I watched Jiyé's stubbled lips move ceaselessly, feeling my self-assured mind growing increasingly dull. I had expected that finding this master, Jiyé, would solve everything, but instead of clarifying the origins and trajectory of the bizarre events like Pao Ding dissecting an ox, his words dragged out even more perplexing matters: “Shamanism,” the “Tally Stele,” “ancestors,” and “missions.” Although I felt a definite connection between all these occurrences after Jiyé’s analysis, these mysterious elements couldn't breach the fortress of my thoughts—how could searching for something that appeared in a dream align with objective reality?

But then, Qin Bing'er traveled a thousand li to find me, wanting to understand the provenance of the green-haired map on her back. If I gave up exploring now, it would be terribly unconscionable, and frankly, out of character. Even if the reason she sought me out was incomprehensible in itself.

“I think Elder An’s analysis is quite sound,” the aged scribe said to me after a long silence. “You two absolutely must get to the bottom of this, and you absolutely must find that Tally Stele…”

“Why?” I asked with a bitter smile.

“Normally, one wouldn't give a second thought to common strange dreams, but the dreams you two shared involve our Tujia ancestors—this matter… is far from simple. This must be a directive from the ancestors in heaven, of course, along with your grandfather’s charge.”

“What if… we don’t figure it out, and we don't look for the Tally Stele?” I asked, growing impatient. This old man had a lifelong penchant for mystical nonsense.

“That… is hard to say. But defying the will of our revered ancestors will certainly not end well.” The scribe’s expression was grave when he said this, and his gaze flickered toward the window. Usually, I would scoff at his theories, but the experiences of the last two days had left me mentally exhausted, and even my materialist worldview showed signs of crumbling.

“Where should we look for this Tally Stele?” I asked listlessly after a long pause.

“Anle Cave,” Jiyé said, giving me a strange look before spitting out three heavy words.

Jiyé’s look stung me like nettles, and my face burned—wasn't the most conspicuous feature on Qin Bing'er's green-haired map the Anle Cave on Tianjiao Mountain? That was a place rarely trod by humans, and thus, the perfect place to hide secrets.

Speaking of Anle Cave, Man Niaoniao’s expression instantly soured. The scribe sighed. “Anle Cave is extremely perilous and bizarre; I don't need to elaborate. My Niaoniao ran into misfortune there once. But regardless, this is your destiny, the instruction of the ancestors—it must not be disobeyed…”

I was speechless again.

“Yingying! Is this how a Tujia man behaves? Faltering at the first obstacle? You brag all the time about being willing to take a blade for your friends. In my opinion, Miss Qin made a mistake looking for you. A mere Anle Cave scares the guts out of you! And you call yourself an old friend, you ‘scoop-worm’ friend…” Jiyé suddenly raised his voice at me.

Provoked by Jiyé, I recalled the delicate, fair skin of Qin Bing'er’s back bearing the green-haired map, her soft sobs in the dead of night, Master Qinghe’s Gāthā, and the character '' (earth/Tujia). A warmth surged through me, and a sudden boldness took hold. I grabbed the wine cup on the table and downed the contents in one gulp. “Damn it all, if you live, you live forever; if you die, you die today! I refuse to believe in fate! I'll go take a tour of Anle Cave for kicks. Whether it’s stumbling blindly or predestined, I must figure out the secret of the green-haired map on Bing’er’s back…” As for the Tally Stele—to hell with it!

“Right! If fate dictates you eat an egg, you might as well cling to the pig’s stem!—Yingying, I’m coming with you too!” Man Niaoniao slapped my shoulder and declared loudly. Seeing Man Niaoniao’s expression as if he were ready to plunge a spade between my ribs for my sake, I was inwardly surprised. “Niaoniao, didn't you suffer a loss in Anle Cave when you were little? Aren't you afraid of meeting that white-bearded old man? Never mind, perhaps you shouldn't go!”

“What nonsense are you spouting? You and I, we’re always like the scale inseparable from the weight, the husband inseparable from the wife!” Man Niaoniao said this with a distinct air of false bravado.

“Are you really… not afraid?”

Man Niaoniao’s face flushed crimson under my gaze, and he suddenly stood up, pointing at his own head, asking, “What is this?”

I didn't grasp his intent for a moment. “What? Isn't it just a pig’s skull?”

