Chapter 23: The Unbelievable Treasure

Returning to the inn, after having dinner at five o'clock, the two sat together as Mr. Chen voiced his doubt, "Are we certain that the place we've identified is really where the treasure is hidden? Those two lines of poetry—'Buddhist halls built at the foot of the endless mountains, official luck sent with the auspicious seal'—could they be connected to the two Black Tortoise formations we saw today?"

He Zhixing struggled to hold back his laughter, biting his lip before finally saying, "Mr. Chen, don't you remember the dot at the head of the 'Xuan' character atop the two Black Tortoise-shaped peaks?"

"The dot?" Chen asked.

He Zhixing was thoroughly amused. "The main ridge of the Feng Shui Black Tortoise formation—the highest of the three peaks. Didn't you notice that the larger peak resembles an official's hat? I recall you mentioning before that the Feng Shui treasure site of a marshal's family is precisely a Black Tortoise formation, and the crest of the tortoise mirrors the shape of an official's hat."

Mr. Chen suddenly realized, "Ah, I understand now! That's it. And that line about 'official luck sent with the auspicious seal' is no longer hard to explain. We've always fallen into the trap of searching near old county offices or official residences, but it actually refers to this meaning. It really misled us, haha..."

He Zhixing chuckled along. After a while, he asked, "Mr. Chen, what time should we go?"

Mr. Chen thought for a moment. "We'll go when it's almost completely dark."

He Zhixing was puzzled. "Why not wait until midnight? Why go just as it's getting dark?"

Mr. Chen replied, "It's fine to go when it's dark. We won't use any lights—not even flashlights. We'll find the spot and start digging."

"But what if there are dogs in the village that start barking?" He Zhixing asked.

Mr. Chen assured, "They won't bark. We're far enough from the village, separated by several mountains. If we're careful, the dogs won't hear us."

He Zhixing nodded. "Let's hope tonight goes smoothly."

After a few cups of tea, dusk settled in. Mr. Chen stood up, "Let's go—time to set out!"

Upon reaching their destination, He Zhixing, eager to save time, grabbed the carved wooden beauty and infused it with his inner energy. Immediately, he sensed the treasure—a strange energy emanated from beneath a small mound under a sapling not far from where he stood.

He called Mr. Chen over, directing him to dig at the spot he remembered. Without hesitation, Mr. Chen began digging in the dark. He dug a small pit over a meter deep, large enough for a person to enter. At that moment, He Zhixing noticed a fissure leading deeper into the earth. Mr. Chen's spirits lifted and he dug even more vigorously, until he finally opened up a cavity wide enough for a person to stand.

The opening was large and extended inward. Both men crawled inside, entering the passage leading deeper into the cave. Not long after, they encountered danger—somehow they triggered a mechanism, and a barrage of arrows shot toward them. Mr. Chen quickly retreated, while He Zhixing leapt forward to shield him, brandishing a spade.

Trained in martial arts and aided by the spade, He Zhixing knocked away the arrows. When too many came at once, he dodged left and right, keeping Mr. Chen safely behind him.

At the end of the passage stood a large stone blocking the way, with several pits filled with arrowheads before the doorway. The pits were irregular, and only a narrow path remained between them. The earth was loose—one misstep could mean falling in and losing one's life.

He Zhixing quickly located a protruding stone, known as a 'lei', embedded in the ground by the door. Pressing it firmly, the door began to rise slowly. "Ah, so that's how it works," he murmured.

They waited twenty minutes for the air inside to clear before entering. Inside, it resembled a small cave-dwelling, neatly arranged, with many ancient bamboo slips, some broken at the joints. There was also a chest, which they opened to find gold and silver, pearls, jewelry, and several old paintings.

On a stone step built into another wall, He Zhixing discovered another chest containing several books: "Qian Yuan's Feng Shui Notes," "Essays on the Five Elements," and "Treatise on the Qi of the Five Elements." There was also an unidentified portrait of a monk, holding prayer beads, the beads carved with faint, indistinct images. Below that was a grass script copy of Monk Huai Su's "Holy Mother of Xiling," astonishingly one of the legendary copies. How could there be two versions in the world? Perhaps this was an ancient imitation.

Besides these, the chest contained a compass, along with a string of items used for Feng Shui and the Five Elements: Qing Dynasty coins, a golden tortoise shell, knife-shaped coins, and a spirit bone pendant stone.

These were treasures rarely seen in a thousand years, invaluable to those who knew their worth—truly breathtaking. Not daring to linger, they packed everything up, sealed the entrance, camouflaged it with grass and shrubs, and carried the two chests back with them.