Opening a Blind Box

He reached into the hidden compartment and pulled out the small wooden box.

The box felt heavy in his hand. Its lid was fastened tight, and plenty of dust was lodged in the seams.

He hooked his fingertips over the edge of the lid and shook it. A faint clattering came from inside. It didn't sound like gold or silver, but rather like some hard objects shifting around.

He didn't rush to open it on the spot. Looking back, he saw Liu Hu tying up the horse, so he casually put the wooden box into his space, stood up, and dusted off his hands before walking over to Liu Hu.

"This afternoon, find a veterinarian to treat the chestnut horse's wounds first. From now on, tie it up in this stable on its own. I'll tell Big Black not to go near it again."

"Then find a carpenter to repair the carriage."

"Yes, all right, young master," Liu Hu quickly replied.

Shen Jingchuan walked over and ran his hand down Big Black's mane twice, then scratched his warm neck with his fingertips.

"No bullying the newcomer from now on, hear me? He's just a carriage horse. He can't beat you."

Big Black rubbed his big head against his palm and twitched his ears. He actually nodded slowly, snorting two warm puffs of breath through his nostrils as though agreeing.

Shen Jingchuan smiled and, with a thought, took a few pieces of milk candy out of his space. He unwrapped one and held it to Big Black's mouth. Big Black leaned over for a sniff, then curled his tongue around the candy and pulled it into his mouth. He chewed with a crunch, his eyes narrowing at the sweetness.

He then turned and unwrapped a piece each for Little Black and Treading Snow. Both horses obediently came over and took the candy, chewing with relish.

After feeding them the candy, he patted all three horses on the head, then turned and walked through the garden of the western side courtyard toward the rear courtyard. The courtyard was quiet.

His mind was full of the little wooden box. He went straight back to his bedroom and closed the door behind him.

Only after sitting down at the table did he take the wooden box out of his robes and set it down.

The little wooden box looked ordinarily made, but its seams fit together perfectly.

He picked at it for ages, but the lid didn't budge, as though it had been welded shut.

He turned the box over and over several more times, feeling along every corner and seam with his fingertips, but found neither a keyhole nor any protruding mechanism.

"That's strange. It can't be glued shut, can it?"

He muttered to himself and hooked his fingers over the edge of the lid. Just as he was about to force it open, he suddenly stopped.

A slew of scenes from period dramas and martial arts novels flashed through his mind—this kind of hidden box, concealed so deeply, might have a mechanism inside.

If he forced it open, poisoned needles, knockout smoke, or even bone-dissolving liquid might all spray out at once, and that would be the end of him right there.

His thoughts grew more and more outlandish. His fingers hovered over the lid for a long time, not daring to press down.

"Surely not? What tricks could it possibly have?"

Even he found it a little funny, but he still drew his hand back, unwilling to force it recklessly.

Shen Jingchuan turned the wooden box over and over in his hands, slowly tracing the grain on its underside with his fingertips. Suddenly, he felt a slightly sunken spot. Its texture was completely different from the solid wood around it. Without thinking much of it, he pressed down lightly with his fingertip.

"Click."

A very faint, crisp sound came from inside the box, followed immediately by the lid springing upward from within. It wasn't much force, and luckily his palm was resting on the lid, preventing it from springing all the way open.

Shen Jingchuan's heart tightened. He didn't dare let go at once, only easing the pressure of his palm enough to let the lid open a crack.

The gap faced him directly. He held his breath and waited several seconds, but saw no green smoke rise and heard no mechanism spring into action.

Only then did he turn the box around and set it squarely on the table, slowly releasing his hand from the edge of the lid.

The lid sprang all the way open. Everything inside was still.

"So I spent all that time worrying for nothing."

Shen Jingchuan chuckled and leaned in for a closer look.

The inside of the lid was lined with a smooth layer of bright yellow soft satin. The bottom of the box appeared to be lined with paper, and six wrapped objects lay on top of it.

They were wrapped tightly in layer upon layer of dark gray velvet, forming round little bundles about the size of foil-wrapped Ferrero Rocher chocolates.

He picked up one of the bundles, but didn't dare unwrap it directly in his hand. He gently set it on the table, pinched a corner of the velvet, and slowly pulled it outward. The bundle wasn't tied with string or knotted; it was simply wrapped tightly in overlapping layers, and with a little tug, it fell open.

A small stone lay quietly on the table. It was only about the size of his thumbnail, an irregular polyhedron polished to follow its natural shape, with its edges and corners worn smooth and round. It was a pale milky white throughout and semitransparent. Held up to the light coming through the window, a very faint, soft glow could just be seen deep within it.

He reached out and touched it. It was icy cold, and the chill seeped inward through his fingertip. It felt like neither jade nor crystal, and he couldn't tell what it was.

Shen Jingchuan frowned and pondered it for a long time, but still couldn't identify the stone. He simply unwrapped the remaining five bundles one by one. They were all identical milky-white crystals, and they felt quite heavy in his hand, but he still couldn't tell what they were.

After he removed the six little balls, a thread-bound booklet was revealed underneath. Its pages were yellowed, and it looked quite old.

He pulled the booklet out and held it in his hand. Its cover was dark blue, with five large traditional Chinese characters written neatly in regular script right in the center—"Everlasting Spring Breathing Instruction."

The characters were traditional, but their forms weren't particularly obscure. With a little guessing, Shen Jingchuan recognized them at a glance.

He casually flipped through a couple of pages. They were filled with small traditional characters in vertical columns, accompanied by several line drawings of the human meridians showing the paths along which breath circulated. It looked no different from the Taoist health exercises and jianghu inner cultivation methods shown on television, all about breathing techniques and regulating Qi and Blood.

"So it's an ancient health manual."

He muttered to himself.

Just as well, it wouldn't hurt to learn it. Strengthening the body was always a good thing, and it didn't look like an evil art.