Approaching the "Throat-Maw," I realized my earlier estimate was off; the dark, cavernous entrance was the height of a man, easily passable without stooping if one just bent their back a bit. As mentioned, the structure of the Tujia stilt houses often resembles a crouching tiger, and this so-called "Throat-Maw" is the tiger's mouth. Beyond the irregular main door just past this entrance, there wasn't the usual main hall, nor even a pigsty, but a long passage, like a tiger's gullet poised to devour its prey.

"This is the hole you meant?" Man Niaoniao pushed forward to ask.

I nodded. Tan Ping'er asked curiously, "Why do we have to crawl into this hole?" I didn't have time to explain, just waved my embroidered shoe and said, "There are instructions up here; I'll tell you all about it in a bit." Tan Ping'er had always trusted my words and asked no further questions. Lacking the backbone of Grandpa Ji, Man Niaoniao had no choice but to follow my lead.

Man Niaoniao's flashlight beam reflected off the earthen wall not far inside the passage, intensifying the white light. The air was damp and eerie, thick with a heavy, earthy stench. Though I could see perfectly well without external light, the cave behind was winding and twisting, and for a moment, I couldn't gauge its true depth.

Smelling that potent, muddy reek, my heart sank—was this a python's lair? Despite the adventure in the Anle Cave, where I obtained the Blood Soul Stele from the giant serpent's maw, my fear of snakes had lessened considerably. Yet, this notion magnified my innate weakness. "Niaoniao, do you think this could be a python's den?"

"So you're worried about that," Man Niaoniao grinned slyly. "Damn it, let me take the lead this time! Uncle An added 'Flame' for me; I feel like I'm not afraid of ghosts anymore. If there’s a python ahead, it’ll be a nice snack for me." His tone suggested he had completely forgotten the ordeal of being coiled and thrashed by the giant python in Anle Cave. Moreover, he seemed utterly unconcerned about possession by spirits, showing no taboo.

As if to prove his worth, the fellow lowered his head, hunched his back, and plunged into the passage without hesitation, roaring with bravado, "Motherf***er, if any 'Sneak' shows up, I'll give it five words..."

Hearing this, Tan Ping'er asked with genuine curiosity, "What five words?"

Man Niaoniao paused, then after a long moment, replied, "Serve the People!" Tan Ping'er grew even more perplexed. "What... what nonsense are you spouting? That makes no sense!" I secretly chuckled behind Tan Ping'er. The "five words" Man Niaoniao actually meant were "F*** off, I won't pay attention," or basically, ignore someone. "Da Zhang" in the Xidu dialect means "to pay attention." Man Niaoniao always loved chanting his "totem" phrases, and he almost let slip his crude original statement. He never expected Tan Ping'er to press him, causing him to freeze. In his panic, he blurted out "Serve the People" as a hasty cover. It was hilarious!

"...In short, it's just a rather impolite 'common saying'!" Man Niaoniao, cornered, explained while walking away with his rear end stuck out. Tan Ping'er hadn't been with us for a short time, and being sharp as a tack, she understood Man Niaoniao's habits well enough to know his "common saying" couldn't be polite. So, she didn't press further. What neither of us expected was that Tan Ping'er would later adopt this phrase, "giving someone five words," and pull it out to show off occasionally, leaving both of us exasperated but amused.

With Man Niaoniao around, the journey was never dull. His seemingly earnest pronouncements and exaggerated, obedient behavior always injected fun into our adventures. Furthermore, through our mutual "ripping" and teasing, my own thoughts became exceptionally clear. Was this the combined power of the 'Scales' and the 'Plumb Line'?

Unbeknownst to us, we had traveled deeper and deeper into the passage. The earthy smell grew stronger, almost suffocating. What was even more ridiculously unfortunate was that Man Niaoniao’s crow's mouth had come true: having eaten too many raw sweet potatoes, his stomach began to rumble violently. Soon, the gurgling turned into a "killing" aura. Breaking free from Man Niaoniao’s control, the sound echoed and clanged in the confined space, smelling so foul that even holding our noses, Tan Ping'er and I could sense the intense stench. Everything in my stomach felt restless, churning up toward my throat, threatening to erupt. In comparison, the heavy, muddy smell seemed almost refreshing.

Man Niaoniao was likely mortified, trying desperately to contain the "toxic gas" filling him. But things backfired; not only did he fail to control the "gas," but the accompanying sound became soft and drawn out, creating a mood of refined desolation.

