Chapter 367 - 252: Can’t Anyone Enjoy a Hot Spring in Peace?
Chapter 367: Chapter 252: Can’t Anyone Enjoy a Hot Spring in Peace?
Li Xiang waved a hand, indicating he understood.
"Please enjoy your stay." Chiba Yuki bowed slightly and retreated with a light step. She prayed in her heart, hoping this guest wouldn’t be scared away.
In the past, whenever a guest checked in, they would receive a threatening phone call and promptly check out.
Chiba Yuki felt there was something mysterious about this Chinese guest. His voice was magnetic, and he was tall, strong, and powerfully built. Surely he wasn’t the timid type?
Furthermore, she found him to be an upright person. His eyes were clear, free of any lecherous or sleazy gaze, and he hadn’t harassed her with words.
She, a beautiful young woman, had led him alone to such a private underground grotto, yet he hadn’t made a single move on her. Instead, he had just waved his hand, signaling for her to leave quickly.
’Oh dear, I was so focused on making the sale that I forgot to register his ID. Oh well, I’ll just ask for the guest’s name when I get the chance.’
’Actually, it’s better this way. If I don’t register him, that nasty old man won’t know I have a guest. He won’t be able to get the guest’s phone number, and he won’t be able to make any threatening calls.’
A thousand thoughts raced through Chiba Yuki’s mind, her emotions in turmoil. She returned to her daughters’ room to help them get dressed, then washed their faces and brushed their teeth.
"Mommy, did a guest come just now?" one of her daughters asked in a sweet, childish voice.
"Yes, sweetie. The guest booked the most expensive private bath for five whole nights and already paid. Tonight, Mommy will make a special dinner to celebrate."
"Yay, Mommy!" The two girls jumped up and down with excitement.
Seeing her daughters so happy, Chiba Yuki felt her spirits lift, and all her worries melted away.
In the underground rock grotto, Li Xiang circulated his Spiritual Power to check his surroundings. Finding no hidden cameras in the room, he locked the door, shed all his disguises, and, completely naked, stepped into the hot spring.
He had to admit, with steam billowing all around, the soak was incredibly comfortable.
Earlier, when the beautiful proprietress was introducing the types of hot springs, she had mentioned this secret underground bath. Li Xiang had chosen it for two reasons. First, it would be convenient for him to use "Earth Escape" to investigate the Earth Vein of Mount Fuji. Second, the proprietress had described it with such care, and the secret bath itself was exquisitely designed.
On the way here, the proprietress had explained that the path wound downward from the entrance, with a total of thirty-seven stone steps, corresponding to Mount Fuji’s 3,776-meter elevation.
With each step down, the scent of sulfur from within the mountain grew stronger. The Japanese-style paper lanterns guiding the way cast distorted shadows on the damp rock walls, as if the slumbering pulse of Mount Fuji was throbbing in the crevices.
The depths of the grotto were inlaid with bands of fluorescent minerals arranged in beautiful patterns. Tiny Ice Crystal particles, condensed from the hot spring steam, floated in the faint blue-green glow.
There were electric lights down here, but the proprietress had advised against turning them on, suggesting that the dim environment created a better atmosphere.
In truth, Li Xiang had his Night Vision Superpower, so nothing could hide from his sight.
However, he could also turn his Night Vision off.
Li Xiang, completely undressed, soaked in the hot spring pool and surveyed his surroundings. An hourglass by the pool, made with volcanic gravel from a Mount Fuji eruption, was there to time the soak and prevent guests from staying in too long.
An average person couldn’t handle soaking for an excessive amount of time.
But Li Xiang, naturally, had no such fears. He could soak for as long as he wanted without any issue.
The water had a heavy sulfur smell, but it wasn’t unpleasant. Filtered by the grotto’s moss, it had transformed into something like a metallic fragrance mixed with aged cypress and cold iron, which was rather pleasing.
Stalactites hung from the ceiling above the pool like frozen waterfalls. Droplets of water condensing at their tips fell into the pool, creating faint yet pleasant, strange echoes.
The bottom of the pool was paved with fragments of volcanic glass, their edges worn smooth by a century of spring water. Stepping on them produced a tingling sensation, similar to an acupressure massage.
In addition to the dripping from the stalactites, scalding, milky-white sulfurous spring water seeped from cracks in the rock walls, mixing with the artificially introduced cold spring to form spiral-like layers of varying temperatures in the pool.
Li Xiang’s upper body felt as if it were bathed in morning mist, while his lower body felt submerged in molten lava. It was a comfortable sensation that only those who experienced it could truly understand.
’This place is really nice. But the humidity is so high, a normal person would probably get rheumatoid arthritis staying here, right?’
After soaking for about an hour, Li Xiang got out, dried himself off, and went to the nearby guest room. He closed the door and turned on the air conditioner, and it felt fine. Since running the AC for a long time would make the air very dry, the steam from the hot spring outside acted as a natural humidifier. He couldn’t help but feel he had been worrying for nothing.
Li Xiang got dressed, his Giant Whale Saint Armor covering his body. A yellow-brown light flared on his skin as he activated the Earth Escape Technique and sank through the grotto floor. After a quick look around, he headed toward the Fuji Mountain Range.
This underground private bath was indeed a natural hot spring. Li Xiang had already traced its source; it was connected to Mount Fuji’s underground water system. The acidic spring water, containing hydrogen sulfide, inhibited microbial growth, so this type of natural hot spring didn’t actually need chlorine for disinfection.
Snow’s Inn was still quite a distance from the main peak of Mount Fuji. As the saying goes, mountains are closer than they appear. Although Mount Fuji seemed just a stone’s throw away, it was probably at least thirty or forty kilometers away.
