Man Niao Niao, preoccupied with the Ancestor's "chamber pot," spotted a pile of things in the corner of the room. He darted over, hacking wildly with his machete, revealing a sheet of black oilcloth. Man Niao Niao was overjoyed, continuing to dig furiously until he scooped up a handful of powdery substance. "Hahaha! Rich! Rich!"

Gold dust? My mind froze. I thought to myself that although this trip to Anle Cave had been a near-death experience, good deeds are ultimately rewarded. The Ancestor left behind such a huge pile of gold dust... Heh heh heh, I’m rich, rich!

I rushed over excitedly to look, and then—huh? This gold dust... why is it black? Bringing it to my nose, I was instantly deflated—Damn it all, isn't this gunpowder?

I glared fiercely at Man Niao Niao, cursing him for being blinded by greed. Man Niao Niao chuckled, "'One rifle, three pounds of powder, ten years in the clink you cannot evade.' With this much gunpowder, how many ten-year sentences is that worth? Isn't that a treasure?"

When Ji Ye heard about the gunpowder, he clicked his tongue in amazement. "No wonder the scattered implements I saw didn't just seem for refining saltpeter; the Ancestors actually made gunpowder—Niao Niao, be careful, don't you dare light up a smoke." Man Niao Niao agreed, pulling the oilcloth from the pile of powder, wrapping up a large bundle, and stuffing it into his pocket. "Even if it's not very useful, making a few firecrackers to play with wouldn't be bad."

I couldn't be bothered with Man Niao Niao. I dug a packet of cigarettes out of his pouch, plopped down heavily on the stove, pulled one out, lit it, and started puffing away. Ji Ye and the others also found some earthen platforms to sit on, chattering endlessly about the scenes they witnessed in the Saltpeter Cave. Hua'er sniffed and poked around the room, completely at ease.

My body hadn't fully recovered to begin with, and after this strenuous journey, I was exhausted, my face twisted and lips cracked. Resting on the stove now, I finally remembered to check the time. I pulled out my phone only to find it long dead—it must have gotten water in the Black Lacquer Pool and turned into a useless hunk of scrap iron. The phone was still smeared with lacquer; my nose was particularly sensitive now, and smelling the lacquer, I gagged and dry-heaved twice. I wanted to wave my hand and toss the phone away, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it, so I carefully slipped it back into its leather case.

Thinking of the Black Lacquer Pool sent a chill down my spine. On the Yin-Yang Tree, I'd luckily learned that the green fur pattern on Tan Ping'er’s back had vanished. Naturally, I was indescribably thrilled, paying no mind to the token stele from my dream. That's why I excitedly scrambled to the top of the Yin-Yang Tree to scout ahead, never expecting to run into the snakes I fear most. If it had been any other venomous insect or wild beast, or even the legendary 'Half-Puppet,' I wouldn't have reacted so strongly, causing me to fall into the Black Lacquer Pool, endure torturous suffering afterward, and stumble into the Saltpeter Cave by mistake.

I was utterly frustrated. Because of that one snake, I lost my chance to escape this predicament. If it hadn't been for that snake, perhaps we would all be drinking heartily and feasting right now. Given the current situation, could it really be that Man Niao Niao's famous saying, "To call meat, saddle the pig's penis," holds true—that everything is predestined by Heaven? Or is it, as the old scrivener claimed, my fate?

At this moment, I again recalled the token stele I believed didn't exist at all, and the four lines of verse Master Qinghe spoke in Tan Ping'er's dream.

I truly didn't want to connect the trip to Anle Cave with that strange dream on the sixth day of the sixth month, and I was even more reluctant to believe Master Qinghe’s talk of an "old acquaintance." I also couldn't agree with the scrivener's "fatalism." Yet, after going through everything, I couldn't find a suitable reason to completely sever the ties between the three. The grandfather, the white tiger, the giant python, and other clues from the dream seemed to be directly confirmed in Anle Cave, indirectly proving that our journey into Anle Cave was indeed a necessary task. Moreover, the many bizarre things within Anle Cave seemed to be guiding us step-by-step to complete this task. Most mysteriously, Master Qinghe, whom Tan Ping'er mentioned, appeared to be the initiator of this task; it was his guidance in the 'dream' that set us on this journey.

All signs indicated that the token stele and the 'old acquaintance' theory might have a deeper connection, and the stele might be the key to unraveling the mystery of the 'verses.' But where could we find such a token stele?

