"Don't you ask about your 'mother's' injury first, always whining here!" Man Niaoniao chuckled slyly, his tone dripping with sarcasm. Hearing his words, I felt both ashamed and mortified.

"Ping'er... is your foot feeling better?" I glared fiercely at Man Niaoniao, my face flushed crimson as I asked Tan Ping'er sitting beside me.

"Mm! It doesn't hurt anymore! The swelling is gone too!" Tan Ping'er’s face was bright red, her voice as faint as a mosquito's whine.

Relief washed over me. Ignoring Man Niaoniao’s "daytime obscenity," I turned back to Master Ji, asking, "How did Ping'er’s foot swell up? How did your family cure it?"

"Didn't you say the ground beetle was poisonous? I figured the barbs on the ground beetle stung Miss Tan's foot, causing the swelling. The antidote is simple enough; I mixed the yellow sand on the ground with baijiu into a paste and applied it to her foot. The swelling subsided shortly after!" Master Ji said calmly.

"Baijiu? Your family brought baijiu?" I asked, surprised.

"Of course! Didn't Miss Tan need a drink at any moment? I was afraid you hadn't prepared any, so I brought a flask just in case!"

"Who said I didn't bring any baijiu?" I smiled faintly.

"Where is it? Why haven't we seen it?" The three of them spoke in unison.

"Haha! I won't tell you yet! We'll talk when the time comes!" Seeing the three of them exchange bewildered glances, I laughed triumphantly.

Hua'er, seeing my spirits restored, timidly approached me. It glanced at me shyly again, stuck out its tongue, and licked my hand. Seeing its pitiful appearance, my heart ached. I reached out, gathered Hua'er’s head, pressed it against my face, and spoke with deep sincerity, "Hua'er! I love you!" Seeing that I was no longer hitting it, Hua'er extended its tongue and gently licked my face, allowing me to hug it obediently.

"Alright, alright! Yingying is awake, let's keep moving!" Master Ji said.

I wiped my eyes and looked up to survey the surroundings. It was pitch dark all around; I had no idea where we were. "Where exactly are we?"

"We don't know where we are either," Man Niaoniao replied. "After Brother An knocked you out, I saw the old man with the white beard disappear. I got up, carried you up the cliff, and met up with Brother An and Ping'er. We planned to find the exit to the cavern and leave, but we ended up wandering in circles in the ground beetle cave and couldn't find the exit anymore."

"Can't find the exit?" I looked at Master Ji with suspicion. Master Ji nodded, his face grave.

"Later, we charged around blindly and bumped into a large stone—this is it. We decided to wait until the fog completely dissipated before doing anything else. But when the fog cleared, we discovered we were no longer in the ground beetle cave," Man Niaoniao continued.

I looked at Master Ji. "So, we're lost?"

"It looks that way." Master Ji seemed deeply troubled.

"What do we do now?"

Master Ji stood up, picked up the bamboo lamp, pointed ahead, and said in a deep voice, "Cross the White Jade Bridge!"

The White Jade Bridge? I stood up in confusion and looked around, but I couldn't see where the "White Jade Bridge" Master Ji mentioned was located.

"While you were unconscious, I scouted the vicinity. Beneath this stone platform, there is a strange bridge connecting to the other side. Other than that, there is no other way out," Master Ji explained when he saw the confusion on my face.

A strange bridge?

Just as I was about to ask more, Master Ji waved his hand, hefted his wood-carrying basket onto his back, and stepped off the platform first. Man Niaoniao followed Master Ji closely, not leaving his side. I took Tan Ping'er's hand, patted Hua'er's head, and followed closely behind. When we reached the edge of the stone platform, I noticed several ladder-like stone beams sticking out abruptly from the rock face. Master Ji and Man Niaoniao had already navigated down using those beams.

Once off the platform, by the light of Master Ji’s bamboo lamp, I finally saw the "White Jade Bridge" Master Ji had spoken of and understood why he called it strange.

The White Jade Bridge was below the stone platform. It couldn't really be called a "bridge." It was like a massive log, resting on one end where we stood, and connected to the other side on the other end. What was bizarre was that this enormous log was entirely the color of pure white jade, emitting a cool, bright glow under the bamboo lamp's illumination.

I took the bamboo lamp from Master Ji and went closer to examine the White Jade Bridge.

