I grew anxious and quickly pulled on Zhuoma Yangjin's sleeve: "What is going on here? One of you won't let me step outside, and the other wants to take me away... Please, I’m not a puppet to be positioned however you like. I'm a person! You have to at least let me know what’s happening."

Baishiqi rushed over to back up Zhuoma Yangjin, urging me to leave with her immediately, adding that they would handle things here and I shouldn't worry.

I was utterly furious. What was this? "Yangjin, you tell me what’s going on! If you don't explain clearly, I'm not leaving today. Are you all really treating me like a puppet?"

Zhuoma Yangjin was extremely anxious and couldn't pull me away. She urgently said, "It's not a good place to talk. Come with me first; if we delay, we'll run out of time. A large contingent is already on their way to Nyingchi."

Just as I was about to ask what that had to do with me, she quickly added, "They are also coming for the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon, so you absolutely must come with me now. Luo Lian, I'm begging you, don't ask anything—just come with me first. You can ask me whatever you want afterward, and I will tell you everything truthfully... okay?" She looked at me with desperate pleading in her large eyes.

My heart immediately softened. I sighed, "In that case, I suppose I must act like a puppet then."

Just as I was about to step out the door, Baishiqi chimed in perfectly on cue: "When Li Zeng returns, I will tell him you left with Zhuoma Yangjin."

Zhuoma Yangjin turned and thanked him, then dragged me rushing toward a secluded guest room on the third floor, room 325.

325 was a standard single room with only one bed. There was no one attending to Zhuoma Yangjin. The moment she pulled me inside, she quickly shut the door, as if pursued by a vengeful spirit.

"What exactly is going on?" I said, slightly displeased by her jittery manner, "We aren't far from Baishiqi and the others here. Why did you rush to drag me over here so mysteriously?"

Zhuoma Yangjin didn't speak. She hurriedly drew all the curtains shut, then beckoned me over. "Look here..." She slightly pulled back a corner of the curtain and told me, "Look outside."

This room faced the street on three sides—truly an excellent vantage point. Everything happening below could be seen clearly. This time, things were indeed different. There were many more Tibetans coming and going, and their attire was extremely familiar, though I couldn't immediately recall where I had seen it. Zhuoma Yangjin explained that they were her people, partly for her protection and partly to watch for suspicious individuals passing by.

Soon, I saw the suspicious characters: several shifty-eyed foreigners with blonde hair and blue eyes, pretending to be curious tourists, looking around and touching things. Yangjin’s people immediately and subtly trailed behind them. Whether intentionally or not, the foreigners turned to speak with Yangjin's men, but the language barrier meant they resorted to exaggerated gestures, which looked quite comical.

Zhuoma Yangjin stood behind me and said, "Did you see? That’s just the advance guard. The truly formidable ones won't arrive for another three days. That’s why I was in such a rush to find you beforehand."

I was still somewhat confused. "Find me? Is it that important? Don't you have Baishiqi and the others? Besides, you yourself have immense influence, far superior to mine. Are you really rushing to find me just to deal with these people?"

Zhuoma Yangjin stamped her foot. "Why don't you understand? We need your help. For this operation to succeed, any side aiming for victory must rely on you..." Her voice trailed off hesitantly at the end, "...In short, we need to hurry now and do something to awaken the things inside your body." She was right behind me, and I could clearly feel her soft breath and the faint trace of her fragrance... My mind momentarily entertained inappropriate thoughts. I quickly shut them down.

I composed myself, let the curtain fall, and moved far away from her to stand (mainly to avoid losing control of myself). Then I asked, "What things inside my body?" My tone was involuntarily tinged with ambiguity.

In a dim room like this, with a man and a woman alone in a room with only one bed, it was a massive test for a man who hadn't been intimate with a woman in a long time. Especially when the woman facing him was deeply devoted to him.

Zhuoma Yangjin didn't notice my discomfort. She sat down openly on a small sofa nearby, casually turned on the television, and then asked me, "Do you remember falling into the blood spring water on Qiangbake Mountain?"

I tried my hardest to control my other thoughts and replied, "I remember." She then asked if I had also fallen into blood spring water beneath Fuxian Lake, and I confirmed both times, though I had no idea why she was asking.

Then Zhuoma Yangjin finally got to the crucial point. She said, "It is precisely because of these things that you received a blessing in disguise, gaining qualities that ordinary people do not possess. My task is to awaken them within these next two days."

"Awaken?" I admitted that my mind had wandered again. A certain part of my body had already been awakened.

Zhuoma Yangjin certainly didn't notice my unease. She said, "Yes. The High Priest gave me some things, saying they might be useful, but perhaps not... Your Tang Minghao has also arrived. If there is truly no other way, we will have to beg him."

Hearing Tang Minghao’s name, my mind finally cleared a little. I asked her, "Does this have anything to do with Tang Minghao?"

