"You watched him die and did nothing," Tang Minghao grew serious with a strange look, pointing at us. "You stood by while Doctor Ciren was still alive."

It was that phrase again; I was sick of hearing it and ignored him completely. No one paid him any attention. Undeterred, he continued to repeat in utmost earnestness how Doctor Ciren was not dead and what that meant.

Yanzi was extremely annoyed but dared not show it, forcing herself to adopt a good-natured demeanor. She said to Tang Minghao, "Mima Chuma, please spare this poor Han person."

Tang Minghao looked at Yanzi with contempt and retorted, "Poor Han person?"

Yanzi dared not look up. "Yes," she admitted.

"Oh, right. Indeed. I am a poor Han person." Tang Minghao uttered another cryptic, incomplete statement, then fell into thought, completely forgetting that moments before he had been crying and demanding to drink the red water from that bowl. I let out a huge breath, thinking he might finally be returning to his senses.

Old Li and Xu Zhiwu also came to discuss the necessity of leaving immediately. They argued that if Tang Minghao continued like this, even if he didn't die, we would all be tortured to death. Yanzi was entirely unreasonable; she adamantly insisted they must find the treasure, otherwise, even if they got out, Zaxi would never let her off easy.

That was strange. "Isn't Zaxi your father?" I asked her.

Yanzi's face grew awkward. She coughed lightly and murmured, "Back then, because Aunt Ma was pressing us so hard, and they were so cunning, Zaxi was afraid you wouldn't trust us, so he pretended we were father and daughter. In truth, I am merely his subordinate. Whatever he commands, I must obey, or I’ll be dead upon return. You… you don't know how strict our family rules are. For this, I’d lose at least one hand. A girl, cleanly cut off at the wrist—tell me, wouldn't I be terrified?" By the end, her voice trembled slightly, thick with fear.

"It's alright," Xu Zhiwu assured her. "I happen to know some high-ranking Tibetan masters; we can just find someone to intercede for you then." He said it offhandedly. "How high-ranking could Zaxi be? If that doesn't work, I’ll ask a Living Buddha to plead your case. Will that suffice?"

Old Li chimed in, "Yes, yes, Zaxi will surely give face to that. Don't you worry. Let's figure out how to get out first. You are a girl; being constantly exposed to these monstrosities, staying in this sunless place indefinitely is no solution."

When Old Li finished speaking, Yanzi's expression softened considerably. She looked at Old Li, then at the table and the skull bowl upon it, lightly biting her finger, seemingly making a difficult decision.

"I know the way out. Haha." Just as everyone waited for Yanzi’s decision, Tang Minghao suddenly burst into loud laughter without warning, saying between gasps of air, "I remember. I've been here before. Someone led me in back then."

Mad ramblings again! If it weren't for his close relationship with Old Li, I would have shown him my displeasure without hesitation. "Ignore him," I told Yanzi. "Hurry and find a way out. Seeing how you brought us to this hidden chamber, you must know something about this place, not be completely clueless."

Yanzi paused slightly, then admitted frankly, "Zaxi told me some things about this place. But… what he said seems somewhat inaccurate. For instance, he never mentioned those reanimated corpses at the beginning, which is why I panicked so much."

I was about to ask why she knew to use my injured hand and blood to open the door, but before I could, Tang Minghao cut in, laughing wildly, "If you give me the red water in that bowl to drink, I'll tell you how to get out. I know a Red-Robed Lama led me in here."

I hated how he disrupted rational thought with his nonsensical chatter. I rudely yelled at him, "Shut up!"

This time, Tang Minghao was actually intimidated by my ferocity. He immediately lowered his eyes, murmuring timidly, afraid to speak further. "Yanzi, please continue."

"Technician Luo, Minghao is a little unwell; you shouldn't be so harsh, you’ll frighten him," Old Li gently asked me to temper my temper. I immediately felt I had gone too far and quickly apologized to Tang Minghao.

"I think I remember something about the exit," Tang Minghao muttered after a brief pause, then dreamily continued, "There was a bolt made of human tibia, latched right there. Many people, so many of us, came in. The King even thanked us for our contribution to the nation. I… I… I remember there was a group… no, three or four warriors, riding horses, leading the way, bringing us here."

Tang Minghao was truly possessed. I began to believe some "spirit" was using his mouth to convey information. However, the problem was his narrative inconsistency: first, a Red-Robed Lama brought him in, and now it was three or four knights.

I looked at Old Li and Xu Zhiwu, intending to ask for their opinion, but before I could speak, Xu Zhiwu quickly made a gesture for silence, urging me to let Tang Minghao finish.

Unfortunately, after those few sentences, Tang Minghao's spirit flagged again. He closed his eyes by himself and fell silent. His face cycled through red and pale, and large beads of cold sweat broke out on his forehead intermittently.