And this was considered close. Many other hot spring inns were even farther.
In fact, being able to admire the 3,776-meter-high main peak of Mount Fuji while soaking in a hot spring was proof enough of the distance. If you were actually on the mountain or at its base, you wouldn’t be able to see the peak at all. It was like not seeing the forest for the trees.
Li Xiang used Earth Escape just beneath the surface, occasionally passing through a lake. There were five large lakes around Mount Fuji, known as the Fuji Five Lakes. The scenery was breathtaking, and the lakes were formed by volcanic eruptions damming up rivers.
Li Xiang didn’t know which lake he was in. He would pop his head up occasionally to check his bearings, making sure he didn’t go in the wrong direction or overshoot his target.
Earth Escape was still too slow. Li Xiang emerged in a deserted area and thought for a moment. ’I might as well travel on the surface. The view is better.’ With a flicker of his body, he arrived at the main peak of Mount Fuji in an instant.
A few bats flew past and disappeared into a cave. Li Xiang’s eyes lit up, and he headed in that direction.
The entrance to this Bat Cave was relatively small, and a long section inside was quite narrow. In his past life, getting inside would have been a bit of a hassle, but with Earth Escape, there was no obstacle at all.
When he reached the depths of the cave, he couldn’t help but be amazed.
It was like a hidden paradise inside, and it was remarkably warm. Outside was the bitter cold of winter, but inside, it was as warm and humid as spring.
The rock walls were covered with a thick layer of moss and ferns, forming a self-contained, glowing ecosystem.
There were geothermal resources here as well. The clusters of hanging stalactites were covered with Vampire Bat nests, packed so densely it was impossible to count them.
The moment Li Xiang entered, the system’s notifications—"Mutated Creatures detected"—began to pop up nonstop. This meant that when the Apocalypse arrived, these bats had been protected by Mount Fuji’s special Earth Vein, allowing them to survive and mutate in large numbers.
Li Xiang took out the Profound Iron Mountain-Removal Rod. This large rod had a Vibration Extraordinary Attribute that could emit powerful ultrasound waves, making it perfect for dealing with bats.
But as the rod settled into his hand, Li Xiang suddenly let out a self-deprecating laugh. ’At my current level, why would I need a rod to harvest bats? That’s way too inefficient.’
It was daytime, so almost all the bats had returned to the cave to sleep. This cavern twisted and turned through the mountain’s core, with wide chambers and narrow passages, its total area unknown. Using a rod to clear it out would be drudgery fit for a beast of burden.
A yellow-brown light flickered around his body as he grunted, "Just die!"
He activated his Earth Superpower, and the entire cavern began to collapse.
The massive disturbance caused the whole of Mount Fuji to tremble. Nearby towns and monitoring stations were horrified. Was it an earthquake? Or was Mount Fuji about to erupt?
Mount Fuji was an active volcano. Although its last eruption was in 1707, there was no guarantee when the next one might be. Could it be today?
Many people trembled in fear, rushing outside in a panic.
Some who had been soaking naked in hot springs felt the tremors in the Earth Vein and the violent sloshing of the water. They were so scared they ran out naked and stood shivering in the snow, their skin turning purple from the cold.
But the culprit behind it all, Li Xiang, was ecstatic. He chuckled from within the belly of Mount Fuji. From this one cavern system alone, he had harvested over 200,000 Achievement Points, more than five thousand units of Spiritual Medicine, and even obtained two Extraordinary Items. Their Tier was low, though—just two small daggers engraved with exquisite silver patterns, similar in quality to the White Fang Dagger.
Mount Fuji covered a considerable area, about 1,200 square kilometers. Besides the main peak, "Jade Fan," also known as "Furong Peak," "Fu Yue," or "Unparalleled High Ridge," there were eight other major peaks in the vicinity.
These were the "Eight Peaks of Mount Fuji": Sword Peak, Bai Shanyue, Kusushi Peak, Great Sun Peak, Izu Peak, Achievement Peak, Ju Yue, and Three Peaks.
Li Xiang searched among these mountains, clearing out one Bat Cave after another.
The residents of the surrounding towns, especially the hot spring bathers, were miserable. One moment they were soaking, and the next, holy crap, an earthquake! They’d scramble out in terror.
After a while, things would quiet down. Thinking it was safe, they’d go back in to soak. But before long, the ground and the spring water would start to tremble slightly again...
What the hell? This was unbearable. How was anyone supposed to enjoy a relaxing hot spring while being scared out of their wits?
Many people caught colds from running in and out naked, sneezing constantly. Business at many hot spring inns was suffering.
Chiba Yuki’s private bathhouse was relatively close to Mount Fuji, so the tremors were quite noticeable. However, she didn’t have many guests to begin with. After being closed for renovations for half a month, today was her first day back in business, and Li Xiang was her only customer.
’I wonder how that gentleman is doing? Should I go check on him?’ After the first "earthquake," Chiba Yuki grew worried. She worked up the courage to go and disturb him, but after ringing the doorbell for a long time with no answer, she clenched her jaw, grabbed the key, and went in, only to find the room empty.
’Did the guest leave at some point?’
’He must have. Maybe I didn’t notice when I went to the restroom just now.’
Chiba Yuki saw the dirty clothes Li Xiang had changed out of tossed in the laundry basket, so she took them out to wash. Among them were Li Xiang’s discarded underwear and socks.
Since the guest’s dirty laundry was here, he must have gone out sightseeing, not left without a word. Besides, Li Xiang had paid in advance.