I was just about to see what the parchment contained when I remembered that Shirley Yang was still tied up on the floor. I set the scroll aside, preparing to untie her. Strange as her recurring dreams of the Ghost Cave were, it was excessive to treat her as if she were possessed by an evil spirit or reincarnated as a demon queen.

Shirley Yang lay sprawled on the ground, her face smeared with dirt and tear tracks, resembling the painted face of a Peking Opera performer. Seeing me approach, she snapped, "Damn Hu, untie me, quick."

I recounted the events to her, then, gritting my teeth, slapped Shirley Yang across the face before undoing the leather belt binding her wrists.

"I had no choice, this was the only way," I said. "You can hit me back—hit me as much as you like." I turned my head away, expecting her to strike me, bracing myself for the loss of at least two of my front teeth.

Unexpectedly, Shirley Yang wiped the dust from her face but didn't strike me. She only said, "I don't want to settle accounts with you right now. We'll deal with this later. Getting out of here is the priority."

Shirley Yang pulled a small box from her utility pouch. Inside was a tiny pill. She opened it, sniffed it near her nose, and then handed two more to me and Fatty to inhale as well.

Shirley Yang explained, "This is highly concentrated Chouqi alcohol extract. Its smell is intense enough to stimulate the frontal lobe of the brain through the nasal mucosa, keeping one alert. It's used to aid in detoxification and combat cravings. Foreign explorers carry a few for emergencies in the wilderness; it can stimulate the brain nerves to prevent collapse under extreme fatigue and hunger, but it shouldn't be used too often in a short time, or it causes severe side effects. As for whether it works against the hallucinations from the 'Corpse Flower,' I can't say for sure."

I mused that since the Shixiang Moyu (Corpse Scent Demon Flower) induced hallucinations through all five senses, with the illusions originating from the brain's central processing unit, this stimulating drug might counteract the effects somewhat.

I gave one pill to Fatty and opened mine, immediately inhaling deeply. A horribly foul stench rushed into my nostrils, making me cough violently. But immediately afterward, my heavy, sluggish mind felt significantly lighter and much more comfortable.

"If you had this wonderful stuff, why didn't you bring it out sooner?" I grumbled. "If you'd given us some on the stone beam, we could have ripped that demonic flower out by the roots, and we wouldn't be buried here now, stuck in this dilemma."

Shirley Yang replied, "When you ran back from the stone beam and explained the situation, only then did we realize the Shixiang Moyu was causing hallucinations in those who reached the beam, leading to the attack by countless black snakes. But in those few short minutes, we didn't even know if those snakes were illusions conjured by the flower. Besides, I suspect the Shixiang Moyu isn't that simple; it possesses a malevolent power that aims straight for the heart. If we get too close, I doubt this medication would be very effective."

Of the five people who entered the tomb of the Ancient Sage, only Chen and Ye were mentally unstable—one from shock, the other unconscious. Ye Yixin was now dead, and Professor Chen was completely deranged. He wasn't affected by the Shixiang Moyu hallucinations. His state reminded us of the British expedition that previously explored the ruins of Jingjue Ancient City; the sole survivor of that team went mad, surely driven over the edge by witnessing the horrific sight of his companions killing each other.

As for Professor Chen, the massive emotional rollercoaster he endured in a single day—grieving the death of his assistant Hao Aiguo, finding one major discovery after another in the Jingjue ruins, and then suddenly seeing both his students die tragically—was a profound shock to his nervous system. Moreover, given his advanced age, his mind finally broke down, leading to complete madness.

Thinking of this, I nodded grimly and told Shirley Yang, "That 'Dead Man's Flower' is truly formidable. Thankfully, we remained closely united and didn't fall for its strategy of sowing discord, thus avoiding a tragedy of mutual slaughter. Looking back now, I’m truly terrified. But it seems the grace of Hu Da and the Ancient Sage protected us from committing a grave error."

Shirley Yang’s face suddenly darkened. "Hu Bayi, you are too cunning, trying to push all the blame onto others! You know how much I trusted you. Not only did you deceive me and withhold the truth, but you also suspected me of being... some kind of monster. Have you considered how I felt? Do you know what it’s like to be bound like livestock by you two scoundrels, waiting for your interrogation and execution?"

I clutched my head. "Ouch, not good. My head is throbbing again. I need to sit down and rest for a moment. Fatty, quickly give Miss Yang the Ancient Sage's parchment scroll to see if there’s any good plan for escape." With that excuse, I slipped away toward Professor Chen, daring not to speak further with Shirley Yang.

