On the riverside mountain trail, bronze bells jingled softly.

　　A young Tibetan man, Aji, was leading a mule and singing as he walked side by side with his beloved, Dolma, on the road to Medog.

　　They were on a mission entrusted by Dolma’s abba: to deliver a dzi bead found in the mountains to a guru living in Medog for a blessing.

　　“Aji,” Dolma called his name softly, her rosy cheeks glowing in the sunlight.

　　“I heard a scientific expedition team entered the southern slope of the sacred mountain,” she said, glancing casually at the sacred Namjagbarwa.

　　“They say the government sent them. Is it true?”

　　Aji’s singing stopped at Dolma’s question.

　　He paused, then replied, “I think so. I heard the villagers say those people are going to the source of the Yanglang Zangbo to look for some kind of bug. They even asked Uncle Renduoji to guide them.”

　　“Uncle Renduoji? The one from Pure White Village?”

　　Dolma tilted her head toward Aji, recalling her abba and uncle's tipsy chatter from the other night.

　　Not long ago, Uncle Renduoji’s prized yak ran off into the mountains.

　　Anxious and distraught, he ignored his family’s pleas and insisted on going into the mountains alone to search for it.

　　But the yak seemed determined to leave home—despite Uncle Renduoji’s days of searching in the wind and rain, it stubbornly refused to show itself.

　　With winter fast approaching, the family’s only yak—the one thing they could exchange for some money and food—was gone.

　　He could endure hunger and cold himself, but what about his wife and children? How would they make it through?

　　The seven-foot-tall man was so distraught he burst into tears.

　　With a heavy thud, he dropped to his knees on the shore of Namula Tso, raised his head, closed his eyes, and humbly prayed for the sacred mountain’s mercy.

　　Just then, a mountain breeze swept by, and gentle ripples spread across the beautiful Namula Tso.

　　Uncle Renduoji slowly opened his eyes—and suddenly saw a flag-shaped cloud fluttering high above the mountain peak, like a pure white beacon pointing far toward a towering, rarely traveled mountain pass to the east.

　　Could this be the will of the sacred mountain?

　　He looked toward Namjagbarwa in awe, as if the holy mountain truly understood human suffering.

　　As the flag cloud gradually faded, Uncle Renduoji stood up, straightened his ragged clothes, gritted his teeth, and stomped his foot.

　　Trusting the divine sign he had seen, he risked his life and plunged into the southern slope of the sacred mountain.

　　Snow blanketed the mountains, and icy winds howled all around.

　　Looking down, he could see the surging Yanglang Zangbo River rushing through the deep valley below.

　　But the land stretched vast and empty—still no sign of the yak.

　　After days of hardship and searching, all Uncle Renduoji found was a strange-looking bug in a remote saltwater lake where few had ever set foot.

　　"Can this rare thing be exchanged for some food?" He thought to himself, putting the worm into the water bag he carried and returning to the village with the last of his strength.

　　Coincidentally, during those days, a paleontology professor happened to be in the area conducting research. When she saw the worm that Uncle Renduoji had brought back, she was left speechless, insisting it was an ancient creature extinct hundreds of millions of years ago and offered to buy it for a large sum.

　　Excited and with trembling hands, the exhausted Uncle Renduoji accidentally dropped the worm on the ground, and his silly dog snatched it up and ate it with a satisfying crunch. Both the uncle and the professor stomped their feet in frustration, but there was nothing they could do.

　　"Yes, that's him!" Aji smiled innocently as he met Dolma's gaze.

　　"But... Abba heard the sound of an ice avalanche inside the mountain yesterday, and it seemed to be coming from the south slope. Do you think something might happen to those people?" Dolma frowned, her right hand gripping the reins while her left hand brushed the dzi bead. She closed her eyes slightly and silently prayed for those she had never met.

　　"Well... May the Sacred Mountain bless them!" Seeing the concern on Dolma’s face, Aji let go of the reins and stood still. He bowed his head, clasped his hands, and joined his sweetheart in prayer for the Sacred Mountain's protection.

　　The October sky in Tibet was a brilliant blue, and the majestic Namjagbarwa revealed its long-hidden true form. Below the horse path, the surging Yarlung Tsangpo River splashed white waves, resembling scattered snow along the mountain's edge.

　　A vulture circled in the air, emitting a mournful cry that just covered the muffled sounds from the slopes.

　　A few rocks rolled down in front of Aji, startling the mule nearby. The mule, frightened, jerked up its front legs and threw the praying Dolma down the slope, sending her rolling into the roaring river!

