Not painful—just like a mosquito bite. The blood in the syringe was fresh and bright red. Chang Dong drew only a little, quickly withdrawing the needle, as though hesitating, pushing the plunger slowly, one droplet of blood at a time, trickling from the tip and falling to the ground. "Flow Xi, after this, could you help me lay down those two people?" Ye Flow Xi glanced over at Ding Liu's end. "Why?" "I'm afraid they might have an accident, yet I also find them inconvenient." Ye Flow Xi lifted the cotton ball covering the needle site and saw only a faint spot of blood on it. "You'll have to go out eventually. When the time comes, how will you explain to Liu Qi? People have paid you, and yet, as soon as they arrive, you've laid them out." Somewhere in the distance, there was a sound of water flowing. Fei Tang had turned on the car's shower, but used it sparingly—only washing his face, then reaching out to wipe off the water, droplets still clinging to his face, his expression relaxed and content, the light from the camp illuminating the water droplets on his eyelashes, giving them a shimmer. "To step back, they'd have to do it themselves—we wouldn't have to say a word. As I see it, let them come in. If they're scared and can't make it, they'll have no choice but to stay put. Besides, Ding Liu has been looking after Liu Qi for three years now—she hasn't shown a single spark of initiative or courage, so she can't pull this off. Gao Shen was sent to protect her, and surely he's not a weakling. If they're not afraid, then we'd actually gain a solid ally—doesn't that sound better? That does make sense. Chang Dong agrees it's a more balanced approach. He reaches up and squeezes his brow. "Still, working with people like this can be a bit of a hassle." Ye Liuxi says, "How could everything always be to my liking? A harmonious family, a patient father and a respectful son, friends who're always ready to jump in, a partner who's not only beautiful but also kind and considerate—what about the temporary teammates? Do they all have to be loyal and brave? Do you really have that much luck? You've led teams before, haven't you? And weren Let's just see—how can we rely solely on luck for things to fall from the sky, and when will it finally come to something satisfactory? Look at Fat Tang—he's definitely more pleasant now than he used to be. Chang Dong looked at Fat Tang. Fat Tang was wiping water from his hands, humming a tune, in a good mood, and when he caught Chang Dong's gaze, he was slightly puzzled: "Dong-gong, is there something wrong?" Chang Dong said, "Hurry up and go to the bathroom." Instantly understanding, Fat Tang took off like a shot. Suddenly, her back brushed against Chang Dong's hand. Ye Liuxi's heart leapt—her fingers instantly curled slightly, and she didn't know what she was thinking, only that his hand felt a bit cool. A moment later, her head poked out from beneath the curtain, one hand lifting the quilt while the other gently pushed his hand back, then tucking the blanket neatly in place. Afterward, she felt unsatisfied, thought for a moment, and softly said to Chang Dong, "Do I look all right?" Only then did she reluctantly lie back down. — Probably having slept poorly the night before, she knew Chang Dong and Fei Tang had already risen, yet still felt drowsy and unwilling to get up. She managed to open her eyes, only to find the outside world bathed in a vast expanse of sandy hues, which made her feel even more certain that the bed was entirely justified. After all, the weather was poor. A while later, she heard Fei Tang slurping at his mouth, occasionally speaking to Chang Dong, in an intermittent, half-thought manner, as though still talking about Ding Liu. "Just now I saw her getting ready. With only a few people coming and going, who is she trying to impress?" Chang Dong spoke in a calm tone: "Girls these days just love to look good." Fei Tang wasn't slow to notice: "I think it's more than that. She's got a lot of thoughts of her own—she treats that high-ranking colleague coldly, doesn't even look at me when she speaks to me. As I told you, Dong-gong, she won't be..." Chang Dong didn't want to dwell on this topic further: "At her age, having a bit more thoughtfulness is quite normal." Ye Liuxi sat up, pulling the curtain open with a