Who Would've Thought?

Damn! I thought you were going to bring out a candle!

I twitched my mouth.

"I thought you wouldn't know how to use such a high-tech product."

"Hahaha~ You jest, benefactor. This old monk is still a man of the modern age, after all. My ways may be a little old-fashioned, but my thinking isn't that outdated~"

The old monk was uncharacteristically playful for a moment, then smiled and started down the steps.

I hesitated, then followed him.

How should I put it? The cave really did look old—so old that even the steps had grown smooth. They looked like rectangular stone bricks originally, but their corners had been worn away.

Tsk~ Would anyone usually come to a secret room like this? Just how many years would it take to wear those bricks down that much?

"This old monk's little temple has been here for many years. The last time it was renovated was at the end of the Qing dynasty. But this cellar has been here for over a thousand years.

"Watch your step, benefactor. The bricks have become very smooth. Be careful not to fall."

The old monk warned me to be careful, but he kept a steady, unhurried pace as he went down.

Following the old monk, I really did feel like I was exploring a hidden treasure chamber. But after we'd descended about three meters, we stopped in front of a stone chamber. The old monk gently turned the wooden door and pushed it open, revealing what the flashlight illuminated.

It was a very simple room, with a stone table and chairs, and a long object wrapped in red cloth resting on top.

"This is the secret chamber? This is... kind of pathetic, isn't it?"

Thinking back to the TV dramas I'd seen, secret chambers were