　　"Dolma!" Aji screamed as he tore off his Tibetan robe and plunged into the waves of the Yarlung Tsangpo River.

　　The heavy waves came one after another, with hidden undercurrents that sent chills down one's spine.

　　But Aji, relying on years of experience swimming in the river, skillfully wove through the waters, occasionally leaping out with the help of the waves to search for Dolma’s whereabouts.

　　In early winter, the Brahmaputra’s water was chilling, and Dolma’s lips had already turned blue from the cold. The biting chill pierced through her flesh and reached her very bones. As she struggled, her fingers, fumbling in desperation, suddenly brushed against a floating "leather bag." Driven by survival instinct, Dolma desperately clung to this lifeline, drifting forward with the current.

　　Soon after, Aji found Dolma floating on the water. The crashing waves kept striking her body, but they couldn't knock her into the river. Using the strength of the rapids, Aji quickly swam to Dolma's side, attempting to pull her close. But at that moment, a wave swept them apart. Even though Aji was a strong swimmer, he still gulped down a mouthful of cold water.

　　Seeing Dolma carried downstream toward the bridge, Aji summoned all his strength in that critical moment, diving into the water, holding his breath, and skillfully avoiding the undercurrents. Like a fish, he chased after her with unprecedented speed and, as he emerged from the water, pulled Dolma into his arms. The river raged, and the sound of the water was deafening. Though Aji screamed, "Help!" no one could hear him. His legs were on the verge of cramping, and his arms showed signs of spasms. Aji knew his strength was quickly reaching its limit.

　　Behind her pale eyelids, Dolma’s eyes rolled back in her unconscious state. In a daze, she seemed to see herself tightly holding a floating leather bag, struggling to stay afloat in the Brahmaputra. The waves surged, foam piled up, and the cold river water seemed to freeze her very heart. Dolma was trapped, unable to see the shore, terror flooding her entire body. In her desperation, the leather bag in Dolma’s arms suddenly came to life, its hands and feet stretching out to paddle the water, swimming toward the shore and dragging her along with it.

　　After finally reaching the shore, the exhausted Aji dared not rest. The cold wind swept by, and the warmth from their bodies quickly evaporated. If they didn’t warm up quickly, they would freeze to death right there on the riverbank! As their body temperatures dropped, Aji began to lose focus. Panting heavily, using the last of his strength, he dragged Dolma toward the horse path by the bridge.

　　"Help! Help!" Aji’s eyes were half-closed as he collapsed onto the ground, mumbling as if in a feverish dream, only hoping that some kind passerby might help them.

　　Thank God, a few villagers from a nearby settlement happened to pass by in time. Seeing that the two were near death from the cold, the villagers rushed to take off their outer clothes to dry them, draped warm Tibetan robes over their bodies, and thoughtfully started a campfire beside them. One of the villagers recognized Dolma and hurried to her home to bring help.

　　In the midst of her shock, the drowsy Dolma thought she was holding a living person in her arms! She was about to thank them when she saw the skin bag suddenly raise its head, its sunken and twisted features offering her a chilling smile.

　　"Ah!" With a scream, poor Dolma sprang upright as if she were a spring, accidentally waking Aji beside her. The villagers, who had been determined to save both of them, saw that they were unharmed and, amidst Aji's thanks, began packing up to leave. Before they left, they specifically told the dazed Dolma to wait at the spot for her family to come and pick her up.

　　"Aji!" After seeing the kind villagers off, Dolma called Aji's name with a trembling voice.

　　Aji didn’t hear the panic in her voice. He thought she was merely shivering from the cold of the river. Always a man of few words, he didn’t know what to say, so he just sat on the ground, grinning foolishly. Suddenly, Aji’s gaze shifted beyond Dolma’s shoulder, fixing on something under the bridge in the distance. Dolma followed his strange gaze and turned her head, only to see a fat and bloated “person” lying behind the rocks on the shore, though she didn’t know when it had appeared!

　　Eager to save someone, Aji, forgetting his weakness, staggered towards the riverbank. Dolma, having lost all strength, could only helplessly watch.

　　"Ah!" For some reason, Aji on the bank suddenly let out a scream and fell to the ground. Dolma didn’t know what happened, but she saw Aji scrambling and crawling back, looking as disheveled as could be. The "hero who saved the beauty" was nowhere to be seen.

　　"Father!" Dolma's father came rushing from the fields, his body covered in mud.