rustle. Both Chang Dong and Fei Tang turned to look at her. She didn't look at either of them, but instead tucked her messy hair neatly beneath. "With all that energy, why would she find men uninteresting? If it were me..." She looked up, smiling brightly. "I'd go on to rule the roost." With that, she picked up her cup and went off to brush her teeth. When she returned, the fire had been rekindled. Chang Dong had prepared a bowl of noodles, with When Gao Shen arrived, he couldn't help but glance over twice. He and Ding Liu had eaten the sandwich cookies in the morning—dry, cold, and after a while, they turned cloyingly sweet and sticky. He asked Chang Dong, "Little Liu asked me to check in—do you have anything scheduled today?" His tone carried a hint of resentment; he and Ding Liu shared the same belief that Chang Dong and his team always avoided real work, deliberately delaying things, only to circle around and play games. Chang Dong didn't look up. "Yes, I do. After lunch, I'm going to take care of the body of Gray Eight." This response surprised Gao Shen, who paused and then turned to go. Ye Liuxi sat down beside Chang Dong. The noodle pot just began to boil, and Chang Dong drew the wood to let the fire die down, then divided the noodles into lunch boxes with handles, so each person could serve themselves. Ye Liuxi took a bowl, watched the steam rise, carefully blew on it twice, and asked Chang Dong, "Shall we leave right after that?" Chang Dong nodded. "We'll work during the day—it'll be safer After eating, Fei Tang volunteered to wash the dishes. Here, everything is kept simple: just wipe the plates clean with a towel and then steam them with hot water. Ye Liuxi was gathering her goggles and gear when suddenly Changdong called out, "Liu Xi, come over here." She looked up to see Changdong standing by the off-road vehicle, its back cargo compartment half-open. As she approached, her first sight was a rolled-up body bag, which she thought meant Changdong was going to discuss the body. But then she saw him reach into the gap between the tightly folded body bag and pull out a pistol. "You called me over just to have me executed?" Ye Liuxi asked. Changdong smiled, holding the gun up and weighing it. "I don't use it often—it was arranged by Liu Qi as a precaution. Liu Xi, you truly must be from the inland region." "Why?" "I believe that a young woman raised in a normal societal setting, even if she doesn't feel the need to please men, usually finds herself pleasing herself instead. If I ask one hundred people, not a single one would say they aspire to rule or dominate." "At most, it's political—there's a desire to speak on behalf of the people. After all, it's no longer the time of competing for supremacy in the central plains. He turned the gun around and handed it to her: "Can you use it?" Ye Liuxi took it: "I've used it before, but it doesn't feel quite familiar. Is this one given to me?" "Yes." "Why?" "I always feel that if we actually make it through the pass, things inside will become more chaotic." Because she had mentioned "claiming the throne and dominating the realm," perhaps just casually. Ye Liuxi asked her: "And you, do you have such a feeling?" "Yes, I've kept this one for protection." Ye Liuxi nodded, casually lifting the hem of her shirt and inserting the gun into her waist, a smooth, practiced motion. Her waist was slender yet strong, with a healthy, honey-toned complexion, a rounded, graceful silhouette, and a firm, well-defined backside. The gun seemed to add a surprising strength and sensuality to her figure. The hem of her shirt rose and fell quickly, soon concealing her. Chang Dong shifted his gaze. Ye Liuxi asked, "Shall we all get into your car?" —— FeiTang chose to ride with him, insisting he wouldn't want to be left alone. Ye Liuxi blocked the door, insisting that FeiTang promise not to cry, fuss, or tremble should anything go wrong. FeiTang blushed deeply and made the promise. "... Ye Liu Xi kept a close eye on the roadside markers, pausing several times to orient himself, until he finally located the earthen platform where the gray-eight was buried. After the deep-draft vehicle arrived, Chang Dong handed him a field engineer's shovel: "Dig here—just here." Gao Shen took the shovel single-handedly and asked, "Just here?" "Yes. Be