The smell of dried grass and tung oil still hadn't completely dissipated in the room, curling in wisps to sting my nostrils, making my head throb and swim. I walked to the window, took a deep breath, blew on my fingers to steady my racing thoughts, and returned to the chair, preparing to consult Master Ji, this veritable expert.

But the words caught in my throat, and I hesitated again. Before Master Ji arrived, Old Man Wenshu had mentioned that the "White Tiger" was the Tujia ancestor, Lord Linjun. In my shock and terror, I had dropped and shattered my wine cup, instantly drawing the probing gazes of everyone present, leaving me trapped and cornered, nearly forced to reveal everything about Qin Bing'er. Fortunately, Master Ji’s arrival diverted the conversation. At the time, I was secretly relieved to have temporarily preserved Qin Bing'er’s secret, never imagining that the events just now would render the entire affair even more bewildering, especially since everyone present had witnessed it firsthand. Containing this news would prove exceedingly difficult.

The issue was whether telling them directly about the green-haired map on Qin Bing'er’s back would affect her life or cause her embarrassment. I didn't worry much about the others, but I especially feared the mouth of Old Man Wenshu; to be blunt, his mouth was nothing but a "leaky chamber pot." He had lived his whole life in a backwater corner, seen little of the world; even the smallest speck of news, passing through his lips, would instantly balloon into gossip the size of a dustpan.

Yet, given the current situation, telling them seemed inevitable. I sighed, on the verge of speaking, when Man Niaoniao jumped in to save the day. "An-ge, how on earth did you think of using Yingying’s blood to save Ping'er? Is hawk blood a miracle cure? He’s going to get rich!" Of course, he never missed a chance to mock my moniker, "Sun-Slayer."

Before Master Ji could answer Man Niaoniao, Old Man Wenshu, predictably impatient, interjected, "Honored Sir, from what this old man knows, 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice' usually appears on the waist, correct? And it only reveals itself after scraping the skin with hemp string dipped in cold water. How could it appear inexplicably on that young woman's neck and face?"

"...It probably isn't 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice,' is it?" Master Ji said hesitantly.

"Not 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice'? What in the world is it then?" I blurted out, deciding to get this matter clear first.

"The so-called 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice' is medically known as Herpes Zoster. Its symptoms are indeed similar to what was on Miss Qin's face. In the past, curing 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice' did require scraping the skin with wet hemp string to bring out the blisters." Master Ji explained, "When I first saw what was on Miss Qin’s face, I also assumed it was 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice.' Seeing those few blisters moving toward her forehead, the situation was critical. There was no time to think deeply, nor to find lamp grass and tung oil, so I lit the dried grass and used the cigarette tip as a substitute. Seeing her breathing shallowly, I blew a cloud of thick smoke to stimulate her, to see if there was any reaction..."

I thought to myself, your dried grass smoke can not only revive someone near death but also smoke a living person to death! Master Ji continued, "After using the cigarette tip to burn her forehead, I asked the sister-in-law to fetch the lamp grass and tung oil, intending to treat those things with the method for 'Coiling-Snake Jaundice.' When the lamp grass proved completely useless, I realized she might have been poisoned by that toad’s sinister venom, and the best antidote for yin poison is naturally yang blood. That’s why I told the sister-in-law to find a brush to prick Miss Qin’s face and bite Yingying’s left thumb to use his yang blood to neutralize the yin poison. Unexpectedly, it worked wonders... It was Heaven’s will, Heaven’s will!"

"Ping'er was poisoned by yin venom? Why were none of us affected?" I asked, confused. "Why did you specifically need my blood? Not your own or someone else's?"

"Heh heh," Master Ji let out a sinister chuckle. "Why use your blood and not mine? The reason is simple: biting someone else’s finger is truly hard to stomach, but it’s not me who feels the pain when biting yours, so I didn’t care much. As for why not others—the reason is also simple. First, you were closest. Second... heh heh, I suspect only you are a Guinan Wa'er (virgin boy); your yang energy is the strongest!" Hearing Master Ji’s words, I felt like finding a brick to smash my own head against! In this highly developed era, being a virgin in my twenties was hardly a point of pride.

"You..." My face began to burn. I blew on my still faintly aching thumb and said sullenly, "You are indeed skilled; let's drop this matter... You still haven't answered my first two questions."

