Who Claimed the Hidden Treasures

Feeling the soft touch against his back, Xiao Fan coughed lightly and pointed ahead. "There's no way forward. A door is blocking the path."

Hearing him, Xiao Yi Xian poked her head out from behind him and saw an enormous stone door blocking their way.

The stone door gave off a faint yellow glow and blended perfectly into its surroundings, without the slightest gap they could exploit.

Xiao Fan recalled the description in the original novel. There seemed to be a mechanism controlling it. Just as he was about to speak, Xiao Yi Xian spoke first.

"This stone door should be controlled by a mechanism. Otherwise, the person who hid the treasure couldn't possibly have broken through it with brute force. Besides, that earth-attribute glow surrounding it clearly indicates an earth-attribute mechanism. Forcing the door open would only trigger it."

Xiao Fan was surprised by Xiao Yi Xian's breadth of knowledge. He hadn't expected her to understand mechanisms as well. He had thought medicine was her only specialty.

Watching Xiao Yi Xian carefully examine the area around the stone door, Xiao Fan joined her, looking around in the faint light.

Although the original novel mentioned that a mechanism controlled this place, Xiao Fan couldn't pinpoint its location. After all, nearly everything he knew had come from the system, and it hadn't given him any knowledge of mechanisms.

"Found it!"

Before long, Xiao Fan heard Xiao Yi Xian's delighted voice.

He turned to look. Xiao Yi Xian was crouching beside the stone door, reaching out to press an inconspicuous protrusion along its edge. With a series of creaks, the door blocking their way slowly parted to either side.

Seeing the stone door open, Xiao Fan smiled at Xiao Yi Xian and gave her a thumbs-up. She proudly lifted her small head, exposing her snow-white neck to the faint light.

Xiao Fan walked up to Xiao Yi Xian and quietly told her to follow him. He casually tossed a stone through the doorway, and only after seeing that nothing happened to it did he lead her inside.

Although he knew there shouldn't be any traps inside, Xiao Fan still decided caution was best now that he was in another world. After all, he was truly living through this himself. If anything differed from the story, it would be his own life on the line.

As they stepped through the stone doorway, the space before them suddenly opened up.

Moonlight Stones embedded in the walls illuminated the spacious stone chamber. Piles of gold, silver, and other treasures lay scattered carelessly across the floor, amounting to several hundred thousand.

A chair stood in the center of the stone doorway, with a skeleton seated upon it. Weathered by the passage of years, its skull had fallen to the ground and rested against its pallid thighbone, lending a chilling air to the silent chamber.

Before the chair stood a broad Bluestone Platform, upon which sat three locked stone boxes.

In another corner, earth had been piled into a small flower bed. All manner of rare and wondrous herbs grew there, their faint fragrance spreading throughout the chamber.

"Purple-Blue Leaf, White Spirit Ginseng Fruit, Snow Lotus Seed..."

Xiao Yi Xian gazed at the little flower bed in delight, the names of rare, elusive medicinal ingredients tumbling one after another from her rosy lips.

At the center of the flower bed stood a red-and-white herb-the ice flame spirit grass. Faint ice crystals clung to its white branches and leaves on one half, while red sap flowed through the other. Even its stamens seemed to burn with flame.

Xiao Fan felt a little conflicted. This ice flame spirit grass would be extremely useful for subduing heavenly flames. Although his physique's affinity for fire was already maxed out, he still intended to take it to be safe. With part of the resources Yao Lao had left him, he wasn't particularly short of other herbs.

With that in mind, Xiao Fan turned to Xiao Yi Xian beside him. "I'll only take the ice flame spirit grass. How about you keep all the other herbs?"

When Xiao Fan first asked for the most valuable herb, Xiao Yi Xian had been about to object. But after hearing the rest of his words, she swallowed what she had been about to say.

Lowering her head, she replied softly, "Mm, all right."

Then she happily went to gather the herbs.

Xiao Fan walked up to the flower bed and gently dug out the ice flame spirit grass along with the soil surrounding it, then put it away.

