Chapter 154: Hole
The carriage rapidly descended and seemed as if it would collide with the snow-covered mountain peak.
However, as if someone had simply stopped time, the carriage halted in mid-air. Xie Qing glanced at Lyu Lyu and smirked, suppressing his laughter.
“Don’t be afraid, I can control the carriage well, so such tricks are very simple,” Xie Qing said and, unable to hold back, began to laugh.
“Y-you…”
Lyu Lyu’s legs trembled with fear, and she grabbed Xie Qing with her very cute and frightened face, trying to cover him with her body.
However, realizing what had happened, she could not help but blush and feel ashamed. The girl pinched Xie Qing’s side, making him cough.
“Alright, alright, don’t be upset. I didn’t think you’d react like that,” Xie Qing said with a smile and then picked up Lyu Lyu like a princess.
“Kya~!”
The girl cried out in surprise, and although there was embarrassment on her face, it was clear that she was pleased.
One way or another, returning to the topic of their location… The mountain, according to information from books, was called Mount Yundian!
One of, if not the highest mountain in the cultivation world. It is said that by climbing to its peak, one can see the Immortal World!
However…
“Rumors and legends… Often turn out to be disappointing,” Xie Qing thought, wrinkling his nose.
Before he climbed the mountain, full of hopes and desires to glimpse the Immortal World… In the end, he could only sigh in disappointment.
At the top, there was only the sky. Endless, boundless sky.
Devoid of clouds, beautiful and pure. Xie Qing was pleased with the views, but nonetheless…
“Not what I wanted. But, one way or another, it’s beautiful here,”
Xie Qing admired the surroundings. Lyu Lyu also, with her mouth open, gazed at the beautiful views.
***
Of course, one could admire nature and landscapes for a long time. However, the purpose of their arrival was not for that.
Moreover, even considering their cultivation level, it was difficult for them to breathe. They needed to finish their business as soon as possible.
And Xie Qing nodded in satisfaction. He felt that the treasure was within reach.
Of course, it was still difficult to understand exactly where, and the dense layer of snow complicated it several times.
However, thanks to their joint efforts, Lyu Lyu called Xie Qing already after an hour of searching.
“Xie Qing! Look!”
Her cry attracted the young man’s attention, who had accidentally discovered the bones of some animal. He approached her.
“This… ho-o-o…”
Xie Qing raised an eyebrow. Under the layer of snow, there was actually an underground passage! And the young man felt that the treasure was inside!
“But… My mom taught me not to enter suspicious holes,” Xie Qing commented in the ear, depriving Lyu Lyu of the power of speech. And then, as if nothing had happened, he nodded and looked at the girl, saying: “I’ll jump in. You can stay here”
“I’ll go with you,” Lyu Lyu shook her head. She looked serious: “It could be dangerous there. After all, most treasures are protected either by monsters or by complex mechanisms”
“Hm…” Xie Qing was silent for a moment, drilling Lyu Lyu with his gaze, and then shrugged: “Alright, no problem”
“Yay!”
Xie Qing could only smile. And then, without any hesitation, he jumped into the hole!
Lyu Lyu did not linger for long and jumped after him.
Buh!
With a muffled sound that echoed, Xie Qing jumped down and landed successfully. Then he opened his arms.
With a slight gust of wind, Lyu Lyu landed in his arms. The girl smiled and kissed him on the cheek, and then jumped down.
“Trying to seduce me?” Xie Qing laughed.
“Hehe…”
Lyu Lyu smiled tenderly.
Then they began to explore the place where they found themselves. Xie Qing curiously examined the space he had discovered.
This was a spacious room with a very high ceiling. The eyes could only see darkness in the distance.
It was notable that this place was extremely desolate. The only thing they had seen in all this time was the stone, rough floor, and a few bones.
And then, after they had wandered for several minutes…
A sound was heard.
Grrhhhh… Boom! Boom! Boom!
First, there was a sound as if something heavy and stone was scratching the floor. And then three consecutive explosions were heard.
Xie Qing frowned. They approached the source of the sound and were surprised to discover an enormous, no, very enormous door.
Compared to this door, Xie Qing and Lyu Lyu looked like ants. The thickness of the doors also stood out… Thickness as if three elephants lined up in a row.
“Holy shit!” Xie Qing expressed his honest reaction.
Lyu Lyu was no less surprised than him, but at least she restrained her swearing.
Glancing at each other, they had no choice but to enter the door. Although Xie Qing was slightly worried about what might be waiting for them…
“The treasure is close! But… If it becomes dangerous, I’ll run away immediately,” he thought and prepared rescue tokens. One of them he handed to Lyu Lyu.
