My head was swimming, and just as consciousness seemed to abandon me, I felt my body suddenly stop. The lingering awareness told me I seemed to be stuck somewhere.

The process was incredibly brief. The piece of lacquer scab I had grasped, perhaps softened by the liquid lacquer, snapped with a sharp crack, breaking me in half. A more violent surge of force rushed from behind, shoving me into a very small solution cave.

The cave twisted and turned downward, leading to I knew not where. Instinctively, I tried to brace against the walls to stop my descent. Unfortunately, the force of the lacquer was not only immense, but its viscosity actually increased the falling momentum, rendering me completely unable to control the slide.

I had no choice but to surrender the effort, leaving my fate to destiny as I wound my way down through the gut-like passage.

Though the passage was serpentine, fortunately, the rock walls were smooth, devoid of jutting stones. Moreover, the cavern was more than ample to contain my body, so all my vital parts—save for my lungs, which felt close to bursting—remained intact. If this continued, although I would die without a proper burial place, it was a small mercy that at least my body would remain whole.

Just as I was gulping down the raw lacquer, preparing to draw my last breath, the passage took a sharp, ninety-degree turn. The flow of lacquer hurled me into another rock aperture, and a final thrust shot me out into an unknown space. I traced a perfect parabola in the air before crashing heavily onto the ground... The dead leaves and debris swept along by the lacquer flow had accumulated at the sharp bend, eventually plugging the opening...

—Of course, this final detail was a conclusion I reached much later.

I lay on the ground, my nostrils and throat gurgling wildly, and then, I knew nothing more...

I awoke again to a chill that seemed to seep into my very marrow. Not only that, but I discovered I was gulping down cold water in great quantities. Due to subconscious breathing, my nostrils had also become channels for the frigid water to enter.

Just as I felt I was about to suffocate completely, a strong, large hand pushed my head upward. Amidst the blur, I heard a loud splashing sound, and a gust of cold, damp air rushed into my nostrils. Mixed with the residual cold water in my nose, it choked me and sent me into violent spasms of coughing, bringing a greater degree of lucidity.

The cold water that had filled my stomach met the scorching sensation within my viscera, and only then did I truly understand the meaning of being caught between ice and fire. The result of this water-fire fusion was violent contractions in my stomach, spewing warm, foul-smelling ** out of both my nostrils and mouth in successive bursts.

Before I could regain my senses, a person encircled me and shifted me a couple of steps. I strained my eyes open, desperate to see who this person was, but I lacked the strength to lift my head, and my eyes could only narrow. In a daze, I felt the person suspend me upside down against a protruding stone, the rock pressing exactly against my distended belly.

What was this person planning to do to me? The question barely formed in my mind before a pair of strong hands violently pressed down on my back, forcing the ** from my bowels to erupt in three separate streams, bringing tears streaming from my eyes.

Those hands continued to press down rhythmically on my back. My head and lower body instinctively bobbed up and down with the rhythm of the pressure. The three streams of ** paused and erupted according to this rhythm, and the bloated feeling in my abdomen gradually subsided under these measured compressions.

After a long while, the hands ceased their pressing. Just as I was about to heave a sigh of relief, I felt a pile of damp sand being dumped onto my back. Those hands carefully spread the sand along my spine, rubbing it vigorously against my skin. Fuzzily, I felt a thin stick poke into my ear, probing ceaselessly. After several in-and-out passes, just as my hearing began to slightly recover, I heard a soft weeping sound next to my ear.

Dripping with saliva, my eyes half-closed, I struggled to turn my head to see who was crying, but my entire musculature felt as if it had been drained away—I had the will but no strength.

The sobbing gradually faded, but those large hands showed no sign of stopping, rubbing my back until it felt raw and burning with the sand. Just as I was about to groan, those hands flipped me over like a pancake and laid me across the stone again, belly down. Amidst excruciating pain in my spine, another heap of wet sand was dumped onto my stomach. Still those same large hands spread the sand first, then rubbed vigorously... I felt like crying but could not—wasn't this how one cured jerky?

After a long time, those hands finally left my body. I faintly heard a gruff voice inquire, "...An-ge, this is the third time. Should we do it again?"

A blurry figure approached me, looked down, and pondered for a moment before saying, "...The lacquer on him hasn't fully washed off yet. Perhaps, one more time?"

