Chapter 193 - 193 Jade Artifacts from the Yuan Dynasty and the Colorful Golden Pheasant (3)
There were no lakes in the Great Dragon Mountain, let alone any big rivers. There were only small streams.
However, there were several of these small streams, and if they were to investigate every one of them, it would require too much manpower.
Perhaps I shouldn’t be looking at small streams?
!!
If a clue was left behind, then it must intuitively lead to a specific location! Otherwise, what would be the point of leaving behind a clue?
There are dozens of small streams in the mountains! The area is vast, and without any clues, the search will be endless!
Perhaps there are three bridges near some of these streams?
Or perhaps a pile of rocks?
After walking for a while, Luo Feng stepped beyond the scope of his previous scan and immediately activated his scanning ability.
Ding!
88 dots.
“Not bad at all! To think there are so many treasures waiting for me!” Luo Feng chuckled with delight.
He hoisted his hoe and began digging at one of the treasure markers.
With a clang, he unearthed a square-shaped stone.
It was a prop.
[ Energy Drink +1 ]
Soon after, Luo Feng found an insect repellent instead…
…
In the blink of an eye, it was nearly noon.
Luo Feng had found many props and occasionally some medicinal herbs.
One viewer commented, “Hey, host, why don’t you just go down the mountain? You’ve already dug up all the treasures in Dalong Mountain. What more do you want?”
“An entire morning and all you found were these useless square stones! I noticed that’s the most common thing you’ve dug up!”
“Yeah, it’s really strange!”
“If it were me, I’d start searching the nearby mountains!”
Luo Feng had dug through 80 or so dots, only to find medicinal herbs.
But at the last treasure marker…
Clang!
He discovered a jade artifact.
It was from the Yuan dynasty, and it was worth 250,000 yuan.
Huh?
Luo Feng was overjoyed and quickly excavated the object.
It was a jade pendant.
The craftsmanship was a bit rough, but it had some simple cloud patterns.
“What? There’s jade too? What’s going on?”
“This is unscientific! How can there be more treasures after they’ve all been dug up?”
“Is it another relic from the rebel king?”
Holding the jade pendant, Luo Feng answered, “This is from the Yuan dynasty!”
“Wow! So, does that mean there’s a tomb here from the Yuan dynasty?”
“Awesome! A tomb from the Yuan dynasty would be worth a lot of money!”
“It must be something left behind by Old Li, considering he stole so many treasures from different eras!”
“The key question is, if this place was where Old Li dropped his treasures, then did he pass through here?”
Everyone was puzzled.
Old Luo had already found Old Li’s stash, so why had he found yet another antique?
There was only one explanation: after burying the bountiful treasure chests, the rebel king and his men ventured deeper into the mountains.
They had ventured far from the previous treasure site and had entered the depths of the mountains.
Initially, Luo Feng thought there was a 70% chance that Li Zicheng had buried more treasures in the mountain. But now that he had found the jade pendant, the probability was a confident 120%.
However, Luo Feng did not voice his analysis out loud.
He felt that it was unnecessary, especially since there was nothing to back him yet, lest he end up embarrassing himself if he was actually wrong.
…
By noon, Luo Feng naturally led his group to take a break.
As his crew grew larger, Luo Feng knew he had to look after those who were physically weaker.
At around 2 p.m., they resumed their journey deeper into the mountains.
Luo Feng began scanning the area once more.
However, he still did not find any significant concentration of treasure markers.
...
Luo Feng could not help but wonder how far Old Li had ventured into the mountains back then.
In ancient times, there were many fierce beasts in these mountains.
Of course, if they could discover ancient jade pendants and antiques along the way, it would indicate that people from the past had been here.
Furthermore, it was only natural for some items to be lost when a large group of people entered the mountains.
As for Old Li’s tomb, Luo Feng believed that it would not be in this area.
The supposedly excavated tomb of the rebel king was almost confirmed to be authentic by several scientists.
As they continued to walk through the mountains, stopping from time to time, they unearthed various antiques, from abandoned porcelain bowls, fire starters, to ancient hemp ropes and so on.
Luo Feng was certain that they were heading in the right direction.
As long as people had passed through the area, especially if they were a large group of people, there was bound to be items left behind.
The next morning, after waking up in their tents in the mountains, Luo Feng led the group further into its depths.
Ding!
...
A copper coin!
A Yongchang Tongbao!
Worth 3 thousand yuan.
This was a copper coin minted by Old Li himself, with a decent version and a higher price.
