Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 1399 - 1448: Bird Character

Li Yifei followed them down, and the other elders exchanged glances before also descending, each holding a candle to illuminate the space below.

Contrary to expectations, this was not a cramped space but rather a very spacious one, with the entire structure made of stone, allowing it to remain intact for countless years. The musty smell wasn’t strong, suggesting there was air circulation, and there was a hint of dampness, indicating the presence of underground water or a stream, though Li Yifei couldn’t see it, so he wasn’t certain.

Seventh Uncle walked slowly forward, explaining to Li Yifei, "This used to be the treasure vault of our clan, but now there aren’t any treasures left. It was also used as a refuge in times of disaster. In ancient times, with constant wars, to ensure the clan’s survival, when war threatened the Cang Family, the women, children, and elderly would hide down here. Over the years, no outsiders have known about this secret vault."

Li Yifei examined the underground secret chamber, nodding seriously. In fact, his family also had an underground chamber, but it was built at a depth of over thirty meters. When Li Yifei chose the location, he valued the stable rocky geology, so he designed it similar to an underground bunker, equipped with various food, weapons, and survival equipment, capable of withstanding nuclear attacks.

Of course, he hoped to never have to use it, but he built it as a precaution. Only Su Mengxin and Xu Yingying knew about it, none of the other women were aware.

The underground chamber in Cang Village was built even larger, with two levels and many stone platforms and shelves, but now, they were empty. Continuing onward, after passing through a long corridor, they arrived at a stone room containing a few large chests. Seventh Uncle glanced back at them, retrieved an unidentified material key from his pocket, and unlocked one of the chests.

A rancid smell wafted out; the chest hadn’t been opened for who knows how long. Seventh Uncle fanned away the odor and then took out something stone-like from inside.

It was a black stone resembling coal, yet it wasn’t coal. Seventh Uncle examined it for a moment, then handed the stone to Li Yifei, saying, "Mr. Li, this is the stone. I once thought it was coal, but with its weight, it certainly isn’t."

Li Yifei took it with both hands; the black stone was cold to the touch but extremely heavy, though just a small piece, it weighed more than twenty pounds, perhaps even more.

The stone was rather regular, somewhat like a rectangular prism, completely black with no visible cut marks, nor was it smooth.

There was only one stone. Li Yifei turned it over without seeing anything unusual—it wasn’t metal or an ordinary stone, leaving him a bit perplexed.

Seventh Uncle continued, "This has been around for many years. Although there’s no record in the clan’s scrolls, every generation of clan chiefs knows about it. I learned of it from the last clan chief, but it’s not included in the clan’s history."

"It looks like a stone with a slightly higher density, or some kind of metal, but I’ve never seen metal this color. Could it have rusted over the years?"

"No, no. Please follow me." Seventh Uncle said, walking out of the stone room and heading in another direction. The sound of water grew louder, and before long, they saw an underground river. Li Yifei was taken aback; clearly, they were not far from the surface, yet there was an underground river here. By the firelight, he saw several fish over a foot long, all transparent, their organs clearly visible, looking quite strange.

Seventh Uncle took the stone from Li Yifei and placed it in the underground river. The fish darted away, and once submerged, the stone underwent a magical transformation, slowly changing color in the water to a reddish-brown, and then red. Symbols began to appear on the stone, difficult to discern. Li Yifei leaned closer to examine them but couldn’t understand. As time passed, the symbols became fully visible.

"Are those birds? Or what..." Li Yifei frowned and said. The symbols on the stone looked like pictographs of birds in different poses, surrounding each other. Neither Li Yifei nor the elders could understand them.

Seventh Uncle took the stone out and placed it before them. Everyone leaned in for a closer look, shaking their heads. Li Yifei counted four birds, each slender and posed differently, forming a configuration resembling a character, yet it was impossible to identify what it was.

Seventh Uncle slowly said, "I was curious as well, wondering if these were words. But the previous clan chief didn’t know either. He merely inherited it from the clan chief before him, who didn’t elaborate on its importance or mystique. Each clan chief has preserved it, yet none knew its true significance. It’s unclear where this secret heritage got cut off."

Li Yifei thought for a moment and said, "Pictographs would date back anciently, possibly back to the times of the Xia or Shang dynasties, or even the era of some primitive tribes."

