As I stood within the stone horse inside the Bird's Beak of Vermilion Bird Peak, I had retrieved a Xilankapu silk manuscript. On its first page, I saw an image of a towering tree, which left me pondering its connection to the Blood Soul Tablet. This question was quickly dismissed, however, because the second page displayed another image that brought me close to tears of emotion—it was an embroidery of the Blood Soul Tablet itself!

The image of the Blood Soul Tablet in the manuscript was almost identical to the one I held, with a slight difference: two short, square protrusions emerged from the curved apex of the embroidered tablet, resembling a pair of tiny ears. Comparing this to the physical tablet, I noticed these "ears" corresponded precisely to the two indentations on the actual object. Could it be that those two indentations originally held such "ears"? And what were these "ears"?

Just as I was about to turn the page to seek answers, I heard Ji Ye's aged voice ring out, "Hahaha, I found it! I found it! Thank you, Master, for your guidance!" Though his voice carried laughter, it could not conceal the overwhelming joy that bordered on weeping.

Startled, I circled the stone horse and found Ji Ye clutching another silk manuscript, also made of Xilankapu material. He held it aloft, laughing up at the sky, stamping his feet on the ground so that his white stubble stood on end. Meanwhile, Man Niao Niao was leaning in close to the hindquarters of another stone horse, scrutinizing something intently.

I pulled Man Niao Niao away and was astonished to discover a deep, small hole on the left haunch of that stone horse, positioned exactly where the hole on the other stone horse in the Horse Shelter stood. Scattered behind the horse's rear were fragments of brittle black shell and specks of white wax. Seeing this, I understood: Ji Ye’s manuscript must have been retrieved from this very hole.

I suddenly recalled Man Niao Niao mentioning that Ji Ye was searching for some specific book, perhaps related to the Xiu arts? Could this be it? Overcome with curiosity, I reached out to snatch the manuscript from Ji Ye. His expression shifted instantly; he swiftly blocked my hand and, with incredible speed, tucked the book into his robes, retreating two or three steps to keep his distance. I felt a mixture of awkwardness and indignation—it was just a book, why the fuss? What was so precious about a quick glance? I wouldn't want it even if he gave it to me, that stingy dog! (Dog Clamp Shell: A stingy person)

"Damn it, you all got what you wanted, and I didn't get a single hair..." Man Niao Niao grumbled. His words confirmed that Ji Ye had indeed found what he needed. Annoyed yet amused, I retorted, "Don't you still have the Black Robe Metropolitan Bead? That’s worth far more than both these books!" Man Niao Niao’s dejection turned to delight; he flapped his hands and feet, exclaiming, "Damn the ancestors, I almost forgot, thanks for reminding me!" He then pulled the Black Robe Metropolitan Bead from his pouch and held it up to his eyes for a close examination, wearing an expression of utter satisfaction.

Since the book was secured, and it contained an image of the Blood Soul Tablet, I realized it must detail the tablet’s origins and explain the entire situation from start to finish. Having grasped this, I relaxed. I carefully rolled the manuscript and tucked it into my robes, intending to leave this place first and satisfy my hunger before reading it at leisure.

Ignoring the pair of Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao—one old and one young, one frantic and one scattered—I walked over to Tan Ping’er, who stood gazing blankly at the stone horse, and poked her arm. "Ping’er, what are you thinking about?"

Tan Ping’er startled, snapping out of her trance, and managed a strained, slightly bitter smile. "Nothing... Ying Ying, do you know if there is anything inside the belly of this stone horse besides the corpse of Chieftain Qin Cheng?" I froze. How would I know what was inside? I looked at her questioningly. Tan Ping’er continued, "Qin Cheng's body was buried inside this horse’s belly, immersed in mercury to ensure its preservation." Hearing her speak with such certainty, I hesitated, asking, "Is this something your past life memories told you?"

Tan Ping’er nodded silently.

Suddenly, I was at a loss for words. Upon careful reflection, the entire trip to the Chieftain's Imperial City felt like a prearranged sequence of events. Wasn't it? The first things we saw upon arriving were the two stone horses in the Horse Shelter, and we were astonished to find those small holes in their hindquarters. Elder Chen's explanation for these holes had sounded mystical, and though we didn't fully believe it, we had no reasonable alternative. Now, it seemed those two horses and their holes were undoubtedly a clue. Furthermore, both horses faced east and west, and even all the tombs in the Chieftain's Imperial City ruins faced east. We had carelessly assumed this was an ancient Tujia custom of worshipping the sun, unaware that these seemingly strange phenomena were all pointing toward one location: our current spot—Star Peak (in truth, we didn't know the real name of this brush-shaped mountain then; we learned the name Star Peak from that Xilankapu manuscript).