Old Li whispered quietly to us, "This looks like a shaman or sorceress descending into the underworld." I glanced at him, thinking, It’s all Tibetan matters, yet you bring up our folk sorcery; everyone knows that's nonsense. But I kept my opinion to myself, only showing an expression of disbelief.

Xu Zhiwu asked Yanzi, "I recall that when deities choose a vessel, they seek lamas with specific cultivation or other designated spiritual individuals… But Tang Minghao doesn't fit any of those criteria, and most importantly, he is Han. How could this happen? Why would Mima Chuma choose him?"

Yanzi pondered for a moment, her face etched with fear and worry. "No… this doesn't resemble Mima Chuma… It seems like two deities, but… deities don't speak like this. I've seen the oracle-tellers in Lhasa; they don't sound like this." (Oracle-teller: previously known as an Oracle Official, specifically serving as a mouthpiece for a certain deity, conveying the deity's attitude and decree during major events.)

Only Xu Zhiwu was qualified to discuss this with her; we could only listen.

However, after closing his eyes for a moment, Tang Minghao wearily spoke again, "You people, the person at the entrance already told you: everything here lives its own peaceful life. They repeatedly showed you performances of the joy of farming and herding, then all fell down, and then displayed anger. Such an obvious hint, and you still insist on going your own way."

I immediately recalled the yak butter tea and the pilgrims outside the main gate. Could he be referring to that? It seemed plausible.

"May the spirits forgive us," Yanzi immediately knelt on the ground and performed the full prostration ritual, murmuring softly.

Tang Minghao didn't even lift his eyelids. Sweat dripped down his face, indicating an intensely violent internal struggle. After a moment, his eyes snapped open, sharp and piercing, and he commanded us sternly, "Fetch the red water in the bowl, and I will lead you out."

Yanzi knelt on the ground, trembling slightly, and whispered, "Divine one, please instruct us, what is the red water?"

Tang Minghao’s eyes rolled back, his nostrils pointing toward the ceiling. "You don't even know this? There is plenty of red water here! You must use this bowl to hold it for me, quickly, quickly!" His tone carried impatience. "I have already been merciful to this Han man. If you delay any longer, I won't be polite!"

The situation was painfully clear: someone—or something—had indeed invaded Tang Minghao’s body; he wasn't simply having a mental breakdown. "This…" I looked at Old Li, who looked at Yanzi, and then at Xu Zhiwu. Clearly, Xu Zhiwu was also flustered. "Gr-Great Immortal… no, esteemed Mima Chuma, we… we truly do not know how to find the red water. Please instruct us… does it require incestuous blood?"

Incestuous blood? The first time I had ever heard of such a thing. What was that?

"I am not Mima Chuma!" Tang Minghao spat out in disgust. "What incestuous blood! I don't know! I only want red, red!" He fiercely gripped a skull bowl in each hand. "If you don't go find it right now, I will kill this Han man!" As soon as he finished speaking, he slammed both bowls onto the table and choked himself, his entire face immediately turning crimson. "Are you going or not! Are you going!" He choked out the words with effort while squeezing his own throat.

"We'll go, we'll go…" We were all thrown into a panic, quickly promising compliance in soft voices.

"That's more like it," Tang Minghao released his grip, breathing more easily, and said contentedly, "Since that's settled, go find it for me quickly. If you're late, you can wait to collect this Han man's corpse!" He then added, "Oh, and bring Doctor Ciren to me."

Everyone froze, momentarily puzzled why he was bringing up Doctor Ciren again. After only a few seconds of stunned reaction, he immediately clamped his hands back around his throat, this time gripping harder. Tang Minghao's tongue immediately stuck out and couldn't retract. Old Li panicked instantly and quickly begged forgiveness, promising to comply immediately, only asking him not to harm Tang Minghao.

Words aside, none of us could actually leave right away. Tang Minghao kept his hands on his neck and showed no sign of letting go; his face was already turning bluish-purple. "You let go first…" I tried to negotiate with him.

Tang Minghao’s expression hardened, and he tightened his grip, clearly on the verge of asphyxiation. "Alright, alright, we'll go. Right now." With that, Old Li pulled Yanzi, telling her to hurry and lead the way to fetch Doctor Ciren, while telling Xu Zhiwu and me to find the red water.

Not daring to delay, everyone instantly flashed out of the hidden chamber.

In reality, we couldn't possibly split up. Only Yanzi knew a little of the way; if any one of us wandered off alone, we might never find our way back.

"Let's get that Doctor Ciren thing first," I suggested. "As for the red water, I've thought about it, and it must be blood. There’s nothing else red around here. Besides, the color of that skull bowl looks like long-congealed blood. In short, we bring Doctor Ciren over, and then someone brave can just bleed a little into the bowl; that should solve the issue."

Xu Zhiwu hesitated. "From what I know, sacrifices to certain deities require incestuous blood. What if that’s truly what it is… then…"