Chapter 46: The Locked Wooden Chest
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
“Wow, it’s really a Crimson Flame Lion cub!”
“Such a cute little lion! Come here, let big brother give you a pat!”
“It’s so strange that a beast as fierce as the Crimson Flame Lion has such adorable cubs!”
The baby lion, barely old enough to open its eyes, was defenseless. Surrounded by the disciples of the Five Elements Sect, it could only let out soft, helpless cries as they reached out to touch it.
While the others were enthralled by the cub, Yu Zhao was more intrigued by what might lie deeper within the cave. She, along with Zhou Jin Yue, Zhang Jun, and Mu Ye, decided to explore further.
They hadn’t gone far when a strong, rancid smell hit them. The stench was so overwhelming that it nearly brought tears to their eyes. Quickly, they shielded their senses and enveloped themselves in protective barriers before continuing.
The cave was long and spacious, their footsteps echoing faintly. Suddenly, Zhou Jin Yue stepped on something with a soft crunch. She looked down and found a fragment of a bone.
“Be careful,” she warned, her expression becoming more cautious.
As they delved deeper, they encountered more and more bones, some bearing faint bite marks, others were large enough to suggest the creatures they came from had been quite formidable. The bones appeared relatively fresh, not like ancient remains.
Walking at the rear, Yu Zhao furrowed her brows deeper. She noticed that aside from the Crimson Flame Lion, there were no signs of other beasts in this secret realm. So where did these bones come from?
“We’ve reached the end,” Zhou Jin Yue suddenly announced, coming to a halt. She stared ahead, frozen in place.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Jun peeked over her shoulder, his eyes widening in shock. “Whoa! So much blood!”
Yu Zhao hurried forward, looking up. The cave walls were splattered with dried blood, deep claw marks etched into the stone. Here and there, tufts of blood-stained fur clung to jagged rocks.
“I understand now!” Yu Zhao exclaimed.
The other three turned to her, puzzled. Mu Ye asked curiously, “What did you figure out, Yu Zhao?”
Yu Zhao leaped up, grabbed a clump of fur from the wall, and showed it to them. “I’ve been wondering about these bones, but I think I get it now. These are the remains of a male Crimson Flame Lion. There must have been two lions here.”
“Two?” Zhang Jun scratched his head, looking clueless.
Mu Ye gasped, covering her mouth. “I see now! Yu Zhao means that there were originally a male and a female Crimson Flame Lion in this secret realm. When the female became pregnant, and the realm couldn’t sustain them both, she ate the male to survive. These bones are all that’s left of him.”
“Exactly!” Yu Zhao confirmed. If there hadn’t been two lions, the female couldn’t have given birth.
Zhang Jun shuddered, his lips trembling. “That’s terrifying! The Crimson Flame Lion ate its own mate, the father of its cubs! That’s monstrous!”
Zhou Jin Yue rolled her eyes. “They’re not human, Zhang Jun. In the cultivation world, it’s survival of the fittest. If the female hadn’t done it, both she and the cubs might have died.”
“But still…” Zhang Jun murmured, struggling to accept it.
Zhou Jin Yue didn’t bother to explain further. The actions of the Crimson Flame Lion, while brutal, were a matter of survival by the instincts of their kind.
While Zhang Jun and Zhou Jin Yue talked, Yu Zhao and Mu Ye searched the cave walls. Mu Ye found a large, locked wooden chest buried beneath a pile of bones.
They continued to search but found nothing else. With some disappointment, they returned to the pavilion, carrying the chest.
“Senior Sister Jin Yue is back!”
The disciples of the Five Elements Sect gathered around them as they emerged from the cave. In the center of the group stood Ye Cong Xin, holding the lion cub and smiling sweetly.
“Senior Sister Jin Yue, Senior Brother Zhang, I’m so glad you’re all safe! We were worried about you,” Ye Cong Xin said softly.
Zhang Jun gave her a puzzled look. “We weren’t in there long. Why worry?”
Ye Cong Xin was taken aback. She had only wanted to express her concern, but Zhang Jun’s bluntness caught her off guard.
Zhou Jin Yue glanced at Ye Cong Xin, then set the wooden chest down. “This is all we found in the cave.”
Had it been anyone else, the disciples might have suspected some treasure had been pocketed. But Zhou Jin Yue’s reputation was beyond reproach; her word was enough.
“Shall we open it and see what’s inside?” someone suggested eagerly.
“Yeah, let’s see what we found! We can’t have come all this way for nothing!”
“Judging by the wood, the chest looks quite old. The contents might be valuable!”
Zhou Jin Yue looked around at the expectant faces. “Alright, I’ll open it.”
With that, she gathered her energy, forming a sharp blade of spiritual power at her fingertips.
“Ha!” she shouted, slashing down. The lock shattered with a sharp crack, pieces scattering on the ground.
The chest, clearly ancient, had a lock so corroded it broke easily. A sense of disappointment briefly touched the crowd, fearing the contents might have decayed.
This novel is translated and hosted on BCatranslation
Zhou Jin Yue stepped forward and lifted the lid. Suddenly, a dazzling array of colors burst forth. The chest was filled with various kinds of ore, each shimmering with a unique metallic sheen.
“We’re rich!” someone shouted.
Everyone crowded around, staring in awe at the collection. There were more than a dozen different types of ore, ranging from fist-sized pieces to ones as large as millstones.
“Starstone, Blood Sun Iron, Silver Silk Quartz, Geng Metal…”
Yu Zhao silently identified each one, a smile spreading across her face. While none of these were incredibly rare, they were still valuable, especially in such good condition. Among them, she spotted two ores she specifically needed for her crafting materials.
With these ores, she was one step closer to completing her project.