My mind was unnervingly clear, and there was a great deal hidden within that clarity. "What's going on?" I asked Tang Minghao, playing along perfectly.

Tang had clearly not yet fully recovered from the pain. He took several deep breaths and explained, "These two things, used together, can save a life or take one. This one..." He pointed to the Yin-Yang fish, "...is probably for people who haven't been poisoned."

I immediately understood that the Bagua Mirror was naturally for dealing with Yanzi and the others in their current state. Thinking back on my own reaction and that of Doctor Ciren, it was indeed the case. So, I asked Tang Minghao again how they should be used. Right now, I wished I could instantly transform into a pangolin and dig my way out. Regardless of the situation, good or bad, I had completely run out of patience to wait.

Tang Minghao paused, looking down at the "Doctor Ciren" in his hand. After staring at it for a long time, he finally said, with infinite regret, "He has ambition; he wants to take over this host. Now... there's nothing we can do but be ruthless and remove him first. You take him out, and if you encounter a suitable shell, find one for him. Perhaps he’ll tell you things that the world longs for. If you can't find one, then it’s his bad luck not to get his wish."

With that, he gently tapped the Yin-Yang fish repeatedly onto "Doctor Ciren," while sweat poured down his own face from the pain. I quickly offered, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Tang Minghao gritted his teeth, shook his head without a sound, and opened his hand. As he continued to tap, the numerous tentacles extending from "Doctor Ciren" began to slowly shrivel on their own, then slowly detach from his palm. In moments, there was a snap, and Doctor Ciren fell onto the ground. As soon as it touched the floor, it rolled rapidly toward the puddle of my blood, with unbelievable speed. Once it reached the spot, the bloodstain instantly vanished as if nothing had ever happened, and the entity settled there, perfectly still, as if satisfied.

My palms were clammy with cold sweat. What in the world was this new development? Tang Minghao didn't answer my question. He first held out his hand for me to see. His hand was dotted with numerous tiny, pinpoint red marks, presumably left by those tentacles. His entire palm was flushed with an abnormal crimson hue.

Tang Minghao gave a wry smile. "He almost managed to extend those long and short legs along the veins and into my brain." Then he added to me, "You were lucky too. Did you see the blood on the ground? Doctor Ciren ate it all. That is its food and its host. If you hadn't coincidentally encountered the divine medicine prepared centuries ago, you probably would have ended up looking just like him."

A wave of horror washed over me, and I wasn't sure how to respond, but then he started chuckling again. "However, at least you can achieve immortality. Perhaps you would prefer that outcome."

Fearing that Tang Minghao might change his mind again in this short time, I quickly waved my hands. "No, no, no! Just let me be an ordinary person."

Tang Minghao fell silent, walked over, wrapped "Doctor Ciren" in a piece of cloth, and handed it to me, asking me to find a host for it if I ever had the chance—that's a story for later, not for now. After he had dealt with these things, ignoring the injury to his hand, he placed the Bagua Mirror and the Yin-Yang fish together, scrutinizing them closely for a long time. Then he told me to bring Old Li, Yanzi, and Xu Zhiwu over to sit on the side.

The three of them looked confused, yet somehow clear-eyed. They were simply unable to speak, only looking at me with mournful eyes. I wasn't entirely sure if they were normal either and remained secretly cautious just in case.

Fortunately, the three sat quietly in the corner without any sign of resistance. Tang Minghao approached, first grabbing Xu Zhiwu, ordering me to hold him down tightly, then placing the Bagua Mirror in front of him. Old Li's expression brightened as if he had found a savior, immediately leaning in and rubbing his face against it repeatedly.

Tang Minghao didn't move the Bagua Mirror, letting Old Li rub against it. After a while, Old Li’s face gradually turned flushed, even his eyes taking on a hazy, bloody redness. Sensing that things were turning bad, I subtly extended my foot to the side, ready to bolt if the situation deteriorated.

However, after this continued for some time, Old Li showed no signs of becoming frenzied. His face just grew redder and redder, looking as if it might bleed at any moment. Old Li was struggling; large beads of sweat streamed down his forehead.

I was startled by the intensity and quickly asked Tang Minghao what was happening. Tang Minghao waved his hand, signaling me to stay quiet, as if speaking might scare someone away. I gestured toward Old Li, indicating my concern about his condition.

Tang Minghao smiled faintly, patting his chest with complete confidence. Just as Old Li’s face seemed about to drip blood, Tang quickly tossed the Bagua Mirror aside and brought the Yin-Yang fish close to his face. Then, he swiftly drew the military dagger from Old Li and slashed his face. A piercing shriek erupted from Old Li, and bright crimson blood immediately sprayed out, falling precisely onto the Yin-Yang fish without a single drop missing.

From the start of Tang Minghao's series of actions to Old Li's scream and bleeding, only a few seconds passed. I hadn't grasped what had happened at all.

