Our greatest driving force, even in our swift agility, stemmed from the hope surging within us, for the fresh air we craved lay just ahead. In this sweltering, stifling place, without a desperate struggle, we were destined to suffocate and then be steamed alive.

Sometimes, thought lags far behind action. Even as this cascade of realization struck my mind, besieged by searing pain, my steps never faltered; eventually, my legs seemed to cease being mine, utterly beyond the command of my will, mechanically taking uneven strides forward. At that moment, a rather poetic line surfaced: My body, streaking across like a meteor.

No matter how swift the movement, it could not outpace the noxious vapor flooding my chest. Just as I felt the last breath about to escape my lungs, my frantic running abruptly jolted to a halt—the sensation of blindly reaching the last step on a dark staircase—the edge of the Qi Pool had been reached.

I forced my eyes wide open and saw, haha, Man Niao Niao was right: before me lay a long, steep stone staircase. Qin Ping'er, running ahead, was already halfway up, using all fours. How could I dare delay? My thoughts paused for a mere third of a second before I lifted my legs and bolted up the steps.

Climbing had never been my strength, let alone now when my physical reserves were utterly depleted. The crushing lack of oxygen stiffened my entire body, and seeing the beacon of victory ahead caused a slight relaxation in my focus. Between these combined factors, I hadn't even cleared a third of the way up the staircase before my legs felt like jelly; my calves seemed filled with two jars of sour liquid, refusing to lift. I collapsed forward, my stomach swelling several times its size, mirroring the tautness of my puffed-out cheeks, and began to writhe upward on the steps involuntarily.

Just as I felt I was about to pass out, Man Niao Niao scrambled up behind me, hooked his left arm around my waist, pulled me upright, and gestured for me to grip his waist with my right hand. At that moment, I had lost all desire to compete or contend with him; I obediently wrapped my right arm around his robust waist and clawed my way upward, clinging desperately to the edge of the stone steps with my left hand.

Now, my body was fused with that fellow Man Niao Niao’s, crawling upward like some four-legged creature. Though our movement was agonizingly slow, step by painful step, we finally dragged ourselves to the top of the stairs.

The moment my head breached the anoxic layer, I was overcome with excitement, tears streaming down my face. The damp, fresh, slightly fishy air surged generously into my chest, tenderly soothing my viscera, scrubbing away every trace of discomfort lingering on my nerves... I knew then that another ordeal had been brutally thrown behind us.

After panting heavily for a long spell, my body gradually relaxed, leaving me feeling soft as sludge. Man Niao Niao and I managed to haul ourselves onto the embankment he had mentioned and lay on our backs, gasping like thunderous beasts.

Once our breathing steadied, I struggled to sit up and caught sight of Qin Ping'er sprawled across the embankment in a perfect 'Big' shape. Her chest and abdomen rose and fell with a steady rhythm, her eyes tightly shut, her small mouth pursed into a tiny, whistling hole as she inhaled and exhaled. The faint, distant flicker of fire occasionally swept across her face, shifting constantly between black and white... Her posture was as tempting as could be, entirely devoid of any expected ladylike composure.

As they say, fullness breeds desire—but my fullness now was not in the stomach, but from having inhaled my fill of fresh air. Seeing Qin Ping'er in that pose, I muttered to myself, Isn't this clearly tempting fate? I might be able to handle it, but if that brute Man Niao Niao saw you looking like this, who knows what colorful fantasies would erupt in his mind...

Of course, I later learned this was my own self-serving suspicion, because Man Niao Niao was too exhausted to even spare a glance for Qin Ping'er. He lay on the ground, finally sputtering after a long pause, "Damn it, if I hadn't been here, you bastard would definitely be 'dead meat' by now... All that bragging you do normally—you think it costs nothing, huh?" This was directed at me, and his tone was clearly laced with an abundance of crude "done-for" connotations.

"I... I was just suffocating from lack of oxygen!" I weakly defended myself, trying to sound fierce.

"Hmph!" Man Niao Niao let out a cold sneer.

This 'Hmph!' ignited the annoyance in my heart. "Hmph what? If you don't call me out, can you even live? If the environment weren't so foul, would this Lord need your help?"

