Entering the Secret Path into the Hoard

"Yuwen Yuanqi..." Chen Chuan searched his memory. Back when he was a boy listening to storytelling broadcasts on the radio, this figure had been mentioned often. In those tales, the man had been an unmatched, fierce general who spearheaded charges, shattered armies, and slew enemy commanders. Through a hundred battles great and small, he had never known defeat, winning illustrious military glory for the founding of the new dynasty. Looking back now, he had undeniably been a "Nation-Conquering General." Yet concrete records concerning him were sparse. The history books noted only that in such-and-such a year and month he had captured a certain place, or clashed with and defeated a certain foe; details were entirely lacking. Instead, the records following his rebellion were rather detailed. They stated that General Yuwen's body had been indestructible. On the execution platform, blades could not pierce him, axes could not wound him, and fire and water could not harm him. In the end, he was put to death only through the "five dragons tearing the body," after which his dismembered remains were divided among six different places. It was said that even so, his severed remains continued to squirm incessantly beneath the earth, periodically bursting through the soil and terrorizing local officials and commoners alike. Later, Emperor Ying built a temple above them to suppress the remains and summoned masters of the state religion to chant scriptures day and night. Only then did the disturbances cease. Yet the histories also claimed that in his old age, Emperor Ying grew wistful and sorrowed over their former brotherhood. He ordered the general's body exhumed and stitched back together, restored his noble title, and sealed him in an underground palace with imperial honors alongside a secret hoard, to forever guard the ancestral seat. Naturally, this was the official record. Because that dynasty lasted across only three imperial generations and was succeeded by the Sheng Dynasty, and because the events of that era were legendary enough to invite widespread discussion, unofficial histories abounded among the common folk, offering many different accounts of the matter. Chen Chuan also browsed the records compiled on the network platform, which included a few reliable accounts verified by later martial artists. According to these, Emperor Ying had not simply experienced a sudden change of heart. Rather, seeking in his twilight years to practice mysticism and attain immortality, he had adopted a secret art from an adept of the Wuwei Sect. This art required the consumption of "living flesh." This so-called "living flesh" actually came from mutated tissues harvested from imperial kin and close relatives. Once harvested, it was pounded into a paste and consumed daily with the blood of dragons and serpents. At first it proved effective, but over time it lost its potency. The sources of flesh were drawn from increasingly closer lines—from distant relatives to immediate kin, and finally to blood brothers. Emperor Ying had four brothers. Two had died young, their corpses long since decayed. One had willingly offered up his own flesh and blood to secure the safety of his descendants. But once that brother passed away, no further human medicine remained. Thus, the emperor set his sights on the dismembered and suppressed Yuwen Yuanqi. Under the guidance of the Wuwei adept, Emperor Ying prepared a ritual said to be capable of restoring Yuwen Yuanqi to life for a single day. Using sentimental affection for his brother as a pretext, he had the body pieced back together. But just as everything was prepared, one day "heavenly thunder struck the hall, whereupon the emperor perished." Scattered records from the period described blood pouring out of Daxing Hall, "overflowing the palace terrace, shocking the assembled ministers." What had truly occurred during that time was shrouded in mystery, the subject of endless historical debate. However, the subsequent dynasty deemed it highly likely the work of that Wuwei adept. Consequently, upon taking power, they vigorously suppressed the Xuan Sect and promoted the Chan Sect to replace it, and it was not until four or five hundred years later that the Xuan Sect made its resurgence. After reviewing all this, Chen Chuan pondered for a moment. Synthesizing these half-true, half-fictional historical accounts, he felt that the danger level of this secret hoard might be exceptionally high. Yet if a hoard were not perilous, it would hardly be called a secret hoard—it would have been plundered clean long ago. According to the information provided by Old Feng, the two dates—March 17 and September 20—had not been chosen at random. They corresponded precisely to the moments when Yuwen Yuanqi was executed and when his body was reassembled. The dates recorded in history were actually incorrect, as the calendar in use back then had been compiled by that Wuwei adept and was later abandoned by the new dynasty. Later generations rarely knew that one could enter from a specific location on these two days. As such, this was a rare hoard that was famous throughout history yet remained unexcavated. In that case, he decided to visit the Melded Lands first to gather food ingredients and prepare thoroughly before making the journey. He notified the Government Affairs Hall, made some preparations, and bade farewell to his aunt's family the following day. Taking a car into the Melded Lands, he boarded an airship and reached the garrison fortress after two days. Following a brief rest there, he led Chaoming into his own hunting grounds. He did not plan to stay long this time. He spent his days gathering ingredients and traveling, and devoted his nights entirely to cultivation. In less than ten days, he had gathered sufficient food ingredients, and under the environment of the Melded Lands, his spirit phase had grown noticeably stronger as well. On September 15, he returned to Center City. After resting briefly, he set out again, taking an airship toward Longyou Dao. This itinerary still had to be reported to the Martial Artists Council, making it impossible to keep the news quiet. But he did not mind; because his travel was public, no one was likely to go out of their way to cause trouble for him. On the twentieth, the airship touched down at Dayeyuan in Longyou Dao. As the ancestral rise of Emperor Ying's lineage, it retained many old palaces and had become a scenic tourist destination. It was merely an hour's drive from Longyou Dao's center city, and August and September were peak travel months, so many tourists from nearby areas and elsewhere could be seen visiting. Chen Chuan had observed the area while still aboard the airship, noting that its ability to endure for a thousand years was indeed no accident. Besides channels deliberately carved for rivers, over a hundred mounds had been raised