Seventh Uncle nodded lightly and handed the stone to Li Yifei, saying, "I thought so too. Perhaps this can help you. Beyond this, we really can’t do much. The Cang Family’s history has dwindled over these years, leaving little. Two generations later, we might only remember that our surname is Cang, without knowing why." freёnovelkiss-com

"Are you really giving this to me?" Li Yifei was somewhat excited. Though he hadn’t yet deciphered what the stone and its markings meant, he was surprised by Seventh Uncle’s generosity in giving the stone to him.

"Of course, it’s for you, Mr. Li. Take it with you. If any more stones like this are found in the village, they’ll be given to you too. I hope they help with your troubles!"

"Thank you, thank you very much!" Li Yifei expressed his gratitude.

Holding the stone, he followed Seventh Uncle back to the surface. Once the mechanism was secured, Li Yifei examined the patterns on the stone again. After being out of the water for a while, the patterns gradually faded, and the stone returned to a coal-like black, although it wouldn’t blacken his hands like coal would. Li Yifei turned it over for a while, with no residue on his hands.

His intuition told him this item was extraordinary, which greatly lifted his spirits. At least this trip to Cang Village wasn’t in vain; he had gained something.

After expressing his gratitude and declining the village’s hospitality, Li Yifei took the stone with the markings and left in the tour guide’s car, heading towards Central Plains City.

On the way, the tour guide told Li Yifei about Young Master Li’s background, making him realize who Young Master Li was and his family background.

With a cold snort, Li Yifei said, "Just the son of a minor bureau chief dares act like this, thinking he’s above everything."

The tour guide drove on, sighing, "There’s nothing we can do. Nowadays, people scramble to be officials for a reason. There’s no such thing as a clean official. Sir, for your own sake, leave Central Plains City soon. This guy has a notorious reputation, ruthless, like a mad dog who clamps down on whoever he targets. His father is quite protective; if he finds out his son suffered, he’ll retaliate by any means. I fear for your safety!"

"Sorry for dragging you into this trouble."

"It’s okay for me. Besides, I don’t operate in Central Plains City. I’ll be going back once you leave tomorrow."

"Hmm... in that case, could I trouble you to find out where Li Musheng lives?"

"What? Mr. Li, you’re not going to... I know you’re quite capable, but there’s no need to provoke Li Musheng further. He genuinely has people with guns, and bullets have no eyes. If..."

"It’s alright, I know what I’m doing. If I don’t deal with him, the people in Cang Village won’t be safe. Since I’ve taken on this matter, I must see it through to the end."

"Alright then, I’ll make a few calls for you."

Compelled to agree, the tour guide made several calls, but information wasn’t relayed quickly. After dropping Li Yifei at the hotel, the tour guide left, promising to inform Li Yifei once he found anything.

In his room, Li Yifei, not hurriedly attending to other matters, first placed the black stone into the sink. In no time, it changed color, with bird-shaped characters appearing on its surface. Li Yifei took some photos and sent them to Yao Lingfu and Murong Yuanqing, as well as a copy to Su Mengxin.

Soon, Murong Yuanqing called, loudly asking, "Kid, what did you send me? A few birds?"

Li Yifei quickly explained the situation to Murong Yuanqing. After a moment of silence, the old man said, "I haven’t studied much about this, nor do I recognize it, but it should be some kind of ancient script, perhaps a type of pictographic writing. By the way, what did Yao Lingfu say?"

"Elder Yao hasn’t replied yet. I sent her a copy as well," Li Yifei replied.

Murong Yuanqing gave an "Oh" and said, "So, you’re already looking for a solution. Yes, it’s probably best to be urgent with these matters. Good luck to you, well then, I have other things to do. If you have any more questions, just give me a call."

Without a response from Yao Lingfu yet, Li Yifei called home to check in and chatted with several women, sharing his progress. All the women comforted him, encouraging him to take his time, assuring him they could wait.

Feeling touched, Li Yifei hung up, his resolve to find a solution growing stronger.

One hour later, Yao Lingfu called back, and Li Yifei hurriedly picked up.

"Kid, where did you get this from?" was Yao Lingfu’s anxious greeting once the call connected.

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