Man Niao Niao let out a few cold chuckles, his face mocking. "Correct. Boss An is absolutely right. I do intend to destroy the Blood Soul Stele. Not only that, but I also want to obliterate the Suoluo tree your ancestors relied on for survival." The term for Ji Ye had shifted from the familiar "Brother An" to the authoritative "Boss An."

I stared at Man Niao Niao in disbelief, taking a long moment before asking, "Why?"

"Why? Ha! Are you still asking that? Didn't Boss An explain it clearly enough?" Man Niao Niao threw his head back in a wild laugh, then lowered it, sneering at me. "Fine. I'll tell you slowly. Once I lay everything bare, you'll realize that all your so-called cleverness amounts to absolute garbage."

"Tell me," I said, completely ignoring Man Niao Niao's taunts and settling squarely onto the ground. The words he was about to utter were likely the key to every mystery.

"Alright!" Man Niao Niao plopped down beside me. "Think back. How did I contact you recently?"

"You called me!"

"From where?"

"Guangzhou!" I remembered asking him why he was in Guangzhou when he called.

"What did I tell you when I called?"

"You said you had a huge surprise for me!"

"Do you know what that huge surprise was?"

"Of course—it was Tan Ping'er!"

"And where did I run into Tan Ping'er?"

"Fengcheng!" The moment those two words left my mouth, my head buzzed, and a fine sweat broke out on my face. Man Niao Niao called me from Guangzhou promising a massive surprise, which turned out to be the beauty Tan Ping'er, yet he only encountered her later in Fengcheng. Guangzhou and Fengcheng are two different places—this meant Man Niao Niao already knew Tan Ping'er.

"So, you and Ping'er weren't just a chance meeting at all?"

"Chance meetings? Where do you get so many? I went specifically looking for her."

"Why specifically look for her?"

"Heh heh, everything was arranged. Our clan needs her to find the Blood Soul Stele, to locate the two Tao Yin seals, and to find this sacred Suoluo tree. And our people already knew that Master Qinghe told Tan Ping'er to look for you, which is why I called you... Ah, when I called you, I remembered our childhood bond, and I almost let something slip. That’s why I hung up so abruptly. I never thought you wouldn't notice the temporal sequence between the huge surprise and the 'chance meeting' with Tan Ping'er..."

"So, I fell right into a trap set by you or your people?"

"Correct. Plus ten points," Man Niao Niao’s smile was dripping with sarcasm.

"Then later... when I went to Ping'er's room in the middle of the night, that sigh of yours wasn't me mishearing it?"

"Correct, another ten points. I suppose you thought then, 'Hey, this guy isn't mad at me for stealing his girl, is he? He’s just sighing out of politeness for my sake?'" Honestly, that's exactly what I had thought. Secretly visiting Tan Ping'er late at night had made me hesitate for a long time, especially after hearing Man Niao Niao’s barely perceptible sigh, which had instilled in me a fierce sense of shame. Back then, I considered Tan Ping'er my 'aunt'!

"If you thought that," Man Niao Niao continued, "you think too little of me. But it doesn't matter; in your eyes, I’ve always been dog dung, and I’m used to it... My sigh was actually regret for the outcome we face today. Frankly, our relationship as kids was quite good, but the mission of my clan meant I knew this result was inevitable long ago, so I was conflicted. At that time, I even wondered if I should let this scheme continue? Hearing you quietly sneak into Tan Ping'er’s room, I knew things were irreversible, hence that sigh... As for later, my exaggerated fear of ghosts? Of course, it was an act. The goal was to keep the play going. By then, I was compelled; I had no choice!"

"So you really are a descendant of the Saltwater Goddess? And your whole elaborate setup was for revenge?"

"Don't put it so crudely. Our ancestors were killed by yours, so naturally, we must seek justice."

"..."

"Ask away. Anything else you need to know? I'll tell you everything!" Seeing my silence, Man Niao Niao spoke to me softly, like a close friend.

"Then tell me a few things."

"Agreed."

"Who is Master Qinghe? Who are Ping'er's parents? And who is that long-nosed foreign old man? Why did they 'engineer' Tan Ping'er?"

"Heh heh, I knew those questions had been plaguing you. Fine, I'll tell you everything as it is. First, that long-nosed old man you mentioned is also a descendant of the Goddess—oh, the Saltwater Goddess in your words. I was away from home for so many years not working in Guangzhou, but staying with him. As for why I sought him out, truthfully, my old man told me to. My old man knows everything. How does he know? Heh heh, remember when I broke into Anle Cave as a kid and got possessed?"

"I remember."

"The white-bearded old man I mentioned was actually my grandfather. He was the last shaman of our clan. He spent his entire life searching for the Blood Soul Stele. When he finally found out it was hidden in Anle Cave, he realized he couldn't get in because of the terrifying, enormous trap set by the Goddess. He died before succeeding, but before that, he told my old man everything. My old man then told me, ordering me to fulfill my grandfather's dying wish. But I couldn't complete this task alone, so my old man told me to travel far away to that small country to find our kin, claiming I was going off to work. That’s why I haven't been home for so many years. As for my possession, it was entirely my grandfather’s spirit pressuring me. He was always guarding the entrance to Anle Cave."

