When I asked Jiyé about this, he shook his head and said, "I don't know the specifics, but... I suspect the huoma grass we saw today hasn't been there very long; it probably grew later. As for where it grew, what was there before is likely forgotten by everyone now! That's not the main point, though; another matter is what truly puzzles me!"

"What is it?" Tan Ping'er asked.

"Don't you find it strange? When we crossed the Dragon Bridge, the dragon skin looked like it had been shed recently—that’s why the stench was so overpowering. And after we crossed, we seemed to hear an animal crawling sound. Could it be... that the dragon is still alive? How old would that make it!"

It took Jiyé pointing it out for us to recall this bizarre reality. A tortoise lives a thousand years, a turtle ten thousand; longevity has always been associated with turtles, never a "dragon"—which is actually just a giant python—living that long. And as Jiyé mentioned, the dragon's outer skin seemed freshly shed, meaning it was still confined by those N-shaped copper hoops before we entered Anle Cave. So, where is it now? Why didn't we see it when we entered? Was that animal sound we heard made by it?

My mind was consumed with the dragon's whereabouts when I suddenly heard Jiyé exclaim in alarm, "Dragon? Dragon! Ying Ying..."

Dragon? Python? Understanding dawned, and a cold sweat instantly broke out on my forehead—I was reminded of that strange dream from the sixth day of the sixth month. Didn't a giant python appear in that dream too? Could this be the one we haven't encountered yet?

I shakily lit the bamboo lamp and saw Jiyé’s face was ashen. The smoke from his pipe, thick as a blasting charge, had long since died out; he held it motionless, staring intently in the direction of the Dragon Bridge. Tan Ping'er and Man Niao Niao had likely also recalled the strange dream I mentioned to Jiyé; their faces were full of dread and confusion, and they stood silently, fixedly looking at Jiyé and me.

I firmly believed this world was material, and anything idealistic was merely a means to shackle human thought or a pretext humanity invented to force-fit explanations onto phenomena it couldn't yet comprehend. Yet, the bizarre dream I experienced personally was systematically shattering this firm conviction. So far, the only person or object from that dream yet to appear in reality was that memorial tablet. Given the current situation, could Jiyé’s guess be correct—is there truly such a tablet in the real world? Of course, if the giant python were standing right in front of me, I could determine if it was the one from the dream and thus further evaluate that strange vision. But it deliberately leaves this suspense hanging, leaving my heart to waver between belief and reality...

What further agitated me were the events since entering Anle Cave. The strangest thing was why we couldn't find the card gate again. Could this also be connected to that strange dream?

After thinking for a long time, I hesitated and said, "Jiyé, perhaps everything we encountered upon entering has a deeper meaning, or maybe it's that Xiu technique your family speaks of?"

"Go on," Jiyé replied, his face still grim, betraying no emotion.

"Think about it. Why was there a massive konjac tree growing in the card gate, positioned exactly in the middle of the path? And then the digu Niu appeared? Do the names of these two things perhaps hold a hidden meaning? If we take the key words, 'konjac' (Moyu) and 'earth ox' (Di Guniu), do they suggest 'demon ox' (Moniu)? That sounds close to 'Mo Liu' in our dialect. Combined with the movement characteristics of the digu Niu, doesn't it imply, 'Mo Liu, retreat'?"

"Keep talking." Jiyé became interested.

"According to our analysis, the dragon disappeared just before we entered, which is why we crossed the Dragon Bridge without incident. Why?" It was less a question to them than to myself; if that dragon had truly been there, I might have been scared witless, scrambling backward in a panic.

"Are you saying this was all a setup?" Jiyé understood my drift. Man Niao Niao and Tan Ping'er, who had been listening with confusion, now nodded thoughtfully.

I neither nodded nor shook my head. Since the topic was broached, I decided to press my speculation further. "Whether it was a setup remains to be seen; I'm no expert in this area. But those N-shaped copper clips on the dragon—they didn't sprout from the earth, did they? Furthermore, this narrow path was clearly carved into the cliff face by human hands. Based solely on the stories you told, we can’t judge if the saltpeter miners did it; perhaps this path existed long before the first batch of miners arrived."

