Surviving the Ancient Angst Novel [Transmigration] - Chapter 4

After the meal, the middle-aged man with the Orange Jade smiled and clapped again. The sound was not loud, but it instantly commanded everyone’s attention.

His gentle gaze swept across the crowd before he cut straight to the chase. “Everyone, if you wish to enter the Eastern Desolate Sect to learn martial arts, you must pass this trial.” He pointed toward the row of mountain caves. “There are exactly one hundred of you here today. There are ten caves; ten people per cave. Those who successfully reach the banks of Guya Lake in the Wangfeng Woods and obtain a White Jade Token will become official disciples.”

The moment he finished, the area erupted into a cacophony of whispers and buzzing conversation.

“Are the caves dangerous?” a wealthy young master in fine silks called out.

I assumed the man wouldn’t answer a question involving sect secrets, but to my surprise, he revealed the information quite openly. “There will be a few traps. Each cave is different, so I cannot provide a general summary.”

“What about the woods? Are there traps in the woods?” someone else asked, hitting the point everyone was curious about.

The middle-aged man answered patiently, “There is a Mist Array.”

Ah, so it’s just easy to get lost once you’re inside.

“Is there a time limit?”

“No time limit.” Sensing the group’s anxiety, he offered a reassuring smile. “Rest assured, young friends. If you are still trapped in the Mist Array by midnight, the sect will send guides to lead you to the banks of Guya Lake.”

Oh! So as long as you survive the cave traps, you’re basically guaranteed to be an Eastern Desolate disciple!

The crowd relaxed instantly and began grouping into threes and fives to discuss which cave to choose.

There were eight of us at our table, two short of a full team. Conveniently, two scrawny, short boys at the next table were left without a group, so Bai Mo invited them to join us.

“Ah-Mo, you always have the best luck whenever we gamble. Why don’t you pick a cave?” Gao Mang said, his eyes fixed intently on Bai Mo.

Bai Mo pondered for a moment. “I want to choose the seventh one from the left.”

“Fine!” Gao Mang looked around. “Does anyone have an objection?”

The people at the table looked at each other; no one disagreed. I didn’t care one was as good as the next. In a moment of major decision-making like this, a “Passerby A” doesn’t need to speak; they just need to go along with the group.

Having settled on a plan, we hurried toward the cave, beating another group to the entrance. We took torches from the attendants and stepped inside.

The youth leading the other group stamped his foot in frustration. “It’s all because you lot were dragging your feet! They beat us to it!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. The one next to it is the same.”

The stone door of the cave rumbled shut, cutting off the noisy voices from outside.

Since everyone had a torch, the lighting was decent. The warm orange glow illuminated a few meters of the pitch-black cave in front of us, providing a meager sense of security.

However, no one took the first step.

“Where do you think the traps are?” Qiao Kaiheng swallowed hard, nervously observing his surroundings. He was just a simple boy from a poor village; this was his first time stepping into a “trap-filled stronghold” like the ones he’d only ever heard of in storybooks. He was a bit at a loss.

Bai Mo, being the bravest of the lot, said calmly, “Whatever you do, do not touch the walls. Follow me. If I step on a trap you all look out for yourselves!”

With a leader in place, the group seemed to find their footing and chorused their agreement.

Qiao Kaiheng said worriedly, “Then won’t you be in great danger? Let me go first. My body is sturdy; it doesn’t matter if I take a few scratches.”

Gao Mang also disapproved of Bai Mo taking the risk. “Ah-Mo, let Brother Qiao take the lead.”

Bai Mo looked over hesitantly. “Can you handle it?”

Qiao Kaiheng straightened his back and gave a hearty laugh. “I’m not afraid.” He didn’t say he could handle it; he just said he wasn’t afraid. He was willing to act as a protector this was the chivalry he had seen in stories, the kind of man he wanted to be.

The current Qiao Kaiheng was still a simple, innocent protagonist whose sharp edges hadn’t been ground down by suffering. Based on my vast experience as a reader, the more “blank slate” and innocent a protagonist starts out, the darker their transformation will be in the later stages.

I couldn’t resist opening the book Obsequious Servant. Sure enough, new text had appeared; the plot was progressing in real-time. It described Qiao Kaiheng’s group entering the cave, followed by a series of flickering ellipses.

Status: Typing…

I closed the book again and watched Qiao Kaiheng cautiously lead the way.

