Chapter 9 - Eight: The Cave Beneath the Mountain

Chapter 9: Chapter Eight: The Cave Beneath the Mountain

Lin Yue did not enter the cave.

She wanted to.

Very badly.

But wanting to do something and doing something stupid were two different things.

She had spent years studying wilderness survival.

One lesson had been repeated so often that she could practically hear her instructors saying it.

Curiosity is not a substitute for preparation.

A mysterious glowing cave was exactly the sort of place that made people forget that rule.

So Lin Yue went back outside.

She made a list.

Rope.

Lantern.

Spare clothing.

Water.

Food.

First-aid supplies.

Knife.

Chalk.

A way to mark the route.

A way to communicate with anyone outside.

And, most importantly—

someone to watch the entrance.

She looked at her list.

Then frowned.

"I need another person."

Unfortunately, the only person nearby was—

Shen Rui.

Lin Yue sighed.

"Of course."

The Invitation

The next morning, Shen Rui arrived at the farm.

He found Lin Yue sitting beneath the tree, writing.

"What are you doing?"

"Preparing for an expedition."

He stopped.

"To where?"

"The mountain."

"Why?"

"I found a cave."

His expression immediately changed.

"A cave?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"In my—"

Lin Yue stopped.

She couldn’t exactly say:

In the magical pocket dimension that nobody else knows exists.

She cleared her throat.

"Beyond the mountain."

Shen Rui studied her.

"You intend to enter it?"

"Yes."

"No."

Lin Yue looked up.

"No?"

"No."

She frowned.

"Why?"

"Because I said no."

"That isn’t a reason."

"You don’t know what’s inside."

"I know."

"You don’t."

Lin Yue crossed her arms.

"I’ve studied wilderness survival."

"I know."

"I know how to prepare."

"I know."

"I won’t go without equipment."

"I know."

Shen Rui sighed.

"Then why did you tell me?"

Lin Yue smiled.

"Because I need someone to carry things."

He stared at her.

She smiled innocently.

"You’re strong."

He laughed despite himself.

"So that’s why."

"Yes."

"You’re not asking me to protect you?"

"No."

"You’re asking me to carry equipment?"

"Yes."

"That’s worse."

"Why?"

"Because now I know what you think of me."

Lin Yue grinned.

"A useful brother."

Shen Rui shook his head.

"Fine."

She immediately handed him the equipment list.

He read it.

His expression slowly became serious.

"You’ve prepared this carefully."

"Of course."

"Rope?"

"Thirty meters."

"Two lanterns?"

"Three."

"Food?"

"For one day."

"Water?"

"Enough."

"First aid?"

"Yes."

"Map?"

"Yes."

"Emergency signal?"

"Yes."

He looked at her.

"You really know what you’re doing."

Lin Yue smiled.

"I told you."

Into the Golden Space

That afternoon, Lin Yue brought Shen Rui into the golden space.

He stopped the moment he entered.

Silence.

The golden sky.

The lake.

The forest.

The fields.

The distant mountains.

Shen Rui stared.

Lin Yue watched his reaction carefully.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then:

"Fourth Sister."

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

Lin Yue smiled nervously.

"My secret."

He turned toward her.

"You have a secret world?"

"Apparently."

He looked at the enormous lake.

Then the fields.

Then the forest.

Then the distant mountain.

His expression became increasingly complicated.

"You’ve been coming here alone?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Since I arrived."

He looked at her.

"You should have told me."

Lin Yue lowered her eyes.

"I didn’t know if I could trust anyone."

His expression softened.

"I understand."

There was no anger in his voice.

Only concern.

She smiled faintly.

"Now you know."

"Yes."

He looked around again.

"This place could feed hundreds of people."

Lin Yue nodded.

"Eventually."

"Eventually?"

"It’s still developing."

He looked at her.

"You’re planning something enormous."

Lin Yue smiled.

"I don’t know about enormous."

She pointed toward the fields.

"I just want to make it better."