"If, as you suggest, the white mist in Han Yun Cave is a natural phenomenon," I continued, "then why, after the mist dissipated, could we no longer find the card gate? Is that the... magic technique (fashu) cast by the Xiu master you mentioned?" I genuinely disliked uttering the word "magic technique" because, deep down, I fundamentally did not believe in any such thing existing in the world!

"One more question: why did those digu Niu vanish when they heard your gong?" Before I finished speaking, Jiyé interjected, "I find that strange too. If we follow the principles of mutual generation and restraint in the Five Elements, the digu Niu in the earth should belong to Earth. The gong is clearly Metal. Metal restrains Wood, and Fire restrains Earth. How could the sound of Metal restrain Earth? Perhaps this oddity cannot be explained by the Five Elements?"

"Nor by the Xiu technique you understand?"

"That... I don't know if it's Xiu technique yet. My understanding of Xiu technique is limited to the concept; I've seen very little of its actual practice."

"Alright, never mind the digu Niu. I also found a common characteristic among everything we’ve encountered so far." My head was filling with increasingly strange notions.

"What characteristic?"

"Size. The monster on Tianjiao Mountain, the toad, the konjac tree, the digu Niu, the Dragon Bridge... which one isn't unnaturally large? Why large? If it's due to great age, what benefit does size offer? At most, it serves to intimidate. Why intimidate? Perhaps it truly relates to your speculation before we entered the cave..."

"Then... how do you explain that small konjac tree, including the marble that Man Niao Niao dropped when he was little?" Jiyé suddenly asked a question I had almost forgotten. Hearing the shiny marble mentioned, Man Niao Niao's expression changed, and he flushed, blurting out, "Could it be coincidence?" No one answered. A marble lost for years appearing inexplicably atop a small konjac tree could perhaps only be explained by "coincidence."

Hearing Man Niao Niao speak reminded me of the supposed "white-bearded old man." In my mind, this was the most illogical phenomenon. Do ghosts really exist? I had two distinct memories regarding this question, one that no one had clarified for centuries yet persistently haunted people's minds. One was during the dog-toad fight night when I vaguely saw my deceased grandfather, and the other was a story I heard from my mother.

I wasn't born yet then. My father, mother, and uncle went to my uncle’s house late one night. When they reached an extremely remote, desolate mountain ravine, my uncle and mother simultaneously cried out, "Why is Old Man Liang walking ahead of us in white clothes in the middle of the night?" My father asked where, and my mother pointed ahead. My father said he couldn't see him. My uncle said he had turned the corner and urged them to hurry, worrying that someone so old might fall. But when the three turned the corner, Old Man Liang was gone. My father laughed at my mother and uncle, suggesting their eyes were playing tricks or that Old Man Liang had just ducked into the bushes to relieve himself. My mother and uncle couldn't be certain, but three days later, they were terrified—Old Man Liang had died, and he had been bedridden for a long time before his death, unable to move at all. From then on, my mother firmly believed that "ghosts" truly existed in this world. She told me this story many times, repeatedly warning me to avoid walking alone at night. Coupled with the supernatural tales my grandfather told when he was alive, I was too scared to go out and pee at night as a child. Later, I asked my father for confirmation. He said he had never seen a ghost and had no standing to comment, finally dismissing me with the ambiguous phrase, "If you believe, they exist; if you don't, they don't."

"What you said, though outlandish, has broadened my thinking. I fear things will become more complicated, harder to understand, and the path ahead may grow more perilous," Jiyé said, stroking his chin, his tone grave, interrupting my recollection.

"What do you mean?"

"Keep moving forward." Jiyé gritted his teeth. "Things have come to this pass; once the arrow is loosed, there's no turning back. Moreover, we have no way to return the way we came. We have no choice but to press on. We'll check the saltpeter cave first."

I sighed; reality was indeed so. Hearing Jiyé’s firm tone, I gave up my distracting thoughts and resolved to keep moving forward. This matter would eventually come to light. "It’s already dawn; I can’t just piss myself in fear," I silently encouraged myself.

