《Once Upon a Time in a Foreign Land》Chapter 052 : Beihai Xinxiu
Advertisement
The five of them then walked back to the backyard. When they reached the hole's edge, Xinxiu and Yixiong prepared to descend. At that time, the process was going much faster than before.
The basement was quite spacious. It may even be as large as the simple houses scattered throughout the city. Many houses in urban areas were less than a hundred square meters. The ceiling was also quite high, about four meters. The hole they had entered was in the back right corner of the room. That's assuming that the basement was in the backyard of a house next door to the house behind their house.
Xinxiu tried to illuminate the entire dungeon with the flashlight he carried. The center of the room was almost empty. There was only a table and a few benches made of stone. Xinxiu wasn't sure that it was a table. It had no legs, so it was like a stone slab. However, it did seem to function as a table. What they thought was the table even had a unique shape, namely an octagon. It seemed to be positioned according to the eight cardinal directions. The table was quite large. It was about one meter high. The longest width of the table, from end to end, was about two meters. Xinxiu couldn't understand how people put the table into the dungeon in ancient times.
Several months ago, when they came down to the room, they had also seen the stone table. Just like that time, the second time they saw the thing, Xinxiu was still amazed. He glanced at Yixiong who was also showing a similar facial expression.
I wish we had a time machine to see how they did it.
Some objects in the room were too heavy to fit through the holes they had entered. Another possibility was that they were had brought in through the two doors on the west and east sides of the room. But even that theory was not without problems. Xinxiu had absolutely no idea how the oversized table, chairs, and cupboards would get through the much narrower door. Yixiong and Xinxiu looked at each other. For the umpteenth time, they could only shake their heads.
Advertisement
Xinxiu paid close attention to the situation there. On each side of the table, there were eight chairs in total. The benches were rectangular, with each side measuring about fifty centimeters. Both the table and the bench were finely carved. Xinxiu was definitely not a historian. Also completely clueless about antiques. However, even a fool would have guessed that the objects in the room were extremely valuable. Both in terms of art, historical, and commercial value.
On each side of the room, there were things that looked like cupboards. A few months ago, when they had came down to the room, they had seen the objects, which, according to Shanquan, looked like cupboards. But at that time, they had not pay much attention to those things. They looked like lockers, but without a lid. So, from a distance, they looked more like a pile of boxes. There was nothing in those "cupboards." All were empty.
In contrast to the table and benches in the center of the room, which were made of stone, the cupboards were made of wood. However, it was still heavy because the wood used as raw material was the number one quality wood. Except for the corner from which they had come, the entire room was covered with cupboard-like objects.
The four central sections of the walls on each side of the room were already exposed. The cupboards in that section had been shifted to the side by Shanquan, Iren, and Zhengyi. Xinxiu and Yixiong could see that a door led to nowhere in the middle of the west and east sides. Yixiong knocked on the metal door.
"What are you doing?" Xinxiu was surprised. "Behind the door, there must be a room or passage. It's an empty space. So it's definitely not rock or solid earth."
Yixiong just laughed. "I know. I'm just looking for inspiration. Who knows, I might suddenly come up with such a good idea?"
"Maybe we should just ask our new landlord," said Xinxiu.
Advertisement
"Ask about what?" Yixiong chuckled.
"We'll ask if he knows about this room. Then if he knows about the doors on the west and east sides of this room. And most importantly, does he have the keys to these doors?" said Xinxiu.
"Even if he knew and had the key. Do you think he would tell us?" Yixiong sounded stifled laughter.
"I don't think so. Ha ha ha!" Xinxiu laughed. He tried not to laugh too loudly. Although he was almost one hundred percent certain that his voice would not be heard all the way up, he still had to be careful.
Yixiong still looked curious. He shone his flashlight at the door in front of him. The iron door had no handle. Although there was a small hole to insert the key. Yixiong tried to look through the small circular hole in the door that had no handle.
"Can you see anything?" Xinxiu approached Yixiong from behind.
"I can't see anything. Everything is pitch black." Yixiong straightened his back.
Xinxiu walked towards the table in the center of the room. Then he sat down on one bench at the side of the table. The moment he touched the table's surface, he felt a chill in his palms. Xinxiu rubbed the table's surface to make his palms feel slightly warm. It was then that he realized that the table's surface was not as smooth as he had previously thought. There were carvings on the surface of the table.
Xinxiu aimed his flashlight at the carving. It turned out that there were carvings on the stone table. The carving was in the form of three horizontal lines. Each line was about twelve centimeters long. Xinxiu then shifted to the other side of the table. He inched to the right. There were carvings there, too. Almost the same as before, there were also three lines. But the third line comprised two short horizontal lines about five centimeters long. There was a space of about two centimeters between the two horizontal lines. Xinxiu then turned to the left side of the side where he was initially sitting. Here, Xinxiu also found almost the same carving. Comprised three lines. The first line comprised two short horizontal lines, while the second and third lines each have a long horizontal line.
"What is it?" Yixiong walked over to Xinxiu.
"These engravings depict the shapes in the Hexagram!" Xinxiu couldn't help but shout.
"Hexagrams?" Yixiong's voice was like the shriek of a chick that had lost its mother. Apparently, he didn't understand what Xinxiu meant.
"Right! As in Yijing."
"Yijing?" Yixiong raised a hand to scratch his head. "Please explain in simpler language."
