Li Runzhi was born into a family of chieftains in Diannan, where the position had been inherited for six generations until the periods of Xianfeng of the Qing Dynasty. After that, the family became the local squires and was extremely influential in Xinping and the nearby counties, running businesses in goods such as crude opium, tea, and salt.
We wouldn't go into details on the family; those interested could do research
For centuries, several theories on the whereabouts of the treasure had been going around in the Ailao Mountain area.
One theory was that before Li Runzhi died, he hid the treasure under Black Tiger Cliff behind his manor, and the hiding place was connected to the outside by an underground tunnel. However, no one knew where the entrance to that tunnel was.
The second theory was that two dozens of mules had transported the treasure to a place called Nanda.
The third one said that the treasure was buried beneath the big manor of the Li Family, for some strange patterns were carved into the ground in the courtyard—they could be instructions on how to open the vault.
For years, experts and grave robbers had been trying to locate the treasure, but none succeeded. As time went by, it gradually became an urban legend.
"Actually, the government has verified all those theories already. There was no underground tunnel, and the pattern was unsolvable. And about that so-called Nanda place—there are six Nanda villages in Diannan Province, and each village was as common as the next one." Since Xiaojin brought it up all of a sudden, Tao Yu told her about everything he knew on the subject. He then asked gingerly, "Um, are you trying to find the treasure?"
"What do you think? That's why I'm here! Last time I had to follow orders, but I am the boss now, so of course I have to take a look."
"..." Tao Yu swallowed, and dared not make any comment on that. He only said, "If there really is a mine in the mountain, we will have to build a mining area. Without absolute safety, we won't be able to recruit any workers."
"Don't worry. If that's the case, I'll come back and set up a formation for you. All you guys need to do is stay inside it." With that, Xiaojin said pretty much everything she wanted so say, and was ready to go to bed. However, a moment passed, and Tao Yu was still standing there. She said impatiently, "Cut the crap and speak your mind!"
"Um, you have met our Xiao Tong and Xiao Yi. If I may ask, what do you think of them?" Tao Yu smiled awkwardly.
"Are you going to bribe me?" She gave him a sideway glance.
"I wouldn't even begin to think of that! It's just that I'm taking them to Bai Town as candidates, and I thought that maybe I could ask your opinion beforehand, so that I can be better prepared," said Tao Yu immediately.
"Their endowment is on the ordinary side. It all depends on their temperament. With some luck, they'll be chosen."
"I see. I see. I won't disturb you any longer and let you rest, then." Tao Yu then left the room.
***
"Aorrrrr!"
A big Asian golden cat over two meters long screamed as it was yanked off a tree.
Before it could react, the big cat that had become the unchallenged overlord of the area after its mutation found itself flying into the air before falling back to the ground face down.
"So weak. Having you as a pet would ruin my reputation." Holding its tail in her right hand, Xiaojin caressed its golden fur with her left hand, sounding disgruntled.
Asian golden cat, or Temminck's cat, was an animal good at climbing and with excellent ears that could catch the tiniest sounds from the surrounding area. The beast was fierce and bold, and was known as the "yellow tiger". The color of its fur ranged from golden, brown, and black to foxy red and gray.
This mutated individual was covered in golden fur, which was a spectacular look. However, right now, it was fondled by the dear patriarch herself. The experience was so "touching" that it dared not move a hair. Lying by Xiaojin's feet, it purred miserably like a large-size kitten.
"Sigh, you might come in handy, though. All right, you're coming back with me!" After Xiaojin had enough fun with the caressing, she took the big cat by its tail and dragged it effortlessly back to the campsite, where the workers were drilling for a survey. The rumbling sound resonated on the mountain, but no other creatures dared come within a hundred meters of the campsite.
They had no choice! Humans were so frightening!
"Fairy Jin, what did you catch today? Wow! That's a big guy!" The team had grown used to her habit and gathered around to look. "Put it in the cage as the others?"
"In a separate one from the civets."
"Copy that!"
Right away, a few people carried the unconscious golden cat to a corner, where a row of tree cages stood. The thick branches intertwined, forming several natural cages.
Xiaojin waved her hand, and two branches separated with a whoosh. The workers then tossed the cat in, and the branches closed up again right away. Apart from the golden cat, there were quite a few other animals in the cages, such as large civets, small civets, Francois' langurs, stump-tailed macaques, black musk deers, etc., all of which were rare animals of the old days.
The reason for collecting them was obvious: because of the tourism development, there were too few animals on Phoenix Mountain. She was going to take all of these back to Bai Town to liven up the mountain a little.
"All right! Lunch time!" Over on the other side, the drilling stopped when Tao Yu announced that lunch was ready. The logistic team carried in a few large buckets; the others lined up with plates in hand, all eager for food.
There were meat and vegetable dishes for every meal. The meat was yellow-fur rat meat at first, but since the patriarch began to clear the area, all sorts of strange beasts were added to their menu.
It was not the best meat to eat, but the wild animals had trace amounts of spiritual essence in them, which was more than what the workers ever could have asked for!
Momentarily, the campsite was filled with the sound of talking and laughter. There was not the least uneasiness about being trapped in a death zone.
Holding his plate, Tao Yu sat down right next to Xiaojin, and reported, "The reserves were more than we expected, and are very concentrated. It won't be too hard to exploit the mine. We will finish the survey in a few days."