"To clarify those two questions, I probably need you to tell me honestly about Miss Qin's true origins first?" Master Ji stared at me, his eyes bright, his face shrouded in mystery behind the smoke.

I froze, silently sighing that what was bound to happen had finally arrived. After much hesitation, under the pressure of Master Ji’s intense gaze, I steeled myself and recounted the entire sequence of events in detail: the green-haired map on Qin Bing'er’s back, Master Qinghe's cryptic verses, and the character '' (Earth/Tǔ) on my forehead. Before I finished speaking, Man Niaoniao sprang up from his chair. "A map grew on Ping'er's back? Is it the one I saw? You went into her room last night just to look at that map? —Damn that 'Bo Yi' (Pinyin for a certain character), no wonder the 'Ri Guzhi' incident happened at Yanjiang'ao, no wonder you insisted on finding An-ge..." (Bo Yi: Pinyin for a certain character. Ri Guzhi: Strange/Oddity.)

I never expected Man Niaoniao to swear so crudely in such a tense atmosphere. I shot him a fierce glare and retorted angrily, "What did you think I was doing in her room? —You’re just... full of cow dung!"

Man Niaoniao didn't take the bait, slumping back into the chair, which protested loudly. "...I see, so that's why you were so eager for An-ge to come... An-ge, tell us, what exactly is going on?"

Master Ji didn't directly answer Man Niaoniao but countered, "What 'Ri Guzhi' incident happened at Yanjiang'ao?" Man Niaoniao perked up, spraying saliva everywhere as he vividly described the "Cloud Demon" we had seen at Yanjiang'ao.

Master Ji listened without a word, frowning as he smoked his dried grass pipe in silence. Master Ji had a peculiar habit when smoking dried grass: he had to hold the lighter in his hand, repeatedly trying to light the intermittently sputtering grass. Whether it was the quality of the grass or his habit, the lighter in his hand seemed to have incurred the worst luck of eight lifetimes.

After a long silence, only when everyone’s staring made him uncomfortable did he speak slowly and deliberately, choosing his words carefully: "From what you've described, Miss Qin's green-haired map, the sight at Yanjiang'ao, and the toad infection tonight all seem related to the long-lost Xiu Art of the Tujia people."

"Xiu Art? What is Xiu Art?" Man Niaoniao asked, cutting in front.

"This... I am only guessing; I can't say for sure if it’s Xiu Art. My understanding of Xiu Art comes from occasional conversations with the Daoist masters I often deal with. Those masters mentioned the early days of Xiu Art when we were exchanging tall tales. They said Xiu Art is actually the world-famous shamanism, but with a difference from what common people imagine: only males can learn Xiu Art. Ancient texts also record that female shamans are called Wu, while male shamans are called Xiu. Do you know? In fact, a Xiu master is what we commonly call a Daoist master—formerly also called 'Tulaoshi' (Earth Teacher) or 'Duangong.' It's rumored they are all conduits to the spirit realm... Of course, whether there are still people who know Xiu Art now is uncertain. After all, times have changed!"

Master Ji looked at me and continued, "That Master Qinghe is truly unfathomable; I also cannot explain those four cryptic verses for the moment..." He turned to my father and asked, "Brother, do you have any actual paternal uncles or older uncles?" My father was momentarily stunned. "This... I don't think so!"

Receiving no clear answer, Master Ji turned back to me. "As for the character '' on your forehead, I also cannot explain it immediately..." Seeing my expression drooping with dejection, Master Ji shifted his tone, "However, since Master Qinghe said it, he must have his reasons... Great masters always enjoy dealing in things that are hard to grasp."

"Nonsense, if it made sense, why would I come to find a master like you to sort out my mess?" I grumbled inwardly, my dissatisfaction unconsciously showing on my face. Master Ji was incredibly astute; he instantly perceived my thoughts from my expression. He gave an embarrassed smile and tried to change the subject by making small talk. "Why do I feel that Miss Qin looks extremely familiar? As if I’ve seen her somewhere before..."

I pursed my lips and forced a smile. "I felt she looked familiar the first time I saw her too. Later, I found out I had seen her in a dream..."

"In a dream?" Master Ji slapped his thigh. "That’s right! I also saw her in a dream."