Fortunately, Shirley Yang wasn't the type to press an advantage relentlessly. Seeing me retreat, she let the matter drop and picked up the Ancient Sage's parchment scroll, turning the pages one by one.

I inwardly groaned. Knowing her personality, she wouldn't let me off easily later. I had acted ruthlessly today, and with so many deaths, the hard-earned money me and Fatty were expecting was surely gone. Damn it all, why is Old Hu so unlucky that even a sip of cold water gets caught in my throat?

Curiosity about the scroll’s contents persisted. Seeing Shirley Yang’s expression was solemn, betraying neither joy nor sorrow, I figured that since the Ancient Sage foresaw our arrival and opening of the stone casket, he must have left us something. What could it be? I could hold back no longer and asked, "What is written in the Little Sage’s book?"

Shirley Yang held the parchment scroll, reading as she spoke: "They are all drawings made by the Ancient Sage; there seems to be a lot about the Ghost Cave."

In this lifetime, I never wanted to return to the Ghost Cave. More importantly, I needed an exit. But I couldn't rush Shirley Yang, so I patiently waited for her to finish.

Shirley Yang continued, "We have to read from the beginning to understand the context, otherwise, the final drawings might be impossible to interpret. The opening section describes a sacred mountain in the ancient Western Regions—which is Mount Zagrama where we are now. This mountain is surrounded by dense waterways and abundant flora and fauna. Four tribes resided here..."

Fatty and I exchanged glances. We realized this American girl was going to start from the very beginning—how frustrating! We were burning with anxiety, desperate to know how to escape this cramped, oppressive tomb chamber, yet neither of us dared speak. We looked at each other, fidgeting restlessly.

Shirley Yang went on, "The good times didn't last. The people discovered a bottomless pit in Mount Zagrama. No one could reach the bottom, and everyone wanted to know what kind of world lay within. One of the four tribes had a High Priest; he ordered the carving of a jade eyeball, hoping to use the power of the True God to see whether the bottomless pit was auspicious or evil. During a grand ceremony, not only did they fail to see what lay beneath the pit, but they also invited disaster to descend. First, the High Priest was blinded and died violently. Then, strange snakes that threatened humans and livestock appeared nearby. These snakes were numerous, each possessing a strange eye on its head, and their venom was potent, killing countless people and animals. The four tribes nominated two Saints favored by the True God, who led the tribal warriors to kill the Mother Serpent—a monstrous creature with a human head, a serpent's body, and four limbs. It hatched eye-like eggs, and each egg could produce hundreds of strange snakes. If left unchecked, the proliferation would have been disastrous."

Fatty and I were astonished to hear this. "Good heavens, such a snake with a human head really existed in ancient times? Thank goodness we didn't run into one; that would have been tough to handle."

Shirley Yang replied, "It's likely the Ancient Sage really did exterminate the snakes, but the man-headed, serpent-bodied beast might not be entirely literal. Ancient people usually mythologize and exaggerate important events. It's like the war between the Yan Emperor and the Yellow Emperor and Chiyou in China—it might have just been a skirmish between a few hundred people from different tribes, but in ancient records, it was depicted as a magnificent, epic war involving gods and beasts."

I gave her a thumbs-up. "A profound observation. What happened next? Could you break it down quickly?"

Shirley Yang gave me a sidelong glance and continued, "After the serpent beast was wiped out, the Saints threw the bodies of the multitude of snakes into the bottomless pit beneath Mount Zagrama. Through a divine oracle, the Saints learned that this cavern was a pit of disaster, and the jade eyeball had opened the door to calamity. Following this, a Prophet was born in one of the tribes—this child possessed the ability to prophesy. Well... what follows is the Prophet's prophecy regarding the future of Mount Zagrama. After the tribal Ancient Sage died, he was buried on Mount Zagrama. The Prophet could foretell major events thousands of years later through rituals, but this ability was limited to the vicinity of Mount Zagrama, possibly because the Ancient Sage, revered as a god by the tribe, was buried there; the Prophet’s powers were bestowed by the two Saints and the True God."

Finally, we were getting to the point. I listened intently to Shirley Yang’s words. Our survival and escape from this cursed place depended on how the Prophet had foreseen things. The answer to life and death was about to be revealed, and my heartbeat quickened slightly.

Shirley Yang said, "Don't be so tense. I skimmed through the later sections; there seems to be some revelation about how we can leave Zagrama. But we need to correlate it with the earlier content. Don't rush; let's take it step by step."

Just as we were completely focused, Professor Chen suddenly snapped his eyes open, pointed at the ancient parchment scroll in Shirley Yang's hands, and exclaimed, "Whatever you do, don't look at the later content!"