Cave Treasure!

The night was as black as ink, and Qingshan Town lay steeped in a superficial calm.

Xiao Yan had not gone far. Dragging his still-unsteady injured leg, he hid in a dark alley near the Myriad Medicine Zhai, his gaze warily sweeping the surroundings.

He could not stop worrying about Xiao Yi Xian. Those scum from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group would never let the matter rest so easily.

Sure enough, before long, several furtive figures appeared around the Myriad Medicine Zhai, peering about suspiciously. They were men from the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

They seemed to be keeping watch, yet also seemed to be waiting for something.

Xiao Yan's eyes turned cold. Just as he hesitated over whether to do something, an extremely faint set of footsteps sounded behind him.

He spun around sharply, instinctively raising his Dou Qi, only to pull at his meridians and send a stabbing pain through them.

"Don't be nervous. It's me."

A woman's voice sounded in a low whisper. By the faint light, he could make out Xiao Yi Xian's delicate face, filled with tension and resolve.

At some unknown moment, she had quietly entered this alley as well.

"Miss Xiao Yi Xian? Why did you come out? It's dangerous outside!" Xiao Yan lowered his voice, sounding anxious.

Xiao Yi Xian quickly walked to his side, leaning against the cold wall. She drew a deep breath and looked at Xiao Yan with complicated eyes.

"Young Master Xiao Yan, don't you find it strange why He Meng and the others are targeting me so fiercely, even willing to tear away all pretense?"

Xiao Yan nodded. This had indeed been troubling him.

Although the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was the local power, they had always been fairly courteous toward the Myriad Medicine Zhai. After all, everyone needed healers.

He Meng's behavior today had been far too abnormal.

Xiao Yi Xian bit her lip as though she had made up her mind, lowering her voice even further.

"Because I discovered a secret—a place that may contain a great deal of wealth and treasure."

Xiao Yan's heart stirred. "Oh?"

"Just a few days ago, I went into the mountains to gather herbs. While fleeing from a Second-Tier Magical Beast, I accidentally fell into an extremely hidden Valley."

Xiao Yi Xian recalled the experience, a trace of lingering fear and excitement flashing through her eyes.

On the cliff wall in that Valley, I found the entrance to a cave completely concealed by vines.

Out of curiosity, I went in to investigate. I did not dare venture too deeply, but near the entrance, I picked up this.

She carefully took something from her clothes. It was a small, broken piece of metal.

It was only the size of a fingernail, its surface covered in rust, yet its edges were unusually sharp, glinting with a faint, cold light in the night.

Xiao Yan accepted the metal fragment. It felt icy and heavy in his hand, and with his keen eye, he immediately recognized that it was no ordinary piece of iron.

Its material was likely some precious metal used in forging, and it was quite ancient.

"This..." Xiao Yan's expression grew solemn.

"I suspect that cave may very well be a Cave Abode left behind by some senior expert!" Xiao Yi Xian's voice trembled slightly. "There may be Cultivation Methods, Dou Techniques, medicinal pills, perhaps even a great deal of wealth inside!"

Xiao Yan's heart began beating faster despite himself.

A senior expert's Cave Abode!

For any Dou Zhe, it was an irresistible temptation!

What he lacked most right now were resources and powerful Cultivation Methods and Dou Techniques!

"How did the Wolf Head Mercenary Group find out about this?" Xiao Yan forced himself to calm down and asked.

Regret appeared on Xiao Yi Xian's face. "It was all because I was too careless. After finding that metal fragment, I was so excited that I brought it back to the medicine shop to study it. He Meng happened to see it when he came to buy medicine."

He might be a brute, but his eyesight was not poor. He must have recognized that it was extraordinary, and afterward, he had likely been secretly keeping people watching me.

Their troublemaking today was only a pretext for forcing me to hand over clues about the Cave Abode. Their true goal was to control me and force the exact location out of me!

Then everything made sense. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group wanted to swallow the treasure for themselves!

"Young Master Xiao Yan," Xiao Yi Xian raised her head, her eyes fixed intensely on Xiao Yan with a trace of pleading.

"I am alone and weak. I cannot keep this secret, nor can I explore it by myself. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group will not let me go.