around the perimeter utilizing natural topography, planted with vast swathes of trees—in effect using the mountains and rivers as a ritual array. Carrying his suitcase alone, he descended from the mooring tower without lingering. Heading north on his own, he skirted a long-dried ancient riverbed, surveyed the terrain, and finally stopped before a bare ridge. He suspected this ridge was very likely one of the ritual altars from back then. With only his knowledge of esoteric cults, finding it would have been out of the question, but the mist generated by the jade card had rendered the local terrain in vivid three dimensions, making his search far easier. He checked his wristwatch. The jade card said that "the mountain opens at the hour of zi," which meant waiting until midnight. So he sat down on a broken stone carving nearby to wait. Since it had already been afternoon when he arrived, dusk fell two hours later. Yet lights could still be seen shining from the old palaces on the plateau; after all, the "Night Lanterns of the Old Palace" was another famed scenic draw here, attracting plenty of tourists on evening strolls. Several more hours passed. At eleven o'clock at night, Chen Chuan suddenly sensed something unusual. A drifting mist rolled in from who knew where, and within the fog, a faint path emerged, leading straight toward the ridge ahead. His eyes flickered. Standing up at once, he took his suitcase in hand and stepped inside. The moment his foot touched the ridge, the entire ritual array of mountains and rivers underwent a subtle shift. At this exact moment, on the opposite end of Dayeyuan, another group was venturing deep toward the secret hoard. Over the past thousand years, countless people had come here to explore and excavate, gradually forging a route leading toward the hoard. Though no one had yet managed to penetrate the hoard's true interior, a vast perimeter had been charted, giving rise to an entire industry around it. There were people whose business was guiding thrill-seekers inside to satisfy their thirst for adventure. Every year, such operations drew a great number of wealthy and influential youths here to "explore." When this party reached the previous dead end, the escort personnel were astonished to discover that a trestle bridge had suddenly appeared ahead! It was a trestle bridge they had never seen before. Meanwhile, the clients kept pressing them to move forward. Had these been ordinary clients, the guides would not have cared, as everyone signed liability waivers before entering. But this group's identity was unusual, compelling the escorts to disclose the true situation. "Young Master Xu, we have never seen this path before. We suspect some change has occurred in the rituals surrounding the hoard. The situation ahead is unknown—perhaps we should turn back for now?" "Turn back for what?" Young Master Xu was barely seventeen or eighteen, and his eyes were blazing with excitement. "Young Master here is going in to explore today!" "But we haven't scouted ahead," the person in charge said awkwardly. "There could be danger, and the company cannot guarantee your safety." "If it weren't dangerous, I wouldn't bother going!" That said, Young Master Xu did not plunge in blindly. Turning his head, he ordered, "Hasn't Grand-uncle been searching for this place all along? Quick, send a telegram right now and have the old gentleman come over! Tell him there's a path! Also, summon Big Pang, Little Lu, and the others—tell them I've found something huge! Oh, right, invite Mr. Qiao and his people over too." The escorts went to transmit the telegram immediately. Just over half an hour later, an airship departing from Longyou Dao's center city arrived on the scene. Several armed airships arrived alongside it. The roar of propeller blades echoed across the night sky, and searchlights beaming down illuminated this section of Dayeyuan as bright as day. A large detachment of security personnel and armed guards disembarked, followed by a tall, lean man with high cheekbones and spirited eyes. Outwardly, he appeared to be in his forties, his hair gathered in a topknot and his face bearing a slender beard. He wore a rather old-fashioned robe. Beside him walked an all-black cybernetic hound roughly the size of a lion or tiger. As it moved, its muscles rolled like waves, and under the glare of the lights, its sleek black coat shimmered like lustrous silk. He surveyed the surroundings, checked the time, and with a sharp glint in his eyes, strode briskly down the passage. Entering with him was a mixed-blood man in a leather jacket and short hair, flanked by a large contingent of disciples in martial arts academy attire. Both groups moved with remarkable speed, reaching the end of the passage in less than a quarter of an hour. Young Master Xu and his companions were waiting there. At the sight of the middle-aged man, the youth's eyes lit up, and he hurried forward to greet him with obedient respect: "Grand-uncle." The middle-aged man cast a glance at him, uncharacteristically showing a pleasant face. "You did well this time. Now head back. There's nothing more for you here." Young Master Xu chuckled sheepishly. "Grand-uncle, look, could I go in to look around too, just to broaden my horizons?" The middle-aged man snorted and said coldly, "Follow if you like. If you die, don't blame me." Young Master Xu hurried to say, "Grand-uncle, with you here, how could that happen?" The middle-aged man sneered. "What do you know? Emperor Ying treated this place as a spirit palace for his resurrection from death. Who knows how many preparations he laid down? Even I wouldn't dare claim I can break through." Having delivered his warning, he paid no further attention to Young Master Xu or the others. Leading his cybernetic hound, he strode deep inside, followed closely by a squad of security guards. Young Master Xu hastened over to the mixed-blood man, clasping his hand. "Mr. Qiao, I'm counting on you this time." Mr. Qiao said gently, "Rest assured. The men I brought this time are all skilled hands from Loyalty Hall, more than enough to protect you, Young Master Xu." Young Master Xu was very pleased with this reassurance. Spotting several familiar faces among his companions made him happier still. He called out loudly, "Old Lai, Old Lai, where the hell are you? Is everyone ready?" A security officer approached and said in a low voice, "Young Master Xu, the security team is assembled and all equipment is packed. Don't worry—it's top-tier gear imported from the Federation, guaranteed to record all our movements." Young Master Xu patted his shoulder. "Good, keep it up. Once we're out, this young master will reward you." He looked around and shouted, "Everyone!" The youths accompanying him cheered and whistled in unison. "Then what are we waiting for?" Young Master Xu waved his arm toward the trestle bridge, crying excitedly, "Charge in!"