Chapter 07 | Ancient Inscriptions

Li Jing became intrigued. "Since these are in your sect's forbidden area, they must have a deep connection to your sect."

Gu Musheng replied, "The master once mentioned that these stone carvings existed when our sect first moved here, likely over a thousand years ago. The master's teacher once said that the stone is extremely hard, and since it's inside a cave, it hasn't been exposed to wind, sun, or rain, so it has remained intact for millennia. However, no one knows their meaning. The master's teacher speculated that these carvings were left by the descendants of Chi You after their defeat by the Yellow Emperor, when they fled to the south."

Li Jing asked, "So these mechanisms were also created by Chi You's descendants?"

"Not exactly," Gu Musheng paused for a long time before continuing. "Since we might die here, I'll be honest with you—throughout the generations, the Yue Maiden Sword Sect has never been involved in martial world disputes, nor have we served the court. All our leaders have been women. However, the sect must have successors, so although most members are women, there are still men on Mount Wu..."

Li Jing thought to himself, *Aren't you a man?*

Gu Musheng struggled to explain and finally gave an example: "For instance, the master's martial uncle, Zhang Xian, and her senior brother, Zhang Yu..."

Li Jing began to understand. "Every sect needs successors. This is just normal marriage and family life. Why are you being so hesitant?"

Gu Musheng said, "Our sect has a rule: if a child is born to the sect leader and a man, the man must leave with the child if it's a boy, but if it's a girl, she must stay. The master's teacher once fell in love with an outstanding martial artist from the Central Plains and had an exceptionally intelligent son, but he had to leave the mountain. That child later became famous in the martial world—he is the Purple Heaven Master of Mount Kongtong."

Li Jing was stunned. Hua Qingfeng was a disciple of the Purple Heaven Master, so he must have some connection to Mount Wu. He asked, "The Purple Heaven Master's esoteric skills are unparalleled in the world. Could they be related to this stone chamber?"

"Exactly," Gu Musheng said. "Many years ago, the Purple Heaven Master returned to Mount Wu. By then, the master's teacher had passed away, and her master, who was like a junior sister to him, asked him to spend five years transforming the cave at the mountain's peak into what it is today, using a great deal of manpower. The master's teacher naturally knew the mechanisms and how to disable them. However, the current master focused on martial arts and believed that the chamber was sufficient as a prison, so she didn't bother learning the mechanisms. Later, Xiao Qiong poisoned her teacher and was imprisoned here. After Xiao Qiong escaped, the diagrams for activating the mechanisms were lost."

Li Jing said, "It seems that both Xiao Qiong's escape and Hua Qingfeng's arrival have hidden motives. Hua Qingfeng kept referring to Xiao Qiong as 'Princess,' so they must have known each other for a long time. Plus, Hua Qingfeng inherited the Purple Heaven Master's teachings, so he must be intimately familiar with these mechanisms. Your master must have known this, which is why she crippled him."

Gu Musheng said, "It's my stupidity that dragged you into this. My life is worthless, but when the master returns and finds that even the maids she raised have betrayed her, I can't imagine how she'll feel..."

Li Jing sighed inwardly. Gu Musheng was trapped, facing life and death, yet he was still worried about his master. It seemed that a person's nature, formed from childhood, was extremely difficult to change. Thinking of this, Li Jing felt a slight tremor in his heart: his uncle had taught him military strategy from a young age, and though he disliked it, it had left an indelible mark on his mind, like the strange inscriptions on the stone walls. Even if their meaning was unclear, they were hard to erase.

In complete darkness, Gu Musheng was filled with regret and desperately trying to think of a way to escape, while Li Jing, being a curious young man, was more focused on his mission to find the "Secret Manual of Tunnel Warfare" and didn't let the temporary hardship bother him. Suddenly, a thought struck him: *Could these strange inscriptions on the stone walls be the "Secret Manual of Tunnel Warfare"? Even someone as capable as Changsun Sheng couldn't find it, so it must have been preserved by some extraordinary means!* The thought excited him: *It seems heaven has granted me this opportunity.* However, these "heavenly texts" were impossible to decipher, carved into the stone walls, and the chamber was pitch black. He didn't know what to do.

As Li Jing's mind wandered, Xiao Meiniang's image suddenly appeared in his mind, vivid and clear. It was the scene of her copying the "Wang Family Ship Manual." She concentrated on her brushwork, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, her eyes sparkling under the dim candlelight, exuding a serene beauty... Li Jing blinked a few times in the darkness, forcing her image out of his mind, but the ships Xie Kangtu had drawn remained, appearing one by one in his mind. Li Jing was shocked—he hadn't intentionally memorized them, but as he watched, grinding ink, spreading paper, or laying out the finished drawings to dry, he had somehow committed the diagrams to memory.

