The others fell silent, only the old man Ganda showing no panic. Instead, he knelt and bowed three times toward the southeast, muttering something indistinctly under his breath.

After finishing his ritual, Ganda stopped speaking.

Lu Zong was intensely curious about the expressions his companions had just worn and pressed them for an explanation of what had just occurred.

Yet, they avoided him as if he were a plague, refusing to answer his questions, seemingly dodging something.

The more they refused to speak, the stranger Lu Zong found it, and the stronger his curiosity grew. It wasn't until Ganda pointed toward the murals on the walls that Lu Zong noticed the entire room was covered in frescos.

He took in the dilapidated room closely. The roof had collapsed years ago; only four ragged walls vaguely suggested this had once been a luxurious residence. After a millennium of wind, sun, and sand, the lower portions were buried under layers of dust, revealing only the top sections, standing higher than two men, though high enough for them to stand above the sand.

He circled around and found one mural particularly striking, as it was the largest and most complete on the entire perimeter wall. He decided to start there to seek answers.

As he approached it, his degree of astonishment matched that of the others. The painting depicted the very Bloodface he had seen in the terrifying moment just past. He couldn't help but shudder. He wondered what this could possibly mean.

But if the existence of this Bloodface was confirmed, then what he had just seen was certainly not an illusion. If it wasn't an illusion, what was it? A ghost?

He flinched again. He noticed a line of small script beside the painting. He focused intently to decipher it:

Those who come after, upon seeing this depiction, shall bow their heads to the spirit, showing their utmost loyalty.

This tells the tale of Han Dynasty General Zhang Qian, who, imprisoned by the Chanyu and prevented from his Western journey, secretly attempted escape. Unbeknownst to him, the Chanyu was alerted and ordered his soldiers to pursue day and night, finally recapturing Zhang Qian. Zhang Qian was no match in combat, and thus…

The rest of the text was buried beneath the earth. Lu Zong dug away the soil, only to find the script below the sand had long been worn away and effaced by erosion, leaving no trace. He had no choice but to return to the line written parallel to the first text, skipping the large missing section in the middle.

"Your descendants, upon witnessing my demise, are receiving this vision from me in a dream. You must fulfill my dying wish. As a token of loyalty, offer one left ear, or the consequences will be dire."

Lu Zong was stunned. This was clearly a curse. He regretted his curiosity deeply in his heart—why couldn't he have just left things alone when they were fine?

Although he didn't believe in demons or monsters, witnessing such an unnatural sight firsthand made disbelief difficult. Had he truly seen a ghost just now?

He shook his head.

He felt his heart pounding fiercely. If this was true, he had to follow what the mural instructed. But with such a massive section missing from the painting, he didn't even know what the dying wish was, let alone how to fulfill the testament.

Wait, no! The realization struck him suddenly, a distinct feeling that something was amiss.

The others, drawn by his strange exclamation, rushed to ask him what was wrong.

Lu Zong replied, "Do you know how Zhang Qian died? When did he die?"

Han Chong answered without hesitation, "He died in the palace after successfully completing his second mission to the Western Regions! What... Ah? Yes, something is wrong!"

The others became even more curious: "What is it?"

Han Chong said, "This text claims Zhang Qian died at the hands of the Chanyu, but the Records of the Grand Historian state Zhang Qian died after returning from his second mission. Moreover, the Chanyu died long before Zhang Qian’s second journey. How could he have sent soldiers to pursue him? Zhang Qian's only connection with the Chanyu was when the latter detained him to prevent his westward travel; there was no pursuit or killing. Besides, that incident was during the first journey. If he had been killed then, who completed the second journey?"

Everyone present, except Lu Sha, stood frozen, completely bewildered by the discrepancies. Was the record here false?

Lu Zong shook his head, ignoring the confusion. The only explanation for these vast contradictions was that the records here were entirely fabricated.

But he had definitely seen the Bloodface. He was confused once more.

He walked over to Ganda, who was still praying devoutly, and squatted beside him, asking, "Do you know why what just happened occurred?"

Ganda opened one eye, looked at Lu Zong, and said in a low voice, "It's a long story. This is the will of the spirits; the deities allowed you to see those things."

"Deities? What deities?"

"Shamanism. The Shaman will protect you."

"Shaman? Shamanism..." The name echoed again in Lu Zong's ears, startling him slightly. He recalled the final sentence on the mural: As a token of loyalty, offer one left ear.

He muttered to himself, "Big ear, Shamanism."

What did it mean? He couldn't help but frown, nervously scratching his head. His mind was a complete jumble; he couldn't process anything else.

However, Lu Sha, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly broke the silence: "I think this place is real. Do you know what you just saw?"

Lu Zong shook his head: "I don't know, but I stake my honor that it absolutely wasn't a ghost. I would rather believe it was some kind of supernatural phenomenon."

Lu Sha affirmed confidently, "What you saw was actually just a recording."

"A recording?" Lu Zong roared, refusing to believe it.

Lu Sha nodded gently, "Yes, a recording. Made by nature itself. Things like this happen frequently in the States. For example, in a canyon in the Western Mountains, many people have seen armies fighting in the gorge, complete with realistic sounds. This once led many Americans to believe that souls and ghosts truly exist, that the spirits of dead warriors were still battling. But later, the scientific findings announced sent all the excited people crashing down, because the investigation concluded it was purely a natural phenomenon. That canyon was the site of a battle during the Spartan Wars over three thousand years ago. The reason the battle re-enacted after three millennia is that the precise temperature, humidity, atmospheric magnetic field strength, stone radiation, and other factors at this moment replicated the natural conditions of that time, making it highly likely to project past events through imagery, appearing just like a video—and the director is the great and powerful Nature. What is happening here is likely a recreation of the events of that time."

"A recreation of the events of that time?" Lu Zong asked curiously. "Are you saying Zhang Qian really died? That the Records of the Grand Historian are false, and someone else completed the second journey west?"

Lu Sha replied, "No, the records in the Records of the Grand Historian are also true..."

Lu Zong was utterly confused by Lu Sha; how could both be true?

Lu Sha said, "This requires an extension into the special abilities of Shamanism."