"Fine, one more time," the gruff voice agreed. Before the words fully settled, those large hands lifted me up again and tossed me with a splash into the bone-chilling cold water, pushing my head down and up. Powerless, I could only do the one thing I was capable of: gulping down the cold water. The person’s movements were practiced and remarkably precise. Just as I was about to suffocate, my head was lifted; before I could catch a full breath, my head was plunged back into the water... Repeatedly, my stomach swelled up again!

My mind, in fact, was completely clear. I knew very well that those hands belonged to Man Niao Niao.

I tried to open my mouth and shout, signaling that I was awake, but I was too weak. My mouth and nostrils still reeked heavily of lacquer, and my stomach was agonizingly bloated. I couldn't utter a sound. I could only stare wide-eyed at Man Niao Niao, silently pleading in my heart: I am awake. I have drunk enough, I am well enough. Please, venerable sir, let me go!

Man Niao Niao, either out of carelessness or deliberate intent, never looked at my eyes, remaining completely focused on plunging my head under the water and lifting it up. Only when he felt my stomach was so taut it seemed it might burst if poked did he hang me back onto the stone, repeating the exact same sequence as before.

The vague figure earlier was, naturally, Ji Ye, and the one weeping beside me was of course Tan Ping’er. A wave of shame washed over me, because... before Man Niao Niao hung me on the stone, I had the horrifying realization that I was completely naked, every inch of me exposed.

After being tormented by Man Niao Niao through several rounds, my consciousness began to blur again. I screamed internally: Uncle Niao... Master Niao... Ancestor Niao... Bodhisattva Niao, is this how you bathe someone?

Man Niao Niao, of course, could not hear my cries. Resigned, I closed my stinging, dry eyes and let him manipulate me like a piece of dried meat.

Man Niao Niao gasped, muttering incessantly under his breath, "...Hoo... I've never been this tired even butchering pigs for others... Hoo... Damn it all... Is that enough, An-ge?"

I heard Ji Ye reply from a distance, "That should be enough. Use that to clean the rest of him!"

"That?" My heart trembled. "What is 'that'? Do I need more cleaning?"

"...Fine!" Man Niao Niao grunted gruffly, splashing some unidentifiable liquid onto my stomach. A strange odor instantly surged into my nostrils—kerosene? Was the "thing" Ji Ye mentioned actually petroleum? I was horrified, wanting to spring up, but ultimately finding myself powerless and in vain. As Man Niao Niao scrubbed my body with kerosene, he grumbled hatefully, "...I wanted to save the chance to bathe my future wife for her... Who knew... this unlucky fellow would steal it from me... Hoo!"

Man Niao Niao turned my body over and meticulously washed me down with kerosene.

"...I’m exhausted!" Man Niao Niao finally stopped, stuck a finger up my nose to check something, then walked aside. "Gotta go 'burn' a smoke."

"How's the situation?" That was Ji Ye's voice.

"Half dead. Not sure if it worked!" Man Niao Niao replied.

I was still draped over the stone, hit simultaneously by cold, strange smells, shame, limpness, resentment, and agitation, causing my tears and drool to fly together. I couldn't move, couldn't speak.

"...An-ge, look, we've only completed the rough shaping on him. The outside is clean; what about the inside?"

"That is indeed a problem. What do you think...?"

"My thought? Let's treat a dead horse as if it’s still alive. Kerosene isn't that toxic, right?"

Hearing this, a chill crept down my spine. Could Man Niao Niao be suggesting...?

"You mean... force-feed him kerosene?" Ji Ye sounded genuinely stunned by Man Niao Niao's audacious proposal.

"I think we should try it. You know, kerosene is the best thing for cleaning lacquer. Judging by the outside of his body, it worked great, and the smell of kerosene is a huge stomach irritant. Maybe it can make him vomit out as much of the lacquer in his stomach as possible—when a dog eats something poisonous, don't people force-feed it soapy water? We don't have soap now, so we can only try kerosene..." Man Niao Niao argued his case convincingly, while I felt my soul depart in terror, internally crying out in misery.

What I most wished to hear now was Ji Ye or Tan Ping’er saying "No." To my dismay, Tan Ping’er remained silent, but Ji Ye firmly cut off the "No" from the two words I desperately hoped for, concluding, "...Good thing he’s still unconscious; it's the perfect opportunity to force-feed him kerosene."

I heard Man Niao Niao’s footsteps approaching, and I wished I could die right then. Drinking lacquer, drinking kerosene—what ordinary person is blessed with such a 'feast'?

