Chapter 13: Strange Encounter in the Cave (Part II)

Finally, Lin Yi entered the stone gate and stepped into the great hall. Directly ahead of him, a massive stone tablet caught his eye, inscribed with several lines in seal script

On the night of the full moon, the stone gate shall swing open; only those destined shall enter.

Before dawn, remember to leave; in five years, the stone gate shall open again.

Having studied seal script with Old Man Lin when he was a child, Lin Yi easily recognized the eight lines written on the tablet.

After reading them, Lin Yi began to ponder their meaning.

"On the night of the full moon"—that was easy to understand. Wasn't tonight exactly the night of the full moon?

And "the stone gate shall swing open" must surely refer to this vermilion stone gate! But what did "those destined" mean?

Could it be that he was the destined one, and that was why he could enter?

This felt fantastical to Lin Yi, yet deeply confusing.

Was there anything special about him?

An orphan, adopted by Old Man Lin, he had lived a muddled life until the age of eight, and he never felt he possessed anything extraordinary.

At the very least, compared to Old Man Lin, he had nothing that surpassed the old man.

However, since he had already made it inside, he might as well consider himself the "destined one" for now!

As for "before dawn," that was even easier to grasp—it meant before the sun rose and the sky brightened. "Remember to leave" meant he had to be out before daybreak?

Well, that was the literal interpretation.

But what did the last part, "in five years, the stone gate shall open again," mean?

Could it be that if he failed to leave before dawn, the stone gate would automatically close, and the next time it would open would be in five years?

At this thought, Lin Yi couldn't help but shudder. It was a good thing he could read seal script; otherwise, if he had foolishly stayed here all night and the gate slammed shut, he would be well and truly finished.

Forget five years—even five days without food or water would be a struggle.

Now that he knew the rules of this cave, Lin Yi figured there should be no problem getting out before dawn!

With that thought, his heart settled slightly.

Only then did Lin Yi take a closer look at the interior of the hall. It turned out the four walls were embedded with night-bright pearls, which was why the place was as bright as day.

Anyone with a bit of an eye for value could see that every single pearl embedded in the walls was worth a fortune; if even one were taken to an auction on the outside market, it would command an astronomical price.

However, having grown up in the mountains, Lin Yi wasn't particularly interested in gold, silver, or jewels. Although he found them wondrous and beautiful, he didn't think they could be sold for much.

The real issue was: in these mountains, who would he sell them to?

The wealthiest person around was Widow Wang at the village entrance, who ran a small snack bar and convenience store; she could save over a thousand yuan a year!

But no matter how wealthy someone was, who would spend money on such impractical things?

In Lin Yi's view, it was better to use money to buy two large pieces of fatty meat; that would be much more delicious. These night-bright pearls were pretty to look at but useless, and you certainly couldn't eat them.

Thus, Lin Yi did not linger on the hall's luxurious decorations, instead turning his attention to exploring the surroundings.

According to the fantasy novels he usually read, when a person mysteriously enters a cave or a valley, they often encounter a fortuitous encounter—like finding a peerless martial arts manual!

At this thought, a surge of excitement rushed through Lin Yi. If he could find a peerless manual, he wouldn't have to endure the old man's exploitation anymore!

Once he mastered it, the old man wouldn't dare hit him!

The hall was large but quite empty. Aside from the magnificent decorations on the four walls, there were only two structures in the center of the hall.

One was the stone tablet he had seen immediately upon entering, and behind the tablet was a high platform!

The platform looked much like an ancient sacrificial altar, or perhaps a place in a sect used to store important items.

In any case, it looked extremely ancient; such architecture would certainly not appear in modern times.

Without thinking much more, Lin Yi ran up the platform in a few strides. At the very top of the platform, he saw an antique-looking small wooden box.

Lin Yi's heart raced. Could this be something like a scripture box?

He carefully picked up the box, and as soon as he had it in hand, he leaped down from the platform and hid himself.

He had heard that ancient structures like this were often rigged with hidden mechanisms. If he touched someone's treasure and accidentally triggered a trap, he would be in deep trouble.

However, after waiting for a long time without anything unusual happening, he breathed a secret sigh of relief.

Lin Yi was in no hurry to open the box. After all, the stone gate would close before dawn, and he could open the box once he returned home.

For now, he decided to use his remaining time to further explore the cave.

Rounding the platform, Lin Yi was surprised to discover that there was actually another stone gate behind it, and beside that gate sat another small stone tablet!

This tablet also had eight lines written in seal script, four characters per line, just like the one at the entrance!

Astonished, Lin Yi hurried to read it carefully

In five years, when the divine skill is first mastered, strike the gate with your palm to enter.

If unsuccessful and the skill is not mastered, wait another five years to come and test.

After reading these eight lines, Lin Yi was utterly bewildered!

What did "In five years, when the divine skill is first mastered" mean?

Could it be that there really was a martial arts manual inside this box?

And once he mastered it, he could open the door just by striking it with his hand?

Thinking this, Lin Yi gave the door a casual push, but unfortunately, the stone gate did not budge an inch.

If that was the case, the last four lines were easy to understand: "If unsuccessful and the skill is not mastered, wait another five years to come and test." It meant that if he couldn't push the door open, it was because his martial arts weren't good enough, and he would need to wait five years for the gate to open again to try once more.

Looking at the unopenable stone gate before him, Lin Yi felt a pang of restless curiosity.

Logically, if there was already a divine manual in this first hall, then the hall behind the stone gate must contain even more precious treasures!

However, Lin Yi also understood that with his current abilities, it was impossible to open the second door!

At most, he was merely a "destined one"; being able to open the first stone gate and enter this hall was already a great coincidence.

Since that was the case, Lin Yi stopped pushing his luck. Clutching the box he had retrieved from the platform, he began walking toward the cave exit.

By this time, the sky was no longer pitch black. The eastern horizon was beginning to show a faint hint of grayish-white—the precursor to the sun rising and the day breaking...

(End of Chapter)