Courtyard House: My Long and Hard Body Makes Me Play with All the Women in the Courtyard

They followed the hidden mountain path and finally came to the entrance of a cave covered by dense vines. Amu carefully parted the vines to reveal a dark entrance and stone steps leading downwards.

“We’ve arrived.” Amu lit a torch. “The entrance to the mine tunnel. From now on, keep quiet, stay close to me, and don’t touch anything.”

He stepped into the darkness, Su Ting and Xiao Shi close behind. As they ventured deeper, the ground flattened, and the air grew cold and damp. Ancient runes were occasionally visible on the stone walls, shimmering faintly in the torchlight.

"What are these runes for?" Su Ting asked in a low voice.

“Protection and warning,” Amu explained, “tell people where they can go and where they must avoid. Unfortunately, most of these are no longer effective.”

They walked for about an hour and arrived at a spacious underground hall. Ancient stone pillars supported a high dome, and the walls were covered with intricate bas-reliefs depicting various figures and creatures.

Chapter 846 Explaining as We Walk

Chapter 846 Explaining as We Walk

“Take a break,” Amu said. “It’s safe here. The road ahead will be more complicated.”

Su Ting examined the reliefs with curiosity and found that one of them depicted three people holding a glowing object, seemingly performing some kind of ritual.

"Is that the Silver Moon's Tear?" he asked, pointing to the relief.

Amu walked over and looked at it: "It might be. These reliefs tell stories from ancient times, when humans and nature coexisted in harmony and magic was more powerful."

Xiao Shi took out food from his backpack and shared it with everyone: "My grandfather said that Blackrock City was once a great magic academy until a power struggle destroyed it."

“Not entirely accurate,” Amu said between bites. “Blackrock City did have a magic academy, but its decline was due to the magical tide. The scholars of the time attempted to control a power they didn't understand, and failed catastrophically.”

"Just like the current void leak," Su Ting said thoughtfully.

Amu nodded: "History always repeats itself. Come on, let's move on."

They had just finished packing and were about to leave when a strange vibration came from underground, followed by a deep rumbling sound.

Xiao Shi stood up alertly: "What is this?"

Amu's expression turned serious: "The mine shaft is awakening. We need to speed things up."

The rumbling sounds from deep within the mine tunnels grew more frequent, and the ground tremors became more pronounced. Amu led them through a series of dark, damp tunnels, choosing a direction without hesitation at each fork in the road.

“There used to be signs here,” Amu explained as they walked, “but most of them are now blurred and illegible. If you get lost, you might have to wander around here for days before you can find your way out.”

As the tunnel widened, shimmering veins of mineral began to appear on the walls, glowing with a bluish-green luster under the torchlight.

"What kind of ore is this?" Su Ting asked curiously.

“Psionic crystals,” Little Stone replied, “can store and channel magical energy. The mages of Blackrock City use them to make magical artifacts and amulets.”

Amu suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal for quiet. They listened intently, and could vaguely hear the sound of flowing water and some kind of scraping sound coming from ahead.

“Something’s moving,” Amu whispered. “Shut out the torch and stay close to me.”

Without the light of torches, the mine should have been completely dark. However, strangely, the blue-green veins of ore began to glow on their own, illuminating the entire tunnel. In this faint and eerie light, they proceeded cautiously.

Rounding a bend, the view suddenly opened up—a huge underground cavern lay before us. In the center of the cavern was an underground lake, its water an unnatural blue, with bubbles rising to the surface from time to time. The surrounding rock walls were covered with glowing vines, their soft light reflected on the water like a starry sky.

“This is…” Su Ting exclaimed in amazement.

“Spirit Lake,” Amu said, “is one of the legendary gathering points of magical energy. We need to go around the lake and continue through the passage on the other side.”

They walked along the narrow stone path by the lake. Along the way, Su Ting noticed that the lake water rippled from time to time, as if something was moving underwater.

"Are there any creatures in the lake?" he asked.

“It shouldn’t be,” Amu frowned, “at least not before.”

As soon as the words were spoken, the lake surface suddenly churned violently, and a huge figure burst out of the water, splashing up a large amount of water. It was a fish-shaped creature, about the height of an adult, covered with blue and green scales, with rows of sharp teeth on its head, and a dorsal fin as sharp as a knife.

"Get down!" Amu shouted, drawing his longbow from behind his back.

Chapter 847 Unusual Vigilance

Chapter 847 Unusual Vigilance

The creature traced an arc in the air before crashing back into the water, the spray it created almost soaking their boots.

"What is that?" Xiao Shi asked in terror.

“Mutated deep-lake fish,” Amu said warily, aiming at the water’s surface. “The void pollution has penetrated deep into this area.”

The lake surface churned again, and this time it wasn't just one, but three or four mutated fish leaping out at the same time, rushing towards the stone path where they were.

Amu decisively released the bowstring, shooting the closest fish squarely in the eye. The struck fish let out a piercing scream, writhed in the air a few times, and fell back into the lake. But the others had already rushed to the shore, their sharp teeth gripping the stone path, trying to climb up.

"Grab your weapon!" Amu shouted as he changed arrows.

Su Ting drew his short sword, while Xiao Shi brandished his dagger. A mutated fish successfully climbed onto the stone path and lunged at Su Ting. He dodged to the side, simultaneously slashing down with his sword, cutting open the fish's belly. Blackish-green liquid gushed out, emitting a pungent, fishy stench.

