The Leisurely Life of a Peasant Woman in the Tang Dynasty

The cold touch made Shopkeeper Hua tremble all over. He suddenly shook his hand away, and with the faint light emitted by Tang Youyou's homemade lighting tool, he saw a huge spider climbing up his arm.

The spider is covered with black hair and its eight eyes are flashing a faint green light, which is creepy.

"Ah!" Niu Xiaoer was so frightened that he sat down on the ground, pointing at the spider and shouting incoherently, "Monster! Monster!"

Shopkeeper Hua was also very frightened, his face turned pale and he backed away repeatedly.

Seeing this, Tang Youyou laughed inwardly. These two people were really as cowardly as mice.

The lighting tool in her hand was made of a transparent glass lamp filled with special oil and wick. Although the light was dim, it was particularly precious in this pitch-black environment.

"It's just a spider, there's nothing to be afraid of." Tang Youyou said calmly, with a barely perceptible hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Only then did Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer notice the lighting tool in Tang Youyou's hand, and their eyes suddenly lit up.

"You...your thing..." Shopkeeper Hua pointed at the lighting tool with a hint of greed in his tone.

"This is a lighting tool I made myself. It's a treasure in this secret door." Tang Youyou shook the glass lamp in her hand, and the light illuminated her confident smile.

Seeing this, Niu Xiaoer quickly crawled to the side of Shopkeeper Hua and whispered, "Shopkeeper, let's grab that thing!"

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in Shopkeeper Hua's eyes, and he nodded.

He slowly approached Tang Youyou and asked with feigned concern, "Miss Tang, this place is dangerous. You are a woman, why don't you give me this lighting tool and I will protect you."

Tang Youyou sneered, having long seen through Shopkeeper Hua's scheme. "I appreciate Shopkeeper Hua's kindness, but I trust myself more."

Seeing that Tang Youyou wasn't fooled, Shopkeeper Hua's face darkened, "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the penalty!" He reached out to grab the glass cup from Tang Youyou's hand.

Tang Youyou was prepared and dodged to the side, avoiding Shopkeeper Hua's snatch. Her eyes turned cold, and she raised her foot and kicked Shopkeeper Hua's knee hard.

"Ah!" Shopkeeper Hua screamed and fell to the ground, covering his knees.

"You..." Shopkeeper Hua glared at Tang Youyou with gritted teeth, his eyes filled with anger and resentment.

Tang Youyou looked down at him and said coldly, "Shopkeeper Hua, I advise you to be honest, otherwise..." She didn't continue, but the warning in her eyes was self-evident.

Seeing this, Niu Xiaoer was so frightened that he trembled and dared not go forward.

Suddenly, a rustling sound came from the depths of the darkness, accompanied by a cold wind... Tang Youyou clenched the glass cup in her hand, and looked vigilantly into the depths of the darkness... "What's that sound?" Niu Xiaoer's voice trembled.

The rustling sound was getting closer and closer, accompanied by a fishy smell, which was nauseating.

Tang Youyou clenched the glass lamp in her hand, and the light illuminated her resolute face.

Seeing this, Shopkeeper Hua endured the pain in his knees, a glimmer of greed flashing in his eyes.

"Miss Tang, this place is very strange. It's not safe for you to hold this lighting tool alone. How about we work together to find a way out?"

Tang Youyou sneered, "Shopkeeper Hua, you're really calculating. You wanted to steal my things just now, and now you want to cooperate with me? Do you think I will believe you?"

Shopkeeper Hua's expression changed, a sinister glint in his eyes. "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the wine! Niu Xiaoer, serve!"

Although Niu Xiaoer was afraid, he did not dare to disobey Hua Zhanggui's order and rushed towards Tang Youyou.

Tang Youyou was prepared and dodged Niu Xiaoer's attack by moving to the side. At the same time, she raised her foot and kicked Hua Zhanggui's other leg hard.

"Ah!" Shopkeeper Hua screamed again and collapsed to the ground completely.

Tang Youyou no longer paid attention to the two losers, turned around and continued walking forward.

The glass lamp in her hand illuminated the road ahead, and on the stone wall, she found some strange symbols.

The symbols looked like some kind of writing, but they didn't resemble any writing she knew.

"What is this?" Tang Youyou murmured to herself, her heart filled with curiosity. She began to observe these symbols carefully, trying to decipher their meaning.

Hua Zhanggui and Niu Xiaoer watched from the side, their hearts filled with anxiety and jealousy. They also wanted to know what these symbols meant, but they could not understand anything.

"Miss Tang, have you figured out anything?" Shopkeeper Hua asked, enduring the pain.

Tang Youyou ignored him and continued to study the symbols.

"Hey! Are you deaf? The shopkeeper is asking you a question!" Niu Xiaoer shouted from the side.

