I absolutely despise these pretentious bastards. If either Old Li or I so much as made a casual move, we could slit his carotid artery and end his life right then and there, yet here he is, putting on a grand show of being utterly untouchable! He’s clearly stalling for reinforcements to arrive. Looks like we’ll have to teach him a lesson.

With a glance to Old Li, I signaled him to shift slightly to the side. I positioned myself directly behind Eighty-Seven, and just like that, I silently lifted my foot, gathering all my strength, aiming a kick squarely at the back of his knee. But just as the force was about to connect, a massive strength suddenly shoved my iron rod aside. In the next instant, a figure blurred past me—Eighty-Seven had already leaped clear. My momentum, having been unleashed, couldn't be halted; I stumbled twice before finally regaining my balance.

A chill swept down my spine from the back of my neck. This Eighty-Seven... he... he...

Old Li looked at me, his face etched with fear, unsure of our next move. I gritted my teeth, deciding to go all in. No matter how powerful he was, he was still just flesh and blood. As long as we kept him occupied, exhausting his stamina, it wouldn't be too late to strike for the kill later. With that thought, I casually closed the door—shutting out any potential reinforcements from outside.

Eighty-Seven remained completely composed, showing no inclination to press his advantage. He took his time, observing Old Li and me for a moment, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "You two are quite skilled, I must say."

I ignored him completely, my mind entirely consumed with plotting how to deal with Eighty-Seven.

After speaking, Eighty-Seven sighed. "Truth be told, you're attacking a superior officer, but I can't entirely blame you; our people didn't explain things clearly enough."

...

Having been through countless battles, Old Li and I had developed an almost perfect synergy; he was the same with Eighty-Seven, completely deaf to his words.

Eighty-Seven expressed extreme regret. "I was hoping to spar a bit myself, to see if I've gotten rusty. Unfortunately, the people from your superiors are arriving shortly. You two had best tidy yourselves up, lest you make a poor impression on your Battalion Commander."

Without waiting for our reaction, he walked over, picked up a washbasin that had fallen to the floor, and started filling it with water.

If we didn't attack now, when would we? Old Li and I rushed forward simultaneously. Just as we were about to reach him, it was as if eyes had sprouted on his back. He ducked low, casually dipping his waist, and without even turning around, slipped smoothly through the gap between Old Li and me.

Horrified, my intent to kill hardening, I spun around and stabbed again with the iron rod. Eighty-Seven sidestepped the thrust, still holding the half-filled basin of running water. Old Li lunged next, and again, Eighty-Seven evaded. He looked genuinely annoyed. "I was offering to fetch you two water to clean up before seeing the superior officer, and this is the gratitude I get? Fine. Clean yourselves up yourselves. I can’t be bothered to play the good samaritan anymore."

His casual execution of movement filled us with dread and awe, and his mastery of profound martial arts made me realize I barely qualified as a novice.

As I hesitated, a loud knock suddenly echoed from the door, followed by a voice shouting, "Report to Eighty-Seven, they've arrived!"

In the span of that brief moment, Eighty-Seven’s expression returned to utter normalcy, complete with that 'simple' smile reminiscent of a small street vendor. "They're here? Then please, show them in quickly."

Then, a voice from outside, one that sounded terribly familiar, called out, "Report to Eighty-Seven: Chen Ze from the [Designated Military Region] has arrived."

Chen Ze??? A thousand questions flooded my mind. Was it our Battalion Commander Chen Ze?

I looked at Old Li; he looked back at me. For a moment, neither of us knew what to do.

Eighty-Seven personally opened the door and escorted the people waiting outside in. There were two of them, a man and a woman—both familiar faces. The woman, upon seeing me, lit up with sheer delight, revealing two perfectly round dimples as she chirped playfully, "Luo Lian, what are you holding that iron rod for? Oh my! It even has a point! Are you planning murder?"

I ignored her, walking stiffly to the man, snapping to attention, and saluting sharply: "Greetings, Battalion Commander!" Yes, the man who entered was indeed our Battalion Commander, Chen Ze. Although his appearance here with this woman was deeply shocking, I dared not overstep and stuck to protocol first.

