The sharp cry from Hua’er, sharp as a knife, pierced my ears just as I was struggling to regain my senses, momentarily deafening me to everything else. A sudden panic seized me, and I whipped my head around to see that a section of Hua’er’s scalp had been sliced clean off by the Bawang Sword, spraying a burst of black blood across my face and head. The sword itself was already spinning, flashing with white streaks as it arced downward, falling like a parabola into the deep gorge below. Hua’er’s scalp had only recently been licked away by that giant clam and hadn't even fully regenerated; this new injury was like snow on top of frost, explaining the sheer, agonizing wail that was so painful for me, the one person depending on it for survival.

I quickly wiped the blood that was blinding me, blinking furiously to clear my vision, and pulled Hua’er close into my arms, intending to haphazardly rip off a piece of my tunic to bandage its head. While I was still fumbling, a tremendous crash echoed from behind my head. I spun around in astonishment to see that the egg-shaped rock had completely broken free from the cliff face, leaving behind a brand-new, raw cavity. That massive sound was the rock smashing against the sheer wall as it plummeted downward. Soon after, the stone egg, born of the cliff face itself, was swallowed by the shadowy depths of the canyon, vanishing without a trace.

Qin Bing’er, who was intently focused on climbing upward, heard Hua’er’s scream. She hung onto the rock face with one hand, peered down at my perilous situation, and shrieked in terror. Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao also whipped their heads around, staring blankly and slack-jawed at me. After a long pause, that rogue Man Niao Niao finally started yelling, cursing under his breath, "Are your ass cheeks itching or something? Why the hell did you go hacking at that rock, you idiot? You nearly made me take a tumble that would have been an eternal regret…" The ill-fated fellow, in his panic, spat out all sorts of nonsense, not caring in the least whether his words made sense or not, completely ignoring Qin Bing’er’s presence.

Just as I was about to snap back at him, Man Niao Niao glared at me, his eyes wide, demanding, "The sword! Where is the sword?"

"Did the mosquitoes carry off your ears? Didn’t you hear that massive crash just now? The Bawang Sword already fell down… I think there are calluses growing over your eyes!" I shot back, glaring at Man Niao Niao’s eye—more white than black—and snarled angrily.

"Damn it all to hell, you utterly wasteful son of a bitch! Such a fine sword, think how much money you could have gotten for it if you sold it? And you, you useless spawn, used it to chop at a rock. It’s an absolute desecration of nature, old man…" Man Niao Niao was so enraged his eyes burned red, his face puffed up like a monkey’s backside!

Wait, red eyes? Monkey’s backside? I couldn't believe my own eyes. What was happening? How could I see colors other than black and white? I rubbed my eyes and stared intently at Man Niao Niao’s face and eyes. Yes, it was definitely a dark red, the shade of sheer exasperation. I froze!

"Why are you staring at me like that, you simpleton? You want me to forgive you? Impossible!" Man Niao Niao hadn't noticed the wave of joy washing over my face. He struck a pose of utter despair. If he hadn’t been clinging to the rock face, I was sure he would be beating his chest and stamping his feet in fury right now, acting completely deranged.

"Alright, alright! If it’s not meant to be, then it’s not meant to be. If it fell, it fell. Can the two of you stop glaring and arguing? Let’s hurry up and climb!" Ji Ye, the old fellow, also failed to notice the shift in my demeanor. He glanced down and saw me standing there like a stubborn stump, mistakenly thinking I was paralyzed with fear. He spoke in a low, cautious voice.

I turned my gaze to Ji Ye and only then did I realize that his robe of eight panels was actually a brilliant sky blue, the exact color my grandfather often wore when he was alive. The crown on his head was almost identical to the hat worn by the Monk Tang, though Ji Ye’s was far filthier and more grime-covered, making the original color nearly indistinguishable. However, from its greasy sheen, I could still generally deduce that the primary hue of his noble crown must have been red. I could even glimpse his yellowed, time-worn teeth in the slight opening of his mouth.

Qin Bing’er remained motionless, growing frantic, and she cried out, her voice trembling, "Ying Ying, Hua’er’s blood is almost gone!"

I jumped, snapping back to reality like waking from a dream. I quickly looked down and saw that Hua’er’s entire head was matted with dark red blood, crisscrossed with ravines. Its little paws were clawing desperately at its face, clearly in intense pain. I panicked, rushing over to an adjacent egg-shaped depression in the rock, and once I found my footing, I tore a strip of cloth from my tunic and wound it tightly around Hua’er’s head until the bleeding finally managed to staunch itself.