Master Ji’s sudden action startled everyone in the room into staring at him. "An-ge, Man Yingying claims every woman he sees looks familiar. I never thought you, at your age, would have such a hobby..." Man Niaoniao said to Master Ji with a roguish grin.

"Do you think I’m lying? I really saw her in a dream... Let me think, yes, it was that strange dream on the sixth day of the sixth month, when I was experiencing 'ghost pressing on the bed'..."

"The sixth day of the sixth month? Ghost pressing on the bed?" I sprang up violently, knocking the chair backward so that it flipped over and split in two on the floor.

"Say that again..." Ignoring the dagger-like stares from the room, I shouted hoarsely at Master Ji.

Master Ji gave me a strange look. "At noon on the sixth day of the sixth month, I drank two liang of corn liquor and dozed off on a bench. Unexpectedly, I was pinned down by a ghost. In the dream, my grandfather, a python, a white tiger, and a girl in yellow appeared. That girl in yellow... was waving something in front of my eyes. Thinking back now, that girl in yellow does strongly resemble Miss Qin... Whoa! Yingying, what’s wrong with you? Your face is so pale?"

As Master Ji recounted his dream, the world went black before my eyes. Every word Master Ji uttered struck my heart like a bullet, making my heart pound like thunder. I estimated that if someone placed a stethoscope on my chest at that moment, they could tap-dance to the rhythm of my heartbeat!!

After a long pause, I braced myself against the chair with both hands, stabilizing my mind. I shakily pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag before stammering, "Master Ji, I... I also had the exact same dream, also on the sixth day of the sixth month... Isn't that strange?" "Ah?" Everyone in the room stared at me with wide eyes.

I smoked the cigarette down to half its length, flicked the ash away forcefully, and recounted my strange dream from the sixth of the sixth month, word for word. Master Ji didn't speak after hearing it. I watched his hand tremble as a large clump of dark grey ash fell straight into the wine cup before him.

Master Ji frowned, silent for a long time, then muttered to himself, "Strange... two people having the exact same dream on the same day?" Before anyone could react, Master Ji looked up and asked me, "Did you see clearly what the object poking your waist was?"

"No. I felt the object was very familiar, but I couldn't recall where I had seen it!"

"Was it like... a Ling Pai Bei (Memorial Tablet Stele)?"

"Yes! It was a Ling Pai Bei! It was definitely a Ling Pai Bei!" I yelled. The object that the girl in yellow poked into my waist in the dream finally materialized clearly in my mind after Master Ji’s reminder—wasn't that unmistakably a miniature Ling Pai Bei?

The Ling Pai Bei is a common type of stone stele erected in front of graves in our area. It usually bears carved inscriptions like "Tomb of the Late Illustrious Father Mr. So-and-so, Esteemed Elder," with the deceased's birth and death years carved on the right side of the yin script, and the names of the filial sons and grandsons on the left. However, only ordinary families erected Ling Pai Bei; slightly wealthier families would erect Five-Panel or Seven-Panel steles. Whether a Ling Pai Bei or a multi-panel stele, besides serving to "encourage the living," they also contained the Tujia people's reverence and worship for their ancestors.

"Did anyone else have this dream?" Master Ji asked. The others snapped out of their daze and shook their heads, indicating no.

"Then it's strange, why did only Hawk and I have this dream? Even the time and content are identical... What exactly is that Ling Pai Bei?" Master Ji muttered to himself, crossing his legs, rocking his chair back and forth on its rear legs; in his right hand, he held the lighter, close to the extinguished dried grass in his mouth, yet unlit; his face was perplexed, his gaze vacant.

The others dared not breathe, holding their breath for fear of interrupting Master Ji’s deep contemplation. Five pairs of eyes were fixed firmly on his mouth; their gazes, under the heavy downpour of the night, resembled several sharp swords intersecting in the air, as if one could hear the clang of their collisions...

"Hawk, did Miss Qin tell you anything else?" Master Ji suddenly spoke, startling me so much that my shoulders jumped, my gaze retracted, and I stared blankly at Master Ji’s mouth for several seconds before realizing, "This... it seems other than what I've told you all, she hasn't said anything else, right?" I searched my memory and vaguely recalled that when I pressed Qin Bing'er about her origins at the Xidu Hotel last night, her demeanor was unnatural. Unfortunately, my entire focus at the time was on why Master Qinghe looked so much like my grandfather, so I hadn't paid much attention to that detail.

