"I didn't expect that the Black Tiger from the town had a trick up his sleeve."
Remembering that Black Tiger had mentioned sensing the aura of a White Tiger on him, Zhang Shi respectfully bowed to the tiger, then packed up his mining machine and the collected ore, and quickly left the mine.
Before leaving, Xiao Hu reluctantly chased after Zhang Shi to the cave entrance, seemingly to see him off.
Zhao Feng was finally relieved after getting into the car. He let out a long sigh of relief and then asked curiously.
"Stone, do you know that big tiger?"
Zhang Shi nodded noncommittally.
"We met once before."
What concerned Zhang Shi even more was the matter of Black Tiger. His body had been unknowingly left with a trick by the other party. If it weren't for the chance encounter with White Tiger today, that dark light would probably have remained hidden for quite some time.
"Stone, something's up!"
Zhao Feng's shout interrupted Zhang Shi's thoughts. Following the direction of his finger, he saw something flashing on the riverbank, extremely dazzling in the sunlight.
Driven by curiosity, Zhang Shi drove his jeep quickly toward the light source. Only when he got close did he realize that the light was coming from the bottom of the river.
The two exchanged a glance, then got out of the car and stood on the riverbank to assess the situation.
Looking around, Zhang Shi noticed a whirlpool in the middle of the river. The center of the whirlpool was where the light was emanating, and a large number of fish and shrimp were caught in the whirlpool, causing even the water level of the stream to drop.
Zhang Shi was furious when he saw this.
At a time of extreme heat and natural disasters, water resources are already precious. This inexplicable situation has caused the river's water level to drop rapidly, wasting valuable water resources.
In about two minutes, the water level of the stream dropped by half, and the light and whirlpool finally disappeared, revealing a huge rock.
Zhang Shi recognized it immediately; this was the entrance to the mysterious ruins. He just remembered that he had opened the boulder when he first discovered this place.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Shi and Zhao Feng took off their shoes, waded through the water, and climbed to the side of the boulder. Zhang Shi skillfully found a crevice on the side of the boulder and used Lao Duan to pry it open.
The mechanism was activated, and the boulder slowly parted, revealing a secret chamber inside. Marks carved on stone remained on the ground.
"Hey, what place is this, and why are there so many supplies here?"
Zhao Feng curiously picked up a long knife and examined it, only to find that the blade was already rusted and worn out.
"I stumbled upon this secret room by chance. It contained some supplies and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time."
After hearing Zhang Shi's explanation, Zhao Feng narrowed his eyes.
"We've only been in this wilderness for less than a month."
Zhang Shi nodded, knowing what Zhao Feng wanted to say.
"That's right, this could be a relic left by our ancestors."
The river was calm, and the height of the boulder was just right for the water level, preventing it from flowing back into the secret chamber. Zhang Shi patiently searched the chamber for a while, but still found nothing. Just as he was about to give up, Zhao Feng exclaimed, and Zhang Shi turned to look.
"There's something there!"
Zhao Feng lay down and wiped the dust off the ground with his hands, revealing a series of extremely familiar engravings to the two of them.
"Isn't this the pattern on Huo Youming's coffin?"
Zhao Feng recognized the inscription and, recalling his experiences in Huo Family Village, felt somewhat uneasy.
Zhang Shi's expression turned serious. He took out some tools and carefully cleaned the ground. Only then did he discover that the floor of the secret chamber was paved with a single, huge stone slab, with a keyhole in the very center.
With a sudden thought, Zhang Shi took out the key he had brought back from the ancestral hall in Huojia Village, inserted it, and gently twisted it.
In an instant, the ground trembled slightly, and the entire stone slab sank rapidly like an elevator. The two quickly squatted down and braced themselves with their hands to stabilize themselves.
A moment later, the two were led to a more spacious area. The surrounding rock walls were inlaid with stones that emitted a faint glow, illuminating the entire secret chamber.
The secret room was extremely cool, making the two feel refreshed. A light mist filled the room, emitting a subtle fragrance.
Zhang Shi initially covered his mouth and nose, not daring to inhale the gas.
But as the mist enveloped him, Zhang Shi was surprised to find that every pore on his body seemed to open up, greedily absorbing the mist.
The mist nourished his body like a warm current, making his mind exceptionally clear.
Zhang Shi felt his body and mind had never felt so comfortable, and he couldn't help but hum softly in pleasure. Zhao Feng was also completely absorbed, squatting on the ground with his eyes half-closed, enjoying the nourishing mist.
After a moment, Zhang Shi recovered and stretched his body, feeling lighter. Zhao Feng also looked satisfied, throwing punches into the air as if he had inexhaustible strength.
Seeing that the two were not acting strangely and had even gained some benefits, Zhang Shi recalled that the Huo Family Village had seen spirit-gathering arrays more than once, and guessed that the faint white mist might be the legendary spiritual energy.
The two exchanged a glance and, in tacit agreement, continued exploring inside.
A moment later, a soft light appeared before the two of them.
"There's light ahead!"
The two walked quickly toward the light source, and a much larger space appeared before them.
At the very top of the rock face is a huge, glowing stone, from which the light source comes.
Below, a building stands there, with an underground river and vegetation next to it, resembling an artificially evolved sanctuary.
The two cautiously approached the building and discovered that there were plots of planned farmland next to it, but they had been abandoned because they had not been cultivated for a long time.
Zhang Shi used his "Focus" technique to investigate and discovered that the dozen or so farmlands of varying sizes within the underground shelter were all of high quality, far exceeding the quality of his own small plot of land.
Zhang Shi's eyes lit up, and he secretly decided that before leaving, he would uproot these farmlands and take the soil back to the shelter.
"Let's keep looking; there might be something good inside!"
Zhao Feng was in high spirits; this kind of profitable adventure was exactly the wilderness life he had been longing for.
The two entered the house and found it to be a large stone house, comparable in size to their own luxurious villa. What interested Zhang Shi most was that the stone house was not made of ordinary stone, but of a high-grade material called Golden Essence Stone.
Zhang Shi shared his discovery with Zhao Feng, which amazed him.
【Gold Essence Stone (Blue): A high-quality material, a mineral with special properties. It is extremely hard and highly resistant to high temperatures, capable of absorbing heat.】
"Quickly, tear down this house and use this material to build a wall. No amount of homemade explosives can break it."
Zhang Shi did not act immediately, but continued to look into the house.
The house had been abandoned for countless years, covered in dust, with some of the wooden structure rotten, and filled with a musty smell.
Zhang Shi entered the bedroom and kicked open the wooden door. The items that came into view made his eyes light up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com