The crowd, drawn by the peculiar mystery of the cave, gathered close, shining their flashlights into the depths. What lay behind that dark iron gate? Why was it plastered with so many sacred mantras?

Shirley Yang mentioned that Professor Du Qi, the Italian scholar and explorer, after discovering the ruins of Guge, made a conservative estimate of the preserved site's scale: approximately five hundred houses and halls, sixty blockhouses and watchtowers, thirty various stupas, and several lines of defensive walls and tower walls. The most numerous of all were the underground caverns of the royal city—nearly a thousand openings.

This indicated that the area and scale of the Guge Dynasty's subterranean facilities far exceeded the structures built above ground. The group asked the Lama whether the cave held a Silver-Eyed Buddha statue, serving as a scripture repository or perhaps a cave-shaped Buddhist hall.

The Iron-Rod Lama offered no reply, stepping directly over the broken wall and entering the hidden space. Concerned about potential dangers within, I followed closely, gripping my Remington rifle.

The Buddha statue inside the secret cave was not grand, standing only about a foot high, its color a dazzling golden sheen. It was not cast from pure gold or bronze, but rather forged from an alloy of five metals, cast as a single piece—a technique only the Guge people possessed, whose secret formula is now lost. Such Silver-Eyed, Golden-Bodied statues are exceedingly rare, making this one incredibly valuable!

The Iron-Rod Lama paid his respects to the statue before examining the rest of the cave. The Silver-Eyed Buddha was almost fused with the base of the iron gate behind it, fixed deliberately in place. The tightly sealed black iron door was entirely covered with the six-syllable mantra of Esoteric Buddhism: "Om Mani Padme Hum."

Although this six-syllable mantra is common, I did not know its meaning, only feeling it might be similar to Amitābha Buddha. A common door shouldn't need such inscriptions. I asked the Lama what these six syllables represented, whether they were meant to ward off evil spirits, and concluded that this iron gate was clearly not meant to be opened.

The Iron-Rod Lama told me, "The meaning represented by the Six Syllable Mantra is vast. Ordinary disciples recite this mantra to merge their minds with the Buddha; however, deep esoteric practice depends on the accumulation of cultivation through daily manifest activities, much like the quality of naicha cakes depends on ceaseless churning of yak butter. One cannot expect to achieve enlightenment simply by reciting the six syllables. Translated into your Han Chinese, these six characters roughly mean—Om! Jewel in the Lotus, Hum!"

The religious lineages in Tibet are numerous, and even within Buddhism, there are many branches, so the Iron-Rod Lama knew little about the Reincarnation Sect. He speculated that this secret cave adjacent to the Reincarnation Hall might represent the hell of the Reincarnation Sect. Souls of the deeply sinful, after death, could not gain release but were confined behind this black gate to endure the torments of hell. Therefore, this door must not be opened; perhaps it contained the hungry ghosts of the underworld or the demons of the nether realm.

While the Lama and I were inspecting the cave, something "swished" past my feet. I instinctively kicked out wildly, and the others outside shone their flashlights to the ground—it was a tiny black muskrat, shaped like a small cat. Startled by the flickering beams, it scurried frantically and disappeared beneath the black gate.

Only then did we notice a significant gap beneath the iron door. I shone my light inside, but it was too deep; nothing could be seen. The Iron-Rod Lama and I wasted no further time, returning the way we came. This secret cave was unrelated to the Silver-Eye coordinates; it was better to leave well enough alone. Whatever was inside, we would leave its excavation to future archaeological or exploration teams.

Fatty and Uncle Ming were clearly coveting the Silver-Eyed Buddha statue, but with the Iron-Rod Lama present, they dared not act rashly and forced themselves to restrain their greed. Uncle Ming seemed to be consoling himself, muttering aloud, "Those who achieve great things do not dwell on trifles! Our venture to excavate the Glacial Crystal Corpse is a monumental undertaking! While this Silver-Eyed Buddha is worth something, compared to that, it’s hardly worth the effort!"

The Iron-Rod Lama instructed everyone to move earth and stones to re-conceal the broken wall, and then they all stood outside the temple. Because the main hall of the Reincarnation Temple was missing a pillar, the group dared not venture back inside. That collapsed pillar had been placed purely for symmetrical layout, as it sat above a section of the underground caverns; it was like an unnecessary side dish on New Year's Eve—its absence meant nothing, and its presence was irrelevant to the building's overall structural integrity.

Uncle Ming took out the ancient Tibetan sutra scroll he had obtained from a foreign museum, comparing it with the Silver-Eye murals on the ceiling to decipher their secrets. With the Iron-Rod Lama's assistance, coupled with my understanding of Feng Shui principles, we managed to integrate the map in the scroll with the Silver-Eye coordinates almost effortlessly.

The Reincarnation Sect’s worship of the eye might trace its earliest roots to the Demon Kingdom. After the Demon Kingdom’s fall, it left many lingering curses upon the world. The Reincarnation Sect gradually faded from history, and its unique Silver-Eye ruins are preserved only here in the Guge Royal City. If this site were destroyed, even with the map from the ancient scripture, the Demon Tower would be untraceable.

