Closer to Revealing My True Self
Chapter 380 - 277 Cave_1

Chapter 380: Chapter 277 Cave_1

In the narrow passage, Feng Yi shifted to mimicry and continued to climb forward with difficulty for a while.

Fortunately, the cave wasn’t always so constricted.

Only a few spots were exceptionally tight, where he’d encounter a narrow opening every so often.

It was like one checkpoint after another.

After passing through a tight spot, the cave would open up somewhat, wide enough for two or three Feng Yis in their natural form to walk side by side.

Given a choice, Feng Yi didn’t want to physically destroy this place.

If he wasn’t stuck to the point of being unable to move an inch, he wouldn’t resort to violence.

Therefore, even when confronted with tight spots that made progressing difficult, Feng Yi didn’t use brute force to widen the cave’s diameter.

It seemed as if no one had passed through here for a very, very long time.

That shouldn’t be the case.

Could it be that the elders of the past never came here?

Not even Grandma?

Contemplating, Feng Yi continued to crawl forward, tuning into the aura of the cave.

The underground streams brought the scents of animals and non-living things, yet there were no signs of any lifeforms taking up long-term residence in the cave.

One might say it was utterly silent.

Feng Yi carefully recalled that near the entrance of this passage, in that particular area, there were hardly any aquatic creatures or plants—it was as if all life deliberately avoided that region.

In the stone cave, the outer surface of the cave wall was slightly different from the inner layers.

Perhaps it was precisely for this reason that the place had been preserved for hundreds of years without significant change, unaffected by erosion, and untouched by invasive outside lifeforms.

Feng Yi himself didn’t feel any danger, but he guessed that the cave’s outer stone layer might contain some kind of "repelling" message.

"On the return trip, I’ll take some samples back for Wu to analyze," Feng Yi thought.

This passage was long, but not straight, nor did it lead upwards—instead, it meandered downwards, deeper underground.

The prolonged underwater dive in the cold water would be untenable for ordinary people without adequate protective measures and emergency equipment, preventing exploration below.

Therefore, even if someone discovered this place, it would be exceedingly difficult to continue venturing further inside.

The cave was pitch black, but this didn’t pose any interference to Feng Yi, who could sense the cave’s interior conditions.

Swim for a bit, climb over a checkpoint, swim again, pass another checkpoint...

Finally emerging from the not-so-spacious stone cave, he faced an even larger underwater space.

This place should still be within the mountain, surrounded by stone walls, only the space was much larger.

If his instincts weren’t wrong, there should be a...

Feng Yi didn’t rush to explore his surroundings, but instead swam upwards.

Woosh—

Feng Yi surfaced, breathing in the fresh air.

The surroundings were still immersed in complete darkness.

Yet, the air here carried the scent of the forests outside the mountain.

Clearly, there were hidden ventilation openings, and not just one.

The cave ceiling above was a good distance from the water’s surface, ensuring a breathing space even in the event of unexpected rises in water levels.

Initially, Feng Yi had thought that if there was no venting space inside, he’d retreat the same way he came in.

His ability to dive underwater was more than enough to ensure he could return safely. Go out for fresh air, come back with ventilation equipment. A single breath would allow him to dive for quite a while.

But now it seemed there was no need to go back.

When he needed to breathe, he could just float upward.

This was indeed a very safe place, free from disturbance by outside lifeforms.

Easy to defend, hard to attack.

It might not have been the living space of his ancestors, perhaps just a refuge?

But Feng Yi couldn’t understand why the entrance they made was so narrow.

Could it be that long ago, his ancestors were actually not that tall?

Miniature in size?

Feng Yi thought of the models of primitive people around one meter tall in the museum.

He carefully sensed his surroundings.

The area was like a spacious underground passage, with the narrow entrance he came through connecting to it.

Continuing forward, Feng Yi did not have to go far before spotting an even wider passage in the side wall.

Compared with the cramped passageway he had struggled through, this one was like a double door that had been widened and heightened.

Stepping in to examine closely, it was apparent that there were claw marks on the cave wall, left within the last few decades.

Scratched by Grandma?

Feng Yi checked inside this "big side door" for a while, and even at its narrowest, it wouldn’t trap him!

Just as he had expected.

Great-Grandma must have been here, and not just once.

So, Great-Grandma entered through this "great door"?!

Then what was the passage I came in through? A dog hole?

Feng Yi swam back to take a look at the passage he had come through.

Upon comparison, he couldn’t help but slap his forehead.

Instinct, oh...

Is there a possibility that you freaking found a passageway specifically for the young ones?!!

Feng Yi reflected.

On what criteria does instinct base its decisions to find such a ’youngling’ passage?

Indeed, one can trust instincts but cannot rely on them entirely.

Now is not the time to dwell on this, Feng Yi pushed these thoughts aside.

Regardless, he had indeed found the place, somehow.

Even if the "door" he entered through was a bit unsuitable.

Having swum around the spacious underwater cavern, Feng Yi discovered there were multiple entrances, both large and small, but overall, there were more larger passages.

The layout here was like a centipede, with a long and spacious main body, and an upper layer that had ventilated space.

The "limbs" of the "centipede" were the various-sized passages leading outside.

Like the narrow passage he entered through, the main body’s wall surface, with its stone quality, acted like a protective shell, preventing the attachment of aquatic plants and animals as well as erosion from microbes and corrosive substances.

The water here was in flow with the outside, and even though the current wasn’t strong, it showed that the water was fresh and there was no strong scent of rot or degradation.

Since it was flowing, there was a layer of sediment at the bottom of the cave.

If one were to walk along the bottom underwater, it would cause local murkiness. Suffocating, really.

Therefore, Feng Yi swam in the middle layer underwater.

Using his true form.

With ample space, Feng Yi preferred to use his true form here.

Continuing forward from the "centipede"-shaped passage, he reached the "head" part.

This place was like a deep pool with no visible bottom, but Feng Yi didn’t explore downwards, instead swimming straight up from this location.

Whew—

He emerged from the water, reaching back to comb his wet hair, flicking his tail as he moved toward the side.

This place was a cave within the mountain.

Not naturally formed.

Without any trace of erosion.

Thousands of years had passed, yet it hadn’t changed much.

This place was a "nest."

It was where the ancestors had once resided.

Besides the water at the deep pool, the rest of the cave was drier and also had hidden ventilation holes.

If ordinary people were here, they could survive but wouldn’t feel comfortable.

With the presence of the pool water, the air was slightly more humid.

The humidity might be excessive for common folks, but for Feng Yi, it was just right.

His heavy tail crawled inside the cave, scales scraping against the floor with a hissing sound.

The ground had broken stones, it was uncertain whether they were broken off by Great-Grandma or left by even earlier forebears.

Feng Yi picked up a fist-sized rock, threw it into the air, then swung his tail tip at it like a baseball bat.

Bang!

The stone flew off, hitting the wall further ahead, then falling to the ground.

The stone was rather hard, worth taking back for study.

Feeling the subtle vibrations of the ground, Feng Yi took a loop around the cave.

He didn’t find any direct passages leading outside, wondering whether they never existed or had been blocked off later.

Even if a hundred people gathered here, it wouldn’t seem crowded.

Suitable for refuge, assembly, or even hibernation.

Or perhaps, exclusive for molting?

After all, molting could be quite a commotion and required protection from external disturbances. This place was perfect for that.

But surely, the ancestors couldn’t have been too fragile, could they?

Feng Yi yawned, curled his tail around himself, and lay on top of it.

Finding this place had been quite taxing, he was a bit tired, thinking of taking a nap first.

He wondered if the ancestors would visit him in dreams while he slept here?