I’ve finally figured out why the Temple of Zhang Fei, or the Marquis Huan Temple, is so unconventional. The reason is actually quite simple: the appearance of Lord Zhang Fei could certainly not be described as gentle or refined. With that thick, bristly beard and those ferocious features, not only would humans be frightened just looking at him, but ghosts themselves would probably steer clear. Perhaps the people of the Tangya Tusi City placed his statue in this spot long ago to prevent evil spirits from entering the underground Imperial City and disturbing the peace of the local inhabitants. As for his statue being able to move or retract, it must be nothing more than a cleverly concealed mechanism. The reason the Zhang Fei Temple was built so close to the Tangya River is that, based on the topography of Xuanwu Mountain, this area is the lowest point, making the passage to and from the underground Imperial City easiest to construct here.

But is the story truly that straightforward?

I didn’t have time to ponder it further, as Qin Bing'er was already scaling the imitation Zhang Laoye’s Eighteen-Foot Serpent Spear and urging us to hurry. I was astonished; this replica spear was so massive. How could Qin Bing'er, such a gentle and graceful young woman, be so agile? As I approached the wooden pillar, I realized there were small indentations carved into it for climbing, and she was using these handholds and footholds to ascend.

I certainly didn't dare lag behind. I secured my pack, settled Hua'er on my shoulder, and began climbing second, followed by Ji Ye. Since Man Niao Niao was using the Xuanyi Duyu Pearl to illuminate our way, he took the rear. This fellow had indeed gained more courage after Ji Ye imbued him with a touch of flame, as he didn't exhibit any "scramble to be first" behavior—praiseworthy indeed.

The imitation Serpent Spear wasn't actually that tall. We must have reached the top in about five or six minutes of climbing. It was then we realized something else we had completely overlooked: we already knew that the top of this sinkhole-like opening was covered by several heavy bluestone slabs. How were we supposed to get out?

The others noticed this oversight as well, and their expressions grew disheartened. Man Niao Niao called up from below, "Qin Bing'er, what's the next move?" Qin Bing'er remained silent above my head. Not until Man Niao Niao asked again did she reply dejectedly, "I... I can't remember the way forward now either!"

At these words, a fresh shock jolted through me. Could it be that Qin Bing'er's memories of her past life were strictly confined to the underground Imperial City, vanishing the moment she approached the outer world?

What Qin Bing'er said next stunned me so much that I nearly lost my grip and tumbled headfirst down. She murmured, "Huh? Ying Ying, why am I here? What is this place?" Ji Ye and Man Niao Niao clearly heard her words; their gasps abruptly cut off. Without even looking, I could imagine the expressions on their faces.

After a long silence, I managed to say, "Didn't you lead us here? Have you forgotten already?" Qin Bing'er looked at me strangely and replied, "Did I? I have absolutely no recollection of it." I couldn't press the issue further, but my mind was churning furiously. If this was the case, could it truly be the spirit of Tusi King Qin Cheng possessing Qin Bing'er? Considering this possibility, I dared not speak again, fearing I might startle her. In this precarious spot, suspended between heaven and earth, if she panicked and something went wrong, the rest of us would be left calling out to the heavens in vain.

Ji Ye, however, remained composed and changed the subject. "Let's look around for any other small openings or holes we can squeeze through to the outside." Thereupon, Man Niao Niao raised the Xuanyi Duyu Pearl and spun around, preparing to light up the cavern walls. Unexpectedly, the fellow didn't look closely; his face suddenly lunged close to Hua'er's muzzle. Startled by the sudden intrusion, Hua'er let out a howl. Man Niao Niao flinched, his body convulsed, and he nearly fell. The Xuanyi Duyu Pearl slipped from his grasp and shot downward with incredible speed. We heard a cascade of metallic clinking sounds as it continued to fall, vanishing from sight in moments. We were instantly enveloped by thick, oppressive darkness.

Man Niao Niao roared in grief and rage. In the blackness, I felt a sudden surge of wind strike my shoulder. Before I could react, the weight on my shoulder vanished—Hua'er had leaped into some unseen spot in the dark—while my shoulder took a heavy punch that sent me grimacing and nearly caused me to lose my grip on the wooden pillar.

Man Niao Niao cursed incessantly, accompanied by rustling sounds as he apparently tried to backtrack to find the lost pearl. I was worried about Hua'er’s safety, concerned that Man Niao Niao was prioritizing possessions over life, and the intense pain in my shoulder ignited my own anger. I roared at Man Niao Niao, "Are you panicking for nothing? If you're not afraid to die, then go down after it!"

Man Niao Niao sighed repeatedly, full of regrets. Hearing my shout, he grumbled for a moment, then quieted down.

Just as Man Niao Niao fell silent and I was about to try and ascertain where Hua'er had landed, I heard Hua'er give a low call from diagonally above my head. It sounded normal. Elation flooded me. I groped my way upward a couple of steps, reaching the same level as Qin Bing'er, clutching the wooden pillar with one hand on either side, afraid to let go. "Hua'er!" I called out softly. Hua'er responded with another low cry, and a gust of warm air, seemingly scented with floral notes, washed over me. As I puzzled over this, a furry leg suddenly kicked my face. Feeling my way cautiously, I happened to touch that large blister on Hua'er’s leg. Greatly relieved, I excitedly told the others, "There really is a hole in this wall! It seems to lead outside. Hua'er found it!"