"A few? Be more precise," said Xiaojin.
"Um, four or five days."
"Four or five days…" Xiaojin's eyes flickered. "All right, it's about time that I look around."
"Miss Jin, that Li manor is halfway up the mountain, next to Yaonan Village and a long way from here. Without you around, we, we can't control those beasts!" Tao Yu grew anxious right away.
"The cages are doing the controlling; you don't have to do anything. Just say you're afraid—there's no shame in that. Don't worry. I'll draw a circle around the camp, and everything will be fine as long as you stay inside the circle!" Xiaojin teased him.
'Draw a circle? Sis, are you a
Tao Yu pursed his lips, but dared not say that aloud, though he was curious about the arrangement all the same. Shortly afterwards, when lunch was over, he saw what that circle was.
"Thundercloud Grit, go!" The patriarch held up a small gourd, and black sand granules were gushing out of it incessantly like tidal waves. The sand spread evenly around the campsite and floated in mid-air, making a perfect shield.
"All right. I'm off." Putting away the gourd, Xiaojin was ready to fly.
Tao Yu chased after her, asking, "When are you coming back?"
"Not sure. Just wait here!" At those words, she stepped out, and was miles away in half a heartbeat as if she was carried away by wind—it was none other than the Rising Manual.
'Wow!'
Although they had seen her doing it multiple times before, the workers still could not help but be amazed. If a random girl they sent out was as remarkable as that, what would it be like on that Phoenix Mountain ten thousand miles from here?
***
Yaonan Village, halfway up the mountain.
The Li's manor took up an area of four mu and had 65 rooms. Because it was built in the more recent times, the layout looked quite novel, and the style rather unique. The design of the front gate, for instance, was a combination of oriental and western styles.
It used to be a tourist destination, but was naturally deserted after mutations took place on Ailao Mountain. The courtyard was overflowing with grass, and had become a habitat for animals. It looked like a heaven for wildlife.
Flap!
All of a sudden, various small animals scattered as if they were frightened, then a person flew in like a sparrow from the other side of the tall wall. Long-limbed and not very busty, it was none other than Xiaojin herself.
Looking around, she saw that the houses were mostly well-preserved. There were some cracks if one looked closely; all in all, the place felt bleak and out-dated.
The manor consisted of three sections: the courtyard, the garden, and the stable. She wandered around unhurriedly, and had soon visited all parts of the house. She then went back to the main hall where she'd started.
The main hall was a square courtyard paved with square slabstones. There was even a pool built for fire-fighting. If one had to find something unusual about the place, it would be the four slabstones with patterns on them.
The first one had an irregular pentagram on it, with the northwestern and the southwestern sides being the longest. One was pointing at the bedroom of Li Runzhi's concubine and the other at the living room.
The patterns on the other three looked like labyrinths; they curved around, and each had an entrance and an exit.
The patterns had long been discovered, and countless people had studied them, but all came up empty. Xiaojin had no information whatsoever, and could only run blindly around. Obviously, she didn't find anything.
Then, she jumped out of the tall wall all of a sudden, and began to talk to herself. "This is a cultural relic all right, but just look at this place. Ailao Mountain is no tourist destination for anyone in the future—it's not like they're going to build a wildlife theme park out of it… Tsk, so many people have been here before, and none of them could figure out that pattern… the hell with solving the puzzle! Sky-turning Seal!" she suddenly called out. An ancient-styled seal appeared in the sky, then grew bigger and bigger, soon suspending over the manor like a small hill.
Boom!
She had never exerted her full power when using it before, but she spared no effort this time.
Good God! The entire mountain shook with that loud bang. Birds flew out of the woods, and animals ran amuck as if a heavenly tribulation was coming down on them. Even those staying as far out as the campsite heard a muffled sound.
'Wow!'
The workers grimaced. It couldn't have been anyone else...
"Go!"
Back over at the manor, the seal rose back up after the first strike, then smashed down again, and again, and again… It was like a massive demolishing project; one almost felt sorry for the place.
It seemed forever before Xiaojin finally felt she had made enough wreckage. Retrieving the seal, she moved closer to examine the ground.
"Why, that's a very large pit!"
Yup, she had jumped into a pit that was about four mu in size. The buildings were all in crumbs, and nothing was recognizable. The damaged foundation was exposed in the air in large areas.
She searched around the pit and frowned. "Hm? How come there isn't anything?"
Xiaojin did not believe that the treasure was a legend only.
With the discovery of the spiritual essence, there were plenty of examples proving that the legends of historical figures were mostly true. Moreover, the Li Family had lived in a period so recent, and both his entourage and bodyguards had mentioned things indicating that there was indeed a treasure.
Hence, she searched the ground carefully for another time with her mental force spread out so that she wouldn't miss the tiniest thing. All of a sudden, her mental force found something, and she was at that spot the next moment.
Clunk!
Xiaojin lifted up a slate, then moved all the debris away with the Small Moving Technique. After the area was cleaned up, what was behind it was finally revealed.
It was a big round black slate with a ferocious tiger head as its handle. Recalling the plan of the manor, xiaojin realized that this was where the stable—which was outside the walls—stood. There was a double-layered basement with an underground tunnel beneath it.
Holding the tiger head, she pulled. Whoosh!
As expected, she heard the sound of blowing wind. Behind that trapdoor was a pitch-dark hole in the ground.