From Ji Ye, I learned that the Saltpeter Cave was the farthest point the Tujia ancestors had reached in Anle Cave. Since we could get in, we could surely get out. Based on the current information we possessed, there were only two ways out: one was to return to the Yin-Yang Tree and climb out from there—a path I absolutely refused to take again. Not only could I not stand the smell of lacquer, but the labyrinthine network of caves alone sent shivers down my spine. The second way was the Sky Ladder near the Giant Salamander.

"Ji Ye, didn't your family mention there was another cave next to the Saltpeter Cave used for storing grain? Where is it?" Thinking of the Sky Ladder, I turned and asked Ji Ye. Perhaps we could find a way out there.

"I forgot until you mentioned it... What time is it now? Let's go look around for an exit!" Ji Ye slapped his backside and stood up. Man Niao Niao and I shook our heads, indicating our phones were broken, and since we weren't wearing watches, we had no idea of the exact time. Ji Ye gave a wry smile. "In this pitch-black place, knowing the time doesn't matter. Let's go!" He packed up his carrying basket and led the way out of the room.

"Ping'er, let's go!" I reached out to help Tan Ping'er up.

"..."

"Ping'er, what's wrong?" I suddenly realized Tan Ping'er's expression was strange. She completely ignored the hand I offered, staring at me blankly with vacant eyes, her face the color of old wax, her breath ragged, her lips tightly sealed, and her body trembling slightly. My heart leaped in fear. I had been so preoccupied with smoking and resting, listening to Man Niao Niao and Ji Ye exchange idle chatter, that I had completely overlooked Tan Ping'er sitting beside me. Recalling now, Tan Ping'er hadn't made a sound since entering the room. I had assumed she was too tired to talk and hadn't paid much attention until I reached for her hand and suddenly noticed something was wrong.

"Ji Ye, quick!" Cold sweat streamed down my face in panic. I grabbed Tan Ping'er’s arms, trying to pull her to her feet. But Tan Ping'er was limp and boneless, soft as mud, slumping toward the floor.

Ji Ye rushed into the room when he heard me shout. Seeing Tan Ping'er's face, his expression tightened. He waved the oil-pine torch wildly around the room but found nothing amiss. Ji Ye handed the torch to Man Niao Niao, who had followed him in, then stared intently at Tan Ping'er’s face, let out a soft sigh, and said, "It's nothing serious. She seems to have been frightened by something!"

"Frightened?" I was completely bewildered. The room wasn't large, and under the torchlight, everything was clear. There were no venomous creatures or beasts. What could have frightened Tan Ping'er? Could it be...?

Man Niao Niao clearly had the same thought. His hand holding the torch trembled, and he slowly edged closer to me, reaching out his left hand to habitually loop it around my neck.

Ji Ye pondered for a moment, then said gravely, "Let me see if I can 'retrieve the fright' for her... To retrieve the fright, I first need to know what frightened her."

"'Retrieve the fright'? How?" I hastily asked.

Ji Ye reached into his carrying basket, fumbled around, and pulled out a strange egg. "When Yingying went to scout the Yin-Yang Tree, I unexpectedly found an egg in that bird's nest. I figured it might come in handy if we got hungry, so I kept it in my basket. Judging by its appearance, it should belong to that monkey-headed eagle," Ji Ye explained when he saw my and Man Niao Niao's confused looks.

"Yingying, where is that red cloth? Hurry and tie it around Miss Tan's right wrist... Niao Niao, go back to the saltpeter pool and find a few more oil-pine torches; quickly build a fire—I need it right away." Without waiting for further questions, Ji Ye sternly ordered Man Niao Niao and me.

Man Niao Niao hesitated, then snatched the red cloth from my hand. "Yingying, I feel a bit... spooked. Can you go get the torches?"

I was both angry and anxious. Forgetting to give him a good scolding, I took the torch and sprinted like a whirlwind to the saltpeter pool and the seven-eyed earthen stove. I gathered a few oil-pine torches, carried them back, and placed them in the fire pit in the room, piling them up. I poured some kerosene from the bamboo lamp onto the pile, then scooped up two handfuls of gunpowder from the corner and sprinkled them on top before lighting the heap.

After finishing, I saw Ji Ye looking solemn and serious. He held the eagle egg between his left thumb and forefinger, picked up a charcoal stick the size of a crayon from the fire pit, and began drawing symbols on the slightly pointed end of the egg. After finishing the talisman, Ji Ye clasped his hands together, held the egg in his palms, slowly brought it to his lips, and exhaled a breath, his lips moving as if silently reciting something.

"Place the egg in the ashes and roast it thoroughly before we proceed," Ji Ye repeated the exhale and silent chanting twice more before handing the eagle egg to me.

