"To be honest, ever since I saw the treasure of Azure Dragon Mountain in my masterâs notes years ago, Iâve been obsessed, constantly wondering if itâs related to a dragon."
"Everyone, Iâm just tagging along to satisfy my curiosity. Once thatâs done, Iâll head to the Capital."
"That works."
Li Yan nodded and said, "But Mr. Lin, youâd better behave. If you mess around and die on the way, we wonât take responsibility."
This Lin Yu dared to roam alone; itâs clear heâs trained in some martial arts, coupled with various secret techniques, heâs got some skill.
Heâs just new to the pugilistic world and lacks experience.
Sha Lifei chuckled and diligently poured a cup of wine, "Mr. Lin, youâre lucky to have run into us."
"Thank you."
The early spring chill hadnât faded yet, and after soaking in the water for a long time, Lin Yuâs face was pale with cold. He took the cup and drank, smiling, "I certainly asked around and knew you were all heroes of the pugilistic world before I thickened my skin to tag along."
"If caught, at worst, Iâll pay my way out of trouble."
"Pay your way out of trouble?"
Sha Lifei laughed sinisterly, "With someone like you, a Hidden Treasure Man, who needs money? If caught, youâd be controlled with poison, using your treasure-hunting skills to escape death, and money would flow endlessly, wouldnât it?"
Lin Yuâs face turned pale instantly upon hearing this.
"Hahaha..."
Everyone inside the boat was amused, even Lv San looked at Lin Yu as if looking at a fool.
Sha Lifei patted his shoulder, laughing, "Donât be scared, just kidding you."
"But after this, youâd better head to the Capital quietly. If you want to stay alive, donât tell others youâre a Hidden Treasure Man."
"In the pugilistic world, many would kill for a few taels of silver..."
...
Azure Dragon Mountain wasnât far from Yunyang Prefecture.
"Weâve arrived, everyone."
In less than an hour, with a shout from "Fast Ship Zhang," everyone stepped out of the cabin to take a look.
The riverbank revealed a series of hills, the terrain high in the west and low in the east, sloping southward. Under the sunlight, the entire mountain was lush and green.
Wang Daoxuan took out a compass and glanced at it, shaking his head, "The Feng Shui here is mediocre."
Next to him, "Fast Ship Zhang" hesitated for a moment and said, "Folks, itâs not my place to speak up, but in all my years of sailing, Iâve never heard of treasures here."
"However, recently Iâve heard that wild beasts often attack in the nearby forests, causing alarm among the people who no longer dare to enter the mountains."
Li Yan said seriously, "To be honest, weâre here because of the City God Templeâs bounty, to see whatâs happening."
"Thatâs good to know."
The old man clearly knew Li Yan was hiding something but didnât point it out, nodding, "Then Iâll wait for you by the river."
Lin Yu quickly spoke up, "Boatman, weâll be in the mountains until at least tomorrow, please be patient."
Li Yan felt a stir in his heart but didnât ask more.
He knew if Lin Yu said this, there must be a reason.
It was just past midday, and everyone had already eaten dry rations on the boat. After tidying up their luggage, they jumped onto the riverbank and disappeared into the dense forest along the slope.
"Master Zhang, are they really going to find treasure?"
A ship worker couldnât help but ask.
Upon hearing this, "Fast Ship Zhang" immediately changed his expression slightly and reprimanded, "Forgot the rules? Just deliver the passengers, donât ask about the rest."
"I donât care about others, but while sailing with me, stick to these rules, itâll protect your lives."
"Even if they find treasure, it has nothing to do with us!"
"Moreover, these people are powerful members of the Mystical Sect. If considering crossing those rivers, some guidance is inevitable."
"The techniques they inadvertently reveal are enough for you to worry about eating and drinking for a lifetime."
"Brilliant, Master Zhang!"
The ship workers flattered in agreement.
...
Crack!
Sha Lifei swung an ax, chopping away the obstructing branches.
This mountain wasnât high at all, unlike the Taibai or Hua Mountain theyâd climbed before, more like small hills.
Yet, it was truly a wild mountain wilderness.
There were no paths on the mountain, and the lush vegetation was quite a hindrance.