careful when you dig deeper—don't damage the bodies." Gao Shen rolled up his sleeves and began digging. Ding Liu sat on the vehicle and watched for a while before getting off to take photos with her phone. Chang Dong then removed three body bags from the back of the vehicle and laid them out flat on the ground. After a while, signs began to emerge, and Gao Shen dug with increasing caution. Eventually, he set down the shovel and used his hands to manually pry at the blood-soaked, compacted soil. Ye Liu Xi quietly reminded Chang Dong: "When you meet him in the future, watch out for his hands—there's no doubt they've been trained extensively." Finally, the three bodies were lifted out. The clotted, blood-encrusted sand clung tightly to their heads and faces, making it difficult to separate, Ding Liu felt a bit repulsed, thinking about how the vehicle had carried the dead—how she’d be able to sleep at night. She looked up at Chang Dong, “What now?” Chang Dong gestured toward the front, “Keep going.” —— After walking a bit further, another sandy platform came into view. Chang Dong stopped the vehicle and instructed Ye Liuxi and Fei Tang, “You get off now.” Fei Tang was puzzled and simply pushed the door open and jumped down. Ye Liuxi asked Chang Dong, “Can you manage?” “I can.” “Have you fastened your seatbelt?” Chang Dong smiled, “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Ye Liuxi replied, “If I weren’t worried, you wouldn’t have asked me to get off.” She opened the door, stepped back a few paces, and waved her hand toward the vehicle. Chang Dong surveyed the surrounding terrain and slowly tightened his seatbelt a bit more—he hadn’t done this in a while, and his hands felt a bit stiff. Ding Liu saw Ye Liuxi and the others getting out of the car, thinking they had arrived at their destination. Just as she was about to ask Gao Shen to stop, she noticed Chang Dong’s car suddenly accelerating and speeding off, then abruptly performing a sharp drift right before a nearby earthen platform, sending a surge of sand and dust like smoke swirling behind it. The car’s rear swept out a wide fan-shaped arc, crashing down and completely collapsing part of the platform. Ding Liu thought it was an accident and gasped aloud. Gao Shen glanced at her and said, “No worries. Chang Dong’s car has been modified—probably on purpose.” Indeed, amid the dust, she saw Chang Dong push open the car door and step out, continuously sweeping away the soil and dust in front of him. Ding Liu breathed a sigh of relief. A moment later, she glanced sideways at Gao Shen and asked, “Can you do something like that?” Gao Shen replied, “Little Liu, it’s one thing after another—people can’t be good at everything.” Ding Liu scoffed, “Then, that’s just how it is.” — When the dust settled and the platform partially collapsed, possibly due to the angle of impact, the Still in the style of Han Dynasty mural bricks, but this time, it's not depicting a figure being shackled and escorted through the gates. On the coffin, clear palace pavilions and halls are visible; a man dressed as an emperor is掩面 while weeping, with two dim palace lamps glowing softly. Across a drawn curtain, a lady in imperial attire is also gently wiping her tears. Ye Liuxi pulls over Fei Tang: "What is this painting showing?" Fei Tang is at a loss: "This... a man and a woman are weeping. This man is likely the emperor—this must be the emperor bestowing a punishment upon his consort?" If it weren't for the curtain, it would have been quite convincing. Chang Dong shakes his head: "No—it's Emperor Wu of Han, summoning the spirit of Lady Li." Shadow puppetry began here, and even those familiar with the art know this story well. Chang Dong gestures toward the coffin's surface: "After Lady Li, his beloved consort, passed away, Emperor Wu was deeply saddened. A soothsayer summoned her spirit, but explained that they could only meet through a curtain—this painting illustrates that very scene "Six characters, in an ancient style—Tang recognized this form: 'This is seal script, used in the early Han dynasty. This is...' The first character resembles flowing water; the second and fourth are unfamiliar. He could only recognize the third, fifth, and sixth characters, as they closely resemble modern handwriting. xx bone, x east soul."