Chapter 28: Treasure Hunt in the Mountain Cave

Staring in astonishment at the revealed opening, Lu Zhe was momentarily stunned, exclaiming in disbelief, “No way, am I really this lucky?”

Without hesitation, Lu Zhe walked toward the entrance. As he approached, he carefully examined the opening and glanced at the scattered stones on the ground before remarking in a calm voice, “Whoever made this tunnel must be a master of earth-element spiritual power. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to make the entrance so well-hidden.”

Having said this, Lu Zhe did not immediately enter. Instead, he retreated outside, tore a branch from a nearby tree, and wrapped a piece of cloth, ripped from his own clothing, around the tip. Striking a spark with his firestone, he lit the makeshift torch, crouched low, and entered the mountain tunnel.

Once inside, Lu Zhe found the passage wide enough for one and a half people and as tall as a man. The walls were uneven and rough, suggesting the maker hadn’t bothered to smooth them out.

He continued cautiously, aware the cave might be booby-trapped, moving forward step by careful step, head bowed. Despite his caution, after only a short while, Lu Zhe noticed a glimmer of light ahead. His pace quickened as he headed toward it.

When Lu Zhe reached the source of the light, he was struck speechless by what he saw.

Before him lay a vast cavern, nearly ten fathoms high and just as wide. Set into the ceiling was a large, round stone that emitted a soft glow, illuminating the chamber without being dazzling.

Lu Zhe found himself halfway up the cavern wall and slid down to the bottom. There, the sight nearly made his eyes pop from their sockets.

At the base, a mountain of gold was piled high, surrounded by a garden-like courtyard filled with all manner of plants. In front of the gold sat a small bench, and on it rested something Lu Zhe could not quite make out from a distance. He stepped closer to investigate.

Drawing near, he discovered that the bench was occupied by a human skeleton, draped in tattered, decayed garments. Lu Zhe offered a respectful bow, only to notice three boxes beneath the skeleton. On the pedestal supporting the boxes, there seemed to be some words, though they were obscured by dust.

He stepped forward, blew on the surface, and dust swirled into the air. With a few swipes of his hand, he cleared the rest, revealing the inscription:

“All my life I wandered the world, standing proud above all, looking down from the pinnacle, laughing at the masses. Alas, in my later years I encountered a formidable foe. All my skills proved useless; I was gravely wounded and barely escaped to this place, hoping to break through my spiritual barrier and heal. Thirty years in seclusion, yet no progress—my injuries deepened, hope was lost. Therefore, I leave all my knowledge here, for a worthy soul to find.”

There followed a few more words, likely a signature, though the carving was so hasty and uneven that it was unreadable. It seemed the carver could barely finish before returning to his seat to meet his end.

After reading, Lu Zhe drew a sharp breath. Glancing at the skeleton on the bench, he murmured, “How unfortunate. Such brilliance in the first half of his life, only to end in such misery.”

A twinge of sadness welled up in Lu Zhe, but then he reconsidered. Judging from the first part of the inscription, this person must have been extraordinarily powerful. Yet he wrote that none of his skills helped against his opponent—who could be so strong? What level? A Spirit Lord? Or even a Spirit Saint?

The thought of the latter made Lu Zhe shudder. If this man truly faced a Spirit Saint and survived to escape, that fact alone proved his life was anything but ordinary.

Which meant the things he left behind must also be extraordinary.

Lu Zhe’s gaze shifted eagerly to the three boxes. He hurried to the leftmost one—a gray box, half a foot long and a foot wide, carved with mysterious patterns.

He slowly opened it. Inside was a yellow mat with a scroll-like object placed atop it. Lu Zhe picked up the scroll and examined it, finding nothing written on its surface—it looked perfectly ordinary.

He tried to unfurl the scroll, but even using all his strength, he couldn’t open it. Frowning, he muttered, “Is this thing glued shut?”

With a shrug, he set the scroll on the pedestal and turned to the middle box, which was a bit smaller, its red surface also covered with patterns.

Opening it, he found another scroll. He took it out and turned it over in his hands, remarking dryly, “Don’t tell me this one’s stuck too.”

But when he tried, the scroll opened easily. The first thing he saw was an unusual black symbol—two symmetrical shapes, rather like a pair of wings. There were also a few lines of text, but Lu Zhe was in no mood to read them. He closed the scroll and moved to the third box.

Inside was not a scroll but a delicate, exquisite bottle of pale blue, from which wafted a faint medicinal fragrance—clearly, it held some sort of elixir.

He picked up the bottle, sniffed it, and immediately felt the scent permeate his body, refreshing and invigorating.

As Lu Zhe surveyed these items, his gaze inadvertently fell on the skeleton’s right hand. There, on the little finger, was a ring of pale violet, strikingly beautiful.

Curiosity piqued, Lu Zhe reached out and touched the ring. The moment his hand made contact, the skeleton gave a sharp crack and Lu Zhe accidentally pulled off the entire right forearm.

“Ah—sorry!” Lu Zhe called out, clutching the arm and addressing the skeleton loudly.

Before he could finish, he realized that only the front part of the arm had come off—the rest remained attached, but now something was revealed at the joint.

He stepped closer, bent to look, and saw that the object was still embedded inside. He pulled it out and was surprised to find it was a much smaller scroll, about the size of his palm, and just like the first, it would not open.

With a sigh, Lu Zhe placed the tiny scroll on the table, then carefully removed the pale violet ring from the little finger of the arm he’d pulled off. He examined it closely, then addressed the skeleton cheerily, “Well, old ghost, you’re already dead. You said yourself—let the worthy claim it, so I’ll accept.”

He slipped the ring onto the little finger of his left hand; it fit perfectly. Delighted, he stroked it absentmindedly, and suddenly, the ring emitted a soft violet glow. Beams of light shot out, targeting the mountain of gold, the garden, and the scrolls he’d just handled.

The light flared brilliantly, then vanished as quickly as it had appeared. Lu Zhe looked around— the gold, the plants, the scrolls were all gone without a trace.

Stunned, Lu Zhe lowered his head to stare at the ring on his little finger and muttered, “Did it all go inside here?”

Before he could process this, the pedestal suddenly gave a loud rumble and flipped over, exposing a new inscription.

Lu Zhe hurried over and read the words carved there:

“All three boxes opened—mutual destruction.”

He clicked his tongue at the message, then suddenly seemed to realize something. With a startled cry, he spun around and raced for the tunnel entrance.

He had just reached the midpoint when a thunderous crash sounded behind him. Massive stones crashed from the ceiling, and the entire cavern began to collapse.

Lu Zhe ran for his life toward the exit, sprinting as fast as he could.

He had barely escaped when he glanced back—the tunnel opening was already buried beneath a heap of boulders. Had he been a moment slower, he would have been trapped inside forever.

Panting, Lu Zhe lay down on the grass outside, gazing up at the bright sunlight. He took a deep breath, as if everything that had just happened was nothing but a dream.

He raised his left hand to eye level and looked at the ring on his little finger, studying it for a while. Then, lowering his hand, he lay quietly on the grass.