A sudden tightening in his grip—Zhen Sihai couldn’t be contained anymore, flapping urgently toward the deeper part of the mine passage. Chang Dong held on firmly. Indeed, Zhen Sihai was bold and vigorous, but this was the worst case of poor self-awareness Chang Dong had ever seen in a chicken: it never treated itself as a chicken, and thanks to Li Jinao’s habit of tying it up in all sorts of ways, it might have died several times over otherwise. Nothing out of the ordinary was found at the entrance, and Jiang Zhan had gone silent. Once Zhen Sihai stopped moving, the mine passage grew unusually still—so quiet that even the faintest cough echoed hollowly. After a while, Chang Dong brushed off his hands and stood up. "Let’s go." The group moved carefully inward, Zhen Sihai leading, Chang Dong and Ye Liuxi following closely behind, then Ah He, and finally the Mungu Guard bringing up the rear. Chang Dong chuckled—what a comical scene: the domestic chicken strutting proudly, while the wild birds huddled and cowered. Ye Liuxi spoke softly to him, "I keep feeling that every step we take is leading "Chang Dong said, "Of course he's setting traps here—this is Jiang Zhan's territory, and he's been preparing for days. It's hard to believe he hasn't gained the upper hand yet." Ye Liu looked at him sideways, saying, "You always boost others' confidence while diminishing your own." Chang Dong asked, "Have you ever seen people fight?" "Yes." "Winning a fight isn't about showing off your strength. It's seven parts strength, two parts luck, and one part timing—sometimes, even when the outcome is already decided, someone can still stage a miraculous comeback." Ye Liu asked, "So what's your point?" Chang Dong lowered his voice: "Sometimes, the process doesn't matter as much as the result. You can lose several times today, but as long as you win in the very last moment, that's still your victory." Ye Liu took several steps forward, pulling away from the person behind him, and spoke softly, "So you're saying I'll suffer quite a few setbacks today?" Chang Dong nodded. It's good that you suffer setbacks—every time you lose ground, he feels proud. Pride leads to forgetfulness, forget His voice was soft, almost a whisper: "So don't be discouraged by any setback today—treat each one as progress. When they accumulate to a certain point, that's your moment." Ye Liuxi smiled. She wanted to say, for the first time, she'd heard someone treat setbacks as blessings to accumulate... But before she could open her mouth, a foreboding sensation suddenly arose—so vivid it seemed to happen in sync with the unfolding crisis: something deep within the mine shaft was drawing in a powerful breath. This airflow was intense. Ye Liuxi's body suddenly lifted, and she felt suddenly heavy-headed, her legs weak. Instinctively, she reached out to grasp Chang Dong, only to find her hand empty. Her body was then powerfully drawn, crashing toward the deep recess. Within just a few seconds, her back landed heavily, and for a moment, she saw stars flashing, even experiencing vivid hallucinations—she felt as though everyone around her had been sucked into a vortex, violently swirling and unable to break free. Her consciousness quickly returned. Ye Liuxi endured the pain, rolled over, and sat up. Around her, voices of pain and groans filled the air, while above The safety helmet fell a short distance away. Ye Liuxi reached out to pick it up, and as her hand made contact, she suddenly shivered. Nearby, a row of upright cow rib skeletons stood in place, and a full-grown bird-watcher was pressing directly into them—still alive, with wide-open eyes and body convulsing. Ye Liuxi felt blood rush to her head and cried out, "Changdong!" Someone responded from the corner, "Here, I'm fine." Relief washed over her heart. She wanted to rise, but her legs gave way, so she simply sat down and surveyed the surroundings. It looked like a sacrificial pit, scattered with bones of oxen, pigs, and even human skeletons. A deep, lingering stench of decay permeated the air, so thick that it made it hard to open her eyes. Fortunately, aside from the one hawk guard who had sustained an injury, everyone else was unharmed. The remaining hawk guards gathered around, murmuring softly. Ye Liuxi caught a few words—someone mentioned "mice." After a pause, a sudden flash of blade light—she didn't have time to turn her head, and watched helplessly as the hawk guard's head rolled to the ground. Chang Dong also directed the beam of his flashlight upward, revealing a shape resembling a wide-bodied, slender-necked bottle: the wide body represented the sacrificial pit, while the slender neck indicated the passage through which they had fallen—more precisely, they hadn’t simply dropped straight down in the mine tunnels; instead, they had been drawn horizontally, carried a short distance, before suddenly plunging. Yet the light beam reached its end—there, it seemed sealed. Turning to the surrounding area, one side of the sacrificial pit had a dark opening, presumably the next destination. Chang Dong approached, reaching out to pull Ye Liuxi up. Ahu’s voice trembled: “Just a moment ago, we felt as though something had drawn us in—like….” As though a giant were deeply inhaling. Chang Dong nodded: “Master