Shen Wenhe led Bai Nianqing further south. After walking for about half an hour, they heard the rushing sound of flowing water.
“Husband, listen! Is that the sound of water?” Bai Nianqing, with her sharp ears, heard it immediately.
Shen Wenhe had been vigilantly observing their surroundings, as the closer they got to a water source, the higher the chance of encountering wild animals.
Therefore, he hadn’t let his guard down throughout the journey, which was why he hadn’t noticed the sound of water.
But with Bai Nianqing’s reminder, he listened carefully and heard it too: “Yes, it’s the sound of flowing water.”
The two quickened their pace and walked another three hundred meters. Before them appeared a valley with a small stream flowing through the middle.
Unfortunately, their timing was bad—several wild boars were drinking by the stream, and after drinking, they were rolling around in the muddy ground nearby.
Fortunately, Shen Wenhe had remained alert and didn’t rush forward recklessly.
“Husband, are those wild boars? They’re terrifying.” This was Bai Nianqing’s first time seeing wild boars.
Looking at the boars’ long tusks, her heart raced with fear.
“Yes, they’re wild boars. Let’s be careful and go around them.” Shen Wenhe was also seeing wild boars for the first time and felt uncertain.
“Alright, let’s keep going forward and look for the source of this stream. We can see if it’s suitable for us to live there,” Bai Nianqing suggested.
Not daring to make a sound, the two cautiously made their way along the mountainside, bypassing the area where the wild boars were, and continued forward.
After walking another five hundred meters or so, the sound of water grew louder. They quickened their steps, followed the sound, turned a corner, and a waterfall came into view.
“Wow, there’s a waterfall here?” Shen Wenhe exclaimed, stunned by the beautiful scenery before him.
Ahead was a cliff about five to six meters high, with a waterfall cascading down from it.
Below the cliff was a small pond, no larger than five square meters. The water in the stream flowed out from the overflowing pond.
The area around the pond was lush with wild vegetables and grasses, and unknown wild flowers bloomed vibrantly.
Fish occasionally leaped out of the water in the pond.
“Husband, this place is wonderful. It would be great if we could live here,” Bai Nianqing said, squatting by the pond and splashing water on her face.
“This place is indeed good, at least there’s a water source. But there’s one issue: animals also like to come here to drink. Pheasants and rabbits aren’t a problem, but I’m worried about tigers, wolves, and wild boars,” Shen Wenhe also thought the place was ideal.
However, neither of them was particularly skilled. Although he had trained with the guards for a few days, it was mostly for show.
If they encountered any wild beasts, he wouldn’t know how to handle them.
If it weren’t for the hardships of fleeing famine, he wouldn’t have considered seeking refuge in the mountains.
“Should we go up and take a look? Maybe there are no wild beasts up there?” Bai Nianqing suggested, looking up at the cliff.
“This cliff isn’t easy to climb. Look how steep it is, and there’s no path. How about this—I’ll go up and check, and you wait here?” Shen Wenhe looked at the steep cliff and didn’t feel comfortable letting his wife attempt the climb.
Bai Nianqing looked at the cliff and doubted she could make it up.
“Alright, but be careful,” Bai Nianqing said.
“Don’t worry, I will be,” Shen Wenhe replied as he began climbing from beside the waterfall.
Bai Nianqing found a rock to sit on, not daring to speak to Shen Wenhe for fear he might accidentally fall.
Half an hour later, Shen Wenhe finally scaled the cliff from the side.
“Whoa, it’s really spacious up here,” Shen Wenhe exclaimed as soon as he reached the top, his eyes brightening.
Before him lay a flat platform with a spring near the cliff edge, bubbling vigorously upward.
Around the spring were traces of artificial carving, forming a rectangular pond. When the pond overflowed, the water cascaded down the cliff, creating a waterfall.
But that wasn’t the main feature. Across the pond stood another cliff face, as if sliced flat with a knife.
Moreover, the cliff soared into the clouds, making it impossible for an ordinary person to climb.
Most importantly, near the cliff wall stood a wooden cabin.
Clearly, someone had lived here. However, the dried branches and fallen leaves scattered across the platform suggested it had been a long time since anyone tended to the place.
Shen Wenhe approached the cabin and gently knocked on the door. “Is anyone there? Anyone home?”
After waiting for a while with no response, he pushed the door lightly, and it creaked open.
“Anyone inside? I’m coming in,” Shen Wenhe said as he stepped inside.
The cabin consisted of two simple rooms, equipped with a stove and a heated brick bed, all covered in a thick layer of dust, indicating no one had lived there for a long time.
Shen Wenhe circled the room and found a letter on top of a chest.
The envelope was coated in thick dust, and the paper had yellowed with age, clearly having been stored for many years.
Shen Wenhe carefully took out the letter and unfolded it.
It briefly stated that the writer, Xu Changming, was a former Imperial Hospital physician of the previous dynasty. Having offended someone, he was pursued and fled into the mountains.
He had no family, and even after his pursuers gave up, he felt too disheartened to leave. He chose to live out his life in the mountains.
As he neared the end, he found a burial place for himself—a cave in the cliff behind the cabin.
The letter also mentioned that the cave contained his lifelong savings, left for whoever fate brought here.
He hoped this person would collect his bones and give him a proper burial.
In return, everything in the cave would belong to whoever laid him to rest.
Shen Wenhe hadn’t noticed the cave earlier. Leaving the cabin, he circled to the back and discovered a set of hand-carved stone steps on the rock face.
Starting from the base, the steps ascended diagonally, each about half a meter wide, allowing one person to climb up or down.
After a moment’s thought, Shen Wenhe decided to go up and investigate.
The cave was about ten meters above the ground. Since the steps were carved diagonally, the climb wasn’t too steep.
Still, Shen Wenhe proceeded with caution.
The steps were overgrown with moss, so he used his machete to clear them as he went.
He cleared his way to the cave entrance, which was fitted with a wooden door.
Weathered by time, the door had rotted in places and showed signs of insect damage.
With a firm push, Shen Wenhe opened it.
As the door swung inward, a foul, decaying smell rushed out.
Shen Wenhe held his breath and quickly retreated two steps down.
He waited until the odor from the cave had dissipated before cautiously stepping inside.
The cave was very large, spanning several hundred square meters, and was divided into several smaller chambers.
Shen Wenhe inspected them one by one. The first chamber was completely empty, containing nothing.
The second chamber held two sacks of grain, but after such a long time, they were no longer edible.
In the third chamber, there were six large chests. Shen Wenhe opened them to look: two chests contained gold bars, one chest held silver ingots, two chests were filled with jewelry and ornaments, and one chest contained medicinal herbs.