Upon approaching, I realized the White Jade Bridge was hollow. Furthermore, it wasn't made of wood or stone at all, but a tube wrapped in a material resembling plastic sheeting—neither truly round nor quite square. The pipe's diameter was a little over two feet. Waves of nauseating, choking fumes surged out from inside the tube, making me nearly pass out. The plastic-like material was very thin, no more than two millimeters thick to the touch. I held the bamboo lamp over the tube and vaguely made out some delicate patterns on its surface. When I touched it, the bridge surface was sticky and slippery, making it impossible to stand on.

Pinched my nose, I squatted down and discovered that at the opening of the White Jade Bridge, an object shaped like an 'n', seemingly iron but not quite, was firmly anchoring the bridge to the ground. Touching it, I felt an icy coldness; it seemed to be some kind of metal. I drew my machete and scraped at it a few times, horrified to find that the object was actually copper. I was amazed. Looking at the situation, could this White Jade Bridge actually be man-made? When was it built? What was it built for? How was such a strange bridge constructed?

Just as I was about to rise and ask Master Ji, I heard Tan Ping'er cry out, "Ouch!" followed immediately by Hua'er whimpering, clearly in distress. I rushed to Tan Ping'er's side, grabbed her hand, and saw a large patch of blood-red rash had erupted on her fair skin. Tan Ping'er hissed, drawing sharp breaths, her expression deeply pained. Hua'er lay on the ground, scratching frantically, rolling about, and whimpering softly.

Just as I was about to ask what was wrong, Master Ji urgently said, "Shine the bamboo lamp by the edge of the bridge, see if there’s anything there!"

I shone the bamboo lamp over and gasped—the sides of the White Jade Bridge were densely covered with huoma grass, also known as stinging nettle. The huoma grass was covered in white fuzz, which shone with a white light under the bamboo lamp.

I knew this plant too well; my family's bamboo grove had plenty of it. This plant thrives in the shade, and if the white fuzz stings human skin, it causes intense itching and pain. I had suffered its tricks many times as a child.

Seeing so much huoma grass, there was no doubt that Tan Ping'er and Hua'er had accidentally been stung. After the huoma fuzz penetrates the skin, the blood-red rash on Tan Ping'er's hand would appear quickly.

I dared not delay. I took Tan Ping'er's hand and rubbed it vigorously against my head.** Back in my village, there was an old superstition: "A man's head, a woman's waist—only permitted to look, never to scratch!" But at this moment, I didn't care about propriety. I held Tan Ping'er's hand and rubbed it hard all over my head.

Tan Ping'er was startled by my bizarre actions and tried desperately to pull her hand back, but I held it tight, unable to break free. Since time was short, I didn't have time to explain.

Master Ji, seeing so much huoma grass, quickly understood why I was doing what I was doing and ordered Man Niaoniao, "Hurry and save Hua'er!" Man Niaoniao asked blankly, "How do we save it?" Hearing Hua'er still crying on the ground, I grew anxious. I shouted at Man Niaoniao, "Come here! Take Ping'er's hand and rub it hard on your head! Don't stop!"

Man Niaoniao ran over and did as I had done! Just as Tan Ping'er was about to ask why, she saw my desperate state, opened her mouth, but ultimately stayed silent, her face full of confusion, letting Man Niaoniao pull her hand to work on him.

I handed the bamboo lamp to Master Ji, knelt on the ground, and began rubbing my head all over Hua'er’s body. Hua'er was very cooperative; seeing me panting heavily, it managed to stand up and allowed my head to rest on it while I fidgeted anxiously.

After an unknown amount of time, until my scalp felt hot and numb, and Hua'er stopped whimpering, I rubbed my stiff legs, stood up, let out a long sigh, and wiped the sweat from my face. Seeing me stand up, Man Niaoniao stopped rubbing Tan Ping'er’s hand on his head.

I walked over to look. Tan Ping’er's once fair and tender hand was now damp with sweat from rubbing on Man Niaoniao's head, mottled white and black. I asked her, "Does it still hurt or itch?" Tan Ping'er said, "It feels a bit better!"

Master Ji stood by, watching me finish. He glanced at me approvingly and said, "I didn't expect you to be so experienced!" I managed a helpless smile and replied, "Experience always comes from making mistakes and suffering losses!"

Man Niaoniao and Tan Ping'er looked utterly bewildered, their faces full of confusion. I gave a wry smile and explained, "The logic is simple. The fine hairs of the huoma grass are poisonous and get embedded in the flesh, making them hard to remove. So, you rub the stung area against your hair; the friction pulls the fine hairs out, and the sweat on your head acts as a detoxifier. That's all there is to it! This is how I solved the problem when I was stung by huoma grass as a child!"