Zhuoma Yangjin nodded affirmatively. "It does. Because both of you carry the greatest secret of the ancient Guge Kingdom!" The moment she finished speaking, I was so shocked I nearly jumped up. "How is that possible? Are you mistaken? I’m just an ordinary Han person! I have absolutely no connection to your Guge Kingdom." All other thoughts immediately vanished.

Zhuoma Yangjin's expression suddenly dimmed, and she said mournfully, "How can there be no connection? Ever since descending Qiangbake Mountain, all the subjects of Guge now know that you are the one I love. Wherever there are people of Guge, someone will protect you. But... perhaps you don't need such protection at all, right? You are a man who stands tall."

Her gentle words—her Mandarin was spoken better and more standardly than any Tibetan I had ever met, without a trace of stiffness. Now, with such flattery, the initial shock subsided slightly, and my heart felt a little buoyant, yet an underlying sense of unease lingered. I always felt that something bad was about to happen, and though she was infatuated with me, she had never made me feel like we could be together forever—never. It always felt as if she could leave at any moment, or perhaps she was only meant to make brief appearances in my life.

Given that, I better control that certain part of myself. She was the Princess of Guge, the current Queen of Guge. I couldn't act rashly.

So I changed the subject, asking her exactly what she planned to do and what was hidden within my body. Unexpectedly, Zhuoma Yangjin’s answer was extremely frustrating: "I don't know. The High Priest also said he didn't know what changes would occur in your body, let alone me."

I couldn't help but laugh and cry. Was this purely treating me as an experiment? Who knew if Doctor Ciren would suddenly emerge from my body.

Zhuoma Yangjin said seriously, "Perhaps. Take Tang Minghao, for example; he holds the memories of at least one other person within him. And Doctor Ciren, whom you mentioned, might soon find a suitable host. As for you, I can only swear in the name of guarding the gods of Guge that I will not harm a single hair on your head."

I believed her; that was an oath considered deadly to them. Thus, I agreed to let her proceed with the so-called awakening of some consciousness or whatever might be inside me.

Seeing that I agreed, Zhuoma Yangjin’s expression became complicated, a mix of sorrow and joy. She stared at me blankly for a long moment, then sighed, turned, and called Wangmu to bring up her bag.

Wangmu looked at me with a very strange expression. It wasn't the old look of disdain, mockery, or resentment, but pure jealousy. She handed the bag to Zhuoma Yangjin and left; her job here was done. But at the moment she turned to close the door, she glanced at me with undisguised jealousy. Could she... think I was about to have sex with Zhuoma Yangjin? And thus became jealous? Because she had always been in love with Zhuoma Yangjin?

I was amused by my own idle speculation, shaking my head as I walked over to ask Zhuoma Yangjin if she needed any help. Seeing my ambiguous expression, she asked, "What is so strange that you are smiling like that?"

I certainly wouldn't dare mention my suspicion that her maid loved her. I quickly said, "Nothing, nothing. I just think that young girl Wangmu is quite interesting."

Zhuoma Yangjin opened the bag. Inside were strange, ancient-looking bottles, jars, and packets of herbs that I had never seen before. I had no idea what she was about to do.

"She's interesting?" Zhuoma Yangjin said without looking up. "That’s not interesting; that’s jealousy. She has followed me since childhood, yet she hasn't had the chance to access these top-secret matters. And you, a mere outsider, are actually getting access to the highest secrets of the Guge Kingdom. What do you think she would feel?"

I froze, not realizing this carried such profound significance. The king of a dynasty nominally vanished was preparing to let me access their ultimate secrets—perhaps the secret to eternal life.

"Yangjin... I..."

Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly stopped her activities, stood up, embraced me gently, and whispered, "I'm a little scared, Luo Lian."

She was slightly taller than the average girl, her head just reaching my shoulder. "I'm scared." Her warm breath moved around my neck and ear.

I tried desperately to control myself, unsure where to put my hands or feet, and dared not touch her, remaining stiff. "Yangjin, this, this... don't be afraid. No one will dare do anything to you."

Zhuoma Yangjin sighed deeply, then gently pushed me away, returning to sort through the items in her bag. She then told me to clear away the tea table and other objects and ensure the doors and windows were securely closed.

A moment ago, Zhuoma Yangjin had almost triggered a reaction in my lower regions, so I dared not speak to her, fearing I might lose control. After organizing things for a while, Zhuoma Yangjin took out a bundle of grayish herbs covered in fine white fluff and put it back. "Luo Lian, I'm really afraid that one moment you'll suddenly not be yourself anymore. I'm truly afraid," she said with deep worry.

Perhaps she was referring to something else, but my mind immediately jumped to another possibility. At least in that moment, I completely assumed she was giving me some kind of suggestive hint regarding physical intimacy.