Chapter Seventeen: The Hidden Treasure

“A treasure map?” Lu Han exclaimed in surprise.

“Brat, turn it to the left and hold it farther away—doesn’t it look a bit like this mountain we’re on now? Look here, see, doesn’t this resemble a river? That’s the one we stayed beside for half a month. And this red star here, that’s probably the destination,” the old man analyzed honestly.

“Old fool, now that you mention it, it really does look like that. There’s writing on the back!” Lu Han flipped the map over, revealing several lines of text.

“I am the King of Heavenly Garments. More than thirty years have passed, and I have yet to take that crucial step! I am unwilling to accept this fate! I shall journey to the Sea of Asura, to that fabled realm, but cannot bear to let my legacy die. As I depart, I leave behind my inheritance. Throughout my life, I, the King of Heavenly Garments, have acted with integrity and a clear conscience. Iron Forest, if you encounter someone with a pure heart, give him this map. If he is wicked at heart, it will harm him, and my legacy shall remain buried forever. Remember this! Remember!”

So, the King of Heavenly Garments entrusted the map to Iron Forest, hoping he would find a worthy successor.

“Iron Forest… must be an ancestor of that Iron Luo. From the looks of it, they intended for their own family to claim this inheritance. King of Heavenly Garments? I’ve never heard my father mention him. Old fool, do you know anything?” Lu Han tilted his head and questioned the old man.

The old man was a bit speechless. Did this brat enjoy calling him ‘old fool’ so much?

“A pure heart? Virtue as profound as a child’s innocence. The King of Heavenly Garments must have been a man of noble character!” the old man murmured softly.

Lu Han didn’t catch what he said and immediately asked, “Old fool, what are you mumbling about over there?”

“I’ve never heard of the King of Heavenly Garments. I was trapped in that cave for countless years,” the old man rolled his eyes. Wasn’t this brat asking nonsense?

“Brat, what do you plan to do? Will you seek this inheritance? It’s a King of the Earth, you know,” the old man seemed to be probing, or perhaps coaxing him.

“A King of the Earth… We’ve never had one in Maple Leaf City. My grandfather is a Mystic Lord—I’ve only met him two or three times, as he’s always secluded. In our city, a Mystic Lord is the strongest. I, Lu Han, am not a great saint, but I’m not a villain either. A King of the Earth…!” Lu Han muttered to himself. Indeed, a King of the Earth was a top powerhouse in the entire Great Xia Empire—who could resist such temptation? The Iron family betrayed the King of Heavenly Garments for it.

“Heh, you should give it a try, kid. Don’t worry, even if something happens, I’ll cover for you,” the old man chuckled.

Lu Han ignored him. He figured the old man had spent too long in the cave and had gone a bit mad—‘just a small King of the Earth,’ indeed. He didn’t seem reliable, at least that’s what Lu Han thought.

“If we’re roughly here, then this red heart…” Lu Han discussed the treasure map with the old man.

In Bluestone Town, the streets bustled with crowds.

On the main street, a mercenary of the Iron Mad Mercenary Company walked and paused, occasionally glancing around. He arrived at a grand entrance, handed a token to the guards, and hurried inside.

From a distance, one could see a flag fluttering in the wind, emblazoned with the words: “Flying Tiger Mercenary Company.”

“Captain, this is the reason Iron Mad suddenly entered Cloud Crystal Mountain,” the Iron Mad mercenary knelt on one knee before the person seated in the hall.

The hall was adorned with the pelt of a fierce-toothed tiger, and on the chair sat a middle-aged man with delicate features, scholarly airs, and a hint of coldness—a discordant contrast to the tiger pelt. This was Li Hu, captain of the Flying Tiger Mercenary Company.

“Ah Hui, you did well this time. These past two years, your intelligence has always given me an edge in my clashes with Iron Mad.” Li Hu had planted Ah Hui as a mole in Iron Mad two years earlier. Iron Mad still didn’t quite trust Ah Hui, leaving him at headquarters to watch over things, but Ah Hui had his ways of gathering information.

