14: Chapter 14 The Cave's Hidden Treasure: Joining Forces to Explore

After accepting the system mission, Lin Yan did not act rashly. He first found a cheap but quiet inn on the outskirts of Qingshan Town to stay. During the day, he would either mingle in taverns and tea stalls to collect intelligence, or change his attire and quietly wander around the town to familiarize himself with the terrain and observe the daily activity patterns of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

The focus was naturally placed on Wan Yao Pharmacy and Xiao Yi Xian.

After two consecutive days of secret observation, Lin Yan confirmed a few points: Xiao Yi Xian was indeed as Mu Li said, with a regular routine for entering and leaving Wan Yao Pharmacy. When picking herbs, she was mostly alone, her direction unfixed, but vaguely centered on the poisonous miasma area of "Yixiantian" to the east. She possessed an inherent, tranquil temperament and was patient and meticulous with the wounded, enjoying an excellent reputation among the townspeople. However, this only made her appear all the more incompatible with the covetous gaze of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. Mu Li and his subordinates were like flies that had smelled honey; although they dared not use force blatantly within the town, tailing her, creating "chance encounters," and verbal harassment never ceased.

Lin Yan also discovered that Xiao Yi Xian seemed to have an extraordinary interest in and understanding of poisonous substances. Among the herbs she collected, some highly toxic plants were often mixed in. Although processed, they could not deceive Lin Yan, whose soul perception was sharp.

"Calamity Poison Body... born to be with poison, yet harboring the intention to save people." In his heart, Lin Yan felt a genuine sense of admiration and sympathy for this ill-fated young girl. The warning from Yao Lao still rang in his ears, and the shadow of the Hall of Souls had already loomed; he could not sit idly by.

Early that morning, the sky was overcast, with lead-gray clouds hanging low, and the air was filled with the muggy dampness of a coming mountain rain. Lin Yan saw Xiao Yi Xian carrying a herb basket, once again leaving the town alone, the direction still the east. After a moment of contemplation, he changed into dark green clothing convenient for concealment in the jungle, suppressed his aura to the lowest point, and followed her from a distance.

Xiao Yi Xian seemed to be in a good mood, her steps light and nimble. She was extremely familiar with the mountain forest, moving through the rugged paths like a nimble antelope. She would stop from time to time to collect some roadside herbs, her movements gentle and skilled. Lin Yan maintained a distance of several hundred meters, and relying on his soul perception and the agility of the Explosive Step, following her was not strenuous at all.

After following for about an hour, they were deep into the mountains, where human traces were rare. The dark clouds in the sky became thicker and thicker, and faint thunder could be heard from afar. Xiao Yi Xian looked up at the sky, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and she quickened her pace, seemingly wanting to reach a destination or turn back before the rain fell.

However, the rainstorm came faster and more fiercely than expected.

"Crack!" A dazzling bolt of lightning tore through the sky, and the subsequent thunderclap made the mountain forest buzz. Raindrops as large as beans poured down without warning, instantly merging the world into a vast curtain of white water. The mountain path became muddy and slippery, and visibility was severely obstructed.

Xiao Yi Xian clearly had not expected the rain to be so sudden, and in her haste, she looked for a place to take shelter. Remembering there was a small cave nearby, she immediately turned and ran towards it.

Lin Yan was also soaked to the bone and needed shelter as well. His gaze swept over, and he also locked onto the cave entrance located in a depression in the mountain wall, half-hidden by vines. The two of them rushed to the vicinity of the cave entrance almost one after the other.

"Who is it?" Just as Xiao Yi Xian pushed aside the wet vines, she sensed someone behind her. She turned around vigilantly, her hand already quietly gripping a bag of self-defense medicinal powder. When she saw Lin Yan, who was also drenched and looked somewhat "disheveled," the wariness in her eyes lessened slightly, but she did not relax. Before her was a strange, handsome youth with a weak aura (due to the effect of the breath-concealing talisman), not looking like a mercenary, but rather like a lost herb picker or a low-level cultivator.

