He himself was now so lost, so utterly unsure of what step to take next—what could he do? Just moments ago, he had sensed the curtain drawing back on a crisis, that he was about to face horrors that ordinary men could never endure. Now, his mind was short-circuiting again, unable to grasp what any of it meant, unable to fathom why there were two corpses lying on the ground.

As he pondered this, Lu Zong suddenly shouted out in shock ahead of him, "Fatty?" A surge of hope flooded Ma Xiong’s heart. Could it be that Lu Zong had found Fatty and the others? He hurried forward excitedly, but saw only Lu Zong standing alone. Where was Fatty? A wave of confusion washed over him. When he finally reached Lu Zong, he realized there was indeed another person lying on the ground—no, more accurately, a corpse. He asked, "Lu Zong, is this... is this Fatty’s body?" Lu Zong turned back, and Ma Xiong noticed his complexion was ghastly pale, white as a sheet of paper. Lu Zong nodded, saying, "Yes, yes. Didn’t you notice how utterly strange this place is?"

Ma Xiong nodded. "Of course it feels strange. How could it not? You know I went into lockdown mode the moment we saw our own bodies. I don't know what to do next. Tell me, what is going on here? What sound did we hear just now that made us see Fatty’s silhouette? Was that silhouette even Fatty?"

Lu Zong looked at Ma Xiong, listening to the barrage of questions, and a wave of profound sadness washed over him. Ma Xiong was voicing exactly what was baffling him; he had intended to consult Ma Xiong. Nevertheless, Lu Zong calmed himself and analyzed, "Look at us; we’re alive and well, yet we saw two corpses that look exactly like us. That leads me to guess that Fatty and the others aren't dead either. What do you think, Ma Xiong? Can you even begin to guess why this is happening?"

Ma Xiong looked back at Lu Zong and agreed. "I share your dread. I also feel Fatty can’t be dead; otherwise, what was that figure we saw just now? Maybe these corpses aren't even ours. Let’s hurry on. I need to see what else is up ahead. Maybe these are just signs from the Creator guiding us toward the Demon Tower. Let’s just ignore all this."

Lu Zong nodded too. "Alright, let’s go. I just worry about Fatty; I don't know what’s become of that guy." He glanced back at the corpse, troubled by its significance. Though terror had seized his spirit, he was long accustomed to such feelings; his skin had grown thicker over time. His psychological state had been tempered by ordeal. He wasn't overly shocked now, just obediently walking forward as the narrow fissure they were traversing—the 'Line of Heaven'—grew even tighter. Suddenly, Ma Xiong saw Lu Zong, who was leading, stop dead in his tracks again. He quickly asked, "Lu Zong, why have you stopped now?"

Lu Zong bent over again, leaning down to inspect the ground closely. Ma Xiong rushed up beside him and looked down. Another corpse had appeared. His heart lurched—who was this one?

He remembered the two people who had been with Fatty: the real Ge Mei and Company Commander. Was this one the real Ge Mei, or the Company Commander? He hurried closer to see who this terrifying figure on the ground was. Only when he was right upon it did he realize the body lying there was distinctly flat-chested. This must be the Company Commander. A wave of relief washed over him; thank heavens the dead one was male.

He asked Lu Zong, "Lu Zong, is this the Company Commander? Why is he dead here too?"

Lu Zong didn't reply, just continued walking ahead, seemingly searching for something. But after a long search yielded nothing, he let out a sigh. Seeing Lu Zong’s strange demeanor, Ma Xiong asked, "Lu Zong, what's wrong? Why are you sighing? Are you bored to death?" Lu Zong looked at Ma Xiong and explained, "Ma Xiong, isn't it strange? Why can't we find any trace of Ge Mei? I mean the real Ge Mei."

Ma Xiong replied, "Oh, have you forgotten? Ge Mei already left us. Didn't that voice just tell us we would meet again someday?"

"I’m not talking about the Ge Mei who was with us—not the one who looked like Han Chong. I’m talking about the one who looked like Ge Mei but was actually Han Chong." Ma Xiong finally remembered: besides the Company Commander, there was that person who always claimed to be Ge Mei. So that person was Han Chong all along. He wondered if the curse was what caused their identities to swap.

