Gu Qingcheng and Du Lanyue walked to the mouth of the cave. At first glance, the cave appeared unremarkable, just a dark opening the size of half a room, overgrown with weeds. However, a small platform of about 100 square meters lay directly in front.
Because many people visited, the platform was littered with trash: oil paper bags, broken jars, and the like. It was evident that even ancient people weren't always considerate, as littering was a common sight.
Standing at the cave entrance, the two felt a gust of cold wind blow directly at their faces.
"Are you cold?" Gu Qingcheng asked Du Lanyue.
Du Lanyue, dressed lightly and attractively for her outing with Gu Qingcheng, looked beautiful but wasn't prepared for the chill.
However, being at the cave entrance, she hadn't yet felt the full extent of the cold. Since they had come this far, and she hadn't brought any spare clothes, she couldn't possibly turn back just because of the cold.
So, she resolutely said, "Not cold, let's go inside!"
Gu Qingcheng, who genuinely didn't feel cold, didn't doubt her and led her into the cave, holding her hand.
Her interactions with Du Lanyue had become increasingly relaxed. She now considered her a kindred spirit and a good friend, her words and actions becoming much more intimate.
Seeing how familiar Gu Qingcheng was with holding her hand, Du Lanyue was secretly delighted, feeling that she was no longer treated as an outsider.
Once inside, Gu Qingcheng noticed that the cave was lit with storm lanterns everywhere, preventing it from being completely dark. She couldn't help but smile.
"I had prepared candles, thinking it would be pitch black. I didn't expect it to be run as a tourist spot."
Du Lanyue also looked around curiously. Seeing stone walls on all sides and only a seemingly endless passage leading deeper, she remarked, "Is there anything special? It's all just rocks."
"Let's try going further in."
Gu Qingcheng felt that if this attraction had a good local reputation, it must have something unique.
Indeed, the scenery lay just around the corner.
The two walked into the passage and, after about a hundred meters of winding path, the scenery suddenly changed.
They entered a stalactite and stalagmite chamber. Cave formations of various sizes, bizarre and wonderfully crafted by nature, loomed before them. What was most remarkable was their natural artistry.
On the natural stone platforms surrounding them, more storm lanterns were placed, allowing them to clearly see the magnificent sights before them.
At this point, they weren't the only ones in the cave. There were other tourists, men and women, young and old, about thirty to forty people in total.
"Esteemed young sir, to continue appreciating the strange stalactites further, each person needs to pay twenty wen for a ticket."
Just then, an old man approached Gu Qingcheng and bowed.
So, there was an entrance fee. This explained the signs of human intervention.
It wasn't surprising; without income, where would the maintenance and upkeep costs come from?
Gu Qingcheng didn't feel ripped off. She cheerfully paid the old man 40 wen.
The old man handed them two bamboo slips, saying they were proof of payment. If anyone asked for tickets again, they could show these slips.
Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but chuckle.
It seemed that people's "anti-theft" awareness was quite high.
The two admired the sights for a while. The old man mentioned that there was a larger stone chamber further inside that could be admired, but he advised against going too deep. He explained that there were many branching paths and he feared guests might get lost. He stated that they would not be responsible if guests insisted on venturing further.
Upon hearing that there was a larger stone chamber, the two naturally wanted to see it all.
Du Lanyue rarely had the chance to go out and play, so she naturally wanted to enjoy herself to the fullest, especially when it was with Gu Qingcheng.
Although it was cold in the cave, she had adapted after being inside for a while. Moreover, with Gu Qingcheng's warm hand holding hers, she didn't feel too cold. Instead, a unique feeling bloomed in her heart.
After walking through a narrower passage for about 30 meters, they indeed found themselves in a stone chamber several times larger than the previous one.
Seeing the bizarre stalactites and stalagmites inside, Gu Qingcheng remarked,
"It's definitely worth the ticket price. Look, for this stalactite to form, it must have taken at least tens of thousands of years. To allow us to see it, it has been working for tens of thousands of years."
Gu Qingcheng's words fascinated Du Lanyue. She asked,
"How do you know it took tens of thousands of years to form? That's impossible, isn't it? It's too long."
Gu Qingcheng proceeded to explain the principle of stalactite pillar formation, how calcium bicarbonate, carbon dioxide, and water formed the deposited stalactites.
Such formations only grew about 3 millimeters a year, so it would take tens of thousands of years to grow into a stalagmite…
Du Lanyue listened, lost in thought.
They didn't notice that while they were absorbed in admiring the scenery, no more tourists entered the outer chamber. As the tourists in the large stone chamber left, unnoticed, the two of them were eventually left alone.
"Huh? Where did everyone go?" After a long while, Gu Qingcheng noticed that all the tourists had left. "It's only been less than fifteen minutes. How could everyone be gone?"
"Perhaps they came earlier and finished their sightseeing."
Du Lanyue, hearing Gu Qingcheng's murmurs, finally snapped back to attention and looked around. She then thought that perhaps it wasn't so bad like this; it had become a space for her and Gu Qingcheng to be alone.
"Haha, you two seem to be having a grand time, don't you? Truly know how to enjoy yourselves. The young couple getting cozy here, are you?"
Just then, a voice that sounded ill-intentioned broke the quiet atmosphere of the stone chamber.
Gu Qingcheng and Du Lanyue looked up and exclaimed, "Oh, it's an old acquaintance: Young Master Li, whose cheeks are still swollen."
Gu Qingcheng chuckled and said,
"Oh, Young Master Li, have you learned nothing from your last beating? What, are you looking for trouble again?"
Young Master Li's tone was clearly malicious, so Gu Qingcheng saw no need to be polite.
Young Master Li was still accompanied by his usual lackeys, but this time their numbers were greater, totaling around 20. Clearly, if he was here to cause trouble, Young Master Li had come well-prepared.
Gu Qingcheng and Du Lanyue were only two people, and Du Lanyue had no combat ability. This meant Gu Qingcheng had to face twenty opponents, a seemingly impossible task. Young Master Li was therefore very confident.
He was eagerly awaiting the moment he could beat Gu Qingcheng soundly, see him cry and beg for mercy, and regain his lost dignity.
Unexpectedly, Gu Qingcheng, though physically outnumbered, showed no sign of backing down, not even changing his expression. This displeased Young Master Li greatly. He snorted coldly,
"Stubborn as a donkey. Men, beat him!"
Young Master Li pointed at Gu Qingcheng and ordered his subordinates to attack.
Du Lanyue was terrified. She never expected that this Young Master Li was so persistent. Despite being severely beaten yesterday, he hadn't learned his lesson and had actually followed them.
"Young Master Gu, you, you should escape first!"
Du Lanyue, seeing the critical situation, blurted out to Gu Qingcheng in a moment of panic.
"How can I do that? You came out with me, and I will ensure you get back safely."
As Gu Qingcheng spoke, he suddenly raised his hand. Before anyone could comprehend what was happening, they heard a cry of pain from the lackey rushing towards Gu Qingcheng. The man fell to the ground, clutching his thigh and groaning incessantly.