"Don't be alarmed, Miss. The rain is too heavy, I'm just looking for a place to shelter." Lin Yan wiped the rainwater from his face, revealing a slightly embarrassed and kind smile, and pointed to the cave entrance. "This cave... can we shelter together? I'll just stay at the entrance, I won't go in."

His attitude was polite and maintained a distance, his voice clear, and his eyes clean, not like someone with ulterior motives. Xiao Yi Xian sized him up for a moment, then looked at the heavy downpour outside, nodded, and stepped aside slightly. "Come in. The rain won't stop for a while. It's spacious inside."

The cave was indeed not small; the entrance was narrow, but inside it was a different world—dry and ventilated, clearly naturally formed and undisturbed for years. The light in the cave was dim, with only a little daylight and water vapor filtering in from the entrance.

The two separately found a dry rock to sit on, silent for a time, with only the sound of the rain outside and the occasional rumble of thunder. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward.

Lin Yan circulated his Dou Qi to evaporate some of the water vapor from his body, while seemingly casually examining the cave. The cave walls were rough, the ground had years of dust, and it seemed there was nothing unusual. But a trace of extremely faint, indistinct energy fluctuation suddenly feedbacked from the center of his brows—not from the system, but from the wisp of the Fallen Heart Flame's child flame within his body! This formless heart fire was extremely sensitive to energy fluctuations, especially some hidden or sealed energy.

The fluctuation came from the depths of the cave, covered by thick stone walls and the dust of time, extremely obscure.

"This cave..." Lin Yan's heart stirred, but his expression remained calm. He just tilted his head slightly, as if listening to the sound of the rain, while his soul perception, like an invisible tentacle, quietly probed towards the source of the fluctuation. The perception penetrated several feet of rock, vaguely "touching" a thin energy barrier, behind which there seemed to be a larger space.

"What's wrong?" Xiao Yi Xian was meticulous and noticed the subtle change in Lin Yan's movements, so she asked softly. She had no ill feelings toward this strange youth; instead, she felt he was much more pleasing to the eye than the rude mercenaries in the town.

Lin Yan hesitated slightly and decided to be partially honest. He turned his head to look at Xiao Yi Xian, his eyes serious. "Miss, I understand a little bit of probing techniques. I feel that there seems to be some unusual energy fluctuation in the depths of this cave, very faint, as if... it had been deliberately hidden."

Xiao Yi Xian was slightly stunned, and a look of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes. She probed carefully again but found nothing. However, she did not immediately deny it, but pondered, "Unusual? I often come here to pick herbs, and I have taken shelter in this cave a few times, and I haven't found anything abnormal. However..." She paused, a flash of memory in her eyes, "The dryness of this cave is indeed better than other caves in the vicinity, and the distribution of moss in some corners of the cave seems to have a pattern."

She had also noticed some inconsistencies!

Lin Yan secretly praised Xiao Yi Xian's meticulousness in his heart and nodded. "Perhaps we are overthinking it, or perhaps it's a naturally formed energy node. However, since we have nothing to do and don't know how long this rain will last, if you are interested, Miss, why don't we investigate? If there is any danger, we can withdraw immediately."

Xiao Yi Xian looked at Lin Yan's clear and honest eyes, and thought about how she had been looking for some special herbs recently without success, and her heart moved. Perhaps the abnormality this youth perceived was related to what she was looking for? She thought for a moment and nodded. "Okay. But be careful; there are many strange places in the mountains."

The two reached a consensus and stood up to walk towards the depths of the cave. Lin Yan walked in front, his soul perception fully activated, guiding the way. Xiao Yi Xian followed closely behind, holding a few silver needles and a medicine bag in her hand, vigilant of her surroundings.

The cave twisted inward. After walking about twenty or thirty zhang, there was a solid stone wall in front, which seemed to be the end. But the fluctuation in Lin Yan's perception was right behind this stone wall.

"It should be here." Lin Yan stopped and placed his palm on the cold stone wall, his Dou Qi slowly penetrating. Sure enough, at a certain point on the stone wall, the Dou Qi encountered resistance; that was an extremely thin energy barrier that had almost merged with the rock. This barrier had been there for a long time, and the energy had long since flowed away, leaving only an empty shell.

