Lu Zong sounded rather amused by the situation. "Yeah, I gave you a bone just now. I thought it was firewood. Never mind, let's make do. Why would there be firewood here anyway? Let's just burn that bone and consider it a send-off for the deceased."

Ma Xiong cursed under his breath, completely bewildered. He picked up the bone-torch from the ground and raised it, trying to get a clear view of just how large this cavern was.

He discovered that although the opening wasn't very high, the depth was unfathomable. Furthermore, the interior was winding, with numerous shadowy corners that the light couldn't reach, places where fear seemed to glitter—he dared not look.

Lu Zong hissed softly to the others, signaling them to remain quiet. Ma Xiong and Fatty held their breath, trying to pinpoint the source of the breathing sound they had heard earlier.

They heard it—the distinct sound of breathing emanating from a dark recess. They crept forward stealthily, keen to discover what was breathing there.

They reached the corner and raised the torch toward it. The dark recess was instantly illuminated. They listened intently once more; the breathing was definitely coming from this spot. Yet, they saw nothing. There was no living thing, nor even any inanimate object they could discern.

Lu Zong scratched his head in confusion. "That's not right. The breathing is definitely coming from here, so why can't we see anyone?" He paused. "No, we have to search more carefully."

He took the bone-torch from Ma Xiong’s hand and scrutinized every inch of the corner, meticulous in his examination, determined not to miss a single detail.

Finally, heaven rewarded his effort. Deepest inside, he spotted a small hole, so narrow that only the little finger of an adult male could fit through it.

He beckoned the other two over to look and see what was inside.

Ma Xiong found another piece of bone nearby and began to dig at the small opening.

Only then did they realize the hole was gradually expanding, growing larger, until it was finally big enough for Fatty to squeeze into. Ma Xiong sensed there was a secret within—perhaps treasure, perhaps a beauty—and he dug with renewed vigor.

Suddenly, Lu Zong hissed again, urging silence, and then leaned in to listen. The sound of breathing was becoming clearer, more vivid.

Ma Xiong set aside his digging tool and widened the opening slightly with his hands. He saw a patch of human skin exposed. He continued to dig, and then glimpsed a tender, small foot, delicate and soft.

They exchanged glances, then looked back at the thing. It lay perfectly still, seemingly waiting for them to uncover it. Ma Xiong asked, "Lu Zong, what do you guess this is? I bet you anything, this is no corpse."

Lu Zong was also unsure what to do. "Maybe we should back out? This thing is too weird. Why would it be buried here?"

Ma Xiong insisted, "Forget the nagging. Let's just dig this thing out first. As long as I’m here, it can’t hurt us."

Ignoring Lu Zong’s objections, he dug relentlessly. Lu Zong didn't try to stop him forcefully either; after all, he was curious to see what lay beneath.

Eventually, most of the body was revealed, with only the face still buried. In fact, they had been questioning the authenticity of the find from the start, and as they dug higher, Ma Xiong’s initial excitement slowly waned because he realized that if it were a corpse, it should be a male corpse. If it were a person, it was a man.

Ma Xiong cursed in frustration, "Damn it! The thing I worked so hard to dig up is a man. Damn it, even a renyao (hermaphrodite/transvestite) would have been better!"

Only the head remained buried. Ma Xiong looked at Lu Zong and asked, "Lu Zong, should we keep digging?"

Lu Zong nodded. "Since we've come this far, we might as well see it through. Dig it out."

Fatty seemed psychologically prepared too, encouraging Ma Xiong to continue. "I'm interested in men too."

Ma Xiong stopped digging and stared blankly at Fatty, along with Lu Zong.

Fatty hastily explained, "I meant interested in the relationship between money and corpses, not sexually! Your minds are truly filthy."

Ma Xiong said with mock admiration, "Good, anyone who can say something like that must have an incredibly thick skin."

Ignoring Fatty’s sardonic jab, he resumed digging furiously.

Finally, they uncovered the man's head. The opening around the body still showed slight undulation, and the breath coming from the nostrils was extremely faint—it appeared the person wasn't dead yet. Ma Xiong held the torch up to illuminate the face and realized it was Ganda.

Lu Zong also recognized Ganda and shook him, shouting, "Ganda! What's wrong? Wake up!"

Finally, amid their anxious calls, Ganda woke up. He looked at the three of them and weakly called out, "Water, water."

Lu Zong hurriedly unfastened his waterskin and gave Ganda a few sips.

But Ganda stopped after just one sip, grimacing in obvious pain and clutching his head.

Lu Zong asked, "Ganda, headache?"

Ganda nodded painfully and said, "I feel like my head isn't mine anymore."

Lu Zong found this intensely strange. He had noticed Ganda had changed significantly before; moreover, why would he wander off to this spot when they encountered the giant snake?

Ganda explained, "My head has been hurting constantly, as if my body wasn't obeying my commands. I don't know how, but I ended up here. I even remember burying myself alive. It's truly bizarre. Oh, right, where did you find me?"

Ma Xiong pointed to the layer of soil on the ground. Ganda brushed aside the soft, fresh dirt, immediately realizing something. "Did you really dig me out from underground?"

Lu Zong nodded. "Yes. Why would you bury yourself?"

Ganda looked down, silent for a moment, then said heavily, "I feel like I'm not myself anymore."

Lu Zong suddenly remembered the tendrils of the carnivorous plant that had entered Ganda’s head. He urgently asked Ganda to lift his head so he could examine it. In fact, ever since digging Ganda out, his head had rested on the ground. Lu Zong had wanted to cradle Ganda’s head in his lap, but every time he moved, Ganda cried out in pain, so they hadn't moved him. Now, Ganda was unwilling to move, only saying, "I feel like there’s something inside my head. Every slight movement causes a pulling pain in my brain. I can’t move at all."

Lu Zong had no choice but to lower his eyes and look at Ganda’s head. He saw that growing out of Ganda’s skull, pushing through the top of his head, was a plant the size of a hand. Its fresh, tender leaves seemed to wave hello at Lu Zong, and his face instantly drained of color.