Chapter 013: The Cave Adventure (Part 2)

Finally, Lin Yi entered the stone door and stepped into the hall. A large stone stele stood directly in front of him, inscribed with several sentences in seal script:

"On the night of the full moon, the stone door opens. Those with destiny may enter.

Before dawn, remember to leave. Five years later, the stone door will open again."

Lin Yi had learned seal script from Old Man Lin when he was young, so he easily recognized the eight sentences on the stele. After reading them, he began to ponder their meaning.

"On the night of the full moon" is easy to understand; today is indeed the night of the full moon. "The stone door opens" must refer to this red stone door! But what does "those with destiny" mean? Could it be that I am the one with destiny who can enter?

This made Lin Yi feel both fantastical and puzzled. He didn't think he was anything special. An orphan, adopted by Old Man Lin, he had lived a muddled life until he was eight, never feeling particularly different from others. At least compared to Old Man Lin, he didn't have any special qualities.

However, since I've entered, I might as well consider myself the one with destiny! "Before dawn" is also easy to understand; it means before the sun rises. "Remember to leave" means I must leave before dawn, right? Yes, that's what it means on the surface.

But what does "five years later, the stone door will open again" mean? Could it be that if I don't leave before dawn, the stone door will automatically close, and the next time it opens will be five years later?

Lin Yi shuddered at this thought. Thank goodness I can read seal script; otherwise, I might have stayed here all night, and when the cave door closed, I would be in big trouble. Even five days without food or water would be tough, let alone five years!

Now that I know this rule, I should be fine if I leave before dawn. With this in mind, Lin Yi felt a bit more relaxed.

At this moment, Lin Yi closely observed the inside of the hall. It turned out that the walls were embedded with night pearls, which made the hall as bright as day.

Anyone with a bit of knowledge could see that each night pearl embedded in the walls was worth a fortune. If one were taken to the market for auction, it would also be worth a fortune.

However, Lin Yi, who grew up in the mountains, wasn't particularly interested in gold and silver. Although he found them fascinating and beautiful, he didn't think they would fetch a high price if sold.

The main issue was, who would he sell them to in the mountains? The richest person in the village was the widow Wang, who ran a snack shop and a small store, making over a thousand yuan a year!

But even if she had money, who would spend it on impractical things? In Lin Yi's view, it would be better to use the money to buy some fatty meat, which would be much more satisfying. These night pearls were beautiful but useless and couldn't be eaten.

So, Lin Yi didn't linger on the luxurious decorations in the hall. Instead, he began to explore the hall, thinking of the adventures in Jin Yong's novels where someone mysteriously enters a cave or valley and gains some extraordinary encounter, like finding a secret manual of supreme martial arts!

At this thought, Lin Yi felt a surge of excitement. If he found a secret manual of supreme martial arts, he wouldn't have to suffer under Old Man Lin's oppression anymore. Once he mastered it, Old Man Lin wouldn't dare to hit him!

The hall was large but empty, with only two structures in the center. One was the stone stele he saw first, and behind it was a platform!

The platform resembled an ancient altar used for sacrifices or a place where important items were stored in a sect. It looked very old, something that wouldn't be found in modern times.

Without much thought, Lin Yi ran up to the platform and saw an ancient wooden box at the top. His heart raced. Could this be a treasure box?

Lin Yi carefully picked up the box and immediately jumped down from the platform, hiding himself. He had heard that ancient buildings often had hidden mechanisms. If he touched someone's treasure and a mechanism was triggered, it would be disastrous.

However, after waiting for a while, nothing unusual happened, and Lin Yi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He wasn't in a hurry to open the box. Since the cave's stone door would close before dawn, he could open the box at home. For now, Lin Yi decided to use the remaining time to explore the cave further.

Circling around the platform, Lin Yi was surprised to find another stone door behind it. Next to the stone door was a smaller stone stele, also inscribed with eight sentences in seal script, each four characters long, just like the one he saw when he entered!

Lin Yi was greatly surprised and quickly read the sentences:

"Five years later, the divine skill is initially formed. Strike the door with your palm to enter.

If not as wished, the divine skill is not formed. Wait another five years and come to test."

After reading these eight sentences, Lin Yi was thoroughly confused. "Five years later, the divine skill is initially formed"—what does that mean? Could it be that the box in his hand really contains a martial arts manual? If he masters it, he can open the door with his palm?

Thinking about this, Lin Yi pushed the door, but it didn't budge. This made the next four sentences easier to understand: "If not as wished, the divine skill is not formed. Wait another five years and come to test." This means that if he can't push the door open, his skill isn't strong enough, and he needs to wait another five years until the stone door opens again to test himself.

Looking at the unopenable stone door, Lin Yi felt a bit itchy. Logically, if there was a divine skill manual in the first hall, there must be even more precious things behind the second stone door!

However, Lin Yi understood that with his current abilities, he couldn't open the second door. Being able to open the first stone door and enter this hall was already a stroke of luck.

Since that was the case, Lin Yi didn't push for more. He held the box he had taken from the platform and walked out of the cave. By now, the sky was no longer dark; the east was beginning to turn a pale white, a sign that the sun was about to rise.