The black rabbit itself didn't seem overly afraid of the rapeseed, but it was particularly frantic about the seeds scattered on the grave mound, letting out a choked, mournful cry, "Uh-ho-ho," as it stretched out its mouth and front paws to frantically push and dig at the mound, trying to remove every single rapeseed seed.

Huar recoiled from the fight, staying behind me as we ran, occasionally twisting around to watch the black rabbit warily.

Beyond the tail of the grave lay the winding, serpentine stone bridge. The torchlight cleaved a gap in the wispy strands of mist, bobbing and weaving in the dim, damp space like a will-o'-the-wisp.

I couldn't spare another glance for the black rabbit. Following Ji Ye's torch, I sprinted for my life across the jagged stone bridge. As I ran, the clumps of fog on either side of the bridge created an illusion: I wasn't scrambling across a narrow stone span suspended over a chasm, but rather trotting down a mountain path, with no danger whatsoever. The Qin Ping'er on my back felt as light as cotton at this moment, allowing me to move swiftly and surely across the slick bridge.

Just as sweat was pouring off me, the panting, thunderous Ji Ye suddenly stopped. I looked up to see a waterfall descending from above, shaped like a curtain of milky white silk, blocking our path completely. The waterfall shattered into glistening spray, yet it was as thin as a cicada's wing, catching the firelight and flashing with a clear, crystalline sheen. Behind the cascade, the scene was indistinct and shadowy, impossible to make out.

The black rabbit's wail drifted faintly towards us, seemingly in pursuit. Huar’s low growl deepened into a dull menace, its haunches tensed, readying itself as if facing a formidable enemy.

Ji Ye roared, "Go!" and shouldered Man Niao Niao, plunging directly into the waterfall. I heard the rabbit's resentful, vicious cry as if it were right beside my ear. Gritting my teeth, I secured Ping'er's backside, squeezed my eyes shut for a beat, and burst through the waterfall, colliding with Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao, who were waiting for us on the other side, tumbling into a heap. Huar shot through the cascade immediately after.

I was thrown into dizzying chaos, seeing stars, and realized the space behind the waterfall was a narrow, very dry cave, completely devoid of water.

As I reached out to steady Qin Ping'er, I caught a glimpse of the black rabbit where I had just been standing. It was howling pitifully and making motions to leap, but whether deterred by the waterfall or the underpants on my head, it ultimately did not spring into the dry cave behind the cascade. The dim, yellow light of the torch stretched the black rabbit’s silhouette across the water curtain, making it warp and dance—sometimes large, sometimes small, sometimes high, sometimes low—like a frenzied phantom.

The black rabbit, full of reluctance but utterly helpless, cried and lamented in front of the waterfall for a while. Then, with a venomous, drawn-out cry, its wailing gradually faded away. The tension in my chest eased slightly, and my taut nerves relaxed a little...

"Where is this? Ugh... what is that strange smell?" This melodious, bird-like voice exploded beside my ear like unexpected thunder—Qin Ping'er was awake!

Feeling both awkward and ashamed, I snatched the underpants from my head, intending to throw them far away while Ping'er was groggy from just waking up. But then I changed my mind, quickly stuffing them haphazardly into my trouser pocket, and feigning composure, I asked, "Ping'er, you're awake?" At the same time, I gestured for Ji Ye to quickly stash away his "cutting-edge weapon." Ji Ye understood immediately and swiftly yanked the blue cloth underpants off his arm, stuffing them into his embrace.

Qin Ping'er was fully lucid. Seeing my flushed face and the intimate way I was holding her, she completely misinterpreted the situation. She violently shoved me away and snapped in a delicate voice, "Man Yingying... you scoundrel... what... what were you trying to do?"

Completely unprepared for this move or Ping'er's rich imagination, I was knocked backward, my head hitting the stone hard. A sharp, bitter feeling surged through me. Ah! No wonder Man Niao Niao said it was hardest to be Lü Dongbin.

"Miss Qin, Yingying wasn't what you imagined; here is what happened..." Ji Ye recounted the entire sequence of events after Qin Ping'er fainted, explaining everything in detail. After listening, Qin Ping'er gently touched the back of my head and whispered, "Brother Ying, I'm sorry, I misjudged you... your posture was quite..." She trailed off, lowering her head shyly.

