Early the next morning, Young Master Feng, Mr. Egg, and I, loaded with our packs and bags, boarded the train to Lhasa. We had managed to secure tickets for all four berths in a soft sleeper compartment. With Lao Dao unable to join, one berth remained open for Officer Azila’s relative—naturally, Officer Azila had covered the cost.

　　As the departure time approached, the fourth berth remained empty. I asked Mr. Egg if he had sent the carriage and berth numbers to Officer Azila.

　　Mr. Egg looked surprised. “You’re asking me? Wasn’t that your job to arrange?”

　　“I was a patient last night! I thought you were handling it!”

　　“A patient? Have you ever seen a patient this lively and full of energy?”

　　“Alright, enough,” Young Master Feng interjected, his expression serious, still clearly bothered by Lao Dao’s absence. “I was the one in touch with Officer Azila last night. He just messaged—he’s delayed but on his way.”

　　I asked how long “on his way” might take. The train was nearly ready to depart!

　　Without looking up, Young Master Feng gestured toward the compartment door. “There. He’s here.”

　　Officer Azila, dressed in plain clothes, squeezed into the compartment dragging a suitcase. Behind him was a tall girl with long hair, wearing a white shirt and blue jeans. She stayed hidden behind Officer Azila, head bowed, her face concealed by her hair.

　　“Hinson, hello!” Officer Azila greeted me, then turned to introduce her. “This is my cousin. Her name is Ciqu, a Tibetan girl. I’m leaving her in your care for the journey.”

　　“Please, it’s no trouble at all,” I said. “We’re going the same way anyway.”

　　Officer Azila smiled warmly. “Thank you. The train’s about to depart—I left my police ID as a deposit at the ticket gate!”

　　Mr. Egg took the luggage with a cheerful grin, promising to handle the mission. Officer Azila thanked him and hurried out of the carriage.

　　Young Master Feng pointed to the empty lower berth. “This is yours.”

　　Ciqu, still silent, curled up on the bunk without a word, head down.

　　Young Master Feng glanced at her, then wordlessly headed for the bathroom, his steps unsteady as the train rocked. Watching him stumble, I couldn’t help but worry about his condition.

　　“Don’t worry. The scenery along the way is beautiful. Young Master Feng will bounce back,” Mr. Egg said, stowing Ciqu’s luggage under the berth.

　　I nodded and settled onto the small fold-down seat in the corridor, staring out the window at the breathtaking “Celestial Path” scenery, lost in thought.

　　The green-painted train clattered through the mountains. Ciqu remained curled silently on her berth, while Young Master Feng and Mr. Egg leaned against the corridor window, absorbed in the passing landscape. Vast, pale plains stretched out, dappled with cloud shadows. Rugged mountains, barren shores, grasslands, and drifting yaks passed silently by. The Celestial Path’s beauty was truly breathtaking.

　　As the train crested a ridge, a collective gasp rippled through the carriage. I focused ahead and was stunned. Where the sky met the earth, a vast expanse of rolling waves appeared. Clouds wreathed the horizon, creating a dizzying illusion where cloud, water, land, and sky seemed indistinguishable.

　　“Qinghai Lake!” Young Master Feng exclaimed, slapping the window sill and pointing at the distant waves.

　　I quickly pressed the shutter, capturing a stunning image through the slightly grimy window.

　　“Hinson! Young Master Feng! Look!” Mr. Egg pressed both hands and face against the glass, his round features stretched in astonishment.

　　Following his gaze, I saw a massive, pillar-like rain curtain rising from the water, connecting sky and lake. No wonder it stunned even the well-traveled Mr. Egg. Had I not seen a similar sight at Lugu Lake, my expression might have been ten times more exaggerated.

　　“Take a picture! Record it!” Mr. Egg finally remembered the handheld gimbal and fumbled to hit record. But at that moment, a ringtone blared. Mr. Egg swore, then quickly covered his mouth and answered the call.

　　“Hey! Honey! I’m on the train!”

　　“Oh, my Eggie—Eggie! I miss you so much!” Probably because the gimbal was connected, Mr. Egg’s phone was on speaker. The soft, sweet voice instantly made my scalp crawl.

　　The real victim, however, was Young Master Feng. He had been about to take a sip of warm water, but the sudden “Eggie” completely shattered his composure, and he spat the entire mouthful out.

　　Seeing the spray headed my way, I instinctively turned and closed my eyes. Yet the expected wetness never came. The previously noisy carriage fell eerily silent. Puzzled, I opened my eyes. The tiny water droplets Young Master Feng had spat hung suspended mid-air, glistening!

　　I stood dazed. Inside and outside, all was frozen. I patted Mr. Egg—motionless, mouth half-open, his face flushed with embarrassment. Young Master Feng remained in the absurd spitting posture, eyes tightly shut. All other passengers were like statues, frozen in time.

　　I pinched my thigh, confirming this wasn’t a dream. Pain and panic pressed on my heart as I scanned for a clue. Just then, the seam between sky and abyss seemed to split. Torrential rain cascaded. Towering cloud-waves surged, crashing into Qinghai Lake, throwing up curtains of spray like countless strands of pearls.

　　Before the spray settled, an immense shadow surged through the cloud-waves. A colossal head breached the air, fins and tail cutting through the wind. It circled the sea of clouds, striking through the void. Then, the wind ceased, the rain halted, the mist cleared, and the sky brightened. High above the lake, a long whale moved gracefully, lonely and solitary, serenely wandering the blue expanse, singing a gentle, drawn-out song. Captivated, I watched, breath rising and falling with its tail. Moments later, the horizon and water merged into a dark line. The whale’s shadow faded, hidden among ten thousand points of flowing light.