Seeing this, I finally recalled Ji Ye's method for 'retrieving the fright' for Tan Ping'er. I wasn't unfamiliar with this method; I had seen it several times in my childhood. In the past, when local children were frightened and showed symptoms similar to Tan Ping'er’s, this method of 'drawing on an egg to retrieve the fright' was used to cure them.

Of course, not everyone knew how to draw on an egg. Those who wished to learn had to strictly follow the rules and apprentice themselves to master the technique of 'drawing on an egg to retrieve the fright.' The content silently recited during those three breaths wasn't some mysterious spell but the names of the successive generations of masters, starting from his own teacher, invoking their blessings for the ritual to succeed.

It was said that after the talisman-drawn egg was cooked in the ashes, cracking it open would reveal a clear image on the yolk, thus indicating what had frightened the person. For the person to recover, they only needed to eat the yolk to successfully 'retrieve the fright.'

However, based on my understanding, the 'drawing on an egg to retrieve the fright' method was only applicable to children, and ordinary chicken eggs were used. Was Ji Ye using an eagle egg for Tan Ping'er's 'fright retrieval' as a desperate measure, crossing uncharted territory?

When I voiced this doubt, Ji Ye replied, "You have a good memory. This is indeed the 'drawing on an egg to retrieve the fright' method. However, you only know one part of it. Although this method is usually only suitable for children, Miss Tan is female, and besides..." Ji Ye's old face flushed slightly. He glanced at the dazed Tan Ping'er and, steeling himself, continued, "Based on my observation, Miss Tan is still a... pure maiden, and her constitution, fundamentally speaking, is similar to that of a two or three-year-old child... As for whether the eagle egg will work, we won't know until we try."

Huh? This old fellow actually possessed such skill?

"How did you observe that?" Man Niao Niao asked excitedly. Although I wanted to ask the same thing, I found it too awkward to ask. Man Niao Niao was different; his skin was as thick as a city corner. Hearing Ji Ye mention he could 'observe,' he immediately became interested.

"Get away from here. Why ask such boring, irrelevant things?" Ji Ye smacked Man Niao Niao on the head, scolding him with a smile.

A fragrant aroma arose; the eagle egg was cooked. Ji Ye carefully dug the cracked egg out of the ashes, looked around for a broken ding-pot, placed the egg inside, and poured some liquor from his flask into the pot. Once the egg cooled, Ji Ye retrieved it from the pot and carefully peeled back the shell, his expression instantly changing drastically.

Seeing Ji Ye's face change, my heart began to pound nervously. Focusing my gaze, I was instantly struck with horror—the egg white was bright red.

Ji Ye glanced at Man Niao Niao and me, held his breath, gently pinched open the egg white, removed the grayish-white yolk, brought it close to the torchlight to examine it closely, and then exclaimed, "Three-Legged?"

"Three-Legged?" Man Niao Niao and I were utterly baffled.

A clear image had formed on the yolk: an oval shape with three small protrusions like ears, and three long legs extending downwards—it was indeed a tripod. The yolk surface wasn't smooth; it was bristly, like a chestnut burr.

The thing that frightened Tan Ping'er was the "Three-Legged" object in the fire pit?

I shifted my gaze to the fire pit, looking at the rusted, unremarkable "Three-Legged" object with disbelief. This object was a household essential in my grandfather's generation, always kept in the fire pit to support pots or ding-pots. Even now, well-crafted tripods could be seen in some agritainment restaurants.

As a child, I paid no attention to the Three-Legged; I stepped on it and kicked it many times, and nothing ever happened. I never imagined that Tan Ping'er would be frightened by a Three-Legged object abandoned for years—what a strange affair.

Ji Ye gestured for me to open Tan Ping'er's mouth and feed her the yolk, broken into small pieces, bit by bit. Perhaps the aroma of the yolk stimulated her; she mumbled and mechanically swallowed the yolk.

"Let's wait and see!" Ji Ye said. He used the machete to dig a deep pit in the ground and buried the bright red egg white and shell within it.

Seeing our confused faces, Ji Ye explained, "This egg white might be poisonous."

I became even more confused. Where did this poison come from?

Ji Ye asked, "Did Miss Tan happen to step over the Three-Legged just now?" Man Niao Niao and I exchanged glances and pouted; we hadn't paid any attention to Tan Ping'er's movements at all.

"Does it matter?" I asked.

