That face, I’d seen it before, definitely seen it. Wasn’t that what the Human Face Monsters looked like back then? The only slight difference was that their mouths weren't serrated.

With nowhere left to retreat, my intuition screamed that we had once again stumbled into some mysterious loop or cycle of reincarnation. Or perhaps I was simply incapable of escaping this strange control altogether. Otherwise, how could we have traveled from Tibet all the way to Yunnan and encountered so much trouble? I began to resign myself to fate, no longer obsessing over finding a way out. Perhaps there were more answers here that I needed to uncover; running away solves nothing. This must be the will of heaven.

“Old Li,” I called to him softly, pointing toward the gloomy stone wall behind us. “Doesn’t that look like a Human Face Monster?” Old Li nodded, fear etched across his face. “It does.”

Xu Zhiwu had never seen a Human Face Monster. When Old Li and I fell down that time, he had hastily fled with Ni Jiong to save his own skin. Thus, when he saw the face on the stone wall, he turned ashen and kept asking us what was happening. Yanzi looked confused too, turning to me and Old Li. “Why… why is there suddenly a village here? Why didn’t Zaxi tell me?” She didn't seem particularly terrified. For some unknown reason, most girls are timid; she was the exception… No, there was also Zhuoma Yangjin, who wasn't easily scared either.

Thinking of Zhuoma Yangjin in this grim and eerie environment, a sudden, unbidden pang struck my heart. This person, I might never see her again in this lifetime. A lifetime—when we were young, we thought giving up was merely giving up on a relationship, only to realize later that what we gave up on was...

“Haha… haha, we’re here, we’re here.” Tang Minghao suddenly started gesturing wildly, turning back to us with sheer delight. “This is the place. There’s a house in this village, and in the courtyard’s central opening, there’s a secret passage that leads out.”

As he spoke, his face suddenly shifted again. I thought the phantom inside him was about to act up again, so I immediately went on high alert. Unexpectedly, Tang Minghao broke into a cheerful smile once more, affectionately walking over to Yanzi. Without a word, he first grabbed her hand, preventing her from pulling away, and then said very gently, “It’s good that you’re here.” He then led her toward the village, still holding her hand.

Seeing us frozen in place, he turned back with a smile and asked, “Why aren’t you coming? We can go back right now.” Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth, his face contorted drastically, his smile freezing instantly. He stared at something behind us, his mouth agape in terror, unable to speak, then abruptly spun around and sprinted towards a tightly shut door belonging to one of the houses.

I looked back. The face on the stone wall was now baring its pale, white teeth, grinning menacingly at us. Don't go in, the village must be dangerous! At that instant, I quickly called out to stop Old Li and Xu Zhiwu. “Wait, let’s see what’s happening first.”

Old Li was quite panicked. “Go, go, go! It’s already following us.” Before I could grasp what he meant, Xu Zhiwu chimed in urgently, “It’s here, it’s here!”

“What is?” I asked, slightly annoyed.

Old Li and Xu Zhiwu nearly simultaneously declared, “The face is following us!” I looked again; the face on the stone wall seemed motionless. Just as I was about to say Old Li and the others were mistaken, my vision blurred—it truly had moved. The entire slab of stone seemed to have grown legs, striding towards us with a thunderous stomp!

My mind went blank with a deafening boom. Forgetting everything else, I instinctively scrambled toward Tang Minghao. Tang Minghao’s expression was still colored by fear; he pulled us along, running forward quickly.

The sound of wind rushed behind us, suggesting the face was running hard. In our panic, we blindly shouldered open the door of the nearest house and rushed inside, slamming the door shut behind us. The face seemed to have reached the outside of the door, but being massive, the stone slab couldn't squeeze in immediately; it paced back and forth outside, looking somewhat helpless.

Seeing this, we finally relaxed a little. We took stock: everyone was present. Although still shaken, it appeared the face couldn't detach from the stone wall to enter.

“That was too close!” I exclaimed.

“We don’t know what else we’ll run into!” Yanzi said with concern. “Zaxi never told me there would be a village here. Could it be that he doesn't know about this either?”

I had already made up my mind not to rely on Yanzi anymore; she didn’t know much and might not be able to lead us out. Moreover, I was beginning to believe that fate had orchestrated my involvement in this. So, I decided to take things one step at a time. If we die, then heaven meant for us to perish.

Tang Minghao, meanwhile, seemed to have transformed into another person. He clung tightly to Yanzi’s arm, practically melding his body to hers. He had done this before, and now Yanzi could only let him be with a sense of helplessness. Old Li spoke up a few times, urging Tang Minghao to behave, but he wouldn't listen.

