Phoenix Mountain lay to the east of the county seat, its phoenix-head-like peak piercing the clouds, a vast expanse of dense woods, green trees, wild blossoms, and turf almost entirely cloaking the rolling hills.

Perched atop Phoenix Mountain was a temple, fronted by a silver stream and backed by a deep forest, strategically situated at a vital point near the county town. Close to the city, yet not within it; near the water, yet not immersed in it. Its superior location naturally drew throngs of pilgrims burning incense and offering prayers.

Wang Guan was utterly unsurprised by this. In this part of China, almost anywhere you found a mountain, you were sure to find a temple or a Daoist monastery capping it off. What truly infuriated him, however, was that not only were these sanctuaries built on mountaintops, but they had the audacity to charge a toll for passage... ah, yes, the so-called entrance fee.

He had no choice. Wang Guan was unfamiliar with the area and certainly didn't know of any hidden paths for a shortcut. He resigned himself to paying the fee to enter Phoenix Mountain.

Following the stream of people, as he idled around the temple grounds, Wang Guan caught sight of an unfamiliar fork in the path, and it suddenly struck him that his grand decision to scale mountains in search of treasure might just be a massive joke.

After all, the area Elder Song had sketched out in his atlas covered a vast, sprawling region, encompassing who knew how many peaks. Since Wang Guan was neither a local nor equipped with a guide, he was practically blind regarding the local terrain, topography, and geography—much like a blind man—so how could he possibly pinpoint the exact location?

"A miscalculation," he sighed lightly, shaking his head, and grasping more deeply the adage that ideals are beautiful, but reality is cruel.

"Beep, beep, beep..."

Just then, his phone suddenly rang. Wang Guan pulled it out and saw it was Yu Feibai, so he casually answered.

"Hello... What's going on?"

The moment the call connected, Wang Guan heard a sharp, crackling rattle coming from the phone, sounding exactly like firecrackers going off.

"Playing with guns," Yu Feibai’s laughter chimed in. "How about it? Interested in coming over for a few rounds?"

"I’d like to," Wang Guan felt a jolt of interest mixed with helplessness. "But I'm currently in Yanting."

"Yanting? What place is that?"

Yu Feibai paused, confused. "Why on earth did you suddenly run off there?"

"Yanting County, the birthplace of Leizu, the hometown of Wen Tong," Wang Guan chuckled. "Yesterday, weren't I visiting Uncle De’s friend? He happened to be coming to Yanting to appraise an estate, so I tagged along."

"What? You actually stumbled upon such good fortune!" Yu Feibai sounded both surprised and envious. "Don't tell me you struck gold again."

"What gold? Do you think I’m an immortal who finds treasures every day?" Wang Guan managed a wry smile, feeling utterly helpless. "When Uncle Lei and I arrived, all the good stuff had been bought up; only a pile of junk was left. I didn't manage to buy a single antique. It felt like a wasted trip."

"Haha, hearing you say that makes me feel a whole lot better," Yu Feibai said with undisguised glee.

"Hey, what’s that supposed to mean?" Wang Guan felt speechless. "That sounds suspiciously like you’re gloating."

"I absolutely am gloating! Who told you to go appraise an estate without calling me? Now you’re facing retribution," Yu Feibai laughed. "If I’d known, you might as well have come with me. Here, I could let you experience what real firearms feel like, and the sensation of commanding a tank or an armored vehicle, plowing straight through everything."

"Tch!"

Wang Guan scoffed, refusing to admit he was envious. He huffed, "You just keep smashing things up. Although I didn't buy any antiques yesterday, I unexpectedly found an ancient treasure map and am currently on a treasure hunt."

"For real?" Yu Feibai sounded doubtful and surprised.

"Fake!"

Wang Guan snapped, abruptly ending the call.

Of course, Wang Guan wasn't petty enough to get truly angry over a simple joke. It was just that, suddenly, on a small path behind the temple grounds, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure.

Curious, Wang Guan quickened his pace, hesitating slightly before calling out, "Mr. Song...?"

Hearing the voice, the person turned around; it was the young man who had been selling antiques yesterday. At this moment, he was dressed in black, wearing a white flower pinned to his chest, his expression heavy with sorrow and solemnity.

"Oh, it’s you," the young man also remembered Wang Guan and nodded lightly. "What a coincidence."

"I heard the incense here is quite effective, and the mountain scenery is lovely, so I came to have a look," Wang Guan offered casually, feeling a slight oddity. "Mr. Song, what is the occasion?"

"Today is the hundredth day since my grandfather passed away," the young man said sadly, speaking softly. "I heard that he suffered his medical emergency on a nearby mountain... and departed from there. So, I came to visit."

"Ah!"

Wang Guan froze, quickly apologizing. "Mr. Song, I am truly sorry; I didn't know about this."

"It’s fine."

The young man shook his head slightly, lacking the inclination to converse further. He merely nodded a signal to Wang Guan and turned to leave. Observing his solitary, shrinking figure, one could sense the deep grief, remembrance, and mourning he held for his grandfather.

