Тhе tsаmра balls carriеd bу the herdеr were limitеd аftеr аll. Аftеr taking a lаrge bill, they gave awау almоst all оf thеir tsаmрa bаlls, lеаving еаch рerson with a роrtion rоughly the size оf a ping-рong ball.
Тhе tsаmра sоld tо tourists in Lhasа is оften miхеd with lаrge аmounts оf сheesе сurds and sugаr, its flavor modifiеd, yet somе still find it hаrd tо adjust, lеading to incеssаnt flаtulenсе аftеrwаrd, сraсkling likе a рair оf claрpеrs. Ваyunуе hеrsеlf wasn’t partiсularly fond of this stuff, let аlone now hоlding the most "аuthentiс аnd originаl" Tibetan-flavored tsampa balls. But this was no time to be picky, nor could she bother washing her hands. She kneaded the ball firmly a few times with her left hand, tore off a piece with her right, and tossed it into her mouth. The dry, coarse texture of roasted barley, without the moistening comfort of butter tea, would have been hard to swallow for those unaccustomed under normal circumstances. Perhaps driven by extreme hunger, she even detected a faint aroma reminiscent of soy milk—a scent that reminded Bayunye of the fragrance lingering on the lid of a Gongfu tea set when a Fujian guest once brewed a tea called Baiya Qilan.
Before noon, the vehicle reached the buffer grassland of Qiangtang. Unfortunately, they hadn’t encountered Ye Xun along the way, leaving them uncertain whether he had already made it out or had gotten lost somewhere. In the distance, a few tents were faintly visible, and even an old pickup truck slowly passed by.
Ahead lay an irregular river channel. Bayunye’s mood grew increasingly relaxed as she picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "This is the Tuotuo River. Let’s drive along it."
The Tuotuo River originates from the Jianggendiru Glacier, known in ancient times as the "Tongtian River." It serves as the boundary between Hoh Xil and the source of the Yangtze River, marking the western source of the Yangtze. The vehicle followed the road alongside the Tuotuo River toward Maqu Township. Between the Uninhabited Area and Maqu Township, this was the only road. Along the way, Ye Xun and the pickup truck he had driven away remained nowhere in sight, leaving everyone somewhat uneasy.
Maqu Township had a population of just over a thousand. Though called a township, it resembled more of a nomadic tribe, administered by Anduo County in Nagqu Prefecture but located within Qinghai Province. It was so remote that it was rarely mentioned even in travelogues. Maqu Township was still over 300 kilometers from the Anduo County government, making it the first place with a lively atmosphere that the Rescue Team entered after successfully crossing the Qiangtang Uninhabited Area.
After reviewing the introduction letter and credentials of the Beidou Rescue Team, the township government warmly welcomed them. Diao Zhuo inquired about Ye Xun, and the staff member Sangzhuzhuoma said that no outsiders had come to the township government for assistance in recent days. To be safe, Sangzhuzhuoma contacted the local police, who also stated they hadn’t seen Ye Xun and were unaware of the discovery of what was suspected to be Zou Kaigui’s remains.
Sangzhuzhuoma speculated, "Could it be that he didn’t stop here but went directly to the county government, or even to Golmud or Lhasa?"
The police officer said, "You should stay here for now. I’ll help inquire whether anyone has seen this Ye Xun. By the way, please provide me with his ID card and license plate number."
There are many checkpoints along the roads in Tibet. After entering Tibet, it’s common to encounter inspections of ID cards and driver’s licenses. If Ye Xun drove directly to the Anduo County government or Lhasa after leaving Qiangtang, he would inevitably encounter armed police or officers checking IDs.Bayunye washed her face and hands carefully with hot water, instantly feeling refreshed and invigorated. The thought of being able to take a shower later made her even more excited than winning the lottery. Water splashed onto her ears, causing a sharp sting. She looked closely in the mirror and sighed. Even though she had covered up well, her earlobes couldn’t escape sunburn. The scorched color of the sunburned areas was even more disheartening than the pain itself.
Stepping out of the bathroom, Bayunye saw everyone already eating, each holding a flatbread. "Ha, how dare you start without me!" she joked as she walked over, grabbing a flatbread and taking a bite. She glanced around but didn’t see Diao Zhuo.
Xiang An poured her some sweet tea. "Master Ba, without you on this trip, we’d really be in trouble."
Bayunye smiled dismissively, took a big sip of the sweet tea, and savored its warm, smooth texture. It tasted a bit like Assam milk tea, though slightly milder. She looked up and studied him. "I’ve noticed everyone’s gotten a tan, but you, pretty boy, have stayed pale from start to finish."
"I just don’t tan, been like that since birth," Xiang An admitted honestly. "During freshman military training, I peeled from sunburn but ended up even paler than before."
She waved her fist, her mouth full of flatbread, and joked indistinctly, "I really want to beat up people like you who never tan naturally."
