Mysterious Stone Tablet

Into the Mountain Forest Ten Miles

Frost withers red leaves, a thousand forests thin, a few pines and cypresses stand tall on the ridge.

Unopened plum blossoms scatter a faint fragrance, the warm short day, the little spring season, chrysanthemums withered, lotuses gone, camellias flourish.

The scenery before him was like a divine realm from a poem, but Zhang Chen couldn't appreciate it at this moment. He was carrying a Luoyang Shovel on his shoulder and a large basket on his back, walking with Wang Wu on a mountain path.

"Speaking of which, your trap-making skills are getting more and more refined. Your hunting methods have surpassed mine," Wang Wu, walking ahead, was the first to speak.

Zhang Chen had knowledge of various wilderness survival techniques from his previous life, as well as advanced hunting trap technologies, which were naturally beyond what people in this world possessed. Out of gratitude for Wang Wu's kindness, he generously taught him the trap-setting methods he had learned in his previous life, not holding anything back.

Hearing Wang Wu's words, Zhang Chen grinned foolishly, "It's all thanks to your excellent guidance, Uncle."

"The little bit of skill I have is just enough to keep from starving. You, kid, are truly a case of the student surpassing the teacher. I can't compare to your trap-making skills at all. I really don't know what's inside your little head, how you can come up with such ingenious traps," Wang Wu's voice was full of emotion.

Zhang Chen looked at Wang Wu's back and replied with a smile, "Uncle Wang's skills are beyond my comparison. You are too modest."

"Oh, right, Rich Man Li seems to be increasing the rent this year. You should prepare in advance, don't be short on the rent," Wang Wu, walking ahead, seemed to remember something and quickly added.

Hearing this, Zhang Chen couldn't help but frown, "Increasing the rent again? Last year it was already increased to three taels of silver. If they keep increasing the rent like this, how can we survive? Although this mountain forest belongs to his family, the prey in the mountain forest doesn't belong to his family. The Li family is too overbearing!"

Zhang Chen's voice was filled with dissatisfaction.

"Circumstances are stronger than people. What else can we do but endure?" Wang Wu's voice was full of grief and indignation.

The two parted ways in the mountains, each going to their own hunting grounds. Zhang Chen had a good harvest today, catching three wild chickens and a roe deer. He simply set up a pot and fire in the mountains and stewed a wild chicken. After eating his fill, he returned to the mysterious Robber's Hole: "Perhaps I don't need to dig too large a hole, as long as I can squeeze in myself."

Zhang Chen looked at the Robber's Hole he had dug and began to think about a more labor-saving way to dig it. However, after thinking for a moment, he shook his head and rejected the idea: "If some fierce snakes or insects rush out from inside the Robber's Hole, I won't even have time to react. Or if there are some fierce snakes or insects outside blocking the way, I'll just be eaten."

Although he didn't have claustrophobia, thinking about this desolate mountain wilderness and deep old forest, if some fierce beast crawled out and he couldn't turn around, he would only be eaten.

Digging a complete passage was troublesome, but it was safer.

"Safety is important." Zhang Chen pondered for a moment, carried the basket, and descended along the rope, continuing to dig along the deep tunnel he had dug yesterday.

As Zhang Chen dug, large amounts of experience points were picked up again.

[Experience +7]

[Experience +9]

[Experience +5]

[Experience +20]

[Experience +7]

[Experience +35]

[Experience +50]

Zhang Chen worked hard at digging and didn't go back for lunch. Instead, he directly made a fire on the spot and roasted the wild chicken to eat. He needed to do physical labor now, and digging soil consumed too much energy, so his appetite also began to increase.

While roasting the wild chicken, Zhang Chen polished iron beads, thinking about materials for making slingshot rubber bands.

"It's not easy to find suitable materials for making slingshot rubber bands in this world. It's best to use the large tendons of some fierce beasts. After soaking them in special medicinal liquid, they will definitely meet the needs of a slingshot. However, hunting tigers and bears is almost impossible. My small body is not enough for those fierce beasts to even swipe at."

Zhang Chen finished eating the wild chicken, rested briefly, and then continued digging.

The hole Zhang Chen dug was not wide, only about a meter square, which not only made it easy to turn around but also convenient for him to swing his dagger.

However, as Zhang Chen dug, he suddenly noticed a hint of strangeness, because the cave ahead actually had a hint of frost. The frost was attached to the cave, and it even turned the soil into frozen earth, making it particularly difficult for Zhang Chen to dig.

Zhang Chen touched the frost, a hint of surprise in his eyes: "This shouldn't be. It's the scorching summer right now, how can there be frozen earth?"