Instinctively, I clenched my lips shut and fought to keep my eyes wide open. Man Niao Niao approached me holding a bamboo lamp. He turned me over. My eyelids fluttered rapidly, hoping he would see that I was awake and refrain from pouring kerosene down my throat. To my dismay, Man Niao Niao didn't even glance at my eyes. With a pop, he pulled out the bamboo wick, squeezed my jaw forcefully to open my mouth, then inserted the bamboo tube, leveraging it up like a crowbar. Kerosene gurgled down my throat.

I tried to close my mouth, but the thick bamboo tube propped up my upper palate and lower jaw—how could I succeed? The kerosene flowed unobstructed into my fragile heart, fragile lungs, fragile stomach.

After pouring in nearly half a tube, Man Niao Niao finally yanked out the bamboo tube. I collapsed onto the ground like a pile of wet mud, beginning to retch violently. The taste of lacquer was already enough to overwhelm me, and now, mixed with the repulsive smell of kerosene, various foul odors furiously assaulted my nerves... It was only when I felt like my intestines were about to be completely ejected that I heard Man Niao Niao shout with excitement, "Hey! It's working. Proceed to the next step!"

There's a next step? This was nothing short of a death sentence!

Man Niao Niao cradled me in his arms, wiped the drool from my mouth, and inserted a plastic tube into it. This time, instead of a choking, strange odor, there was a familiar, sweet fragrance—it was the smell of corn liquor.

Finally, I smelled something pleasant that soothed my nerves. I had long since given up caring about getting drunk, gulping down the corn liquor greedily, attempting to let the liquor's sweet scent counteract the mixed stench of kerosene and lacquer. In an instant, my whole body became a piece of hot charcoal, and my mind spun wildly. I let out a low groan, and consciousness ebbed away like a receding tide...

I woke up once more due to an intense, bone-piercing cold.

As awareness returned, I found Man Niao Niao forcibly holding me under the water again, my stomach already swollen like a drumskin from the cold water. Waves of agonizing coldness shot through my limbs, fully rousing my consciousness. With a puff, I spat a mouthful of cold water directly at the intensely focused Man Niao Niao. He jumped in surprise, saw my wide-open eyes glaring fiercely at him, and exclaimed, "Eh? You're awake? —An-ge, An-ge, this stomach-washing method really works..."

Though I was lucid, I couldn't pull myself out of the water. Firstly, my entire body was weak, and my stomach was unbearably bloated. Secondly, I realized I was still completely naked, and Tan Ping’er was nearby—it was simply indecent. I parted my lips but couldn't make a sound, gesturing with my eyes for Man Niao Niao to pull me up.

This time, Man Niao Niao understood my meaning. He reached out, lifted me, and with a slight toss, slung me over his shoulder. Then he shook his shoulders up and down, jolting me so violently my bones felt close to scattering. The water trapped in my belly was squeezed out, shooting from my mouth, nostrils, and another exit point.

As the water drained from my stomach, I went limp, draping softly over Man Niao Niao’s shoulder like a deflating tire.

Man Niao Niao decided he had wrung out enough. He brought me into his embrace, lowered his head, and sniffed near my mouth. "Hmm... doesn't smell like a cesspit anymore!" He then picked up my discarded clothes nearby and dressed me, sweating profusely from exertion. I swallowed some saliva and indeed felt the stench in my throat had greatly diminished; I was secretly overjoyed.

I lacked the strength to speak, but my eyes were busy. I noticed the light outside was murky and dim, with a faint firelight reflecting on Man Niao Niao's face, though I couldn't discern his expression. My clothes were clean, warm, and a long-lost sense of comfort spread through me.

Seeing that my clothes were on, Tan Ping’er walked over to help. Together, they carried me to a pile of firewood.

The warmth of the bonfire roasted me, and the nerves in my limbs gradually awoke. My throat, swollen and painful from repeated vomiting, felt better, and my stomach no longer had that fluctuating hot-and-cold sensation; I just felt ravenously hungry. That was hardly surprising—having been subjected to repeated stomach-washing with cold water, kerosene, and strong liquor by Man Niao Niao, my stomach was completely emptied; how could I not be hungry?

I leaned back weakly against Tan Ping’er and noticed her gazing at me with tender affection. The firelight made her cheeks flush, and shimmering tears gathered in her eyes. Hua’er licked my face a few times and snuggled tightly beside me. Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao sat by the fire smoking, their faces etched with relief.