"Of course... it might... have a connection," Ji Ye said. "Legend has it that the Tujia people's Three-Legged is where the Fire God resides. The old shamans say that 'Yin' people—that is, women—must never step over the Three-Legged, or they will anger the Fire God. Women belong to Yin, and fire belongs to Yang; Yin suppressing Yang implies Yin overcoming Yang... Yingying, don't pout. I know you're thinking I'm talking nonsense. If you don't believe me, can you not believe your own eyes?"

I hadn't expected Ji Ye to catch the subtle movement of my lips and see through my thoughts. My face burned hot, and I managed a sheepish smile. "I didn't mean... please continue, sir."

"It's understandable that you think that way. Such things are hard to explain even when witnessed. Especially when encountering such events in the perilous and bizarre Anle Cave, it's impossible to explain clearly," Ji Ye said. "As you saw, when an ordinary chicken egg is cooked, the white should be milky white, not the bright red on this eagle egg—this is the first time I've seen it. Besides, even if it weren't poisonous, who would dare eat such a strange eagle egg?"

"Then... is the yolk not poisonous?" Man Niao Niao asked.

"Generally speaking, after a talisman-drawn egg is cooked, its toxicity is forced from the inside out into the egg white, leaving the yolk harmless. That's why the frightened person only eats the yolk and not the white. As for the deeper principles, I don't know either; my master never told me."

"For an ordinary Three-Legged to frighten a living person like this is truly bizarre!" I muttered to myself.

"My master told me there are two types of 'fright': one is 'live fright,' meaning being frightened by a living creature; this is the most common and ordinary 'fright.' The other is called 'dead fright,' meaning being frightened by something without life. Most people rarely encounter this situation. I've never seen anyone frightened by an inanimate object like a Three-Legged, as Miss Tan was."

"Then... is the method of retrieving fright with an egg considered Xiu art?"

Actually, before asking this question, the content related to Xiu art had faded into a vague concept in my mind due to the long journey. Now, provoked by Ji Ye's actions, this mysterious subject of "Xiu art" suddenly materialized clearly in my heart. Could the 'blood marriage' I encountered at the 'Tujia Totem' also be a form of Xiu art?

"That is a broad concept," Ji Ye replied. "In fact, in the old days, everything related to treating illness, healing wounds, detoxifying, retrieving fright, cursing, and so on, was categorized by our Ancestors under the umbrella of Xiu art. These things were certainly derived from real life, but since the Ancestors couldn't explain them rationally with the theories they possessed, they simply attributed them to the influence of gods or ghosts."

That was true. Even today, with science and technology advancing by leaps and bounds, many phenomena in the vast world remain unsolved mysteries to humanity; people simply call them 'paranormal.'

"I encountered something even stranger..." Seeing that Tan Ping'er hadn't woken up yet, I recounted my experience in the water bamboo forest in detail to Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao.

"Really?" Man Niao Niao rubbed his chest, glancing around nervously. Ji Ye remained silent, deep in thought.

"Huh? Why was I asleep?" Tan Ping'er suddenly stood up. The three men felt a surge of energy, secretly marveling at the miraculous effectiveness of the egg-drawing fright retrieval method, while exchanging glances. Ji Ye subtly signaled Man Niao Niao and me with his eyes not to reveal the truth, and we both nodded in understanding.

Tan Ping'er stretched, her demeanor completely normal. Her pretty face, illuminated by the torchlight, appeared radiant. "Sorry, perhaps I was just too tired!"

"Miss Tan, earlier... did you step over the Three-Legged?"

"The Three-Legged? You mean this thing?" Tan Ping'er pointed at the Three-Legged, asking doubtfully. "I was just sitting on it—is there a problem with that?"

Man Niao Niao and I exchanged glances, inwardly astonished—this thing was truly magical! Especially Man Niao Niao; connecting this to the fright retrieval clearly made him think of the things he feared most. The hand gripping my neck unconsciously tightened.

"Ah? No... nothing... Let's go. We should check the other parts of the Saltpeter Cave for another exit," Ji Ye said evasively, then shouldered his basket and walked out of the stone doorway.

Tan Ping'er stared at me with a puzzled look. I quickly assured her, "It's really nothing! Let's go!" I pried off Man Niao Niao's hand, took Tan Ping'er's, and followed, seeing Ji Ye outside already collecting the scattered, uneven oil-pine torches back into his basket.

We wandered through the Saltpeter Cave for half a day, gradually falling into despair. Apart from three sheer cliffs and the dark cave ceiling, there was no other path to be found in the Saltpeter Cave. We finally decided to go to the Sky Ladder we had seen before.

Man Niao Niao, having not found any treasure, was still unwilling to give up, digging as he walked. In the end, he found nothing but a few fragments of broken pots and ding-pots.