Several thousand brothers went up the mountain. Another ten thousand or more held positions at the foot. This was a force that could not be ignored.

At a point halfway up the mountain, everyone spread out and searched every inch of the ground for most of the day, stopping neither to eat nor drink.

The location marked on the map, when applied to the actual terrain, was certainly not a small patch of ground.

The sun slowly sank toward the west, and its amber-red light spread across the earth, making everything appear tranquil and beautiful.

But among the several thousand brothers, not one had the leisure to appreciate the lovely scene.

After cutting down a stretch of grass that rose as high as a person, Feng Jiu’er straightened and looked out at the sunset in the distance.

“Xiao Yingtao.” She turned her head to look at the approaching figure. “Prepare some food for the brothers. We won’t be going back tonight — we can’t let everyone go hungry all day.”

“Understood.” Xiao Yingtao nodded, then handed Feng Jiu’er a strip of dried meat. “This should still be good. Make do with it for now.”

Feng Jiu’er took the dried meat and bit into it, her gaze drifting back to the sunset.

Xiao Yingtao turned and headed toward the others.

Qiao Mu set down the large blade in her hand and walked toward Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er, rest a while if you need to — it’s not that big an area. We’re certain to find it.”

She came up beside Feng Jiu’er and sat down.

“Though I do have to say — all this searching is exhausting. Why couldn’t the treasure map have just spelled it out clearly?”

Qiao Mu pulled off her tall boot and let both legs dangle over the cliff’s edge.

“The deeper it’s hidden, the greater the treasure?” Feng Jiu’er watched the sunset, a faint curve at her lips.

“We searched for two whole months, and yet I couldn’t even wait a single day.”

The words had barely fallen when she raised both arms and stretched herself out with a slow, lazy reach.

Qiao Mu rolled her shoulders and swung her arms wide, trying to work out the stiffness in her joints.

She had barely moved when her boot, caught by a sweep of her hand, slid off the edge of the cliff.

“Oh no…” Qiao Mu lunged to catch it, but she was already too late. She could only watch helplessly as her boot disappeared from sight.

She frowned, scrambled to her feet, and peered down over the edge.

Feng Jiu’er smiled and leaned forward to peer over as well.

“It’s fine. At worst, you walk back barefoot. Qiao Mu never stands on ceremony — something like this shouldn’t be a problem for you.”

Qiao Mu gave her a look, then turned, vaulted, and jumped straight down.

“Qiao Mu.” Feng Jiu’er’s eyes widened. She scrambled up as well. “What boot is worth all that? Be careful!”

The words were barely out before her brow furrowed and she remarked with mild contempt, “That’s barely any height at all.”

From above, Feng Jiu’er could not see that roughly two zhang below, there was actually a small ledge.

“What else would I do?” Qiao Mu, from below, looked up with a glance.

She sighed faintly and bent down to retrieve her boot.

Something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Qiao Mu went immediately on alert. She reached out and parted the long grass — and faintly, she could make out a cave opening.

Having spent an entire day searching for a cave, Qiao Mu was not about to let this pass.

She pulled the short blade from her waist and began chopping away at the long grass and small saplings standing in her way.

Feng Jiu’er was about to sit back down when she noticed Qiao Mu’s unusual movements.

She leaned forward again and peered over the edge.

“Qiao Mu — what did you see?”

“A cave, Jiu’er — there’s a cave here.” Qiao Mu’s voice drifted up from the shallow ledge below.

Feng Jiu’er said nothing more. She stood, leaped, and landed steadily behind Qiao Mu.

She glanced to both sides, drew her short blade, and came up beside Qiao Mu.

The two of them pressed forward together. Wherever the blades swept, the grass and branches fell away to either side in clean, swift strokes.

Jian Yi and Feng Yan Dong and a few others, still on the ledge above, had seen what was happening. They moved quickly to join.

Jian Yi and Feng Yan Dong reached the cliff’s edge, didn’t hesitate for a moment, and jumped down. The other brothers followed one after another.

The small ledge below was not wide. Once several people had come down, there was no longer room for more.

By the time Jian Yi and Feng Yan Dong descended, Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu had already cleared away nearly everything on the small ledge.

The cave mouth extended inward from the ledge. Looking down from above — even with a careful look — one could only see the faintest protrusion of the ledge’s edge.

But once people had come down and cleared away all the undergrowth, the small ledge looked considerably more spacious than before.

Only — past all the cleared growth, there was a massive boulder.

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu stood side by side, staring at the boulder before them.

“What’s the situation?” Zhao Yusheng, the last to come down, made his way to the front through the gathered group.

“Looks like a cave that’s been sealed by a large rock.” Qiao Mu replied quietly.

“Everyone step back. Let me try to shift it.” The more hidden a thing was, the more Feng Jiu’er’s excitement surged.

In ancient times there were no instruments to detect hidden metals — a treasure certainly couldn’t have been left out in the open for someone to stumble upon.

Hiding it inside a cave, though, seemed like a sensible enough option.

All day long, the group had not found so much as a single cave opening. Nearly everything had been dug with bare hands.

That was exactly why, in an area not all that vast, several thousand people had searched an entire day and come up empty.

“Jiu’er.” Jian Yi stepped forward and caught her by the arm.

Feng Jiu’er raised her eyes to look at him, frowning slightly. “You’re still…”

“I recovered long ago.” Jian Yi pulled her behind him and turned to look at everyone present.

Every person in front of the cave stepped back and made room, Feng Jiu’er included — she walked over to where Qiao Mu was standing, clearing a path.

Jian Yi turned back, fixed his gaze on the massive rock wedged in the cave entrance, and took two steps forward.

The rock did look somewhat as though it had been forced into place, but its edges were too worn to tell anything clearly.

Jian Yi extended both palms and braced them against the boulder, his thick brows pressing together.

He exerted force — and the entire small ledge shuddered.

Feng Jiu’er immediately turned to the brothers still standing on the outer edge. “Get back up above and wait for news.”

“Yes.” Several brothers replied together, leaped, and vanished up over the ledge.

No one knew how many more shudders the tiny ledge could endure before it gave way. Better to be safe and clear out.

Jian Yi pressed his strength against the rock a second time. The boulder seemed to shift slightly. Feng Jiu’er watched from where she stood, willing it to move.

The cave entrance was too narrow — even if she wanted to help, there was no room.

On Jian Yi’s third heave, the boulder broke entirely free from the cave mouth.

In that instant, the whole ledge shook violently.

Jian Yi’s palm shot out and struck the face of the boulder hard. The great rock rolled briefly and then tumbled off the cliff.

After a moment, from far below in the depths of the gorge came a thunderous crash.

Once the earth stopped trembling, the small ledge settled into stillness.

As Jian Yi turned around, he lengthened his stride and fell into step behind Feng Jiu’er.

Qiao Mu, Zhao Yusheng, and Feng Yan Dong with a few brothers all followed in.

The sunset still hung at the horizon. The light filtering in through the cave mouth was enough to make out something of the interior.

But as they pressed further in, the darkness thickened.

Feng Jiu’er took out a fire starter and lit it, pressing onward — until a great door rose up before her and barred the way.

She turned to look. The others had already filed in close behind her.