The bronze cauldron, despite having one of its handles broken off, still had its heavy bronze lid sealed tight to the body when we rounded to the side. The seam was rusted shut; even a steel bar might fail to pry it open.

Wu Laoban and I exchanged a look, both sensing something odd.

Wu Laoban stroked his chin, carefully drawing the small stub of cigarette from his mouth down to the filter, then stubbed it out and tucked the butt into his pocket.

I didn't know why he pocketed the butt instead of tossing it onto the ground. Was he afraid of defiling the scenic spot's cleanliness?

But I didn't press the issue. Once he was done, he finally spoke, asking me, "What do you suppose is inside this cauldron? The Elixir of Immortality from Taishang Laojun?"

I smiled faintly. His joke was a bit stale, but I didn't want to bruise his ego, so I replied, "Not necessarily. Maybe it’s a monkey practicing his Fiery Golden Eyes."

"A monkey?" Wu Laoban returned a slight smile and said no more.

In truth, we had maintained a distance of about three or four meters from the cauldron since spotting it. Perhaps it was our heightened alertness, but neither of us suggested getting closer to inspect it.

Wu Laoban held his flashlight, sweeping the beam up and down over the strange engravings on the bronze vessel.

After a moment, he asked me, "See anything?"

I nodded. "I see it. The patterns seem to depict intricate, sprawling vines and foliage."

Wu Laoban shook his head. "Wrong. Actually, you were right just now. Why change your story?"

"Right about what?" I asked, rather bewildered.

I paused, then suddenly realized something, tentatively asking, "You mean... the monkey?"

Wu Laoban nodded, pulling me backward until we had retreated five or six meters before stopping. He then pointed his flashlight at the bronze cauldron and asked, "Clear enough now?"

I squinted, focusing my gaze, and indeed, I began to make out the trick.

The distorted patterns on the bronze vessel weren't simply vines, flowers, or birds. Seen from a distance, the outer tendrils outlined a shape similar to the figure eight, and with the two existing handles, didn't that perfectly form a monkey's face?

The reason I hadn't seen it before was twofold: first, the proximity meant I was focused only on the detailed patterns on the body, failing to connect them with the handles. Second, the design was inherently skewed, making it difficult to recognize a face even when viewing the entirety of the pattern.

Now, with Wu Laoban's prompt, I could even discern the half-open eyes, the nose, and the mouth on this simian visage.

The monkey's expression held a hint of mockery, cunning, and an indescribable strangeness.

I stared, slightly entranced, and asked Wu Laoban, "What is this, an ancient version of a hidden 3D effect?"

Wu Laoban shook his head. "If I knew that, I wouldn't be wasting time here. To find out why, we still need to find a way to open the bronze lid."

I shook my head. "That lid looks sealed by rust. Even explosives might not crack it, especially since we don't have any tools on us."

Wu Laoban clearly understood our predicament; he merely frowned, remaining silent.

Recalling his earlier dry wit, I sighed and asked, "Is there any way to lure whatever is inside out?"

Wu Laoban's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean?"

I chuckled. "Lure it out with a peach."

"Good idea!" Wu Laoban laughed, clapping my shoulder, and then unslung his backpack.

I watched his sequence of movements, utterly speechless, surprised that he actually believed what I had said.

Wu Laoban rummaged for a moment, then turned to me. "But it seems I don't have a peach. I do have an apple, though."

Saying that, he pulled a green apple, about the size of his fist, from his bag and dangled it in front of me.

I desperately wanted to tell him I was joking—never mind that there was no way a monkey could be alive in that cauldron, even if there were one, it would have turned to ash long ago. How could it possibly come out to eat an apple?

Seeing my hesitant expression, Wu Laoban patted my shoulder. "It's fine. How will we know if we don't try?"

I was speechless again, watching Wu Laoban place the apple on a rock about a meter away from the cauldron, then hurry back to my side.

Wu Laoban smiled at me, a smile so innocent it utterly contradicted his stubbled face.

I thought to myself, is this guy's name Innocence or Naiveté, to do something so childish?

Wu Laoban ignored my expression, grabbed me, and pulled me down to squat on the ground. He whispered, "Alright, we'll wait for it to come out for the apple."

I glanced anxiously toward the cave entrance, terrified the stray (Ming Huo) might return. I turned to Wu Laoban and said, "Listen, Wu Laoban the Innocent and Naive, maybe we should just forget it. Since we can't open the bronze cauldron, let's bypass it and keep moving forward. Maybe there are new discoveries ahead."

Wu Laoban froze, his expression shifting noticeably when he heard the words "Innocent and Naive."

But that flicker of unusual emotion passed quickly. His face grew serious. He pointed toward the cave opening behind us. "Those who died here never found out what made this bronze censer ring out. If we just leave, I fear we dishonor the spirits. I’m worried about ghost knocks tonight."

I saw a trace of sorrow and helplessness in his eyes, and I immediately fell silent. I recalled that when I first met him, he hadn't shown any sign of despair. It seemed this Wu Laoban was not as heartless as he appeared; he was simply adept at hiding his true feelings.

Next, I was dragged by him to squat on the ground like an idiot, my eyes locked unblinking on the green apple.

Minutes passed. After five or six minutes, my legs were growing numb from squatting, and I let out a yawn, preparing to sit down.

Wu Laoban tugged my arm, whispering fiercely, "Don't move!"

His sudden command instantly made me uneasy. "What is it?" I asked.

Wu Laoban didn't answer, instead fumbling for something in his pocket.

A moment later, he pulled out an antique kerosene lighter, something from the fifties or sixties, which looked remarkably precious.

Wu Laoban's face was tight with tension, his hand, slightly pale, gripping the lighter. With two scrapes, he managed to ignite it.

A small, wavering flame, tinged slightly green, flickered up before the two of us.