Zhang Chen looked at the frozen earth with frost on the walls, his movement of swinging the Luoyang Shovel paused, a hint of caution in his eyes, unsure whether to continue digging.

Frozen earth in June was very unusual and full of strangeness, so how could he not be cautious?

However, looking at the red glowing experience points flickering in the dark underground cave, Zhang Chen looked at his Golden Finger panel:

[Name: Zhang Chen]

[Skill (Tier 2): Light of the Righteous God (0/5000)]

[Points: 300]

How could the Golden Finger level up without digging?

How could he get rid of the fox spirit without digging?

If he didn't face the unknown strangeness in the cave, he would have to face that damned fox spirit in the future. Now that a large amount of experience points were right in front of him, there was no reason for him to give up.

"Keep digging!" Zhang Chen touched the frozen earth for a while, then continued to dig.

However, the frozen earth was hard, and the digging speed began to slow down, especially consuming a lot of physical strength.

Moreover, the frozen earth was like ice, and waves of bone-chilling cold came, causing Zhang Chen's body to become stiff, and his fingers began to become disobedient. After half an hour, Zhang Chen had to climb out of the cave and bask in the warm sun in the sky, the coldness on his body gradually dissipating.

"Fortunately, it's scorching hot outside, otherwise I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to withstand this cold. This place is simply a big ice cave, it's freezing to death!" Zhang Chen rubbed his stiff fingers, and the frost on his body also began to melt.

"Now I'm even more curious about what treasures are in this underground ancient tomb, and I've been digging for so long without seeing any strange things rushing out from underground to trouble me. Perhaps there are more strange things similar to the Golden Book underground," Zhang Chen thought to himself.

After warming up on the ground for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea, Zhang Chen turned and continued digging underground. However, this time Zhang Chen hadn't dug for long when the Luoyang Shovel suddenly made a 'clang' sound, the sound of iron and stone colliding, which made Zhang Chen pause: "Steel? Is there steel buried underground?"

Zhang Chen stopped digging with the Luoyang Shovel and used his hand to brush away the dust in front, revealing a corner of steel.

"How strange. Why is there steel here? Could it be a burial object?"

Zhang Chen was curious. He quickly took out the small shovel tucked into his waist and began digging around the steel. As Zhang Chen's shovel dug deeper, the full extent of the mysterious steel appeared before his eyes.

"This is?" Zhang Chen looked at the one-meter-tall iron lump in front of him, a look of surprise in his eyes. "It looks a bit like a tombstone?"

The iron block was one meter high, about ten centimeters thick, with a base at the bottom. The front was carved with mysterious patterns that Zhang Chen couldn't understand. It seemed to depict someone riding a divine dragon flying in the sky. The figure and the divine dragon were surrounded by white clouds, looking very mysterious. On the back of the iron monument were countless mysterious runes, carved onto the iron monument like small tadpoles.

"Using iron as a tombstone?" Zhang Chen carefully examined the shape of the iron monument, a look of surprise in his eyes. "I don't know how many years this iron monument has been buried underground, but there are no signs of decay. This place is permafrost, perhaps the power of the cold prevented the iron monument from decaying."

However, the iron monument was covered in mud, and Zhang Chen couldn't see the patterns clearly. At this time, the sky was gradually darkening, and the Yang energy between heaven and earth was gradually decreasing. Zhang Chen didn't dare to stay long and could only retreat for now, planning to come back tomorrow after preparing.

Climbing out of the cave, the sun in the sky was still three zhang high from setting. Zhang Chen didn't dare to delay. After checking the traps in the mountain, he harvested a rabbit and two pheasants before rushing down the mountain.

Zhang Chen went straight down the mountain towards Wang Wu's house. He was afraid that if he went home, his prey wouldn't be left behind and would be taken by the fox spirit. Even if the fox spirit couldn't finish eating the prey, she could exchange it for money. Otherwise, where do you think the money for that damned poor scholar next door to study came from?

By the time Zhang Chen rushed back from the mountain, the sun had completely set, with only the faint afterglow of the sunset remaining.

Just then, a donkey cart passed by in the distance. The donkey cart was piled high with straw, and two people dressed as old farmers were driving the donkey cart, one in front and one behind.

"Strange, a donkey cart actually came to the village." Zhang Chen looked at the somewhat thin donkey, a look of surprise in his eyes. In this era, a donkey cart was not something ordinary families could afford.

You think a donkey cart is ordinary? In fact, even landlords travel by donkey cart. Horse-drawn carriages are for nobles.

"This season is the time to harvest straw, but I haven't heard of anyone in the village selling straw." As Zhang Chen was secretly wondering, the donkey cart suddenly stopped. The old farmer leading the donkey cart's eyes fell on the roe deer in Zhang Chen's hand. "Young man, are you selling this roe deer?"