Tan Ping'er suddenly understood after hearing this, gave me a charming smile, and praised me immensely, which made half my body feel numb. Hua'er wagged its tail and walked over to me, gently rubbing against my thigh. "Damn it, why didn't I think of this method? I got stung quite a few times as a kid too..." Man Niaoniao said sheepishly.

Seeing that Tan Ping'er and Hua'er were fine, I took out another flashlight from my bag and shined it towards the White Jade Bridge, wanting to see the situation on the other side. Upon shining the light, I saw what appeared to be another platform opposite. It seemed there were several 'n'-shaped copper hoops fixing the White Jade Bridge in the middle. The top of the White Jade Bridge was crookedly covered with a dense layer of huoma grass, almost completely sealing it off.

I used the flashlight to check under the White Jade Bridge and found no ravine below, which made me even more puzzled. Why was the White Jade Bridge built here? Was it simply to avoid the dense huoma grass? From the look of it, if we wanted to reach the other side, the only way was to crawl through the White Jade Bridge. When I shared this thought with Master Ji, he said he thought the same, so we began packing our things, preparing to crawl through the White Jade Bridge.

This time, Man Niaoniao eagerly volunteered to go first. After cleaning himself up thoroughly, he spat twice into his palms, rubbed his hands together, stuck his rear end up, and crawled into the White Jade Bridge. Who knew that before his butt was fully in, he backed out, retching twice, and said resentfully, "Why is it so stinky in there?" I retorted, "Is it similar to your mouth?" Man Niaoniao knew I was getting back at him for mocking my reference to Tan Ping'er as 'mother.' He glared at me fiercely, not engaging, pulled up the hem of his shirt to cover his mouth and nose, and crawled back into the White Jade Bridge.

Seeing that he had gone in, and knowing it was incredibly foul inside, I pulled out a piece of red cloth from my body, covered Tan Ping'er's mouth and nose, gave her a push, and sent her into the White Jade Bridge. This red cloth was originally prepared by my father to ward off evil spirits, and unexpectedly, it came in handy here.

I patted Hua'er, and it also crawled inside. I looked back at Master Ji, worried about how he would get his wood-carrying basket through. He said, "Don't worry about me; I have my own way. You go first. Remember, don't smoke in there! And don't light any lamps!"

From his tone, it seemed he knew what this thing was. I was about to ask for clarification, but he impatiently waved his hand and said, "We'll talk once you're across!" I had no choice but to quickly tidy up, sling my bamboo bow across my back, and duck my head to crawl into the White Jade Bridge.

After crawling in, I realized the bridge was extremely narrow. I was almost crawling on my belly, and waves of indescribably foul, putrid smells drilled into my nostrils, making me choke and spit a few times after crawling just a short distance. Then, keeping my mouth tightly shut, I covered my nostrils with my sleeve and took two deep breaths. The plastic-like material of the White Jade Bridge was stretched taut by my body, making me feel stifled, hot, and drenched in sweat. Hearing the squeaking sound of my bamboo bow scraping against the White Jade Bridge, I worried that the thin layer might be punctured, allowing the huoma grass from the bridge surface to rush in, causing me immense internal suffering.

"Yingying, did you get in?" Tan Ping'er asked softly from ahead.

"I'm in... Hurry and crawl! Master Ji is still behind!... Let's just get out first, it's... too smelly in here!" As soon as the words left my mouth, a wave of foul stench rushed down my throat.

"Yingying... Even though you usually like to 'daytime obscure' me, seeing you cry for me still makes me feel quite content. You're truly my buddy... the one I've played with since we wore diapers!" Man Niaoniao said from ahead of Tan Ping'er.

"Oh ho, have you finally managed to spit out... an ivory? Aren't those just empty words? If you died, making me keep vigil for three nights, that would be a total loss... Oh, right, hold in whatever you have brewing in your stomach! It's already smelly enough in here. I just managed to crawl this far; don't suddenly... spray me out!" Hearing that Man Niaoniao was fine ahead, and then hearing him take the opportunity to "daytime obscure" me at this very moment, made me both touched and annoyed, so I had to return the favor with a few barbs.

