He Yuhan and Han Yixian stared wide-eyed at the scene before them. The grass and trees were lush and the flowers were in full bloom. In the distance, a pool of water was shrouded in mist, and there was a stone pavilion surrounded by green plants on the edge of the pool.
Further away, on a high mountain wall, there is a crevice from which a mountain spring flows gently, adding a pleasant sound to this world that is only filled with the clear chirping of birds.
The scenery before her was like a fairyland, making He Yuhan almost forget to breathe. She couldn't help but exclaim, "It's so beautiful!"
Han Yixian was also very shocked. "Yes, it's no exaggeration to say it's a paradise on earth. Judging from the scene, people must have lived here before, but I don't know if anyone is still here now."
He Yuhan said, "Look at those flowers and plants in front, they clearly haven't been trimmed in a long time, and the pebble path is covered with weeds. I guess no one lives here anymore. Let's take a look first."
Han Yi nodded and then took He Yuhan's hand, using a wooden stick to clear a path for her.
They walked step by step along the pebble path covered with weeds to the stone pavilion. The pavilion was also covered with plants. Han Yi first asked He Yuhan to take out a sickle from his spatial storage. He used the sickle to clear the area, and soon the stone table and stone benches in the pavilion were revealed.
The pavilion is built next to the pond, creating a very elegant atmosphere.
He Yuhan noticed that there were many rare and precious flowers and plants around the pavilion and said, "Brother Yi, it's really not easy for these rare and precious flowers and plants to survive for so long without anyone taking care of them."
Han Yixian stood in the pavilion and said, "Didn't you notice? This pool seems to be a hot spring, it's always radiating warmth. This is also an almost enclosed mountain valley, surrounded by cliffs, so the cold winter winds can't get in. It shouldn't be very cold here in winter."
Spring must have come earlier here than outside. That's why these flowers, plants, and trees are growing so well. I wonder who discovered this place first.
He Yuhan said, "Let's look around and see if we find anything. Since someone has been here, there should be a place where people lived. Let's look for it."
The two left the pavilion and walked in another direction along a gravel path that was no longer visible.
Suddenly, He Yuhan spotted a ginseng with small red berries in the grass. She tugged at Han Yixian and said, "Brother Yi, look, this ginseng looks quite old."
Han Yixian was also very surprised when he saw it. "There are ginseng growing here?"
He Yuhan gestured with her lips and said, "Looking around, there's more than just ginseng here. There are other herbs too, all very precious ones. They must have been cultivated before. And these herbs look quite old. It seems like this place hasn't been tended to for a long time."
Along the way, the two saw several fruit trees, most of which were bearing fruit and looked quite old.
They seem to be completely unaffected by the seasons, bearing fruit together, many of which are almost ripe—it's amazing.
At this time of year, even the trees outside that have fruit haven't grown big yet, while here they're clearly much earlier than outside.
Before long, Han Yixian and He Yuhan arrived at the foot of the mountain wall and discovered three stone chambers. The stone chambers seemed to be naturally formed caves, but they had been excavated and modified by people later, making them more suitable for living, just like houses.
The larger stone chambers were the size of three rooms, while the smaller ones were the size of two rooms. They were divided into several small rooms.
The smallest stone chamber appears to have been used as a kitchen, containing a stove, pots, pans, and other utensils.
The other two stone chambers were for living, containing stone tables, stone benches, wooden beds, and some daily necessities. There were drinking cups on the stone tables and blankets on the beds, but everything was covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that no one had lived here for a long time.
On the dressing table in a stone chamber was a rather large dressing box. When opened, it contained many beautiful pieces of jewelry, clearly items used by women.
He Yuhan picked up a gold hairpin and said, "Brother Yi, these pieces of jewelry are very valuable; they're not something ordinary people can afford. You see, some of these pieces seem to have been worn only by royalty in the past. Some even have markings on them."
Han Yixian said, "I wonder who lived here before?"
There were also several large wooden boxes in the stone chamber. He Yuhan was surprised to find that they were made of camphor wood, a type of wood that is very effective at preventing insects.
Inside the wooden box were some clothes. Although the fabric wasn't silk or satin, it was still quite nice. Another box contained clothes made of fur, presumably winter clothes.
Judging from their clothes, the people living here include men, women, and children. Judging from the style of their clothes, He Yuhan believes that the people living here are not too far removed from the present day.
Besides the clothes, He Yuhan and Han Yixian also found a piece of mutton fat jade pendant in a wooden box.
He Yuhan picked up the mutton fat jade pendant and examined it carefully, but couldn't discern anything special about it.
Han Yixian looked at the mutton-fat jade pendant in his wife's hand and said, "Ordinary people wouldn't wear such a jade pendant. It seems that the people who lived here were truly extraordinary. I just wonder if they left later or what happened to them."
He Yuhan said, "Let's look again. Maybe we'll find other clues."
Han Yi nodded and said, "This mountain valley is closed off. Let's walk around the edge of the valley and see if there are any caves like this."
He Yuhan put the things back where they belonged and left the stone chamber with Han Yixian.
The two walked along the edge of the ravine and soon discovered another cave entrance.
Both of them were immediately impressed, because they discovered that the entrance to the cave had a sturdy stone door.
Han Yi first told He Yuhan to step aside, and then he pushed the stone door open without much effort.
As soon as the stone door was pushed open, a musty and foul smell rushed out. He Yuhan immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly pulled Han Yi away from the stone door to let the smell dissipate before going in.
He Yuhan took out two gas masks from her spatial storage and had Han Yi put them on first.
Han Yi looked at the gas mask and said, "Do we still need to wear this? No need."
He Yuhan said, "Who knows what's inside? We'd better be careful. At least wearing this will prevent us from inhaling harmful gases."
The two men put on gas masks and took flashlights before entering the cave. As soon as they entered, they saw a coffin on the ground, which startled Han Yixian and his wife.
It seems this place is essentially a cemetery.
The coffin was covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating that it had been there for a very long time.
He Yuhan noticed a wooden box next to the coffin and pointed to it, saying, "Brother Yi, there's a wooden box here."
Han Yixian said, "Don't move, I'll do it."
He Yuhan said, "Then be careful."
Han Yixian carefully opened the wooden box while wearing gloves. Inside was a letter and a token-like object carved with intricate patterns.
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