What kind of mysterious place is this?
Shen Nanchu raised an eyebrow slightly and strode inside.
The system had thoughtfully prepared a lit candle for her.
The cave was narrow and cramped at first, forcing Shen Nanchu to sidle through.
Meiqiu, however, was agile, darting around her feet and occasionally brushing her ankles with its wet nose.
The walls were slick with moss, and the candlelight could only illuminate a few steps ahead.
After walking for about ten minutes, the passage gradually widened.
Shen Nanchu straightened up and found herself in a vast cavern—a breathtaking sight.
Stalactites hung from the ceiling, while stalagmites rose from the ground, shimmering under the candlelight like a scene from a fairy tale.
Water droplets fell from the tips of the stalactites, their clear echoes ringing through the silent cave.
What a beautiful place.
Shen Nanchu couldn’t help but marvel.
In the apocalypse, where could one find such beauty?
Even Meiqiu seemed awestruck, sitting quietly at her feet and gazing up at the glistening stone pillars.
After a brief pause, they pressed on, passing through chambers of fantastical rock formations.
About thirty minutes later, a sliver of light appeared ahead.
Shen Nanchu blew out the candle and quickened her pace. The light grew stronger until they finally emerged from the cave.
The blinding sunlight made her squint.
When her vision adjusted, she found herself in an unfamiliar valley.
Lush vegetation surrounded her, with towering ancient trees blotting out the sky. The air was thick with the scent of earth and greenery. The distant murmur of a stream could be heard, though its source remained hidden.
Strange…
She must have traversed the entire mountain to reach this remote place.
Shen Nanchu glanced back. The cave’s entrance was concealed behind a curtain of vines—impossible to spot unless you’d just come from within.
As she surveyed her surroundings, Meiqiu suddenly bristled and began barking fiercely at something behind her.
Shen Nanchu turned to see a black python as thick as a bowl, coiled just three meters away. Its forked tongue flicked menacingly, and its amber, slit-pupiled eyes locked onto her.
An ordinary woman might have been terrified out of her wits.
But Shen Nanchu remained eerily calm, even allowing a faint smile to curl her lips.
It’s been a while since I’ve met such an adorable little creature. How nostalgic!
She stretched slightly.
"Shh, Meiqiu, quiet."
She soothed the pup softly, though her eyes never left the python.
Meiqiu obeyed, ceasing its barks but still baring its teeth protectively in front of its owner.
The python struck without warning, lunging at Shen Nanchu with lightning speed.
At the last moment, she leaped aside effortlessly, her movements so fluid it was as if she’d predicted the attack.
The python missed, its massive body writhing as it swiftly repositioned for another strike.
This time, Shen Nanchu didn’t dodge. Instead, her elegant hand lashed out toward the serpent.
Whack!
Thud!
The python was sent flying by her slap, crashing to the ground.
Dazed, it recovered quickly, rearing up with a furious hiss.
Just then, a long, haunting howl pierced the valley’s silence.
The python froze, its head lifting warily.
Shen Nanchu followed the sound and spotted a jet-black wolf standing atop a jutting rock.
It was larger than an ordinary wolf, its glossy fur shimmering with a blue-black sheen under the sunlight. Its amber eyes gleamed with intelligence.
Strangest of all, Meiqiu immediately calmed at the sight of the wolf, its tail wagging uncontrollably as it whimpered excitedly—as if greeting family.
Shen Nanchu’s gaze flicked between the wolf and Meiqiu, a ridiculous thought forming: Could this wolf be Meiqiu’s father?
The black wolf stared down at the python, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
The python seemed to recognize the threat, slowly retreating before finally slithering into the undergrowth and vanishing.
With the danger gone, the wolf didn’t leave.
Shen Nanchu noticed its eyes were identical to Meiqiu’s—that rare shade of amber.
She took a cautious step forward. The wolf neither retreated nor showed aggression, simply watching her in silence.
Suddenly, Meiqiu bounded toward the wolf.
Shen Nanchu didn’t stop it.
The wolf leaped gracefully from the rock, sniffed Meiqiu, then gently nuzzled its head. Meiqiu circled the wolf excitedly, its tail wagging like a tiny fan.
Shen Nanchu held her breath. This confirmed her suspicion.
This wolf was Meiqiu’s deadbeat dad.
System: "Host, isn’t Meiqiu a dog?"
Shen Nanchu: "Meiqiu’s father is a wolf, and its mother was a white dog."
System: "A hybrid!"
Shen Nanchu found herself intrigued by the love story between the black wolf and the white dog.
Especially—why had the white dog been left bleeding in the courtyard?
And why hadn’t this wolf gone down the mountain to find her?
Too bad wolves couldn’t talk.
A flicker of disappointment crossed Shen Nanchu’s eyes.
The wolf suddenly lifted its head, ears twitching as if catching a sound.
With a soft growl, it nudged Meiqiu back toward Shen Nanchu, then turned and vanished into the forest.
Shen Nanchu frowned.
There’s a wolf pack here.
After the wolf left, she noticed something odd about its footprints.
Each one glimmered faintly with golden light under the sun.
What’s this…?
Her eyes lit up.
She immediately scooped up Meiqiu and hurried after the wolf.
Pushing through dense shrubs, she stumbled upon a crystal-clear stream, its waters sparkling with golden flecks.
Kneeling by the bank, Shen Nanchu cupped a handful of water and spotted tiny golden grains mixed in the sand below.
"This is…"
She squinted, pinching one between her fingers.
The particle shimmered in the sunlight, heavy and unlike ordinary pyrite.
Her heart skipped a beat. She overturned a few rocks along the bank and found the same golden substance clinging to them.
"Gold dust!"
She murmured, pulse quickening.
In this era of scarcity, she knew exactly what gold meant.
Even more astonishing was the sight upstream—where the exposed rock face gleamed unnaturally with a metallic sheen.
If this was a gold deposit, she’d struck it rich.
Shen Nanchu followed the stream upward, Meiqiu trotting beside her and occasionally sniffing the water.
After about fifteen minutes, they reached a small waterfall veiled by vines.
Behind the curtain of water, a dark opening loomed.
She parted the vines and slipped inside.
The cavern was small, and the golden specks embedded in the walls dashed her hopes—this was just a pyrite vein, not gold ore after all.
Sigh…
