The small boat sank without warning, neither attacked nor making any unusual sounds—its spectral passenger simply drifted to the lake's bottom with it. Watching the blood rose disappear beneath the lake's surface, Zhang Yuanqing felt a deep pang of sorrow. This spectral figure had accompanied him the longest, from the time of his transcendence until she became a Saint. Though he had always treated her as a consumable, he still felt a profound sense of loss when she truly departed. Yet now was not the time for grief. "How could this have happened?" Zhang Yuanqing stared in astonishment at Princess Yin Yao, who shook her head, her small speaker emitting a hesitant voice: "It just sank—no signs of anything unusual were noticed." How could this be... Zhang Yuanqing's brows furrowed, his thoughts now deeply troubled. Was it perhaps not the right choice to take the boat across the water? Could spectral beings not cross water? Had the boat suddenly sprung a leak? There were so many possibilities—now the situation had become truly complicated. Just as he was pondering, something suddenly rose to the surface of the lake. Upon closer inspection, it was the very small boat that had sunk to the lake's bottom. The small boat, slightly arched at both ends, rose again, but the figure of the Blood Rose was nowhere to be seen. It now seemed as though the boat had deliberately sunk, carrying its passengers with it. Zhang Yuanqing's face changed: "No—that's not right. The method of crossing by boat is incorrect. This lake operates according to certain rules; it's not enough simply to board a vessel. We need to understand what those rules are." It was clear that boats could indeed float on the lake's surface. The choice to use small boats seemed sound, yet a crucial piece of information was missing—the very rules governing the lake. "How do we know what those rules are?" Lady Yin Yao hesitated. "The employee handbook contains no such records, and we're running out of time." ...Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, Lady Yao, Lady Yao—how you add to my anxiety at this very moment! Yet he couldn't deny that she was right—time was indeed running short. The Dog Elder might return at any moment, and so might the Female Marshal. Most critically, the Master of the Halt-Death Palace won't last much longer. Once the White Lion returns, they'll have no choice but to flee. The rescue mission for the Magic Eye has thus failed. By now, if it all falls apart, Zhang Yuqing feels certain he'll be gasping for breath. They must find a way to uncover the rules of the Weak Water Lake. However, the employee handbook contains no records of these rules, and despite searching thoroughly throughout the dormitories, the second half of the handbook remains missing. The Eight-Steps Mirror skill is currently cooling down, preventing the creation of duplicates; the Blood Rose has already been lost. Treating the Greedy General as expendable is clearly a sign of poor judgment, and even if successful, it may not yield the correct rules in one go. They have no low-level Yin Shi available to serve as expendable assets to test the rules, and the Weak Water Lake is inherently perilous, offering little room for error. Where else can they find the rules? Suddenly, a flash of inspiration strikes Zhang Yuqing's mind. The handbook itself may be missing, but the employees are certainly there. Why The staff at the zoo are incredibly eager to assist visitors. "We'll find the staff," Zhang Yuanqing brightened, turning to Princess Yingyao. "The staff will tell us the rules of Weak Water Lake." The two of them retraced their steps. The Magi-Eye King, stationed at the center of the lake, watched the two figures swiftly moving away from the shore, vanishing into the night. He couldn't help but frown. "Something's wrong. Why did the boat sink?" He lifted his head, gazing up at the dense canopy above. "Old Tree Spirit, do you know?" The camphor tree swayed gently in the breeze. "You said the Dog Elder would return shortly, and I should not be too confident," the Magi-Eye King smiled. "Once I free myself, I'll take you to the northwest desert and plant you in the place where the Warlord is meditating." The tree canopy trembled. ... Though neither Princess Zhishi nor the White Lion was seen along the way, the signs of battle were unmistakable—trees had been uprooted in all directions, shrubs stripped bare, leaves scattered haphazardly, and a thick The situation was quite intense... Zhang Yuanqing quickened his pace. Finally, as they were crossing from the Panda Garden toward the Monkey Garden, they spotted a blue-uniformed staff member walking toward them from the Monkey Garden direction. This staff member ignored the battle scars scattered along the way, moving with steady, methodical patrols. It seemed the staff patrols only addressed strange occurrences and pollution, not actual combat—Zhang Yuanqing thought this as he approached. Upon seeing tourists rushing toward him, the blue-uniformed staff member promptly asked the standardized question: "May I assist you?" Zhang Yuanqing replied calmly, "Yes, I do." For a moment, the staff member's baseball cap lifted slightly, and his tone became more human, more urgent: "What can I do for you? What can I do for you?" If I say I need help rescuing the Eye of the Magic, will he just walk away? This thought flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind. Deciding to proceed with caution, he said, "Please tell me the rules of Weak Water Lake." The blue-uniformed employee remained silent, as if he had never encountered a visitor asking about the rules—perhaps for a few seconds—before responding, "The