NFBE Chapter 224 The mysterious box
Chapter 224 The mysterious box
A white-haired old teacher stood under an old locust tree, holding a collection of poems in his hand. He kindly and seriously taught a little girl with two buns to recite poems.
The old man recited in a loud voice, word by word: "Search for seclusion in the misty mountains, seek for immortal traces on the clear springs and rocks. Listen to the birdsong among the green bamboos, and realize Zen in the luxuriant flowers."
As the old master chanted, the little girl repeated in her baby voice. Her clear and pleasant voice echoed in the quiet courtyard.
At this time, Banxia and Wang Lei, who were standing aside, were terrified when they saw Shen Yiran suddenly hold his head with both hands, his face full of pain, his body trembling slightly.
Banxia's face turned pale instantly, her eyes filled with fear and worry. She rushed forward, supported Shen Yiran, and shouted anxiously: "Princess, what's wrong with you? Don't scare me!" Her voice trembled slightly with fear.
Wang Lei's face was also full of panic. He hurriedly put the flashlight on the stone platform, walked quickly to Shen Yiran, and asked with concern: "Princess, are you feeling unwell? Wake up!" While speaking, he stretched out his hand and waved it gently in front of Shen Yiran's eyes, trying to attract her attention.
But Shen Yiran seemed to be completely immersed in his own world. He turned a deaf ear to their words, closed his eyes, frowned, and his pain became more and more obvious.
Shen Yiran only felt that the images became clearer and clearer, and the poems seemed to be engraved in his mind.
The headache gradually subsided, she slowly opened her eyes, and the poem flowed out of her mouth naturally: "Listen to the birds singing among the green bamboo shadows, and realize Zen in the flowers."
As soon as he finished speaking, a "cracking" sound came from the stone platform.
Everyone turned around and saw that the exquisite box that was originally tightly closed slowly opened a crack, and soft light shone through, as if calling Shen Yiran to find out what was going on.
Banxia and Wang Lei looked on in amazement. Although they didn't understand what was going on, they could sense that Shen Yiran had solved the mystery which led to this miraculous change.
Shen Yiran took a deep breath, suppressed her excitement and curiosity, knowing that the box might contain the key to unlocking the secrets of the cave. She slowly stepped forward and gently pushed open the box that had opened a gap.
When the box was fully opened, an even brighter light gushed out, almost blinding Shen Yiran.
When the light dimmed, she slowly opened her eyes and looked towards the opened box.
Looking closely, the box did not contain the expected rare treasures or mysterious tools, but a piece of old paper lying quietly.
The texture of the paper is rough and slightly yellow, showing that it has been eroded by time, but the handwriting is still clearly visible.
Shen Yiran carefully picked up the paper and looked closely. Two lines of beautiful calligraphy came into view:
——"The coronavirus will soon break out in the military camps, and measures must be taken as soon as possible to deal with it, otherwise the consequences will be disastrous."
In an instant, Shen Yiran's heart seemed to be grabbed by an invisible hand, and deep worry came over her again like a surging tide.
At this moment, the stone chamber was so quiet that one could hear each other's heartbeats. The depressing atmosphere made the news seem like a bombshell, filling her eyes with fear and anxiety.
The image of the lively soldiers in the military camp involuntarily emerged in my mind. They trained hard and fought side by side. They are a solid force in protecting the peace.
But now, once this terrible new coronavirus spreads in the military camp, the consequences are unimaginable.
The soldiers would suffer from illness and the order in the barracks would fall into chaos, which would undoubtedly be a huge disaster for the defense of the entire region.
Shen Yiran bit her lower lip tightly, her hands trembling slightly, knowing that time was running out and she had to act quickly.
She was extremely anxious, and her expression was filled with urgency. She hurriedly said to Banxia and Wang Lei, "We must get to the military camp as soon as possible. There is no time to lose!"
When the two people on the side heard this, they all looked confused and puzzled.
Wang Lei was the first to ask, "Princess, what's going on? What exactly is written on the paper that makes you so anxious?"
Shen Yiran finally came to her senses a little. She knew very well that Banxia and Wang Lei must be full of doubts about the series of bizarre events that had just happened.
After all, they did not see the shocking contents written on the paper.
So, she took a deep breath, tried to keep her tone steady, and explained simply, "The paper said that a very terrible virus would soon spread in the military camp, and its severity would be even worse than previous plagues.
If it is allowed to wreak havoc in the military camp, the consequences will be disastrous.
Therefore, we must rush to the military camp as quickly as possible and do everything we can to prevent the virus from spreading further."
After he finished speaking, Banxia and Wang Lei suddenly widened their eyes with expressions of astonishment on their faces, obviously shocked by this sudden news.
They never imagined that something so serious would happen in the military camp.
Shen Yiran looked at the mysterious box again, and his eyes were attracted by the key inside.
The key was of simple style and dark bronze color. It seemed to have been sleeping in the darkness of the cave for a long time, and the years had left mottled marks on it.
The handle is beautifully carved with patterns, and if you look closely, the patterns are like winding vines entwined with each other, as if telling a long-lost story.
The lines of the vines are smooth and delicate, with perfect turns, showing the craftsman's superb craftsmanship.
The teeth vary in length but are neatly arranged, flashing a faint cold light under the flashlight, silently demonstrating its importance - it may be the key to stopping this crisis.
Shen Yiran took a deep breath, reached out resolutely to pick up the key, and held it tightly, as if holding the hope of saving the military camp.
She turned to look at Banxia and Wang Lei, her eyes full of determination, and said anxiously: "This key must be the key! We must quickly find a place where it can be opened, maybe we can rush to the military camp immediately to prevent this disaster!"
Banxia and Wang Lei nodded solemnly, and the three of them immediately searched carefully around the stone chamber, not missing any corner where there might be mechanisms or secret doors.
Shen Yiran held a flashlight and shone it along the wall inch by inch, his eyes fixed on the gaps between the stones and the slightly raised areas, praying in his heart that he could find a keyhole that matched the key as soon as possible.
Suddenly, at the corner of one side of the stone room, Shen Yiran found a stone slab on the ground that was different from the surroundings. There were signs of wear and tear on the edge of the stone slab, as if it had been stepped on or moved frequently.
She had an idea and quickly squatted down and gently felt the surface of the stone slab.
Just then, she felt a small depression on the side of the stone slab, the shape of which was very similar to the handle of the key in her hand.
Shen Yiran was filled with joy and quickly inserted the key into the recess and turned it gently.
There was a series of "cracking" sounds coming from underground, and then the stone slab slowly moved to one side, revealing a dark hole. A cool breeze blew out of the hole, bringing with it a stale smell.
"This should be the place, let's go!" Shen Yiran said, and walked into the cave first.
Banxia and Wang Lei looked at each other and hurriedly followed.
Just as they stepped into the secret passage, the heavy stone door behind them slammed shut with a bang.
The dull sound of the door closing echoed in this narrow and slightly gloomy dark passage, as if completely isolating them from the outside world and leaving behind a frightening silence.