When I snapped back to attention, Tang Minghao had already resheathed Old Li’s military dagger. He then directed me to press Old Li’s head down further to allow the blood to flow out smoothly.

Although Old Li's cry was mournful, he offered no resistance, allowing us to do as we pleased. Good heavens, there wasn't a very big cut on his face, but the blood simply wouldn't stop flowing; it seemed determined to flow until all his blood was drained.

I started to grow anxious. I couldn't just watch Old Li die in front of me. "Shouldn't we stop the bleeding?" I tentatively asked Tang Minghao, while privately calculating that if things truly went wrong, I would have to forcibly intervene to save him.

Unexpectedly, Tang Minghao just smiled again. "It's fine. Do you notice anything strange about his blood now? It's falling onto the fish in small droplets and isn't dispersing?"

Indeed, on the Yin-Yang fish, the blood from Old Li’s face—large and small blobs—stuck there sluggishly, unlike normal blood that dilutes. "This is?" I recalled my own blood, which could writhe; I wondered what this blood would do.

Tang Minghao didn't answer me this time, concentrating on Old Li’s face. After a while, the bleeding finally did gradually stop, and the tension in my chest eased as I let out a long breath of relief.

Tang Minghao remarked, "This counts as saving another life." He then lifted the Yin-Yang fish away from Old Li and casually snapped it onto the Bagua Mirror, telling me to speak to Old Li to see if he was lucid.

I called out Old Li’s name first. His head was slumped against his chest, exhausted, and he weakly responded. His face was frighteningly pale now, a stark contrast to the earlier flush. The sweating had stopped, and he looked as if he was recovering from a severe illness.

I was still uneasy and asked Old Li things like who I was and what my name was. Old Li replied listlessly, "Let me rest for a bit, I'm so sleepy, so tired. It feels like a pump has sucked all the blood out of my body."

Of course, it wasn't quite that exaggerated; only a little of his blood had been drawn. I patted his shoulder comfortingly. "It's alright, you'll be fine after a short rest."

Unexpectedly, that small movement provoked a huge reaction from Old Li. He turned his face, looking at me with pained expression, and mumbled, "It hurts..." I jumped, as I felt I hadn't used much force at all. While I was wondering, Tang Minghao quickly explained, "His body was impacted by the toxin earlier; his flesh and skin are damaged. Don't move him."

I hastily retracted my hand, feeling a burning sensation, but Old Li kept his head turned toward me. As he stared, his expression suddenly shifted to one of disbelief. "Technician Luo? You're Technician Luo? You’re still alive? I distinctly saw him kill you!" He glanced toward Tang Minghao. "At the time, it was too late to save you, and then I lost all awareness... How are you here, and why is he here again? Has he done anything harmful to you?"

Seeing that Old Li's own strength and injuries hadn't recovered, yet he was still so concerned about me, my heart warmed. "I'm fine. What you saw about the killing... it's a long story; I'll tell you when I have a chance. Just remember that all of us are united now." He probably saw an illusion, just as I had seen them coming to kill me.

After we finished speaking, Tang Minghao handed the Yin-Yang fish and the Bagua Mirror to me again so I could look—the sticky bloodstains from Old Li were completely gone. The Yin-Yang fish looked as clean as if it had been washed, without a single spot of dirt.

"What happened to that blood?" I asked out loud, stunned.

Tang Minghao looked quite troubled. After thinking for a moment, he said, "The Bagua Mirror ate it." He seemed at a loss for how to explain further, but I understood. His meaning was that the Bagua Mirror had absorbed the blood. Thinking this, an ineffable fear settled in my stomach. I quickly urged him to take the Bagua Mirror away. Tang Minghao laughed heartily, clearly pleased with himself.

After I managed a brief rest, he repeated the procedure, restoring Yanzi and Xu Zhiwu to normal as well. I felt slightly relieved; at least now we had four people. No matter what, having more of us was a good thing.

As for Yanzi, when she woke up, her first action was to feel around her waist. Discovering her small cloth pouch was missing, she immediately shrieked. In the next glance, she saw Doctor Ciren placed back on the floor. But being too weak to stand, she started kicking her legs and yelling in remorse.

Tang Minghao looked at Yanzi, and a very complex expression flashed in his eyes—part joy, part sorrow, and deep emotion. I was directly opposite him and saw his expression change several times in an instant, but not knowing what was going through his mind, I ignored it.

For now, everyone was alive, and that was the most important thing. As long as someone was here, we should be able to find a way out. For some inexplicable reason, a surge of confidence flooded me, an unprecedented sense of optimism.

Xu Zhiwu was the weakest; it took him a long time to regain his energy. As soon as he could speak, he asked me with terror in his eyes, "Where is Mi Macha? Wasn't he going to use me for a sacrifice? Li Zeng, why are you here? Weren't you taken away by them? Oh, and Geng Wei—I clearly saw Minghao bring him back."

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