"Hold it! Hold it!" I managed to encourage him. "Us choking on the smell is a small matter, don't let yourself shoot out entirely..."

Saying that only acted as a catalyst. Man Niaoniao "released the poison" more frequently, and the molar count of toxic molecules in the air increased exponentially. As the saying goes, a silent fart isn't stinky, but a smelly one isn't loud. Man Niaoniao contained the sound, but he had no defense against the overwhelming stench.

Tan Ping'er and I reluctantly stopped, waiting for Man Niaoniao to move further ahead and disperse the overwhelming odor before daring to follow cautiously. Even Hua'er, the creature, was so disgusted that it dug its nostrils into the dirt, clearly finding the muddy earth smell far more agreeable.

Dizzy and lightheaded from the smell, I stepped back a few paces, pinched my nose, and gasped deeply through my mouth.

Then, something utterly unbelievable happened—something trailing a faint shadow shot out of my open mouth, leaving a chilling aura, flying straight towards the back of Tan Ping'er’s head with lightning speed. In that split second, I thought: Did my tongue just fly out?

I yelled, "Ping'er, watch out!" before the words even fully formed in my abdomen, the dark object struck the back of Tan Ping'er's head squarely. My blood turned to ice, and I fully expected Tan Ping'er to cry out in pain. To my astonishment, Tan Ping'er acted as if nothing had happened; her head didn't even tilt forward. Her steps remained measured and natural, as if the dark object had never grazed her.

As confusion gripped me, Man Niaoniao, leading the way, suddenly shrieked, "Ouch! Ping'er, what did you shoot me with? That hurt!"

Startled by Man Niaoniao’s sudden cry, Tan Ping'er stopped, pinched her nose, and mumbled, "Don't blame me for your own mistake, okay? Your gas nearly choked me unconscious! What did I shoot you with?" Before she finished speaking, another dark object zipped past my ear, heading directly for Tan Ping'er's back. It quickly vanished into her upper back, followed by another earth-shattering cry from Man Niaoniao, "Ouch! You still say you didn't shoot me? You can't joke about this! If you do it again, I'm going to lose my temper!" Tan Ping'er was clearly annoyed now, retorting, "Whether you get wet or not has nothing to do with me. Would I crack a joke in this environment?"

"Then... why does it hurt so much? It feels like something pierced my flesh... Ouch!" Man Niaoniao collapsed to the ground, writhing.

Sensing something was wrong, Tan Ping'er picked up the flashlight Man Niaoniao had dropped and asked anxiously, "Where does it hurt? Let me see what it is!" Man Niaoniao pointed to his back while lying on the ground, "My spine area!" Tan Ping'er shone the light closely. "There's nothing there! Nothing at all!"

I stood rooted to the spot, dumbfounded. I could clearly see a black, sharp arrow sticking squarely into Man Niaoniao’s back, the tip buried deep in the flesh, leaving only a short stub of the tail visible. Two snow-white feathers adorned the tail end. The edges of the arrow were enveloped in a heavy, hazy shadow, like an object viewed through nearsighted glasses. And another arrow of the identical type was impaled in the back of Man Niaoniao's head, vibrating slightly, its white feathers fluttering gently...

The origin of these two arrows felt profoundly bizarre to me. If the objects that flew past my mouth and ear just now were those arrows, I clearly saw them enter Tan Ping'er's body—so why did she feel nothing, while Man Niaoniao was struck? Furthermore, how could Tan Ping'er not see the two arrows, shimmering with intense spectral haze, embedded in Man Niaoniao's body?

Hua'er turned back towards our path and let out two low whines, the sound distinctly carrying anger and fear.

It suddenly dawned on me: these two arrows must have come from an unknown realm, perhaps what my grandfather often called "Yin Arrows." The only reason I could see them was because I had smeared Hua'er's tears, granting me sight beyond the ordinary.

With this realization, I turned back sharply, ready to check if anything unclean was following us, only to be met by Man Niaoniao's pig-like wails: "It hurts so much! It's killing me... Yingying, hurry and save me..." His voice rose and fell, reaching a point of sheer desperation.

I forgot about looking behind me. Pushing aside the almost-crying Tan Ping'er, I rushed to Man Niaoniao's side, trying to steady my pounding heart as I spoke to him, rolling on the ground: "Don't panic, you've been hit by Yin Arrows in your back and the back of your head... Lie still... I'll figure out how to save you..."