Chapter 14: The Secret Place

Following Situ Ping's terrified gaze, everyone indeed saw a white, skeletal frame leaning against a sour jujube tree about four or five zhang away. The black, hollow eye sockets of the skull were staring in their direction, causing everyone's hair to stand on end, and their hands tightened even more on their weapons.

Situ Ping, who could be considered a seasoned martial artist, had seen many bloody scenes and had no shortage of experience in murder and arson. How could she be frightened by such a small skeleton? However, the notorious reputation of the sour jujube forest, the endless mist, the chilling weather, and the palpitations of the group all contributed to her uncontrollable outburst. The scholars, including Yan Ming, stopped and waited for a moment, but the skeleton showed no movement. They then resumed their journey, and Situ Ping felt somewhat embarrassed. However, the others did not blame her, as in such an unknown environment, anyone could lose control of their emotions. Everyone felt a sense of empathy.

As the group ventured deeper, the number of bones they encountered gradually increased, even appearing multiple times along their path. They dared not avoid them and crossed over them directly. There were many human skeletons, and even more animal skeletons, which seemed to have wandered into this strange and mysterious place over the years, lost here, and never found their way out. After wandering around and exhausting their energy, they finally lay down under the sour jujube trees, wailing as they left the world. Thinking about this, the group became even more cautious, and any thoughts of exploring the forest's power were completely dispelled. These people were chosen by their elders for their meticulous actions and strong will, and they would not risk their lives for a little curiosity.

The forest seemed endless. After walking for a while, the scenery remained the same. If it weren't for the different bones, everyone would have thought they were lost. Fortunately, they had not encountered any danger, so they calmed down and continued on, hoping to leave the forest as soon as possible.

After walking for a long time, Situ Ping, who was familiar with the area, began to have more active thoughts. Perhaps it was the stillness that led to movement. She didn't know what the others were thinking, but her thoughts were indeed stirred. The Evil Tiger Gang was based in Luzhen, and this Stone Man Peak was within their territory. Although they knew about the Five Claw Peak, they didn't know how to enter it. Now that they knew the method, wouldn't this place become their private garden? However, the other four forces were much larger than their own. How would they handle this secret place? Or would they be discarded once they were no longer useful, putting their lives at risk?

Just as Situ Ping was worrying and thinking, her foot suddenly tripped over a tree root, and her body tilted to the right. Coincidentally, they were walking near the edge of two trees. As soon as Situ Ping felt her body lose balance, she immediately gathered her thoughts and, with a kick in the air, gracefully stood up and landed steadily on the ground. However, she had landed outside the range of the two trees, next to a sour jujube tree. The sudden change made everyone stop, and Yan Ming, Ma Xiangyang, and Wen Wenhai turned to look at Situ Ping. Ma Xiangyang looked at the tree root on the ground, his eyes filled with thought. Everyone waited for Situ Ping to come over and continue, but then something strange happened. Situ Ping turned and looked around, her gaze passing over everyone as if she didn't see them. Her face showed panic, and she searched around, taking a step but then stopping, not daring to make any unusual movements. Her lips moved as if she were calling out to everyone, but no one could hear her. Seeing this, Yan Ming quickly used the secret sound transmission technique to say to Situ Ping, "Can you hear me? Nod if you can." At this, Situ Ping's face showed great joy, and she nodded rapidly like a chicken pecking at rice. Yan Ming then said, "Turn left and follow my instructions. Stop when I tell you to." Situ Ping nodded again and, following Yan Ming's instructions, faced the group and walked toward them. Strangely, after only four or five steps, she reached the place where the group was standing, and her eyes immediately brightened, seeing everyone.

Yan Ming did not ask about the reason for Situ Ping's fall but asked, "What did you see just now?" Situ Ping, still shaken, replied, "When I stood up, the surroundings were still the same sour jujube trees, nothing different. But I couldn't see any of you, and no one responded to my loud calls. If you hadn't spoken to me, I would have searched around again."

Yan Ming frowned in thought, and Ma Xiangyang smiled at Situ Ping, saying, "Lord Situ, be careful when you walk. A misstep could cost you your life, and the great cause of Luzhen would be lost to others. Take care of yourself." Situ Ping lowered her head and said, "Young Master Ma, I understand. I will be careful."