Seeing that Xiao Yi Xian was still gathering the other herbs, Xiao Fan walked over to the Bluestone Platform and examined the three locked stone boxes.

The boxes were attached to the Bluestone Platform, so they couldn't be taken away without being opened.

Xiao Fan walked up to the skeleton on the chair and took the keys to the stone boxes from its hand. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he also retrieved the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Map embedded in its hand bones.

Then he carried the keys back to the Bluestone Platform holding the stone boxes.

By then, Xiao Yi Xian had finished gathering the herbs and walked over.

Xiao Fan glanced at her, then opened the stone boxes on the Bluestone Platform.

The first stone box contained the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. Unable to become an Alchemist, Xiao Yi Xian was far more interested in it than in cultivation methods and combat skills. Xiao Fan didn't contest it, and she put it away.

When they came to the flying Dou technique in the second stone box, Xiao Yi Xian let Xiao Fan have it. After all, she had a pet of her own, so it wouldn't improve her abilities all that much.

One took the Poison Scripture, and the other took the flying Dou technique. It was a fairly equitable split, with each getting what they needed.

The third stone box contained a high Profound tier Dou technique called Phoenix Soaring Steps. Xiao Fan already had a movement Dou technique and had just obtained a flying Dou technique, so he had little need for it.

Thinking that a woman traveling alone like Xiao Yi Xian would need some means of protecting her life, he gave it to her.

Xiao Yi Xian put away the final Dou technique scroll with a smile and said to Xiao Fan, "You're being so generous that you're making me look stingy. You can take all the gold coins and everything else in this cave. Other than those, there's nothing else I need."

Xiao Fan didn't reveal that the Purifying Demonic Lotus Flame Map he had already obtained was the greatest prize of this trip. With a wave of his hand, he gathered the gold and silver scattered across the floor into his Storage Ring.

After checking the stone chamber and finding nothing left behind, the two planned to slip back to Qingshan Town under cover of night.

But just as they stepped out through the chamber's entrance, the system's voice suddenly rang out.

"Ding! Mission triggered."

"Mission one: Kidnap Xiao Yi Xian, hand over the treasures you obtained to Mu Li, and join the Wolf Head Mercenary Group."

"Mission two: Help Xiao Yi Xian escape pursuit by the Wolf Head Mercenary Group."

"Mission three: Carry out heaven's justice and wipe out the Wolf Head Mercenary Group."

"Note: The final rewards will vary depending on the mission selected. Host, please select one mission to accept."

Xiao Fan was dumbfounded by the missions the system had triggered.

Logically, since Xiao Yi Xian and I obtained the treasure ahead of time, we shouldn't have run into the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. It seems my involvement has still changed a few things. I'll have to be more careful from now on.

Xiao Fan realized that after leaving Xiao Yan, the system's missions had gradually become more accommodating, giving him some room to choose, though that room was still limited.

Of the three missions, the first was out of the question. As for the third, although the leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group was only a Dou Shi, the most important thing for Xiao Fan right now was to escape their encirclement.

Otherwise, once they sealed off the cave entrance, Xiao Fan and Xiao Yi Xian would have no way out.

With that thought, Xiao Fan made his choice.

After accepting mission two, Xiao Fan gently tugged at Xiao Yi Xian and put away the Moonlight Stone he had been using to light their way.

Seeing Xiao Fan's grave expression, Xiao Yi Xian seemed to sense something as well and edged closer to him warily.

Feeling Xiao Yi Xian pressed close beside him, Xiao Fan kept his eyes fixed on the darkness ahead. He leaned toward her ear and whispered, "It seems someone has come in. Be careful and stay close to me."

The warmth of Xiao Fan's breath brushed over Xiao Yi Xian's ear, swept along her neck, and vanished beneath her collar. Her cheeks grew uncontrollably hot. Fortunately, they were in the dark, where no one could see.

As they felt their way forward, the vigilant Xiao Fan faintly caught the glint of blades in the darkness. He knew the enemy had arrived!