Chapter 101: The Thousand-Pound Stone
“Big brother, don’t scare me like that! That thing is terrifying!”
Seeing Yu Xiaoxuan acting like a scaredy-cat, Yu Xiaoran rolled his eyes in annoyance.
“Are you a man or not? Given our family’s current situation, you better toughen up. Even if you’re scared, don’t show it. It’s just a bunch of animals.”
With that, the two of them reached the end of the stone tunnel. Seeing the massive stone door blocking their path, the brothers decided to head back.
The tunnel stretched about fifty to sixty meters deep—more than enough to shelter over a hundred people and ten horses.
However, if they didn’t move the large stones at the entrance, people could still squeeze in, but the horses wouldn’t be able to enter.
“Let’s report the situation to Father first. I’ll start clearing some stones at the entrance to make it easier for everyone to come in.”
“Alright, but let’s wait until we’re all back before moving those larger stones. Otherwise, the horses won’t get through.”
As he spoke, Yu Xiaoxuan suddenly thought of Yu Luo, who had run back to them earlier. His eyes flashed with curiosity.
“Oh, right! Big brother, how do you think Yu Luo escaped from those bandits? Those guys looked like real experts. She doesn’t have any martial skills, and she was taken straight to their lair—why would they just let her go? Don’t tell me she got out just using that little bow of hers?”
Hearing the odd tone in Yu Xiaoxuan’s voice, Yu Xiaoran glared at him coldly.
“Second brother, don’t forget that no matter what, Yu Luo is still part of our family. Before outsiders start gossiping, you’re already making up nonsense? Don’t go around ruining her reputation.”
Feeling guilty under Yu Xiaoran’s stern gaze, Yu Xiaoxuan shrank back a little but still refused to admit any wrongdoing.
“I wasn’t saying anything bad!”
“Hmph, you better not be. No matter how Yu Luo escaped, we shouldn’t assume the worst. Even if something happened to her, don’t forget that without her, all one hundred of us would’ve been doomed today. Even if a few of us who know martial arts managed to escape, do you think Mother, Yingying, or Grandmother would have?”
“…Big brother, stop lecturing me. I get it now.”
“This isn’t just about right or wrong—it’s about having a conscience. Grandmother’s favoritism made us see things the wrong way for years. Second Uncle’s family suffered because of us. But look at them now—they’re happy as a family. And what about us? Grandfather’s fate is unknown, and our once-glorious family is now in ruins. When I see how broken our family has become, it makes me wonder if this is karma.”
Yu Xiaoxuan had only followed along to keep his brother company, but he hadn’t expected to get such a scolding.
“Alright, I get it. Father is waiting for us. I’m heading back first.”
Seeing Yu Xiaoxuan’s impatience, Yu Xiaoran sighed and shook his head. He followed him out and placed the torch in a crevice before starting to move stones.
“Father, we didn’t find a natural cave, but we did find an ancient tomb. It’s quite deep, and the tunnel is long. After walking about fifty or sixty meters, we reached a stone door blocking the path. But there’s enough space for all of us to fit inside.”
Hearing this, everyone set aside their fear and eagerly prepared to go down.
“Everyone, split into groups and take different routes down. Don’t trample all over the grass and leave an obvious trail. If the bandits come searching, they’ll use that to track us.”
Looking at their surroundings, Yu Luo couldn’t help but remind them.
After all, these weren’t ordinary bandits. They were people disguising themselves as bandits.
And that masked man… Who exactly was he?
Perhaps he was a prince from Lan Yue Dynasty, or maybe a minister plotting rebellion. No one could be sure.
One thing was certain: those people were far more ruthless than ordinary bandits. No one wanted their secrets exposed.
“Yu Luo is right. Everyone should take separate paths. The men who know lightness skill should carry the women and children down to leave fewer traces. Even though it’s snowing, covering our footprints quickly, broken branches won’t just fix themselves.”
With that, Yu Zhengqing took the lead, picking up Old Madam Chen and using lightness skill to carry her down toward the tomb entrance. He didn’t even give her a chance to react.
After placing her down, he immediately returned for the others. Seeing this, Yu Xiaoxuan followed suit.
“We three don’t know lightness skill, so let’s be careful and avoid breaking any branches.”
Yu Haojie watched enviously as those who knew martial arts moved swiftly through the air. He turned apologetically to Ye Jiamei and Yu Luo.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group walked another hundred meters before descending the slope and circling back toward the tomb.
By the time Yu Zhengqing returned, Yu Haojie had already led his family down the slope. Then, together with the others, he helped guide the horses down different paths.
Once most of the people had entered the tomb, two massive stones—each weighing over a thousand pounds—became a major obstacle for Yu Xiaoxuan, Zhang Yuan, and the others.
“Let me try.”
Seeing the slender Yu Haojie step forward, Yu Zhengqing and his son were visibly surprised.
They knew he was strong, but they refused to believe he could move such massive stones.
However, under the gaze of several men, Yu Haojie placed both hands on the stone and exerted force.
With a single push, the massive stone rolled aside!
Watching him effortlessly move the boulder, the others were left dumbfounded.
Before anyone could recover from their shock, Yu Haojie, without pausing, moved the second stone just as easily, completely clearing the entrance.
“Don’t just stand there! Get the horses inside first!”
Hearing Yu Haojie’s calm and unbothered voice, the men finally snapped out of their daze and hurried to lead the horses into the tomb.
Once everyone was inside, Yu Haojie quickly moved the stones back into place. He even threw in some hundred-pound rocks to help seal the entrance further.
They had done everything they could. Now, they could only hope the falling snow would cover their tracks.
If it didn’t, they would have to guard the entrance and prevent any intruders.
“System, can the stone wall be opened? The actual tomb of the owner must be behind it.”
[Host, there are mechanisms inside the tomb, but also potential rewards. If you want to enter, I won’t be able to prevent the dangers inside. The stone door has a trap, but if you wish to open it, I can tell you where the mechanism is.]
