Book 10 Chapter 19

An Ancient Destiny (奇緣)

- Deep in the Mountains (疊疊山中)

"Where are we?"

"Who knows? But it seems we're alive, at least."

The place they burst into, piercing through the wall, was a new cave.

The end of their life-risking challenge was, as it turned out, another unfamiliar cave. By now, caves were tiresome, but as people's lives go, things don't always work out as planned.

Bilyeon looked around the new cave.

"One thing is for sure: this isn't Huanmadong."

While it was still a cave, this place had subtle differences from Huanmadong. For one, the cave surface here was smoother and more humid compared to Huanmadong. Furthermore, Huanmadong had a strong artificial smell, whereas this place had a strong natural scent. Because of this, Bilyeon would have bet his entire fortune, if someone were to propose a wager, that this was not Huanmadong, the place they had been buried in until just before.

"Then where on earth could this be?"

If this place was completely different from where they had been, it could be a cause for anxiety. This was because while they could expect rescue inside Huanmadong, it was difficult to expect rescuers when they had fallen into a strange place they themselves didn't know. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say they were one step, or rather, two or three steps further away from the possibility of being rescued. As such a thought crossed her mind, a chill suddenly ran through her body. Anxiety began to sprout in her heart again.

"Hee hee hee! Hahaha!"

Had she lost her mind due to the extreme situation?

Though not very reassuring from her perspective, Bilyeon let out an unfitting laugh in such a desperate situation. The sudden laughter made Nayelin startle and shiver for a moment. After all, she was certainly a woman.

"Is something wrong?"

Barely suppressing the surging anxiety, she tried to regain her composure.

"We might have struck it incredibly rich."

Bilyeon said with a wide smile.

"Struck it rich?"

From her point of view, she couldn't understand Bilyeon's words at all. She glanced at him again, as if to check if his mental state was still intact. He seemed to be sane from the outside. Though she doubted how long that would last.

"What kind of fortune can there be in this spooky and cold cave?"

"Oh, dear! You shouldn't conclude everything so negatively. Don't you know that books like 'Tales of the Jianghu' (江湖奇譚記) are full of such stories? Legends of legendary masters hiding gold, silver, and treasures in deep caves, and of extraordinary destinies! We might see with our own eyes today the destiny (奇緣) that is only rumored about and for which opportunities to confirm are rarer than stars in the sky. Isn't it astonishing, something that is statistically almost impossible, something that happens perhaps once in a thousand years?"

Of course, Nayelin was not surprised at all. No, she was surprised, but it wasn't admiration but shock. Of course, her shock wasn't about the realization of the legend of finding treasure, but about Bilyeon's absurd and even bizarre way of thinking.

'Still an unfathomable person!'

That was Nayelin's assessment of Bilyeon. Bilyeon was still lost in his own world.

"Perhaps there will be a note saying, 'Congratulations! You have passed the test I created! I acknowledge your abilities and leave my last testament and my legacy here. Use it wisely for the martial world!'"

Bilyeon said, gesturing with exaggerated movements like a Peking opera actor. He seemed completely lost in his own world.

"That must be the legacy left by a legendary martial artist from a thousand years ago, right?"

Despite the content of his words, there was no warmth in her voice. Her tone was dripping with sarcasm, but he seemed to be completely oblivious to it.

"Of course."

"And surely there will be legendary martial arts manuals and elixirs that can make one invincible, sorted by type?"

Nayelin's tone remained monotonous.

"Of course! And most importantly, money, money, mooooney… We can't forget the vast gold and silver left by the great senior for his juniors. He must have made thorough preparations in case a junior he connected with went hungry, so there will definitely be gold and silver. And that glorious golden light will have remained unchanged even after a thousand years, ah!"

Bilyeon's hazy eyes, with the dazzling light of gold unchanged by a thousand years spread across his retinas, were lost in a world of dreams, illusions, delusions, and speculation. He was now driving one reality too definitively. However, the world was not that accommodating. Life contained tens, hundreds, thousands of variable factors.

It wasn't that just because Bilyeon liked it, or genuinely wished for it, that his desires and wishes would take shape and appear before him. This was because a barrier called 'reality,' which could even be called cruel, existed in the world.

His words were so earnest and filled with passion that Nayelin didn't argue with him at all. For some reason, the thought that it would be a waste of time suddenly flashed through her mind.

"Gold, jade, ruby, agate, cat's eye, pearl, crystal, diamond, amethyst, money, money, money…"

Bilyeon hummed his imaginary treasures as if singing and walked forward with light steps. Nayelin had no choice but to follow his seemingly effortless stride. Despite having subsisted on only a few wall-breaking pills for 10 days, Bilyeon was brimming with energy. She wondered about the source of his strength but decided not to ask. She felt it would be wiser that way. Her choice was excellent.

"But where is this place, really?"

Nayelin asked, walking by the light of her sword.

"I can guarantee it's not Huanmadong, where we were just buried. The humidity and temperature difference are too great compared to where we were."

As he said, the humidity here was high, making everything damp, and a chilly cold pervaded the entire cave.

"This cave doesn't seem to be man-made; it feels natural."

Bilyeon said, carefully looking around. Nayelin touched one side of the cave wall and wore a puzzled expression. As her jade-like fingers brushed the wall, a transparent liquid came off on her fingertips. It was a sticky and slippery mucus.

Slurp!

As she rubbed the mucus between her two fingers, she felt a slipping sensation.

"What is this?"

Curiosity flickered in her eyes.

"There's too little information right now to answer that question."

"I see!"

The answer was simple, but her intuition and keen senses sent strong warning signals. Her sharp senses whispered to her.

'Don't just pass this by!'

"Shall we walk a bit more?"

She couldn't stop walking now due to her anxiety. The dark cave ahead was long and deep. Fortunately, the path behind was completely blocked, so the only way was forward. There was no other choice. Bilyeon and Nayelin paid attention to their surroundings and walked forward again.

Even in the darkness, the cave connected endlessly. And it was opened in a very irregular and chaotic manner. However, the path of the cave was not ordinary. Bilyeon and Nayelin felt as if they were walking on an infinite spiral. But all they could do now was to walk silently on this dark spiral. Sitting still would not lead to any solution.

"There's no wind."

The absence of wind meant the exit was likely blocked. If so, they had no choice but to rely on their instincts to proceed.

Entrusting their luck to heaven…