Chapter 46: The Locked Wooden Chest
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Wow, it really is a Scarlet Flame Lion!”
“What a cute little lion cub! Come on, let me pet you!”
“It’s so strange! The Scarlet Flame Lion is known for being ferocious, yet its cub is this adorable. It just doesn’t make sense!”
“…”
This cub seemed to have been born not long ago; the blue film on its eyes hadn’t even faded. Its combat ability was virtually non-existent.
Disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect surrounded it in a tight circle, their hands reaching out to touch it.
The cub was both frightened and confused, letting out helpless whimpers.
Yu Zhao wasn’t as captivated by the cub as the others were. She was more interested in whether the cave held other treasures.
Thus, she, Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and Mu Ye ventured deeper into the cave together.
They hadn’t gone far when an overwhelming stench hit them like a wall.
The foul odor caught them off guard, and tears nearly sprang to their eyes.
Quickly, they blocked their senses and added layers of protective shields around themselves before continuing forward.
The cave was long but incredibly spacious. Their footsteps echoed faintly.
Crunch—
Zhou Jin Yue glanced down.
It was a broken bone.
“Be careful,” she warned, her expression growing more alert.
The further they went, the more bones littered the cave floor.
Some had shallow bite marks on them, while others were so massive they were thicker than Yu Zhao’s own body.
And they looked fresh—not like remains left to rot over time.
Yu Zhao, bringing up the rear of the group, frowned deeper and deeper.
Other than the Scarlet Flame Lion, there were no signs of any other beasts living in this secret realm.
So where did all these bones come from?
“There’s no path ahead!” Zhou Jin Yue called out.
Her words were followed by a sudden pause. She froze on the spot, motionless.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Jun poked his head out from behind her, and his eyes widened. “Whoa! There’s so much blood!”
Yu Zhao hurried forward.
She looked up.
The walls of the cave were covered with dried bloodstains and claw marks of varying depths.
Strands of bloody fur clung to jagged rocks protruding from the walls.
Understanding dawned on Yu Zhao.
“I get it now!” she exclaimed.
The other three turned to her in unison. Mu Ye asked curiously, “Yu Zhao, what did you figure out?”
Leaping lightly, Yu Zhao plucked a tuft of fur from the rock wall and held it out for the others to see. “I’ve been wondering about these bones, but now it makes sense. These are also Scarlet Flame Lion remains. Originally, there wasn’t just one Scarlet Flame Lion here—there were two.”
“Two?” Zhang Jun scratched his head, his gaze as innocent as it was perplexed. “Why two?”
Mu Ye gasped, covering her mouth in surprise. “So you’re saying there were a male and a female Scarlet Flame Lion in this secret realm. When the female became pregnant and the realm started to collapse, it couldn’t sustain her needs. So, she ate her mate—the male Scarlet Flame Lion. These bones belong to him.”
“Exactly!” Yu Zhao nodded.
Without two lions, there was no way to explain how the cub had been born.
Zhang Jun shivered as if hearing a ghost story. “The Scarlet Flame Lion is terrifying! Eating the father of her own cub… How heartless!”
Zhou Jin Yue rolled her eyes. “They’re not human. Besides, the cultivation world follows the rule of survival of the fittest. If she hadn’t eaten the male lion, not only would she have failed to protect her cub, but she might’ve died too.”
“But…”
Zhang Jun still struggled to accept it.
Zhou Jin Yue, however, wasn’t in the mood to keep explaining.
To cultivators, the Scarlet Flame Lion’s actions might seem cruel, but for its species, it was merely a necessary sacrifice for survival.
While Zhou Jin Yue and Zhang Jun debated, Yu Zhao and Mu Ye began inspecting the stone walls.
This time, Mu Ye’s luck was better. She discovered a locked wooden chest beneath a pile of bones.
Apart from that, they found nothing else.
Reluctantly, the group searched a while longer but came up empty-handed. In the end, they left the cave with only the chest and returned to the pavilion.
“They’re back! Senior Sister Zhou is back!”
When the four emerged, the disciples of the Five Elements Dao Sect greeted them with excitement.
Yu Zhao immediately noticed Ye Cong Xin standing at the center of the crowd, holding the Scarlet Flame Lion cub. Her smile was warm and endearing, her demeanor charming.
She said gently, “Senior Sister Zhou, Senior Brother Zhang, you’re finally back. Everyone was so worried about you.”
Zhang Jun gave her a puzzled look. “We weren’t in there long. What’s there to worry about?”
Ye Cong Xin faltered.
She had only wanted to appear kind and considerate, but Zhang Jun’s blunt response made her efforts fall flat.
Zhou Jin Yue glanced at Ye Cong Xin coolly before dragging the wooden chest into view.
“This is what we found in the cave. Nothing else,” she stated plainly.
Had anyone else said this, the disciples might have suspected them of pocketing something. But since it was Zhou Jin Yue speaking, they trusted her completely.
“Senior Sister Zhou, let’s open the chest and see what’s inside!” someone suggested eagerly.
“Yeah, we can’t have gone there for nothing!”
“This chest looks valuable; the contents should be worthwhile.”
“…”
Zhou Jin Yue scanned the crowd. “Shall I open it?”
“Open it! Open it!”
“Go ahead!”
“Alright.”
Zhou Jin Yue exhaled deeply, channeling her spiritual energy into her fingertips until it formed a gleaming blade.
“Hah!”
With a sharp cry, she swung her hand down. The blade sliced cleanly through the lock.
Clink!
The lock fell to the ground and shattered into fragments.
Everyone could tell the chest was old. Even the lock had rotted. Would its contents still be intact?
A faint disappointment crossed the disciples’ faces.
Zhou Jin Yue also doubted the contents’ condition. But since they had the chest, it needed to be opened to confirm.
She stepped forward and lifted the lid.
In an instant, colorful metallic light burst forth, and a wave of sharp energy radiated out.
Everyone gasped, then broke into joyous grins.
Jackpot!
They rushed forward in unison.
Inside the half-human-tall chest were over a dozen different types of ores. The smallest was about the size of a fist, while the largest was as big as a millstone.
“Starry Sky Stone, Blood Sun Iron, Silver Thread Hair Crystal, Geng Essence…”
Yu Zhao silently named each ore in her mind, her lips curving into a satisfied smile.
While these ores weren’t extremely rare in the cultivation world, they were still quite valuable—especially since they were well-preserved and sizable.
More importantly, Yu Zhao spotted two ores she needed.
With these, she would soon have all the materials required for her artifact crafting.