Thinking of the bizarre identity shift, Ma Xiong couldn't help a bitter laugh. Those two had suffered a dreadful fate to encounter such strangeness. He looked ahead and said, "You're right, we haven't seen any trace of Ge Mei. Wait, Lu Zong, I think I know exactly what’s going on. Let me explain it to you; see if this is the reason."

Lu Zong urgently asked, "Then tell me quickly! What is it? I’m so puzzled now, increasingly so. Curiosity has taken over every inch of my cerebral cortex; I have no room left to be afraid of anything." Ma Xiong looked at Lu Zong. Indeed, right now, he was even more perplexed than Lu Zong, unsure what any of this implied. He truly wished he could smack Fatty awake and demand to know what chaos had erupted here.

Ma Xiong said, "Think about it: why are we here, while the fake Ge Mei and Elder Qian have vanished, yet we see our own corpses here? And why has Han Chong disappeared here, only for us to see the corpses of Fatty and the Company Commander? This suggests that Han Chong played the same role here as Ge Mei and Elder Qian did elsewhere. These three must have some secret connection behind the scenes; they must be the puppet masters. I wonder what this means..." Ma Xiong fell into deep contemplation, trying to unravel the mystery.

Lu Zong nodded. "I feel the same way. But why do you think we see our own bodies? Is it a hallucination? I feel the probability of that is incredibly low. There must be some other reason."

Zhi Xiong (Ma Xiong, correcting himself) asked with bewilderment, "Then tell me what other reason there could possibly be. I’d like to see what other explanation exists for seeing our own corpses in a place like this."

Lu Zong asked, "Don't you find this whole situation profoundly strange? Take those two corpses: why do they look so much like us? Were they born looking that way? I suspect those are us."

Ma Xiong burst out laughing. He looked at Lu Zong’s earnest expression and mocked, "So you’re saying those two corpses are us? But then, what about the living versions of ourselves standing here right now? Are you suggesting these two are merely spirits? Haha, Lu Zong, you’re hilarious." Ma Xiong watched in horror as Lu Zong actually nodded. Ma Xiong was stunned, unable to comprehend why Lu Zong held such a belief. To prevent Lu Zong from dragging him into delusion, he forced himself to nod. "Yes, I respect your idea, but I certainly don’t agree with your view. We are alive and well right now; how could we possibly be in spirit form? You’re overthinking this, boy. Stop dwelling on it. Let’s just move on; this place is no good for lingering." He urged Lu Zong to hurry, mainly hoping to stop him from obsessing over this point. He realized, with a jolt, that what Lu Zong said might actually be true, as he felt his own body growing lighter, like that of a spirit. But who would willingly admit they were just an echo? For now, denial was the only option; sometimes, self-deception was better.

Lu Zong, however, did not move away as quickly as Ma Xiong wanted. Some things absolutely had to be clarified. Since Ma Xiong refused to face reality directly, Lu Zong decided he would have to solve this mystery himself. He walked calmly to a nearby stone and, without hesitation, stepped right over it. The unexpected happened: he watched his own body pass straight through the stone.

Ma Xiong was paralyzed by the sight. He looked at Lu Zong and stammered, "Lu Zong, you... how did you...?"

Lu Zong looked at the horrified Ma Xiong and said, "Ma Xiong, face reality. It’s pointless to resist. Look at us—this is our state now. Stop being willfully blind. We finally have an explanation, one that accounts for all the confusion. We should accept this reality, even if it’s cruel, because it brings a certain peace. I guarantee that once you feel the beauty of this state, you’ll forget the bitterness of your former life."

Ma Xiong gazed at Lu Zong. He knew Lu Zong had been so crushed by reality that he no longer cared to live. He hadn't accepted anything; he was simply despairing of life, unsure of the next move. He spoke quietly, "I just feel there’s no point in striving for anything anymore. In a place like this, continuing to exist might actually be quite good. We can wander around every day, using the sky as our blanket and the earth as our bed, free and unfettered, without worrying about those tedious physical needs."