"Hmph!" Man Niao Niao chuckled again, saying mockingly, "Blaming your sleeves for clumsy hands... Blaming the foundation for being poor... Blaming the outhouse for not letting you piss..." He strung together three phrases with identical meanings to summarize and dismiss my defense, which instantly made me spring up from the ground. "So what if you use parallel structures? When it comes to word games, you're still no match for this Lord..."

"Haha!" Man Niao Niao burst out laughing. "Even your simple head stops turning sometimes? I just goaded you into standing up so you can go find me some water!!" I froze. This simple-minded, strong-limbed fellow had pulled such a sly trick? But then I realized that if I were still lying there, I certainly wouldn't want to move and would definitely be ordering Man Niao Niao to fetch water. Who knew this guy struck first, understanding my thoughts better than my own gut worm, leading me right into his trap... Alas, it seems people change! Or perhaps, human nature itself transforms!

However, the deed was done. Arguing and pushing the blame back and forth seemed unworthy now. After all, Man Niao Niao wasn't made of iron; this trip back and forth must have left him utterly worn out, and to order him to find water felt too cruel.

I gave him a light kick, grumbled, and walked over to Qin Ping'er. I bent down and called her name a couple of times. Unexpectedly, the girl had actually fallen asleep, and from the looks of it, she was sleeping soundly—no wonder she hadn't said anything all this time. I sighed softly, thinking that all this struggle must have been terribly hard on this delicate and charming beauty.

I gently adjusted Qin Ping'er's limbs; her sprawling 'Big' posture was indeed rather unseemly. "If a pervert saw you like this, he'd eat you up with soy sauce!" I murmured to myself.

Qin Ping'er rolled over onto her side and mumbled groggily, "I’d give him five words..."

I froze again. For this girl to utter such things in her drowsiness was truly surprising. Man Niao Niao’s influence was indeed significant, managing to corrupt such a pure young woman that vulgar everyday language came out so smoothly.

Man Niao Niao snickered furtively on the ground for a while, then shouted loudly, "Damn it, why aren't you finding water yet? My throat is about to turn to smoke!" I saw his head near Qin Ping'er's feet, also sprawled out in a 'Tai' shape, and felt a surge of irritation. I gently stepped on the dot of the 'Tai' character. "Wait there!"

Man Niao Niao let out an exaggerated yelp. "Oh no? Are you jealous? Are you feeling inadequate?... Hurry up and find water for me."

I had no mind to tangle with Man Niao Niao further. I stood up and surveyed the surroundings, finally getting a clear view of the current situation.

The first thing to catch my eye was, naturally, the embankment beneath our feet. I don't know its original color, but to my eyes, it was as white as snow, and Man Niao Niao’s prone form looked like a large blob of ink on white cloth. The embankment was about three meters wide and quite level, buttressed against the sheer cliffs of the canyon on both ends. Outside the embankment stretched that long, sloping stone staircase, which also extended to the cliffs on either side. And those cliffs were truly cliffs now—sheer, smooth, rising straight upward, with no coal burning. In contrast, inside the embankment seemed to be deep, stagnant water, overgrown with weeds of varying lengths, emitting a heavy, fishy odor. The surface of the water churned with hidden currents, catching the light.

Because there was little white contrast within the embankment area, I couldn't clearly discern the conditions inside.

Judging by its appearance, this embankment was no different from a modern flood control dike: wide at the base and narrowing toward the top, built up with layers of reinforcement.

After observing for a while, a deep question arose in my mind. This embankment was clearly man-made; so what purpose did it serve being built here? Beyond the dike lay that long canyon, and at the far end of the canyon were that huge arena, the mountains of red sand, and the burning coal on the cliffs. What was the connection between these four elements?

My thinking was sluggish from the severe oxygen deprivation, and after pondering for a long time, I couldn't come to any conclusion. Of course, this wasn't my primary concern; whether this question was solved or not wouldn't significantly impact my search for Chief Tusi Qin Cheng. I was pondering another issue: Have we taken a step closer to Qin Cheng by arriving here?

This thought, naturally, was not unconnected to the plum blossom embroidery on that embroidered shoe sole.