Chapter 0013: The Cave Adventure (Part 2)

Finally, Lin Yi entered the stone gate and stepped into the hall. In front of the hall, a large stone stele caught his eye, inscribed with several lines in seal script:

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

Before dawn, remember to leave. After five years, the stone gate will open again.

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

On the night of the full moon, this is easy to understand, isn't it? Today is exactly the night of the full moon. And the stone gate opens, which must refer to this red stone gate! 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 seem to have anything special, right? An orphan, adopted by Old Lin, he had lived a muddled life until he was eight, never feeling anything extraordinary about himself. At least compared to Old Lin, he didn't have anything that made him stand out.

However, since I've come in, I might as well consider myself the one with destiny!

The part about leaving before dawn is even easier to understand. It means before the sun comes up and it gets light. Remember to leave means I must leave before dawn, right? Yes, that's what it means from a literal interpretation.

But what does the part about the stone gate opening again after five years mean? Could it be saying that if I don't leave before dawn, the stone gate will automatically close, and the next time it opens will be five years later?

Thinking about this, Lin Yi couldn't help but shiver. Goodness, I'm glad I can read seal script. Otherwise, if I stayed here foolishly for the night, the cave door would close, and I'd be in big trouble, right? Not to mention, even five days without food or water would be tough.

Now that I know there's a rule in this cave, I should be fine if I leave before dawn! Thinking this, 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 place 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 very interested in gold and jewels. Although he found them wondrous and beautiful, he didn't think they could fetch a high price if sold.

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

But even if she were rich, who would spend money on such 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 are beautiful but useless and can't be eaten.

So, Lin Yi didn't linger too much on the luxurious decorations in the hall. Instead, he began to explore the hall. According to the Jin Yong novels he usually read, when someone mysteriously enters a cave or valley, they often have some kind of adventure, like finding a secret manual of supreme martial arts!

Thinking of this, 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 Lin's oppression anymore. Once he mastered it, Old Lin wouldn't dare to hit him anymore!

The hall was large but spacious. Apart from the golden and splendid decorations on the four walls, there were two structures in the center of the hall. One was the stone stele Lin Yi saw first when he entered, and behind the stele was a platform!

The platform resembled an ancient altar used for sacrifices, or a place where important things were kept in a sect. In any case, it looked very old, something that wouldn't appear in modern times.

Without much thought, Lin Yi ran up to the platform. At the top of the platform, he saw an ancient wooden box. Lin Yi's heart raced. Could this be some kind of scripture box?

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

However, after waiting for a while, nothing special 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 gate would close before dawn, he could open the box at home. For now, Lin Yi decided to use the remaining time to further explore the cave.

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

Lin Yi was greatly surprised and quickly read the lines:

After five years, the divine skill is initially formed. Strike the gate 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 lines, Lin Yi was completely puzzled. What does "after five years, the divine skill is initially formed" mean? Could it be that the box in his hand really contains a martial arts manual? If he masters it, he can open the gate with his palm?

Thinking of this, Lin Yi casually pushed the gate, but unfortunately, the stone gate didn't budge. In that case, the next four lines were also easy to understand: "If not as wished, the divine skill is not formed. Wait another five years and come to test." This means if he can't push the gate open, his skill isn't good enough, and he needs to wait another five years until the stone gate opens again to come and test.

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

However, Lin Yi also understood that with his current abilities, he couldn't open the second gate. He was just a person with destiny, and being able to open the first gate and enter this hall was already a stroke of luck.

Since that's the case, Lin Yi didn't push for anything more. He held the box he had taken from the platform and walked towards the cave entrance. At this moment, the sky was no longer so dark, and the east was faintly turning white, a sign that the sun was about to rise and it would soon be light...

^^^^^^

The growth of a new book depends on everyone's recommendations and collections! Thank you all!