The author and origin of this ancient scroll are unknown. It is only known that a foreign expedition dug it out of a Tibetan scripture cave in the 1920s or 30s. Initially, it received little attention and remained collecting dust in a museum basement. Later, a curator deeply involved in religious studies accidentally discovered the scroll. Because its contents were bizarre and hard to interpret, it wasn't until the last few years, with accumulated data, that analysts deduced it likely contained information about a Nine-Story Demon Tower. This demonic structure was a tomb, sealing away the Crystal Corpse, the evil deity worshipped by the Demon Kingdom. Finding it would certainly be a monumental archaeological discovery, potentially unlocking the mythical and incredible history of ancient Tibet.

After repeated verification, scholars determined that this ancient scroll was most likely written by a remnant of the Demon Kingdom, lending it high credibility. However, the sole difficulty was that although it contained a map of the Demon Kingdom’s territory, the mountains and rivers were denoted by animals or deities, deviating wildly from conventional maps. Furthermore, due to the long passage of time, the names and symbolic meanings of many mountain ranges and water systems had changed, making confirmation even harder.

The massive murals in the Reincarnation Temple served as the key to interpreting the ancient Esoteric Feng Shui. The positions indicated in the paintings were extremely precise; every different color, mythical beast, or celestial deity pointed to a corresponding direction. With these directional coordinates, one could cross-reference them with modern and ancient maps. Even if it wasn't as precise as "dividing gold to fix the location" (fen jin ding xue), it provided a general area, which was infinitely better than searching for a needle in a haystack.

The Feng Shui tradition handed down in the Central Plains holds that the ancestral root of all terrestrial dragon veins is Kunlun Mountain, which differs significantly from Tibetan Esoteric Feng Shui. However, at their core, the principles are similar. In Esoteric Feng Shui, Kunlun Mountain is described as the Phoenix land, while the other two major mountain ranges are known as the Peacock land and the Great Garuda land.

The most critical structure of the Demon Kingdom, the Nine-Story Demon Tower, was located within the Phoenix Divine Palace. The scripture described the Phoenix Palace as a mountain range composed of the four celestial jewels: gold, silver, crystal, and lapis lazuli. The mountainsides were divided into snow-capped peaks, each representing one of the Demon Kingdom's four guardian deities.

The Iron-Rod Lama suggested that if Kunlun Mountain is described as the Phoenix, it must align with the epic poem detailing the martial achievements of the World-Conquering Pearl King. Therefore, according to the poem, the location of the Phoenix Divine Palace is at the Kara-mir Pass, in the region where Qinghai, Tibet, and Xinjiang converge. That direction corresponds to the two Mother Spirits of White and Silver; white represents the snow mountains, and silver represents the glaciers.

I shared my assessment with Ming Miao and the Iron-Rod Lama. A place surrounded by four peaks is called "Shu Miao" in Qinghai Feng Shui, or the "Dragon's Crown" in the Dragon Seeking Canon—a juncture considered the backbone of heaven and earth, where the Ancestral Dragon first arose. The Xingshi (topography and features) there is exceptionally rare. Once the general area around the Kara-mir Pass was confirmed, finding it would be easy with the help of a local guide.

Seeing that the location was finally confirmed, Uncle Ming eagerly pulled me aside, pulling out paper and a pen. Before he could speak, I knew what he intended to say. I told him, "Rest assured, we will absolutely not leave you to work alone. Although we haven't signed a written contract, I have already accepted two pieces of Runhai Shi as a guarantee. A gentleman’s promise is made with his word; a scoundrel’s promise is made on paper. A gentleman makes no promises but keeps his word; a scoundrel makes promises but breaks them anyway. Keeping an agreement depends on the person, not the paper."

Uncle Ming finally relaxed, his face lighting up with joy. His altitude sickness seemed to have lessened, as if he could already embrace the Glacial Crystal Corpse. I advised him not to celebrate too soon; this was just the first step of a long march. It wouldn't be too late to rejoice after reaching the Kara-mir Pass of Kunlun Mountain and digging out the Nine-Story Demon Tower. Until we saw it with our own eyes, who could guarantee that the scripture’s content was entirely true? Perhaps it was just the fanciful scribblings of some bored ancient person.

Shirley Yang took more photographs for future reference. This trip to find the Esoteric Feng Shui coordinates had been much smoother than anticipated. Apart from the momentary scare caused by the collapsed pillar and wall, there had been almost no other setbacks. I hoped the rest of our journey would be just as smooth.

As we descended the mountain, the sun was already sinking low in the west. The nights on the plateau are frigid, so there was no point rushing back in the dark. The group decided to rest in one of the former sentinel blockhouses, a few miles from the Guge Royal City ruins. The accompanying guide arranged dinner and butter tea, then made sure the few people with weaker constitutions drank a packet of cold remedy. In this natural environment, the most dangerous thing was catching a cold; colds on the plateau could even become life-threatening. That night, everyone was utterly exhausted. There was no danger here; the wolves had long been eradicated. Thus, no one was assigned to stand watch. Two or three people crammed into one watchtower to sleep. Shirley Yang, Han Shuna, Axiang, and the other women slept in the innermost room, while Fatty and I occupied the outermost stone structure. After nightfall, we all drifted off. I hadn't truly slept soundly at night for years; I fared better during the day. Even in dreams, I always kept one eye open. Shirley Yang claimed this was "Post-War Hyperarousal Syndrome" and insisted I needed tranquilizers. I worried such medication would make me dull, so I never took it. In that semi-conscious state, I suddenly heard a string of extremely faint footsteps outside. I snapped my eyes open instantly. The cold starlight and moonlight filtered through the small embrasure of the watchtower. Using that faint illumination, I saw a black silhouette flash swiftly past the doorway.