head, then pointed toward Yanzi’s chest. Yanzi suddenly looked like she understood everything, saying, "You want this?"

Tang Minghao immediately nodded fiercely, his face blank. Yanzi seemed somewhat hesitant, stealing glances at our reactions. I had no idea what she was talking about and showed no reaction.

Old Li pleaded with Yanzi, "Please, you must help Minghao. We have no idea what to do about this situation of his."

Yanzi remained indecisive. After thinking for a long time, she finally said, "Tang Minghao might be turning into a living White Shell person, just like those dead people encased in white shells at the bottom of Fuxian Lake."

The moment she finished speaking, Tang Minghao violently yanked at his own hair, repeatedly banging his head against the ground with loud thuds. I was startled and quickly helped Old Li pull him away, urging him not to hurt himself. Though Tang Minghao couldn't speak aloud, he was lucid in his mind; he must have understood from Yanzi’s words that he was about to become a monster, that life would be worse than death, which is why he resorted to self-harm—it was indeed self-mutilation. After just a few resounding thuds, we managed to pull him up, but his forehead was already swollen, bruised, and sported a significant lump.

"Minghao, this is like taking a knife to your brother’s flesh... you..." Old Li said, his eyes slightly red.

Tang Minghao pointed to his head, then to his mouth, then looked up at the ceiling, bent over, and began violently slamming his head against Old Li as if he were a pillar. I rushed forward to hold him back, deeply pained by the sight. Tang Minghao seemed to be trying to convey that his mind was failing, and since his mouth wouldn't work, he felt there was no hope of returning, so he might as well smash his own head in.

"I..." After a long pause, Yanzi suddenly stammered, "I... I..." We were busy trying to calm Tang Minghao down and paid her no mind. Only Xu Zhiwu engaged her, "What is it?" he asked.

"I think... Zaxi might have told me... about Tang Minghao's condition..." She kept hesitating, unable to articulate what she wanted to say for a long time.

"So, you mean you have a way to save Zaxi?" Xu Zhiwu asked, overjoyed. Hearing this, Tang Minghao immediately stopped his frenzy, turning to look at Yanzi with hopeful eyes, waiting for her to give a definite answer. To our surprise, Yanzi slowly shook her head. "I can't say that for sure. I can only share some things Zaxi told me, and then we can all discuss how to proceed."

"Then why the hesitation? Hurry up and say it. One person is already dead; do we have to wait until someone else dies violently like just now before you can speak clearly?" I was truly becoming exasperated by Yanzi's constant hesitation.

Yanzi glanced at me, then looked at Old Li, before saying, "Zaxi said that at the entrance to that vortex, there is our guardian spirit, who protects the secret beneath the vortex. If anyone rashly enters his domain, he will punish the wicked without mercy."

I immediately flared up upon hearing this, "Are you saying Brother Hao is a villain? Then who was it that lured us here!" When my temper flared, I never spoke kindly.

Yanzi quickly put on a wronged expression, "Luo Lian, don't take advantage of your status... you... you can't just bully people!"

"I..." I wanted to ask her how I was leveraging my status to bully anyone, but I realized that arguing with a woman over such a point was a battle a man unskilled in sharp rhetoric like me was bound to lose. So, I forcefully bit back the words and angrily ignored her.

"Yanzi," I could tell Xu Zhiwu was desperately trying to restrain his anger, "I need you to tell me quickly how to save Tang Minghao, not talk about your guardian spirits and other useless nonsense. Do you understand? I respect all your beliefs, but right now, saving a life is the priority!"

Yanzi suddenly let out two cold sneers. "Why should I tell you Han people so much? What do you people do all day other than think about getting rich!" Without waiting for us to speak, she reached into her chest and pulled out an object in front of us: it was her small cloth pouch. She then calmly untied the string of the little pouch, inserted her thumb and forefinger, slowly took out a small amount of something into her palm, then quickly tied the pouch shut and hid it back in her bosom with great care. Next, as if by magic, she produced a lighter. She instructed Old Li and me to hold Tang Minghao down firmly so he couldn't struggle. Finally, she carefully poured the substance in her palm onto the ground and lit it just under Tang Minghao’s nose. It was just a small amount of some powdery substance, carrying a faint, familiar herbal scent. Once ignited, a thin, straight plume of smoke that refused to dissipate rose slowly, heading directly toward Tang Minghao’s nostrils.

