We were awakened again early in the morning by noise from outside.

This time it was about Bai Sanshui. The messenger was Old Wang.

"Bai Sanshui has been found. It seems he slipped off the cliff while looking for his daughter in the mountains. He's being sent to the clinic now, likely won't make it through the night. They asked if we wanted to go see him."

When I heard that Bai Sanshui had fallen off a cliff, my mind went blank.

"Where did he fall?"

"Right at the edge of the cliff near the cave of the Mammy Goddess. It's really steep there..."

I could barely listen to anything more, and followed them to the guesthouse in a daze.

The clinic's lobby was packed with people. A bloody stretcher was placed in the center, surrounded by blood-soaked doctors and Bai Sanshui's uncles and brothers, whom I had seen last time.

Bai Sanshui was covered in blood, bones protruding, and his throat emitted a hissing sound like a leaking bellows.

"Old Third, hold on a bit longer, see your son before you go!" one of Bai Sanshui's relatives said, echoed by others.

But Bai Sanshui’s eyes already showed signs of glazing over.

"Where’s Haoyu? Bring Haoyu here!"

"Coming, coming!"

Bai Zhaodi, dressed in a hospital gown and wrapped in a cotton coat, was squeezed out of the crowd and stood beside Bai Sanshui.

Bai Zhaodi squatted down and called out, "Dad."

Bai Sanshui's eyes suddenly opened wide, as he attempted to retreat in vain: "Monster! Stay away! You killed Haoyu, you killed Zhaodi!"

Bai Zhaodi was so scared that she stepped back a few steps.

The people around were also stunned.

"Kill her, kill her..." As he spoke, his head tilted to one side, and he breathed his last.

The sudden change left me unsure of how to react. As I was dazing off, I saw Li Yaozu leading people towards the hospital, anxiously looking around as he walked.

Almost instinctively, I felt he was looking for me. I quickly grabbed the photographer and left through the hospital’s back door, returning to the hotel.