The box’s position was still too low. Jiang Lian wanted to wait for the water to rise higher, making it easier to retrieve.

Three people and one chicken, four heads peering at the hole, their gazes filled with eager anticipation.

However, strangely, the water line stopped right there, seeming to have reached its highest point.

Meng Qianzi was puzzled. This position was too low, still seven or eight meters from where Great-Grandmother Duan’s ice corpse had been suspended.

Jiang Lian was also dubious: “The water won’t rise further? Surely Yan Luo wasn’t fishing for the Qilin Crystal from a distance.”

And how to explain Great-Grandmother Duan becoming an ice corpse? Could it be that their earlier reasoning was wrong?

After a moment of silence, Shen Gun made a startling statement: “Global warming has occurred over these years. The snow line has risen, and the amount of melting snow decreases year by year. With less water, the water level naturally can’t rise as high.”

Jiang Lian was caught off guard: “Huh?”

Shen Gun found this strange: “Isn’t that right? Besides, we slid down for a long time, and Miss Meng went down nine steps. Our altitude is much lower now—with the snow line rising, the snow in the same positions outside has melted, so the ice inside has naturally melted too.”

Saying this, he shone his flashlight around below: “Don’t you remember? When we took a ride with the stone worms in the ice blood vessels, we let go only when we reached a place with less ice. Just now, when climbing up, there wasn’t much ice on the mountain walls either. What does that indicate? It melted away.”

In the flashlight’s beam, Jiang Lian did notice something: where they had just stepped onto the rope bridge was indeed ice-free, but going up a bit, there was ice.

A thought struck him: “Does this mean if we had come a few years later, Great-Grandmother Duan’s ice corpse would have melted?”

Shen Gun nodded: “Of course. If the climate continues to warm, the ice dragon up there will also melt. Perhaps someday, even the Kunlun snow peaks will be without snow.”

This comment prompted a reflection from Meng Qianzi: “True. The current environment has a significant impact on mountainous regions. In the Xiangxi mountains, there are hardly any tigers left.”

Shen Gun picked up the thread: “That’s why the world is now a big system, with butterfly effects everywhere. When problems arise in one place, another is affected. No industry can escape it.”

As these two suddenly started discussing environmental issues, Jiang Lian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. On further thought, it seemed surreal: it was true that no profession could avoid it, and even their kind of “business” couldn’t bypass it.

But Shen Gun’s words seemed to make sense. The water truly seemed unable to rise further. After a while, not only did it not rise, but it showed signs of receding.

This wasn’t good. They couldn’t just watch the box sink away again: opportunities once lost might never return. Who knew how “periodically” was defined and when the water would rise next?

Jiang Lian had Shen Gun operate the winch, instructing him to lower the chain when given the signal. But even at its maximum length, the end would likely still be quite far from the water’s surface. Moreover, the chain hung from the center, while the box was near the edge. To retrieve the box, someone would need to enter the water.

Entering the water carried a significant risk. Jiang Lian pondered for a moment, his gaze falling on Jiang Qiaoqiao.

Jiang Qiaoqiao was peering down at the commotion below. As it watched, it seemed to sense a dangerous gaze fixed upon it and raised its head vigilantly.

Jiang Lian moved closer: “Qiaoqiao, come, I need your help with something.”

He held a rope in his hand: “I’ll tie this rope to your claw. You’ll fly down, see that box? Stand on it. The box has many carved patterns; just grip them tightly with your claws. I’ll pull the rope to bring you and the box together… Do you understand?”

It would be strange if it could understand. Jiang Qiaoqiao looked completely bewildered.

Jiang Lian sought Meng Qianzi’s help: “You try.”

Meng Qianzi’s communication with Jiang Qiaoqiao was much smoother. Without much muttering, she just stroked Jiang Qiaoqiao’s slender neck a few times and made several hand signs. Jiang Qiaoqiao immediately showed a submissive posture.

Once the rope was secured, without needing any prompting, it flew down with “oh-oh-oh” sounds, landed precisely on the box, swayed with it for a few moments, then steadied itself, displaying the demeanor of a master crossing a river on a single reed.

Jiang Lian looped Jiang Qiaoqiao’s tether around his wrist, then, using the rope and fasteners, wrapped the bronze chain around his waist and nodded to Shen Gun.

It was time to begin. Shen Gun’s face reddened with effort as he turned the winch.

After the creaking sounds, Jiang Lian’s body slowly descended. Meng Qianzi knelt at the edge of the hole watching him, when suddenly she remembered something: “What name did you give it? Qiaoqiao?”

By then, Jiang Lian’s head had already disappeared into the hole. Hearing her, he looked up: “That’s right, Jiang Qiaoqiao, because it builds bridges.”