Tang Minghao had been struggling desperately, and Old Li and I could barely hold him down, but after the smoke burned for a while, he slowly settled down. After a moment, he began actively leaning closer to the smoke, lying placidly underneath it without moving.

"You don't need to be so tense, you can let go," Yanzi said coldly. "When he wakes up, he can remain lucid for a period of time, and nothing will happen for the moment." She specifically emphasized the word temporarily.

"Meaning he will have an episode again later?" Old Li asked.

"I am not an immortal. This is all I can do; it depends on how strong his fate is, whether he can hold out until we get back to dry land," Yanzi said in an indifferent tone, looking vaguely around.

I truly had the impulse to strangle this woman! Her attitude shifted constantly, and she acted as if she were some noble person! Unbearable! However... thinking that I had just spoken harshly and offended her, it wasn't worth arguing with a woman. Otherwise, she would start again with comments about "us Han people." Honestly, if she didn't occasionally throw in a line about "you Han people" doing this or that, my temper might not have been so high. Because those words always stirred up unpleasant memories for me. The High Priestess Zhuoma Yangjin had made it perfectly clear to me: precisely because I was Han Chinese, regardless of anything else, the Princess and I were doomed to have no future together from the start. Although I didn't feel I was particularly fond of Zhuoma Yangjin, sometimes thinking of her still brought a strange melancholy and sadness.

"I apologize, I was anxious earlier, so my tone was a bit sharp. I hope you don't mind," I said to Yanzi with a forced smile. "After all, no matter what, things have reached this point. The most important thing is for us to discuss how to get back to land."

Seeing my apology, Yanzi’s expression softened considerably. She said she would do her best to help Tang Minghao expel the evil influence, and that if possible, they absolutely must find Geng Wei too. In short, the atmosphere was no longer icy; things were much more harmonious.

Not long after, Tang Minghao slowly opened his eyes, and a little color returned to his face. He let out a huge sneeze, stood up, and naturally said, "Li Zeng." The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly realized he could speak again. Overcome with excitement, he grabbed Old Li's arm and shook him violently, loudly asking, "Is this me talking? Is this my voice? I can speak?"

It seemed Old Li was dizzy from being shaken, but he was also incredibly thrilled. "Yes, yes, yes! That’s your voice. Thank heavens, Minghao, you can finally talk! Hurry up and thank Yanzi."

Yanzi quickly waved her hands. "Don't... don't talk about thanks or anything. We are companions. If you were the one injured, you would certainly help me, right?"

Tang Minghao nodded repeatedly. "Yes, yes, yes. But still, thank you very much." Yanzi waved her hand, signaling him to stop thanking her.

"Brother Hao, what happened to you before? Do you remember?" After a while, when Tang Minghao had calmed down somewhat, I asked him.

"I..." Tang Minghao's eyes suddenly turned red. "Actually, I understood everything that was happening. Like Uncle Geng... when Uncle Geng met with misfortune, I knew it all. I was anxious and sad, but I couldn't utter a single word. I wanted to tell you all to save him... but I couldn't call out, I could only cry out of desperation."

"And my mind felt hazy, yet not hazy at the same time. There was a voice in my head saying, 'As long as you get close to Yanzi, you'll be fine.' It was unbearable, so I shamelessly clung to Yanzi with all my might. And it was true; as long as I stayed near her, my mind felt clearer, not so floaty and unreal like before."

"Forgive my confused logic; my mind hasn't fully recovered yet... The strangest thing was, when I saw that strange fish, I felt an intense sense of familiarity. When I was by the pool, it was holding Uncle Geng, but the moment it saw me, it hesitated, almost as if it recognized me... I don't know how to explain this to you, because when my mind was a little clear, I knew it was a monster, that it had captured Uncle Geng and couldn't be let go! But, I couldn't help but want to draw close to it... it felt like we were the same kind."