Chapter 444: This place is really eerie

Xiao Ningyuan said: "Then let's go, anyway this is the only road; we can't stay here forever."

"Xiao Er, you should take Tuan Tuan; I'm not capable. Just now I was scared to death, I even thought we'd lose this little pig."

Tuan Tuan pouted: "You're calling me a little pig again!"

Xiao Er squatted down, and Tuan Tuan skillfully climbed onto his back.

Lu Qi supported the lame guard: "We walk slowly; you just follow."

"Who knows where this road leads; going slow is fine."

The group walked deeper into the ice cave.

The passage twisted and turned; underfoot was solid ice.

Strangely, a warmth gradually became more apparent, the air grew more humid, and even a faint dripping sound could be heard.

A guard muttered: "This place is really eerie."

It's truly astonishing that the ice cave deep within Snow Mountain is so warm.

Everyone grew wary, involuntarily gripping their sword hilts.

Only Tuan Tuan was happy: "How comfortable! It's really warm!"

After walking about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, the road came to an end.

Before them was a naturally formed ice wall, smooth as a mirror, completely blocking the way.

Lu Qi tapped around with his sword hilt; the echoes were dull and thick, indicating solid mountain behind, not just an ice wall.

They looked at each other, hearts sinking; could they really be doomed to die in this sunless ice cavern?

"Are you hungry?" Tuan Tuan cheerfully said, "After walking so long, my stomach's growling! It's so warm here, let's eat first."

Xiao Ningyuan laughed: "Haha, Tuan Tuan is right! Nothing is more important than eating!"

"Come on! Everyone eat first! Only when full will we have strength to find the way!"

Lu Qi paused, then laughed: "Exactly! Damn, I've walked the jianghu for how many years, seen all kinds of battles? Eat!"

Xiao Er set Tuan Tuan on the ground, everyone sat in a circle, took out dried rations and water, and Tuan Tuan produced the meat jerky Xiao Ran had given him, sharing it with all.

The ice cave was warm, the meat jerky fragrant, and the weary bodies gradually found relief.

After eating his fill, Tuan Tuan couldn't sit still and wandered around the vicinity.

One moment he left his tiny handprints on the smooth ice wall; the next he crouched to study the natural patterns on the ice beneath his feet.

"Huh?" Tuan Tuan let out a soft cry, then flung himself onto the ground.

"What's wrong, Miss?" Xiao Er immediately rose and went over.

Xiao Ningyuan and Lu Qi also came over, and the three squatted beside Tuan Tuan.

"Come look!" Tuan Tuan turned his head, pointing with his little finger at a spot near the bottom of the ice wall almost touching the ground, "There's something inside!"

"Something?"

Everyone's spirits lifted; they all gathered around, and Tuan Tuan stood up, making room for them.

But that spot was really low; even squatting they couldn't see clearly.

Xiao Ningyuan without hesitation lay down, turned his face sideways, and strained to look inside.

Immediately after, Xiao Er and Lu Qi also lay down.

The ten guards imitated them; instantly, the group that had been standing just moments before all flung themselves prone before the ice wall, each with rear ends slightly raised, quite a spectacular sight.

Tuan Tuan lowered his head, first stunned, then giggled: "You look like a bunch of big geese hunting for food!"

"Hahaha!" Xiao Ningyuan, holding his breath and straining to look inside, nearly choked on laughter hearing that.

Lu Qi's mouth twitched; Xiao Er helplessly glanced back at his own mistress, who was laughing harder and harder.

However, in that prone position, everyone saw the thing Tuan Tuan had mentioned.

Embedded deep in the thick ice was indeed a small, dark-colored object, regular in shape, certainly not natural.

Xiao Ningyuan excitedly slapped the ice: "There really is something!"

Xiao Er praised: "Miss, you have keen eyes!"

He rose, fetched an ice pick from his pack: "Everyone step back, I'll do it!"

Seeing everyone retreat, Xiao Ningyuan shielded Tuan Tuan behind him, and Xiao Er raised his ice pick and brought it down hard.

"Clang!"

A crisp sound rang out, ice chips flying.

But only a white dot remained.

"Wow! This ice is so hard?" Lu Qi also grabbed an ice pick, and together with Xiao Er he struck the same spot.

The two exerted all their strength, chiseling for about the time to finish a cup of tea, when a clear "crack" sounded and a chunk of ice was finally chipped away.

Xiao Er reached in, carefully felt around, and pulled out an object.

He withdrew his hand, opened his palm to the crowd: it was actually a key!

Its style was archaic, cast of bronze, its surface engraved with intricate cloud-and-lightning patterns, the teeth irregularly multi-faceted, the structure complex and exquisite.

The guards couldn't help but cheer: "A key! It's a key!"

"We've found the treasure's key!"

"Hahaha!" Xiao Ningyuan scooped up Tuan Tuan and lifted him high: "You really are our little lucky star! You managed to find this!"

Lu Qi wiped sweat from his face: "I never expected it; by sheer chance we actually found the right place!"

Xiao Er also laughed: "Where there's a key, there must be a lock; since the key is here, the door must be too!"

Xiao Ningyuan set Tuan Tuan down, waved his hand: "Right! Everyone search carefully! The key was hidden so well, the door certainly won't be obvious!"

The treasure is within reach! Hope blazed up like a raging fire.

Everyone was full of vigor, instantly scattering to search meticulously.

Because the key was found in an extremely low place, everyone was very careful, not only checking near the ground but also tapping the ice underfoot one by one.

But after about an hour, the excitement on everyone's faces gradually gave way to doubt and impatience.

They found nothing.

No hidden door, no keyhole, nowhere to insert this key.

"How strange," Xiao Ningyuan scratched his head, utterly baffled, "The key is here—where could the door have gone? It couldn't be elsewhere, could it?"

"Hard to say," Lu Qi shook his head, "but since the key is here, there must be some reason."

Xiao Er turned the key over and over in his hand, brow furrowed.

Tuan Tuan tugged at Xiao Ningyuan's sleeve: "Big brother, is it too dark here? Let's light a fire and search again."

Xiao Ningyuan patted her head, going along with her wish: "It is a bit dark, okay, big brother will listen to you."

"Everyone take out your matches and light them! Let's search again!"

"Yes!"

Everyone pulled out their matches, and clusters of dim yellow warm flames ignited one after another.

The firelight illuminated everyone's faces and also lit up the surrounding huge ice walls.

The next moment, exclamations rose up:

"Good heavens!"

"Door!"

"So many doors!"

Only to see, within the smooth, intact ice walls all around, outlines of doors suddenly appeared, one after another!

Their number was vast, reaching several hundred!

They were scattered irregularly throughout various parts of the ice walls.

As far as the eye could see, everything was identical doors!

It seemed as if behind these ice walls lay passages to countless unknown worlds!

Everyone felt a chill surge up from their tailbone straight to the crown of their head.

There is only one key, so why are there so many doors?