Chen Ze anxiously urged me to quickly pay my respects to Eighty-Seven. An order from a superior had to be obeyed; I had no choice but to turn and offer Eighty-Seven a formal greeting as well.

Eighty-Seven hadn't even reacted when the woman started gloating, "Look at our Master Luo, being so meek and obedient for once. If the Princess saw this, she'd be overjoyed!" I shot her a fierce glare. "Wangmu, shut your mouth!"

This woman—Wangmu, Jompa Yangchen’s personal maid—always wore a cheerful, smiling expression. We had crossed paths countless times: in the underground ruins of the Guge Kingdom, and in their main camp; we had even faced life and death together.

Wangmu paid me no mind and walked cheerfully up to Old Li, scrutinizing him again. She sighed dramatically. "You’re neither tall nor handsome, nor particularly capable, and you’re going back to your home in Jiangxi eventually. Looks like there’s no chance for you."

Eighty-Seven indulged Wangmu completely, not only allowing her to play the fool but even chiming in, "Exactly, Wangmu. This fellow is definitely not worthy of you."

Wangmu rolled her eyes and glared at Eighty-Seven. "Don't try that with me; I never fancied him. It’s some other person whose eyes have wandered somewhere else who fancies him. I’m just curious... Tell me, our Princess, such a noble figure, would actually fancy someone like this Luo Lian? How is he better than our Tibetan men? And this Li Zeng is even worse; he’s not half as good as Luo Lian, yet that little girl Bianzhen (Yanzi) is desperate over him! Alas... we have plenty of handsome men among the Tibetans. I'll have the Princess introduce her to one tomorrow!"

Old Li’s face flushed crimson. Strangely, he was genuinely enraged. "You shut your mouth! Get lost! You... you..." He pointed at Wangmu, his lips trembling with anger, his hands shaking uncontrollably. "If you dare mess with Yanzi’s future, I... I’ll fight you to the death!" He started to lunge forward, but I quickly held him back, urging him to calm down. At the same time, Chen Ze shouted sharply to stop him.

Old Li, usually the epitome of composure, calmed down quickly once I restrained him. He mumbled an apology and stepped aside, saying no more.

It was clear he truly cared for Yanzi.

Eighty-Seven stepped in to smooth things over. "Alright, alright, Wangmu is just joking. Let’s discuss the main business first. Li Zeng, you come over here too..." Old Li remained rooted to the spot. Eighty-Seven tried again, "Don't listen to Wangmu; she's talking nonsense to scare you."

Wangmu dropped her smiling demeanor and said sternly, "Who is talking nonsense? Even our Princess doesn't have the right to marry an outsider. Can a mere maid just run off with a foreigner?"

Hearing this, a cold weight settled in my heart. Outsider... what a damned entanglement. Forget it, let's deal with the immediate situation first.

I quickly recounted the events in Yunnan, realizing there were countless ambiguities needing answers, but I couldn't articulate them immediately.

Eighty-Seven was perceptive enough to read our expressions. He glanced at Old Li and me. "I imagine you both have many questions. Perhaps I can help Wangmu answer them for you." He spoke while looking at Wangmu, who nodded, trusting him implicitly. "It would be best if you explained. My Chinese is still a bit weak, and I worry about phrasing things poorly." She smiled again.

Eighty-Seven pondered for a moment, then began, "Let's start with Mother Ma and Tashi. They both served Jompa Yangchen. However, they belonged to different factions. Somehow, they learned about the existence of something related to their dynasty beneath Fuxian Lake, and they both plotted to involve you two."

"The accidental capsizing that drowned your cousin Tang Minghao was just misfortune. But the white shells that formed on his body afterward—that was Tashi's doing. That’s why Mother Ma was so desperate to snatch the body away... You both must remember that there were people trailing you constantly at Fuxian Lake, some belonging to us, others to Mother Ma and Tashi. But Mother Ma simply couldn't outsmart Tashi, who managed to get the upper hand first and lure you into the water."

"Of course, given who you are—Luo Lian, Li Zeng, and the old fox Xu Zhiwu—how could you be so easily duped? So, he first sent Bianzhen (Yanzi) to guide you to a spot beneath the water he had already scouted, a place he knew held treasures. You found a string of prayer beads there—Emperor Yongzheng's amber prayer beads—am I right?"

