When the two halves of the seal were put together, sure enough, the four characters "True Water Has No Fragrance" appeared.
Nan Yu held it in her hand and examined it carefully for a long time. Suddenly, she seemed to remember something. "Could this be the key to that stone door?"
"I haven't had the chance to try it yet," Tan Linyuan replied.
Actually, it wasn't that he hadn't had the chance. Before Nan Yu came, he had no intention of doing so.
Although he now knew the whole truth about the Tan family's affairs, sometimes he would deceive himself and think that maybe it would be better not to know.
In this way, he wouldn't be completely disappointed in family affection.
By this reasoning, the secrets behind the stone door might not be good for him either.
Many things are often better left unknown.
Not knowing is actually the best.
He couldn't help but laugh at himself. At his age, he was still afraid of the unknown.
Just then, Nan Yu placed her hand on the back of his hand and smiled at him. "Since that's the case, let's go on an adventure together."
Tan Linyuan looked up and met her gaze.
It seemed that with her by his side, the unknown was not so terrifying.
"I'm not sure this can really open the door," Tan Linyuan said.
Nan Yu didn't care. "Let's just give it a try. If it doesn't work, we'll come back."
She was completely in a playful mood now, which really corresponded to her words about "adventure."
Tan Linyuan looked at her radiant expression and couldn't help but smile.
It wouldn't hurt to indulge her for a while.
The air after the rain carried the smell of soil.
Nan Yu held Tan Linyuan's hand tightly. She took each step carefully, and from time to time, she would sway and rely on Tan Linyuan to steady her.
Several times, Tan Linyuan couldn't stand it anymore and said to her, "Let me carry you over."
Nan Yu firmly refused. "I can walk by myself."
Tan Linyuan twitched the corner of his lips. He knew he couldn't escape the fate of cleaning her shoes tonight.
There was nothing he could do. He had to spoil her.
Finally, they reached the stone door. Nan Yu stomped her feet at the door to shake off the mud on her shoes and even bent down to check.
Tan Linyuan watched her childlike actions and couldn't help but smile warmly.
There was no trace of a mother on Nan Yu.
She still had a young girl's heart, and her eyes were filled with curiosity and longing for the world.
Tan Linyuan walked over and took her hand.
The two of them stood in front of the stone door. Nan Yu took out the stone seal from her pocket and handed it to Tan Linyuan.
"You should open it. It's better," Nan Yu had her own reason. "It was left by your master."
Tan Linyuan took it and glanced at the empty slot on the stone door. Then he pushed the seal in.
"Will it trigger any traps?" Nan Yu asked curiously.
Tan Linyuan smiled silently and turned the seal.
The stone door immediately loosened, revealing a crack.
"Wow, it really is the key!" Nan Yu looked amazed. "How did you do it?"
"It's a very simple mortise and tenon mechanism," Tan Linyuan explained to her. "If you're interested, I'll make some toys for you when we get back."
Nan Yu looked at him with admiration. "You can make toys?"
"Back when I was bored," Tan Linyuan replied casually. "I had nothing to do in the temple, so I would tinker with some small things to pass the time."
Nan Yu was stunned for a moment.
Tan Linyuan rarely talked about his past with her.
At first, Nan Yu thought he didn't want to open his heart to her. Later, after she got to know him better, she realized that his past was a dark chapter.
There was no need to talk about such a dark past.
But now he could mention it casually and was willing to share it with her.
Nan Yu felt relieved.
As long as he didn't stay in the past forever.
Light shone through the crack, and Nan Yu could see dust floating in the air.
Tan Linyuan asked her to take two steps back and then pushed the door open forcefully.
Nan Yu covered her nose and coughed twice.
There was a damp and musty smell inside. She craned her neck and peeked inside.
"Let's go in," Tan Linyuan took her hand.
The space inside the stone door was not small, but the light was dim. Tan Linyuan took out his flashlight.
It was relatively clean inside. There was a table, a rotten futon, and an old-looking cabinet.
There was nothing special in the secret room. The two of them rummaged around but found nothing.
"Let's check the cabinet," Nan Yu said.
She walked over and saw that the cabinet was already starting to get moldy.
"Can I open it?" Nan Yu asked softly.
This cabinet was the only place they hadn't checked.
Now it was in front of her, like Pandora's box. Her curiosity drove her to want to check every drawer.
Tan Linyuan nodded. "Sure."
Anyway, this was probably the last time they would come here. They might as well satisfy her curiosity once and for all.
He himself wasn't really interested in these things.
The layout inside was the same as Tan Linyuan remembered.
After getting permission, Nan Yu couldn't wait to pull open the drawer.
In the first drawer, there were only some broken stones and some unfinished stone carvings. In the second drawer, there was a pile of broken Buddhist beads. They seemed to have been polished, but the beads were not plump enough.
Nan Yu looked down at the Buddhist beads on her wrist and guessed that they were made from the leftover wood of this string.
There was nothing meaningful in the first two drawers.
"Did you think you'd find some treasure?" Tan Linyuan saw the disappointment in her eyes. "Master Wenjing was a very honest person. Little money-grubber, you should pin your hopes on me instead."
He laughed. "I'm more likely to bring you wealth."
"Nonsense. You have nothing now," Nan Yu pouted. "You're penniless and have to rely on me to support you."
Tan Linyuan smiled but didn't say anything.
The smell in the secret room was not pleasant. Nan Yu's initial excitement and anticipation had almost faded away. She wanted to quickly open the last drawer and then leave.
Unexpectedly, when the drawer was opened, there was a brocade box inside. It was square in size, like a huge dictionary.
Nan Yu caught her breath. Her voice was filled with surprise. "There really is a treasure!"
She was so excited that she wanted to take out the box, but it was incredibly heavy.
"Sure enough, it's Pandora's box," Nan Yu concluded. "It's so hard to open."
Tan Linyuan found it funny. He went over to help her take it out. When he touched the box, he also felt that it was quite heavy.
The air in the secret room was not good, so the two of them took the box out of the secret room directly and decided to open it when they got back to Jing'an Temple.
On the way back, Nan Yu was extremely excited.
"I guess there must be some priceless treasures inside," she said.
Tan Linyuan's voice was calm. "It could just be a piece of jade."
Nan Yu didn't believe it. "Then why would they hide it? It might be a very precious piece of jade."
To avoid disappointing her too much, Tan Linyuan didn't continue to dampen her enthusiasm.
When they got back to the meditation room in Jing'an Temple, Tan Linyuan placed the brocade box on the table.
They sat facing each other. Nan Yu looked very serious.
"I'm going to open it," Nan Yu took a deep breath.
Tan Linyuan held back his urge to laugh and nodded.