Chapter 387: Chapter 220: Treasure Cave
Cheng Zongyang had thought it would be nearby, but following the Mole Beast turned into a journey that lasted a full day and night.
The distance they traveled far exceeded Cheng Zongyang’s expectations.
’This location... we must be in the Tianduan Mountain region, south of the County Town,’ Cheng Zongyang thought, trying to place their position on his mental map.
But that was just a guess. All he could do was continue following the Mole Beast.
Finally, just as dawn was breaking again, they arrived at the edge of a cliff.
He didn’t need the Mole Beast to point it out; his eyes were immediately drawn to a hole in the ground, surrounded by a pile of excavated rubble.
Staring at the hole, Cheng Zongyang surveyed the surrounding cliffs. It didn’t look like the kind of place that would have a gold or silver mine.
As he approached the opening, Cheng Zongyang saw the Mole Beast pause before starting to climb down into it.
’Climbing into a hole?’
Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang could only follow with a sigh. He didn’t doubt the Mole Beast in the slightest.
But to ensure nothing followed them, he took out a Geomagnetic Stone and placed it beside the entrance before continuing after the Mole Beast.
Because they were underground, the Geomagnetic Stone’s effect on the Mole Beast wasn’t significant. The man and beast gradually climbed downward.
The underground tunnel was quite long, and the path the Mole Beast had dug was winding rather than a straight drop.
After climbing for nearly fifteen minutes, he saw the Mole Beast drop out of sight below.
Seeing this, Cheng Zongyang knew they had arrived.
Sure enough, he heard a muffled thud as the Mole Beast landed. Cheng Zongyang crawled forward another meter or two and reached out, his hand meeting only empty air.
’I can’t believe there’s a cavern down here,’ Cheng Zongyang thought. Though he couldn’t see clearly, he could sense the open space.
The tunnel was pitch-black, but he didn’t hesitate. He crawled forward, gripped the ledge with both hands, activated his Body Technique, and leaped down. But as soon as he jumped, his feet hit the ground.
The drop was only about two or three meters high. He felt a bit awkward. ’I thought it would be a much deeper fall.’
The cavern was incredibly dark. He instantly vanished, entering the Wilderness World.
From the Wilderness World, he retrieved several torches and some flint and steel. He lit them one by one and planted them in the ground.
As the light from the four torches flared to life, the underground cavern was instantly illuminated.
He was stunned by what he saw.
The cavern was massive, spanning one to two hundred square meters. The walls were unnaturally smooth, clearly man-made.
Piled up in the center, right in front of him, were numerous large chests. They had long since rotted away, revealing the glint of gold and silver he had been dreaming of.
The gold and silver lay scattered on the ground, disturbed by the light and movement, a swarm of centipedes, spiders, and other venomous insects crawled out from among the treasure.
Cheng Zongyang gulped. In the right-hand corner, another pile of rotted chests had spilled their contents onto the floor—a glittering hoard of colorful gemstones reflecting the torchlight.
Along the left-hand wall, Cheng Zongyang also spotted several skeletons propped up in a sitting position.
Taking it all in, he couldn’t believe it. The Mole Beast had actually led him to a Treasure Cave!
He first took out a Geomagnetic Stone to immobilize the venomous insects and prevent any accidents. At the same time, he placed a Stone Skin Purse on the Mole Beast and rewarded it with ten Red Blood Pills.
The Mole Beast was delighted. It took the Elixirs, scurried to one side, and began to eat.
Cheng Zongyang paid it no mind. He took three of the torches and placed them in different corners of the cavern, illuminating the space more thoroughly. He kept the last one in his hand.
With that done, he began his inspection.
Thanks to the Geomagnetic Stone, all the venomous insects in the cavern were rendered immobile, knocked unconscious.
Cheng Zongyang drew his Tang Blade and sifted through the piles of Gold Jewelry. After checking the chests and confirming it was all treasure, he couldn’t stop grinning.
He didn’t know the exact amount yet, but the sheer number of chests piled in the center of the cavern told him the quantity of gold and silver was immense. And it was all in the form of Yuanbao.
Cheng Zongyang examined the gold and silver ingots more closely. When he saw the mark for "fifty taels" carved into the bottom of each one, his smile grew even wider, almost impossible to contain.
’This has to be way more than what Li Lu brought back!’
Leaving the treasure for a moment, he walked over to the four skeletons.
The four figures, long reduced to skeletons, were propped against the base of the wall, covered in a thick layer of dust. He nudged one gently and discovered they were all clad in Armor, with their Weapons resting beside them.
’Soldiers?’ Cheng Zongyang’s expression was one of confusion. He tapped one of the bones with his blade, producing a CLINK CLINK sound.
This shocked him even more.
Logically, the chests used to store treasure wouldn’t be made of ordinary wood, and he had just confirmed that they weren’t.
But even so, for these wooden chests to have rotted away to such a degree meant they had been here for a very long time.
Even considering the environment, it would take well over a decade for them to decay this badly.
And yet, after more than a decade, the bones of these corpses were still this hard. That could only mean one thing!
Before their deaths, these people were all Martial Artists—and of the Middle Third Grades or higher. Otherwise, their bones wouldn’t be so resilient.
With this realization, he looked again at their seated postures. It was clear they had all died peacefully.
’Starvation?’
’Suicide?’
Filled with questions, Cheng Zongyang continued to search the area. He soon discovered a tunnel entrance completely sealed by cobwebs.
He burned away the webs with his torch and stepped inside. Using the torchlight to see, he found more chests lining both sides of the three-meter-wide passage. These, too, were rotted, revealing more Weapons and Armor!
