Old Master Ji nodded. "It's a poison that induces sleep, causing one to die without realizing it. That strange fragrance was the paralyzing agent. Furthermore, listening to Yingying's analysis just now, I believe the sound waves from the Skeleton Bats are also a form of poison—a sonic poison."

"Sonic poison?" We three grew even more bewildered. This was simply unheard of, never before seen!

"Most people think poison is only something you can smell, eat, or drink. Little do they know there are poisons that affect hearing in this world."

"What's the basis for that?" I grew more confused the more I listened and couldn't help but interrupt Old Master Ji.

"Well... I read about it in an ancient book!" An ancient book? I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. The "ancient books" Old Master Ji mentioned were nothing more than those fortune-telling, palmistry, Bazi analysis, and Feng Shui manuals he’d scavenged from street stalls—those so-called "Secret Techniques of Master So-and-So"—which to me were just heaps of rubbish oil dregs, yet he hoarded them like treasures. An ancient book? Ancient my foot!

"Master, since we fell from the sinkhole, was it fate, or was there another reason?" I teased Old Master Ji.

"It was both fate and another reason," Old Master Ji appeared profound, his tone strikingly similar to that of a fortune teller on the bridge.

"How so?" I pressed on, seizing the opportunity to personally test his expertise in this area.

"We fell because we unintentionally dropped something, which drew the skeletons to the top of the sinkhole, unintentionally creating a path leading down. These two 'unintentional' acts are the workings of fate!"

"Something? What thing?" As soon as the words left my mouth, I slapped my thigh hard. "The torch! It was the torch!"

"Exactly! Fire is the natural bane of bees. We dropped an inextinguishable oil pine torch from above, which must have agitated the swarm. Think about it: the Mosquito King Bee swarm has survived silently in this pitch-black place for how many years? To suddenly see their natural nemesis, fire, why wouldn't they panic? And Yingying already analyzed that bees and bats counterbalance each other; it’s possible the panicked swarm stirred the Skeleton Bats, unintentionally sparking a war. In this conflict, the bees gained the upper hand, forcing the bats to flee upwards. That’s why when we later dropped that bundle of torches, the bats actually carried them upward."

While this deduction might not be the absolute truth, it seemed quite logical.

However, I quickly thought of another doubt. "If the bats fear the Mosquito King Bees, why didn't they retreat deeper into these caves, but instead fled toward the outside of the sinkhole?"

"Perhaps these caves aren't deep at all; perhaps they are dead ends. Or perhaps... there is something in these caves that the bats fear even more!"

I remembered that when the great fire broke out on the earthen mound, the dense smoke filtered into the large and small caves. Those surviving bats didn't burrow deep into the caves but desperately flew out, seemingly confirming Old Master Ji's speculation.

"I am now fifty percent certain that there is indeed something important in Anle Cave, perhaps the Tablet of Mandate from our dreams," Old Master Ji suddenly mentioned the Tablet of Mandate I had almost forgotten, stunning me speechless, unable to fathom how he arrived at such a conclusion.

Old Master Ji gave me a serious look and said, "The area by the Yin-Yang Tree was originally a... path of life, but because you fell into the raw lacquer pool, we entered the depths of Anle Cave again, blundering into the Nitre Cave and the Grain Cave—which were dead ends—but because of one oil pine torch, we found another path. With so many coincidences, can this trip to Anle Cave not be said to be destined?"

Although I was reluctant to agree with Old Master Ji's viewpoint, I vaguely felt that this journey through Anle Cave truly couldn't be explained away simply by the word "coincidence."

Could it be that the Tablet of Mandate from my dream really was in Anle Cave?

"You don't need to worry. Since we are still alive now, the road ahead might be more perilous, but good people are naturally blessed; there shouldn't be a fatal danger. Let's take it one step at a time!" Old Master Ji said this to comfort the three of us, whose expressions were fluctuating between apprehension and uncertainty.

Indeed, where there's a will, there's a way, and where there's a way, there's Man Man Yingying. Just sitting here waiting was not an option.

However, only two paths lay before us: one was jumping into the sinkhole, which was certainly a path to death; the other was the unknown interior of the cave, where life or death was uncertain.

Thinking of this, I abruptly stood up and gritted my teeth, saying, "Pack up, let's go! Comrades, let's row the boat in the latrine—advance with 'fèn' (courageous effort, homophone for feces)!" After quickly packing our things, I lit an oil pine torch and took the lead, heading into the gloomy, pitch-black depths of the cave.

