Chapter 188: Treasure
Chapter 188: Chapter 188: Treasure
Once she was free, the Little Red Carp took a string of green beads out of her pocket. Though they were covered in a bit of dust, they still shone with a crystal-clear brilliance in the sunlight.
"Huh?" Zhao Nuanyue said, surprised. "Wh-what is this? Where did you get it?"
Now that he had calmed down, Zhao Nuan Yang was also very curious.
The Little Red Carp pointed to a dense thicket of trees nearby. "Over there!"
Zhao Nuanyue carefully examined the string of beads in her hand. Thanks to the knowledge from her past life, she recognized it at a glance. It was jadeite—and top-quality jadeite at that.
"This is beautiful jadeite! Come on, let’s go have a look," Zhao Nuanyue said excitedly. ’Have we discovered a treasure?’
The Little Red Carp led the way, with Zhao Nuanyue and Zhao Nuan Yang following close behind.
The Little Red Carp led them to a dense thicket of bushes. She parted the overgrown grass, revealing a small hole about two feet wide and nearly three feet high.
Zhao Nuanyue froze. She pointed at the opening—it was so small, she figured only the Little Red Carp could squeeze through. "Little Red Carp, you really squeezed through here?"
"Mhm, this is the place." The Little Red Carp nodded. "The entrance is tiny, but it’s huge inside! There are lots of big chests with tons of stuff in them. Does this mean we’re rich? If we have money, can we buy lots and lots of tasty treats?"
"Er..." Zhao Nuanyue was still reeling from the immense surprise. "In theory, yes, but it’s not that simple. You need ration tickets to buy things, after all."
The Little Red Carp looked a little disappointed. Then, she saw the jadeite necklace in her sister’s hand and said, "Well, if we can’t buy food with it, then you can wear it, Big Sis."
Zhao Nuanyue was deeply touched by her words. ’All my doting on this little one wasn’t for nothing. She’s so thoughtful and adorable.’
"Thank you, Little Red Carp," Zhao Nuanyue said with a smile, planting a kiss on the Little Red Carp’s smooth forehead. "Alright, I’ll see if I can get in."
"Okay!" The Little Red Carp scrambled inside first, then called out, "Big Sis, come on, try to get in!"
Zhao Nuanyue tried, but she couldn’t get her hips through.
It was pretty awkward.
Seeing that her sister couldn’t get in, the Little Red Carp used a Spell to widen the entrance, which instantly grew much larger.
To keep anyone else from finding it, the Little Red Carp also set up a Barrier. Now, even if someone stood right in front of the cave, they wouldn’t be able to see the entrance.
Zhao Nuanyue was finally able to crawl inside. When Zhao Nuan Yang saw both his sisters go in, he worried it might be dangerous and decided he had to follow to protect them.
After crawling for about twenty feet, the tunnel suddenly opened up into a larger space. It was pitch-black, but both Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp could see their surroundings clearly.
Zhao Nuan Yang, however, couldn’t see a thing. "Big Sis, wait up!" he called out anxiously. "I can’t see you!"
Zhao Nuanyue quickly pulled out her matches. There was a lamp set into the cave wall, and to her surprise, it still contained oil. She lit it.
The dim, yellow light was faint, but it was just enough to make out the contents of the cave. Zhao Nuanyue’s eyes scanned the space. One, two, three...
There were twelve large chests in total. Zhao Nuanyue lifted the lid of one to find it filled with gleaming gold bars.
Four chests were filled with nothing but gold bars. Another two contained various scrolls of calligraphy and paintings. Zhao Nuan Yang was immediately captivated; he couldn’t put them down, beginning to examine them carefully in the dim light. To him, all the gold and jewels couldn’t hold a candle to these two chests of artwork.
Zhao Nuanyue, however, was a more practical sort. She preferred solid gold, silver, and precious gems.
A few other chests held porcelain, as well as other jewelry. However, having been here for so long, the pieces had oxidized and lost their shine.
Zhao Nuanyue stared, dumbfounded, at the hoard. It took her a long time to compose herself.
’Oh my god, we’re going to be rich!’
The Little Red Carp, meanwhile, was curiously examining the cave walls, where she could faintly make out drawings and text.
"Big Sis, look! There are words on the wall," the Little Red Carp said, trying to get Zhao Nuanyue to stop staring at the "common treasures" and find out where they came from.
Zhao Nuanyue snapped out of her reverie, pulling her gaze from the treasure to the wall. After examining it closely, she was once again left speechless.
"Heavens, this was hidden here by people from Beihai Country?" Zhao Nuanyue was stunned. The writing on the wall described how a traitor, a Yan Jian, had helped Beihai Country hide this hoard, intending to transport it all away after conquering Nianqiao Village.
Zhao Nuanyue had heard from Li Guihua that during the Beihai Country invasion, they had ravaged the nearby village of Liujiawan but had never come to Nianqiao Village. For centuries, Nianqiao Village had enjoyed good weather and peace.
’But if those Little Beinu stashed their plunder in the mountains behind Nianqiao Village, why wouldn’t they have attacked the village itself?’
The Little Red Carp frowned in thought. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She was about to speak, but then she noticed Zhao Nuan Yang was there. Instead, she used her Divine Sense to communicate directly with Zhao Nuanyue.
’Big Sis, I remember now! Thirty years ago, some people from Beihai did come here. They wanted to slaughter everyone in Nianqiao Village, but my old master killed them.’ The Little Red Carp conveyed her thoughts excitedly. ’I was just a little carp then. I wouldn’t have remembered if I hadn’t seen these words.’
Zhao Nuanyue was stunned. ’Little Red Carp, are you sure all of them died?’ she asked back.
’Every last one of them,’ the Little Red Carp replied. ’Twenty-four invaders and one Yan Jian, all drowned in the river. My old master’s own vital energy was severely damaged for taking human lives, but it was his mission. He protected Nianqiao Village.’
Hearing this, Zhao Nuanyue was filled with admiration for the Old Dragon King. She also felt a sense of wonder at how lucky the villagers of Nianqiao were. ’They had no idea that an Old Dragon King, his Mana nearly exhausted, was protecting them with everything he had.’
After her moment of reflection, however, Zhao Nuanyue felt a surge of delight. ’This treasure was plundered by the Beihai invaders. Now that the Little Red Carp has found it, it belongs to her—which means it belongs to us!’
"The Old Dragon King was truly incredible," Zhao Nuanyue said with a nod. "He kept his promise. This treasure is ownerless now, so if we hide it, it’s ours. Later, when government policies loosen up, we can sell a few things and have money. Then we can buy the Little Red Carp lots of delicious food and pretty clothes."
"Yay, that’s great!" the Little Red Carp chirped excitedly. "But there’s so much stuff... I can’t carry it all out of here! If I take it outside, someone will see it. Hmm, let me think if there’s a way..."
Zhao Nuanyue felt a little anxious, but she knew not to interrupt the Little Red Carp while she was thinking. She just watched her with wide, expectant eyes.
After a moment, the Little Red Carp’s eyes suddenly lit up. She said with a beaming smile, "There are still some materials in my old master’s Underwater Dragon Palace! When we have some free time tonight, we can go refine a simple Space Artifact to store all this stuff. Then I’ll be rich, won’t I, Big Sis?"