boats along the lake shore will take you to the center of the lake, but each boat can carry only one passenger." The employee's words caused Zhang Yuanqing's expression to change instantly. He now understood why the Blood Rhododendron had sunk to the lake's bottom. There had been more than just the Blood Rhododendron aboard the boat at the time. Something had accompanied it onto the boat. Neither he nor the Master of the Stop-Killing Palace had noticed this. Zhang Yuanqing felt a coldness spreading down his back, a profound chill rising in his chest. It was as if in a horror story, the protagonist returned home to enjoy a dinner prepared by his family, living in harmony with his spouse and children—only to wake up the next morning and realize that his family had been dead for years. Something had been following them all along, from beginning to end, and neither he nor the Palace Master had ever perceived The blue-uniformed staff member approached with eager anticipation, asking, "May I assist you further?" Zhang Yuanqing composed himself and replied, "No, thank you." The staff member expressed some disappointment and then turned to Lady Yin Yao, "Would you like any assistance?" Lady Yin Yao raised her small walkie-talkie. "None required." The staff member, now disheartened, departed. As soon as he left, Zhang Yuanqing immediately said, "Something is following us!" Lady Yin Yao scanned the surroundings, her red eyes glowing with an eerie radiance. Yet no matter how hard she tried to sense, she could not detect a third person. A growing sense of helplessness and fear settled within her. Zhang Yuanqing then produced the ghost mirror, scanning the area repeatedly—still finding nothing suspicious. He then cast his spirit-absorbing spell, but gained no results. If only he had the mirror hung in the Emperor's underground palace back then—its ability to reveal nocturnal wanderers far surpassed that of the ghost mirror in terms of detecting spirits. "We've encountered an unknown enemy... we've encountered an unknown enemy..." A hurried voice came through the silver princess's headset. "Master Yuan-Shi, my recommendation is to leave immediately. It must have detected that we've discovered it. Staying here could trigger some unforeseen change—something we may not even perceive, let alone be able to counter. We may have to abandon the mission to save the Magician's Eye." This was her carefully weighed judgment. Now that the rules were clear, they faced an even more pressing challenge—one whose resolution would likely involve countless unforeseen complications. The time they had left was even less than that granted to China's national football team. It was truly difficult. "Don't worry, don't worry—just give me half a minute more..." Zhang Yuanqing urged repeatedly. The persistent, eerie sense of unease following him made it hard for him to focus, and with time running short, he grew increasingly anxious, his forehead beading with sweat. In his agitation, he raised his hand, pressing his fingers to his forehead, where a luminous, milky glow began to rise and spread like a flowing stream across his face. Soon, Zhang Yuanqing's face transformed into the cunning, scheming white face from the theater. Princess Yin Yao knew that the white face symbolized thought, and silently stood by, hands folded, not daring to interrupt. ——Among all the women Zhang Yuanqing had ever known, Princess Yin Yao understood him best, almost knowing all his tools. Time passed swiftly; about half a minute later, Zhang Yuanqing removed his mask and laughed coldly: "I've come up with a solution." His emotions, influenced by the cost of the props, became unpredictable. "What solution?" Princess Yin Yao asked eagerly. Zhang Yuanqing turned around and strode back, speaking as he went: "Do you remember what the fourth and ninth rules say? Pandas are respected animals and must bow; when encountering colleagues in black uniforms, one must loudly call out to them, drawing the managers and other colleagues to attention. "But if the managers and colleagues fail to respond, one may seek help from the panda and the white lion." "It's clear that the panda is a positive image; I even suspect that you perceive it as fierce simply because that particular panda has been following you—what it's really fixated on isn't you, but the strange presence beside you." Princess Yin Yao instinctively reached for her back. They had been walking between the panda and monkey gardens, and in just a few seconds, they reached the panda garden. Through the tall iron fence, Zhang Yuanqing saw the same lazy, messy panda once again—now awake, sitting with a fresh shoot of bamboo in its paws, skillfully stripping off the outer green skin with its sharp teeth and chewing contentedly. "Go through and don't use any abilities," Zhang Yuanqing said. —Throughout the zoo operation, he had kept Ikō Mi maintaining her illusion magic, ensuring that the distinctive attire of his team wasn't recorded by the plants. The two of them leaped over the high iron fence with ease, landing gracefully. The panda, which had been sitting quietly in the bamboo grove, paused and tilted its head to observe them. Lady Yin Yao seemed startled, instinctively leaning closer to Zhang Yuanqing. The small microphone carried a trembling voice: "It... it's just like last time..." Was the strange phenomenon occurring right beside Lady Yin Yao? Zhang Yuanqing pulled her gently from behind and pushed her forward. "Go ahead, and bow." Holding tightly to the microphone, Lady Yin Yao hesitated, bit her lips, and then took steady steps toward the bamboo grove. As she reached the edge of the bamboo thicket, she bowed