He then pointed at his hand and asked, “And what is this?” I was even more confused. “Isn't that just a pair of pig’s trotters?” Man Niaoniao didn't get angry. He pointed from his hand to his leg, “And here?”

I was extremely impatient. “Friend, can you stop talking nonsense that drifts left and right? Say what you mean directly!” Man Niaoniao slapped his own body. “Your answers are all wrong. They all have a single-character name!”

“What character?”

“Courage!” ( - Dǎn)

This was maddening! Couldn’t he just say, “I am full of courage”?

With a goal and direction in mind, my demeanor relaxed a bit. I had been about to ask Jiyé more about the conditions inside Anle Cave, but then I thought, what’s the point of asking anything? I might as well go straight for the "Leper"! (A phrase familiar to mahjong players, meaning to get straight to the point.)

My parents initially tried to stop me from entering Anle Cave, but the scribe’s words swayed them. Seeing that Jiyé and Man Niaoniao were accompanying me, they finally agreed, repeatedly urging us to be careful, to get out immediately if we encountered danger, and absolutely not to linger in the cave. I agreed to all their warnings.

Nothing happened that night.

The next morning, while I was still groggy, Jiyé was already up. It turned out Jiyé had stayed the night at my place, seeing how late it was, while Man Niaoniao had escorted the scribe back home.

Having resolved to venture into Anle Cave, both Jiyé and I slept soundly, and Qin Bing'er hadn't moved all night.

Hearing Jiyé rise, I quickly got up, intending to check on Qin Bing'er, but found she was still asleep. Thinking of her, I felt a knot of anxiety in my stomach, wondering what earth-shattering reaction she would have when she woke up and saw the state of her face.

Jiyé and I walked to the edge of the central yard to look at the giant clam buried under the pile of stones. After a night of heavy rain, the giant clam’s foul blood and grime had been washed completely clean, leaving only its ugly body and the viscera gouged out by Hua'er buried beneath the rocks.

Jiyé called me over to gather a pile of dry firewood. He moved the stones aside himself, used tongs to retrieve the giant clam, placed it on the stack, and lit the wood. I held my nose and watched the clam, which soon burned down to a pile of black charcoal. Jiyé fetched a digging hoe, dug a pit at the foot of the road embankment, and buried the giant clam deep within.

“Yingying, you’re up early—Good morning, Uncle An!” When we returned to the yard, we saw Qin Bing'er standing under the eaves, smiling, her expression relaxed and radiant. As my gaze landed on her face, I nearly jumped out of my skin—wasn't that the same smooth, delicate, mirror-like face that could break with a touch? Where were the scars from last night?

I pointed at Qin Bing'er’s face and stammered, “Your face… your face…!”

Qin Bing'er touched her own face, asking curiously, “What’s wrong with my face? Didn’t I wash it clean?”

I turned to look at Jiyé, stammering again, “Her face… her face…!”

Jiyé shook his head at me, gave a mysterious smile, and then put on a stern face. “Yingying, don't mention her face. Let this matter pass! Don't make her nervous!—Your blood is quite in demand!” I inwardly thought, you’re probably the one who’s nervous, Elder!

Seeing our strange expressions, Qin Bing'er walked up to me, asking doubtfully, “Yingying, what is wrong with my face?” Remembering Jiyé’s words, I could only manage an awkward smile. “Your face is truly beautiful!” Qin Bing'er’s cheeks instantly reddened, and she shot me a reproachful glance. “I didn’t expect such an ugly person as you to have such a sweet mouth… You’ve seen my face before, why make such a fuss without giving me any mental preparation!”

Honestly, hearing Jiyé say my blood was "in demand" had already deeply depressed me, but then Qin Bing'er delivered another blow, calling me "such an ugly person." I felt like dying. To praise her while complaining I hadn't prepared for her beauty—I felt like spitting into a mouthful of saliva and drowning myself! But seriously, was my blood really that effective?

Seeing my extreme dejection, Qin Bing'er shook my arm and laughed. “Yingying, I was just kidding! Don’t be angry, you’ll look even uglier if you are!” Seeing her like this, I was left with the bitter taste of eating a yellow-bitter herb (suffering in silence).

Hua'er heard the commotion and came running over. The fellow had a piece of black fur stripped from his flank by the strange clam’s tongue the night before, revealing pale, bare flesh. Later, my father had sprinkled medicinal powder on it, and now he looked dusty gray.

