Chapter 219: Twelve Leg Kicks
Without power, it would be pitch dark.
"Tang Bing, is there a flashlight here?" Chen Tianlong asked calmly.
"A flashlight? I’ll go take a look. I think there are some in the study." After saying this, Tang Bing went out and, two minutes later, returned with two small flashlights, smiling brightly.
"Boss, one for each of us."
Tang Bing handed one of the already lit flashlights to Chen Tianlong.
After Chen Tianlong took the flashlight, he didn’t delay and walked straight inside. Tang Bing, used to Chen Tianlong’s indifferent demeanor, followed him closely.
The two entered the door one after the other.
Indeed, it was a square-shaped passage, with no electric lights, and the floor was evidently cement, yet very clean.
With their flashlights, they walked down the passageway, roughly ten meters later, they were greeted by a large cavern.
What the hell!
What is this situation? How does the Tang Family’s study lead to a cave—could it be a place for the Tang Family to escape?
No, if it were for escaping, it should be set up in the bedroom, not the study.
After Chen Tianlong pondered for a while, he continued forward.
Soon, the two walked into a large space, which was evidently a cave. Yet the cave wasn’t as dark as they had imagined; it was mysteriously bright.
Chen Tianlong felt a bit strange as he looked towards the light source, only to see white objects placed all around the cave, even at its center.
In the center stood a circular altar, about two meters wide. The two curiously approached and found a heap of crystal stones placed on the altar.
These crystal stones emitted a white light, resembling winter snow but more transparent, providing illumination to the surroundings.
Chen Tianlong chuckled, realizing the cave’s light came from these little guys; it’s truly a spectacle.
Although he didn’t know where these crystal stones came from or what purpose they served, it seemed unimportant.
This cave appeared to be a single cavern without any other large entrances, or perhaps they hadn’t found them yet. Anyway, it was empty all around with not much concealment.
Suddenly, Chen Tianlong’s gaze fell onto the center of the altar within the heap of crystal stones, where there was evidently a large dark patch, as if something was hidden underneath the stones.
Of course, Tang Bing saw this as well.
"Eh? What’s this!"
Tang Bing curiously reached out, intending to extract the item from among the crystal stones.
"Don’t move!"
Chen Tianlong shouted urgently.
But it was too late; Tang Bing was rather quick. Just as Chen Tianlong finished speaking, his hand had already shifted the crystal stones, touching a dark box.
In that instant, the air around them seemed to freeze, followed by a clanging sound, as countless small holes opened up in the surrounding walls, and from these holes, things resembling bamboo tubes protruded.
"Tang Bing, get down!"
Chen Tianlong shouted as they leaped over and pressed the wooden-stunned Tang Bing to the ground.
Just as they hit the ground, countless hidden weapons flew from all directions, swiftly intersecting above them, buzzing like a swarm of flies.
A dozen seconds later, they stopped.
Looking at the ground covered with throwing darts, arrows, and steel needles, their eyes widened. Had Chen Tianlong not reacted quickly, they might have ended up like a pincushion.
"Damn, what’s going on? Was this designed by our family? We almost died here." Tang Bing cursed, still shaken.
Chen Tianlong said nothing; this must be a secret passage, with the vase as the trap switch, indicating it’s an off-limits area, not meant for unauthorized entry. They stumbled upon it by accident, so they had no one to blame.
"Tang Bing, I think that black box is not simple. Stay here while I go over to check it out. If it’s safe, I’ll signal you," Chen Tianlong said.
"Okay."
Tang Bing nodded. If it turned out like before again, it would be too terrifying, so he had to comply.
Wasting no time, Chen Tianlong walked to the center of the altar and then reached out to grab the wooden box. Since the trap had already been triggered, assuming it wouldn’t trigger again was reasonable.
Just in case, as Chen Tianlong picked up the wooden box, he rolled on the ground, then crouched near Tang Bing to observe for any signs of movement.
Everything was fine, no unexpected incidents occurred.
The two sighed in relief and began observing the black wooden box in front of them.
At this moment, they couldn’t let their guard down. After all, they didn’t know what was inside the box; if it was another trap, things could go south.
"Boss, be careful."
Tang Bing was worried. This place was too strange; even he didn’t know what it was, and his father had never brought him here.
Chen Tianlong nodded, examined the wooden box for a while, and found a toggle switch, then gently flicked it. With a click, the box’s latch opened.
Chen Tianlong slowly lifted the lid; thankfully, nothing they feared happened. What appeared before them was a cloth wrapped around an object, seemingly rectangular, unlike a hidden weapon.
This time, it was Tang Bing’s turn. He took out the object, blew away the thin layer of dust, and then opened the cloth. What appeared before them was a Yellow-covered Book.
Tang Bing was puzzled but curious—wasn’t this the Tang Family secret technique his father had shown him once? How did it end up here?
However, Tang Bing soon frowned; it didn’t seem to be the same. The Tang Family’s Twelve Leg Kicks manual only had a few pages, yet this one had nearly ten times more pages, possibly conservatively estimated at fifty or sixty.
Opening the first page, four big characters appeared before them.
Twelve Leg Kicks!
"Holy cow, boss, we finally found it. So, Dad hid the Twelve Leg Kicks here," Tang Bing said happily.
"Oh, when was the last time you saw this book?" Chen Tianlong found it odd; the book had dust, which indicated it had been here a long time.
"Just a few months ago!" Tang Bing replied lightly, not knowing what Chen Tianlong was thinking.
"A few months ago?" Chen Tianlong was surprised, then chuckled wryly, "I suppose this book is different from the one your father has."
"Yeah, boss, you’re really perceptive. I thought about it too; this book seems thicker," Tang Bing said excitedly. "Alright, no matter what, boss, quickly study it, and put it back afterward—I’m afraid Dad will be angry if he finds out."
Although Tang Bing wanted his boss to take it, study it thoroughly, and then teach him, expecting someone to learn such a thick manual in a short time seemed implausible.