Jin’s face was intact, with eyes, ears, mouth, and nose all clearly visible. When I first arrived at the entrance of the ghost-tooth mine tunnel, I had wondered where all the offerings I had thrown there had gone… Now it makes sense: if those offerings were meant to be eaten, then it all fits—after all, who would leave food in their mouth? It would simply be swallowed.” Therefore, the face carved on the stone wasn't merely a flat pictographic image—it was connected internally to the mouth, esophagus, and even the stomach. As they spoke, the sound of the iron chains grew louder, and Zhen Sihai had already reached the entrance of the cave, peering in with steady resolve, completely fearless. Ye Liuxi looked at Chang Dong: "Shall we go?" Chang Dong's flashlight beam still swept the surrounding area: "Yes, let's go in... wait a moment." He shifted the beam back to where the piled bones stood tall. Chang Dong climbed a few steps, knelt down, and quickly used the flashlight to clear away the scattered bones around him. Then he called out to Ye Liuxi: "Come here." Ye Liuxi approached and knelt down halfway. At once, he saw that the stone wall bore characters. They were crooked and uneven, as if chiseled by tools that had been struck and hammered, reading: Jiang Zhan, Qingzhi, Through Great Adversity, One Must Achieve Great Fortune. I don't know why, but just a few words, Ye Liuxi suddenly felt her scalp tighten, her breathing quicken, as though a surge of electricity had pierced through her heart at once. She thought she should remember something, yet her mind remained completely blank, so blank that she felt somewhat lost. Chang Dong brought the flashlight closer and examined the characters from various angles: "The force isn't strong enough—it doesn't resemble the work of an adult with strong wrist strength. Moreover, given Jiang Zhan Qingzhi's current status, it's unlikely she would have carved these characters. I believe it was carved when they fled earlier. It's truly a bold move to have used the ghost tooth tunnel for escape." Could she have really thought of using the ghost tooth tunnel to escape? That was indeed a risky strategy. Ye Liuxi looked at the carved inscription. Qingzhi had also been at the gold mine back then? No, no, no—three of them were there, which seems too coincidental. Clearly, when they fled, it was Jiang Zhan Qingzhi who went together, without her. But Changdong had previously speculated that the Scorpion's Eye was founded jointly by her and Jiang Zhan. Ye Liuxi felt that she was almost beginning to unravel this mystery. Changdong glanced back at Ahuo and the Hawks who waited in place, then took Ye Liuxi's hand and wrote four characters on the palm of her hand. You are Qingzhi. Only then does it make sense. Just as one link in a chain that's been smoothly rotated has been skillfully replaced, leaving no trace—whether the mastermind behind it is from the Yulin Guard or Jiang Zhan, or whether they've cooperated closely—the optimal moment for the substitution always occurs during the sandstorm at the Poplar City. But counterfeit is still counterfeit—don't always think you're going to replace the original. Back then, your own demeanor wasn't very impressive. You wore the same clothes as me and had the same tattoo. I hope by now, you've made some real progress." "You're so hard to please," Leaf Liu replied, "but if a dog bites me, I won't bite back—otherwise I'd have to brush my teeth all the time." She took a few steps down the pile of bones, bent down to pick up a leather harness still attached to a chain, and shook it vigorously. Zhen Si jumped with excitement, rushing straight into the cave, with Leaf Liu right behind her. The deeper they went, the more pungent and unpleasant the stench became. Zhen Si's fur stood on end, and under the light of the lantern, he looked like a shimmering hedgehog. Leaf Liu found it quite amusing. Suddenly, Zhen Si let out a sharp, angry cry, raised his wings, and began to peck furiously at the cave wall. Chang Dong shouted, "Stop, Liu! Stop!" No crack of sound, yet the mountain cave suddenly severed right before their eyes. Ye Liuxi stepped into the void, sending Zhen Sihai plummeting downward. Zhen Sihai, caught off guard, flapped his wings desperately, trying to rise higher—just as quickly, Chang Dong surged forward, seizing the iron chain around Zhen Sihai’s foot claws. Ah He’s mind buzzed with noise; without time to think, she reacted instinctively, rushing toward Chang Dong as he fell, gripping his ankle tightly. The iron chain used to secure the chickens was thin, gleaming brightly from above—easily snapping within seconds. Chang Dong broke into a sweat, clenched his teeth, and strained to wind the chain around his wrist. The swift arrival of the fierce bird guards immediately began lowering the rope. Only when Ye Liuxi caught hold of the rope did Chang Dong lift his head. The snake's head was slowly lowering, revealing a stone platform projecting diagonally against the opposite cave wall. The platform was uneven, with about a dozen people standing upon it. At the forefront stood a tall, slender man with a stern expression, dressed in a black windbreaker, holding a modern crossbow equipped with a spotting scope, drawing his bowstring and nocking an arrow.