At this moment, I finally understood that I had once again cheated death.

I coughed lightly and weakly managed to call out, "Ji Ye..." Ji Ye waved his hand to stop me. "You're weak; talk less. I know what you want to ask. I’ll tell you..."

It turned out that beneath the raw lacquer pool were countless solution caves of varying sizes, all blocked by the decaying branches and leaves that had fallen into the pool. The lacquer dripping from the lacquer trees had accumulated over many years, eventually forming the raw lacquer pool. Due to weather cycles of sun and rain, the lacquer constantly scabbed over and diluted, thus creating a surface layer of lacquer scab over a mixture of liquid lacquer, dead branches, and decaying leaves at the bottom, similar to the principle of ice forming on water.

My struggling in the raw lacquer pool had agitated the flow, which washed away the blockage of decaying matter at the mouth of a cave, causing the lacquer pool to leak. As the seepage accelerated, I was sucked into the pool, and the lacquer flow carried me into one of the caves, eventually flushing me to where I now lay.

When Ji Ye and the others saw the raw lacquer pool had dried up, although they presumed me dead, the fact that no body could be found made it impossible to face my parents. Thus, they unanimously decided to descend into the pool to search. However, the pool floor contained hundreds of caves of all sizes. How could they possibly pinpoint my exact location? Fortunately, Hua’er had already been retrieved from the Yin-Yang Tree by Ji Ye, and its sense of smell was incredibly keen, especially being so familiar with my scent. Therefore, Ji Ye decided to let Hua’er guide them. The three of them climbed down the roots of the Yin-Yang Tree, struggling through hardship to reach the bottom of the pool, their bodies already smeared with residue lacquer in patches. Luckily, they had managed to use Yin-Yang branches to shield themselves before descending, so the main issue was not too severe.

Although Hua’er’s sense of smell was acute, the scent I left behind was too faint compared to the smell of lacquer and various putrid odors. Ji Ye and the others had to navigate the myriad of passages and crevices, following Hua’er while holding flashlights and bamboo lamps. Perhaps it was my destined time to live, but just as the three of them were about to collapse from exhaustion, Hua’er finally made a discovery. Ji Ye and the others were overjoyed, stumbling and scrambling to follow Hua’er until they found me, looking like a mummy.

When they found me, the lacquer on my body had already hardened into black scabs. My mouth was wide open, filled with jelly-like raw lacquer; except for the slight intake of air through my nostrils, I was no different from a dead man.

Seeing that the lacquer shell on my body would soon turn into a hard crust, Ji Ye urgently instructed Man Niao Niao to carry me into an adjacent underground river to first soften the scabs, and then use the fine sand from the riverbank as a gauze to scrub my entire body. After this process was complete, they would use kerosene, the specific agent for dissolving lacquer, to cleanse me.

Because raw lacquer is an extremely strong adhesive, and I had swallowed a large amount, Man Niao Niao thrust me into the underground river—a "treat the dead horse as if it were alive" attempt—forcing a large amount of river water into my stomach first, and then pressing my abdomen onto a stone to force out the lacquer inside my gut.

This entire procedure was repeated four times—actually three—before I regained even a flicker of consciousness.

While Man Niao Niao was frantically working, Ji Ye and Tan Ping’er were not idle; they were cleaning the lacquer stuck to their own skin with kerosene. After each cleaned themselves, Ji Ye gathered some dry branches that had fallen in the cave earlier and built a fire. Tan Ping’er took my discarded clothes to the underground river to wash them and dry them over the fire. Man Niao Niao, in the process of "bathing" me, also found time to clean himself up. Hua’er was the luckiest; thanks to its abundance of fur, it was spared much of the lacquer's "blessing."

As for later force-feeding me kerosene, liquor, and cold water for stomach washing, there was absolutely no scientific basis. It was simply a method arrived at by Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao based on common sense, yet it unexpectedly achieved miraculous results, potentially providing a reference for human medical research.

"Hmph! You little brat, you were reckless in your youth. Although we were happy that the green hair on Ping’er's back mysteriously vanished, look at me and An-ge—we are so mature and steady! Not like you, flying around recklessly, and look at the result... this is what happens when you don't listen to your elders..." Man Niao Niao muttered while puffing on his cigarette, "cooking" his "porridge."

"...A narrow escape from death ensures future fortune," Ji Ye concluded.