Chapter 12 — Adventure in the Cave, Part One
The Herdsman of the Wasteland · Page 2 of 2
He felt as though his entire skeleton were coming apart. Although, ever since he was three, the old man had had him soak his whole body in Chinese herbal medicine every day to strengthen his bones and constitution, the fall from such a high peak still knocked him thoroughly senseless, and he passed out.
Looking in the direction where Wei Zhao had fallen, Old Man Wei shook his head and sighed: "Xiaoyi, it's not that your grandfather is hard-hearted. The truth is, this chance, once lost, will never come again. The cave gate opens only once every five years, on the full-moon night of Mid-Autumn. If you don't get in this time, you'll have missed the best age for cultivation..."
After who knew how long, Wei Zhao slowly came to. He first cursed Old Man Wei roundly for being so heartless, then pushed himself up. There was no use cursing at a time like this, though. He checked his body, and only after finding nothing seriously wrong did he get to his feet.
But the sight before him made Wei Zhao gasp in astonishment. In front of him stood an enormous mountain gate, simple in design yet overwhelming in grandeur. Its vermilion lacquer gleamed in the moonlight, and the golden door rings upon it glittered with dazzling brilliance.
It looked like the dwelling place of immortals in myth. Above the immense gate hung a plaque bearing four large characters: "Xuanyuan Grotto."
What place is this? Wei Zhao's breathing grew quick. He had lived on Xixing Mountain for many years, yet he had never once heard that such a place lay at the mountain's base.
Although Wei Zhao didn't know why he had stumbled his way here, or how the old man's kick had so conveniently landed him right at the mouth of the cave, he still felt something familiar—a sense of déjà vu, as if he had been here before in a dream.
But no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't figure out when he had ever been here. He steadied himself, then instinctively walked toward the gate, as if some force were drawing him onward.
When he reached the cave entrance, Wei Zhao instinctively pushed at the door with his hand. To his disappointment, it didn't budge an inch. He frowned, then pulled at the door with all his strength—still it did not move in the slightest.
Just as Wei Zhao, somewhat discouraged, was about to turn and leave, something strange happened. He saw that the tightly shut cave gate was slowly opening.
Wei Zhao nearly jumped out of his skin; he thought something was coming out of the cave, and he was quick to dodge to one side, his eyes fixed hard on the opening. But though he waited a long while, nothing emerged. What he could see, however, was the inside of that cave, and he saw it with perfect clarity.
It was an enormous hall. No lamps burned anywhere within it, yet it shone as brilliantly as day. By what means it gave off such a dazzling light, he could not begin to guess: whatever it was, it lit the whole of that great hall as bright as could be.
The spectacle before him left Wei Zhao gaping, his mouth wide open. There was no word for what he felt just then but awe. Only after he had made certain that no living thing stirred in the hall did he venture cautiously toward the open stone door.
With every step, Wei Zhao warily glanced around him, and only once he was sure no danger lurked did he move on. Then again, that was because he had been so young in those days, his curiosity about things that much keener; the Wei Zhao of later years might not have been so impulsive.
Still, then again, had it not been for Wei Zhao's curiosity and recklessness back then, the strokes of fate and coincidence that followed would never have come to pass.
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