Shen Rui laughed quietly.

"I believe you."

The Mountain

They reached the mountain just before sunset.

The cave entrance was hidden beneath thick vegetation.

Lin Yue crouched.

She examined the ground.

No obvious fresh animal tracks.

No broken branches.

No strong smell.

She checked the rock face.

Stable.

No obvious signs of recent collapse.

Shen Rui watched.

"How can you tell all that?"

"Observation."

She pointed at the ground.

"See those leaves?"

"Yes."

"They haven’t been disturbed recently."

Then she pointed toward a crack in the rock.

"That means air is moving."

"Meaning?"

"There’s another opening somewhere."

Shen Rui nodded.

Lin Yue lit the first lantern.

"Let’s go slowly."

They entered.

The First Chamber

The cave was surprisingly dry.

The walls glittered faintly.

Not with gold.

With tiny mineral crystals.

Lin Yue examined one.

Beautiful.

But she didn’t touch it.

"Why not?"

Shen Rui asked.

"Because we don’t know what it is."

He nodded.

"Good."

She smiled.

"You’re learning."

"I’ve had a good teacher."

They continued.

Every few meters, Lin Yue marked the wall with chalk.

A simple symbol.

An arrow.

And a number.

1

Then:

2

Then:

3

Shen Rui looked behind them.

"Why mark the walls?"

"So we know whether we’re going in circles."

"Wouldn’t we know?"

"In caves, people become disoriented surprisingly easily."

He looked at the winding passage.

"I believe you."

The Underground Stream

After almost twenty minutes, they heard water.

Lin Yue stopped.

She listened.

There.

A faint rushing sound.

They continued.

The passage opened into a chamber.

A narrow underground stream flowed across the floor.

The water was clear.

Shen Rui stepped toward it.

Lin Yue grabbed his sleeve.

"Don’t drink."

He stopped.

"Why?"

"Clear doesn’t mean safe."

She crouched beside the water.

She examined the surrounding rock.

"It’s probably clean."

"Probably?"

"Yes."

"Then we don’t drink it."

"Correct."

Shen Rui smiled.

"You’re very cautious."

"Being cautious keeps people alive."

She filled a small container.

"We’ll treat it before drinking."

The Strange Glow

They crossed the stream.

Beyond it, the cave walls began glowing.

Not brightly.

Just enough to illuminate the passage.

Lin Yue stared.

"This isn’t ordinary mineral fluorescence."

"How do you know?"

"Because we’re inside the golden space."

Shen Rui looked at her.

"Fair."

They continued.

The deeper they went, the warmer the air became.

Lin Yue stopped.

"Something is different."

"What?"

"Temperature."

She placed her hand against the rock.

Warm.

Very warm.

"There may be geothermal activity."

Shen Rui frowned.

"Is that dangerous?"

"Potentially."

She examined the ceiling.

No smoke.

No strong smell.

No visible steam.

"Not immediately."

They continued carefully.

The Hidden Chamber

The passage suddenly opened.

Shen Rui raised the lantern.

Lin Yue’s mouth fell open.

A vast chamber stretched before them.

At the center was a pool.

But this wasn’t ordinary water.

The surface shimmered with faint golden light.

Around it grew plants Lin Yue had never seen.

Small silver leaves.

Blue flowers.

Red berries.

Moss that glowed softly.

She stared.

"This is incredible."

Shen Rui looked at the plants.

"Are they valuable?"

"Possibly."

"Then take some."

"No."

He looked surprised.

"Why not?"

"We don’t know what they are."

She walked closer.

"Some plants can be poisonous."

Shen Rui nodded.

"Right."

Lin Yue crouched beside one.

She examined its structure.

Leaves.

Stem.

Root.

Flower.

She memorized every detail.

Then she took out her notebook.

"I’ll document them first."

He smiled.

"Of course you will."

The Golden Message

Then the space reacted.

The entire chamber began glowing.

Lin Yue froze.