Jiyé and I were astonished by the ferocity of the giant clam's tongue, yet we couldn't help but smile at Hua'er’s bizarre appearance. Hua'er, unaware of the clam battle, saw Hua'er’s state and went to rub against Qin Bing'er’s calf.

Qin Bing'er, having missed the clam fight, exclaimed in shock upon seeing Hua'er: “What happened to Hua'er? How did he get hurt?”

“Yingying, before breakfast is ready, let’s go take a look at Maocao Kou first!” Jiyé quickly changed the subject. I thought, right, we absolutely must not let Qin Bing'er dwell on Hua'er’s injury, or she might press until she gets to the bottom of it and discover what happened to her pretty face last night—that would be disastrous. Thinking this, I said to Qin Bing'er, “Let’s go to Maocao Kou.”

“Where is Maocao Kou? What are we going there to see?” Qin Bing'er asked curiously.

“Didn't you want to see Tianjiao Mountain yesterday? It’s right by Maocao Kou,” I told her. “Jiyé and I have decided to venture into Anle Cave to get to the bottom of the secret of the green-haired map on your back.”

“What? You told… Uncle An?” Qin Bing'er was greatly alarmed. “Who else knows?”

I gave an embarrassed smile. “Everyone knows. Here’s how it happened…” I narrated the events of the previous night briefly and vaguely, omitting the part where Jiyé burned her face.

Qin Bing'er bit her lip after listening, her beautiful eyes scanned my face a few times, then glanced at Jiyé, and she asked no further questions, following Jiyé and me toward Maocao Kou.

Maocao Kou wasn't far; we arrived after only a few minutes. Standing opposite Tianjiao Mountain, the scene at Maocao Kou was perfectly clear.

Maocao Kou likely derived its name from its geographical shape. It was a U-shaped valley, wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, closely encircling Tianjiao Mountain, where the Anle Cave we needed to enter was located in the middle-upper section of the mountain.

Seeing the real Tianjiao Mountain, I marveled at how lifelike the green-haired map on Qin Bing'er’s back was, and couldn't help but pat her back. Qin Bing'er’s face turned pale, her body trembling slightly, her lips tightly pressed, staring blankly at Tianjiao Mountain before her. My grandfather had said that because Tianjiao Mountain soared into the clouds like heaven had grown a foot, it was named “Tianjiao Mountain” (Heaven’s Foot Mountain).

“Do you know?” Jiyé said. “There’s a legend about Tianjiao Mountain!”

“Oh? What legend?” Qin Bing'er withdrew her gaze and looked at Jiyé.

“It is said that when the first Tusi King of the Tujia people was building his imperial city, he hired a Han Chinese Feng Shui master to find an auspicious site for it. The master traveled for a long time in the Wuling Mountains and finally discovered a dragon vein. He followed this vein all the way down until he reached Tianjiao Mountain. Seeing the elegant surroundings and that this mountain was named ‘Heaven’s Foot,’ he determined it was a superb location for an imperial city. But when he looked closer, he lamented, because Tianjiao Mountain resembled a galloping steed, yet its path was abruptly blocked by Maocao Kou. Moreover, Tianjiao Mountain is the horse’s nose, yet it has been pierced through. Since ancient times, only oxen have had their noses pierced, never horses. Also, opposite Tianjiao Mountain, including where we are standing, are there seven humps resembling tombs? These seven humps form a line, further obstructing the galloping horse’s momentum. And the Anle Cave on Tianjiao Mountain—look, doesn’t it look like the horse has been punctured by a bullet? So… think about it, what kind of horse is this steed?”

“A horse covered in scars, worn out, and blocked in its path?” I suggested.

“Correct! Precisely because this steed can no longer gallop here, the area around Tianjiao Mountain is not a place of good fortune, but rather a place of extreme malevolence. That’s why the later Tusi Imperial City was built by the banks of the Tangya River.”

Qin Bing'er put her hand near her brow. “It really looks like a trapped steed! Where is the hole that pierces it?”

“It’s directly across the horse’s bridge of the nose; you need to change position to see it clearly.” Jiyé and I guided Qin Bing'er to a different spot, from where the pierced rock hole was clearly visible. The rock hole was probably as high as five stories, and its width at the base was about fifty meters. Looking from the Tianjiao Mountain side, one could clearly see the situation on the other side.