I pulled out my phone and checked the time: just past nine in the morning. We had started entering the cave at seven, and after all that commotion, two hours had somehow passed.

I climbed up from the ground, turned on my flashlight, and reached out to pull Tan Ping’er up. When I took her hand, I was surprised to find both her hands trembling and ice cold. My heart skipped a beat. Could Ping'er's back pain have returned? "Ping'er, is your back hurting again? Why are your hands so cold? Do you want some wine?" I asked urgently.

"N... no need, my back doesn't hurt now," Tan Ping'er whispered. "Hearing everything you said, I got a little scared..."

"Huh? We're here, what are you afraid of!" I quickly comforted her.

"Yes!... I also think it's strange. Ever since I entered Anle Cave, despite all the frights, scares, and fatigue, my back hasn't hurt at all..."

"Really?" The three men exclaimed in unison. Tan Ping'er looked at us with bright eyes and nodded solemnly.

Man Niao Niao stretched out his "ghost claw" to touch Tan Ping'er's back but quickly thought better of it, pretending instead to scratch his head. Jiyé and I exchanged glances, secretly wondering: perhaps the green fur pattern on Tan Ping'er's back has disappeared? That would be another bizarre incident!

"Since Miss Tan's back doesn't hurt, one worry is lifted. Let's set off," Jiyé said.

We packed up briefly and prepared to leave. Jiyé carefully extinguished his cigarette butt and hoisted his woven basket, which was filled with God knows what kind of steel sundries, back onto his shoulders.

"Oh, right," Jiyé suddenly stopped. "Judging by our experience entering Anle Cave, this place is genuinely eerie. If you really see anything unclean, you must never call it by its true name; use an indirect term, just like we call that thing the 'dragon'."

I knew the "unclean things" Jiyé referred to were actually what people called "ghosts," but we couldn't call them 'ghosts' (gui). What should we call them? And why use an indirect term?

Jiyé noticed our confusion. "You should call them 'Half-Puppets' (Ban Kui). This is also passed down from the old crew; from the name, you should know why they are called 'Half-Puppets'! Supposedly, if a person encounters a Half-Puppet, things are fine between you—after all, the yin and yang realms are separate. If you utter that word directly, the Half-Puppet will think you are calling him and might possess you. When that happens, it's 'guàidā' [a local term for dire consequences/trouble]! Especially you, Man Niao Niao, with your foul mouth; don't speak carelessly about every big or small matter!" Jiyé’s tone was extremely serious, rendering Man Niao Niao unable to argue back; he just nodded repeatedly, the red tip of his cigarette flickering up and down erratically.

"What if what we encounter isn't a Half-Puppet? Should we still avoid saying the word?" Perhaps shaken by Jiyé's warning, Man Niao Niao's voice trembled slightly. Having seen the so-called "white-bearded old man" twice, this fellow was clearly terrified.

"Then you still shouldn't speak casually; you must use 'Zan Yan Zi'!" Jiyé said.

"Uncle An, what is 'Zan Yan Zi'?" Tan Ping'er asked curiously.

"Simply put, when you speak, you intentionally leave out one character, but everyone listening knows what you mean. For example, if I say, 'Knock gong da—' you should understand I mean 'drum' (gu); I've 'saved' (zǎn) the last character. That's called 'Zan Yan Zi.' Understand? In the future, if you meet anything, it's best not to call it by its name directly, got it?" Seeing me about to sneer, Jiyé glared. "I know, what I’m saying has no factual basis, but it’s better to be overly cautious than to regret it later; better safe than sorry."

"Got it! For example, if I say Man Yingying is outrageously bold, I only need to say, 'Outrageously bold ba—', and everyone knows I mean 'heaven' (tiān), right?" As long as Man Niao Niao wasn't mentioning Half-Puppets, he reverted to his usual rogue demeanor.

"How fun! Really interesting!" Tan Ping'er understood the meaning of 'Zan Yan Zi' and temporarily forgot her fear, using me as an example. "For instance, if I say Man Yingying is smooth-tongued, do I only need to say, 'Smooth-tongue hua—' and everyone understands I mean 'tongue' (shé)?"

