Chapter Sixteen: Nine Linked Rings

A few seconds later, a creature with the size of a lion but the head of a bull came tumbling down from the side. Sun Licheng stepped closer and found that the beast was already dead; its armor-like hide had been scorched black by lightning, and its gaping bull’s mouth released waves of heat thick with the scent of roasted meat. Now Sun Licheng understood: anyone entering that magic circle would be struck dead by a powerful bolt of lightning, after which the corpse would be tossed into this great pit to be devoured by the two-headed wolf.

“Damn, that’s efficient! A natural waste disposal system,” Sun Licheng commented, impressed.

The reality, however, was far more elaborate than he had imagined. The creator of the magic circle had not only set up a lethal array to obliterate intruders, but had also deliberately connected the cave to a den of hellhounds—two-headed wolves from the underworld, among the most dangerous creatures beneath the earth. Not only were they ferocious fighters, but their fangs could tear apart anything, leaving no trace of whatever fell into their lair. Only a few bones lay scattered about, too tough even for those jaws to break—prime materials, in fact, for forging artifacts.

Ordinarily, poisons would have no effect on the hellhounds, whose stomachs could digest any toxin, but they had never encountered a glitch in the system like Sun Licheng. Unable to withstand the backlash of divine power, the entire hellhound pack perished once the magic circle’s seal was broken.

Blissfully unaware of all this, Sun Licheng was now gnawing on a bull’s leg, his face the very picture of carefree gluttony.

...

The meat of magical beasts was indeed nourishing; its energy sped up Sun Licheng’s recovery, and his severed limbs and wounds were visibly mending with astonishing speed. Even though the hellhounds’ flesh tasted foul, he forced himself to eat most of the corpses scattered around. Naturally, the dark properties of their meat triggered adverse reactions in his body, but with the twin weapons of morning calisthenics and tai chi—especially the latter, which balanced yin and yang and dissipated internal heat—he quickly dispelled the discomfort.

After finishing off the hellhounds and working through a tai chi routine, Sun Licheng sensed his endurance had grown stronger. He grinned with satisfaction. “Whatever else, stamina is the ultimate tool for escape. If I can’t win, at least I can outrun them.”

Having taken too many beatings, the thought of escape now filled his mind.

After clearing the corpses from the tunnel, Sun Licheng spotted a pitch-black hole at the bottom of the cave whose destination was unknown. He approached it, peered inside, and was immediately assailed by a stench of blood and death so intense it made him shudder. A bone-chilling cold emanated from the hole.

He glanced back, picked up a hellhound’s skull to test its weight, found it satisfactory, and hurled it into the opening.

A shriek echoed from within, making Sun Licheng jump back in alarm. He scrambled away to the far side of the cavern just as a monstrous head emerged from the hole. It looked like a lizard’s but was far uglier; foul saliva dripped from its gaping maw, and a long, forked tongue flicked out. Clearly enraged, its yellow, lantern-like eyes glared at Sun Licheng with a chilling malice.

But then it saw the remains of the hellhounds strewn across the floor.

Because of Sun Licheng, the entire hellhound clan had been wiped out. The monster, having entered the den to scavenge, was struck on the head by the object Sun Licheng had thrown and immediately flew into a rage, charging forward for revenge—only to discover that the formidable pack of hellhounds had all perished here.

“What kind of terrifying being is this?” the monster thought, horror filling its heart.

When it looked again at Sun Licheng, he now appeared as a cunning beast disguised as a fool.

Sun Licheng watched as the monster’s fierce gaze turned instantly to terror. Its head snapped back into the hole, and with a loud pop, the black opening vanished.

The string of sudden events left Sun Licheng dazed. “Did that really just happen?”

It really had. The pile of bones had scared away the crisis at hand.

With the danger passed, Sun Licheng confirmed that the sloping ramp above him was the only exit from this deep pit. He touched the stone wall and found it uncannily smooth, as if glazed. Tapping it produced a faint metallic sound.

After pondering his options, Sun Licheng exerted great effort to snap a rib from the lion’s carcass. He leveled the bone and drove it hard into the cave wall. With a crack, the tip shattered.

“What the hell?!” he muttered, staring at the broken bone in frustration. “Am I trapped here?”