It seemed they were heading in the right direction.
If Old Li had hired people to carry treasures into the mountains, then it was likely that some coins would have fallen from their possession.
Or perhaps the large chests containing the copper coins had overflowed.
“Why is Old Li’s coin still appearing?”
“A Yongchang Tongbao?”
“Do you think Old Li came from the other side of the mountain back then?”
“How could he be so foolish? It’s much easier to climb from this side of the mountain!”
“Is it possible that the rebel king buried one treasure spot, then continued deeper into the mountains and buried another one? After all, we’ve been finding many items along the way, which must have been dropped by the people carrying the treasures!”
“It’s indeed possible! After all, the rebel king had so many treasures back then!”
“The stone cliff rapids and the three bridges mentioned in the mantra had nothing to do with the previous treasure spot! There might be another spot within the mountains!”
“Come on, what are we waiting for? I’ve already booked my plane tickets; let’s go straight to Dalong Mountain and search for the rebel king’s treasures!”
“I’ll immediately take my villagers up the mountain!”
“Haha, if we find it, we won’t have to worry about affording young models for the rest of our lives!”
Luo Feng ignored their comments and tossed the copper coin to Brother An, suggesting that everyone take a break and have some snacks.
With so many people, it was necessary to implement military-style management.
Meals were to be eaten together.
Snacks like beef jerky were also to be shared.
Strict discipline was enforced, and all of the rich second-generation heirs had to comply to Luo Feng’s orders.
“We don’t have much water left; we need to find a water source this afternoon!”
After all, they did not carry too much water from the foot of the mountain because it was too heavy.
Nevertheless, this was a minor issue as finding a water source within the mountains was not a difficult task.
It would not take much effort to look for a small stream here in the mountains. Since many plants are drawn to water, all they had to do was to find lush vegetation, which would indicate that there is a nearby water source.
Of course, the mountain streams were shallow, and their fishes were small.
However, the area around the stream they had found was abundant with wild vegetables.
With these ingredients, they were able to enjoy a satisfying meal at noon.
Furthermore, several small animals came to drink water from the stream, such as wild rabbits, red-bellied pheasants, and gray-breasted bamboo partridges. They saw quite a few.
There was even a beautiful, colorful golden pheasant that looked quite na?ve and clumsy.
Unfortunately, these animals were protected species, the kind that would struggle to survive without human protection. Who would dare to harm them?
Of course, the protection of certain creatures can be attributed to human-induced environmental destruction, but some of these creatures are just inherently foolish.
For example, the foolish roe deer of the northeast have earned their protected status simply by being too foolish. Similarly, giant pandas seem to enjoy falling out of trees, as if they cannot feel content without stumbling a few times a day. It is no wonder they have become national treasures; they have earned it through their clumsiness.
“Wow! I have already spotted several wild chickens!”
“Old Luo, lead the way and catch them! They are so tempting!”
“To be honest, if I encountered them in the mountains, I would definitely catch them. Who would know?”
Luo Feng was not swayed by his viewers’ provocations.
He had beef jerky. Why would he need the pheasant?
Plus, finding treasure and enjoying the company of beautiful models in a club sounds much more appealing, does it not? Why risk imprisonment for a few months for the sake of a meal?
Luo Feng could clearly distinguish between savoring one meal and serving time in prison for dozens. He wanted neither. Moreover, with so many people watching, only a fool would act recklessly. Even without an audience, Luo Feng would not indulge in such behavior.
“Wow! Guys! A leopard with golden spots!”
Suddenly, Luo Feng saw a moving treasure dot. He looked in the direction of the marker and saw a leopard covered in yellow spots, staring intently at the crew.
However, it appeared to be quite timid, and in the presence of so many people, it dared not approach. It was a creature that cherished its well-being, and unless it was absolutely starving, it would not take such unwarranted risks.
“Damn, a golden leopard!”
“Did we suddenly step into the world of wild animals?”
“Hahaha, it came here to catch the wild chickens by the water source. Our presence has disrupted its mealtime!”
“The host should offer a piece of meat as compensation!”
However, after observing the group of people, and noting that no one was paying attention to it, the animal then focused on a beautiful, colorful pheasant, and in a flash, pounced on it.
It bit down on the pheasant’s neck, and blood immediately began to gush out…
The sight of the golden leopard seizing its prey was a stark reminder of the raw power of nature, yet the group carried on, focused on their treasure-hunting mission. The wilderness was full of unexpected encounters, but they could not afford to be distracted by every creature that crossed their path.