This realization filled him with excitement. It turned out that while he wasn't a prodigy like Little Tiangang with a photographic memory, his ability to remember was still above average. A thought suddenly occurred to him: *Whether these stone carvings are useful or not, whether they are the "Secret Manual of Tunnel Warfare," I should memorize them first.* However, memorizing them posed a challenge. The pine-oil torch was almost out, and he couldn't see the shapes clearly. These strange, ancient carvings were far more complex and irregular than Xie Kangtu's ship diagrams. After thinking for a long time, Li Jing reached out to touch the stone wall, locating a pattern and using his fingers to memorize its shape. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had memorized the first row of carvings.

Hearing him fumbling around, Gu Musheng said, "Brother, if you're trying to find a mechanism to open the stone wall, I've already thought of that. Hua Qingfeng is an expert in this. If we can think of it, he certainly can. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a trap."

Li Jing wanted to explain, but his mind was fully occupied with the patterns, so he simply replied, "Brother, you focus on your training. I'm just passing the time by exploring, so I don't get too anxious."

Gu Musheng didn't press further and began meditating.

---

Time passed, and Gu and Li grew weaker. At first, Gu Musheng held back to avoid embarrassing Li Jing, but eventually, he couldn't help himself. Later, they had no choice but to drink their own urine, but their hunger and thirst first made them dizzy, then caused stomach cramps, and finally left them too weak to move. The chamber, already low on air, was now filled with the stench of waste, making life unbearable. Despite this, they took turns "keeping watch" (though it was hard to distinguish day from night) to ensure the other stayed alert.

One day, the massive stone blocking the entrance suddenly shifted upward, allowing air and light to flood in. Li Jing felt the suffocating pressure in his chest ease. However, the stone only moved about three inches before stopping. Hua Qingfeng's voice came through: "Master Gu, Brother Li, how are your divine training sessions going in the chamber? Can you guess what day it is today? Whoever guesses correctly gets a chicken leg."

Gu Musheng steadied his breathing and said, "Master Hua, what exactly do you want? Please tell me. I offended you earlier, so you can do whatever you want to me, but Brother Li is innocent. Please let him go."

Hua Qingfeng laughed. "You're kind-hearted. But without Brother Li, I wouldn't have bothered luring you, a blockhead, in here."

Li Jing was too weak to speak but mustered his strength to say, "Master Hua, if I'm not mistaken, it's noon on the fifth day..."

Hua Qingfeng fell silent. Even Gu Musheng was astonished.

In ancient times, officials used sundials to tell time, while farmers relied on the sky. How could Li Jing accurately deduce the time in this pitch-black, sunless chamber?

After a long pause, Hua Qingfeng said, "Yueqing, give Brother Li a chicken leg."

A wooden tray with a boiled chicken leg was pushed in using a stick. The tantalizing aroma overwhelmed the chamber's foul stench.

Li Jing didn't hesitate. He took the chicken leg, tore off half, and gave it to Gu Musheng.

Hua Qingfeng said, "Brother Li, you're indeed clever! General Xiao once said that in the entire Sui dynasty, only Lord Han could be considered a formidable opponent. The young talents Lord Han has trained are truly exceptional in both martial and scholarly arts. Brother Li, I won't beat around the bush—how much of the 'heavenly texts' on the chamber walls have you deciphered?"

Li Jing didn't answer directly. "Master Hua, could you give us some water first? My throat is parched, and it's hard to answer your questions."

"Of course." Hua Qingfeng immediately ordered Yuehua to bring a bowl of water, which was pushed in using a stick. The bowl was just low enough to fit under the stone door, which was over two feet thick and impossible to move.

Li Jing took the water and handed it to Gu Musheng, who drank a few sips without protest. Li Jing, his lips cracked from thirst, also drank a few sips, finding the water as sweet as nectar. He then tore off some chicken and chewed slowly.

Hua Qingfeng waited patiently for them to eat and drink. After a long while, he said, "You've only been in there for five days, while I suffered for half a year with broken legs. This small punishment is just to let you experience despair. I don't want to kill you. Please, Brother Li, tell me what secrets are written on the stone walls."

Li Jing didn't respond.

Gu Musheng said, "Master Hua, if you say the carvings are heavenly texts, how could Brother Li possibly understand them?"

Hua Qingfeng said, "You're a blockhead, but don't assume others are stones. Brother Li comes from a prestigious family and was personally taught by Lord Han. He's no ordinary person."

Li Jing said, "Master Hua, if you bring us two more bowls of water and another chicken, I'll tell you."

