Chapter 283: The Mysterious Mountain Cave Beneath Budong Spring

"The Kunlun Mountains are truly full of mysteries," Ning Fei explained to the viewers.

"Take the story of King Mu of Zhou, for example. The Tale of King Mu says that he ascended a heavenly ladder to reach the Kunlun Immortal Realm and pay his respects to the Queen Mother of the West. It carries more than a few mythological elements."

"However, Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian also contains descriptions of this event."

"Sima Qian was rigorous in his historical research. He investigated historical events from multiple angles and incorporated highly credible folk legends."

"He recorded that the Queen Mother of the West wasn't the Golden Mother of myth, but rather the leader of a tribe in the Kunlun region. When King Mu of Zhou traveled west, they met and developed a romantic relationship."

"It was deified later on."

"Based on historical records, I can roughly deduce that the tribe's location back then was right at the foot of this mountain."

Hearing Ning Fei say this, the viewers felt it was quite magical.

"Is that real?"

"Temple Master Ning is truly learned to know all of this."

"He actually deduced the location of an event based on stories recorded in ancient texts? Is he that awesome?"

"Temple Master Ning doesn't think like ordinary people."

"That's pretty badass."

"Isn't that a bit too fantastical?"

"Records of the Grand Historian is fairly historically accurate. This should be a true story."

"But what does that have to do with this mountain?"

The viewers chattered in lively discussion.

Ning Fei crouched down, continuing to inspect the surrounding terrain.

When he got out of the car earlier, Ning Fei had left the door open. Little Dog and Little Fei had run out to play, but Little Fox, Xiao Heijiu, and Xiao Feng were afraid of the cold and stayed inside.

Seeing Ning Fei inspecting something, Little Dog ran over, tilting its head to stare curiously at Budong Spring.

Then, Ning Fei retrieved a shovel from the car, preparing to dig a hole.

"It's hollow beneath here," Ning Fei told the viewers as he stood on the ground.

The spot he pointed to was about seven or eight meters away from Budong Spring.

His words left the viewers completely baffled.

"It's hollow underneath? What does that mean?"

"Does Temple Master Ning mean there's something down there?"

"This suddenly got exciting."

Ning Fei said no more. Taking his shovel, he started digging into the earth.

He had already roughly surveyed the surface's geological structure. With his geological exploration skills, he knew this patch of ground was somewhat unusual.

Seeing Ning Fei digging, Little Dog trotted over and began pawing at the dirt.

Not wanting to be left out after seeing its best buddy digging, Little Fei also grew restless and hurried over to scratch the soil backward with its claws.

"Go play on the side. If you two get dirty, I'll have to give you a bath," Ning Fei said with a helpless smile at the sight of them.

Hearing his words, Little Dog and Little Fei scampered off to play.

Ning Fei also controlled his drone, letting it broadcast the Water Pool and the surrounding snowy mountains.

The viewers could see Little Fei and Little Dog, both wearing red clothes, chasing each other freely through the open Canyon encircled by the snow-capped mountains.

It was a pleasant vibe.

However, many people still harbored doubts.

"What is Temple Master Ning doing?"

Because of its proximity to Budong Spring, the soil here wasn't hard. It didn't take long for Ning Fei to dig a pit over a meter deep.

Clang!

As the shovel struck downward again, it produced a crisp metallic sound.

Ning Fei's expression shifted slightly. He immediately crouched down for a closer look, confirming that this was a part of the mountain's bedrock.

He struck it forcefully again, confirming once more that it was hollow underneath.

It was a downward-sloping Mountain Cave—or rather, a Mountain Cave buried underground.

Searching for a weak point in the rock, Ning Fei delivered a sudden, forceful slap. Since the top layer was already fragile, with a sharp crack, it instantly shattered into gravel and plummeted to the ground below.

'It really went through!' Ning Fei thought in secret astonishment.

Ning Fei piloted the drone over and told the viewers, "Everyone, my guess was right. There really is an underground cave here."

"I don't know what might be in this underground cave, so I plan to head down and take a look."

Through the livestream's lens, Ning Fei had already climbed out of the excavated pit. The viewers could clearly see a pitch-black, downward-plunging hole at the bottom of the pit Ning Fei had dug. It looked a bit eerie.