...

"With these prayer beads, and after he managed to sell them in Beijing through certain channels—Beijing being Xu Zhiwu’s sphere of influence—how could Xu Zhiwu not know the quality and value of those beads? Once he knew, how could he not be tempted? And thus, he instigated you to dive down again?"

Seeing our discomfort, Eighty-Seven gracefully offered us a way out. "If I were in your shoes, I would have been tempted too. To just swim around in the water and come away with treasures worth fortunes—who wouldn't be tempted? Especially with a water wraith leading the way, meaning there was no need to worry about danger."

Eighty-Seven’s words were exceptionally smooth and artful; he never embarrassed anyone. Although he presented himself as nothing more than a kind and shrewd small-time merchant, he was clearly a man hiding immense depth. Despite this, I found myself believing what he said, as every point seemed to hold water.

He concluded, "In short, Tashi first secured Mother Ma, then laid a flawless trap for you two, especially the cunning Xu Zhiwu. Following that, all of us, including ourselves, were caught in it. Naturally, Jompa Yangchen, the High Priest, and Bianzhen (Yanzi) were all kept in the dark. Jompa Yangchen only knew Tashi as a loyal subject, and Bianzhen only knew that Tashi instructed her to lead you to a specific room underwater to find a certain treasure, and to bring back everything in that room, including any nearly transparent black scorpions or black spherical objects she might encounter."

Hearing this, a cold sweat broke out on my back. Tashi's planning was truly watertight; he even managed to deceive Jompa Yangchen, and we had been blindly following his design all along. So... who's to say this present situation isn't just another trap?

Eighty-Seven didn't notice the change in my expression. He continued, "However, no matter how calculating Tashi was, he didn't know the actual purpose of those treasures beneath the water. He only knew it was connected to the disappearance of the Guge Dynasty, and he truly was a loyal subject who only wanted to obtain these items before Mother Ma and hand them over to Jompa Yangchen for research. This is why Jompa Yangchen didn't punish him."

Eighty-Seven chattered on, and finally, I understood the basic cause of the entire affair: it was all Tashi's scheme to gain credit with Jompa Yangchen by presenting the objects that could uncover the secret of the Guge Dynasty’s vanishing act. But how exactly did the Guge Dynasty disappear?

Eighty-Seven spoke with such confidence; it seemed he must know. So, I immediately asked him.

Unexpectedly, he answered with infuriating arrogance, "Even if I knew the reasons, I wouldn't tell you, because none of it has been corroborated yet. Furthermore, I don't actually know what happened."

I instantly grew angry. Was he another schemer trying to ensnare us? "Then why did you waste all that breath talking nonsense to us?"

Eighty-Seven responded with a malicious smile, throwing the question back: "Why? Don't you want to know why your dead cousin, Tang Minghao’s, body was covered in white shells? Or why you encountered that talking doctor, Tshering, and those strange, white-robed Great Kingfish people underwater?"

This routine again! But after everything we’d been through, my damned curiosity had long since been extinguished. So, I rejected him without hesitation: "Sorry, I think Li Zeng and I are equally uninterested in those matters."

However, that infuriating Old Li suddenly lacked all synergy with me at this moment. He said, "Technician Luo, I am willing to go and see."

My mouth dropped open; I stared at him, but his expression was perfectly calm as he repeated himself.

Eighty-Seven interjected from the side, "These questions will all have clear answers once you find that missing scientific expedition team. Of course, if you are interested, that would be best. If not, why do you think I called Chen Ze here?"

I had never seen such a sinister smile on Eighty-Seven's face. He watched us triumphantly. No matter what excuses or reasons I had, he already had a countermeasure prepared. And in reality, with Chen Ze present bearing official assistance orders from the military region, I had no room for resistance—I had to accept Eighty-Seven's 'invitation': He stated that a national-level scientific expedition team had gone missing in the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon. We must go assist in finding them. His justification for selecting us was impeccably lofty: their disappearance was deeply related to the Guge Dynasty, and we were the Han Chinese currently most closely connected to that dynasty.

And so, Old Li and I were once again passively drawn into the depths of the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon...