Chapter 110: The Wencheng Treasury

"This is the cargo that the Divine Medicine Mountain has commissioned me to search for over the past five years."

In the underground secret chamber, Huo Xingge opened a large trunk, and instantly, a hazy glow illuminated the ceiling. The densely packed spirit stones looked mesmerizing.

Yes, they were spirit stones.

Just like the National Guardian Villa, the protective grand array of the Divine Medicine Mountain consumed spirit stones every single moment. Since natural spirit stone veins were nearly exhausted in the mortal world, obtaining them required sourcing from the Yuan Energy Space. The people of the Divine Medicine Mountain never entered the Yuan Energy Space themselves, so they commissioned outsiders to search for them. The Huo family was one of these agents, responsible for the Southeast Asian region.

Why didn't the Divine Medicine Mountain cooperate with the domestic National Guardian Villa? It was a combination of incompatibility and elitism. Whether it was the Divine Medicine Mountain, the Azure Robe Valley, or other ancient sects, they considered themselves "people of the Jianghu" and naturally disliked the National Guardian Villa, which functioned as a government agency. Furthermore, priding themselves on centuries of heritage, they looked down upon the National Guardian Villa, which had been established for less than a century. Even though the National Guardian Villa shared a lineage with the ancient Dragon Protection Villa and possessed power that could crush them, they maintained their inner arrogance.

"Very well, I will take this entire shipment," Jiang An said, nodding.

Huo Xingge cupped his hands and squeezed out a smile, saying, "I hope Mr. Jiang will continue to look after the Huo family in the future. After all, the Divine Medicine Mountain is quite influential, and we have been working for them for a long time. It would be difficult to break ties abruptly."

This was a subtle offer of allegiance. Jiang An thought for a moment and said, "I am not a man who burns bridges. As long as the Huo family continues to search for spirit stones for me, I will ensure the Huo family's prosperity!"

Huo Xingge had been waiting for these words. Otherwise, if Jiang An had simply taken the goods and left, he would not have known how to answer to the Divine Medicine Mountain. Now, being able to cooperate with Jiang An meant at least temporary safety; he just hoped his luck would hold out for a long time.

"Thank you, Mr. Jiang!"

"Think nothing of it!"

As he spoke, Jiang An cast several incantations toward the large trunk. The trunk shrank at a speed visible to the naked eye until it was small enough for Jiang An to hold in his palm. This scene left Huo Xingge burning with envy—truly the methods of an immortal.

Jiang An, however, was thinking about when to acquire a spatial artifact. After all, while the control incantations could shrink items, their weight remained unchanged, which was far less convenient than a storage bag.

The two left the secret chamber and returned to the living room. Master Zhou had just finished cleaning up the aftermath. After exchanging a few polite pleasantries, Jiang An ignored the Huo family's attempts to make him stay and departed with Fan Jun and Huang Dashu.

The next day, at noon.

Alone in his room, Jiang An toyed with the large vase from the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty that he had bought at the auction. He had discovered nothing unusual, nor did he feel that growing affection or excitement that antique enthusiasts often spoke of. After a moment of contemplation, he smashed the item, which had cost him sixty million dollars, against the floor.

Clang! It shattered into fragments.

Jiang An carefully sifted through the shards. Sure enough, he discovered something different: the base seemed too thick and hard. He picked up the base and snapped it in two, revealing a small, yellowed piece of silk.

He pulled out the silk and unfolded it; it was no larger than a palm. On it were drawings of mountains and rivers, with a large mountain in the center marked with the characters "Huashan." A short distance away, in a corner, was an 'X' mark. It was clearly a treasure map!

Could this really be it? The treasure map of the Wencheng Treasury?

The so-called Wencheng Treasury was information he had obtained from the memories of the Black Tiger Master, though where that man had learned of it remained unknown. "Wencheng" referred to Liu Bowen! This great Qi refiner from seven or eight hundred years ago was the subject of countless legends. Known for knowing five hundred years into the past and five hundred years into the future, he was said to be the one who severed the dragon veins single-handedly. For a long time, rumors had circulated that he had sealed his life's accumulation and inheritance in a mysterious place, which the world called the "Bowen Treasury." After his death, he was given the posthumous title "Wencheng," hence it was also known as the "Wencheng Treasury."

For hundreds of years, the rumors surrounding the Wencheng Treasury had been a mix of truth and fiction. It was said that obtaining the treasury would allow one to become an immortal on the spot. After all, he was the last great power on Earth before the Age of Dharma Decline. Why did such a great power die so easily? There was no other reason than divine retribution. Although he severed the dragon veins to prevent outsiders from ravaging the Divine Land and to avoid a catastrophe for all living things, the dragon veins were the source of China's fortune. By severing them and causing the Age of Dharma Decline, he naturally incurred the punishment of the nation's destiny—that is, divine retribution.

Regardless, the world believed that the Wencheng Treasury must contain great treasures. That was why the Black Tiger Master had commissioned the Huo family to bid on this porcelain, even if the authenticity was unknown.

Though he didn't know if the map was real, he would check it out when he had the time.

With that thought, Jiang An put the map away. Not long after he finished, his phone rang.

"Is this Mr. Jiang An? This is Guo Xuanying."

A sweet voice came from the other end of the line.

"Hello, Miss Guo."

