Chapter 73: The Deep, Dark Cave

Yun Xuan glanced at the young man, who appeared somewhat nervous as he looked back at him, his gaze complicated as it shifted to Lin Xiuxiu.

The young man wore a white T-shirt and faded jeans, simple and unadorned.

“Brother, you’re back!” Lin Xiuxiu turned her head and exclaimed with delight when she saw him.

“Mm. And this is?” Lin Chao’s eyes fell on Yun Xuan.

“This is Yun Xuan, the one leasing land in our village, the owner of a high-end city restaurant,” Lin Xiuxiu replied with a smile, carrying the grilled fish as she approached Lin Chao.

“A boss from the city,” Lin Chao murmured, lowering his head.

“Brother, try it! Yun Xuan grills the best fish,” Lin Xiuxiu said, oblivious to Lin Chao’s mood.

“Xiuxiu, why don’t you go back and start cooking? I’d like to have a word with Mr. Yun here,” Lin Chao said, lifting his gaze.

“Oh. Yun Xuan, you two come back soon,” Lin Xiuxiu said with a smile before leaving.

“Do you want a beer?” Yun Xuan pulled two cans of beer from behind his back, handing one to Lin Chao.

“Thank you.” Lin Chao sat down and accepted the can.

“Xiuxiu isn’t really your sister, is she?” Yun Xuan asked.

“No, she was adopted,” Lin Chao nodded, taking a couple more gulps of beer.

“It’s clear you care about her deeply. But you know she sees you as a brother, so you mustn’t let your feelings go astray,” Yun Xuan said quietly.

“You’re very perceptive.” Lin Chao looked at Yun Xuan with surprise, yet the irritability in his heart seemed to ease a little after Yun Xuan’s words.

“How else could I make money if I weren’t? Tomorrow, Xiuxiu is leaving Stone Village with me to learn culinary skills at my restaurant. If you insist on following her, I can let you work as a kitchen assistant,” Yun Xuan said with a smile, secretly finding Lin Chao’s devoted affection for his ‘sister’ rather endearing.

“No need. Just take good care of her. She’s a prodigy—I’m not worthy of her,” Lin Chao replied, shaking his head.

“Let it go. There’s nothing between her and me. Her mentor is actually my disciple, a beautiful young lady,” Yun Xuan patted Lin Chao on the shoulder.

...

Yun Xuan and Lin Chao remained by the riverside until dusk. Yun Xuan found himself quite taken with people who spoke so frankly.

Once they stepped through the front door—

“Brother, Yun Xuan, you’re finally back! If you’d been any later, I would’ve starved!” Lin Xiuxiu sat at the table, feigning annoyance.

“Let’s eat.” Lin Chao smiled, looking at his sister without any of his earlier conflicted feelings. Yun Xuan’s guidance had successfully steered the young man away from his unhealthy obsession.

“Where’s Uncle Lin?” Yun Xuan looked around. Lin Shitou was not home, and Lin Chao’s mother had fallen ill years ago.

“My dad went to call the migrant workers from the village, together with Uncle Yuan,” Lin Xiuxiu replied as she ate.

Yun Xuan said nothing more, focusing on his meal. After dinner, he offered Lin Xiuxiu a few pointers. She listened intently, occasionally asking questions about parts she didn’t understand.

Lin Chao returned to his room. Yun Xuan’s room had long since been prepared—guests had stayed at the village chief’s house before.

“By the way, Yun Xuan, could you draw me now?” Lin Xiuxiu suddenly asked, her face full of anticipation.

“All right, bring me a pencil and a sketchbook,” Yun Xuan replied, scratching his head.

Lin Xiuxiu handed him the tools she had prepared in advance.

With a flick of his hand, Yun Xuan began to draw, occasionally glancing up at Lin Xiuxiu.

Lin Xiuxiu watched him quietly. She loved drawing, though she lacked the talent for it. Having seen Yun Xuan’s art on television, she had hoped he would sketch her one day.

“All done.” In less than ten minutes, Yun Xuan finished and handed the portrait to Lin Xiuxiu.

She took it and paused in astonishment.

The figure in the drawing was vividly lifelike—though it was only a pencil sketch, it seemed almost photographic.

“I’ll turn in now. Don’t stay up too late,” Yun Xuan said, stifling a yawn.

“Okay.” Lin Xiuxiu nodded happily.

Yun Xuan returned to his room, closed the door, and collapsed on the bed, playing with his super notebook. The device had internet access everywhere and was solar-powered, so Yun Xuan never worried about running out of battery.

...

The next morning, at dawn.

Yun Xuan opened his eyes and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. He’d spent the night hunched over the bed, playing with the super notebook. Checking the battery, he saw it was still four-fifths full.

After putting the notebook away, Yun Xuan stepped outside.

“You’re up early. Don’t you want to sleep a bit more?” Lin Chao was sharpening his axe, seemingly preparing to chop firewood.

“Early to bed and early to rise is good for you. Are you heading up the mountain?” Yun Xuan glanced at Lin Chao’s gear.

“Yes, to chop wood,” Lin Chao replied with a nod.

“I’ll come with you. Opportunities to climb a mountain are rare for me,” Yun Xuan decided.

“Just don’t overexert yourself,” Lin Chao said, doubting whether a city boss like Yun Xuan could climb very far.

The two left the house. Though they called it climbing a mountain, there was actually a small path.

After half an hour, Lin Chao wiped his sweat and glanced back, only to find Yun Xuan was merely breathing a bit heavily.

“This guy’s in good shape,” Lin Chao thought to himself.

“What’s that?” Yun Xuan asked, looking down to spot an opening beneath a large rock in the bushes.

“That’s an entrance to a tunnel inside the mountain. It goes deep, but no one’s ever reached the bottom. The old folks used to say there’s treasure inside, while others think animals dug it out long ago,” Lin Chao explained.

“A passageway into the mountain?” Yun Xuan was startled at the thought of its depth.

“If you’re interested, you can take a look. Many people have checked out the outer entrance before,” Lin Chao suggested, seeing Yun Xuan’s curiosity.

“Who knows, maybe there really is treasure inside. I’ll check it out. Let’s meet back here at noon,” Yun Xuan joked as he made his way through the bushes.

“Be careful,” Lin Chao replied with a laugh—if there were treasure, someone would have taken it long ago.

...

Yun Xuan stood at the cave entrance, which was just wide enough for one person. He could feel a cool breeze blowing from within.

After a moment’s thought, he changed his clothes and entered.

The passage narrowed as he went, forcing him to crawl. He held a flashlight in hand—he had plenty of such supplies in his spatial backpack.

After squeezing through a passage, Yun Xuan looked down at an opening below. The tunnel was surprisingly long.

He slid down and found himself facing a stair-like descent—the inside was clearly a small-scale shelter.

“So that’s it. This must have been a wartime refuge,” Yun Xuan realized.

The deeper he went, the less fear he felt—his skills gave him courage.

Halfway down, he began to feel short of breath and quickly donned an oxygen mask.

“This tunnel could accommodate a thousand people. If it was just a shelter, there must be a ventilation shaft,” Yun Xuan thought, a grave expression crossing his face. Perhaps this wasn’t a man-made refuge after all.

In a world with demon lords and angels, Yun Xuan didn’t doubt the existence of other extraordinary things.

After another ten minutes, Yun Xuan was certain no one had been here before. Shining his flashlight, he came to a dead end.

“A dead end? Could there be a hidden mechanism?” Yun Xuan searched carefully and discovered a mark—the very same symbol found on the big stone at the entrance to Stone Village!

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