Zhuoma Yangjin hesitated, her voice laced with lingering fear, "Luo Lian, have you forgotten the caves on Qiangbak Mountain?"

The image of those reanimated corpses flashed through my mind instantly. I stalled, "This place, after all, is different from there... with so many trees, it wouldn't be suitable for raising those desiccated things, would it?" Yet, my heart was far from settled.

Tang Minghao seemed more energetic than the rest of us, showing no signs of fatigue. He volunteered, suggesting he go back to check if those beasts had left. If they were gone, we could simply backtrack.

With that, Tang Minghao turned and headed back the way we came to see if the Snow Demon had departed. Eighty-Seven was panting heavily, supported by Forty-Three and Thirty-Eight, who looked utterly exhausted.

I was deeply impressed by his agility. In the blink of an eye, he had located that narrow ledge of salvation above the Stone Buddha amidst our chaotic battle with the Snow Demon. I also recalled Yangjin urging me to escape first in that moment of crisis. Although the situation allowed no room for courtesy then, I felt a complex mix of emotions about myself... Alas.

A moment later, Tang Minghao hobbled back, his face a picture of misery. "Those brutes are still there. As soon as they saw me, they started throwing stones. Look," he said, lifting his trouser leg to show us. Indeed, there was a bruise the size of an egg on his calf. It seemed those beasts were dead set on driving us into this very spot.

Having no choice, we could only proceed to rest there.

This cave plunged into inscrutable depths, its entrance just wide enough for the few of us to sit.

Wangmu proudly flaunted her dagger toward us, boasting, "See? Our ancestors' weapons are still superior. Even your most advanced guns couldn't deal with the Snow Demon, could they?"

Her remark made me slightly suspicious. I quickly borrowed the dagger to examine it, but found nothing particularly unique, only a faint, familiar scent of medicinal herbs—I wasn't sure if it clung to the sheath or was an aroma from something she carried.

I sniffed vigorously, but the herbal scent vanished. I returned the dagger, remarking casually, "It does carry a bit of an herbal fragrance."

Hearing this, Wangmu chuckled triumphantly, "Haha... it is an herbal scent! Luo Lian, you have a good nose for it."

Zhuoma Yangjin interjected, "Wangmu, the High Priest blessed that, of course it's powerful. Stop being coy."

Wangmu gave me a meaningful look, then glanced sideways at Zhuoma Yangjin, before slowly articulating, "The High Priest's blessing is certainly real, otherwise how could I protect the Princess... But..." Her eyes darted around, "This dagger was tempered using nine hundred and ninety-nine kinds of medicinal herbs. You folks didn't know that, did you?"

The girl was getting more animated as she spoke. Nine hundred and ninety-nine herbs—she was talking nonsense.

I smiled but didn't join the conversation, instead calling for everyone to rest while I stood guard, as I hadn't expended much energy.

Wangmu was still muttering, "It really is nine hundred and ninety-nine herbs; you just won't believe it."

No one paid her any mind. Suddenly, something stirred in my mind: medicinal herbs... Chief Wang had suddenly gone mad late one night, and Old Li had told me to throw the herbs he brought into the fire, after which Chief Wang instantly calmed down. And also... and also, those fierce zombies all settled down after we burned the sutra manuscript on the Faceless Man, Wang Wei Cheng... These things seemed interconnected.

Either all the monsters in Tibet feared fire and smoke, or the herbal scent was truly relevant. This time, I felt certain.

Still uncertain, I asked Wangmu again, "Are you sure this dagger was tempered with an herbal essence?"

Wangmu replied, "Of course. The High Priest told me. He said it's an antiquity from two to three centuries ago, given specifically to me to protect the Princess well. Would he lie to me?"

I considered it. A High Priest wouldn't need to lie. With that, the thread connecting things in my mind became clearer. The answer was there, yet something felt missing, something I couldn't quite articulate.

After resting for a while with no disturbances in the cave, I prepared to lead everyone through the cavern to find another exit. More importantly, I had a nagging feeling that the Snow Demon drove us here for another reason, not simply to kill us.

As I pondered this, Eighty-Seven suddenly cried out, pulling up his pant leg and pointing at a tiny black speck on his calf, "What is this!" He was usually so mature and steady, never losing composure. Seeing his reaction, my heart skipped a beat. I rushed over to look, and the tiny black dot was clearly two or three grotesque insects drilling toward his vein.

My face changed drastically, and I immediately tried to brush them off. Eighty-Seven put up a hand and instantly regained his composure, asking me, "Are these the same bugs we saw near the Stone Buddha?"

I nodded, a chill running down my spine. The appearance of these strange bugs most likely meant the Faceless Man would follow. The thought sent a shudder through me.

Old Li looked at me, his face pale, mumbling hesitantly, "Technician Luo, there's something I've never told you."

"What is it?"

Before Old Li could reply, Eighty-Seven jumped in, "Is it related to these bugs? You knew all along, didn't you?"