　　“Pfft—” Young Master Feng’s mouthful of water finally landed, and I ended up soaked. The carriage returned to normal noise. Mr. Egg’s call continued. The rain pillar over Qinghai Lake remained, but the whale and cloud-waves vanished, known only to me.

　　“Sorry, man! I couldn’t hold it! Pfft—hahaha!” Young Master Feng laughed, barely able to close his mouth.

　　Still reeling, I asked, bewildered, “Did you… see that just now?”

　　Young Master Feng blinked, pointing at the distant lake. “See what? The scenery?”

　　I nodded mechanically. “Yeah… the scenery… it’s nice, right?”

　　“Of course it’s nice!” His smile lingered, seemingly healed by the view.

　　“Ah… well, you enjoy it. I’m going to rest.” I lay back on my berth under my teammates’ puzzled gazes, pretending to play on my phone.

　　Scrolling through news clips, flickering afterimages unsettled me. Frozen time, churning cloud-waves, floating whale… Was it hallucination? Or did I need a doctor? I turned off the screen, closed my eyes, and tried to sleep.

　　Yet, my plan failed. The moment I shut my eyes, I was back at Namcha Barwa: glaciers cracking, lightning dark red, the mountain trembling. Desperate to escape, I tried to open my eyes—eyelids seemed glued shut. Then a splat reached my ears, pulling me back.

　　“What are you doing?” Young Master Feng’s brows were knitted.

　　“Sleeping…” I tried to bluff.

　　Mr. Egg chuckled. “You can’t even lie properly.”

　　“Fine, I wasn’t sleeping, just… resting my eyes!”

　　“Oh, come off it!” Young Master Feng didn’t believe me. “You looked like the world’s weight was on your shoulders, harassed by a female ghost or something!”

　　“Hey, if a female ghost had really harassed Hinson, he’d be laughing in his dreams!” Mr. Egg added.

　　“Right! My oversight! Hahaha!”

　　“I said, you guys…”

　　“Tickets, please.” A conductor interrupted.

　　Of the four of us, only I had a paper ticket. Young Master Feng and Mr. Egg scanned their IDs. Ciqu’s ID was temporary; the conductor couldn’t find her ticket.

　　Mr. Egg showed a screenshot of the four tickets, explaining that Ciqu hadn’t purchased hers; the berth was paid by Lao Dao, who hadn’t boarded.

　　“I’m sorry, but train tickets are non-transferable,” the conductor said politely.

　　“And?” I asked.

　　“The passenger didn’t board, correct?”

　　“Correct, but the ticket wasn’t refunded,” Young Master Feng stepped in front of Ciqu.

　　“Sir, her ticket, ID, and person don’t match. She needs a new ticket. Even if the original passenger didn’t board, rules apply…”

　　“We’ve explained. She’s with us. The spot is hers. No money lost, so what’s the problem?” Young Master Feng gestured wildly, barely containing his anger.

　　Mr. Egg hurried over to calm him. “The conductor’s just following rules. Worst case, buy a new ticket.”

　　“Fine, we’ll buy a new ticket. Scan or cash?” Young Master Feng prepared to pay.

　　The conductor frowned, asking if Ciqu knew us and was traveling voluntarily.

　　“Trafficking her?” Young Master Feng roared, drawing the carriage’s attention. Ciqu, nervous, curled tighter, trembling. Young Master Feng unleashed a torrent of abuse at the prying passengers. Mr. Egg and I joined, one on each side. Mr. Egg’s words gradually quelled the crowd.

　　Train police were radioed and dispersed onlookers. Young Master Feng handed his phone to Officer Wang from Xining to speak with the conductor.

　　“All verified. Sorry for the disturbance,” the officer said, returning the phone and giving a salute.

　　“Thank you!” Mr. Egg said, leaving Young Master Feng and me to comfort Ciqu. Standing guard like door gods, we stayed until she stopped trembling.

　　“You’re okay now?” I asked softly.

　　“Thank you!” Ciqu finally spoke.

　　“You’re welcome!” Young Master Feng asked, “Hungry? Want something to eat?”

　　“Mm-hmm!” Ciqu looked up, sunlight reflecting in her gentle, bright eyes.

　　“I’ll get you instant noodles! Hinson, guard her!” Young Master Feng scampered off, losing his stoic aura for a touch of goofiness.

　　“Hinson, thank you.”

　　“No need! I barely helped. Mr. Egg could have handled it alone!”

　　“The hotpot place,” Ciqu said. “You beat the bad guys. Saved me.”

　　“Oh, that! We just stumbled into it. Police would’ve arrived anyway.”

　　“Thank you!” Ciqu kept thanking me, and I didn’t know how to respond. Young Master Feng and Mr. Egg returned just in time.

　　“A cup noodle for you!” Young Master Feng presented steaming noodles. Ciqu ate heartily. I asked for one too, receiving only an eye-roll.

　　“Tsk—Putting girls before friends! Forsaking duty for beauty!” I grabbed one of Mr. Egg’s cup noodles.

　　“Hinson, get me hot water too!” Mr. Egg ordered. I snorted but complied, earning Ciqu’s smile.

　　By Golmud, Ciqu had arranged everything: car hire, accommodation, horse handlers.

　　“Thank you, Ciqu! More reliable than a certain associate professor!” I teased.

　　“No need. It’s my turn to help,” Ciqu said, blushing.

　　Young Master Feng watched silently, a foolish smile lingering.