Before her words had even fully landed, I nearly sprang to my feet. "What! You're going? What is a woman like you doing tagging along! Are you trying to get yourself killed? Don't you realize how dangerous those things are? Do you think this is just some children's game?"

After a rapid-fire volley of words, I finally realized I had overreacted. Her going... why was I reacting so strongly to her going?

Zhuoma Yangjin waited, a slight smile playing on her lips, until I finished speaking. Then, she slowly asked, "Why are you worried about the danger if I go? Aren't you the one who supposedly hates me?"

I stammered, at a loss for how to answer. Suddenly, I remembered an important question I had intended to ask—one that would determine the nature of our future cooperation. "Yangjin... let me ask you something. There’s something I need to know..."

She looked at me, her expression sincere. "What is it? I promise to tell you the truth."

"I... I..." Suddenly, I felt awkward again, hesitating, not knowing how to begin. It was Zhuoma Yangjin who proved more forthright than I. She grew impatient. "What on earth are you trying to ask? Spit it out, quickly! You’re a grown man, what’s so embarrassing about this?"

Hearing her say that, I hardened my resolve. "I want to know whether, towards me, you have been using me more, or caring for me more."

Zhuoma Yangjin’s face immediately darkened. Tears welled up in her eyes, glittering as she clearly struggled to hold them back. I had no idea what I had said wrong, and just stared at her, unsure how to proceed.

Zhuoma Yangjin swiftly turned her face away, wiping at her eyes with her hand. Only when she was done did she turn back. "Initially, on Qiangbuke Mountain, when I first encountered you. I did have the thought of using you, which is why I tried every means possible to get close to you."

Just as I suspected. She had been using me from the start. But that was fine, perhaps even better. If that was the case, then going to the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, I wouldn't have to be distracted worrying about her.

"However," she continued, her voice even, "ever since Yamamoto's group locked us in that cave tunnel, and I experienced the reanimation of the zombies alongside you, I began to like you without a shred of ulterior motive. Nothing else was involved." She spoke calmly. "From that moment on, I liked you. That’s why, after you left, I sent people to protect you in Lhasa, afraid that Yamamoto's group would abduct you."

I remained stunned, unsure whether to feel joy or sorrow.

Zhuoma Yangjin added, "That's why, when you were deep beneath the ruins, and Niyong guided you to the seventh sub-level pagoda—which we consider the most top-secret area—I brought Wangmu and the others to provide support. Otherwise, according to our protocol, anyone who enters that place is never expected to return alive. There are no exceptions."

I could only stare at her. She ignored my silence and went on, "Do you know? At the Guge ruins, Matis and his group dug a passage to the underground from another location. My original intention was to let the plan play out and suffocate them inside. But who knew that you would blunder into their tunnel—the one with that big-mouthed monster? Remember? That was the tunnel they dug. When you hit the mechanism, it triggered the big-mouthed monster, which ended up killing several of them."

I looked at her, bewildered. "What are you trying to tell me with all this?"

Zhuoma Yangjin bit her lip and glanced at me. "Nothing else. I just feared you wouldn't understand many things, and would assume I was constantly scheming against you. So, it was necessary to tell you everything. In truth..." She looked intently into my eyes, earnestly. "In truth, believe it or not, except for when I schemed against you on Qiangbuke Mountain before we saw the zombies, I never entertained that thought again. Do you believe me? Moreover, beneath the Guge city, if it weren't for you, I would never have gone down there. That is our forbidden ground; it must not be entered unless absolutely necessary. Even the King is no exception. Do you believe these things?"

My mind began to swim. A strange sense of elation seemed to be creeping into my heart. But, but, but... the face of the woman who abandoned and betrayed me at my lowest moment flashed before me. Maybe I didn't hate her anymore, but perhaps I was irrevocably damaged, never again daring to easily trust a woman's word, never daring to believe.

Zhuoma Yangjin looked directly into my eyes again. "Luo Lian, I like you."

I hastily averted my face, completely unsure how to respond. She sighed, her face clouding over. "Why did I even bring this up? This is entirely my own business, it has nothing to do with you."

I quickly interjected, "Let's not talk about this, not about this..." I mumbled, mostly to myself.

Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly broke into a smile again. "Why was I talking about that? Alright, let's talk about something else. I haven't told you about Fuxian Lake yet."

My mind was a mess. "...Eighty-Seven already told me about that. He knows everything. I want to rest now. You should go find Wangmu."

Zhuoma Yangjin calmly smoothed her hair. "Fine, rest then." With that, she walked past me, the glint of tears still seeming to flicker in her eyes, yet she maintained a slight upward curve to her lips, feigning a smile. It pained me to see, but I didn't know if I should stop her. Perhaps I wasn't ready to bear the weight of such deep affection right now.

In the span of a few seconds, she was gone, pulling the door shut behind her.

My head was still cloudy. Should I be happy? No, I couldn't seem to manage it. The High Priest had long ago said that she and I could never be together. So, should I not be happy? That didn't feel right either.

...

After Zhuoma Yangjin left, Eighty-Seven was the first to return. He looked at me with profound meaning. "Luo Lian, you rascal, not bad, not bad at all."

