Chapter Nine: The Tunnel in the Cave

Baozi returned to Zhou Yi’s side and looked down at his own footprints, which clearly formed an arc. “Is this a ghost wall?” Baozi asked.

“This isn’t a ghost wall; this is called a prohibition,” Zhou Yi replied, offering an explanation. “A ghost wall usually refers to something that traps people within a designated area, preventing them from leaving. A prohibition doesn’t stop those inside from leaving; its purpose is to prevent outsiders from entering, just like locking our own front door.”

After Zhou Yi finished explaining and saw Baozi nod in understanding, he began to ponder how they might enter the temple. There was a presence within the temple that Zhou Yi found deeply familiar and comforting, but now, blocked by this prohibition, unable to go in, he felt restless.

“Do you think this prohibition is just to keep out people like us who aren’t cultivators? We’re not cultivators, so we wouldn’t damage the temple. How could ordinary people be more dangerous than cultivators?” Baozi muttered, head lowered.

Hearing this, Zhou Yi’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Baozi’s arm, visibly excited. “What did you just say? Say it again.”

“I said, how could ordinary people be more dangerous than cultivators.”

“Not that part—the one before.”

“I said this prohibition was meant to keep out cultivators.” Baozi thought for a moment, then repeated his earlier words.

At that, Zhou Yi’s mind cleared. Never mind when this prohibition was set up; just looking at the dilapidated state of the temple inside, it had clearly been abandoned for two or three centuries. The prohibition was placed to protect the temple. Now, though, it did little to guard it—even a beginner at seeking the Dao could see the faint violet hue of the barrier. What use was it, then?

It was obvious—the prohibition had been in place for too long, and its power had weakened considerably. Zhou Yi surmised that the one who cast it must have been an immortal at the peak of the Heavenly Dao. Otherwise, the prohibition wouldn’t have lasted two or three hundred years and still retained a pale violet color. Now, with its strength waning, if they searched carefully, they might find a flaw in the barrier.

Zhou Yi didn’t dare to break through the barrier with force, as that group of eight had tried with their formation—they were simply intent on destruction. Zhou Yi only wished to enter the temple, not to destroy the protective prohibition.

Able to see the faint violet outline of the barrier, Zhou Yi led the way. The northern wind still howled, and, oddly, the prohibition only prevented entry; it did nothing to block the wind. In the dead of night, the temperature had dropped to more than thirty degrees below zero. Luckily, their sheepskin coats kept them warm; otherwise, they would have frozen to death in the mountains.

“Brother Yi, I can’t take it anymore. It’s only midnight, and if this keeps up, I won’t survive until dawn—I’ll freeze to death,” Baozi stammered, shivering.

“Hold on a bit longer. In a while, let’s find a spot sheltered from the wind and make a fire to warm up,” Zhou Yi replied, his own hands and feet numb with cold. As fate would have it, just as he finished speaking, they spotted a cave ahead. In front of the cave stood a large tree, with a hemp rope still tied around it—the very place where Zhou Yi had killed the head wolf.

Both of them were overjoyed at the sight of the cave. They hurried to gather some branches and lit a fire at the entrance, then huddled inside, slowly warming up.

“Why is it this cave again? There’s something strange about this place,” Baozi muttered, wiping the clear mucus from his nose.

Zhou Yi, rubbing his hands to warm them, replied, “What’s the harm? Let’s just get through the night. I’ll teach you a method for circulating your qi. If we just sit here until morning, we really will become two corpses by dawn.”

Baozi nodded in agreement, and Zhou Yi began teaching him the basics of cultivation and qi circulation. Once Baozi had entered a meditative state, Zhou Yi’s mind wandered to Bei Qiao, unable to keep his thoughts clear. On such a cold night, did Bei Qiao have anything to eat? Had he found shelter from the wind? He certainly wouldn’t light a fire for warmth—how would he get through the night? Staring at the crackling flames, Zhou Yi’s thoughts drifted far away. He didn’t even realize when he fell asleep.

The night passed without incident, and Zhou Yi awoke to find it was already morning. When he woke, he felt warmth in his arms—at some point, Bei Qiao had returned and was curled up, dozing in his embrace.

Seeing Bei Qiao again, Zhou Yi’s heart swelled with joy. “You rascal, where did you run off to yesterday? I thought you’d never come back,” he scolded, though his eyes brimmed with tears. He had completely forgotten about the missing puppet.

Bei Qiao, startled by Zhou Yi’s voice, looked up and whimpered twice, then burrowed further into Zhou Yi’s sheepskin coat.

Zhou Yi rekindled the fire and skinned a rabbit for roasting. As the delicious aroma of the half-cooked rabbit filled the cave, it drew Baozi out of his meditation.

Baozi emerged from the cave, stretching lazily. Seeing the rabbit in Zhou Yi’s hands, he felt his stomach rumble and swallowed hard. “Is it done? Hurry up and give me a leg—I’m starving.”

Zhou Yi tore the rabbit in half and handed one portion to Baozi. The two ate together. Halfway through the meal, Baozi suddenly stopped, his eyes fixed on a spot deeper inside the cave. Zhou Yi noticed Baozi staring blankly and laughed. “What are you daydreaming about? Eat up—we need to keep searching for a weak spot in the prohibition after we’re done.”

Baozi didn’t reply, but walked straight toward the back of the cave. As mentioned before, the cave was quite shallow—just enough room for two people to shelter from the wind, but a tight squeeze. There shouldn’t have been anything of interest inside.

“What are you doing?” Zhou Yi asked, puzzled.

Baozi pointed at a patch of freshly turned earth on the ground. Though it had refrozen, it was clear at a glance that someone had recently dug there.

Zhou Yi, having been preoccupied with Bei Qiao’s return, hadn’t noticed the oddity beneath him.

“Someone’s been digging here. You think maybe someone hid something? If someone stashed money here, we might just hit the jackpot,” Baozi said, tossing aside his half-eaten rabbit to start digging.

The refrozen earth was tough, but having been recently disturbed, it wasn’t as hard as untouched ground. Baozi, filled with visions of hidden treasure, dug eagerly with both hands. In just a few moments, he uncovered two wooden planks beneath the frozen soil. Lifting them, he revealed the entrance to a tunnel.

Bei Qiao, seeing the tunnel, stared at the entrance with his wolfish eyes, baring his fangs—clearly, something inside repelled him. Zhou Yi and Baozi, both possessed by a powerful curiosity, couldn’t resist exploring the unknown.

“Are you going first, or should I?” Baozi asked, glancing at Zhou Yi.

“I’ll go first. When I call for you, then you come down,” Zhou Yi replied, then turned to Bei Qiao. “Wait for me here. Don’t wander off.” Not caring whether Bei Qiao understood, he climbed down into the tunnel.

As soon as Zhou Yi entered, a wave of earthy stench hit him, sharp and unpleasant. Pinching his nose, he crawled forward several meters. Sensing no immediate danger, he called Baozi to follow.

The tunnel had been dug straight down, and after about two meters, it sloped into the mountain’s belly. In truth, calling it a tunnel was generous—it was more like a burrow. The entrance was round, about a meter in diameter, forcing Zhou Yi and Baozi to crawl. The passage stretched on and on, with no end in sight even after an hour of crawling. The earthy smell only grew stronger.

PS: Sorry for the late update—I fell asleep after dinner. Next time I’ll be sure to schedule the post before I nap... Love you all!