The cave was quiet, save for the suppressed, rhythmic breathing of the group. We moved forward slowly. Suddenly, an eerie wind whistled past me, bone-chillingly cold. I shivered and, realizing something was wrong, shouted: “Watch your backs!”

It was too late. Gao Mang let out a muffled groan and dropped to one knee.

“What happened?”

Everyone swarmed around him. As our feet trampled over the floor, it seemed to trigger a mechanism. In the air above, the whistling sound of sharp weapons piercing the wind echoed repeatedly.

“Scatter! Get down!” Realizing the danger, Bai Mo immediately barked a warning.

This time, the reaction was timely. Everyone scrambled and crawled to the sides.

Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh!

Hidden projectiles slammed into the cave walls one after another.

In my haste to dodge, I was bumped by someone. Losing my balance, I landed hard on my backside. My back scraped against the wall and slammed into a jagged rock.

The pain made me knit my brows. I reached back to feel the wall; my hand came away covered in slimy, wet moss. The chill seeped through my damp clothes and into my pores.

“I’m sorry, are you alright?” The one who bumped me was one of the scrawny boys who had joined us later. He scrambled up from the floor with an apologetic face, leaning in to check on me.

I waved him off and pointed toward Gao Mang, who was kneeling motionless and clutching his abdomen. “Go see how he is.”

The boy understood and moved back a few steps, crouching next to Nangong Hu to observe the injured Gao Mang from a distance.

Once the pain faded slightly, I looked at the wall. It was bristling with arrows the projectiles that had just flown over our heads. One of them had snapped, leaving only half the shaft. I held my torch closer and noticed the shaft was hollow, with a hint of white showing inside.

I reached out, pinched the white corner, and slowly pulled it out. It was a piece of paper with a simple Go board drawn on it. Ten stones were placed on the board, connected in a strange, multi-angled pattern.

I didn’t understand it, but based on my past experience with Escape Rooms, whether it’s useful or not, it’s always better to take it with you. I folded it and tucked it into my robe.

Over there, the group was still cautiously observing Gao Mang. Bai Mo called out from a distance: “Ah-Mang, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Gao Mang gritted out. “I took an arrow to the stomach, but I don’t think it’s poisoned.”

There was a trap near Gao Mang, so no one dared go over; he had to try and come to them. He endured the pain and took a large leap into a safe zone. The group waited on the floor for a moment, and seeing that no other traps were triggered, they stood up and surrounded him.

Li Yajin helped pull the arrow out, while Nangong Hu hurriedly tore a sleeve from his inner robe to bind the wound and stop the bleeding. Gao Mang was breakng out in a cold sweat from the pain. The arrow had gone deep; this simple treatment wouldn’t be enough.

“We need to get out of the cave quickly. Once we have the White Jade, we can find a sect physician for Ah-Mang,” Bai Mo said, looking at his friend with worry.

Gao Mang forced a smile. “I’m fine. Everyone, keep moving.”

Qiao Kaiheng nodded. Knowing there was no time to lose, he took the lead again, stepping out boldly. The group followed in his footsteps.

Because he knew Gao Mang’s injury couldn’t wait, Qiao Kaiheng walked with a certain bravado, almost as if he were gambling with his own body. Those behind him walked safely in his path, and our speed increased significantly.

Strangely enough, the rest of the journey was safe; not a single accident occurred. Eventually, a stone door blocked our path, with faint light from the outside leaking through the cracks.

We made it!

The group huddled around the stone door in delight, babblling about how to open it.

“Pushing it doesn’t seem to work…” “Use internal energy to blast it open!” “Who has strong internal energy?” “I haven’t even started martial arts training yet.” “Ah-Mang knows a bit, but he’s injured.” “Then what do we do?”

I shook my head as I listened. I turned my gaze to Qiao Kaiheng, counting on him the protagonist to “cheat” and get us out. As for me, the “Passerby A,” my job was to stay alive; I’d leave the thinking to the lead and supporting characters. I was certain the author wouldn’t let Qiao Kaiheng be disqualified from the Eastern Desolate Sect right at the start.

Qiao Kaiheng did not disappoint. He was searching around the area seriously. Suddenly, his finger pried a small pebble from the wall. The ground in front of the stone door began to vibrate.

The group retreated a few steps in surprise. I was stunned. Looking at the wall Qiao Kaiheng had just touched which was covered in thousands of similar pebbles I thought: One pull and he hit the mark. Is this the divine power of the Child of Destiny?!