While I was busy with this frantic activity, I excitedly looked up at Qin Bing’er and said, "Bing’er, your face is so beautiful, like a ripe red apple!" Heaven knows why such a corny line popped out of my mouth—it must be the adrenaline!

Qin Bing’er froze at my words, staring at me with her pale blue eyes, bewildered. "You… you… at a time like this, you’re still in the mood to joke?" Then, realization dawned suddenly, and she slapped her hand over her mouth. I heard her voice, laced with astonishment, leak out through her fingers, "You… you can see other colors now!"

I nodded enthusiastically.

"I thought something was wrong with you, boy, turns out your damn dog eyes can see other colors now, huh? But I bet your eyes are mostly yellow," Man Niao Niao drawled dismissively, still insulting me without restraint.

I couldn’t be bothered with that creature. Still, the thought of that razor-sharp Bawang Sword stung my heart; such a magnificent artifact vanished right before my eyes. Oh well, if it’s gone, it’s gone. As Ji Ye said, if it’s not destined for me, there’s no point in forcing it. Let it rest where it belongs. I’d had a premonition all along that such an item shouldn't belong to me, nor should it ever be seen by the world.

With that thought, I felt a surge of relief; the regret was quickly replaced by this serendipitous joy. I pondered what could have healed my eyes. The answer came swiftly: Hua’er’s blood, specifically the blood from its injured scalp! It was truly a case of searching a thousand times only to find it right where you started.

Later, in a casual conversation with Ji Ye, I learned that he considered my black-and-white vision to be easy to fix; the medicine he intended to use was Hua’er’s urine. Who knew that heaven was benevolent enough for Hua’er’s fresh blood to cure my eyes coincidentally, saving me from being ravaged by some foul, smelly substance? This must be counted as a destined miraculous encounter. That’s a story for another time; I won't dwell on it now.

Now that my black-and-white vision was finally normal, along with the surprise came a creeping anxiety. Before, seeing only in monochrome, I didn't worry about nearsightedness. Now that my vision was restored, and without glasses, would the edges of my view start to fuzz out again? Fortunately, that fear was unfounded. My vision extended far and was perfectly clear; my myopia had inexplicably vanished. For a long time afterward, I intended to reveal this method for curing nearsightedness to the public and even apply for a patent. However, fearing the trouble it might cause, or even worse, the terror it might inflict upon others who saw things they shouldn't, the secret remained locked inside me.

With my vision restored, I could now see the sheer cliff face covered in green branches and leaves—though the green was a deep, inky shade. The stone eggs growing from the cliff were not the stark white I had first imagined, but a luminous white tinged with pale yellow, not much different from the color of a real chicken egg.

"Let’s go!" Man Niao Niao hissed angrily. "What are you still dawdling for, you piece of..."

My mood was excellent now; I had no interest in sparring with Man Niao Niao. I noticed the light above growing steadily brighter; we clearly weren't far from the summit. I quickly secured Hua’er to my body, which gave me a significant surge of strength and agility. I stopped caring about those damn stone eggs and their origins, using my hands and feet vigorously, scrambling and climbing joyfully between the rock holes and indentations on the cliff face.

The three above also accelerated their pace, falling silent, just climbing with determined, heavy breaths. Fortunately, no other unexpected events occurred. We soon reached the area where the sunlight could touch the cliff, arriving amidst gasping breaths. Bathed in the sudden sunlight, I was as disoriented as when I first escaped the Anle Cave. I squinted for a long time before daring to open my eyes fully. I recalled composing a rather crude but vivid limerick back then, but my poetic spirit was entirely absent now, my nerves too exhausted to produce anything worthwhile.

Of course, the lack of poetic inspiration had a more critical underlying reason: we hadn't reached our final destination yet.

I remembered Ji Ye saying the Tusi King Qin Cheng lay where the sun rose. Now that the summit was clearly visible, my heart began to thump wildly. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Qin Cheng—how would this centuries-dead city receive us? How would it reveal the secrets of the Blood Soul Stele? Would it, like the soul in Anle Cave, tell us things directly?… In short, my emotions were intensely complex, and my anticipation was extreme!