He needed to be prepared. This place looked extremely mysterious.
The fact that it was empty around, except for a few bones of animals that had accidentally ended up here, was what scared him. Xie Qing did not think that someone was bored, so he decided to simply create huge rooms!
“Moreover, this darkness effect… Strangely, I can’t see further than a hundred meters with my vision!” Xie Qing thought, darkening.
The worst thing was the inability to analyze the situation and the surrounding landscape.
In battle, there was a high chance that Xie Qing would simply not notice the enemy. After all, cultivators often fight from a distance.
This slightly weighed on his nerves, but Xie Qing maintained a calm appearance. He tried not to succumb to emotions.
“How strange… Something is forcibly, but superficially trying to ignite my emotions!” Xie Qing thought and glanced at Lyu Lyu, who looked somewhat annoyed. He said in her ear: “Surround yourself with Qi. It seems there is a formation here that specifically ignites negative emotions”
“Oh… Indeed. Now I understand why I felt so annoyed!” Lyu Lyu replied and, frowning, surrounded herself with Qi. Only then, when a semi-transparent barrier was formed, did her face smooth out.
“Hehe, you have an angry face. It’s cute,” Xie Qing commented to change the topic and the tense atmosphere.
“Flatterer,” Lyu Lyu snorted, but the corners of her lips twitched.
“Yes, I am,” Xie Qing replied with a carefree laugh.
And it seemed that his plan had worked. The effect of annoyance was reduced to zero.
And only then… Xie Qing frowned, stopping his steps.
“Xie Qing?”
“We’ve arrived,”
The young man frowned. He was standing in front of a large, no, an ENORMOUS pavilion.
And he did not like the aura that he felt inside.
“Evil… Qi?”
Sometime later…
Xie Qing waited for some time. He could not just enter the pavilion, as he was afraid that they might be subjected to an attack.
As is known, cultivators often set up security systems in their pavilions. Therefore, they could receive severe injuries, even without meeting the owner of the pavilion.
However, a special detector of formations showed a practically zero reaction. This surprised Xie Qing.
“A pavilion without protection? This is some kind of absurdity,” Xie Qing commented.
“Perhaps this pavilion is very old? After all, no matter how safe and powerful a formation is, without energy, it is useless,” Lyu Lyu concluded.
“You’re right, but… The majority of formations can operate for more than a thousand years without interruptions… And if there are no traces of formations here… Oh…”
Xie Qing narrowed his eyes. Lyu Lyu also began to understand what Xie Qing meant.
It seemed that they had stumbled upon something ancient!
***
Xie Qing believed the detector’s readings, but nonetheless, he was prepared. They attached various tokens and activated them. In case of danger, this would help them survive.
And only after that, with the utmost caution, Xie Qing and Lyu Lyu stepped inside.
Skr-r-r…
“Ugh… My ears…” Lyu Lyu sighed.
The floor creaked with a sound similar to a woman’s scream. Xie Qing’s steps were careful and almost silent, but…
Skr-r-r…
This time, the sound was even quieter than what was heard when Xie Qing walked silently!
His eyes sparkled.
“Legendary tree ‘Jingbao mu’! Natural killer of spies,” Xie Qing said, and seeing Lyu Lyu’s curious look, he explained with a satisfied smile: “My dear, the quieter and more inconspicuous your steps, the louder the creak it makes! Watch!”
Xie Qing began to walk. Lyu Lyu during this time remembered how he walked and could say that this was his silent “mode”. However…
SKRRRRRR!
A piercing, terrifyingly loud creak made Lyu Lyu cover her ears. She looked at Xie Qing in surprise.
“What a terrible tree!” was all Lyu Lyu could say.
“Indeed! And now, observe…”
The young man smiled quite satisfied and then began to walk again. His steps made a slight tapping sound, but…
“No creak?” Lyu Lyu was surprised, and then clapped her hands with sparkling eyes: “Now I understand! If someone lives in the pavilion, it will mainly be servants who are obviously not trained in movement techniques”
“Indeed!”
Xie Qing was satisfied. This material was readily available in antiquity. From it, an excellent security system was obtained. If the formations were set up correctly, the arrest of unwelcome guests could even be automated.
However, due to its great popularity and the fact that the tree matured only once every hundred thousand years, there was not a single instance left.
Xie Qing’s eyes sparkled. He took out tools from the spatial ring.
“What are you doing?” Lyu Lyu was interested.
And Xie Qing…
“What do you mean ‘What are you doing?’. How can I pass by such valuable material?! If I train on it, my steps will be impossible to hear!”
Although this was logical… Lyu Lyu was at a loss for words, seeing Xie Qing’s diligence as he shamelessly stole the valuable ancient material.