Suddenly, a series of noises jolted him from his thoughts—a dry bone had rolled under his foot. On closer inspection, he noticed two faint scratches on the hard ground. Realization dawned. He quickly picked up the bone, found one end was sharp, and thrust it forcefully into the wall. The bone sank in a ways; when he pulled it out, the tip was undamaged. Tapping it with a finger, he heard a clear metallic ring.

“What a treasure!” Sun Licheng silently praised.

Ordinarily, he would never dream of leaving this tunnel without scavenging every last valuable, but survival came first. He found another suitable bone and, alternating between the two, drove them into the ramp as footholds, slowly climbing upward.

The pit was deep; Sun Licheng climbed over two hundred meters before finally seeing the exit. Good thing his endurance had just been boosted, or the climb alone would have killed him.

...

Emerging at the top, Sun Licheng found the stone doors that had swallowed him less than two meters away. He was just about to inspect them when a sudden light appeared. It was as though someone had flipped a switch: from where he stood to the distant end, rows of stones overhead lit up one after another, illuminating the whole cavern as bright as day.

“Damn, is this a magical world? Why does it feel more like the Matrix to me?” The sequential lighting made him feel as if he’d stepped into a space station.

He now realized he was standing in a great hall. The rectangular chamber spanned three or four hundred square meters, its floor paved with massive stone slabs, smooth and clean. Above, vast gray bricks formed a vaulted Gothic dome of breathtaking grandeur.

After his recent adventures, Sun Licheng was no longer so easily excited by signs of ancient construction. But as he surveyed the majestic, temple-like hall, filled with a sense of power, he couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

At one end of the hall, two enormous iron doors stood tightly shut, strikingly conspicuous. Bathed in the orange glow of braziers on either side, they looked both weighty and mysterious.

“Miracle? Treasure? Jackpot?” These three words flashed across Sun Licheng’s mind as he took in the scene.

At that moment, a voice rang out in his mind.

Sun Licheng was certain he’d never heard such a language before, yet he understood it perfectly, as if consciousness itself were transmitting meaning—just as described in countless books.

“Chosen of the gods, your arrival here is fate’s decree. Yet you must still solve the problem of the separated rings. If you fail to complete the task before a single candle burns out, you will suffer the gods’ wrath and atone before the mighty deity amid the flames.”

The voice was cold and disdainful.

“Hey! What’s this ring problem?” Sun Licheng called out in confusion.

But no explanation came. Instead, a thin candle appeared before his eyes, suspended in midair and already burning.

“Crap!” Sun Licheng cried out, realizing this was a death sentence.

Just then, a ball of light materialized in front of him, slowly turning translucent to reveal its contents.

Inside was an object made of metal and the bone of some unknown beast: nine rings and a handle. All nine rings were currently looped onto the handle. Though the design was thoroughly Western fantasy, Sun Licheng cried out in excitement when he saw it: “Nine Linked Rings!”

The Nine Linked Rings is an ancient puzzle from his homeland, with a history stretching back centuries and widespread popularity since the Song dynasty. Made of wire and iron pieces, it consists of nine rings and a handle. The challenge lies in removing the rings from the handle one by one and then reattaching them, demanding both patience and intellect.

In his previous life, Sun Licheng had bought a set to play with his children and had become quite skilled at it.

Time was short. Without waiting for the ball of light to fade, he picked up the rings and set to work.

He moved with practiced ease, quickly removing the first ring.

“Hm?” The voice sounded surprised.

Before Sun Licheng could react, the temperature in the hall shot up. A massive magic circle appeared on the floor, and waves of heat surged forth. Sun Licheng also noticed the candle burning a little faster.

“Are you kidding me? Raising the difficulty on the fly?” he shouted in protest, redoubling his pace.

The heat mounted, his hair curling from the oven-like air, sweat pouring from him in torrents. Faced with life and death, Sun Licheng pushed himself to his limits, entering a trance-like state as his hands danced and the rings came off one by one.

The candle dwindled rapidly; the only sounds in the hall were the clinking of the puzzle and his ragged breathing.

At last, as the candle was about to die, Sun Licheng gave a triumphant shout and removed the final ring.

“See that? You bastard! I did it!”

He waved the solved puzzle in the air, venting his anger.

Perhaps out of guilt—or simply disdain—no response came.

The magic circle vanished, the hall’s temperature dropped, and with a grating screech, the massive iron doors slowly opened.