I sighed helplessly, muttered a couple of times, then turned to Ji Ye, still shaken, and asked, "That rabbit was actually afraid of the waterfall?"

Ji Ye had already pulled out his reserve "blasting tube" and was puffing contentedly. Hearing my question, he gave me a meaningful look, nodded, and said, "Maybe, maybe not... what does it matter? We escaped another calamity!"

"Uncle An, why were you choking Yingying's neck back then?" Qin Ping'er interjected. "The way you looked terrified me; I passed out right at that moment."

"Huh? What are you talking about? I choked your neck?" Ji Ye stared at me, his eyes wide with surprise.

I managed a wry smile and said, "No... I almost got sent off by you..." Then I recounted the thrilling events of that time in detail. Ji Ye fell silent for a long moment, then realization dawned. "I get it. When I went to steady that stone marker... I was possessed. That version of me wasn't the real me, so I have no memory of it. —You're saying I bit Huar, Huar’s nosebleed splashed on my face, and then I fainted?"

I nodded. Ji Ye slapped his thigh. "That figures! Dog's blood is specifically for dealing with those things. What luck, what luck!"

When Ji Ye mentioned "possession," I suddenly remembered that thing trying to burrow into my body and seize control of my brain. Could that be the so-called Half-Puppet? Damn it all, this was truly an unprecedented, extraordinary encounter!

"What do 'Armaniche' and 'Enbamini' mean?" I asked Ji Ye. His voice and mannerisms at the time were so bizarre that those two nonsensical phrases or words were deeply imprinted in my memory.

"'Armaniche'? 'Enbamini'? —I have no idea what they mean. Did I really say that back then?"

"Yes, and your voice was completely that of a child," I confirmed firmly to Ji Ye.

"That's strange! Could it be... these two phrases are long-lost primitive Tujia dialect?"

"You don't know primitive Tujia?"

"How would I? As far as I know, only in some ancient villages in Western Hunan are there still people who speak primitive Tujia, and not many at that. If we get the chance, we can go ask them what those two phrases mean... As for why my voice sounded like a child's, you don't need me to tell you, do you?"

"And how did you think of using rapeseed and..." I glanced at Qin Ping'er, then said to Ji Ye, "...to deal with that rabbit?"

"Alas, using rapeseed was a last resort. I really didn't want to use it. Do you remember when the little children here get scared by bad spirits, their parents often mutter to themselves, 'If you mess with me, I'll sprinkle a bag of rapeseed on your grave, so your spirit will never find peace.' These words? They are actually a kind of intimidation or threat toward the bad spirits, meant to make them leave the child alone..."

I had heard something similar from my grandfather. He said that once rapeseed was scattered over a grave, the soul of the deceased couldn't rest or reincarnate until every single seed was picked clean, otherwise, the grave would become a lonely one, haunted by a wandering spirit. Imagine, a whole bag of rapeseed mixed into the grave soil—for a living person, picking every single one out would be harder than moving mountains. How much harder for a ghostly, ethereal spirit? That's why many people said such harsh things, but few actually did it, unless the living had an irreconcilable hatred for the dead in the grave, leading them to use such an act that defies both gods and men, purely to vent their resentment.

Thinking of this, I finally understood the efficacy of rapeseed and why Ji Ye had acted that way. It was just unbelievable that such a superstitious notion had found a living, concrete basis right before my eyes. No wonder that rabbit wasn't afraid of the overwhelming shower of rapeseed, but instead became obsessed with the seeds that fell into the grave soil, crying heartbrokenly while furiously digging with its mouth and paws.

"As for later when I told you to cover your head with the 'shaking pants'," Ji Ye whispered to me, "Think about its position, and you'll understand. It's closest to where yang energy is concentrated, the best thing to suppress yin and feminine energies. Also, the Tujia people have a long-standing popular proverb: 'Pants under the pillow, not a worry in the world.' Did you ever hear your grandfather mention it?"

Ji Ye's reminder brought back a memory: when my grandfather was alive, he did mention that custom. I also remembered he always kept his trousers under his pillow when sleeping. Back then, I thought he simply found his pillow too low, never realizing it held such a meaning. After growing up, I suffered from long periods of recurring nightmares that wasted away my body, and no medicine or injection helped. It was only when my grandmother insisted on placing my trousers under my pillow that my condition improved. I had assumed it was mere coincidence, never connecting it to this custom.