“It’s truly the work of divine craftsmanship! Oh, right, why did your mother place an axe by my pillow, and also something made of bamboo holding ink?” Qin Bing'er asked me, her eyes wide with confusion after observing the pierced rock hole.

Hearing her bring up this question, I didn't know how to answer. Jiyé interjected, “Oh! That’s our local custom. When esteemed guests arrive from afar, on the first night, we always place an axe by the guest’s pillow, symbolizing a wish that the guest's endeavors start like a ‘tiger’s head.’ As for the bamboo tube holding ink, it’s a carpenter’s ink line, meaning ‘Do Not Measure Against’ (Mò Dǒu), which signifies ‘Do Not Contend with Others.’" I thought Jiyé was about to elaborate on some profound meaning as he spoke so seriously, but he was utterly making things up, trying to cover up his "crimes" from the previous night. I struggled to suppress a laugh, yet fearing Qin Bing'er would press for details about the previous night, I pulled out a cigarette, stuck it in my mouth, and covered up.

“Oh! So that’s it. Your local customs are truly strange. Placing an axe by the pillow to wish the guest’s endeavors start like a tiger’s head—but that’s not good, because a ‘tiger’s head’ is followed by a ‘snake’s tail,’ isn't it? Isn’t that mocking the guest for starting things and never finishing them? And the ink line meaning ‘Do Not Measure Against’—is there an expectation that guests might fight with the hosts?” Qin Bing'er frowned, muttering to herself.

I burst out laughing, choking on the smoke until I coughed violently. Coughing, I stole a glance at Jiyé; he was calmly puffing on his straw cigarette, looking awkward, his old face flushed, avoiding both Qin Bing'er’s and my gaze. I inwardly found it amusing, thinking, this is the consequence of your rambling nonsense.

In truth, I had a vague inkling of why Jiyé had asked my mother to place the axe and ink pot by Qin Bing'er’s pillow. These two items were things my father never left behind when traveling at night; they were supposedly used to ward off evil spirits. My father was a carpenter, and when he worked making furniture for others when he was young, he insisted on carrying these two items home every night, never finding the trouble too great to take them back out the next morning. I had once asked my father why he did this, but he never gave a satisfying explanation, only saying his master had instructed him to. However, my father must have traveled countless nights and passed through countless graveyards, yet he never encountered anything unclean. I never knew if it was his good luck or if the axe and ink pot truly warded off evil.

“Let’s go! Let’s go take a look at the entrance to Anle Cave!” Jiyé said to Qin Bing'er and me.

In reality, going to the cave entrance wasn't something we could do immediately. Since Anle Cave was high up on the stone wall in the middle of Tianjiao Mountain, although there was a small path leading directly to it, that path was almost invisible due to years of neglect. Thus, we could only stand on the highway at the foot of the mountain and look up at Anle Cave.

The mouth of Anle Cave was an irregularly shaped circle. Seen from below, it resembled a large, dark mouth screaming skyward. Near the entrance was a massive stone slab shaped like half a door panel, upon which the three ancient seal script characters for “Anle Cave” were carved. Over the years, erosion by wind and rain had blurred the strokes, but they were still generally legible up close.

“That’s right, it’s here!” Qin Bing'er seemed very excited when she saw Anle Cave nearby.

Jiyé looked at Anle Cave thoughtfully.

“Haha, I knew you were here—Hey? Bing’er, your face…?” Man Niaoniao came running up energetically, staring at Qin Bing'er’s face with confusion all over his face.

“What is wrong with my face?” Qin Bing'er’s gaze swept across my face and Man Niaoniao’s.

I heard this and knew trouble was brewing. Before I could take any lightning-fast action, Man Niaoniao started vividly recounting last night’s events to Qin Bing'er. His tone and expression were exaggerated enough to change the weather, and his spittle sprayed out like "three thousand feet of straight waterfall"!

I sighed mournfully and silently began counting. When I reached three, Qin Bing'er indeed screamed, her voice high and piercing, traveling straight to the clouds. Before the scream ended, she rushed to a nearby pond, looked at her reflection in the water, then raised her head and let out a long sigh, patting her chest. “No wonder I felt something on my pillow when I woke up; I thought the pillow was unclean! Yingying… you cheat…”

I shot Man Niaoniao a fierce glare, inwardly cursing his foul, leaky mouth—a worthy product of his father, the scribe’s “hatch.” What an idiot! Didn't he know that women value their faces more than their lives?