Every Cave Dwelling has a Cave Dwelling's Eye, which is also the eye of the spiritual spring.
This thing is the source that maintains the Cave Dwelling's structure and the normal operation of its formations. Therefore, the master of a Cave Dwelling would usually do everything possible to protect the Cave Dwelling's Eye. Most would set up multiple layers of formations around it, while the more skilled ones would hide the Cave Dwelling's Eye.
The master of this Cave Dwelling had hidden the Cave Dwelling's Eye, and had done so with exceptional skill. Since the entire Cave Dwelling's structure was based on the Nine Palaces Method, with the many Cave Dwellings shifting back and forth, the position of the Cave Dwelling's Eye was also not fixed; it would change along with the shifting positions of the interconnected Cave Dwellings.
Gu Qingfeng rarely admired anyone, but this trip to the Cave Dwelling made him rather admire its master.
To be able to deduce such a peculiar method using the Nine Palaces Method was definitely the work of a remarkable genius.
If possible, Gu Qingfeng truly wished to meet this genius.
The people in the dozens of interconnected Cave Dwellings had all had their souls extracted. He didn't know if the Cave Dwelling's master was still alive.
As for how to find the Cave Dwelling's Eye.
For Gu Qingfeng, it wasn't a difficult matter at all.
Although the Cave Dwelling's master's method of concealment was highly skillful, Gu Qingfeng had already seen through all its mysteries clearly.
He only needed to wait for the Nine Palaces Method to shift, and then he could accurately locate the Cave Dwelling's Eye.
Originally, the timing of the Cave Dwelling's shifts was uncertain—sometimes ten years, sometimes a hundred. But now, many of the interconnected Cave Dwellings had been damaged, and the Nine Palaces structure was long unstable. The many Cave Dwellings could shift at any time.
Gu Qingfeng looked around and came to a rather inconspicuous Stone Chamber.
The Stone Chamber was empty, containing only a meditation cushion. He sat down casually, sipping his wine, wiping the Erhu, and simultaneously waiting for the next shift of the Nine Palaces Method.
Not long after, Ouyang Ye rushed in, excited and thrilled. "What are you doing sitting here?"
"What's up?"
"Nothing!"
Ouyang Ye asked, "What treasures have you found? Let this Young Lady have a look."
Gu Qingfeng pointed at the Erhu in his hand. "Here, just this."
"All this time, and you only picked up this broken Erhu?"
"Hey, Big Sister! Is that any way to talk? You were so quick, barging in without a word and scavenging everywhere. All the good stuff was monopolized by you alone. I could only pick up this broken Erhu."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng's words, Ouyang Ye's pretty little face couldn't help but blush slightly, as if somewhat embarrassed. "Ownerless items are meant to be grabbed anyway. Whoever is fastest gets them. Who told you to be so slow, like a turtle? Can you blame this Young Lady?"
"That's true enough, but I was the one who opened this central Cave Dwelling, right? You could have at least left me a little."
"Hah! It's not like I said I wouldn't leave you any."
Ouyang Ye rolled her eyes. "Here! These are five Storage Bags. Take them!"
With that, Ouyang Ye flipped her wrist, and five Storage Bags appeared in her palm, which she tossed over.
Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "Just these few?"
"Hey, aren't you being too greedy? Giving you five is already good enough! Besides, I don't have many myself!"
Hearing Ouyang Ye say she didn't have many herself, Gu Qingfeng suppressed a laugh and asked with interest, "Not many? How many is 'not many'?"
"I only picked up a dozen or so Storage Bags in this entire Cave Dwelling. Is giving you five really so little?"
"A dozen or so?"
Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I say, Big Sister, I'm not trying to compete with you. Is that really necessary?"
"What's necessary? I really only picked up a little over ten."
"Big Sister, there are at least three to four hundred corpses in this Cave Dwelling, and every skeleton has a Storage Bag. And you're telling me you only picked up a little over ten?"
With her lie exposed, Ouyang Ye's pretty face flushed crimson in an instant. However, she still pretended nothing was wrong, putting on an innocent expression. "Are there that many? How come I remember only a little over ten? Wait a moment, let this Young Lady count..." After counting, Ouyang Ye lightly patted her forehead and said apologetically, "Oh my, there really are that many! I was just too excited and thrilled earlier, I actually forgot how many I picked up. Hehe, sorry... don't take it personally!"
Gu Qingfeng shrugged, not bothering to expose her further.
"Here! Another forty-five Storage Bags for you. How about that? Happy now?"
"Passable."
Gu Qingfeng didn't refuse, waving his hand to collect the Storage Bags.
"What do you mean 'passable'? Don't push your luck after getting a good deal. Although you opened the Cave Dwelling, that's all you did. According to the old rules, treasures inside a Cave Dwelling are all ownerless items. For any ownerless item, whoever grabs it first gets it. Whether or not to give anything to the person who opened it in the end is entirely up to this Young Lady's discretion. This Young Lady gives if she wants to, and doesn't if she doesn't. You can't do anything about it either."
"And you should know, throughout history, many experts who opened Cave Dwellings were killed by others joining forces! Not only did I not kill you, I even gave you fifty Storage Bags! That's fifty Storage Bags! Every one of them might be filled with countless rare treasures. Go ask around outside—who is as generous as this Young Lady?"
Indeed.
In exploration and treasure hunting, there had always been an unwritten old rule.
Usually, when a Cave Dwelling appeared, everyone would discuss and distribute according to the agreed result. If anyone tried to seize things openly or secretly, they would not only be attacked by the group but also ruin their reputation once word got out.
If there was no prior discussion, then it was as Ouyang Ye said—ownerless items, first come, first served.
Even if you were the one who opened the Cave Dwelling's door, it was the same. If others wanted to give you something, they would; if not, you couldn't say anything. After all, you didn't make it clear before opening the Cave Dwelling. However, even if they did give, it was usually just a token gesture. Someone like Ouyang Ye, giving fifty Storage Bags in one go, was truly rare, especially since the two had no particular friendship. Giving so many was even rarer.
"Hey, what are you sitting here for?"
"Waiting for the Cave Dwelling's Eye."
Hearing "Cave Dwelling's Eye," a gleam of light instantly shone in Ouyang Ye's beautiful eyes. "Auntie! Oh no! I've been looking for the Cave Dwelling's Eye all this time and couldn't find it. Don't tell me... you know where the Cave Dwelling's Eye is?"
Gu Qingfeng leaned against the wall, sitting on the meditation cushion, wiping the Erhu, and said with a smile, "The Buddha said, it cannot be spoken, cannot be spoken..."
Ouyang Ye wasn't angry, nor did she speak. She just stared at Gu Qingfeng, her mind racing as she calculated her own little scheme.
If Gu Qingfeng had claimed to know the location of the Cave Dwelling's Eye earlier, Ouyang Ye would never have believed him no matter what. But outside, she had searched for a long time without finding it, while this guy not only found it but could also open it—something Ouyang Ye still found hard to believe.
Of course, 'hard to believe' was just that—it didn't mean she didn't believe.
On the contrary.
After what happened just now, Ouyang Ye felt that this guy should also know the location of the Cave Dwelling's Eye.