Crack!
The stone door, sealed for countless years, suddenly opened a crack.
Imdiately, a thick smoke rolled in, and the four standing outside the stone door quickly dodged to the side, fearing the smoke might be poisonous if inhaled.
Woo! Woo! Woo!
The wind from inside the ancient temple rubbed against the door crack, creating a mourning sound. In the smoke, figures cloaked in black staggered out from the door, interspersed with the strong wind.
The four couldn’t help but widen their eyes in surprise. How could there be people?
However, after no more than five steps, these cloaked figures fell to the ground, and the wind lifted their robes, revealing what was underneath.
They were nothing but long-dried and yellowed skeletal remains.
About half an incense stick later, everything gradually cald down, and the surroundings returned to peace.
"This ancient temple has been sealed for many years, with lingering spirits inside, wandering eternally in the darkness. By opening it, we’ve disrupted its feng shui—essentially breaking the curse. Don’t worry," a robust man took out a feng shui compass to reassure them.
"Big brother, but I still feel uneasy. Is this place really the legendary retreat of the wealthy Monk Bao, as the rumors say?" murmured the frail youth standing behind the robust man.
His na was Wang Chengze, a treasure hunter from Yangzhou Prefecture, skilled in retrieving objects with flying grapples, scaling cliffs, crawling steep slopes, digging tunnels, and exploring depths—a top-notch treasure seeker.
The robust man before him was Luo Changbao, mildly skilled in feng shui surveying, truly a martial artist with Inner Strength, who loved to travel mountains and rivers in search of treasure.
On the other side of the ancient temple’s gate stood a man and a woman, the man nad Dong Xing, skilled in dicine, and the woman nad Hong Molili, adept at Lightweight Skill and knowledgeable about traps and chanisms.
These three were the treasure hunting team assembled by Luo Changbao, who often wandered everywhere, with extrely rich experiences.
Once, in the Jiangnan martial world, there appeared three famous eccentric brothers.
Their real nas were long forgotten, and others only knew them by their famous nicknas.
The Wealthy Man, Rich Master, and Monk Bao.
These three were renowned experts in the martial world, but more impressive than their skills was their obsession with money.
As long as it involved making money, even remotely, they were willing to pursue it; over ti, they accumulated a significant fortune.
How vast this fortune was remained unknown, as when the Wealthy Man, Rich Master, and Monk Bao reached old age, they retired from the martial world, no longer appearing in public.
People in the martial world only knew they hid sowhere in Jiangnan, and buried all their life’s wealth in their place of retreat. If one could find this place and the imnse treasure, they could beco the richest person in Jiangnan overnight.
Regarding this rumor, after entering the treasure hunting field, Luo Changbao had been secretly investigating it. So believed it false, others were half-convinced.
Luo Changbao was the one who fully believed, and over years of investigation and information gathering, finally discovered clues, leading him and his team to find this abandoned ancient temple hidden deep in the wilderness today.
He was very convinced that this was undoubtedly the place where the three practiced and died, and their lifeti wealth was hidden in this temple, quietly waiting for the next owner to appear.
Seeing his companions’ serious expressions, Luo Changbao took out his large fire starter, opened the lid, and blew forcefully.
"I’ll go in and scout. Follow quickly." Luo Changbao pulled the silk mask on his neck up to his nose and led the way inside.
Seeing him take the risk, the other three hesitated no longer, covering their faces with breath masks, and followed Luo Changbao’s steps into the temple.
Ti seed to stand still, as the thick dust-covered bronze bell at the highest point of the temple suddenly began to ring by itself, its somber tones echoing through the mountains, lingering long.
The pitch-black temple was devoid of light, relying solely on the fire starters in Luo Changbao and his companions’ hands for illumination.
Upon entering the main door, they saw a large hall with walls on all sides, devoid of tables, chairs, or stairs, extrely clean in its emptiness.
At the four corners of the hall stood towering stone statues of unknown material, holding iron hooks and scissors, wrapped in chains, with fierce and angry expressions, their significance unknown.
Such grim statues usually had so significant purpose, and Luo Changbao, slightly knowledgeable in feng shui, couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
"Big brother, this place seems to be just this big. No doors, no windows, no stairs, and the beams are also empty. Could there be a hidden passage or sothing?" Dong Xing asked.
"Check around carefully, see if there are any chanisms or secret passages. Be cautious; the rumor says the Wealthy Man, Rich Master, and Monk Bao were quirky individuals who might have built this temple not for practice but as a burial ground for themselves," Luo Changbao reminded.
The other three’s faces turned sober imdiately. They hadn’t considered such possibilities before, but now it didn’t seem impossible.
So the four of them began searching the hall diligently, hoping to find so valuable discovery.
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