"Is that a hole?"

"So scary. Could Temple Master Ning have dug up something?"

"Holy shit! Is that a robber's tunnel? Is Temple Master Ning livestreaming tomb raiding?"

"Can it be called raiding if he's digging out in the open? This is outdoor exploration."

"Tomb raiding is done in secret, whereas Temple Master Ning is on an outdoor exploration. If he really discovers a tomb, the Government will probably commend him again."

"How much is a commendation even worth?"

"This suddenly got thrilling."

At that moment, Ning Fei retrieved his mountaineering rope from the car. The rope was extremely sturdy and practically impossible to sever under normal circumstances.

"I don't know what the situation is down there. I'm going to head down and check it out," Ning Fei stated.

Hearing his words, the viewers couldn't help but grow tense, their fists clenching involuntarily.

"Temple Master Ning is going down?"

"Isn't that too dangerous?"

Of course, Ning Fei was very thorough in his actions.

He didn't just jump straight down. Instead, he controlled his drone, turning on its lights and sending it down first to scout the way.

He stayed up above, watching what was in the hole alongside the viewers.

This maneuver elicited silent praise from the audience.

The drone flew down.

It was completely pitch-black below.

Ning Fei peered at the floor below, mentally estimating the drop to be about three meters from the hole's entrance—not too high.

As the drone advanced further inside, the Mountain Cave appeared much narrower.

However, they could also see a pool of spring water at the very back of the Mountain Cave.

"Spring water?"

"The underground springs must be connected."

Seeing this spring water, Ning Fei's eyes lit up once more.

He immediately returned to the car and took out the Livestream Submarine Type A.

He had a premonition that he might have truly discovered something incredible.

The viewers also grew increasingly anxious.

Ning Fei's Live-stream Room had a massive number of viewers right now.

"Could Temple Master Ning have dug into the true Kunlun?"

Someone exclaimed in shock.

Ning Fei first called Little Dog and Little Fei back into the car, worried that the two little ones might get lost or snatched away while he was gone.

The car was exceptionally secure, boasting powerful anti-theft capabilities and specially manufactured glass that could withstand severe impacts without shattering.

Then, Ning Fei retrieved the mountaineering rope and tied one end securely to a rock to anchor it.

He fastened the other end to the carabiner on his waist and slid down the Mountain Cave.

This entire scene looked exactly like something out of a spy movie.

Coming down this time, Ning Fei carried a Glow Stick for illumination. This type of Glow Stick was specifically designed to light up dark caves; its soft glow could brighten the surroundings entirely.

An ordinary flashlight was more focused and could only light up a specific area.

The viewers finally got a clear look at the overall structure of the Mountain Cave.

The Mountain Cave wasn't large, and the terrain inside was somewhat complex. It had likely endured years of crustal movement and been warped out of shape.

Holding up the Glow Stick, Ning Fei approached the edge of the Mountain Cave and touched the wall, feeling a sense of dampness.

The moisture was quite heavy throughout the entire cave.

Ning Fei glanced at the outdoor watch on his wrist. Slightly low pressure, somewhat high humidity, and slightly low air density—these were typical plateau characteristics. It was safe for the time being.

Seeing such scenes, however, the viewers found it extraordinarily thrilling.

This was a livestreamed exploration, or rather, it felt more like a livestream of tomb raiding.

The surrounding environment was already eerie, as if something terrifying and unknown could jump out at any moment.

Ning Fei walked over to the wall and told the viewers, "You can hear the sound of flowing water from this side of the wall. The water from the Budong Spring earlier was pushed up from alongside here."

"You can think of it like this: right beside me, underground water is overcoming gravity, flowing from the bottom up."

"Nature truly is wondrous."

The viewers perked their ears up. Whenever Ning Fei wasn't speaking, there was a faint, babbling sound of water coming from within the walls.

They immediately gasped in amazement.

It was Temple Master Ning, after all. When others viewed Budong Spring, the most they did was stand by the spring's eye and take a couple of looks.

Temple Master Ning had dug straight down to Budong Spring's lair.

What an incredible method!