Chapter 12 — An Adventure in the Mountain Cave (Part One)
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
Watching the direction in which Wei Zhao had fallen, Old Man Wei shook his head and sighed. "Xiaoyi, it isn't that your grandfather is cruel. The chance simply cannot be missed, for it will not come again. The cave gate opens only once every five years, on the night of the Mid-Autumn full moon. If you cannot get in this time, you will miss the best age for cultivation..."
He did not know how long he lay there before he came to. He first cursed Old Man Wei roundly for his treachery, then scrambled to his feet. There was no help for it; cursing was useless now. Wei Zhao checked himself over, found nothing seriously wrong, and only then stood up.
But the sight before him gave Wei Zhao a shock. In front of him stood a giant mountain gate, archaic in design yet magnificent in bearing. Its vermilion paint gleamed in the moonlight, and the golden door rings upon it shone with a dazzling luster.
It was like something out of myth, the dwelling place of immortals. Above the great gate hung a plaque bearing four large characters: "Xuanyuan Cave Abode."
What place was this? Wei Zhao's breathing grew hurried. He had lived on West Star Mountain for many years and had never once heard that there was such a place at its foot.
Wei Zhao did not know why he had stumbled his way here, or how the old man had managed to kick him so precisely to the mouth of the cave. Yet he felt a sense of familiarity, a feeling of having seen it all before, as though he had come here once in a dream.
But rack his brains as he might, Wei Zhao could not figure out when he had ever been here. He steadied himself and, as if drawn by some force, unconsciously walked toward the mountain gate.
When he reached the cave entrance, Wei Zhao instinctively pushed at the door. Unfortunately, the gate did not budge an inch. He frowned and pulled hard at it; still it did not budge.
Just as Wei Zhao was feeling discouraged and about to turn away, something strange happened: he saw the tightly shut gate slowly begin to open.
Wei Zhao was startled. He thought someone was coming out of the cave and quickly ducked to one side, his eyes fixed on the opening. But he waited a long while and no one emerged. The interior of the cave, however, he could see perfectly clearly.
It was an enormous hall. There was no lamplight inside, yet it was as bright as day. He had no idea what produced such a dazzling radiance, lighting the whole hall brilliantly.
The marvel before his eyes made Wei Zhao's jaw drop. Beyond shock, no other word could describe what he felt. Only after he had made certain there was no living thing in the hall did he cautiously walk toward the open stone door.
With every step, Wei Zhao warily glanced around, and only when he was sure there was no danger did he go on. Of course, that was also because he had been young then, with a strong curiosity about things. The Wei Zhao of today might not have been so rash.
Then again, if not for that curiosity and rashness, the strokes of fortune that followed would never have come to pass.
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