Old Li looked ashamed. "Yes... Get those bugs off first, or you will suffer divine retribution." Eighty-Seven carefully plucked off the two or three insects, pulled out a small bag from his backpack to contain them, and handed it to Forty-Three, asking him to keep it safe for later analysis.

But the reality seemed more complex. Old Li appeared to know more than just that. From his initial strong resistance to accompanying us up Qiangbak Mountain to find the deserters, to his later unusual eagerness to join the team—none of it was normal. Especially how composed he was when dealing with Chief Wang's situation, suggesting he was prepared. And that lion, it moved through the mountains with startling familiarity, implying it wasn't his first time either. It was frustrating that, at the time, focused only on surviving the descent, I failed to notice so many anomalies in his behavior. However, his subsequent performance at the Guge ruins and elsewhere appeared clumsy and fearful, which didn't suggest he held much secret knowledge...

Considering the context and sequence of events, I concluded that Old Li must know the secret of Qiangbak Mountain. Otherwise, why would he keep following us? Many times, he wasn't forced to follow me as relentlessly as I was.

After some thought, I said to Old Li, "Speak, Old Li. What's the deal with the bugs, and the Faceless Man? Does the appearance of these bugs here signal the presence of the Faceless Man?"

"The Faceless Man?" As soon as my words fell, Eighty-Seven and Zhuoma Yangjin cried out in alarm, "How could the Faceless Man be here?"

I looked at Old Li, waiting for his answer. Old Li seemed flustered, stammering, "I only know that wherever the strange bugs appear, there must be Shambhala beings. But Master Bainqen said he guards Qiangbak Mountain, and no Shambhala being dares to emerge from there. How could one be here? I... I'm a bit worried; I fear something big might happen."

Shambhala beings?! My mind exploded with the sound of recognition. The name was so familiar. Since acquiring those external memories, the answer that had been just out of reach finally surfaced. Yes, yes—Shambhala beings. Everything we encountered—including the Faceless Man, the White Python, the zombies, the reanimated corpses, the Great King Fish, and even the Snow Demon that chased us—they were all Shambhala beings, closely connected to the ancient Guge Kingdom. They weren't ghosts or deities, just mutated life forms.

Realizing this, I let out a long breath. The shadow that had been constantly looming in my heart instantly vanished. As long as they weren't supernatural entities, as long as they were living things, we had a way to deal with them, no matter what.

The ghosts conjured in one's mind are far more terrifying than any living creature.

I calculated this internally, but didn't voice it aloud. I was still skeptical about the hints provided by those external memories; I decided to wait and see how things unfolded.

Zhuoma Yangjin became intensely interested in Old Li's words. She asked him, "What did Master Bainqen mean by guarding the exit? What exit?"

Old Li’s expression darkened, and he shook his head. "I am merely an outsider; how could he tell me so many secrets? Even the term 'Shambhala beings' was told to me right before he died. He told me to try my best not to retire and to guard the exit of Qiangbak Mountain for him, guarding against Shambhala beings coming out to harm people, and also guarding against anyone trying to enter that exit... Master Bainqen saved my life; I promised him I would fulfill it. That's why later... later, when Qiangbak Mountain ran into trouble, I couldn't guard it alone, so I followed Luo Lian all the way, hoping to find some way to drive the emerging Faceless Man and others back..."

No wonder Old Li had stayed in the remote and harsh Gangba post for over a decade, unwilling to transfer or retire—it was for this reason.

After Old Li finished speaking, Zhuoma Yangjin suddenly stood up, walked over to him, and bowed gracefully, saying, "Thank you. Thank you, and thank Master Bainqen as well." She then called Wangmu over to kowtow as well.

Old Li quickly got up to help Zhuoma Yangjin, and urged me to help restrain Wangmu from bowing, saying repeatedly, "Yangjin, why are you performing such a deep courtesy? Get up quickly..."

Wangmu, confused, was about to follow suit but was held back by me. Annoyed, she exclaimed, "Luo Lian, get away from me!"

As we were caught in this chaos, the panicked chirping of animals suddenly echoed—"Zizhi—zizhi—"

It was the Snow Demons! I was the first to react, grabbing my gun and dashing back the way we came, with only one thought dominating my mind: "They must not be harmed."

As soon as I moved, the others immediately followed.

Zhuoma Yangjin asked me, "Luo Lian, what happened?"

It dawned on me then; right, what happened? The Snow Demons were just trying to kill us moments ago, yet now I was thinking of protecting them? A swift reconsideration brought understanding: it must be those external memories telling me to protect them.

At that moment, the Snow Demons' cries grew more frantic, their "zizhi" calls incessant. But this path on the cliff face was barely wide enough for footing, with an abyssal valley below. How could we move quickly?

The more intense the calls became, the more anxious I grew.

Eighty-Seven followed, not understanding, and frantically asked, "What's wrong? Luo Lian? Why are we going back?"

I didn't know how to explain it to him, so I just said, "We'll see what to do when we get there; the Snow Demons are in danger."

Eighty-Seven scoffed, "I thought it was something important. If the Snow Demons are in danger, isn't that perfect? It eliminates a major headache for us."