If that were true, the black rabbit that was clearly kicked into the sinkhole yet reappeared on the grave mound, along with the white candle that extinguished and relit, and the pinwheel-spinning white banner on the grave, all proved that the long-rumored Half-Puppets truly exist in this world?

At this moment, another exceedingly strange sensation surfaced involuntarily: my grandfather often told me these superstitious stories and legends when he was alive. Could there have been a deeper intent behind his stories?

This was truly a crushing blow to my worldview, philosophy of life, and values!

I violently shook my head, trying to fling the complex, bizarre thoughts out of my mind.

Ji Ye saw what I was thinking and, completely disregarding my feelings, poured fuel on the fire. "After we heard that woman sigh, we clearly ran to the edge of the stone bridge. Why did the bridge mysteriously break later? I suspect..."

"Suspect what?"

"...I suspect it was the work of the 'Soul Fiend.'"

Soul Fiend? Could everything we just experienced actually be the so-called 'Soul Fiend'? I stared blankly!

"Do you remember one real event?" Ji Ye continued. "Ten years ago, a few workers building the tunnel below Anle Cave went exploring in Liangfeng Cave, not far from Anle Cave, after work. They started from the bottom of Liangfeng Cave and climbed layer by layer to the very top, but couldn't find a way down. Later, the project headquarters asked the police for help. Armed officers went into the cave and found them near death. They had even used their 'shaking pants' to start a fire for light. Strangely, the way down was right at their feet. When those workers regained their senses, they said that as they were coming down, all they saw were misty cliffs and bottomless chasms before them; they couldn't find a path anywhere. Doesn't that sound very similar to our experience?"

Although I hadn't heard those workers recount the details myself, the incident caused a massive, almost mythical stir locally at the time. It even alarmed higher authorities, who prepared extensive gear and sent people to investigate the top of Liangfeng Cave again, but they encountered none of the situations the workers described. The matter was ultimately unresolved, but no one dared enter Liangfeng Cave again.

Thinking back now, our recent experience wasn't just similar to those workers; it was a direct repeat of that past event.

Man Niao Niao still lying unconscious added to my anxiety and unease. If what we experienced on the bridge was indeed the 'Soul Fiend' Ji Ye mentioned, the road ahead would be infinitely more perilous—when would I ever see my beloved sun again?

My eyes darted around. I took a bamboo lamp from Ji Ye's basket, pulled out the wick, and dripped two drops of kerosene onto Man Niao Niao’s philtrum, hoping the smell would wake him. Unexpectedly, Man Niao Niao only twitched his eyebrows and continued to sleep heavily, his breathing labored. Seeing the kerosene was useless, Ji Ye tried his trick again, blowing several puffs of dense smoke into Man Niao Niao’s face, but Man Niao Niao didn't even twitch his eyebrows; he remained motionless.

Ji Ye and I were helpless, unable to speak.

After the harrowing escape, I was famished and parched. The burning anxiety in my heart compelled me to reach into Ji Ye’s basket, pull out the liquor flask, and gulp down several mouthfuls of corn liquor. Then I took out a few cornbread patties and shared them with Ji Ye, Qin Ping'er, and Huar, who all devoured them ravenously.

"Damn it, that smells good... Hey, you guys are drinking and eating without calling me! Everyone eats better when they share, but if you eat alone, you're just showing off... Give me a cornbread patty, I'm so hungry my front is sticking to my back..." Man Niao Niao suddenly sat up, shouting loudly.

Overjoyed and relieved, I punched Man Niao Niao and snapped, "You old leech, kerosene and smoke couldn't stir your nerves, but corn liquor and cornbread brought your soul back?"

Man Niao Niao let out a couple of silly laughs, snatched a patty, stuffed it in his mouth, chased it with several deep gulps from the flask, craned his neck to look around, and mumbled, "Huh? Did we reach the underworld? That's fine, with you guys here, I've got food and drink. I won't be lonely, and I won't starve to death as a hungry ghost... Hehe, I'm a real ghost now, one of the gang. I'm not afraid of them anymore. Ah, I'm content!"

