Chapter 12   - Encounter in the Cave (Part 1)

Chen Yushu glared at Lin Yi, sticking her tongue out at him before running upstairs with Mengyao.

“It’s not that big a deal is it...?” Lin Yi shook his head. He stared at all the food on the table, and decided that the girls wouldn’t be coming down for it anymore. With that thought, he picked his chopsticks up and started stuffing everything into his mouth.

Mengyao, on the other hand, collapsed on the bed as soon as she entered her room. Why? What did she do to deserve such a tragedy! She wouldn’t mind someone handsome taking her first kiss, even if it were to go down that way... But why did it have to be some lame ass farmer, Lin Yi, of all things!

“Shu... Tell me, what did I do to deserve this?!” She didn’t want to embarrass herself any more than she already had, so Mengyao managed to at least hold her voice back, if not her tears. She didn’t want Lin Yi laughing at him, but it was only Shu and her in the room now.

“Hey... It’s okay Yao Yao, cheer up... At least it wasn’t an actual kiss, right? He didn’t get anything from that indirect kiss, anyway...” Yushu was thinking that it wasn’t all bad, since the shield guy didn’t get to taste Mengyao’s saliva. It was, at the very least, just a one sided thing.

Mengyao only fell further into despair. Since Lin Yi wasn’t on the receiving side, there was no reason for him to feel guilty. It was bad only for her- her first kiss was gone for nothing! She’d rather it be an actual kiss at this point!

“That’s it. I can’t take this anymore, I’m telling dad tomorrow that it’s me or him!” Mengyao’s resolve was filled with rage.

Crying and vomiting tired Mengyao, and she gradually drifted into sleep. Yushu simply shook her head, laying down beside her friend. It’s just some saliva, what’s the big deal? It’s not like she’d get pregnant, anyway.

Having finished dinner, Lin Yi made mental preparations. He sighed, all but ready for the Miss to come charging down at any moment. Not a whole lot he could do about being born on the lower side of the social pyramid... That’s how things were. He’d most likely get punished, as a servant and all.

Yet Mengyao never came. Lin Yi decided to clear the table before heading back to his room- It was nine- they were probably fast asleep anyway.

Lin Yi brushed his teeth and washed his face before locking the bedroom door. He sat down on the bed and started practicing the Art of Dragon Mastery, something he discovered when in a cave.

Lin Yi was eight at the time, and was called up to the top of Mount Starwest to have his kungfu tested. It was the middle of the night, and the moon was full.

Why Old Lin chose such a time was beyond his understanding, but Lin Yi went along with it anyway. The old man was being annoyingly persistent.

A couple of hits back and forth, and Lin Yi understood that this was no test. The old guy was practically trying to kill him! He was about to protest when Old Lin sent him flying down the mountain with a merciless kick.

Lin Yi’s surroundings blurred as he plummeted downward. If he had to describe it, it’d be like a superhuman flying full speed at the ground. It was a long while before he landed with a sickening crunch.

He felt his ribcage burn in pain, as if they were about to shatter at any moment. The old man gave him Eastern medicine that strengthened bone structure and constitution since he was three, but even an enhanced body couldn’t handle falling from a mountain that high. Lin Yi lost consciousness almost immediately.

Back on the mountain, Old Lin shook his head. “Little Yi... I’m not trying to be cruel, but this is much too rare an opportunity. The cave only opens up every five years on a full moon- You’d miss the optimal training age if I didn’t do this.”

Lin Yi didn’t know how long his face spent on the ground, but the first thing he did after flipping over was scream out a curse at Old Lin. He made sure his body wasn’t too badly hurt before getting up, deciding that it was pointless to yell.

The sight in front of him, however, gave him a shock. It was a huge set of ancient doors, its crimson paint shimmering under the full moon whilst its golden knockers shined.

It was like something out of a fairytale, a resting place for gods! Three words inscribed the tablet above the door: “Xuan Yuan Cave”.

What was this place? Lin Yi started breathing heavily as he stared at the looming doors. He’d been living in Mount Starwest for many years now, and he’d never even heard of a place like this, just lying at the foot of the mountain!

He didn’t know how he managed to just fall in front of the doors, or why Old Lin’s kick just so happened to send him here. He felt as if he’d been here before, as if he’d visited the place in a dream once.

Failing to comprehend why he was here, Lin Yi’s body moved on its own, as if some force was pulling him towards the door.

Without much thought, Lin Yi tried pushing the doors, to no avail. Frowning, Lin Yi started pulling at it instead.

The doors did not budge an inch. Lin Yi was just about to leave when they began to open gradually, much to his amazement.

Yet he backed off, his instincts taking over. He stared intently into the cave, expecting someone to come walking out. Nothing surfaced, but the insides of the cave were fully exposed.

It was a massive palace, unlit but still somehow very brightly illuminated. Lin Yi was overwhelmed- how was the palace able to glow with such a stunning light? After making sure there weren’t any creatures lurking about, Lin Yi walked into the now inviting doors.

Every step was laced with alert. He was young, and the young were curious- despite his wary attitude towards the cave, Lin Yi found himself moving forward. He was more reckless back then than he was now.

That young curiosity and recklessness was repaid with a touch of fate.