"Just call me Xuanying, or Jasmine. We agreed yesterday to dine together tonight. Mr. Jiang hasn't forgotten, has he?"

"Naturally not. Miss Guo... Miss Xuanying, have you booked the restaurant?"

"Yes, I have. It's the Caprice restaurant in Wan Chai, Italian cuisine. Their truffles and lamb chops are excellent. Six o'clock tonight, don't be late."

"Understood, I will be there on time."

"Then, Jiang... never mind, see you tonight!"

The voice on the other end hesitated before hanging up. Jiang An wore a smile that was not quite a smile, then called out softly, "You two, come up."

The voices of Jiang An instantly reached Fan Jun and Huang Dashu, who were chatting downstairs, and they hurried upstairs.

"What are your orders?"

"How long is the drive from here to the Caprice restaurant in Wan Chai?"

"It's quite far. With traffic, it could take anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half."

"Good. Rest for two hours, then we'll head there. Also, book the latest flight to Beijing for tonight. I'm leaving tonight!"

Hearing this, Huang Dashu became anxious: "Why is Mr. Jiang in such a rush to leave? There are still many places in Xiangcheng worth visiting. Why not stay for another two days? If my hospitality has been lacking, please just say so!"

"You've been thoughtful, but I have urgent business to attend to, so I won't bother you further. You've handled things very efficiently; Fan Jun will compensate you," Jiang An encouraged him.

"Very well, I wouldn't dare to interfere with your schedule. I hope that next time you visit Xiangcheng, you will remember to look for me," Huang Dashu said respectfully.

Fan Jun asked, "Should I return to Beijing with you, or go back to Lin'cheng?"

"You should return to Lin'cheng first. I need to stay in Beijing for a while. I will contact you if anything comes up."

Fan Jun knew Jiang An was referring to the battle on the second day of the second lunar month, so he didn't ask further.

Two hours later.

Two cars drove out of the villa and headed directly toward Wan Chai.

Jiang An closed his eyes to rest as usual. The others remained silent, watching the streetscape of Xiangcheng recede outside the windows.

Several dozen minutes later, the group was stuck in traffic.

After waiting for a few more minutes, Huang Dashu grew impatient and asked the driver, "The main road is too jammed. Can we take a shortcut?"

"We can turn left at the intersection ahead and take a side road," the driver replied.

"Then turn left."

"Understood."

After a while, the traffic moved again. The cars turned left into a narrow lane, winding through residential areas and alleys. Although it was a detour, the cars didn't stop.

"Hey, boss, there are construction signs ahead," the driver suddenly stopped the car and said.

Huang Dashu leaned out to look and indeed saw a warning sign on the road ahead, with two men in engineering uniforms waving at them to stop.

"Damn it!"

Huang Dashu felt annoyed, but he suddenly sensed something wrong. Looking closer, he realized the two men blocking the road didn't have the bearing of construction workers at all, and the road surface looked perfectly fine—where was the construction?

"Damn it! It's an ambush! Retreat, now!" Huang Dashu blurted out.

Just as the driver was about to reverse, there was a screech of brakes from behind. Looking back, several cars had rushed out and blocked the road completely.

Whoosh!

It was the same in front. Several cars rushed out from the left and right, creating a pincer movement and trapping Jiang An's two cars in the middle of the alley. There was no escape.

Damn, who has the nerve to block my path? Huang Dashu thought, habitually wanting to stand his ground. Then he remembered he wasn't the one in charge. He looked back and saw his two distinguished guests showing no change in expression, completely unbothered, which immediately put him at ease.

"Don't move! Move again and I'll shoot!"

A dozen men carrying guns and knives got out of the cars blocking them, surrounding the two vehicles. Handguns were pointed at the people in the front row, threatening them not to move.

Clap, clap!

Two more men finally stepped out of the opposing vehicles: a brawny, middle-aged man with a fierce face and a flat-topped, pot-bellied man—it was the socialite thug from yesterday!

"Jin Qianbiao!"

A few days ago, Huang Dashu knew he couldn't afford to provoke this famous thug in Xiangcheng and would have had to pray for his own safety. But now, feeling he had the backing of Jiang An and his companions—especially after witnessing their power last night—his confidence was bolstered. He didn't feel afraid; he only thought about settling this to impress his distinguished guests.

Thus, Huang Dashu got out of the car, stood tall, and asked, "Jin Qianbiao, we've always kept to our own paths. What is this about today? I'll see this through to the end!"

The bodyguards Huang Dashu brought also exited the car, surrounding him with their guns drawn in a standoff.

Jin Qianbiao was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "Huang Dashu, your guts have grown. Daring to challenge me, Jin Qianbiao? Is your life getting too long?!"

"Humph, frog in a well! Let me give you some advice: the people in my car are not ones you can afford to provoke!" Huang Dashu retorted.

"They are exactly who I'm looking for! Just some fat sheep from the mainland, right? Even if they were the sons of high-ranking officials, they'd have to kneel in my territory! How dare he snatch what I wanted yesterday? If I don't teach him a lesson, how am I supposed to survive in this business?" Jin Qianbiao said with a ferocious grin.

The pot-bellied thug beside him also shouted, "Kid, remember me? The tables have turned. I finally have you in my hands! If you're smart, get out, hand over the goods, pay eight hundred million or a billion, and apologize to your grandfather, and maybe you'll suffer a little less!"