Thousand-Year Cold Jade

Buy a luxury mansion, get a secret chamber free!

Lin Fei truly never expected such a good deal.

Back in the day, that wealthy merchant was quite famous in Nanli City; he had people capture many savage beasts from the Southern Wilderness to keep in his mansion.

Some of these beasts were sold to the capital of the Dragon Abyss Dynasty, as many noble families enjoyed keeping fierce beasts as pets.

There were also special venues that used these beasts to fight humans or other beasts to attract attention and rake in gold coins.

That wealthy merchant had raised many savage beasts, and unexpectedly, one of them had broken through to become a demonic beast.

Demonic beasts were equivalent to human cultivators.

Most demonic beasts possessed formidable physical bodies; even an ordinary one was not something a typical cultivator could handle.

That was why the merchant had been killed by the beast back then, nearly resulting in his entire household being wiped out.

The merchant had many children, but only one son survived.

If this son did not know of the secret chamber's existence, then it was highly likely that quite a few treasures were hidden inside.

Lin Fei couldn't help but want to investigate, yet he was also afraid of potential dangers.

The reason Bai Yansong hadn't acted rashly was also out of fear of hidden mechanisms and traps.

"Master, we could arrange for some servants to go in and scout the path first."

Lin Fei had naturally considered this idea of Bai Yansong's, but he didn't want to treat human lives like grass.

"No rush. I will make some preparations first, and then we shall explore this secret chamber together."

Bai Yansong's suggestion gave Lin Fei some inspiration.

If he sent people in to scout, no one would be willing to go to their deaths; even if they didn't say it aloud, they would harbor resentment toward Lin Fei in their hearts.

Since people wouldn't work, he could use animals.

Lin Fei had Bai Yansong buy over a dozen fat pigs and, while he was at it, purchase some thick wooden planks.

Taking advantage of the time, Lin Fei made a trip back to Earth; he also needed to make some small preparations.

By the time Lin Fei returned, the fat pigs and wooden planks had been bought.

Lin Fei opened his backpack, took out some handles, and nailed them onto the planks to create simple shields.

"Steward Bai, first drive the fat pigs into the secret chamber and let them scout the path."

"Guards, take the shields; we will go in together in a moment."

The fat pigs were driven into the secret chamber one by one, and before long, shrill squeals suddenly echoed from within.

Lin Fei felt his scalp tingle; just as he had expected, there were mechanisms inside.

Only after the squealing stopped did Lin Fei have the guards hold up the wooden planks and walk inside to scout.

The guards held torches, stepping forward with extreme caution.

Swish!

Suddenly, a brilliant light flared as Lin Fei walked in holding a high-intensity flashlight.

Neither Bai Yansong nor the guards had ever seen a flashlight, and they were all instantly shocked.

"Master, what kind of treasure is this? It emits light as bright as day."

"Just a small magical artifact."

The flashlight's beam was straight, illuminating a distance of over ten meters in an instant.

In the secret chamber's passage, the fat pigs lay on the ground, riddled with arrows and covered in blood.

Having been attacked, the pigs had run and crashed about in the darkness, leaving blood everywhere.

Lin Fei noticed that the blood flowing from the pigs' wounds was black; clearly, the arrows were coated with poison.

"Everyone, be careful. We don't know if there are other mechanisms."

Lin Fei and Bai Yansong walked in the middle of the guards. With the flashlight providing illumination, the guards, though cautious, were not overly afraid.

The passage sloped downward, and after walking for over ten meters, a stone door appeared ahead.

"There's actually another door!"

A few of the fat pigs had crashed into the stone door, but it remained undamaged, showing that it was very sturdy and likely impossible to open with brute force.

On either side of the stone door stood a human-shaped bronze statue, each holding an oil lamp in its hands.

"Light the oil lamps!"

Bai Yansong shouted, and a guard walking in front moved to light them.

Lin Fei felt something was wrong and shouted, "Wait!"

"What is it, Master?"

"Tell me, why would there be two oil lamps here?"

Bai Yansong replied as a matter of course, "Oil lamps are naturally used for lighting."

Lin Fei countered with a question, "But we brought torches down with us; why would we still need to light oil lamps for illumination?"

"If a wealthy merchant from the past entered a secret chamber, he would certainly bring torches or oil lamps; he wouldn't come down in the dark. Don't you think these two oil lamps are a bit redundant?"

Bai Yansong quickly grasped Lin Fei's meaning.

"You mean to say that these two oil lamps are problematic."

Lin Fei observed them carefully and discovered that the oil inside both lamps was still full, with almost no consumption.

The secret chamber was built underground, and over the years, copper would naturally rust.

However, one arm of the bronze statue on the left side of the stone door was brighter than the one on the right, with significantly less rust.

"Try to see if the left bronze statue can be rotated!"

A guard stepped forward, grabbed the arm of the left bronze statue, and gave it a forceful twist; the statue actually moved.

As the statue turned, the stone door also shook, emitting a clicking sound as if a mechanism had been triggered.

Lin Fei hurriedly signaled for two guards to raise wooden boards to shield themselves.

The stone door slowly opened, but there was no danger.

However, a chill emanated from within the chamber, causing everyone to shiver uncontrollably.

"So cold!"

"Could this be an ice cellar?"

The climate in Nanli City was hot year-round, and ordinary people could only endure it in silence.

However, some wealthy families would find ways to cool their homes; families like the Li Family, who had cultivators, would directly set up arrays to create ice caves, ensuring a year-round supply of ice.

Wealthy families without cultivators would spend large sums of money to purchase ice from families like the Li, Zhao, or Zhou families to build their own ice cellars.

Selling ice was a business monopolized by the three great families: the Li, Zhao, and Zhou.

Lin Fei shone his flashlight into the secret chamber, taking in the entire view at once.

The chamber contained several chests, and the surrounding walls were covered in a layer of frost.

In the center of the chamber sat a bed.

The chill throughout the entire room was being emitted by this very bed.

Lin Fei did not lower his guard, nor did he send the others away.

"Steward Bai, what is the deal with this bed?"

Bai Yansong stepped forward, touched it, and immediately pulled his hand back.

"So cold. This bed is icy throughout, emitting a frigid aura, and has the texture of jade. Could it be a Millennium Cold Jade Bed?"

"I once heard someone mention that Millennium Cold Jade is a treasure of heaven and earth, highly valued by cultivators. It is said that if a deceased person lies upon it, it can preserve the body from decay for a thousand years."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fei immediately furrowed his brows.

A treasure of heaven and earth valued by cultivators was certainly a precious item.

It was just that, for him, this thing was of no use!

"Aside from preserving a corpse from decay, does it have any other uses?"

Bai Yansong shook his head, "I am not clear on that; I only heard it mentioned by chance. To ordinary people, the greatest use of this Millennium Cold Jade is its ability to lower the temperature."

"I suspect this merchant bought this Millennium Cold Jade for cooling purposes, though the jade itself is a priceless treasure."

At this moment, one of the guards opened a chest.

"So many gold coins!"

"These chests are all filled with gold coins and gold notes."

"This chest is filled with jewelry and ornaments..."