"Yijing, the 'Book of Change,' the ancient book of fortune-telling!"
Yixiong froze for a moment. He frowned.
"Remember yet?" Xinxiu was so excited. To the point that he forgot that Yixiong couldn't keep up with the pace of his thoughts. "It is one of the earliest scriptures in our ancient civilization. Initially, it was used to predict and describe the future."
"Ah! You mean that book!" Yixiong finally remembered.
Xinxiu knew Yixiong was ignorant of ancient texts that date back to the time before The Great Migration. Let alone the ancient books written during the time of their ancestors still living in the old world, even Yixiong apparently had never heard of most of the ancient books written by the people in their new world. After they lived together, Shanquan and Zhengyi, who were experts in history and ancient languages, often discussed these matters. They often had taught other friends about the ancient books that existed in the old world.
Advertisement
- In Serial15 Chapters
The Diary of Sophie Dayton (novella)
An orphaned student, an unexplained expulsion and a mysterious smiling boy… Sophie Dayton had long come to terms with the death of her parents. Having made it through the UK foster care system, she’s happily settled into her second semester at university. Then one day a bunch of security guards show up at her dorm room and proceed to expel her from campus. The main question circling in her head is: Why? Taking refuge on a friend’s couch, Sophie attacks the mystery head on and subsequently finds herself wading in parts of her past she’d thought long dead. Narrating the story through her diary entries, Sophie’s account is interspersed with thoughts, lists and humorous observations.
8 117 - In Serial6 Chapters
The Idiot Centurion And His Idiot Men
During the Reign of the Mighty Roman Empire 43 AD, in the verdant realm of Ancient Britannia, a Centurion and his hundred men are tasked, as part of an invading legion, to gather wood so that a fort could be put up. Except, they get lost. They. Get. Lost. The Centurion is a great leader but is, well, kinda stupid. No, no... Thing is, he's insanely stupid. Watch how these Roman idiots survive, somehow, in the hostile lands of Britannia. Share in their daily lives as soldiers trying to find their way back to their legion and enjoy how the dynamic between them forms into a comedic play, an ancient epic comedy that will fail to make anyone laugh.
8 95 - In Serial19 Chapters
She Who Reigns the Stars [Vol. 1]
*Remastered version of She Who Reigns the Stars* Tell me, what will become of us? Presenting your Goddess… Asteria, Supreme Deity of Stalera, the nation of the Universe. She who rules the stars with steel eyes and an iron will, the glorious, the beautiful, the adored Goddess, has now fallen under the hands of her nemesis… The Archfiend, Emperor of Talonis, the nation of Vice and its Shadows, has now assumed reign over Stalera after the death of the Goddess. With the power of Vice, its Shadows, and the Universe, it is assumed that he would be satisfied now that Stalera was under his mercy, and the other two nations of Yelerna and Antalis would follow suit. But much to our surprise, he isn’t because he still lacks the… Ruby, The Goddess’ last attempt to save her empire and the entirety of the Universe. Before her death, the Goddess sealed a portion of her blood, which contained the remaining powers of the Universe the Archfiend hadn’t obtained, away from his grasp. She entrusted it to one of her Zodiac Warriors, a member of her elite service known as the Zodiac Warrior Circle, and instructed him to hide the precious jewel on Earth. The restoration of Stalera and the defeat of the Archfiend would lie in the hands of whoever inherited the ruby jewel. Those who inherited the ruby were known as the Goddess’ Successor, and the one next in line to inherit it is… Auriella Corentin. Life was never the same for Auriella the night her Grandmama gave her the ruby jewel and died, thrusting the poor girl into a world of magic. Now in possession of the Goddess’ blood, it wouldn’t be long until the Archfiend found her, killed her, and obtained her ruby inheritance. But Auriella never wanted this responsibility, not when she had her own past and inner demons to battle against. Nevertheless, she finds herself seeking an alliance with the Zodiac Warriors and a strange barista as she learns to wield the powers the Goddess bestowed to her. But as frequent demon attacks, a secret admirer (or stalker), strange notes, and a handsome, amber-eyed boy pile onto her plate, it is no longer clear whether the universe needed Auriella to be their savior or to be the Goddess’ (inferior) replacement. A Goddess in need of redemption. Four Nations at the brink of destruction. Our question still remains unanswered… What will become of us? [Updates Monday, Wednesday, Friday @8pm PST]
8 129 - In Serial40 Chapters
Red Harvest
It is nearly time for the Red Harvest, the seeds that have been planted long ago are ready to be picked and aslong as everything goes as planned the world will enter a new age, but things rarely ever go as planned.
8 222 - In Serial10 Chapters
Lonely But Homely
" A poem is a little bit of wisdom to be heard from the heart "A collections of poems to put you in thought...
8 102 - In Serial6 Chapters
After Dark {Jonah Marshall/Adam Marshall}
TW; W33d use, bl00d, d34th, v0m!tEDIT: I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT TY IS NO LONGER COMFORTABLE WITH SHIPPING ADAM AND JONAH AND I WILL RESPECT THAT. I AM KEEPING THIS FIC UP SOLEY FOR THOSE WHO WISH TO KEEP READING, HOWEVER PLEASE DO BE AWARE OF HIS FEELINGS ON THE MATTER AND BE RESPECTFUL. I WILL NOT MAKE ANY MORE CONTENT REGARDING JONADAM.THANK YOU FOR READING.
8 120

