Chapter 14
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Chapter 14: Secret Realm
As everyone followed Situ Ping’s terrified gaze, they indeed saw a gleaming white skeleton leaning against a sour jujube tree about four or five yards away to the right. The dark eye sockets of the skull seemed to stare right at them, sending shivers down their spines. Gripping their weapons tightly, they felt a surge of fear.
Although Situ Ping could be considered a child of the Jianghu, had witnessed many scenes of bloodshed, and had been involved in numerous violent incidents, how could she not be frightened by this skeleton? However, the infamous reputation of the Sour Jujube Forest, the endless mist, the chilling weather, and the fear gnawing at everyone’s hearts made her unable to control herself. After her outburst, Yanming Hermit and the others stopped in their tracks, waiting for a moment, but the skeleton remained motionless. They resumed their journey, and while Situ Ping felt a bit embarrassed, the others didn’t blame her. In such an unknown environment, anyone could lose control of their emotions, and everyone felt a sense of unease.
As the group delved deeper, they encountered more and more white bones, even appearing multiple times along the route. No one dared to avoid them, simply stepping over. Human skeletons were numerous, and there were even more skeletons of various animals. It seemed that over the years, many animals had mistakenly entered the dense forest, innocently stumbling into this unfamiliar and mysterious place, lost here forever. They would wander around, exhausting themselves, until finally lying under the sour jujube tree, howling as they departed from the world. Thinking of this, the group became even more cautious. Their initial curiosity about exploring the power of the dense forest was completely dispelled. These people were chosen by their elders for their careful planning and strong will, they would not recklessly sacrifice their lives for a bit of curiosity.
The dense forest seemed endless. After walking for a while, the scenery remained the same. If it weren’t for the appearance of different white bones, everyone would have thought they were already lost. Fortunately, they hadn’t encountered any danger along the way, so everyone’s spirits settled, and they just wanted to continue forward, hoping to soon leave this dense forest behind.
After walking in silence for a long time, Situ Ping, as a local expert, began to ponder. Sometimes, stillness breeds contemplation. She wasn’t sure about others, but Situ Ping’s mind indeed stirred. The Evil Tiger Gang was based in Lu Town, and Stone Man Peak fell within their sphere of influence. Although they knew of the danger of Five-Claw Peak here, they didn’t know the method to enter before. Now that they knew, wouldn’t this place become their own backyard? However, the other four forces were much larger. How would they deal with this secret land? Would they discard her once she became useless? Her life might be in danger.
Just as Situ Ping was wavering and contemplating, her foot suddenly tripped over a tree root, causing her body to tilt to the right. Coincidentally they were walking very close to the edge of two trees at that moment. Sensing her loss of balance, Situ Ping immediately focused her mind and kicked in the air, allowing her body to gracefully right itself and land steadily on the ground. However, she ended up off-course, standing next to a sour jujube tree instead of between the two trees. As this unexpected incident occurred, the other members of the group halted their steps. Yanming Hermit, Ma Xiangyang, and Wen Wenhai all turned to look at Situ Ping. Ma Xiangyang glanced at the tree root on the ground, his eyes thoughtful.
Everyone waited for Situ Ping to catch up from under the tree before continuing forward together. But at this moment, something strange happened. Situ Ping turned around and looked around, her gaze sweeping over everyone, seemingly without seeing. Panic flashed across Situ Ping’s face as she searched around, taking a step forward but then halting, not daring to make any unusual moves.
Situ Ping’s mouth moved as if calling out to everyone, but the others couldn’t hear her voice. Seeing this, Yanming Hermit quickly used a sound transmission method to talk with Situ Ping: “Can you hear me? If yes, nod your head.” Situ Ping’s face immediately lit up with joy, nodding continuously like a chick pecking at grains. Yanming Hermit continued: “Turn left and listen to my instructions. Stop when I tell you.” Situ Ping nodded again, following Yanming Hermit’s instructions, facing the crowd. Then she took a few steps toward them. It was strange indeed, Situ Ping only took about four or five steps but arrived at the spot where everyone was between the two trees. Situ Ping’s eyes immediately brightened as she saw the others.
Yanming Hermit didn’t inquire about the reason for Situ Ping’s fall, but instead asked: “What did you see just now?” Situ Ping, still shaken, replied: “When I stood up, the surroundings were still the same with sour jujube trees, no difference. But I just couldn’t see you all. I shouted, but no one responded. If you hadn’t spoken to me, I would have prepared to search around again.”
Yanming Hermit furrowed his brow in thought. Ma Xiangyang smiled warmly at Situ Ping and said: “Gang Leader Situ, you must be careful when walking. A careless move could cost your life and Lu Town’s great foundation will fall into others’ hands. Take care.” Situ Ping nodded and replied: “Young Master Ma, I understand. I will be careful.”