A golden message appeared.

[Hidden ecosystem discovered.]

[Rare biological resources detected.]

[Environmental balance: stable.]

[Warning: Unauthorized harvesting may destabilize ecosystem.]

Lin Yue’s eyes widened.

She immediately stepped back.

"Interesting."

Shen Rui looked at her.

"What?"

"The space doesn’t want me taking everything."

He nodded.

"That sounds reasonable."

Lin Yue smiled.

"It’s protecting the ecosystem."

She looked around.

That changed everything.

The golden space wasn’t simply a warehouse.

It had rules.

Systems.

Balance.

Perhaps even an intelligence of some kind.

She looked at the glowing plants.

"We take only what we can safely study."

Shen Rui nodded.

"Agreed."

Something Moves

Then—

Rustle.

Lin Yue froze.

Shen Rui immediately moved in front of her.

"What was that?"

She listened.

Nothing.

Then—

Rustle.

Again.

From behind the rocks.

Lin Yue quietly extinguished the lantern.

Darkness swallowed the chamber.

Shen Rui whispered:

"Should we leave?"

"Slowly."

They stepped backward.

A pair of eyes appeared.

Blue.

Glowing.

Small.

Lin Yue’s heart jumped.

Something moved out of the darkness.

A creature.

It looked like a fox.

But smaller.

Its fur was silver-white.

Its ears were unusually long.

And its tail glowed faintly.

The creature stared at them.

Lin Yue stared back.

Shen Rui whispered:

"What is that?"

"I don’t know."

The creature tilted its head.

Lin Yue slowly crouched.

"Hello."

It blinked.

She smiled.

"I’m not going to hurt you."

The creature sniffed.

Then took one step closer.

Shen Rui whispered:

"You’re talking to it."

"Yes."

"Does that usually work?"

"No."

"Good."

The creature approached Lin Yue.

Then—

It sniffed her hand.

Lin Yue didn’t move.

After a moment, it gently touched her fingers with its nose.

She smiled.

"Cute."

The creature made a soft chirping sound.

Shen Rui stared.

"It likes you."

"I think so."

The creature suddenly turned.

It ran toward the far wall.

Then looked back.

Lin Yue frowned.

"Is it showing us something?"

Shen Rui smiled.

"Apparently."

They followed.

The Hidden Spring

The creature led them through a narrow opening.

Behind it was a tiny spring.

Golden water flowed from a crack in the rock.

Lin Yue stared.

The water looked almost identical to the golden space’s main spring.

She approached carefully.

Another message appeared.

[Natural spring detected.]

[Purity: Extremely high.]

[Energy concentration: Low.]

Lin Yue’s eyes widened.

"This could be important."

Shen Rui looked at her.

"Can we use it?"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"We don’t know why the water is special."

She looked at the silver creature.

"Or what it does."

The creature sat beside the spring.

Its tail curled around its paws.

Lin Yue smiled.

"You live here?"

The creature chirped.

"Apparently."

A New Friend

The creature followed them back.

Lin Yue tried to leave it behind.

It followed.

She stopped.

It stopped.

She walked.

It walked.

She turned.

It turned.

Shen Rui laughed.

"You’ve been adopted."

"I haven’t agreed."

The creature climbed onto a rock.

Lin Yue stared at it.

Then sighed.

"Fine."

She crouched.

"You can come."

The creature happily chirped.

Shen Rui smiled.

"What will you call it?"

Lin Yue thought.

Silver fur.

Glowing tail.

Mischievous eyes.

"Moon."

The creature chirped.

"Moon it is."

The Journey Home

By the time they returned to the main field, it was dark.

Moon followed closely behind.

Lin Yue crouched.

"You can’t leave the golden space."

Moon tilted its head.

Lin Yue pointed toward the mountain.

"This is your home."

Moon stared.

Then suddenly jumped onto her shoulder.

Lin Yue nearly fell.

"Hey!"

Shen Rui caught her arm.

Moon curled around her neck.

