Chang Dong woke up to a cluttered yet gentle sound. Sniffing, he detected the aroma of rice, instantly conjuring up the image of boiling rice porridge—the scent suggested the pot had already rendered out the rice oil. Fei Tang was speaking, his voice lowered: "I've seen my elder brother do it this way—just set up the stove like this. Please don't keep talking, okay?" Fei Tang was clearly disciplining someone high-minded: he hesitated to speak to Ye Liuxi, out of timidity; and he also avoided speaking to Ding Liu, fearing to offend someone with a delicate mind. As the morning sun rose, golden rays poured in, momentarily blinding. Without thinking, Chang Dong instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes—only to realize his hand was wrapped like a bear's paw. How generous must be the bandages from this household, wrapped so thickly, inside and out? Then he spotted Ye Liuxi. Nearby, on the roof of a SUV, she had placed a canvas chair. She lay curled up in it, as if basking in the sun or on duty, legs crossed, a telescope draped around her neck, and a knife resting across her legs. Chang Dong First startled, then at a loss for words. Beside him stood the mountain river, its body hunched but its head proudly raised—unable to slump its neck because two small wooden boards were clamped across it, like a patient with a fractured bone wearing a splint, or someone with cervical injury fitted with a traction device. Fei Tang noticed he had woken up and hurried over, "Hey, Dong-gong!" Chang Dong sighed internally. Fei Tang’s head was wrapped in gauze, yet he showed no sign of a wounded patient—more like an Arab man wearing a headwrap. Chang Dong instinctively felt that all these elaborate, grand gestures came from Ye Liuxi. Indeed, Fei Tang acted like a commentator, going on at length. "Dong-gong, you bumped your head last night. Xi-jie advised you to rest, so we didn’t disturb you..." "Everyone else is fine. I just have a small head wound. I was only worried about Xiao Liu—her head, you know—so I’ve decided to stay put here." "Xi Ji walked back two li before finally finding the Mountain River; she guessed it had flown out during the collision. Oh my, it couldn't lift its neck—probably fractured. Xi Ji then placed a splint on it..." Chang Dong interrupted: "Did you manage to track down those wild grasses and the flames?" Fei Tang pointed in a direction. Chang Dong looked that way, his heart suddenly tightening, and slowly stood up. Even from a distance, he could feel the oppressive gloom and stillness there—the once-yellow soil now entirely covered by the brown-gray of dense wild grasses, thickly woven like a massive, ancient mound, enveloping the city. Ye Liuxi inclined her body and asked, "Shall we take a look?" She tossed the telescope over. Chang Dong caught it, raised it to his eyes, and slowly turned the central and single-lens focus wheels—the adjustment ensures both eyes see a clear, synchronized image, since most people have different visual acuity in each eye. He saw clearly. Wild grass had grown up on the city walls, swaying gently in the wind, and the city gates remained closed, tightly wrapped by the dense, interwoven grass that covered them—now so thick that it could no longer be cleared simply by hand. From several different angles, the same scene repeated itself. Recalling last night, when Fei Tang had ignited gasoline to burn the grass, though that had added an extra layer of danger for everyone, it was only because of that sudden blaze that he had become frantic and sped his vehicle, enabling him to break through just as the gates closed precisely. Chang Dong climbed onto the roof, placed the telescope beside Ye Liuxi, and then pointed toward the small city of Xiaoyangzhou. "This wasn't accidental—it took time and planning to achieve such results." First, all the chickens in the city had succumbed to the epidemic, and then, the wild grass emerged at night, when the city was quiet and still. To call it a coincidence would be too far-fetched. Ye Liuxi nodded slightly. Chang Dong sensed that her voice lacked energy and couldn't help but look down at her. "What's wrong?" he asked. Ye Liuxi Chang Dong was amused: "You're looking at me like I've done something wrong to you." Ye Liuxi remained silent until suddenly, Fei Tang's voice rang out from afar, "Miss Xi, Little Liu has woken up!" She stood up, gave him a withering look, saying, "Get out of the way." Chang Dong had to step aside. But unfortunately, he found himself actually enjoying her withering gaze—the poised, superior expression, and the way her lips were slightly pressed. As Ye Liuxi descended the ladder, halfway down, she suddenly said, "I really hate people who start doing things but never finish." Chang Dong replied, "...Yes." It was true that people who start and then stop were often frustrating, but to say it so bluntly, directly addressing him—what did it mean? He never did things halfway. Ye Liuxi huffed, continued descending, and once people had already gone down, she suddenly reappeared, saying, "Chang Dong." "Ah?" "Is my waist thin?" What's wrong with her—she's one moment cold, the next blazing hot. Could the collision last night have exposed some underlying issue? And why, suddenly, is she asking such odd questions? Chang Dong said, "Well... I haven't really... paid much attention." Yexiowei stared at him, then broke into a laugh—light, almost uncontainable, her jaw slightly lifted, her lower lip pressed gently, a subtle upward curve at her lips, and then she said, "Hmph." And then she walked away. "Ding Liu said nothing. Fei Tang stepped in to advocate for her: "Xī姐, Xiao Liu said she wouldn't live long—her head has always been unstable, and last night she was hit again... she's really ready to pass away at any moment." Ye Liuxi gave him a sharp look. Fei Tang felt his scalp go numb: "No, it's exactly what she said. I'm just... repeating it." Ding Liu couldn't hold back and started crying as soon as she spoke: "Xī姐, when others have a knife stuck in their heads, they have to be extra careful. I'm always on the move, jumping around, and then I get into a collision..." Ye Liuxi replied: "Isn't that just impossible? Under the circumstances last night, how could you have stayed still? If you hadn't run, you'd have passed away already." She wiped away Ding