"Oh!" Master Ji replied languidly with a single, emotionless syllable.

"Honored Sir... what exactly is going on?" Old Man Wenshu, his face flushed, interrupted Master Ji’s brooding.

Master Ji seemed to wake from a dream. He swept over the cluster of eager gazes, lowered his legs, bent down to tap the cigarette ash onto the bluestone slab near the fire pit, coughed loudly, and then raised his cup to gulp down some wine... It looked like the old man was preparing to lay out his theories.

Indeed, Master Ji wiped the wine froth from his beard and said, "The entire matter can be summarized by one Void, one Real, one Hidden, and one Bizarre. The 'Void' refers to the strange dream Master Ji and Hawk shared on the sixth day of the sixth month; the 'Real' refers to Miss Qin and the green-haired map on her back—Hawk, are you certain there’s a green-haired map on her back?" After receiving my affirmative answer, Master Ji continued, "...The 'Hidden' refers to the unseen Master Qinghe, his verses, and the character '' on Hawk's forehead; the 'Bizarre' naturally refers to the 'Cloud Demon' you saw and the toad infection tonight. What is the connection between these four? Where lies the crucial point?"

Although Master Ji was asking us, he didn't truly expect an answer. He took a sip of wine and continued, "The most crucial element among these four is that 'Void'—that strange dream, occurring on the sixth day of the sixth month, which you all know is the day of the 'Dragon Robe Drying,' commemorating a Qin-surnamed Tujia King in history. The dream featured our ancestors, the python, the White Tiger, the girl in yellow, and that Ling Pai Bei. Since the White Tiger is the legendary ancestor of the Tujia people, we can deduce from the ancestor and the White Tiger that this series of events is definitely related to our Tujia clan..." I had considered this myself.

"...What hasn't yet materialized in reality are the python and the Ling Pai Bei. Although we don't know what that Ling Pai Bei is right now, we are certain that it is the key to unraveling the mystery of the strange dream. Why do I say this? This connects to the 'Real.' According to what Hawk described, it was this Ling Pai Bei that startled him awake from the dream. It was precisely at this moment that Hawk received Niaoniao’s call, then brought Miss Qin here, and Miss Qin bears a strong resemblance to the girl in yellow from both our dreams and shares the surname with the Qin King. There is a high probability she is connected to the historical Qin King. Furthermore, our grandfathers appeared in the dream. You all know the local legend of 'Dream Transmission,' so..."

Master Ji spoke with such coherence, yet I grew more confused the more I listened. I couldn't help interrupting him, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"What I want to say is that the dream is telling us that we must complete a task assigned to us by our Tujia ancestors. This task might be finding that Ling Pai Bei from the dream, and the green-haired map on Miss Qin’s back is the clue to finding it..." Master Ji stated emphatically.

"..." I was dumbfounded. Finding a Ling Pai Bei that only appeared in a dream? This task... was utterly mystical.

Master Ji paid no mind to my expression and continued on his own track. "Let's analyze the 'Hidden' and the 'Bizarre' now. While we don't know why Master Qinghe, whom Miss Qin mentioned, uttered those profound verses, nor why he directed Miss Qin to find someone with the character '' on their forehead, judging by the external signs—such as his striking resemblance to Hawk's grandfather—this Master Qinghe might have deep roots with the Tujia people. Perhaps he knows about this task we are facing?" By the end, Master Ji’s voice grew softer, sounding less certain.

Master Ji paused. "Let's put the 'Hidden' aside for now. I believe once we solve the mystery of the strange dream, the meaning of those four verses and the puzzle of the '' on Hawk's forehead will be easily revealed... As for the 'Bizarre,' assuming Miss Qin, or more directly, the green-haired map on her back, is indeed the clue to finding the Ling Pai Bei, I suspect there might be another faction trying desperately to destroy this clue. Of course, we don't know who this faction is yet, but their methods might be beyond ordinary comprehension—perhaps the long-lost 'Xiu Art'... In that case, the appearance of the 'Cloud Demon' and the toad’s yin poison afflicting Miss Qin tonight cease to be strange. This also explains why only Miss Qin was poisoned and no one else was affected."