Meng Qianzi thought to herself: How shameless.

Not even asking if the snow pheasant wanted to take his surname. Maybe it wanted to be called Meng Xiaogai or something like that.

After the chain reached its end, Jiang Lian followed the plan: tethering the rope, hanging upside down, and retrieving the box.

Throughout the process, Meng Qianzi was tense with anxiety. She believed good things don’t come easily, and the smoother things went, the more likely something would go wrong. She feared a last-second mishap or something emerging from the water, so she kept one arm tensed, with her bow aimed downward.

However, everything went smoothly. Shen Gun turned the winch in the opposite direction, and Jiang Lian, with the box tucked under his arm and the snow pheasant standing on his shoulder, rose with the gradually ascending chain.

Before he could stand firmly, Shen Gun was already running over: “Is it? Is it that box?”

Jiang Lian placed the box on the ground for him to examine.

It truly was—identical to the 3D-printed replica from before, yet different. The color and texture were different, and more importantly, Shen Gun felt an inexplicably heavy, oppressive sensation when facing the box, washing over him.

He breathed heavily, stroking the box’s surface, then turned it over.

There were no seams.

He lifted it and shook it. It was empty, just the weight of an ordinary box.

Jiang Lian asked him: “How is it? You’ve talked about this box for a long time, even dreamed about it—now the object is right before you. Does it remind you of anything? Do you have any special feelings?”

Shen Gun shook his head. His mind seemed like a rotten stick, unable to drive any thoughts. He only muttered: “It’s too oppressive. I suddenly… can’t breathe. It’s too heavy, I… need a moment.”

Saying this, he slumped to the ground. After sitting for a while, perhaps feeling the box was too close and still oppressive, he got up, moved farther away, and sat down again.

As he sat, he let out a long breath, as if the distance finally made it less oppressive.

Oppressive? Meng Qianzi didn’t feel that at all.

She stared at the box for a while, then asked Jiang Lian: “Is your task… complete now?”

Jiang Lian nodded: “Theoretically, bringing this box to Meiying completes my task. I’ve finally fulfilled my promise to Master Gan. It’s the same for you, right?”

Meng Qianzi nodded.

The Mountain Ghosts had gotten involved initially to help the Water Ghosts, and later to retrieve Great-Grandmother Duan’s body. Both matters, how to put it, had results: Great-Grandmother Duan’s body had been found, and predictably, after leaving, there would be elaborate mourning and burial ceremonies, keeping everyone busy for quite some time.

As for the Water Ghosts…

She felt somewhat sad: The Mountain Ghosts had already suffered significant casualties. In the words of Second Mother, “help others within reason,” they had probably done all they could. In fact, beyond this point, she didn’t know how else to help.

With this outcome, they could wrap things up.

Both looked toward Shen Gun in the distance.

Shen Gun sat there blankly, lost in thought again.

Jiang Lian said softly: “His matter is far from over. Unless he remembers the past, as long as he doesn’t remember, these issues remain unresolved.”

Indeed, Shen Gun’s situation was too complex—from the box to the mountain gall, dragon bones, phoenix feather, disembowelment, plus all the talk about Peng Zu, Kuang Ancestor, traitors, and double agents. Just thinking about it gave Meng Qianzi a headache.

After a pause, Jiang Lian asked Meng Qianzi: “What was the guidance for getting out again?”

Now everything was in place; they just needed to escape. The Drifting Cave was below, with water essence inside, but with the Water Ghosts’ painful experiences as a warning, he was eager to avoid it and had no interest in visiting.

As for Shen Gun, although he had mentioned something like “phoenix bathes in fire, dragon bones burn the box,” from what Jiang Lian could see, talk was just talk. He had no motivation to burn the box, even with a phoenix feather in his left hand and dragon bones in his right.

What would be the purpose of burning it?

Meng Qianzi carefully recalled: “It said, ‘To exit the intestine’s mouth, seek the hand to the left of the door.'”

“To exit the intestine’s mouth, seek the hand to the left of the door.”

Just eight words, but Jiang Lian was truly racking his brains.

Logically, Meng Qianzi had seen the light door projected during the division of dawn and dusk from a high place, and there was indeed a “hand” by the door—a stone hand that could flex and grasp, which had held the rope bridge.

But Meng Qianzi hadn’t even touched the stone hand before she went down nine steps. Theoretically, Yan Luo should have had the same experience, and clearly, Yan Luo had walked out from this stone platform, meaning the mechanism or mystical element was nearby.

He had killed Great-Grandmother Duan, indicating the Mountain Ghosts weren’t needed to find the way out; he had abandoned the box, showing it wasn’t required for escape either.

Jiang Lian and Meng Qianzi held the same belief: If Yan Luo could do it, why couldn’t they?