Qiao Kaiheng, the literal Child of Destiny, turned around blankly, clearly not understanding what had just happened.

As the ground vibrated, a Go board slowly rose in front of the door. Ten stones were already placed on it.

Bai Mo rubbed his chin as he stood before the board. “If we solve this puzzle, we should be able to get out.”

“Hiss… this puzzle is strange.” “Black and white stones… what kind of logic is this? I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Qiao Kaiheng stood behind them looking lost. Clearly, for a boy from the countryside, something as high-class as Go was something he had neither the time nor the opportunity to learn.

I reached into my robe, took out that white paper, crumpled it into a ball, and tossed it into a corner. Then, I pointed at the floor in feigned surprise: “What’s that?”

Bai Mo came over at the sound, picked up the paper ball, and unfurled it. After reading it, his eyebrows arched. “So that’s it!”

He walked quickly back to the board and began moving the stones. He moved ten stones in total. When he finished, the pattern on the board was an exact match to the drawing on the paper.

The stone door rumbled in response and slowly slid open. The light from outside hit the excited faces of the youths, illuminating the longing for the Eastern Desolate in their eyes.

Everything was going too smoothly.

To be honest, I didn’t believe the Eastern Desolate Sect would set such a simple trial—it was like child’s play. What exactly were they trying to test?

I crossed my arms, unsure if I felt more suspicious or relieved.

Outside the cave was a forest. The light was dim, and the air was strangely silent and eerie. Tall, straight trees blocked out most of the sun, leaving only dappled, sparse shadows filtering through the leaves. Light motes danced amidst a drifting, elusive mist that made it impossible to see into the distance. This must be the “Wangfeng Woods” the middle-aged man had mentioned.

As I stepped further out, I noticed the soil beneath the trees was very loose, as if it were frequently turned over. This conflicted with the supposed stillness of the forest, adding a trace of inexplicable dissonance.

Strange. Very strange.

Looking at the thick mist ahead, Bai Mo suggested that everyone tear a strip of cloth from their clothing to make a long rope. Everyone would hold onto it to prevent anyone from getting lost.

Knowing the woods only contained a Mist Array and no other dangers, we let Bai Mo with his legendary luck  lead the way in search of Guya Lake.

However, this time, we walked for a very, very long time. We walked from day into night, until our stomachs were sticking to our spines and we had no strength left. The sun set and the moon rose. The frosty moonlight was blocked by the tall trees, and our torches had long since burned out.

I didn’t know what time it was, but we hadn’t encountered a single soul. Let alone Guya Lake. Just how big was this forest? Where did the other teams go? Surely, they weren’t all still trapped in the caves?

“Something’s wrong. It feels like we’re walking in circles,” Bai Mo said grimly. In the dark, he reached out and untied a belt he had previously fastened to a tree trunk. Because the belt was made of a special material that glowed in the dark, he could see it.

Gao Mang clutched his abdomen, his face pale. “Ah-Mo… I can’t walk anymore.”

Nangong Hu and Li Yajin were supporting Gao Mang, both gasping for air. “Should… should we just wait… for the… guides… right here?”

Bai Mo looked up at the sky, disagreeing. “Ah-Mang won’t last that long.”

Qiao Kaiheng suggested, “I’ll carry Brother Gao. He can’t keep walking on his own.” Bai Mo nodded; it was the only option.

The group took a short rest and prepared to move again. Suddenly, a flickering torchlight appeared through the mist ahead.

Bai Mo was overjoyed. “There’s someone there!” “Hurry, catch up!”

It was like a traveler in the desert who had been thirsty for far too long finally seeing water. Everyone summoned their last bit of strength and sprinted toward the light.

I was about to follow when a System panel suddenly popped up. The book interface slammed directly into my face. My vision blocked, I had to stop and look.

Title: The Eastern Desolate Sect: The Root of Immorality.

??? Did I just run into another book protagonist?

But now wasn’t the time for reading. I hurriedly closed the System panel and prepared to catch up…

Where… where did everyone go?

The surroundings were deathly quiet. In the dim world, it felt as though I was the only living thing left. There was no firelight or lamplight in the distance only a thick fog where you couldn’t even see your own hand.

Damn it!

The good news: I’m separated from the group. The bad news: A “Background Prop” who has strayed from the crowd seems very likely to “buy the farm.”