Of course, the two stone horses alone wouldn't have led us here. The crucial elements were the twin Fir trees and the embroidered shoe. We previously understood the twin Firs symbolized the love between Chieftain Qin Cheng and Madam Mo, but now it seemed there was more to it, and the appearance of the embroidered shoe certainly acted as a catalyst.

It was clear that as we pursued our goal, related clues appeared sequentially, linked together like a chain. This simply could not be explained away by coincidence.

At this point, many of our previous confusions began to clear. Although many things remained obscured, I felt our journey to the Tangya Chieftain's Imperial City must be drawing to a close, as we had indeed obtained what we sought. Tan Ping’er’s background, at least, had begun to reveal itself, even if that revelation seemed bizarre and incomprehensible.

With that thought, I shook my head, deciding not to dwell on the minute details. I addressed Ji Ye, Man Niao Niao, and Tan Ping’er, saying, "We should find a way down now; staying here isn't a solution." Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao agreed. Tan Ping’er interjected, "We don't need to search for a path. The way down is inside the bird's beak; there is a long stone staircase descending through the bird's throat, which will eventually lead us to a place we have encountered before. Do you know where that is?"

"Where?" the three men asked in unison, their eyes wide without exception.

"It's beneath the sinkhole behind the Horse Shelter," Tan Ping’er declared proudly.

"Ah? How do you know that?" Man Niao Niao asked excitedly. Tan Ping’er smiled without answering. Man Niao Niao suddenly understood. "Oh, I get it! It must be your past life memories again, right?" Tan Ping’er smiled and nodded. Standing beside them, I recounted everything I had observed about Star Peak’s topography to Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao, concluding, "Besides the path Ping’er mentioned, we have no other choice!"

"If that’s the case, why linger here? I’m so hungry I’m turning into a photograph!" Man Niao Niao held up the Black Robe Metropolitan Bead, shining its light deep into the Vermilion Bird’s throat, and indeed, a pitch-black passage spiraling downward was revealed.

So, we packed our things, preparing to descend this passage. Before leaving, I hesitated for a long time, holding the two embroidered shoes, unsure whether to leave them or take them. Ji Ye noticed my uncertainty and said, "These two embroidered shoes have been separated for who knows how many years; now they are finally together. I suspect Madam Mo’s intention was for them never to be parted again, so perhaps we should leave them here?"

I asked, "You mean, bury them together here?"

"No, burn them! Only then will they be together!"

I considered it; that made sense. Items belonging to the deceased were traditionally burned so the deceased could use them in the afterlife—this aligned perfectly with our local customs. Having made up my mind, I lit my lighter and set both embroidered shoes ablaze. A colorful flame sprang up, releasing wisps of blue smoke. Strangely, in this windless environment, the blue smoke swirled in the air for a moment before spiraling upward and vanishing into the body of the stone horse.

I had originally intended to thoroughly examine the structure of these two stone horses, perhaps studying how the mercury containing Qin Cheng’s body managed not to leak. Seeing this phenomenon, however, sent a chill down my spine, and I dared not touch the horses again. Ji Ye felt the same way; he believed we shouldn't disturb the spirits within the stone horses and that we should leave promptly.

Man Niao Niao, who had been holding the Tiger-Hilted Chunyu—intending to trade it for tobacco money—turned pale with fright at this sight. Stammering, he carefully placed the Tiger-Hilted Chunyu before the stone horse, knelt, kowtowed several times, and mumbled, "I won't take your belongings, sir. I got this Black Robe Metropolitan Bead from inside a turtle; surely you won't want that back too?" He then looked up at the horse’s head. Seeing no reaction, he nervously tucked the bead away and retreated to the side.

Ji Ye, Tan Ping’er, and I each knelt and bowed three times before the stone, then turned and walked toward the entrance of the passage behind the bird's beak. We glanced back one last time at the two stone horses before following Man Niao Niao in single file into the downward passage. Hua’er, who had been silent for a long time, surprisingly also bent its legs and bowed three times before the horses before following us. This action shocked me, standing last in line. Was this creature so intelligent, or did it too have some connection to Chieftain Qin Cheng?

"Ying Ying, hurry up and follow!" Tan Ping’er urged me. I didn't have time to ponder Hua’er’s behavior further.

Once inside the passage, I realized Star Peak was hollow, essentially like a giant brush handle. The stone staircase Tan Ping’er mentioned spiraled downward along the inner rock wall. The steps were clearly man-made, carved out of the rock face with obvious tooling marks. The staircase was steep, yet the space was vast. Man Niao Niao’s Black Robe Metropolitan Bead swung ahead, casting flickering shadows, and I didn't dare scrutinize the surroundings, moving down one cautious step at a time.