The group became even more cautious on the journey ahead, knowing that the forest was not as peaceful as it seemed. A single mistake could cost them their lives. Situ Ping did not know, but the others knew that shouting loudly was useless; only the secret sound transmission technique could be used. This profound martial art was not something everyone could master, and it was better to be cautious than to rely on others.

After walking for about four or five incense sticks, the bones on the path gradually decreased, and the mist became thinner. They could see the edge of the forest. Indeed, not long after, they saw light in the distance. Yan Ming led the group forward according to the mnemonic, being even more careful. No accidents occurred, and the group safely walked out of the forest, greeted by a breathtaking sight.

Before them was a warm, spring-like secret place. The area was not very large, with a large lake in the center. White mist rose from the lake, and there was a stone house by the lake. Around the house were several fields planted with various plants, which could not be seen clearly from a distance.

Under Yan Ming's lead, the group entered this place that had not been stepped on for hundreds of years.

Yan Ming said to the group, "According to the booklet, there is no danger once you enter the secret place. You can move around freely, but for safety, I suggest we act together and follow me." Then, he led the group toward the lake.

When they reached the lake, a wave of heat hit them. The lake water bubbled, and Yan Ming squatted down, first putting a branch into the water to check for any abnormalities. After finding nothing unusual, he pondered how to determine the temperature of the lake. Tan Wu stepped forward, taking an egg from his pocket and said sheepishly, "I like to drink raw eggs. I had a few left over from yesterday. Let's use this to test the water temperature." He wrapped the egg in cloth and put it in the lake. After a while, he took it out, and indeed, it was cooked. This dispelled everyone's desire to explore the water.

It seemed that the temperature in this place was different from the outside, likely due to the lake.

The group walked along the lake toward the only stone house, where they expected to find the treasure. After walking halfway around the lake, they saw no animals and encountered no danger, so they relaxed, thinking that the owner's letter had not deceived them.

Around the stone house were several medicinal fields, planted with herbs that most of them did not recognize. Even Yan Ming, with his extensive knowledge, only recognized a few, such as ginseng, white atractylodes, and golden chrysanthemum. These common herbs outside were extremely valuable here, having grown for three hundred years or more. As for the other unknown herbs, they were likely lost in the past. Regardless of what was in the stone house, the herbs in the fields were priceless treasures for any martial arts school.

Everyone looked eagerly at these precious items, thinking about how to take them back. Yan Ming frowned and said, "We didn't expect to find such valuable herbs here. It's beyond our expectations. We don't know how to take them out, so let's go to the stone house first and think of a way when we come out. These herbs won't run away, so there's no need to be envious." Everyone smiled and followed Yan Ming to the stone house.

The stone house was very simple, with no door. Yan Ming stopped at the empty entrance, hesitant to enter, even though the book clearly stated there were no traps. He thought for a moment, picked up a stone from the ground, and threw it inside. Hearing only the sound of the stone hitting the ground, he then entered the stone house with a dagger in hand, and the others followed.

The stone house looked small from the outside, but inside, it was quite large, like a hall rather than a living room. The hall was not covered in thick dust as one might expect from a long-abandoned place. Instead, the lack of a door allowed for good ventilation, and there was no dusty smell.

On the wall opposite the entrance was a smooth, empty wall, which seemed to have once held a painting or some kind of offering. Below the wall was a long table and a square table, with an incense burner on the long table. Far from the incense burner was a small, flat box. On the square table below the long table were four square, ancient-looking boxes, with patterns that were no longer seen today. On either side of the square table were three chairs, each with a cushion. The left wall was empty, with a hole that seemed to be a window. On the right wall were three paintings: one of a man in brocade robes holding a knife and riding a horse; one of a man in white robes with a sword at his waist, walking leisurely; and one of a woman with a white veil, holding a long whip, standing by a small bridge.

The three paintings, worn by time, were not very clear, and there were no inscriptions, making it difficult to understand their meaning. The group could not determine if the one-armed swordsman was among them.

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(End of the chapter)