The subsequent events were much simpler. Since there was a passage, and it wasn't far, the four of us, being exceedingly careful, finally managed to scramble into the pitch-black opening. The tunnel sloped upwards and was very short. After only a few minutes of climbing, we suddenly saw moonlight and heard the distant croaking of frogs!

Hah! It was dark outside?

This realization brought both excitement and a chill of fear. The excitement was self-evident, but the fear stemmed from two reasons: first, the four of us were clad in ancient attire; if we were seen in broad daylight, it might cause a sensation—Look, over there! Zombies crawling out of a tomb in broad daylight! Second, there was a pile of rocks and a heap of mixed mortar right outside the cave entrance, suggesting someone had intended to seal this hole but hadn't gotten around to it for some reason.

Does this mean the hole had only appeared recently?

In fact, this opening was located just outside the perimeter wall of Zhaomating, remarkably close to it.

Of our group of four, everyone except Man Niao Niao looked immensely relieved. I walked up to Man Niao Niao, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "If it's not fated for you to enjoy it, then trying to buy pork will only get you cured sausage! Forget it, if it's not meant to be yours, forcing it won't help."

Man Niao Niao managed a bitter smile of resignation, and the matter was seemingly closed.

Taking advantage of the darkness, we took a shortcut away from Tangya Tusi City, never even considering saying farewell to Elder Chen. Along the way, we also "borrowed" a few sets of clothes from a household that hadn't yet brought theirs in (though I wouldn't call it stealing, as I slipped four hundred yuan into the family's doorway). We each found a secluded spot, stripped off the ancient clothes we had retrieved from the coffin, and burned them. Of course, Ji Ye was utterly unwilling to burn his eight-panel silk robe. After changing, he rolled it up, stuffed it into a snakeskin bag he'd pilfered, and packed his crown, ceremonial saber, and Eight Treasures Bronze Bell inside, strapping it to his back.

We dared not use the main roads. Even though it was deep into the night, traffic on the highway was still quite frequent. If a blinding headlight beam suddenly swept over us, and the driver saw three men escorting a mixed-race woman and a dog down a dark road, they might well think they had encountered a ghost—especially since we were all so filthy we barely looked human anymore.

We kept walking and stopping, walking and foraging for sweet potatoes and yams to fill our stomachs. Dawn soon began to break. We quickly found a water source to quickly clean ourselves up, trying to appear as normal as possible, and then hailed a minibus. Amidst the startled stares of the passengers, we finally managed to return to our home in Xiama.

Upon arriving back, naturally, just as we had after returning from Anle Cave, the routine was: wash, eat, then sleep. These were minor details, unworthy of lengthy description.

After eating our fill and sleeping soundly, our spirits greatly revived. Only then did I settle down to seriously examine the Xilankapu silk manuscript.

The cover of this manuscript bore only a simple geometric pattern. The pattern was highly regular, revealing nothing particularly remarkable. But the back cover held a passage of text. To my great surprise, the content of this text was exactly the same as the 'Banshou Song' Ji Ye had sung earlier, word for word! Seeing this text bolstered my confidence significantly. Although I hadn't yet read the interior pages, I was certain that the secret of the Blood Soul Stele was hidden within this manuscript.

The first page of the book featured the image of a towering tree. Due to time constraints earlier, I hadn't examined this image closely, having only a vague impression. Now, looking at it clearly, and analyzing the atmosphere, the word "towering" seemed an understatement for this tree. Its trunk was immensely thick, its canopy dense with leaves, and its spread vast. The entire image was embroidered with gold thread, making it stand out dramatically against the tapestry's primary colors of red and black.

To this day, I don't understand why the book left by Tusi King Qin Cheng would feature a massive tree on its first page. But I'm certain this tree is no ordinary one; otherwise, why place it on the opening page of the manuscript?

Of course, if it were merely a large tree, that would be one thing. What was even stranger was that the tree was embroidered with countless figures and simple, rudimentary huts. The people—men, women, old, and young—were all depicted with lifelike detail. Some appeared busy, hunched over their work; others seemed leisurely, reclining on branches, pointing and gesturing. Their expressions were varied and rich. Their clothing was a bizarre mix: some resembled the ancient styles we had seen in the underground Imperial City, while others seemed to wear only simple loincloths fashioned from grass to barely cover themselves. Some held long spears and bows, while others carried various baskets and objects I couldn't identify... In short, all the people and objects looked startlingly real. Were it not for the extraordinary nature of the tree itself, the scene would rival the depictions of life found in Along the River During the Qingming Festival.

I was looking at this book with Ji Ye, Qin Bing'er, and Man Niao Niao. They naturally saw the scene depicted, and their expressions showed equal bewilderment. After studying it for a while, Ji Ye pointed toward the tree's leaves and suddenly exclaimed, "Is this... a Sal tree?"

"A Sal tree?" I stared intently at where Ji Ye was pointing. I noticed that the tip of every branch ended in seven leaves, and along the main veins of the branches were several blade-like, thin wings. "It is a Sal tree! This is exactly like the small Sal tree planted in front of my home!" (Legend holds that the Sal tree originally grew in the heavens. Many of them grow in the Guanghan Palace on the moon. The immortal Wu Gang, having violated heavenly laws, was banished to the Moon Palace to chop these Sal trees. Since they grew so quickly, he had no time to rest, chopping endlessly. After an unknown period, Heaven decided that the Earth should also have this tree, so it was sent down to the human realm, and thus the Sal tree appeared here. Another account suggests that the Buddha Shakyamuni died beneath a Sal tree. The mystery and wonder surrounding the Sal tree are evident.)