Boundless Cavern, The

Accessed from the ravine of the Lake of Swords by an opening about three chi (99.99 centimetres) tall that was located to the north of the lesser Boundless Jade Wall. Beyond the opening was a pitch-dark descending passageway that ended with a door. The door, apparently made of a copper alloy, had large rings and bowl-sized rivets on it. The air in the space behind the door smelt very musty, as if no one had lived there for a long time (Chapter 2).

The layout of the cavern included (in order of appearance, all in Chapter 2):

(1) A circular room with stone walls

• The room was bathed in a dim light that came from a window on the left of the door.
• The window, which was actually a large piece of crystal set in the wall, afforded an amazing underwater view of the Lake of Swords.
• There was a dust-covered table and a stool in the room.
• There was a tarnished bronze mirror on the table, as well as combs and hair-pins, indicating that the room had once belonged to a woman.
• There were also more than 30 bronze mirrors set randomly into the walls of the room, leading Duan Yu to conclude that the occupant might have been very beautiful.
• One of the mirrors, located in the east of the room, reflected some light on to a crack in the south-western wall. The south-western wall could be pushed open to reveal another room.

(2) The room of the White Jade Statue

• Located behind the south-western wall of the circular room; accessed by pushing the wall open at the designated crack.
• Contained the White Jade Statue (see Objects).
• Had six large pieces of crystal set into its walls, making it much brighter than the circular room.
• Many lines of text from the philosopher Zhuang Zi 庄子 were carved into the eastern wall, apparently by a very strong wrist wielding a sharp tool; each stroke sank half-a- cun (1.67 centimetres) into the stone. The text was signed: 'Written by Wuyazi for Qiushui- mei' (see Culture and Lifestyle -> Terms of Address for ' mei').
• Had a separate passageway that led out of the cavern and the ravine of the Lake of Swords.

(3) The stone bedroom beyond the first moon-gate

• Located to the right of the White Jade Statue, i.e. Duan Yu's left if he was facing the statue.
• Contained a stone bed and a small wooden cradle; as well as a 7-stringed zither with broken strings on the wall and a 19-lined chessboard with an unfinished game on a small stone table to the left the bed.

(4) The Library of the Lord of Heaven, the Perfect Place of Happiness (Lang2 Huan1 Fu2 Di4 琅嬛福地)

• A huge cave where the books and manuals for the pugilistic arts of every school and clan under the sun were kept.
• Accessed through a second moon-gate at the foot of the stone bed in the stone bedroom.
• Filled with rows of empty wooden bookshelves that were marked with pieces of paper. The pieces of paper had the names of pugilistic schools and clans written on them, e.g. the Kunlun School, the Shaolin School, Sichuan's School of the Green City, and Shandong's School of the Immortals' Abode. The Duan Family of Dali was also included as a unique martial arts family.
• Some of the labels had notes on them, viz:
  - The Shaolin School: "Short of the 'Tendon-Changing Sutra'."
  - The Beggars' Gang: "Short of the 'Twenty-Eight Dragon-Subduing Palms'."
  - The Duan Family of Dali: "Short of the 'Single Finger of Positivity' and the 'Phenomenal Swords of the Six Channels'. How very regretful."
• There was no other door or passageway out of the library except the moon-gate through which it was first accessed.

(5) The route out of the cavern and the ravine of the Lake of Swords

• Different from the opening near the lesser Boundless Jade Wall.
• Located in a corner of the room of the White Jade Statue.
• Consisted of a rising flight of about 100 stone steps with three bends, followed by another 200 odd steps.
• Opened out to the bank of Lancang River, about 10 zhang (33.33 metres) from the surface of the water.