Just then, Diao Zhuo walked in with two police officers, likely having discussed some experiences from the Uninhabited Area. The officers said they had already reported to the county police department. Although the last illegal crossing team that saw Zou Kaigui was difficult to track down, they wouldn’t let it go.
After sitting down, Diao Zhuo said with a grave expression, "The Amdo County police also said no one has seen Ye Xun. As for Zou Kaigui, there’s no news from the public yet."
"Does Ye Xun think it’s not the right time to go public until he reaches Lhasa? Or maybe..." Bayunye propped her chin on her hand, blinked, and said, "He hasn’t made it out of Qiangtang yet."
The last sentence sent shivers down everyone’s spines.
They had been keeping an eye out along the way but hadn’t seen that pickup truck anywhere.
Da Qin frowned and muttered, "He has a GPS and a Beidou device, plus plenty of food and fuel. How could he not make it out?"
Hippo asked, "Could he have taken a shortcut to Sêwu Township?"
The police officer replied, "There’s no news of him in Sêwu Township either."
Hippo was stunned, his mouth half-open. Finally, he slapped his thigh and sighed, "Oh no! Don’t tell me we’ve found Zou Kaigui only for Ye Xun to go missing!"
Everyone couldn’t help but glance at Bayunye, who had been quiet all along. She was calmly chewing her flatbread, paired with pickled vegetables, as if listening to a story. Seeing everyone’s eyes on her, she didn’t put down her chopsticks. Instead, she said coldly:
"He should’ve fucking thought of this when he drugged me."
She was just a guide hired by the Rescue Team to lead them safely out of Qiangtang. Her mission was complete, and deep down, she didn’t care whether Ye Xun had gone to Amdo County or Lhasa. He had drugged her and left the team without permission. Even if he died, it wasn’t her responsibility.
"Enough of this, let’s eat!" Bayunye said unhappily.In the afternoon, news trickled in from various sources. Xiao Zi had safely returned to Lhasa, her emotions and spirits relatively stable. She had already booked a flight ticket and was about to head home. Lao Jin, Tuzi, and others were suspected of intentional homicide and illegal hunting of endangered wildlife, and had been handed over to the police for handling. The Tibetan antelope carcasses found by the lakeside were also taken away by later conservation team members for examination. It was confirmed that their deaths were abnormal—some died from sudden cardiac arrest after high-speed running, while others succumbed to massive internal bleeding from violent impacts. It could be concluded that these were man-made deaths.
Thus, the illegal off-road vehicle team encountered by Zou Kaigui became the prime suspect and a criminal case was filed.
The accommodation conditions weren’t great. There was one dimly lit bathroom per floor, equipped with a yellowed Haier water heater, likely a model from over a decade ago. Heating water once was only enough for one person to shower, and they had to be quick, or the latter half would be under cold water. Bayunye was the first to shower, feeling as if all the grime on her body was washed away with the gurgling water. The toiletries in the bathroom were of an unknown brand, leaving her with a cheap fragrance all over after washing.
But it was still refreshing.
Stepping out, she ran into Diao Zhuo, who was standing outside smoking. Seeing her come out, he picked up a bag of clean clothes and headed toward the bathroom.
Men didn’t have as many complications; they showered quickly, and several others were waiting behind him.
“You dropped your soap.”
Diao Zhuo turned around and saw Bayunye with her semi-wet hair draped over her shoulders. Her striking eyebrows and eyes still carried a moist sheen, her facial features sharply defined, and her almond-shaped eyes clear and bright. Perhaps because she was well-fed and rested, her gaze was brighter and more aggressive than in the past few days.
“If I bend down to pick up the soap, what could you, a woman, do?” He casually stubbed out his cigarette butt, his gaze sweeping downward from her legs to the top of her head. She was quite tall, but if she stood straight, her forehead would only reach his chin—
“Besides, can you even reach it?”
Bayunye felt insulted by this steel-straight man’s mockery of their height difference and glared at him fiercely. Unfazed, he calmly walked into the bathroom.
“You try picking it up lying down and see if you can reach it!” She punched the bathroom door, causing the wooden door to emit a loud “bang.” She didn’t know how many times she had exchanged verbal jabs with him through the door.
“Talk to me when you can make me lie down.”
Bayunye placed one hand on her hip and pointed inside with the other, instantly channeling the spirit of Aunt Xue. “Open the door! Open the door! If you have the guts, open it! Let’s fight! See who ends up lying down first!”
With a “whoosh—” sound, Diao Zhuo really pulled the door open.
Bayunye froze, instinctively taking a step back.
A few rooms away, the Rescue Team members, who had been crowded together playing cards, heard the commotion and huddled by the doorway like a stack of dominoes. Hippo whispered, “Master Ba really has guts. Did she just kick open the bathroom door?”
