We have fought to the Arctic Circle, and you want me to inherit the throne?

Chapter 1018 Trip to Yunmeng Mountain (8)

Leave the pebbles behind and keep going uphill.

The mountain path became increasingly rugged, sometimes requiring the use of both hands and feet to climb upwards.

Sunlight filtered through the dense canopy and mist, casting soft beams of light that swirled with dust particles, creating a dreamlike scene.

Li Che noticed that some huge trees had their roots exposed, clinging tightly to the rocks, their gnarled and vigorous forms suggesting they had stood there for hundreds of years.

No wonder the students of Yunmeng Mountain all have extraordinary temperaments. Living in such a secluded place for many years, even the most ordinary person becomes ethereal.

We're almost there.

After Xu Jiezi finished speaking, he stopped in front of a relatively gentle hillside.

Suddenly, a relatively flat mountain valley appeared before us.

In the center of the valley, against a rock wall covered with green vines, stand several simple and rustic stone houses and pavilions.

Unlike the dilapidated stone houses at the foot of the mountain, the stone houses here, though simple, are kept clean and tidy, giving them a more vibrant feel.

Below the rock face, there is a natural cave entrance partially hidden by vines.

Above the cave entrance, two large, blurry characters carved in ancient seal script can be faintly seen – 'Guigu'.

"This is where the lineage of Guiguzi has been passed down through generations." Xu Jiezi pointed to the stone houses and thatched pavilions. "Over there are the places where we live and store our books."

Finally, his gaze fell upon the deep, dark cave entrance.

“And there,” he paused, looking at Li Che, “is where my late master lived in his later years, and also the place with the deepest connection to His Majesty.”

Li Che stood at the edge of the valley, staring at the two characters 'Ghost Valley', his heart pounding uncontrollably.

He did not rush in, but turned to Qiu Bai and ordered, "Qiu Bai, take the brothers to the stone house we just passed and settle them down. No one is allowed to approach this place without my order."

He paused, then added, "Only Ah Qiang will stay with me."

"Your subordinate obeys!" Qiu Bai replied with a fist salute, and without any hesitation, immediately turned around and led the night watchmen back the way they came.

The Night's Watchmen bowed in unison, and then, instead of taking the shortcut, they climbed down the cliff and disappeared in no time.

Lin Qingyuan stared in disbelief, and Xu Jiezi also looked on intently.

I thought these guards, with their fierce and courageous spirit, would be battlefield protectors, but I never expected them to possess such ghostly skills. Their identities must be extraordinary.

Li Che then looked at Xu Jiezi and asked, "Old sir, is my arrangement feasible?"

Xu Jiezi nodded: "Your Majesty's considerations are thorough, and there is nothing wrong with it."

He understood Li Che's caution; the fact that he had withdrawn all his personal guards was enough to show his sincerity.

Once the sound of everyone's footsteps faded into the distance, the valley returned to silence.

Li Che took a deep breath and stepped towards the dark cave entrance.

Hu Qiang followed half a step behind him, carefully putting away the flatbread he was carrying, his muscles tense.

As Li Che passed by several ancient stone houses near the cave entrance, he looked inside through the open doors and windows and his pupils immediately contracted.

It was filled with books, an astonishing number of books!

Each room had enormous bookshelves reaching to the stone walls, densely packed with books of various materials:

There were yellowed straw books, dark-colored bamboo slips, and even on some shelves, he saw ancient objects with inscriptions resembling oracle bone script.

Xu Jiezi, standing to the side, introduced at the opportune moment: "These were collected from various sources by the ancestors of Yunmeng Mountain who traveled all over the world. Among them are many unique and rare books, and some are even ancient secret texts from the pre-Qin period that have long been lost."

"If Your Majesty is interested, you may send a reliable person in the future to carefully copy the documents back to enrich the royal library."

Faced with this generous gift, Li Che did not feign refusal, but solemnly nodded and said, "In that case, it would be impolite of me to refuse it."

"The transmission of knowledge is a contribution that will last for generations. On behalf of all the scholars in the world, I thank you, sir."

It wasn't that Li Che was being impolite, but rather that the temptation was simply too great.

Knowledge is the ladder of human progress, and the ladder built by these books is at least ten stories high.

The Guiguzi collection of books, dating back a thousand years, is of immeasurable value. If it could be incorporated into Daqing and promoted throughout the world, it would be an unimaginable achievement for Li Che.

For example, why did Emperor Yongle (Zhu Di) have such a strong obsession with compiling the Yongle Encyclopedia?

It was precisely because of his literary achievements in compiling books that his other actions were able to shine in history and overshadow his other deeds.

After passing through these stone houses that could be described as mobile libraries, Li Che finally stood at the entrance to the mysterious cave left behind by his fellow villager.

Li Che and Xu Jiezi exchanged a glance, and the latter showed a sincere smile: "Your Majesty, rest assured, since I have invited Your Majesty here, I have made up my mind and have no intention of hiding anything."

Li Che nodded, then subconsciously glanced at Hu Qiang behind him.

Hu Qiang said in a muffled voice, "Your Majesty, I'll go in with you."

Li Che smiled faintly: "Okay."

The two followed Xu Jiezi into the cave, one after the other.

Seeing Li Che's cautious behavior, Xu Jiezi simply smiled and did not feel offended.

He could tell that the giant named Hu Qiang must be a confidant whom Li Che could entrust with his life, otherwise he wouldn't have left him alone at this time.

Li Che's vigilance was understandable, given that his self-cultivation skills were almost supernatural in the eyes of ordinary people, and it was in the nature of a monarch to be suspicious.

Upon entering the cave, everything suddenly went dark, and all light was cut off.

Xu Jiezi was clearly very familiar with this place. He walked to the inner wall of the cave entrance, took out a tinderbox, and with a soft 'hiss', lit several oil lamps fixed to the stone wall.

Then, he carefully covered the flickering flames with a transparent cover.

With the light now stabilizing, Li Che could see the scene before him clearly and asked with interest, "That's... glass?"

Xu Jiezi nodded, his tone tinged with reminiscence: "Yes, this was made under the personal guidance of my late master."

Li Che wasn't surprised; it would be strange if a time traveler didn't know how to make glass.

Didn't I make my first fortune in glassmaking to support Fengguo's powerful army?

Li Che pressed further, "Didn't he teach you the glassmaking method in detail?"

Xu Jiezi said calmly, "Of course I taught him. The recipe and process are all recorded and left to me."

"It's just that I feel that Yunmeng Mountain is self-sufficient and does not lack worldly wealth, so learning this craftsmanship is not very useful, and I have not studied it in depth."

"But the books inside this cave are precious and the candlelight is dangerous, so these glass lampshades were specially made just in case."

Li Che nodded, asked no more questions, and began to examine the interior of the cave by the light.

The cave was much more spacious than he had imagined, but the furnishings were unusually simple, and there were no unexpected magical objects.

The most eye-catching thing is still the book.