Chapter 128 - 119: Underground Cavern
The two discussed the essentials for dealing with the Giant Toad a bit more, and decided to go up the mountain tomorrow to scout the area, find a suitable ambush point, and discuss the details further.
Before leaving, Wang Yun hesitated for a moment and asked, "Is your team still recruiting?"
Qin Ziwen smiled. "Sure, as long as his character isn’t terrible."
Wang Yun said, "I can vouch for his character. He’s a member of my old team. His name is Xiaopang, and he’s very strong. He was the one who helped me gather the glass bottles."
"Sounds good. Just bring him with you tomorrow," Qin Ziwen nodded.
This feeling of being trusted left Wang Yun a bit stunned.
After Qin Ziwen left, Wang Yun looked at Yang Cunshen. "Cunshen, what do you think of this new team?"
Yang Cunshen was concise. "The man with him is a master. As for him... we’ve only just met. I can’t judge him so quickly."
Wang Yun nodded thoughtfully.
After returning home, Qin Ziwen thought about the Underground Cavern Expansion Card he had and decided to go ahead and use it.
However, since this was his first time using this type of Card, he needed to be careful about where he placed it.
Considering that the three mineral deposits in the mining area all extended underground, the cavern’s structure might conflict with them. Therefore, Qin Ziwen ultimately chose to use it in the empty area on the side of his master bedroom.
The area extending out from the master bedroom had a 20x20m empty space that had remained vacant.
So, Qin Ziwen decided to place the underground cavern in this vacant lot. That way, he wouldn’t have to worry about it affecting any of the other buildings on the surface.
Using this Card required selecting a 2x2m empty area.
Qin Ziwen chose a spot in the bottom-left corner, near the master bedroom.
As the Card was used, the entire empty expansion area was enveloped in a faint white light.
When the white light faded, a stone entrance leading underground appeared in the targeted area.
The entrance was narrow and its sides were dry.
A wide, gravel-strewn path stretched downward.
He took out his solar-charged flashlight and walked down the slope. The path grew wider the further he descended.
After a few steps, Qin Ziwen discovered that the path actually spiraled downward.
After descending two full spirals, the view suddenly opened up. An underground grotto filled with hanging stalactites came into view.
The ground was open and flat, surrounded by high stone walls. The grotto was about three or four meters high, and along the edge, a small stream hugged the base of the wall.
Droplets of water trickled from seepage points on the wall, carving tiny channels down its face. They pooled on the ground at the base of the wall, forming a small stream that flowed along it.
The stream flowed into the depths of the grotto, eventually disappearing into a small crevice in a corner.
The underground grotto wasn’t a neat 400 square meters. After walking a full circuit, Qin Ziwen was certain the total area was much larger than that.
Several stone pillars supported the grotto, adding to its irregular shape.
’It was probably a case of 400 square meters of usable space, with the gross area being much larger.’
Combined with the unique environment of an underground grotto, the temperature here was lower than the surface—about seven or eight degrees cooler.
The air wasn’t stuffy; the cave was well-ventilated.
’Plus, with the seepage points, I could probably create an additional water collection spot with a few modifications.’
Back on the surface, Qin Ziwen saw it was still early, so he went to the Celestial Star Arrow Gallery to practice his Arrow Skill.
After an hour of practice, he set down his Compound Bow.
After practicing for the last few days, he felt his Arrow Skill had improved significantly. His accuracy with the Compound Bow was much better than before.
He set down the Bow, took out a towel to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and looked over at Qin Ziwu, who was still practicing diligently beside him.
In contrast, his younger brother practiced with the bow whenever he had a spare moment, and his Arrow Skill had improved by leaps and bounds.
He could consistently hit the straw target from forty paces.
After taking a shower, Qin Ziwen went to the tavern.
He had been busy recently and hadn’t been here in a few days.
He placed the flashlight inside a lantern and hung it on the sign above the entrance.
A moment later, footsteps approached from outside.
A hand furtively lifted the door curtain, revealing a square-jawed, dignified face, though etched with the harshness of time. He stared at the room’s interior, his expression dazed and a little lost.
"Husband, a tavern in the middle of the night, out here in the desolate wilderness... you must be careful," a gentle woman’s voice called from outside the curtain.
"I know. I’ll go in and check first. The rest of you wait outside." He entered the room, his left hand clasped behind his back. He scanned his surroundings, and his gaze finally locked onto Qin Ziwen behind the counter.
When he got a clear look at Qin Ziwen’s face, an imperceptible flicker of shock flashed in his eyes.
He sat down, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the tabletop. "Shopkeeper, some hot food, and two bowls of fresh water. No wine."
"Right away. It’s a small place, so I don’t have much. I hope you don’t mind, sir." Qin Ziwen went to the back kitchen, boiled half a strip of cured meat, sliced it, and served it. He also brought out two large bowls of warm water.
’Someone dressed in official robes... he must be an official from the old days. I wonder if he’ll tip some extra silver.’
The man in official robes took a bite of the cured meat—it was a little salty—and then drank two large gulps of the warm water.
Then he looked up, his expression complicated. He hesitated for a moment before asking, "Excuse me, do you have... Da... Dali Garden small cakes?"
Qin Ziwen’s hand twitched. He looked up at the man in official robes and, after a moment’s hesitation, said, "Signs, sines, and cosines?"
The man in official robes just looked utterly confused.
Qin Ziwen tried again. "Eighty for the big hammer?"
The man in official robes looked around, puzzled. "Hammers? Shopkeeper, are you selling hammers? Eighty wen for one?"
Qin Ziwen stopped his probing. He thought for a moment, staring at the man’s face. Suddenly, it was as if lightning struck his mind. An image of the scholar from before surfaced, and as their faces overlapped in his memory, he saw the resemblance. "So it was you."
Seeing that Qin Ziwen recognized him, the man in official robes sighed. "Twenty-three long years... I never thought you’d still look the same, Shopkeeper."
Qin Ziwen laughed inwardly. ’It’s only been nine days on my end, of course I still look the same.’ He didn’t bother to explain, however.
"Wait here a moment." Qin Ziwen left the main room, went to the living room, and found the book satchel in the corner. He picked it up, patted off the virtually non-existent dust, and returned to the tavern.
The man in official robes was still sitting where he had been.
When he saw the book satchel that Qin Ziwen carried in, his expression froze, his face lost in memory.
He opened the satchel, found the pair of new hemp shoes inside, and took them out. Tears streamed down his face.
He suddenly asked Qin Ziwen a question. "Shopkeeper, back then... when you invited me to stay... did you really just want me to stay here?"
"Of course! Couldn’t you see I was working all by myself? You looked honest and you were a scholar, so I wanted you to stay on as an accountant, while also working part-time as a waiter and Shopkeeper."
"HAHAHAHA." The man roared with laughter. "Shopkeeper, would you like to hear my story?"
Qin Ziwen glanced at the sky outside. "Go on. But don’t take too long, I have to close up and get to sleep soon."
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