Tan Ping'er, hearing Man Niaoniao and me bickering even now, was panting and stifling little laughs as she crawled. I asked, "Where is Hua'er?" Man Niaoniao replied from ahead, "Your little brother probably couldn't handle the smell in here and already ran ahead!" Since I heard no sound from Hua'er ahead, I felt relieved.

We crawled forward slowly inside the White Jade Bridge. Following Master Ji's instructions, we dared not light the lamp, and the flashlight had been passed to Master Ji behind me. Thus, the bridge interior was pitch dark, and the only sound my ears registered was the rustling sound of the huoma grass scraping against the White Jade Bridge surface.

Holding my breath, I was incredibly curious about this White Jade Bridge, wanting to see what this plastic-like thing actually was. I took out the cell phone from my waist and used its faint light to look at the translucent material. It was pale white, covered in many fine and intricate patterns, yet it exuded a suffocating stench. Could this be...?

Thinking of this, I jumped in fright, my heart immediately losing control and pounding wildly, my hands and feet going soft like boiled noodles. I disregarded the sickening odor and reached out to push Tan Ping'er in front of me. Unexpectedly, my touch met something soft and extremely elastic. Tan Ping'er shrieked in alarm, "Man Yingying... If you want to take liberties, you should pick a more appropriate time, shouldn't you?" I froze, realizing in my panic that I had pushed right into Tan Ping'er's backside. No wonder she thought that! My dear heavens, even if there were a mountain of fresh tofu right in front of my mouth, I wouldn't have the mood, the thought, or the appetite to eat it now. I roared loudly, "Hurry up and crawl, crawl! Otherwise, I'm going to die in here!" Hearing my urgency, Tan Ping'er didn't dare delay and quickened her crawling speed.

As I crawled, I intended to ask Master Ji behind me, but as soon as I called out, "Master Ji," he whispered from behind, "Don't talk! Crawl fast!—Be careful not to frighten them!" I thought to myself, Master Ji, aren't you worried about me being scared? This is the very thing I fear most!

When I finally crawled out of that terrifying White Jade Bridge, I let out a long breath, my legs instantly went weak, and I collapsed onto the ground, unable to stand. This was truly like showing a horror film in a graveyard—it scared me to death!

Master Ji crawled out shortly after. I noticed he had already used his machete to cut open the so-called White Jade Bridge. He dragged his wood-carrying basket behind him, and at the location of the last 'n'-shaped copper hoop, Master Ji strained mightily to haul the basket over. I estimated he must have used the same method to get past the several 'n'-shaped copper hoops in the middle. His hands naturally didn't escape unscathed; a large patch of blood-red rash had appeared, and the dense huoma grass now lay pressed upon the cut-open White Jade Bridge.

"Master Ji... You cut open the White Jade Bridge; doesn't that mean... we've cut off our retreat?" I said, lying on the ground, my nerves still frayed. Master Ji visibly paused, wiping his hand on his head as he replied, "Well... I hadn't thought about that. I only wanted to get my basket across!" Hearing him say that, I could only offer a wry smile.

Man Niaoniao and Tan Ping'er stood to the side, looking at the limp form of me on the ground with incomprehension. Man Niaoniao said, "Yingying, this is the result of you not exercising! You’re collapsing after crawling such a short distance? How will you ever handle your wife in the future!" I was already weak all over from fright, and hearing his crude words, my anger flared. I struggled up from the ground, pointed at the White Jade Bridge, and roared at him, "Do you even know what this White Jade Bridge is?!"

"What is it? Isn't it just a broken piece of rubber tubing?" Man Niaoniao looked completely unconcerned.

"Rubber tubing? If I tell you, I guarantee your head will retreat right into your crotch!" I shot Man Niaoniao a sidelong glance.

"Yingying, don't say it!... We're already across anyway!" Master Ji hurried to stop me. I sighed heavily and said reluctantly, "Forget it. If you say it's rubber tubing, then it's rubber tubing!" Hearing this, Man Niaoniao looked even more contemptuous, sneering at me, "Do you think my guts are as small as yours?" As soon as I heard that, I flared up again, pointing a finger at him, "Are they? When I tell you what it is, I'll count to three, and I guarantee you'll be scared stiff!"

"Shall we bet?" Man Niaoniao refused to concede. He had always been like a duck that died on the dike—stubborn even when defeated.

"Fine! What are we betting?"

"If I lose, I'll fry an egg on my palm for you! If you lose, you have to crawl ninety-nine loops between my legs, deal?" Man Niaoniao gestured wildly, his expression showing he was absolutely certain I would lose!