Chapter 56: Exploration

Li Tongya returned, carrying a bleating white lamb, and ascended Mount Meichi. By this time, dusk had already settled. The two nodded to each other, and Li Tongya tossed the lamb into the cave.

"Baa... baa baa," the lamb bleated for a while, then tottered, trying to find its way out.

"Go!" Li Xiangping forcefully turned it around and smacked its rump with a branch. The lamb then let out a loud bleat and moved deeper into the cave.

After waiting for a while and hearing the lamb still bleating, the group exchanged glances and cautiously entered the cave.

The tunnel was wide enough for two people to walk abreast. The air was relatively fresh, though somewhat dim, and as they proceeded deeper, the concentration of spiritual energy began to increase.

Upon entering the cave dwelling, they found a spacious main hall. The stone walls were carved from bluestone, and luminous pearls hung from the ceiling, casting a faint glow that allowed them to clearly see everything inside. The air was thick with a comfortable spiritual energy, so potent and inviting that one yearned to stop immediately and begin cultivating.

The ground was etched with several faint golden array patterns. In the very center, a small opening pulsed, gushing spiritual energy. Meditation cushions lay nearby, and several bluestone shelves stood empty, covered in thick dust.

Li Xiangping surveyed his surroundings, spotting only a stone table and a few jade stools, all completely bare. "This cave dwelling is remarkably clean," he remarked with disappointment, "as if it's been plundered."

On the walls, however, there were three stone doors. The lamb nudged one open easily. As was his custom, Li Tongya sent the lamb in first, then he and Li Xiangping tiptoed through the first stone door.

The space beyond the door was quite spacious, with luminous pearls also hanging from the ceiling and several stone shelves. These, too, were empty. The two searched meticulously, but found nothing but dust and a few piles of badly decayed black ash.

Li Tongya and Li Xiangping exchanged a silent glance, then proceeded towards the next stone door.

"This cave dwelling is completely empty," Li Xiangping remarked. "It's probably not a remnant left by some predecessor; it's more likely just an abandoned place." He nodded, looking at the second open stone door, and added softly, "Exactly. Even if the owner died outside the cave dwelling, there should still be some personal belongings left behind. The fact that it's so meticulously clean, inside and out, suggests the owner prepared to leave long ago, packing all their jade slips, pills, and other valuables into a storage bag."

Behind the second stone door, seven or eight stone platforms were arranged, each holding several white jade bottles. The two examined the bottles one by one, finding that either the pills inside had lost their spiritual energy and potency, or the bottles were simply empty.

On the stone platforms, a few piles of black ash remained, their original forms unrecognizable. The central platform held a hexagonal jade disc inscribed with array symbols, now completely shattered. Bluish-white jade fragments lay scattered across the floor. Li Xiangping picked up one piece, and it was surprisingly still slightly warm to the touch.

The two were at a loss whether to laugh or cry, and Li Tongya and his companion had no choice but to retreat.

"That jade disc resembles the array plate Wan Yuankai described to us earlier," Li Tongya said. Seeing Li Xiangping's questioning gaze, he explained, "Both array flags and array plates can deploy formations. However, unlike array flags, which rely entirely on one's cultivation in array arts and a formation diagram, an array plate can only deploy a single type of formation – whatever diagram is carved onto it. This makes them less flexible, but fortunately, they don't require high array cultivation; one only needs to know how to adjust the spiritual energy input."

"Once a formation breaks, the array plate instantly shatters into countless pieces. Formations deployed by array flags, on the other hand, can be redeployed as long as the flags themselves remain intact."

"I see. So this array plate must have been the grand protective formation at the cave entrance. Since we used the Grand Yin Profound Light to break the formation, it naturally shattered into pieces."

Li Xiangping nodded, and together with Li Tongya, returned to the main hall. He observed as Li Tongya cautiously sent the lamb into the third stone chamber first, before they both entered.

Inside the stone chamber was a stone bed, its mattress long since rotted away. At the head of the bed lay a small jade bottle. Li Xiangping carefully opened the cap, but found nothing inside except for a faint wisp of medicinal fragrance.

Li Tongya, with his keen eyesight, spotted a slender bluestone jade bottle and a piece of unique white cloth covered in tiny characters on the couch. Only then did the two men finally breathe a sigh of relief. Li Xiangping immediately chuckled, "At least we haven't come away entirely empty-handed."

"Not at all," Li Tongya replied, shaking his head. "This cave dwelling alone, coupled with the gathering formation at its center and the small aperture gushing spiritual energy, is already an immense gain. We've acquired such advantages without encountering any traps or suffering any injuries. To possess a cave dwelling where spiritual energy is nearly forty percent denser than the outside world – we should be quite content."

Li Xiangping nodded, then leaned in to examine the white cloth and the slender bluestone jade bottle in Li Tongya's hand.

Li Tongya first unfolded the cloth and read it carefully: "Chi Wei bows: That person has reached Moon-Gazing Lake. Our sect has dispatched people to intercept them. Fellow Daoist, please act swiftly. The Blazing Sun Art you requested has been delivered. Once this matter is resolved, the spiritual jade and fire crystals will be personally presented at the cave dwelling."

"That person's strength is formidable; be extremely vigilant and do not hold back. Should you unexpectedly encounter them, please fly towards our Azure Pond Sect and inform us immediately."

After reading the baffling message, both men found themselves utterly bewildered, having gleaned no useful information. They put away the white cloth and turned their attention to the slender bluestone jade bottle in their hands.

Li Xiangping shook the bluestone jade bottle. Noticing that the bottle felt warm and appeared to be empty inside, he carefully twisted open the stopper, but nothing poured out.

Li Tongya's spiritual sense swept over the bottle, and he immediately exclaimed, "This is a magic artifact!" He then frowned, studying it carefully for a moment before probing inside with his spiritual sense. He said with some uncertainty, "It appears to be a specialized storage artifact, containing a spiritual energy as hot as fire."

"No wonder I couldn't pour anything out," Li Xiangping nodded, then asked with a hint of doubt, "Could it be the vital spiritual energy required for advancing from Embryonic Breathing to Qi Refining?"

"Regardless, none of us can use it at the moment. Let's put it away for now."

Li Tongya tucked the bluestone jade bottle into his robes. He and Li Xiangping then meticulously searched every corner of the cave dwelling before finally leading the lamb out.

Li Yesheng was currently supervising the Jingyang Village guards as they compacted the foundation beside the hillside, carefully keeping their distance from the cave entrance. Seeing Li Tongya and Li Xiangping emerge, he immediately let out a sigh of relief and smiled. "I spotted this cave entrance early this morning," he said, "and even sent men to Mount Lijing to fetch my two elder brothers, but they found no one there."

Li Xiangping handed the lamb to Li Yesheng and briefly discussed the construction arrangements for the compound on the mountain with him, then he and Li Tongya returned to Mount Lijing.

"That cave dwelling is abundant in spiritual energy, surpassing Mount Lijing by a good margin," Li Xiangping quietly discussed with Li Tongya as they walked. "We'll need to send someone to guard it."

"Indeed," Li Tongya nodded and said. "Let Li Qiuyang return. Xuanxuan and I will jointly oversee Mount Meichi. With a better cultivation environment, this child will be able to progress much further in the future."