Xiao Shi also engaged in a struggle with a mutated fish. He skillfully dodged the attacks and seized the opportunity to plunge his dagger into the fish's gills. The fish struggled violently for a few moments, then finally stopped moving.

"Advance!" Amu shot down the last fish with an arrow. "They'll keep coming!"

The three quickly ran forward along the stone path. Sure enough, the lake behind them churned again, and more mutated fish leaped out of the water. They ran desperately and finally reached the tunnel entrance on the other side of the lake. Amu took out a small cloth bag, sprinkled out some powder, lit it, and threw it behind him. The powder exploded, forming a wall of fire that blocked the pursuing mutated fish.

“This will buy us a little time,” Amu said, panting. “We have to hurry.”

Upon entering the new tunnel, darkness returned. Amu relit his torch to illuminate the path ahead. This tunnel was distinctly different from the previous one—the walls were carved with intricate patterns and runes, and the floor was paved with broken but still legible stone slabs.

“This was carved out by hand,” Su Ting observed, “and it’s very old.”

“Yes,” Amu nodded, “we are approaching the core area of ​​the mine, which was once an ancient sacrificial site.”

As they went deeper, the tunnel grew wider and wider, eventually leading to a circular hall. In the center of the hall was a huge stone platform, surrounded by twelve stone pillars, each inscribed with a different symbol. A small hole in the dome above the platform allowed a faint beam of light to shine through, illuminating the center of the platform.

“The Sun Well,” Amu explained, “is where the sunlight shines directly on the stone platform at noon, activating its energy.”

Su Ting walked toward the stone platform and found that the surface was engraved with a complex star map, with a groove in the middle, shaped as if it were specially designed for something.

"This is... wait!" He touched the silver moon fragment on his chest and was surprised to find that it was slightly warm and glowing with a soft light.

Amu asked nervously, "What did you sense?"

“The fragment is responding to this place.” Su Ting took out the fragment, and its light shone exceptionally brightly in the hall.

Xiao Shi exclaimed in surprise, "The legend is true! This place is indeed related to the Silver Moon Tears."

Su Ting carefully placed the fragment in the groove of the stone platform and was amazed to find that it fit perfectly. In an instant, the entire hall lit up—every stone pillar began to glow, and the star map on the stone platform seemed to come alive, with points of light flowing along the engraved lines to form a complete star map.

“This is incredible,” Little Stone murmured, “the power of ancient magic…”

Amu, however, appeared unusually vigilant: "Retrieve the fragments, quickly! This commotion is too loud."

Chapter 848 Torches Lighted One by One

Chapter 848 Torches Lighted One by One

Su Ting reached for the fragment, only to find it embedded in the stone platform, completely immovable. "It's stuck!"

Just then, the entire hall began to tremble, and the light emanating from the stone pillars intensified. A beam of light shot down from the dome, connecting with the fragments on the stone platform. A blurry image emerged within the beam—a black castle, towering with numerous turrets, surrounded by dense forests and distant mountains.

“That’s Blackrock City,” Amu recognized it, “but not like it is now, it’s a scene from hundreds of years ago.”

In the image, three people in long robes stand atop the castle, holding gleaming objects, seemingly performing some kind of ritual. Suddenly, a blinding light flashes, and the image transforms into a chaotic vortex.

The earth shook violently, the stone pillars began to sway, and some even developed cracks.

"This place is going to collapse!" Amu shouted. "We have to get out of here!"

Su Ting pulled hard on the fragment, finally pulling it out with a screeching sound. The pillar of light disappeared, but the tremors didn't stop; instead, they intensified. Stone fragments fell from the dome and crashed to the ground.

"This way!" Amu pointed to a side door he hadn't noticed before, "Emergency exit!"

The three rushed towards the side door, followed by a tremendous roar as stone pillars began to collapse one after another. They burst through the side door and found it to be a narrow, steep escape route.

"Climb!" Amu commanded, "Don't stop!"

They climbed desperately upwards, the tremors behind them growing stronger. Finally, in the darkness, they saw a faint light—it was the exit! The three of them mustered their last strength and rushed towards the light source.

Just as I rushed out of the passage, a deafening collapse sounded behind me. Looking back, the entrance to the passage was completely buried by rocks.

“That was too dangerous,” Amu said, panting. “I was almost buried alive.”

They looked around and found themselves in a desolate valley, surrounded by jagged rocks and sparse bushes. In the distance, the outline of a black castle could be seen, towering high in the mountains.

"Blackrock City," Su Ting recognized it, "it's so close?"

“We took a shortcut,” Amu explained. “The shrine is actually not far below Blackrock City.”

Xiao Shi studied the surrounding environment: "But we can't go directly there. There are sentries on the city walls and patrols on the surrounding plains."

Amu pointed to the east: "There's a stream there. If you follow the stream, you can get close to the slums outside the city. It'll be relatively easier to sneak into the city from there."

They found a secluded spot to rest and recover their strength. Su Ting took out the fragment to examine it and found new patterns on its surface, with a faint arrow pointing north.

“The fragments have changed,” he told his companions, “as if they are pointing the way.”

Amu nodded: "The stone platform has activated it. Now it will lead us to the last fragment."

“I don’t understand,” Xiao Shi frowned, “why are the fragments of the Silver Moon Tear connected to that shrine? And what do those images mean?”

Amu pondered for a moment: "According to the legends of our tribe, the Silver Moon Tear was originally used to control or guide magical energy. Perhaps when the demonic tide came, those three people tried to use it to control the situation, but they failed."

"So it shattered, and its power was scattered across three locations?" Su Ting speculated.