Hua Qingfeng said, "Brother Li, it's not that I won't give you more, but after extreme hunger, eating too much can be harmful. Why don't you recite a few characters for me first? If you're not lying, I'll treat you well."

Li Jing said, "Master Hua, there's one thing I don't understand. How did you know I could read ancient script?"

Hua Qingfeng said, "It's simple: my teacher, the Purple Heaven Master, once learned of an ancient secret manual called 'Secret Manual of Offense,' which is a secret passed down in your family. Please, Brother Li, don't refuse. Translate the heavenly texts for me."

This revelation shocked both Gu Musheng and Li Jing. Li Jing's father had never mentioned such a family secret. However, Hua Qingfeng had starved them for five days before pressuring them. If Li Jing told the truth, Hua Qingfeng would never believe him. But if he lied, Hua Qingfeng would see through it. This man was both cruel and cunning, and with their lives in his hands, they could die at any moment. After much thought, Li Jing was at a loss.

Hua Qingfeng added, "I know you come from a noble family, with both integrity and courage, unafraid of death. But even if I knew the inscriptions on the walls, I wouldn't be able to use them. I'm just curious, and since I've lost my legs for this, please satisfy my curiosity. If you won't tell me, just say so, and we'll leave immediately, never disturbing you again..."

As soon as he said "disturb," the heavy stone door made a dull sound and shifted downward half an inch!

Li Jing was terrified and quickly said, "Master Hua, please stop..."

The descending door immediately halted. Gu Musheng knew that if Hua Qingfeng left now, they would starve to death.

Hua Qingfeng said, "Brother Li, don't overthink it. Just recite the heavenly texts you've seen. Yueqing, bring them a torch."

A pine-oil torch was pushed in. Gu Musheng lit it and stared blankly at Li Jing. Li Jing raised the torch and examined the first wall on the right. In truth, over the past five days, he had already memorized the patterns on the walls. Now, he was just putting on an act.

After a while, Li Jing walked to the door and said, "Master Hua, the inscriptions are just names of ancient objects, not a secret manual. There's nothing special about them."

Hua Qingfeng was stunned. "Brother Li, please recite them for me."

Li Jing faced the wall and loudly recited: "Fish and salt, cloth and silk, well sweep, thorns, wicker fence, cauldron, pots, jars, axes, saws, flails, pestles..." He recited 180 characters in one go, leaving Gu Musheng dumbfounded. Suddenly, Hua Qingfeng interrupted from outside: "Brother Li, stop!"

Li Jing immediately fell silent.

Hua Qingfeng said, "Please recite them again from the beginning."

Gu Musheng's heart raced. It was obvious to anyone that Li Jing was making it up. But to recite it again without a single mistake would be impossible!

However, Li Jing remained calm and repeated the characters without pause. After 180 characters, he continued reciting new ones. Gu Musheng listened and realized that the words were simply names of ancient farming tools and household items!

When Li Jing reached over 400 characters, Hua Qingfeng shouted for him to stop and asked him to recite again from the beginning. Li Jing loudly repeated the text, this time reaching over a thousand characters. Gu Musheng listened carefully, and not a single character was repeated, but the earlier characters matched the previous recitations perfectly.

Hua Qingfeng shouted to stop again, his voice hoarse and almost roaring, clearly deeply disappointed.

Li Jing stopped and walked to the door, whispering, "Master Hua, is there something wrong with these stone carvings?"

Hua Qingfeng said, "Brother Li, are you sure these ancient characters are accurate?"

Li Jing said, "Of course they are."

Hua Qingfeng still couldn't accept it. "But why would the ancients go to such lengths to carve such trivial words into solid stone? It doesn't make sense!"

Li Jing said, "Master Hua, how can you judge the ancients by modern standards? In ancient times, there were only two major concerns: farming to fill the granaries and preparing for war to defend against enemies. These words may seem insignificant today, but in ancient times, plowing fields, building ships, constructing houses, herding livestock, and cooking food were all monumental tasks. Our ancestors feared that these skills would be lost, so they carved them into stone."

Hua Qingfeng listened, then pounded the ground with his fists, screaming hoarsely, "Purple Heaven Master, you old fraud! You tricked me into coming to Mount Wu, costing me my legs, all for this nonsense! I'll grind your bones to dust! No, I'll drown you in the urine of five beasts, so you can never reincarnate! You fraud..."

The furious rant sent chills down Li Jing's spine.

Suddenly, the stone chamber began to shake violently, as if a dragon were erupting from the depths of the earth. The solid stone walls cracked, and massive boulders came crashing down with tremendous force...

Li Jing felt darkness envelop him, and he lost consciousness.