Seeing they had distanced themselves from the riverbank, Li Yan finally turned and asked, "Brother Lin, do you mean that thing can hide?"
Lin Yu nodded, "Naturally."
"Any Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure possesses the blessing of heaven and earth and is shielded by them. Its hiding place is sure to be camouflaged by the terrain."
"As my master said, this object only appears fleetingly at midnight on the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, and itâs extremely difficult to detect."
"If it werenât for my Divine Skills, I wouldnât have seen it last time."
"That canât be right."
Sha Lifei turned his head, "If the treasure is so well hidden, rarely revealing itself, how come there are rumors of beasts attacking people?"
Lin Yu shook his head, "You all may not know, after a long time, some Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasures can be discovered by mountainsâ wild beasts."
"These entities are often very spiritual and possess some Dao, lying in wait beside the Heavenly Spirit Earth Treasure, biding their time to devour it."
"Perhaps the treasure is about to appear, causing the guardian spirit beasts to become agitated and attack people climbing the mountain."
"That makes sense."
Li Yan nodded and looked at Lv San, "Brother Lv, if you could, check for any abnormalities in the mountain first."
Lv San didnât waste words, immediately releasing the hawk from his shoulder.
At the same time, he took two pills from his pocket, and uttered chirps, seemingly summoning something.
Lin Yuâs eyes lit up, "Beast Taming Skill?"
Lv San glanced at him without responding.
This wealthy young man was a curious one, constantly squinting at the demon gourd and the Little White Fox in the bamboo basket along the way.
Of course, he also kept an eye on the Duan Chen Blade.
All Magic Artifacts, once subdued, conceal their aura until activated, showing their might.
Though ordinary people couldnât see it, Li Yan and the others seemed like walking treasuries to him, enveloped in treasure aura.
This was one of the reasons Lin Yu tagged along.
Soon, there came rustling sounds from the grass, several mountain mice emerged from the underground, hesitant at first, but eventually succumbing to temptation, converging at Lv Sanâs feet.
Lv San crushed the pills into powder, feeding it to the mice, while incessantly chirping.
The mice responded with squeaking calls.
People from different fields looked on intrigued, yet it was beyond their understanding how mere chirping could communicate with mice.
In no time, the mice scattered away.
Lv San gazed skyward, waiting for the hawk to descend and converse briefly before his expression turned solemn.
He turned and said, "This mountain appears ordinary, nothing caught the hawkâs eye, but the mice encountered dead men moving at midnight."
"Zombies?"
Li Yan furrowed his brow, unexpected by this revelation.
Lin Yu was equally astonished, shaking his head, "Impossible. What I saw was dragon-shaped treasure aura, how could it be zombies?"
Suddenly, as if thinking of something, he frowned, "Could there be an ancient tomb in the mountain? Impossible... if there were a tomb, master couldnât possibly overlook it."
"Once itâs found, weâll know."
Li Yanâs expression remained unchanged as he turned to Wang Daoxuan, "Daoist, if there are zombies, weâll need your assistance."
"Indeed."
Wang Daoxuan directly took out a compass, surveying the surroundings as he spoke, "Zombies favor Yin Sha Lands, if theyâre in the mountain, theyâre certainly hiding where Yin Qi converges..."
He turned to Lv San, "The terrain here is intriguing. Brother Lv San, ask the hawk if the mountain forms a dustpan shape?"
After receiving Lv Sanâs confirmation, he stroked his beard, "Our path uphill is yang, the opposite is the mountainâs yin, shaped like a dustpan, with yin not dispersing."
"If there are zombies, they must be on the other side of the mountain."
"Letâs go. Stay cautious."
Li Yan nodded, immediately leading the way, fingers forming the Yang Jue, leaving no scent unchecked.
Seeing the groupâs seamless cooperation, Lin Yu secretly admired them as he followed closely behind.
This Azure Dragon Mountain was low, though the vegetation was obstructive and the trek hard, it didnât take long, under an hour, for the group to reach the summit.
Looking down, they indeed saw a hollow on the other side, dustpan-shaped with towering trees and enshrouded by mist.
Li Yan frowned as he reached the top and found half a Yellow Talisman on the ground under a big tree.
On the other side of the tree, there was also an overturned clay bowl and incense ashes...