I can tell that you are no ordinary person. Though you are injured now, that bearing cannot be faked. I want... I want to cooperate with you!"

"Cooperate?" Xiao Yan raised a brow.

"Yes! We can explore that cave together!" Xiao Yi Xian said firmly.

"We will split whatever is inside equally! I only seek to protect myself, and I hope to find some lost medical texts or rare herbs.

The rest can all go to you! With the resources inside, you can recover your strength faster, can't you?"

This proposal was enormously tempting to Xiao Yan.

He was now at the end of his rope, his injuries not yet healed, and he was being hunted by an unknown force. He urgently needed resources and power.

A Cave Abode that might belong to a powerful expert was undoubtedly aid in a snowstorm.

But the risks were just as great.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group was watching them like tigers, the cave's interior was unknown, and there might be traps or guardian beasts within.

And in his current condition...

"Teacher, what do you think?" Xiao Yan asked Han Feng in his heart.

"Hehe, a powerful expert's Cave Abode?" Han Feng's sinister voice carried a hint of interest.

It is not a bad opportunity. Though dangerous, it is worth taking a gamble.

That little girl is right. Without resources, how will you recover?

How will you complete the Three-Year Agreement?

As for the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, they are merely a pack of worthless rabble. Once this old man regains a bit of strength, I can wipe them out with a wave of my hand! Agree to it!

With Han Feng's support, Xiao Yan settled his mind.

He looked at Xiao Yi Xian and said gravely,

"Fine! I agree to cooperate with you. However, we must plan this carefully.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group is certainly watching us. How to shake them off and reach the cave safely is a problem."

Seeing Xiao Yan agree, Xiao Yi Xian's face lit up with delight. She hurriedly said,

"I know a small trail used for gathering herbs. It is very hidden and can bypass the areas where the Wolf Head Mercenary Group usually operates. It leads directly near that Valley. We can leave tonight!"

"Tonight?" Xiao Yan looked at his still-inconvenient leg and frowned.

"We cannot wait any longer!" Xiao Yi Xian said urgently.

"He Meng suffered a setback today and will certainly be unwilling to accept it. He may bring more people tomorrow and use force! We must get there before them!"

After a brief moment of thought, Xiao Yan nodded. "Fine! Tonight it is! Lead the way!"

The two no longer hesitated. Xiao Yi Xian was extremely familiar with the terrain around Qingshan Town and led Xiao Yan through one narrow, shadowy alley after another.

They twisted and turned through the streets, cleverly avoiding the Wolf Head Mercenary Group's scouts. Without making a sound, they left Qingshan Town and disappeared into the pitch-black forest beyond it.

Not long after they left, He Meng arrived at the Myriad Medicine Zhai with a large group of men, full of menace, only to find that the place was already deserted, leaving behind nothing but an empty courtyard.

"Damn it! That bitch and that brat got away!" He Meng roared in fury, kicking over a medicine rack in the courtyard.

"Search for them! They must have run into the mountains! They must be looking for that treasure!

Notify the commander and send more men! Even if we have to turn the Monster Mountain Range upside down, drag them out for me!"

In the night, a pursuit and expedition centered around unknown treasure quietly began.

Within the mountain forest, Xiao Yi Xian held up a dim Moonlight Stone lamp and walked ahead to lead the way.

Xiao Yan followed closely behind, enduring the discomfort in his leg and meridians as he warily scanned the dark woods around them.

What he did not know was that, far away atop a mountain peak, Gu Long stood with his hands behind his back.

His Soul Power stretched out like invisible tendrils, sensing the subtle disturbances occurring in the direction of Qingshan Town from afar.

The Wolf Head Mercenary Group's movements, Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian's quiet departure—none of it escaped his perception.

"A Cave Abode... an unexpected delight." A faint curve lifted at the corner of Gu Long's mouth. "Han Feng, I hope you and your good disciple can handle this 'great gift.'"

He had no intention of intervening personally. To him, watching Xiao Yan obtain opportunities amid struggle, only to plant even greater dangers within those opportunities, was far more interesting—and more useful for achieving his goal—than simply crushing him to death.