Seeing this, the other three cast their lives aside, rallied their spirits, and followed behind me. Following custom, Hua'er led the way, I was second, Tan Ping'er third, and Old Master Ji took up the rear. As for who was fourth, the lads could figure that out just by feeling with their heels.

What I feared most was that the cave was a dead end. As for whether there was something the bats feared even more, as long as it wasn't "the quick one" (a slang term for something slippery or troublesome), I didn't pay it much mind. Fortunately, although the cave was winding, sometimes high, sometimes low, sometimes left, sometimes right, sometimes up, sometimes down, after walking for a while, we didn't see an end. The air was foul, but breathing wasn't difficult. These two conditions put my mind somewhat at ease. The only problem was that we had completely lost our sense of direction.

"Aiyo!" Man Niao Niao suddenly squawked loudly, startling me greatly. I quickly turned and looked toward him, finding him scrambling up from the ground, his head and face covered in bat droppings, spitting repeatedly. What a miserable sight!

I burst out laughing. "I never thought you'd have a day like this! Your retribution came quickly!"

Man Niao Niao was already furious, and my words were like pouring oil on the fire. He haphazardly wiped the feces from his face with his sleeve, bent down, felt around on the ground, and pulled out half of a flagstone. "When a man is unlucky, even drinking cold water will make him choke. Damn it, this little bastard tripped me up... Huh? There are words on this! Hm? Wang... Mu... Ao... Tong... Xiao?"

Seeing the flagstone at first, I was full of disdain. Hearing there were words on it, I was greatly alarmed. Upon hearing Man Niao Niao recite the five characters, "Wang Mu Ao Tong Xiao," I was utterly confused. I rushed over, snatched the stone, and held it up to the torchlight to look—sure enough, there were characters carved deeply into the flagstone in seal script. However, it wasn't "Wang Mu Ao Tong Xiao" as Man Niao Niao had read, but the four characters: "Du Sha Tong Xiao..." It turned out the flagstone was smeared thickly with bat guano, making it indistinct. Man Niao Niao's knowledge was limited; he had split the character "Du" (Poison) to read it as "Wang Mu" (Queen Mother), misidentified "Sha" as "Ao," and I had misread "Xiao."

Only half of the flagstone remained, so we didn't know what followed the four characters "Du Sha Tong Xiao," and naturally, we couldn't know their meaning.

"This says 'Du Sha Tong Xiao,' not your 'Wang Mu Ao Tong Xiao.' What would Wang Mu Ao Tong Xiao be doing, playing mahjong?" I teased Man Niao Niao with a roguish grin.

Old Master Ji, being a simple farmer, had even less knowledge. At first, he looked at the flagstone with utter bewilderment. When I read out the words "Du Sha Tong Xiao," his legs seemed to be struck by a pole, and he jumped up, shouting hoarsely, "Heavenly King Grandpa, how could I not have thought of it?... I understand, I understand... Heaven, how could I not have thought of it?"

His extreme lapse in composure threw the three of us into utter confusion. What had he understood, and what hadn't he thought of, to make him so frantic?

"I understand! I understand! Yingying, we have passed through the Sheng Sha and the Du Sha..." Old Master Ji shook my shoulder a few times, then slapped his own head, murmuring to himself, "Damn unlucky blockhead, how could I not have thought of it?"

What "Sheng Sha" and "Du Sha"? The three young men stood frozen, watching the seemingly crazed Old Master Ji.

After muttering to himself for a while, Old Master Ji gradually returned to normal. He took the flagstone from my hand and said solemnly, "The old boss was right. Anle Cave is not tranquil; it is an extremely perilous and dark 'Sha Land,' and it was artificially arranged—I now believe with 90% certainty that there really is a Tablet of Mandate in Anle Cave."

The three young men had never heard terms like "Sheng Sha" or "Du Sha" and couldn't pick up the thread of conversation. Old Master Ji’s words were disjointed and leaped around so much that they further confused us.

Seeing our expressions, Old Master Ji simply sat down on the ground. "Let's just rest here, and I'll explain it to you slowly!"

"Alas! I should have realized this when we entered the Card Gate. The reason Anle Cave is famous for its danger isn't just because of its magnificent and perilous terrain; the main reason is probably that someone set up various soul-stealing mechanisms within the cave, turning Anle Cave into a dreaded 'Sha Land.' It's just that this 'Sha Land' rarely leaves artificial traces; it mostly relies on guiding the situation, skillfully utilizing the terrain or living creatures to form the 'Sha'..."

I interrupted Old Master Ji. "You keep mentioning 'Sha Land.' What exactly does that mean? Is there some significance to it?"