Lin Yue stared at the creature.

Then laughed.

"You really are cheeky."

Shen Rui looked at her.

"You like it."

"I do."

"Then keep it."

Lin Yue smiled.

"I will."

The Next Morning

Qiao’er woke to find a silver creature sitting on the kitchen table.

She screamed.

"MISS!"

Lin Yue rushed inside.

"What happened?"

"There is a fox!"

Moon chirped.

Qiao’er pointed.

"It talks!"

Lin Yue stared.

"Technically, it doesn’t."

"It answered me!"

"That’s chirping."

"It answered me!"

Lin Yue sighed.

"Meet Moon."

Qiao’er slowly approached.

Moon sniffed her.

Then—

licked her finger.

Qiao’er’s eyes widened.

"Oh."

She immediately melted.

"It’s adorable."

Lin Yue smiled.

"I knew you’d like it."

Qiao’er picked up a piece of meat.

Moon immediately climbed onto her arm.

Qiao’er gasped.

"Miss!"

"Yes?"

"I love Moon."

Lin Yue laughed.

"You’ve known him for thirty seconds."

"He has good manners."

At that exact moment, Moon stole a bun from the table.

Qiao’er froze.

Lin Yue burst out laughing.

"Very good manners."

A Family Surprise

Later that afternoon, Shen Rui returned.

He found Moon sleeping in Lin Yue’s lap.

He stared.

Lin Yue smiled.

"My new assistant."

Moon opened one eye.

Then went back to sleep.

Shen Rui sighed.

"Of course."

Lin Yue scratched behind Moon’s ear.

"He’s useful."

"What does he do?"

"Nothing yet."

"Then how is he useful?"

"He keeps me company."

Shen Rui smiled.

"I suppose that’s useful."

Their eyes met.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Qiao’er appeared carrying a basket.

"Miss! The cabbage!"

Lin Yue immediately stood.

"Right."

The moment was broken.

Shen Rui laughed.

"Your farm doesn’t allow romantic moments."

Lin Yue nearly dropped the basket.

"What?"

He smiled innocently.

"I said the farm doesn’t allow quiet moments."

"You definitely said something else."

"I didn’t."

"You did."

He walked away.

Lin Yue stared after him.

Her cheeks were warm.

Qiao’er looked between them.

Then smiled.

"Miss."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Why are you smiling?"

"Nothing."

Lin Yue narrowed her eyes.

"I don’t trust that smile."

Qiao’er walked away humming.

The New Objective

That evening, Lin Yue entered the golden space.

Moon followed.

The creature immediately ran toward the mountain.

Lin Yue looked at the golden message.

[Development progress: 22%.]

She smiled.

A new line appeared.

[New objective unlocked.]

[Establish a stable agricultural ecosystem.]

Requirements:

— Crop diversity

— Livestock integration

— Water management

— Soil restoration

— Waste recycling

— Food storage

— Sustainable energy

Lin Yue read the list.

Then smiled.

"This isn’t just a farm anymore."

She looked toward the fields.

She could build something much bigger.

A complete settlement.

A place where food was produced.

Water was clean.

Waste was managed.

Tools were manufactured.

Accounts were kept.

Knowledge was preserved.

And people could live safely.

She looked at the mountain.

Moon sat beside her.

Far below, the lake shimmered.

The forest whispered in the wind.

Lin Yue smiled.

"One step at a time."

Then a final golden message appeared.

[New area available for exploration.]

Lin Yue blinked.

"Another one?"

She looked toward the northern horizon.

Beyond the mountain range, something enormous was beginning to take shape.

A dark line.

A distant structure.

Almost like—

a ruined city.

Lin Yue’s eyes widened.

Shen Rui, who had just entered the golden space, followed her gaze.

"What is that?"

Lin Yue smiled slowly.

"I think..."

She tightened her grip on her notebook.

"We just found our next problem."

Moon chirped.

And somewhere beyond the mountains—

something answered.