Although the dark shadow of the stone wall outside could be seen flickering through the latticed window, we felt slightly relieved internally. I took in the room’s arrangement. It was neatly furnished with antique Tibetan furniture. On a very large shrine, a deity was enshrined: it had a fierce, scowling brow and an ugly visage. Its body was naked, its hair long and dark brown, trailing on the floor. In its right hand, it held a bronze sword; in its left, it held a very familiar, semi-circular black bowl. Even stranger, this phallic object stood erect without any hint of modesty—I couldn't fathom the reason. Furthermore, a pristine white Khata hung before the statue, immaculate, as if a diligent and devout owner changed and wiped it constantly.

The moment Yanzi saw the statue, she quickly pushed Tang Minghao away and knelt respectfully on the ground. Tang Minghao went rigid, staring blankly at the statue. After a long pause, his face began to turn pale.

Seeing Tang Minghao’s complexion change, I immediately felt tense and involuntarily heightened my vigilance. I stealthily patted my body; the handgun Geng Wei had given us was still there. Regardless, having a gun and a dagger made me feel much more secure.

Sure enough, Tang Minghao suddenly spoke, his voice sinister. “Why aren’t you kneeling before Mimachama when you see him?!” He then pulled a gun from his own coat, first aiming it at me, then turning his head slightly towards Old Li, before swiftly aiming the muzzle at Xu Zhiwu’s head.

Seeing this, Xu Zhiwu immediately collapsed to his knees with a thud, muttering something in Tibetan I couldn’t understand.

Taking advantage of Tang Minghao’s distraction with Xu Zhiwu, Old Li and I sprang up behind him. Before he could react, I unleashed a flying kick that knocked the gun from his hand. Old Li provided perfect support, simultaneously applying a clean and swift xia qinna wrist lock to subdue him.

Subdued, Tang Minghao paused, then struggled and yelled in disbelief, demanding Old Li release him.

“Release you?” I sneered, staring deep into Tang Minghao’s eyes. “Who are you?” His eyes were murky and bottomless, revealing no trace of emotion.

“I…” As Tang Minghao struggled, Old Li slightly loosened his grip so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable. “I…” Tang Minghao hesitated before saying uncertainly, “I am Tang Minghao…” He then affirmed, “That’s right, I am Tang Minghao. Aren’t you Master Luo and Li Zeng?” He instantly snapped back to lucidity. “Hey? Li Zeng, why are you holding me? Let go quickly!”

Old Li and I were momentarily stunned. He was truly inscrutable, as unpredictable as a ghost or a god.

I subtly signaled Old Li with my eyes, indicating he shouldn't let go. Old Li nodded, showing he understood. Tang Minghao then turned back to us. “Isn’t this Mimachama? Why aren’t you bowing down?” See? How could he be Tang Minghao? How would Tang Minghao know about deities like Mimachama? The entity controlling his body now must be something else.

What Tang Minghao said next confirmed this idea for me, and I remained highly alert to prevent him from harming us. He looked at the bowl in the statue's left hand and remarked, “Isn’t that a skull cup?” He sounded barely surprised, then suddenly realized, “Oh… right. It requires incestuous blood for sacrifice.” With that, his eyes began ceaselessly scanning us up and down, as if judging whether our blood was suitable for the offering.

His gaze sent shivers down my spine. I thought that if he dared to make a move against us, even if I couldn't kill him, I would at least ensure he was left completely without the strength or mind to plot against us.

Yanzi finished her obeisance and stood up, looking at Old Li and me with tragic eyes, tears welling up. “I’m afraid one of us must offer our blood to sacrifice to Mimachama.” With that, her tear-filled eyes darted between Tang Minghao and Xu Zhiwu, who hadn't stood up, as she contemplated something.

Xu Zhiwu didn't lift his head, seemingly aware of Yanzi’s thoughts, and replied coldly, “No one here has blood suitable for the sacrifice. Do not defile the deity; angering them would have consequences… that are likely dire.”

Yanzi bit her lip, looking at us with glistening tears, waiting for us to decide. How could I know about these things? I hadn’t even figured out what Mimachama was. Furthermore, I was already prepared for a fight. Under such dire circumstances, whether we lived or died was uncertain anyway; why submit meekly, bow to some idol, or perform any sacrifice! We would be better off using the time to figure out how to handle the two ticking time bombs controlling Tang Minghao’s body.

“Get up, get up,” I told Xu Zhiwu. “Kowtowing like that isn't going to help.”

Xu Zhiwu stood as instructed and looked at me. “Then what effective method do you have?”

I was stumped and shook my head. “None.”

He then asked, “What about Li Zeng? What’s your view?” Old Li also shook his head. Before he could ask Yanzi, she quickly interjected, “Don’t ask me.” Xu Zhiwu stopped and then looked at Tang Minghao with a strange expression. After watching him for a while, he spoke with unusual reverence, “Then do you know how to proceed, Mimachama?”

Tang Minghao’s expression became even more vacant, yet subtly sinister. “I… I…” He forgot to struggle against Old Li, looking around in a daze, muttering to himself, “I… I have a way…”