deeply to the panda. At that moment, the round, sturdy panda dropped its bamboo stalks and moved steadily and purposefully toward Lady Yin Yao. Its dark, bean-like eyes seemed serious, and it began circling her. With each circle, its expression grew more intense—by the third circuit, it was snarling and fiercely aggressive. Zhang Yuanqing noticed that Lady Yin Yao’s legs began to weaken, and her vibrant, crimson gaze trembled repeatedly. The panda she perceived was quite different from the one in Zhang Yuanqing’s eyes—she was under immense pressure. "Don't move!" Zhang Yuanqing shouted, "If you can't bear it, I can take control of your body..." As soon as he finished speaking, the fierce panda suddenly lunged and knocked down Lady Yin Yao, opening its sharp canine teeth and biting down firmly on her pale neck. A deadly heave followed. "Sssshhh..." A loud sound, like cold water poured into a hot oil pan, erupted from Lady Yin Yao's body, thick black smoke billowing out in great plumes. This smoke did not dissipate; instead, it rose into the air and took the form of a terrifying human face, gazing with reluctant determination at the panda for a moment before vanishing toward the outer perimeter of the zoo. The panda released its grip on Lady Yin Yao, treating her as though she were nothing, then strolled lazily back to its original position, picked up the bamboo stalk it hadn't finished eating, and began to chew steadily. Phew—done. Zhang Yuanqing hurried over to check on her and found that Lady Yin Yao's neck was unharmed, only bearing two rows of faint tooth marks. The panda's attack had not targeted her. Yet Lady Yin-Yao seemed to have a strong psychological aversion to pandas, quickly retreating, and the little trumpet urged, "Depart swiftly!" With the person and the corpse emerging from the Panda Garden, they had time to discuss the strange black smoke they had just witnessed: "What was that?" "Something eerie within the garden." "I know—what is its essence, though?" "Though I have lived several centuries longer than you, I still don't know." "Ah, well, then, let's set that aside." She hurried back to the Weak Water Lake, where by then the small boat had already returned to the shore and floated quietly on the lake's surface. According to the boat protocol, I must first expel my spiritual attendant—ensuring only one person boards—yet my soul is incomplete, with threads woven by the Palace Mistress; does this count as one person or two? Zhang Yuanqing found himself uncertain. Since that was the case, he would have to dispatch the spectral corpse. Thus, he turned to Lady Yin-Yao, who pretended to be a mindless spectral corpse. Madam, your professional demeanor still needs work. I'll have you write a staff handbook—title it *How to Charge Into Battle for the Master* or *How to Better Please the Master*. Zhang Yuanqing said with a sigh, "Shall I go myself, or shall I control your body to carry you there?" Zhang Yuanqing saw Yin Yao, the Princess, pull out a small horn and begin conversing with the magical eye, but from so far away, he couldn't make out the specific details. However, not long after, the Princess folded the horn and suddenly had black, sharp nails grow on her fingers, deeply piercing the thick trunk of the camphor tree. She tore through the bark and internal fibers as if ripping paper, and the loud noise was clearly audible even to Zhang Yuanqing by the shore. Shavings flew everywhere, and the bark peeled away. Gradually, the magical eye's body, once concealed within the trunk, began to emerge—within less than ten seconds, the frail, withered form of the magical eye finally broke free. He stood bare, skin stretched taut over bone, like a patient in the late stages of cancer. Yet he remained agile, stepping out of the trunk, grasping two vines, and steadying himself on the torn inner cavity of the tree. Then Princess Yin Yao began to return to the shore. It wasn't clear what the magical eye and the camphor tree had discussed, but a few seconds later, the camphor tree standing still on the lake surface began to move, slowly shifting toward Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up… Zhang Yuanqing silently prayed in his heart. The more tense the moment, the more anxious he became, dreading the sound of the Dog Elder's voice from behind, saying: "You're such a traitor!" Or the cold smile of the Female Marshal, remarking: "I never knew my brother had a spy in his fold." Or perhaps, the White Lion had already eliminated the Palace Master and was now slowly approaching him, ready to deliver a suffocating strike. Fortunately, none of these scenarios unfolded. Lady Yingyao and the Mysterious Eye had safely landed. The Mysterious Eye King grasped the vine, gently swaying to the shore, then surveyed Zhang Yuanqing with a warm smile, lifting a corner of his mouth. "Well done, Ghost Blade King." After months apart, his smile was as bright and fresh as when they first met. Zhang Yuanqing instantly grasped the meaning, bowing slightly. "What did you say to it just now?" The Mysterious Eye King chuckled. "I told it: if it brings me ashore, I'll spare it this time—no need to take it back to the General's Headquarters." "Hm. In fact, as Hearing this, the zhangshu shook violently, as if profoundly angry. It looked rather unintelligent... Zhang Yuanqing urged, "The commander of the Bai Hu troops and the Dog Elder will return shortly—let's go!" Just as he was about to make a retreat, a roar of furious intensity burst forth. Turning in that direction, he saw the palace mistress, bloodied all over, rushing back in panic. Behind her, the majestic white lion pressed close, hot on her heels.