“Hmph, Iron Mad, a treasure map! Who would’ve thought you hid it so deep, keeping this trump card in reserve. Fortunately, a young man helped me tremendously—otherwise, Flying Tiger might have been in danger. You even lost a son in the process. Young man, to repay you, I’ve decided to bury both you and Iron Mad deep within Cloud Crystal Mountain!” Li Hu’s sinister voice echoed, and Ah Hui, still kneeling, shivered—he knew well the captain’s methods.

“Men, gather the troops and follow me to Cloud Crystal Mountain! Ah Hui, change your clothes and lead the way. This time, we’ll uproot the Iron Mad Mercenary Company!” Li Hu seemed to envision Iron Mad begging for mercy.

“If not for that day… I wouldn’t have been able to wound you…”

“Hey, old fool, are you done yet? You’ve been studying the map forever and haven’t said a word,” Lu Han crossed his arms and looked at the old man with disdain.

“Brat, I’ve just about figured out the map. The trouble is, we can’t go now—looks like a group is coming to kill you,” the old man smiled at Lu Han, a smile so warm it was unsettling.

“What? You old fool, are you trying to get me killed? How many are there?” Lu Han jumped in fright, certain the old man was being deliberate.

“Not many—about a hundred, one innate expert. Most are about your level. If I’m right, it’s the mercenary company Iron Luo mentioned yesterday,” the old man replied calmly.

“You old fool, I knew you were trouble—you’re an accomplice to murder…” Lu Han exclaimed anxiously.

“Brat, I’m just a soul. If they catch you, I’ll just hide in the ring and not come out. Heh… Since you have time to complain, I suggest you start running—they’re only two miles away,” the old man squinted at Lu Han, unconcerned. As he said, he could hide in the ring, and honestly, could Iron Mad really do anything to him?

Lu Han eyed the old man, finding his smile increasingly sly.

“Better find a place to hide first…”

In the forest, a strange sight unfolded—a youth running frantically, followed by a ring, atop which hovered a semi-transparent old man.

Not long after, the Iron Mad Mercenary Company arrived.

“Captain, there are footprints here,” Vice Captain Zheng Qi noticed Lu Han’s tracks.

“It’s definitely that kid!” Iron Mad affirmed.

“Captain, Cloud Crystal Mountain is huge—how can you be sure the kid went this way? There are so many people here every day; how can you be certain these footprints are his?” Zheng Qi asked, puzzled.

“A storage ring only loses its imprint if I remove it myself. He managed to forcibly open it, but since I was the previous owner, I can sense its general location unless it’s too far away,” Iron Mad said, clenching his fist. The ring was an ancestral heirloom, rumored to be bestowed by a King of the Earth, now lost in his hands, along with the treasure map.

“I can’t sense its location anymore! Did he escape a hundred miles in this short time? He must have used some method to block my senses. Everyone, spread out and search—signal if you find anything! He was just here, I’m sure of it.” The Iron Mad Mercenary Company began a carpet search.

A few minutes earlier—

“Old man, Cloud Crystal Mountain is so vast—how would Iron Mad know I’m here? I thought if I hid for a while, I could get out,” Lu Han asked the old man behind him.

“Ah… I almost forgot. Since I forced open the ring for you, you became its master, but since the previous imprint wasn’t removed naturally, he can still sense its location,” the old man slapped his forehead, as if he really had forgotten.

“You… you old fool, you did that on purpose!” Lu Han stopped, gritting his teeth. He didn’t believe the old man had simply forgotten.

“Uh… Don’t be angry, kid, don’t be angry—young people these days have such tempers. Give me the ring and he won’t be able to sense it.”

He tossed the ring to the old man, and it vanished in a flash.

“Old man, didn’t you say storage rings can’t hold other storage rings? How come yours can?” Lu Han asked curiously.

“Brat, why do you ask so many questions?”

Lu Han: “……”

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