In front of others, I had to maintain an air of nonchalance. "Eighty-Seven, don't joke around. She was just here to explain some misunderstandings between us. It’s not what you're imagining."

Eighty-Seven clapped his hands and roared with laughter. "What we're imagining? I never said there was anything between you two! See? You're feeling guilty, aren't you?" With that, he slapped my shoulder. "Cherish it, boy. Don't wait until you've lost it to start regretting it."

I kept my head down and said nothing. Eighty-Seven went to sit off to the side, then solicitously asked if I wanted water, making small talk about how Forty-Three and Thirty-Eight had gone out for a stroll.

This was unlike Eighty-Seven's usual manner. Though friendly, he never made small talk unnecessarily... There was an issue. Sure enough, after exchanging pleasantries about the lovely weather and other nonsense, before I could ask him anything, he let the cat out of the bag himself. After much beating around the bush, he finally got to the point. "Luo Lian, Zhuoma Yangjin didn't say what she came to see you for, did she?"

I looked at him doubtfully. "What what? She said she was coming with us to the Grand Canyon. That's all."

Eighty-Seven was visibly disappointed, murmuring to himself, "Impossible. There shouldn't be anything else?"

I had grown completely accustomed to them acting mysterious around me, so I didn't bother pressing him about what this 'other thing' might be. However, I did recall a question of my own. "Why did Zhuoma Yangjin come so soon? Wasn't it supposed to be in two or three days? You were out for so long, you must have found out why?"

Eighty-Seven grinned slyly. "I really don't know about that either. But perhaps they have special secret tunnels they use, after all, this is still within their sphere of influence."

"Secret tunnels?" I was confused yet again.

Eighty-Seven chuckled. "I only know one or two tenths of Zhuoma Yangjin's mysteries; you probably know zero point five at most. But all that aside, when Zhuoma Yangjin came to see you, besides matters of the heart, was there really nothing else?"

I wasn't confused by his questioning at all. I shot back, "What else could there be? I'm hardly a person of great strategic value."

Eighty-Seven immediately looked up, beaming, staring into my eyes. "How could you not have value? If you had no value, would you be allowed to see us so easily? Is the Ninth Branch of the National Security Bureau a place just anyone can enter? Little Luo, you need to be more confident about yourself. Your inherent qualities are already far better than the average person's, and with your three major experiences added in, you are an absolute treasure. If you were put up for sale, who knows how much you’d fetch!" He sounded exactly like a grasping merchant.

Seeing his exaggerated and tangential manner of speaking, I didn't want to continue the conversation. I asked where Old Li had gone, hoping to find him for a walk.

Eighty-Seven immediately refused, saying Old Li had his own business and that I was not to disturb him. Besides, leaving on my own was already dangerous enough, and he didn't want to mobilize men for an escort.

I managed a wry smile. No matter how low my standing, surely I, Luo, could protect myself even in a place like Nyingchi without being kidnapped. So, ignoring Eighty-Seven, I turned to head for the door. Eighty-Seven moved with lightning speed, flashing in front of me to block my path. His joking demeanor vanished, replaced by a stern face. "Luo Lian, this is an order. You are not leaving."

I froze for a moment. "An order?" Then I looked at him dismissively. "Find someone else to issue that order, and I'll submit to your house arrest. Otherwise, I'm going out."

Eighty-Seven stared back at me coldly, a chilling light in his eyes. He remained silent, simply blocking my way. I tried to skirt around him to leave, but he moved sideways to intercept me again, his entire posture radiating sharp killing intent. Sensing the shift in atmosphere, I immediately stopped, preparing for an attack.

"What are you trying to do?" To my surprise, Eighty-Seven moved first, demanding.

I dared not let down my guard even for a second. I had seen his skill; let alone overpowering him, I didn't have a hundred percent chance of escaping from his clutches. "That's a question you should answer. What are you trying to do?" I said heavily.

Eighty-Seven's eyes were fixed on the door, his ears twitching slightly like an animal's. He still blocked me, his face grim as water. "Don't cause me trouble right now." The killing intent hadn't lessened, but his tone held a hint of entreaty.

Even if I were an idiot, I could tell something was wrong. I pressed him repeatedly, asking what was happening. Eighty-Seven maintained a stance of maximum readiness, poised to strike from any direction or angle at the slightest sign of movement—he was an opponent so formidable it almost stripped away courage and the will to fight. Just his stance alone was enough to make many people surrender their weapons and beg for mercy.

Just then, Zhuoma Yangjin came running up, tapping loudly. "Luo Lian? Where's Luo Lian?" Eighty-Seven blocked the door, and I had stepped slightly to the side, so she didn't see me.

Seeing Zhuoma Yangjin arrive, the tension instantly left Eighty-Seven's body. He stepped aside to let her in. "Good, you're here. Did you send away the people outside?" he asked.

Zhuoma Yangjin didn't look at him. "Someone is keeping them tied up. No one will dare make a move for the time being. Your people should be back soon, too."

Eighty-Seven visibly relaxed. "That's good. Luo Lian, he..."

Zhuoma Yangjin rushed to interrupt him. "Luo Lian, I need to take you away for two days. We'll meet back here after that. If anything changes, you can find Wangmu; she knows how to contact me." Without another word, she grabbed me and hurried toward the exit.