I was annoyed but also amused. I spoke with solemn seriousness, "That's right. We just crossed the Bridge of Helplessness!"

"Damn it, was I asleep when we crossed the Bridge of Helplessness? Why didn't you wake me up? I wanted to see all the endless scenery on both sides of the bridge!" Man Niao Niao saw that I wasn't joking and wholeheartedly believed me.

"You...!"

"Alright! Yingying, stop trying to fool Niao Niao, let's focus on finding the way out," Ji Ye interrupted me.

Man Niao Niao caught the jest in Ji Ye's tone, and his expression shifted instantly. "We're still alive? That sighing woman... the Half-Puppet didn't chase us?"

Ji Ye and I exchanged amused glances and ignored him. He then anxiously asked Qin Ping'er, who also dismissed him with a slight smile. This left Man Niao Niao sighing in frustration, muttering to himself as if he had suffered a great injustice.

"Yingying, don't you think this place feels very hot?" Ji Ye stood up, holding his torch toward the depths of the cave, and asked me with a puzzled look.

After two sips of corn liquor and two cornbread patties, my energy and spirit had significantly improved. Hearing Ji Ye mention the heat, I concentrated and realized he was right—it was so hot I was coated in a greasy sweat, making me feel clammy and uncomfortable. Logically, caves are supposed to be warm in winter and cool in summer. It was the middle of June; why did it feel like we were roasting by a fire pit?

I fumbled for my flashlight, replaced the batteries with the few spares I had, and shone the beam toward the rear of the cave. Where the light fell, there appeared to be a natural stone staircase, sloping downward, winding and deep, leading to an unknown place. Waves of heat billowed out from inside the cave, washing over us, oppressively hot.

I gritted my teeth and said, "Even an immature attempt is better than a strategy that dies in the womb. We can't go back to the stone bridge. We might as well go in and see what happens."

Ji Ye nodded in agreement, and Qin Ping'er and Man Niao Niao had nothing to object to. So the four of us packed our things and filed single-file into the narrow, winding cave. The deeper we went, the more intense the heat wave became. The air even carried a sulfurous odor that forced us to keep our mouths shut, occasionally wiping the moisture that clouded our eyes.

Fortunately, although the cave was secluded and the terrain uneven, it wasn't long. After a few minutes, we reached a spacious cavern littered with countless stone spikes, sharp as swords and spears, which must have formed from eons of dripping magma water sedimentation.

Scattered among the stone spikes were faint, flickering points of light, swaying uncertainly, and wisps of blue smoke curled upward, vanishing into the dense darkness overhead.

I tapped the nearest stone spike with my machete, expecting a shower of sparks. Instead, there was only a dull thud, and the spike crumbled to the ground like overcooked lime, shattering into pieces. A puff of heat rushed toward us, startling the four of us into stunned silence.

I was utterly amazed. By the look of it, had a massive fire swept through this cave, turning all the stalagmites into calcified lime? What kind of fire could that have been, and where could it have come from?

"Yingying, look, at the edge of the stalagmite forest, there are several layers of rock formations shaped like dripping magma mushrooms. There seems to be a recess at the top. Why don't we climb up there and take a look?" Ji Ye pointed to a spot not far from us.

I shone the flashlight over. Indeed, along the edge of the stone forest, a series of yellowish-brown, cap-like rock formations hung down, crisscrossed with grooves, clearly carved by years of flowing magma water.

At the end of the flashlight beam, a wide, gaping opening was clearly visible.

I quickly walked over to the rock mushrooms and tapped one with my machete; it rang out solidly, not at all fragile like the spike I had touched earlier. I was overjoyed and urged Ji Ye and the others to prepare quickly to climb up.

They certainly didn't dare to delay. Without much instruction, they rolled up their sleeves and started climbing the rock face along the rock mushrooms. Huar was agile, scrambling between the formations, and in just a few movements, it zipped into the opening. I listened closely but heard no cry from Huar. My heart eased—it seemed the recess must be safe, at least not inhabited by any "Half-Puppet."

I was the last to crawl into the opening. I turned back and swept the area with the flashlight, and suddenly realized the outline of the stone spike forest looked vaguely familiar...