As they continued their journey, everyone became increasingly cautious, realizing that this dense forest wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed on the surface. One misstep could lead to being trapped within, with their lives forfeited. Situ Ping didn’t know, but the others knew well enough that shouting wouldn’t help, they could only use the sound transmission method. This profound martial art wasn’t something everyone knew, and relying on others was less reliable than being cautious.
After about four or five incense sticks’ worth of time, the number of white bones along the path gradually decreased, and the mist thinned out, indicating that they were nearing the edge of the dense forest. Indeed, before long, they could see light in the distance. Yanming Hermit still led the group forward cautiously, following the mnemonic and being even more careful. Unexpectedly, nothing untoward happened. The group followed the mantra and safely walked out of the dense forest after passing the last tree. What greeted them was a sight of heaven and earth that left them dumbstruck.
Before them lay a warm, spring-like clearing. The area wasn’t very large, with a large lake at its center. White mist rose from the surface of the lake, and by its shore stood a stone-built cottage. Surrounding the cottage were several fields, planted with various crops, though the details were not clear from afar.
Under the guidance of Yanming Hermit, everyone stepped into this place untouched by humans for centuries.
Yanming Hermit addressed the group, saying: “According to the book, there should be no danger in entering this secret realm. You can move around with confidence. However, for safety’s sake, I suggest you all stick together and follow me.” With that, he led the way toward the lake.
As everyone reached the lakeside, a wave of heat hit them, and they saw bubbles rising from the lake’s surface. Yanming Hermit crouched down and first placed a branch into the water to check for any abnormalities. Finding none, he pondered how to gauge the water’s temperature. Tan Wu stepped forward, took out an egg from his pocket, and said sheepishly: “I like drinking raw eggs. I still had a few left from yesterday. Now it’s just right to test the water’s temperature.” He then wrapped the egg in cloth and placed it in the lake. After a short while, he took out the egg, and sure enough, it was cooked. With this demonstration, everyone’s desire to explore the water was dispelled.
It seemed that the reason the temperature in this area was distinctly different from the outside, was likely due to the lake water.
As they walked along the lakeside towards the only stone house, everyone anticipated that the treasure they sought would be inside. After circling half of the lake, they encountered no animals nor any danger. Only then did their hearts ease. It appeared that the instructions left by the owner were not deceptive.
Around the stone house were several fields of medicinal herbs. Most of these herbs were unfamiliar to them, as they weren’t specialized pharmacists from any particular sect. Even Yanming Hermit, with his extensive knowledge, only recognized a few, such as Tianqi, Ginseng, Baimu, and Golden Sunflower. However, these seemingly ordinary herbs outside were extraordinarily precious here. Any herb that grew for three hundred years or longer would be exceptionally valuable. Not to mention the other unidentified herbs, which were likely lost treasures from years past.
Leaving aside whatever might be inside the stone house, the herbs in the fields alone were priceless treasures for each sect and faction.
So everyone gazed eagerly at these precious items, wondering how to carry them back. Yanming Hermit furrowed his brow and said: “I didn’t expect to find such valuable herbs here. It’s beyond our expectations. But I’m not sure how we’ll carry them out. Let’s go to the stone house first and we’ll figure it out when we come out. After all, these herbs don’t have legs, they can’t run away. No need to be greedy.” Everyone smiled and followed Yanming Hermit toward the stone house.
The stone house was extremely simple, so much so that it didn’t even have a door. Yanming Hermit approached the empty entrance but hesitated to enter. Despite the clear instructions in the book that there were no traps here, one couldn’t be too careful. After a moment’s thought, he picked up a stone from the ground and threw it inside. Listening intently, all he heard was the sound of the stone hitting the ground; there was no other movement or sound. Only then did Yanming Hermit enter the stone house, dagger in hand, with the others following closely behind.
The stone house appeared small from the outside, but once inside, everyone realized that it was quite spacious. It resembled more of a hall than the living quarters they had imagined. Surprisingly, despite being untouched for a long time, there wasn’t a thick layer of dust on the floor. Due to the lack of a door, the house was well-ventilated and devoid of any dusty smell.
Directly across from the hall was a smooth wall, currently empty but likely once adorned with paintings or something else. Below the wall, there was a long table and a square table. On the long table sat an incense burner, with a small flat box placed far away. Underneath the square table were four square brocade boxes arranged casually, exuding an ancient charm with patterns unseen in current times. On either side of the square table were three chairs, each with a cushion placed on it.
The wall to the left was bare, with a hole indicating it might be a window. On the right wall hung three paintings: one depicted a man in embroidered robes, holding a saber in his hand and riding a horse; another depicted a scholar in white robes, with a sword at his waist, strolling leisurely; the last depicted a veiled woman holding a long whip, standing beside a small bridge, her figure graceful.
The three paintings, weathered by time, were not very clear, and there were no inscriptions to provide any clues about their meaning. Consequently, it was difficult for everyone to discern whether the one-armed swordsman was depicted among them