"Yes, that's the meaning!" Jiyé confirmed. I listened beside them, boiling with irritation. It was one thing for Man Niao Niao to curse my ancestry—he couldn't live without giving me a hard time—but for Tan Ping'er to join in mocking me, how could I swallow that? I gave Tan Ping'er a sinister smile. "Ping'er, you've never kissed me, so how do you know my mouth is slippery and my tongue is smooth?"

"You...!" Tan Ping'er pinched my arm fiercely, left speechless with bashful indignation.

"Brother An, tell me, are there really... Half-Puppets in this world?" Man Niao Niao asked in a low, trembling voice. Clearly, this was his deepest concern at the moment. When anyone feels fear, they instinctively seek comfort from someone else, hoping that even a few pale words might solidify their psychological defenses and provide emotional support. I figured Man Niao Niao was in that state of mind.

To ease the tension, I decided to tease Man Niao Niao. Truthfully, I was also quite frightened; after this series of events, my psychological defenses were nearly collapsing, and the confusing, tangled questions were overwhelming me, like the dregs in a drunkard's stomach desperate for an outlet to spew forth. Man Niao Niao's question was like a pin piercing a balloon, prompting me to jump in quickly and say, "Yes, there are."

In the darkness, Man Niao Niao turned his head, and I smelled the heavy smoke billowing from his mouth. I sensed he was surprised and confused by my answer. "Aren't you just a timid Half-Puppet?" I continued.

Man Niao Niao hadn't expected me to say that and suddenly raised his voice, "You—hehe, how dare I compare myself to you? I'm a carrot, and you are... hehe, the colors are entirely different." I genuinely feared he was about to utter those two vulgar words in front of Tan Ping'er, but thankfully, he slammed on the brakes just in time.

When one issue subsided, another arose. Tan Ping'er, having heard the few characters Man Niao Niao deliberately omitted, was very curious. "Yingying, what did Niao Niao say you are?"

I was momentarily stunned, unsure how to answer. Spotting Man Niao Niao watching me with schadenfreude, inspiration struck. I smiled slyly and said, "He called me that thing... the thing that the three of us have, but you don't. He meant that two different things shouldn't be compared." Tan Ping'er was sharp-witted and, seeing my shameless grin, immediately understood what that thing was. Her pretty face flushed scarlet, looking exceptionally charming under the bamboo lamp's glow.

"This thing..." Jiyé began, choosing his words carefully.

Pah, isn't this just "believe and it exists, don't believe and it doesn't"? Why the unnecessary flourish? But then Jiyé continued, "I once read in an old book that the original form of the character 'ghost' (gui) was a person radical above a ghost radical, which shares a similar concept with how we call them 'Half-Puppets' here. The ancients certainly had some basis in reality when they created that character. Since there's a 'person' radical, it must be closely related to people. In fact, the generally accepted modern view is that a ghost is the spirit of a person after death—called a phantom abroad. Since this idea exists worldwide, it can't all be fabricated, can it? There is also a more scientific explanation now: that ghosts are actually the body's brainwaves; when the body dies, the brainwaves remain... Regardless of the explanation, no one can prove ghosts exist, nor can anyone prove they don't exist. That’s why I say whether you believe it is up to you."

Ambiguity is the worst enemy of any answer. After hearing Jiyé’s response, Man Niao Niao's face cycled between red and white, leaving him utterly perplexed.

At that moment, the entire space was silent except for the sound of our voices. When we spoke, our volume was unconsciously lowered, and the dense darkness seemed to squeeze the bamboo lamp's light into impotence. Man Niao Niao’s expression subtly stirred up turbulence in our hearts.

Seeing Man Niao Niao so tense, and wanting to reassure myself, I pinched Man Niao Niao's cheek and said with a rogue grin, "With me, the 'husband' (gong), here, why would you, the 'wife' (po), be afraid of a dustpan? You and I, the scale and the weight, will combine to push this great adventure forward..."

"Stop messing around, listen!" Jiyé suddenly put his hand to his ear, tilted his head, and said mysteriously, "Did you hear that?"