"'Sha' originally means an evil spirit. A 'Sha Land' is where the evil spirits reside. Isn't it often said that someone 'offends Sha'—it means offending or colliding with an evil spirit and suffering its retribution or bewitchment. Of course, this is superstition, but our Tujia people have always believed in gods and worshipped ancestors. This is actually a religious belief and cannot be simply categorized as superstition. Just as people are ranked, so too are gods—some are benevolent, and some are malicious. People call the evil gods 'Sha.' The 'Sha' in Anle Cave is an extended meaning, signifying things that grow in places of extreme wickedness and danger."

This wasn't hard to understand; it was like 'evil spirits and malignant forces.'

Old Master Ji continued, "Earlier, Yingying guessed that the Arum maculatum and the earth beetles at the Card Gate meant 'Do Not Remain, Retreat,' which didn't alert me. Now that I think about it, that might truly have been the intention. Think about it, from the Card Gate to the Yin-Yang Tree, what special things have we seen?"

"Arum maculatum, earth beetles, Dragon Bridge, giant salamander, nettle hemp grass, bamboo fungus, ticklish stones, Yin-Yang Tree..." I listed them one by one on my fingers. Old Master Ji said, "As far as I know, when setting up 'Sha,' they set them in odd numbers, not even numbers. Therefore, the 'Yin-Yang Tree' shouldn't be a 'Sha' itself, but acts as a transition, connecting different types of 'Sha.' Thus, from the Card Gate to the Yin-Yang Tree, there are a total of seven 'Sha'—seven 'Sheng Sha' (Life Sha)."

"Why are they called 'Sheng Sha'?"

"The 'Sheng' here has two meanings. First, the 'Sha' attaches itself to various strange creatures. Second, although these 'Sha' can scatter one's soul, they don't take one's life, and at the end of the 'Sha,' they leave a path of life for those who mistakenly enter the 'Sha Land.' Think about it, isn't the Yin-Yang Tree a path of life?"

"That's not right, Brother An," Man Niao Niao asked. "That pile of ticklish stones isn't a living creature, so how can it count as a 'Sheng Sha'?"

"Good question. Actually, one should think more broadly. The 'creatures' here should refer to objects possessing life-like characteristics, and uncommon ones at that. Think about it, have you ever seen stones that are ticklish anywhere else?"

"Then... what about the white-bearded old man that Man Niao Niao and Ping'er saw? Doesn't that fit the characteristics you described?" I interjected.

"That... that is also something I can't figure out. Perhaps..." Old Master Ji glanced at Man Niao Niao and suddenly changed the subject. "From the raw lacquer pool until now, this area is the 'Du Sha' (Poison Sha). This includes the lacquer poison that Yingying suffered, the soul poison that Miss Tan suffered—I remember now, the egg white turning bright red is the legendary 'Soul Poison'—the sonic poison of the Skeleton Bats, and the Mosquito King Bee poison. If not for this flagstone, I never would have realized that Anle Cave is actually a 'Sha Land.'"

"According to you, if we continue forward, we will pass through three more poisonous Sha areas?" I was profoundly shocked internally. Having blundered through four poisonous Sha areas, nearly losing my life each time, if there were three more unknown poisonous Sha areas, how could we withstand more torment!

"No, the Du Sha areas have ended!"

"Ended? Didn't you say that 'Sha' are set in odd numbers, not even?" I was utterly confused, thinking Old Master Ji was speaking incoherently now, perhaps deliberately trying to scare us with exaggerated warnings.

"The Du Sha are also an odd number, didn't you forget? That toad!" (Toad, called 'Lai Ke Bao' locally.)

"The 'Lai Ke Bao'? The one that fought with Hua'er and was bitten to death by her?" I gasped in shock, never imagining that before even fully entering Anle Cave, we had already encountered a so-called "Du Sha."

"That's not right, Old Master Ji. Didn't you say Anle Cave is the 'Sha Land'? How can that toad also be a Du Sha?"

"Didn't I just say it? A 'Sha Land' is a 'Sha Land,' and a 'Sha' is a 'Sha'; they are different concepts. Who says a 'Sha' cannot leave its 'Sha Land'?"

"Alright! Even if what you say makes sense, how do you determine there are only five types of Du Sha in Anle Cave and not seven, like the Sheng Sha?" I was still unconvinced, always feeling that while Old Master Ji’s words seemed plausible, they lacked complete logic.