"It seems the bond between grandfather and grandson wasn't as distant as Uncle Lei suggested. Or perhaps, some things are only truly valued when they are lost," Wang Guan murmured to himself, wisely deciding not to disturb the man further.

Simultaneously, Wang Guan lowered his head in thought, and vaguely, it seemed he was starting to connect a few dots.

"Suffered a heart attack and passed away on a nearby mountain..."

Slowly, Wang Guan's eyes lit up with sudden clarity, like a flash of lightning across the sky.

"Mr. Song, wait!"

At that moment, Wang Guan broke into a run, catching up to the young man, slightly out of breath. "Mr. Song, may I ask exactly where your grandfather passed away? Please don't misunderstand; Elder Song is highly respected and enjoys a great reputation in our collecting circles. Since today is his hundredth memorial day, we juniors should pay our respects and offer incense there."

In truth, this request was somewhat illogical; offering incense should usually be done at the gravesite.

However, the young man was in a low mood and didn't overthink it. He frowned slightly. "That place is extremely remote; it’s at least a two-hour walk from here."

"That far?"

Wang Guan was momentarily surprised, very much wanting to ask the young man why he had said 'nearby' earlier.

"He was old, why couldn't he stay home and enjoy his twilight years peacefully instead of always running off into the mountains?" The young man seemed to be venting, carrying an inexplicably sad resentment. "If he had been living in the city, even if the attack happened, he could have been rushed to the hospital in time for emergency treatment, instead of... passing away like that."

Hearing this, Wang Guan didn't know how to offer comfort, managing only to advise, "Mr. Song, please accept my condolences."

"Hoo... I apologize for letting my emotions show." The young man realized he had lost his composure, lightly wiped his eyes, told Wang Guan the location, and then turned to descend the mountain.

Watching the young man’s retreating figure fade into the distance, Wang Guan scratched his head in distress. The mountain paths were rugged and inaccessible by vehicle; it would have to be done on foot. A two-hour walk—his soles would probably blister.

"Should I take this gamble?"

Wang Guan hesitated for only a moment. He immediately headed down the mountain, returned to the hotel, then rushed to a nearby internet café to search for necessary information and make a substantial purchase.

The next morning, before dawn, the world was shrouded in a dull gray mist as Wang Guan appeared at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. He wore a cap, carried a backpack, and had on hiking boots—the standard gear of a trekker.

It was only around six o'clock, and the path leading to the mountain temple hadn't begun collecting fees yet. A few elderly people in loose tracksuits could be seen doing morning exercises at the base of the mountain.

Seeing Wang Guan's fully equipped appearance, the seniors watched him with great curiosity, frequently casting glances his way. Feeling slightly embarrassed, Wang Guan quickened his pace, ascended the mountain, bypassed the temple, and headed deeper into the interior.

He walked and walked, climbing several peaks and crossing several small streams. He even witnessed the sun leap into view over the eastern sky and slowly ascend until it reached a position halfway up the heavens.

After more than two hours, Wang Guan finally arrived at his destination.

It was a sparsely populated, humble mountain village, comprising only twenty or thirty households. This village didn't even appear on the map. Fortunately, he had received directions from some kind-hearted villagers along the way; otherwise, even if Wang Guan had gotten lost in the mountains, he might never have found this place.

However, upon reaching the village, Wang Guan had no intention of entering. Instead, he climbed the highest peak near the settlement to observe carefully. Peak after peak rolled away in succession, and in the distance, a small stream wound around the valley, resembling the shape of a ladle.

Seeing this scene, Wang Guan’s excitement mounted. He quickly took out the treasure map and began a careful comparison.

After observing for a moment, Wang Guan realized that the topography depicted in the map shared at least a seventy percent similarity with the current landscape. Considering the map's rudimentary lines and degree of distortion, this was an extremely high correlation. Perhaps Elder Song had discovered this very location, became so excited and agitated that his heart condition flared up and caused his death.

"In a way, Elder Song ultimately failed at the last hurdle," Wang Guan mused with a touch of melancholy, but he quickly composed himself and turned to press further into the mountains. After all, the river winding around the village was merely a conspicuous landmark on the map; the actual hiding spot for the treasure was still some distance away.

Yet, as the saying goes, looking at a mountain makes a horse run itself to death. A distance on the map that appeared short actually cost Wang Guan over an hour of exertion, forcing him to constantly climb slopes and traverse ridges until he reached a mountain hollow surrounded by five large peaks.

On the treasure map, this location was marked with a special red dot.

By all logic, this should be the place where the treasure was buried.

But when Wang Guan arrived, he felt like he had been set up. This hollow was quite spacious; Wang Guan estimated it covered roughly one hundred square meters. This wide area, cluttered with haphazard piles of stones and overgrown thickets of thorns and bushes, was utterly chaotic.

For an ordinary person arriving here, unless provided with a bulldozer, they couldn't expect to uncover any treasure without spending three to five months digging.

Of course, that was all based on the prerequisite that a treasure was actually buried here.

Even now, Wang Guan still harbored doubts: was there truly a legendary treasure here?

......................... Beginning adjustments to chapter length; each chapter will be three thousand characters, meaning two updates tomorrow. Finally, requesting collections, recommendations, and much support from everyone. Thank you. C