About the toxic miasma of the mournful old fir, Qi Yun had seen reports about it online. The reason why that area is prohibited from deep exploration is largely due to this stuff; if accidentally inhaled, it can cause hallucinations.

However, that's the scientific explanation. In Yao Yuzhong's time, knowledge wasn't so widespread, and locals even believed that there were goblins in the mountains that ate people.

"This is just the beginning." Yao Yuzhong took a deep drag of his cigarette and continued, "After the miasma dispersed, the paths in the mountain became more treacherous. The towering primeval forest blocked out the sun, and we gradually lost our way, going in circles."

"In the afternoon, it started to rain, the miasma dissipated, and we finally found our way. But who would've thought that the rain intensified, and suddenly there was a flash flood?"

"Mud and water from the mountain rushed down the valleys. We were on a narrow mountain gorge, and one of our guys, being slow to react, couldn't evade and was swept away by a mudslide."

....

"We continued on our way, camping in the forest at night, and then a guy in our team got bitten by a tiny black insect. He immediately had a high fever and convulsions. The medicine we had was useless, and by morning, he was gone."

"Six of us went into the mountain, and within a day, three were dead."

Yao Yuzhong's voice was tinged with melancholy, as if he wasn't sure if he felt sorry for those who died, or if he was still terrified upon reflection.

"On the second day, we followed the river and finally reached the destination—a stretch of mountains extending for dozens of kilometers. Inside the mountain, hidden, was a gigantic cave and a bottomless underground river, flowing out from the unseen depths of the cave."

"And the treasure you mentioned in the mournful old fir is likely hidden deep within that cave."

Qi Yun, upon hearing this, finally asked the question that had been bothering him, "I read your dossier, and it said you're skilled in finding tombs through Feng Shui, but the mournful old fir treasure site isn't a big tomb. How did you determine its location?"

At this point, Yao Yuzhong no longer concealed the truth: "That place is indeed not a tomb, but it's the most suitable place for hiding treasure."

"I was searching for tombs near the mournful old fir, staying with a local farmer, when I happened to hear him mention the treasure. He said a man named Li hired five hundred porters to transport countless treasures into the mountains."

"In the end, only one or two of those porters escaped, and they were out of their minds. It's said the treasures were hidden in a massive cave."

"I spent two years poring over the county records and surveyed the surroundings of the mournful old fir several times before finally determining the cave's location based on the river's flow."

Qi Yun blinked at this—the outcome seemed different from what he imagined.

He thought it would be like in the movies, where they'd use some dragon-seeking divination or star-gazing technique to find the spot.

He never expected it to be so plain and unadorned...

Yao Yuzhong, noticing his expression, seemed to guess his thoughts and felt as if his professional skills were being underestimated, looking displeased: "You think this place is easy to find? How many people have gone into those mountains over the years? Forget finding the treasure; not even two people made it out alive."

"Even modern technology is useless in the mountains since the river courses keep changing. If you don't understand the earth's veins, you'll never find it."

Qi Yun clicked his tongue but didn't refute.

He's been to places like Lop Nur and Kunlun. Such restricted zones are often filled with bizarre magnetic fields, rendering high-tech useless. Plus, the mountains are shrouded year-round in miasma and fog, making it easy to lose one's direction.

"So, did you find the treasure? Did you bring anything back?" Qi Yun asked the question he was most interested in.

Yao Yuzhong shook his head, leaving it uncertain whether he didn't find the treasure or couldn't bring anything out.

He looked down again, his expression growing heavier, as he replied slowly, "That cave is the most dangerous place. The other two members of our team died inside."

"What danger?"

"Snakes!"

"Snakes!?"

"Yes, snakes! More of them than you can imagine!" Yao Yuzhong's Adam's apple bobbed, "When we entered the cave, we only saw a few scattered small snakes. We didn't think much of it; after all, we had already seen many along the way, nothing rare."

"But the deeper we went, the more snakes there were. They were wriggling out from every crevice in the rock walls—brightly colored and all venomous."

"By the light of the torches, their eyes shone eerily, covering the ground, enough to make anyone's scalp tingle."

"Moreover, it seemed as if they were being commanded by something, converging on us from the rock walls and ground from all directions."

Yao Yuzhong's hands trembled slightly, clearly scarred by the memory.

"At first, we could use torches to repel them, but later they were fearless of the flames. They went mad, swarming over us at incredible speed!"

"We turned to flee towards the exit, but it was too late. The swarm had already gathered behind us, blocking us in tightly, leaving no room to step."

"In the end, I desperately jumped into the underground river, narrowly escaping with my life."

Hiss~

Qi Yun shivered uncontrollably; just hearing the story was enough to give him goosebumps all over.

However, he noticed that when Yao Yuzhong recounted the last part, he seemed a bit unnatural. Qi Yun secretly speculated that Yao Yuzhong's escape might not have been as he described...

"And the treasure? Was there a treasure in the cave?"

"I didn't see the treasure, but I did see a lot of skeletons in that cave—many of them. They probably belonged to the porters."

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. If there were so many skeletons in the cave, there was a good chance it really was the treasure site.

Even though Yao Yuzhong didn't see the treasure firsthand, reports said he was the only person currently knowing its location.

Most likely, it wasn't wrong.

But he still had a nagging question: how did those porters die?

Did they die while carrying the treasure in or while coming out?

If there were so many snakes in the cave, how did they manage to carry the treasure in?

After hearing this, Yao Yuzhong shook his head and sighed, "That's a question I'm puzzled over as well. My guess is that when those porters entered the cave, it was possibly winter or at the lowest temperature point of the mountains, with the snakes in hibernation."

"As for their cause of death... it's likely they were killed by that man Li Yun's orders."

Qi Yun nodded, considering the other person's conjecture fairly reasonable.

Those porters, mostly from nearby villages, knew the way to the mountains. Greedy for the profit and to avoid information leaking, it's impossible they'd let them live.

If one or two managed to escape, something unexpected most likely occurred.

"Alright, I've told you everything I know, and this secret will go to the grave with me. No one else will ever know."

"I hope you can spare the couple." Yao Yuzhong implored with a hint of pleading in his eyes, speaking sincerely.

Qi Yun sighed and smiled wryly, "You make it sound like I'm the villain, when it was you who broke the law."

Still, this guy was quite astute and didn't even need reminding.

"Rest assured, I'm a man of my word."

Having his assurance, Yao Yuzhong finally felt the weight lifted off his shoulders.

Qi Yun took out his phone, opened a map app, and asked, "Can you point out where that cave is?"

Yao Yuzhong hesitated, looking at the phone screen, "It's a bit complicated. The mournful old fir area is all mountains connected to mountains; you have to follow the river to precisely locate that place. Even your satellite map can't capture the rivers inside."

Qi Yun didn't press him, putting away his phone and thoughtfully stroking his chin.

Indeed, as the other party said, exploration of the deep interior of the mournful old fir by the outside world might not even be one percent. Even local geographers might not find that place.

Even if a scientific expedition wanted to conduct research, they would only explore the periphery.

Could it be that to go there, I'd have to take this old guide along?