Tang Youyou still ignored them, her attention completely focused on these symbols.

She tried comparing the symbols to ancient scripts she knew, but couldn't find any similarities.

Time passed minute by minute, Tang Youyou tried many methods, but failed to decipher the meaning of these symbols.

Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and she became increasingly anxious.

Suddenly, she noticed that the shape of one of the symbols was very similar to... "Wait!" Tang Youyou suddenly raised her head and looked at Shopkeeper Hua.

Tang Youyou's gaze shifted back and forth between the symbol and Shopkeeper Hua, a guess gradually forming in her mind. "Shopkeeper Hua, are your ancestors from Shu?"

Shopkeeper Hua was stunned, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Miss Tang, you're joking. My ancestors have lived in the capital for generations. How could they be from Shu?"

"Really?" Tang Youyou sneered, "Then how do you explain these symbols? As far as I know, these symbols are a special kind of writing in ancient Shu. Only a few people understand their meaning."

Niu Xiaoer sneered at the side, "Boss, don't waste your words on her! She's just being mysterious! What does a country woman from the countryside know about ancient writing?"

Shopkeeper Hua gradually calmed down. Niu Xiaoer's words gave him back some confidence. "Miss Tang, you say these are Shu characters. Do you have any evidence?"

Tang Youyou ignored the questions from Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer, as she already had the answer in her mind.

These symbols are indeed very similar to a special kind of writing in ancient Shu. This writing records an ancient mechanical technique, and this mechanical technique is the key to opening the stone door in front of us.

Time was running out, and Tang Youyou no longer wasted time. Based on her understanding of the ancient Shu characters, she began to try to decipher these symbols.

Her fingers slid lightly across the stone wall, carefully identifying the shape and position of each symbol.

Constable Li watched from the side, his heart filled with worry.

Although he didn't understand what these symbols meant, he knew that Tang Youyou was doing something very dangerous.

He couldn't help but tighten his grip on the sword in his hand, ready to protect Tang Youyou's safety at any time.

"Found it!" Tang Youyou suddenly shouted excitedly.

She followed the clues she had deciphered and found a small groove in an inconspicuous corner.

She put her hand into the groove and pressed it gently. With a "click", a stone on the stone wall suddenly moved, revealing a hidden box.

Hua Zhanggui and Niu Xiaoer were stunned when they saw this. They never thought that Tang Youyou actually found a way to open the mechanism.

Tang Youyou ignored their surprised expressions and reached out to take the box out.

The box was made of an unknown metal and its surface was carved with exquisite patterns.

She carefully opened the box...

The moment the box was opened, a musty smell hit the face, and then a black mass poured out of the box, flapping its wings and making a shrill scream.

It turned out to be a group of bats!

In the dim light, they were like a black whirlwind, scurrying around in the small space.

Tang Youyou was caught off guard and instinctively took a step back, waving his arms to drive away these uninvited guests. "Ah! What the hell is this!"

Upon seeing this, Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer were stunned at first, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! Karma! This is retribution for meddling in other people's business!" Niu Xiaoer pointed at Tang Youyou and gloated, "Serves you right! It would be best if he were bitten to death by a bat!"

Although Shopkeeper Hua didn't say anything, he couldn't hide the pride in his eyes.

This sudden change gave him hope of regaining the initiative.

While covering his nose to avoid the bats, he secretly observed Tang Youyou's reaction, thinking about how to seize the box in the chaos.

Constable Li drew his sword and swung it to drive away the approaching bats, while simultaneously protecting Tang Youyou. "Miss Tang, be careful!"

Amidst the chaos, a deep voice rang out: "Interesting."

Mr. Mo and Mrs. Lin had stood a little further away at some point, observing all this with great interest.

Mrs. Lin covered her mouth and nose lightly, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was a little uncomfortable with the noisy scene.

Mr. Mo crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes deep, making it hard to tell what he was thinking.

The group of bats circled in the cave for a while, seemed to have found an exit, and began to fly towards the cave entrance.

When Shopkeeper Hua saw this, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes and he shouted, "Niu Xiaoer, follow me!" He pushed Niu Xiaoer, who was blocking the way, away and chased in the direction the bat flew.

Niu Xiaoer was stunned for a moment, then reacted and rushed out with Hua Zhanggui.

When Constable Li saw Shopkeeper Hua and Niu Xiaoer running away, he was about to chase them, but was stopped by Tang Youyou.

"Constable Li, don't pursue this desperate enemy. This cave is full of traps, be careful."

Constable Li hesitated for a moment, but finally followed Tang Youyou's advice and stayed.

After the bats dispersed, the cave returned to peace. There was only the crackling of burning torches and Tang Youyou's calm voice: "It seems that the fun has just begun..."