Man Niao Niao sighed and continued, "Later, I truly found that long-nosed foreign old man. They were already plotting the aspirations passed down through generations of our ancestors. We hit it off instantly. He told me about Ping'er, saying the quest for the Blood Soul Stele would fall to her. As for her parents, they were just ordinary people. After the Goddess was shot and killed by Ba Wuxiang, her descendants scattered; some even crossed oceans to live abroad, ensuring the embers of hatred survived. Some of them were the ancestors of that long-nosed foreign old man. When his ancestors went to that small country, they also abducted some descendants from Tancheng. This is because his ancestors knew that the green-haired map on Tancheng’s back would reappear in a specific year—the year Tan Ping'er was born. The long-nosed old man, through our clan's divine arts, learned the exact method needed to obtain the green-haired map, so they 'created' Tan Ping'er... The process is complicated, but all you need to know is that Tan Ping'er’s birth was a crucial piece in the massive scheme we orchestrated."

I suddenly heard a thud behind me. I turned to see Tan Ping'er, her face stark white, collapsing to the ground. Ji Ye rushed forward to catch her, nudging me with his eyes, signaling me to keep listening to Man Niao Niao.

Man Niao Niao glanced at Tan Ping'er and sighed. "Her birth has nothing to do with me. It’s good she fainted now; it saves her from hearing what comes next and getting even more heartbroken—Once they created Tan Ping'er and saw the green-haired map that came with her from the womb, they let their guard down. Unexpectedly, Master Qinghe sent that black hunting dog to snatch it away. Later, they handed this mission to me: I had to find Tan Ping'er. By this time, Ping'er had grown up. I searched everywhere and eventually learned she was studying at Fengcheng University. How did I find out? Heh heh, all thanks to that green-haired map. The news that she was called the 'Wine Immortal' on her very first day of university quickly reached my ears. That’s how I knew where she was. Furthermore, I learned that Master Qinghe would soon tell her, through some mysterious means, who to seek out—don't ask me how I knew this situation, I just knew. So, we later decided to play along and follow her in searching for the Blood Soul Stele—that's why we had that 'chance meeting' at the Fengcheng station... Hah! Of course, our goal wasn't just finding the Blood Soul Stele; the main objective was locating those two Tao Yin seals and this tree. If we destroy those two items before the seventh day of the seventh month, your clan will suffer!"

"No wonder your old man kept stressing that this was a task we absolutely had to complete; he had ulterior motives after all! That old bastard..."

Man Niao Niao suddenly exploded in fury and roared at me, "Don't you curse my old man again! You not only look down on me, but you’ve never respected my old man! Back when I was sleeping in the plum tree, overhearing you discussing the Blood Soul Stele, you were rude to my old man, and I wanted to beat you senseless. Later, you tried to scare me using the name of the white-bearded old man, and I used that as an excuse to land a hard punch. Remember that?" So that’s how it was. No wonder I was puzzled why Man Niao Niao, who usually wouldn't even joke around roughly, would attack me so viciously back then.

Whether it was the shock of Man Niao Niao’s confession or something else, I didn't lose my temper this time but continued to press, "You still haven't answered a few of my questions!"

"Damn it, you've worn me out. Fine, I’ll keep talking. You probably already know the relationship between you and Ba Wuxiang. Master Qinghe is actually your second grand-uncle, your grandfather's full brother, which is why he looks so much like your grandfather. In reality, both your grandfather and your second grand-uncle are Tujia Tima. They have always known the secret of the Blood Soul Stele. Their intent has always been to protect the Blood Soul Stele, the Tao Yin seals, and this Suoluo tree—a truth passed down orally through generations. Your grandfather knew long ago that you would inherit Ba Wuxiang’s memories. That’s why, from when you were very young, he subtly instilled certain ideas in you and even left the character 'Tu' on your forehead. The purpose was to wait for someone, and that person, you know, is Tan Ping'er. As for your second grand-uncle, your parents and you don't know about him because he was sent away right after he was born; naturally, you wouldn't know such a person existed."

"That's not right. Even if my parents and I don't know about a second grand-uncle, shouldn't my grandfather know? Why have I never heard of him?"

"He naturally doesn't know. Because your grandfather's job was to protect you, while your second grand-uncle went to find Tan Ping'er. This is actually a task passed down from your ancestors; they each have their own duty."

Although I still had many unanswered questions, by this point, I had basically pieced together the context: Ba Wuxiang, the descendant of the Yan tribe, was the ancestor of the Tujia people, always aware of the thousand-year hatred between his tribe and the Cong tribe. Unexpectedly, he later shared intimacy with the descendant of the Cong tribe, the Saltwater Goddess, and subsequently shot her. The Saltwater Goddess then stole Ba Wuxiang's Blood Soul Stele, deepening the feud between the two tribes. To resolve the conflict between the tribes, Ba Wuxiang set a task passed down orally through generations of Tujia Tima. This task reached our generation and intersected with the mission left by the Cong tribe to their descendants (represented by Man Niao Niao), thus setting off this entire series of events.