　　"Father, look at Aji!" Dolma’s first words to her father were to ask him to check on the unfortunate Aji. However, her father’s only concern was his daughter, who had narrowly escaped death. He didn’t spare a thought for Aji.

　　"Child! Are you okay? Are you okay? It’s all my fault! I should’ve gone to the master myself!" His face was contorted with anxiety and heartache, making Dolma's heart ache in turn. The two of them cried and hugged each other, leaving poor Aji abandoned on the side.

　　"Uncle..." Still in shock, Aji greeted his future father-in-law, then turned and passed out.

　　The next morning, Aji woke up to find himself lying on a bed in the village clinic, an IV in his left hand. Outside the window, two police officers were talking, their brows furrowed in a way that suggested they weren’t discussing something lighthearted.

　　"Awake?" The doctor came over as he noticed Aji stretching his neck to look outside.

　　"Doctor..."

　　"Don't worry, you're just physically overexerted. It's nothing serious," the doctor reassured him softly before turning to look outside. "By the way, those two police officers want to ask you for some information."

　　"Oh!" Aji responded weakly.

　　"Comrade officers, that's all I know," Aji replied, recounting yesterday's events in full under the questioning of the two police officers.

　　"Then do you know where the human skin came from?" the taller officer asked, his expression serious.

　　"Human skin? What human skin?" Aji was startled; he had no memory of seeing anything so horrifying.

　　"It's the dead man by the shore you mentioned! Don't you remember?" The shorter officer placed his pen in the middle of his notebook and crossed his arms.

　　"Huh? That... that's human skin?" Aji found it hard to believe what the officer was saying.

　　"Yes!" The shorter officer nodded. "To be exact, it's a sealed human skin bag."

　　"Ah..." Aji was too shocked to speak.

　　Seeing Aji's reaction, the experienced officers realized he wasn't lying. The two of them turned to discuss briefly and decided to describe the general features of the human skin bag to Aji to see if it might jog his memory.

　　According to the officers' preliminary investigation, the horrifying human skin bag was actually made from an entire piece of human skin! Even the dense hair was perfectly preserved. To ensure airtightness, the maker had sealed all the pores of the skin with strong glue and inflated it with air, making it look like a gas-filled raft at first glance.

　　"A raft made of human skin?" Aji's perception was completely overturned by such a perverted act.

　　"No, no, no, the raft is just a metaphor. That thing is probably... a bag used to hold things," the officer explained. They thought so because they found several items inside the skin bag. But what kind of person would purposely make a bag from human skin? What was even more terrifying was that the skin seemed to have traces of being boiled, could someone be trying to provoke the police?

　　"I... I really don't know... I..." Aji stammered, his face filled with panic.

　　"Just tell us if there's anything particularly unusual!" The shorter officer was starting to get impatient.

　　"Unusual?" Aji squinted, trying to recall every detail. He remembered that Zhuoma couldn’t swim, yet she had been floating on the raging Yarlung Tsangpo River without sinking... Could it be that Zhuoma had brought the human skin bag to shore?

　　With this thought, Aji froze.

　　"Remember something?" The taller officer keenly noticed Aji's change in demeanor.

　　Aji, not daring to hide anything, shared his guess. After listening, the two officers exchanged looks, nodded, and hurriedly left. They didn't return to Aji again.

　　Back at the station, the two officers immediately reported to the director. The director felt that this matter was not simple. Based on the items taken from the human skin bag, he believed the case was likely connected to the previous research team that had gone into the mountains.

　　"What's in the bag?" the taller officer asked curiously.

　　"A notebook, a stone with embedded worms, and a decayed... specimen," the director said as he sat down and lit a cigarette.

　　"Specimen?" The officers exchanged glances.

　　"What did the notebook say?" the shorter officer asked.

　　"Aside from the last page, which is encrypted, the rest is a record of some scientific research."

　　"Any names or anything on it?"

　　"No, the title page was torn out, but the issuing unit's name is printed on the cover."

　　"Which unit?" The officers asked in unison.

　　The director didn't answer right away. He took a long drag on his cigarette, narrowed his eyes, and stared at the slowly rising smoke rings before saying slowly, "Annan Forestry College."

　　"What?!" The officers were shocked.

　　"Isn't that Professor Lin's... Did something happen to the research team?"

　　"Who knows? I’ve just sent everything to Linzhi, let’s see what the higher-ups say," the director said, frustrated. He turned around and went out for a breath of fresh air.

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