The rapport between * and me was immediate; a silent exchange of glances was all it took to agree on teasing Daxiiong. So, * stepped forward, unbound Daxiiong's legs, and then yanked the black cloth from his face, leaving only his hands still tied. Next, we each covered our faces with scarves and shone bright lights directly into his eyes, ensuring he couldn't make out our features. Once Daxiiong could see, he sprang up from the ground. Seeing us both aiming our flashlights at his face, Daxiiong twisted his hands behind his back a few times, realized they were still bound, and loudly, almost courteously, complained, "Hey! You two gentlemen, since you've rescued me, how about loosening my hands? Imagine the karma that brought us three together in this Xinjiang cave—what a destiny! They say it takes ten years of dedication to share a boat ride, and a hundred years to share a pillow. I say we must share at least a thousand years of connection..." I cursed inwardly, What the hell, who said we were a couple?... Seeing neither of us respond, Daxiiong grew agitated and shouted, "What is wrong with you two? I’m an old acquaintance of your boss Wu! Untie this Xiong-ye quickly, or you’ll face the consequences when we get back!" I chuckled internally. It seemed Daxiiong mistook us for mere henchmen of Boss Wu. But it wasn't entirely his fault; since we were both holding strong lights directly in his face, he couldn't possibly see who we were. *Seemed to be fully committed to the act as well. Seeing Daxiiong still dare to shout, he walked over and deliberately kicked him hard in the backside, lowering his voice to say, "Behave yourself! You fat slob!" Unexpectedly, Daxiiong reacted like a bull. Sensing we might be turning hostile, he used the moment * kicked him to duck low and charge right into *’s chest. *Was completely caught off guard and was knocked flat onto the ground by the impact. Then Daxiiong lunged towards me. In the past, I would have certainly let this brat escape, but my skills were no longer what they used to be. I swiftly drew my pistol and aimed it at Daxiiong's head, snarling, "Fatty, you want some peanuts?" Daxiiong stopped instantly, gave a sheepish grin, and said in a fawning tone, "Let's talk this over nicely, young master... I won't run. Tell me, what are your orders?" At that moment, * rubbed his chest and struggled back to his feet, delivering a kick to Daxiiong that forced him to his knees. I thought to myself that * was clearly getting serious this time; that kick held no restraint whatsoever. Then * circled around in front of Daxiiong, shining the flashlight directly onto his face, and asked in a low voice, "Who pushed you down just now?" Daxiiong shook his head and said earnestly, "Didn't see clearly..." "Then what did you shout about 'Old Zongzi' when you fell?" I interjected. Daxiiong replied, "Right! How could there be living people in a place like that? It must have been a Zongzi that tied me up. I've been holding onto that grievance!"

asked sternly, "Then what is the place above..." Daxiiong blinked, then countered, "You're asking me? Didn't your boss Wu go up first?... Oh, I get it. You guys must have been left behind by the main group and gotten lost here. No wonder, this damned place is a total maze. But wait, if you were wandering around in those underground tunnels, the crabs would have eaten you long ago."

kicked him again in the rear, cursing, "Stop spouting nonsense! I'm asking you what the place above is like..." Daxiiong answered, "I don't know. It’s a mess up there—branches everywhere and some decaying statues. We were attacked by crab monsters right after we got up; the whole group scattered. Then I was knocked unconscious for some reason and subsequently tied up." "'You were following Nie Haiyun, and you don't even know where you were going?'" * asked. Daxiiong shook his head, saying, "I have no idea what the old man is up to. I’m just muscle; whatever he says, I do..." After saying this, Daxiiong frowned, smacked his lips, and added, "Gentlemen, I must say, your voices sound awfully familiar."

kicked him again, cursing, "Familiar my foot! Stop trying to suck up, behave, and lead us back up..." "Huh? We have to go back up?" Daxiiong looked somewhat troubled. Neither of us spoke. Daxiiong let out a sound like a stubborn pig and muttered, "Fine, I'll lead the way, but don't regret it when you get up there..." With that, he shuffled past me and headed toward a nearby broken opening.

grabbed him and asked, "We aren't going up through the top?" Daxiiong shook his head and said, "Stop joking. The top is sealed by a huge bronze plate; we can't open it. Only the mechanism up there can. Don't worry, we’ve been here before; I know the way." Saying this, he waddled his large backside toward me, swaying his hips. I felt disgusted and snapped, "What are you doing? Fatty, asking for another kick?" Daxiiong replied, "I have a map in my back pocket. Without this map, we'll get lost." I reached into his rear pocket and pulled out a small booklet with a yellow cover. Unfolding it, I saw the two characters "Huang Li" (Almanac) written boldly across it. Assuming the map was tucked inside, I flipped through it, only to find this year's lunar calendar inside. So I cursed, "Are you playing with me? What is this?" Daxiiong glanced at what I was holding and gave an embarrassed laugh, saying, "You’ve got the wrong pocket, the other side." I knew Daxiiong carried an Almanac; he’d mentioned it before. When people have bad luck, they often say, "Ah, I didn't check the Almanac before leaving today." Daxiiong carried one in his back pocket precisely so he wouldn't have bad luck—the implication being, "Almanacs are bullshit." I thought the brat was joking, but I was left speechless and amused that the unreliable guy actually carried an Almanac. Feeling defeated, I shook my head and reached into his other rear pocket. This time, I was even more speechless because the bottom of the other pocket was ripped open. My hand slipped right through and touched the warm skin of Daxiiong's bare backside. Seeing my strange expression, * asked what was wrong. Suddenly, Daxiiong let out a fart, and a wave of stench hit my face. I hastily pulled my hand back but was still forced to stumble backward, choked by the fumes. Daxiiong, agile as a wild boar, smirked mischievously, "Heh heh, fell for it, didn't you, Nie Chuan? You unfaithful dog, colluding with Hu Erwan to mess with Xiong-ye! Today, you’ll taste my tear-gas flatulence." I waved my hand in front of my nose, then started yelling, "Damn your ancestors for eighteen generations, how can you be so malicious... even using chemical weapons!" Daxiiong let out a wicked chuckle, then turned to * and said, "Hu Erwan, what’s the matter? Was your little performance not good enough? Hurry up and untie Xiong-ye."

coughed awkwardly a couple of times and said, "How did you figure it out, you little brat?" Daxiiong scoffed, "With the acting skills of you two, even a pig could tell." Seeing that pretense was futile, I untied the scarf from my face and said indignantly, "Yes, how can our acting compare to Xiong-ye's? You’ve been deceiving me since Black Bamboo Valley." Daxiiong froze for a moment, looked at me, then at *, and finally sighed, "I admit, I deceived you, but I was forced into it, I swear! If I ever harbor ill intentions toward you two brothers, I... I swear I'll never find a wife." I had no intention of believing him, staring at the ceiling, "Keep spinning tales, alright? Who knows if you deliberately fell from above this time, just trying to sneak back into our team?" "Me!" Daxiiong was momentarily speechless, his face flushing crimson. I sneered, "Your 'me'? If you want to prove you’re still on the side of the revolution, then tell me everything about Grandpa, and what exactly you and Grandpa have been plotting together." Hearing this, Daxiiong glanced at *.

stared at him silently, expressionless, but I noticed his brow was furrowed slightly.