"There is a very weak barrier here." Lin Yan withdrew his hand and looked at Xiao Yi Xian. "Do we need to work together to break it? It shouldn't be difficult."

Xiao Yi Xian stepped forward and also sensed it with her hand, confirming the existence of the barrier. The curiosity in her eyes grew stronger. "Let's try."

The two circulated their Dou Qi at the same time. Lin Yan controlled his strength to about the fifth level, and Xiao Yi Xian's Dou Qi fluctuation was also between the fourth and fifth levels. Two gentle streams of Dou Qi slowly impacted the node of the weak barrier.

"Pop..."

With an almost imperceptible soft sound, the barrier shattered and dissipated like a soap bubble. The stone wall in front of them actually sank inward silently, revealing a deep cave entrance that could only accommodate one person! An old air mixed with the musty smell of dust and a faint medicinal fragrance surged out from within.

Inside the cave entrance, a faint light source could be vaguely seen.

Xiao Yi Xian covered her nose and mouth and took a half-step back, her eyes full of both vigilance and excitement. Lin Yan also held his breath and listened for a moment, confirming that there was no sign of living things in the cave, and then said in a low voice, "I'll go in and take a look first."

He turned sideways and squeezed into the cave entrance. Xiao Yi Xian hesitated for a moment and followed him in.

Inside the cave was a narrow passage. After walking a few steps, it suddenly opened up to a natural stone chamber about ten zhang square. Several stones emitting soft white light were embedded in the ceiling of the stone chamber, providing illumination. In the center of the stone chamber sat a skeleton draped in a tattered gray robe. The skeleton was crystal clear and faintly revealed a jade color, obviously the owner's cultivation was not weak during his lifetime.

In front of the skeleton were three stone boxes of different sizes, covered in dust. On the stone wall, there seemed to be some blurred writing carved.

Most notably, on the left index finger of the skeleton, a simple black ring was worn. The ring was inconspicuous, but the moment Lin Yan saw it, his heart jumped—the shape was 80-90% similar to the ring in his memory where Yao Lao resided!

"This is... the place where a predecessor passed away?" Xiao Yi Xian's voice was filled with shock and a hint of excitement. Her gaze was immediately and firmly attracted by the stone box among the three that had a twisted snake-shaped mark (a symbol of highly poisonous) carved on it. She could feel that inside, there was something she had been longing for!

Lin Yan forcibly suppressed his desire to explore the black ring and scanned the other two stone boxes and the writing on the wall. The handwriting was sloppy, but barely legible:

"I am the poison master Yao Ling. I was plotted against by an enemy, fled here, and am at the end of my life... I leave behind three inheritances, gifted to those fated. Those who obtain the Seven-Colored Poison Manual must use its power cautiously, do not fall into evil paths... A fragment of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame, left for those fated... The third box is sealed, and cannot be opened without great opportunity or the strength of a Dou Wang; it contains the 'Purple Cloud Wings' technique created by this old man in his lifetime... Latecomers, conduct yourselves well."

A fragment of the Purification Lotus Demon Flame?! Although it was only a fragment, and it was unknown if it was true, this name was enough to make Lin Yan's heart shake violently! And the "Purple Cloud Wings," that was a flying Dou Technique!

Just as the two were shocked by the discovery in the stone chamber, outside the cave, amidst the sound of the rainstorm, faint noisy human voices and footsteps could be heard, rapidly approaching the direction of the cave!

An arrogant voice came through the curtain of rain: "Damn it, the rain is so heavy! Big Brother, there seems to be a cave here, let's go in and take shelter! That woman definitely can't run far, let's find her after the rain stops!"

It was the people from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group! And, it seemed they were searching for something—it was highly likely, it was Xiao Yi Xian!

Lin Yan and Xiao Yi Xian looked at each other, both seeing the gravity in each other's eyes. With the treasure right in front of them, the pursuing troops had arrived!