Liu's tears: "Just imagine the Yánluó Wáng chasing you from behind—today, haven't you managed to run a full day, haven't you?" Ding Liu nodded, wiping her eyes. Ye Liuxi suddenly remembered something: "Here, there's something for you." She got up, went It's a small hand knife, not very big, leaf-shaped, perfect for tucking into your sleeve. The blade has a sunken pattern running along it—quite attractive. "What is this?" "The one inserted into your hair." Ding Liu was so startled that she dropped the knife with a clatter: "So repulsive?" Ye Liuxi knelt down, picked up the knife, and effortlessly spun it between her fingers. "Repulsive? Liu, think about it. A knife driven through your head didn't kill you—so for the rest of your life, you'll have to live under its rule, as its servant." "Think again. A knife that pierces your head and doesn't kill you—that's a sign of deep loyalty. It's destined to be yours, always protecting you, becoming your good luck charm." She held the tip of the knife firmly and brought it close to Ding Liu's face. "Would you like it?" Ding Liu hesitated a moment. "It does seem... quite logical." She took it. Suddenly, a clear, resonant whistle echoed from above. Ye Liuxi turned around. Chang Dong held a telescope, tucked into a canvas chair, but wasn't looking at Xiao Yangzhou—he was facing the direction of their arrival. "Old friends have come," he said. —— Li Jiniao felt increasingly uneasy as he walked forward. He always sensed an uncanny familiarity with that car and the people standing or sitting beside it. When he was about fifty meters away, he suddenly stopped. How could it be? These people didn't have those steel-bodied vehicles, did they? They had passed through here four or five days ago—he had thought they were already far beyond reach. How could they have met again so unexpectedly? He couldn't run away, nor was it practical to detour. After a moment's hesitation, he bravely pressed on. Ding Liu greeted him: "Uncle Jiniao, it's good to see you again." This little sprite, always plotting something, Li Jiniao thought with growing resentment, yet dared not show his displeasure, only managed a dry smile. "Yes, truly a coincidence," he said. "Uncle Jiniao, where did you manage to find another big rooster this time?" "She'd just examined the hanging chicken through the telescope, and clearly it was newly trained, far less composed than the Zhunshanhe chicken: its body kept rising and falling, its beak tied with string to prevent it from pecking randomly, and its body wrapped in cloth, like a corset, to keep it from flying off. Fei Tang was utterly impressed: Li Jinao had always trained hanging chickens this way—she thought there must be some secret technique, but in fact, it was simply a matter of habit. Li Jinao stammered: 'Well... the journey hasn't been smooth lately, and without chickens, I've felt uneasy...' He was eager to get rid of these three people: 'I still have to keep moving... I'll just leave now. By the way, isn't Xiao Yangzhou quite close?' Chang Dong raised his hand and pointed toward that area. Li Jinao, with his eyes growing blurry and suddenly overwhelmed by emotion, didn't notice anything out of the ordinary: 'Then I'll just go now—nice meeting you both.' As he was speaking, a sudden tightness settled on his back, and he was pulled to the side. He heard Ye Liuxi's voice: 'Don't Li Jin'ao felt his heart sink: It was all over. His town of Four Seas was gone—this woman was truly born from a yellow rat! She had completely misunderstood. Ye Liuxi blocked the telescope in front of him: "Look yourself. Save me the detour." At first, Li Jin'ao still hesitated, but eventually, as if something had struck him, he murmured, "Hm," and took the telescope into his own hands. As he watched, his breathing grew heavier and heavier, and his arm holding the telescope trembled continuously. Chang Dong remained calm: "Do you see anything?" Li Jin'ao stammered: "This... this is the Qi-Ming Grass." Chang Dong asked: "What is Qi-Ming Grass?" "You don't know? Among our court magicians, there's a book we must study—The Ancient Objects and Supernatural Framework. It mentions this." "Isn't there a term called 'lush grasses'? 'Lush' refers not only to flourishing grass and plants but also to dense, overcast clouds. So we call this kind of mythical grass the 'Lush Mother Grass'—it grows wildly and densely, shading the sky like a thick cloud pressing down on a city, always clinging to living beings and moving things." "When the Lush Mother Grass spreads, the wild grasses grow thick and dense—birds won't fly low, people won't breathe easily. Flowers are pinned to their heads, and behind them, hundreds or thousands of skeletons are scattered. That's exactly what the Lush Mother Grass does." Hearing the words "hundreds of skeletons," Chang Dong felt a spark of recognition: "What does 'flowers pinned to heads' mean?" "This grass is unlike ordinary wild grass. Ordinary grasses fear fire, but when you set fire to the Lush Mother Grass, it's as if you're wearing flowers on it—this makes it even more dangerous. The fire comes alive, rebels against you, and eventually burns you down to a skeleton." "Li Jinao murmured, "The people with scorpion eyes must be mad. Last time I saw that twin, I already knew they were in tune with the spirits of the beasts. But something like Qi Mingcao—this should have been sealed within the ancient cabinet of spirits, shouldn't it?" The name "Ancient Cabinet of Spirits" had now been encountered by Chang Dong for the third time. The first time was in the remote village, when the elder official delivered his speech on the current state of affairs, deeply moved: "Now, what is the state of the world? It's as if the ancient cabinet of spirits has been overturned—so many markets have vanished." The second time was on that scroll of cowhide map, beneath the pile of remains in the Yadan formations, where the characters "Ancient Cabinet of Spirits" spread out in an arc, representing a vast geographical region. The third time was here, directly from Li Jinao himself, who mentioned that one of the essential texts for scholars of the arts was titled "Ancient Cabinet of Spirits." Chang Dong couldn't help asking, "So, exactly—is 'Ancient Cabinet of Spirits' a display cabinet, a place, or a book?" Li Jinao's answer was—