"Because..." Old Master Ji glanced at Man Niao Niao again. "Based on the type and severity of the 'Sha,' the number of 'Sha' in a 'Sha Land' gradually decreases. The maximum for any single type of 'Sha' is seven. Since there are seven Sheng Sha, there must be five Du Sha, as the harm Du Sha inflict on people is greater than Sheng Sha..."

Man Niao Niao listened with his eyes glazed over, drooling slightly, completely unaware of why Old Master Ji kept glancing at him at crucial moments. I vaguely guessed that there must be other types of 'Sha' coming, and this 'Sha' was likely what Man Niao Niao feared most. Judging by the "gradually decreasing number" concept, there should also be the numbers 'three' and 'one.' So, what two categories of 'Sha' lay ahead?

"Old Master Ji, are there other types of 'Sha' ahead?" Although I basically understood Old Master Ji's concern for Man Niao Niao, I couldn't help but ask.

Old Master Ji sighed softly. "Alas! I didn't want to say, to avoid frightening Niao Niao. Since Yingying keeps asking, I might as well tell you, so you can be mentally prepared. Yes, as far as I know, the 'Sha' ahead are even more formidable: specifically, three 'Hun Sha' (Soul Sha) and one 'Si Sha' (Death Sha). The Anle Cave 'Sha Land,' summing it all up, consists of seven Sheng, five Du, three Hun, and one Si—a total of sixteen Sha!"

"Tch!" Man Niao Niao scoffed dismissively. "What's there to be scared of? Aren't they just Hun Sha and Si Sha? We're only four steps away from finishing the Long March. If we die, we die, but if we survive, we live forever! If you aren't scared, why the hell should I be?"

"What if the Hun Sha are 'Half-Puppets'?" I said to the boldly defiant Man Niao Niao with a sinister smile.

When Man Niao Niao heard the words "Half-Puppets," his face instantly turned pale. He jumped over to me, wrapped his arms around my neck, his eyeballs darting around, his whole body trembling slightly. I was extremely annoyed. I didn't have the ability to deal with the so-called "Half-Puppets"—I hadn't even seen one. Old Master Ji was the expert in this field. Why didn't Man Niao Niao go hug his neck? Did his "scale" absolutely have to be paired with my "weight"?

"Niao Niao, don't be so scared. I'm here! Haven't you been asking why I'm carrying a piece of fresh pork? Heh heh, a master has his preparations!" Old Master Ji's tone was exactly like that of a 'semi-immortal' charlatan on the bridge. Of course, I hadn't realized that the fresh pork was meant to deal with the "Half-Puppets." No wonder the old fellow had been so secretive. He even fished out the pork after it fell into the underground river without hesitation—it seemed he was prepared long ago.

"This piece of pork can deal with... Half-Puppets?" Man Niao Niao said with doubt.

"Heh heh! I can't say now, but it will be useful when the time comes!" Old Master Ji pretended to be profound, smiling in a strangely mysterious manner.

"Then... Brother An, you are the expert, and you can take charge of my hundred-odd pounds. Even if I'm scared to death then, you have to get me out. I don't want to stay in Anle Cave and turn into some kind of Sha!" Man Niao Niao plastered a forced, fawning smile on his face, flattering Old Master Ji while setting his demands.

"Tch!" This time it was my turn to smirk, and I vigorously struggled free from Man Niao Niao's embrace. To relax his mood, I joked, "Don't worry, pal! Pork is twelve dollars a pound now; Old Master Ji will definitely get you out!" After hearing my nonsensical reply, Man Niao Niao took a moment to process it, glared at me resentfully, and his expression slightly recovered.

"Let's keep moving. Maybe we won't even run into any Hun Sha or Si Sha!" Old Master Ji further soothed Man Niao Niao.

I turned back and saw that Tan Ping'er also looked extremely frightened. I reached out, put an arm around her shoulder, and whispered softly, "I am here, and I absolutely will not let you be harmed. Don't worry." Tan Ping'er looked at me with gratitude, nodded firmly, and linked her arm through mine.

As we walked, I chatted with Old Master Ji. "Old Master Ji, there's one thing I haven't figured out. Why would this flagstone appear at the tail end of the 'Sha' rather than the head? It doesn't follow logic."

"It serves the same purpose as the Yin-Yang Tree... Do you understand?" Old Master Ji didn't explain thoroughly, but I knew the flagstone served to connect the two types of 'Sha.' To keep Man Niao Niao from getting suspicious, I wisely changed the subject. "What you're saying now, is this also from your ancient books?"

"No, I heard it from the songs the Taoist masters sing at funerals."