“Captain Diao might lose his dignity…” Da Qin said excitedly.
Hippo scratched the back of his head. “I have a feeling the two of them are going to fight.”
“Fight? Impossible!” Everyone expressed disbelief.
“Why not?”
They answered in unison, “Diao Zhuo doesn’t hit women!”
“If you have the guts, come in.” Diao Zhuo held the door handle with one hand, staring at her intently.
Bayunye looked at Diao Zhuo, who was only wearing a towel around his waist, and felt a surge of blood rush from her feet straight to her brain. The veins at her temples throbbed a few times, and her scalp tingled.
He gave a disdainful smile. “If you don’t dare, forget it.” With that, he raised his hand to close the door.
I don’t dare?Just as the door was about to close, Bayunye kicked it open and strode inside.
Under the dim yellow light, his bare upper body revealed rugged muscles, with clearly defined six-pack abs and a V-line—a stark contrast to the slender, youthful male idols popular today. His solid physique exuded a wild, mature masculinity that women found irresistibly sexy. He locked eyes with her, his presence not only matching hers but overwhelming her with an aggressive dominance, a force that had only grown stronger since Bayunye first met him.
Her throat went dry, and she swallowed involuntarily, as if faced with a lavish feast. For someone who always felt fearless, a sudden wave of timidity washed over her. She pursed her lips, about to crack a joke, when he abruptly grabbed her and pinned her against the wall.
He seemed to have been holding back for a long time, now unleashing it all at once. Who told you to tease me all the way here?
A few eavesdroppers jostled each other, crowding toward the bathroom door. The one in front was shoved from behind, half his body slamming into the door with a loud bang. They yelped in surprise and scattered in all directions.
Bayunye snapped back to reality. Judging by the noise, quite a few people had been listening outside. She had no interest in broadcasting such an affair, so she patted his shoulder, and he released her. Catching her breath, she straightened her disheveled clothes and raised an eyebrow. "...Let’s not keep others from showering."
Diao Zhuo opened the door for her, and she hurried out, dashing back to her room.
"Damn, Master Ba chickened out. It’s all your fault for making so much noise!" Hippo gritted his teeth, looking disappointed. Still, he felt he hadn’t misjudged her all those years ago—aside from Brother Long and Diao Zhuo, no one else could ever keep Bayunye in check.
Their enthusiasm for eavesdropping extinguished, everyone reluctantly returned to their card game.
By the time everyone had taken turns showering intermittently, it was already evening. Bayunye called Brother Long and learned he had just returned to Lhasa from Kanxia Town, Zou Kaigui’s hometown. She told him about Ye Xun drugging them and sneaking away, and Brother Long, who always valued loyalty, predictably scoffed, muttering, "Birds of a feather flock together."
Listening to Brother Long’s account of his experiences in Kanxia Town, Bayunye also felt disdain. "I think Zou Xiaowen was probably killed by her father long ago. Otherwise, why would Zou Kaigui be so certain he’d never find her in this lifetime, yet still dare to search recklessly all over the world?"
"If you’re done there, come back soon," Brother Long said, not particularly concerned about Ye Xun’s fate. He had recently taken a liking to an old Naxi courtyard in Lijiang with several crabapple trees in the yard, planning to convert it into an inn. He’d already chosen a name—Crabapple Chant—and wanted Bayunye to check it out and help hire a manager and a few staff members.
Bayunye agreed, but as she overheard the Rescue Team members discussing the police feedback while walking by, she hung up. Reportedly, none of the checkpoints—whether in Lhasa, Golmud, or Nagqu—had seen Ye Xun.
Ye Xun was likely still trapped in Qiangtang.
If so, he was in grave danger. Every passing minute and second held life-threatening risks.
Diao Zhuo made a decisive call. "Turn back and find Ye Xun."
Sangzhu Zhuoma quickly reported the situation to higher authorities. The government of Amdo County stated they would coordinate with local police, medical personnel, and stationed troops to participate in the search and rescue, providing all necessary supplies for the operation.Maqu Township had many herders familiar with the buffer grassland zone of Qiangtang and the edges of the Uninhabited Area. Sangzhu Zhuoma even specially invited two of them as guides. With that, Bayunye was free to choose whether to go or not—going would undoubtedly just waste some gasoline.
"Master Ba, come along," Xiang An said hopefully.
"Yeah, come on!" Da Qin added.
Bayunye, who was helping them load barrel water into the vehicle, hesitated for a moment and didn’t immediately agree, standing there holding the water barrel in a daze.
Da Qin turned to Diao Zhuo for help, gesturing toward Bayunye. Diao Zhuo walked over, took the barrel of water from her, and tilted his head to look at her. "Didn’t you say you were going to beat him up?"
Bayunye reacted as if her tail had been stepped on. "Fuck it, I’m going!"
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