"Sell! Of course, I'm selling!" Zhang Chen quickly said when he saw a potential customer.

"How much are you selling this roe deer for?" The old farmer's gaze fell on the plump roe deer in Zhang Chen's hand.

"If you give me six hundred copper coins, I'll sell it to you," Zhang Chen replied.

The old farmer was quite straightforward. He paid the money directly, placed the roe deer on the cart, and then drove the donkey cart swaying away.

Looking at the departing donkey cart, Zhang Chen was surprised. "That old farmer looks poor, but I didn't expect him to be quite rich. He bought a roe deer for six hundred copper coins just like that."

Since the roe deer was given to the old farmer, there was no need to go to Wang Wu's house. Zhang Chen went straight home. As expected, he saw the fox spirit squatting boredly in front of the main gate in the setting sun from a distance.

Upon seeing Zhang Chen, the fox spirit immediately became energetic. She suddenly got up and looked eagerly at the prey hanging on Zhang Chen's shoulder, especially when she saw the plump pheasant. The fox's eyes began to glow.

Zhang Chen looked at the fox spirit crouching at the gate, his teeth itching with anger. He walked into the house on his own, hung the pheasant on the wall, and as expected, he didn't have to wait long. The fox spirit's soul projected out and directly took the pheasant away.

"She's not even pretending anymore." Zhang Chen looked at the disappearing pheasant on the wall, his liver aching with anger. "Just wait, one day, I will definitely catch you. Then I'll make you go up the mountain to catch prey for me every day."

Zhang Chen washed up and went to bed. The night passed without a word. The next day, Zhang Chen prepared a brush in advance, took his equipment, and walked into the mountains.

After checking the traps, Zhang Chen was pleasantly surprised to find that he had caught a swan this time. This unlucky swan fell from the sky to rest and actually landed directly in his trap.

Today's harvest: one swan, two rabbits, and a small squirrel.

Zhang Chen directly roasted and ate the swan, then returned to the cave and used the brush to clean the iron monument.

After cleaning the dust off the entire iron monument, Zhang Chen looked at the patterns and symbols on both sides of the iron monument and fell into contemplation. "These should be characters. I don't know what is recorded on them. If I can understand the meaning of the characters on it, will I gain new skills!"

Zhang Chen looked at the mysterious tadpoles on the stone monument, a glimmer of light in his eyes. He seemed to see the hope of gaining new skills.

"Unfortunately, I don't know how to read." Zhang Chen looked at the characters on the stone monument with some difficulty. "It seems I still need to go to school to learn how to read."

Learning to read was something that had to happen sooner or later. Without knowing how to read, he couldn't get by in this world. After awakening his past life's memories, Zhang Chen had been struggling to make ends meet. Where would he have the time or opportunity to learn how to read?

"I can first make a rubbing of the characters on the stone monument." Zhang Chen looked at the stone monument for a while. After not being able to figure out its origin, he didn't bother with it anymore and continued digging.

[Experience +19]

[Experience +8]

[Experience +17]

[Experience +50]

[Experience +7]

[Experience +5]

[Experience +49]

Time flew by, and another day passed. Zhang Chen looked at the Golden Book interface:

[Name: Zhang Chen]

[Skill (Tier 2): Light of the Righteous God (0/5000)]

[Points: 800]

"This is only the second day. It seems accumulating five thousand experience points is not that difficult. Perhaps I can slow down the digging for now and first find a way to make a rubbing of the characters on the stone monument and try to decipher them to see if I can gain new skills." Zhang Chen climbed out of the pit, facing the setting sun in the sky. After brushing off the mud on his body, he began to check the traps on the mountain.

Today's harvest was still good. Zhang Chen actually caught a small wild boar. The small wild boar wasn't big, probably a piglet that had just been born, perfect for making roast suckling pig.

"This little suckling pig is just right to give to Blacksmith Cui. A piglet is valuable. If it's raised, it can be butchered for hundreds of catties of meat, which is enough to cover the debts from the past." Zhang Chen carried the little suckling pig and walked all the way to Blacksmith Cui's house.

"A small wild boar is valuable, especially this little wild boar seems to be a sow. If managed well, it can also raise piglets, and maybe we can eat wild boar every year in the future. Unfortunately, I don't have any surplus grain at home and can't afford to raise it at all. I can only let that old fellow Blacksmith Cui have it cheap." Zhang Chen tied up the little suckling pig and quickly disappeared into the mountain forest.

PS: Please give me some recommendation votes, old iron. Ga ga ga, please give me recommendation votes.