He paced around the stone platform, moving from one end of the broken ice dragon’s body to the other, seeing the rope bridge and the four stone hands rooted in the mountain wall, holding the ends of the rope bridge on both sides.

Perhaps the stone hands were the mechanism?

Jiang Lian eagerly went over, examining each stone hand thoroughly, even trying to pry them forcefully, all in vain.

After all that effort, he returned to Meng Qianzi’s side, panting and dispirited.

Could it be that after finding Great-Grandmother Duan’s body, the beast bones, and the box, they could only wait here, unable to leave?

This feeling was terrible, worse than not finding anything at all.

He couldn’t help but curse Yan Luo: “What a despicable person, why did he have to tear up Kuang Ancestor’s oral account?”

Meng Qianzi smiled: “Some people are like that. After crossing the bridge themselves, they turn back to destroy it, because they don’t want others to receive the same benefits… Hey, Shen Gun!”

Shen Gun finally returned from his confusion and bewilderment: “Huh?”

“Were these dragon bones frozen by you?”

Shen Gun hesitated for a moment, then decided to follow his intuition: “Yes, that’s what I… feel.”

“Then feel a bit more. After you froze the dragon bones, what did you do? How did you get out?”

Shen Gun responded irritably: “How could I remember that?”

Not remembering made things difficult. Meng Qianzi looked Shen Gun up and down, suddenly lowered her eyelids, moved closer to Jiang Lian, and lowered her voice: “Do you know hypnosis?”

Jiang Lian smiled bitterly: “That’s too professional for me.”

He understood Meng Qianzi’s intent: In recent days, when Shen Gun’s attention was scattered, his subconscious would emerge, saying strange but crucial things. If they knew hypnosis, perhaps they could guide him appropriately.

“What about pinching him until he’s half-conscious and confused?”

Jiang Lian wanted to hold his head and sigh: “Could you do that? What does ‘half-conscious’ mean? How do you control that degree?”

Meng Qianzi didn’t take his words to heart. He noticed her looking at Shen Gun increasingly like a weasel eyeing a chicken.

She had gone down the “wrong path,” no longer wanting to find the way through exploration and research, but instead wanting to force answers from Shen Gun.

Jiang Lian still wanted to persuade her: “Qianzi…”

Meng Qianzi interrupted him: “He knows. This is the quickest way… cooperate with me.”

Saying this, she waved to Shen Gun: “Shen Gun, come here.”

“What for?”

Meng Qianzi pretended to reach into her pocket: “There’s something, could you take a look for me?”

Shen Gun, unsuspecting, muttered as he approached.

Jiang Lian turned his face away, unable to bear watching.

Coming closer, Shen Gun wore a look of disdain as he squatted down: “Look at what? Why haven’t you taken it out yet… making me come over here, oh, just looking at this box makes me uncomfortable…”

Meng Qianzi eyed his nape, preparing to strike: “Uncomfortable how? I think this box looks quite normal. You don’t like its design?”

Shen Gun blurted out: “It’s not the box, it’s what’s inside!”

Jiang Lian was startled, immediately turning his head back. Meng Qianzi also forgot what she was about to do. The two almost said in unison: “What’s inside?”

Wasn’t this box supposed to be empty?

Shen Gun scratched his curly hair; he couldn’t explain clearly either: “No, I feel like there’s something in this box that makes me very uncomfortable, and it’s… quite dangerous.”

Such mystical talk made Meng Qianzi’s heart flutter. Looking at the box again, she also felt something was off. She propped herself up and moved farther away: “Is that thing… alive or dead?”

Shen Gun didn’t know. He looked at the box and shook his head.

“If it’s too dangerous, let’s not open the box.”

That wouldn’t do. Shen Gun disagreed: “After the seven malevolent bamboo slips return to their place, I still need to put the beast bones inside, remember? Only the box can ultimately contain these things.”

As he spoke, he moved closer to the box: What could it be? Would getting closer allow him to sense it?

Suddenly, something struck heavily on the back of his neck. Shen Gun’s vision darkened. Without even a groan, he collapsed softly.

Jiang Lian hadn’t expected Meng Qianzi to act so suddenly: “Hey, you…”

Meng Qianzi shook her hand: “It doesn’t hurt. This kind of neck strike, I guarantee he feels no pain, just like falling asleep. Quickly, it’s your turn.”

Jiang Lian had no choice. He turned Shen Gun face up and shook his body vigorously: “Shen Gun! Hey, Shen Gun!”

After several attempts, continuously persisting, Shen Gun’s eyes finally opened slightly.

He didn’t see Jiang Lian. His first sight was the blurry, massive ice dragon.

His lips revealed a strange smile as he said: “They would never have thought that the dragon bones were hidden here.”