"No rush. There’s no one at the entrance. This secret passage might hold some unexpected things inside."
Eunuch Liu was old and cunning. He could tell at a glance that the chieftain must have hidden all his wealth, and perhaps even his secrets, inside the secret passage.
"This... Well, let’s go in and have a look."
Chu Lingguang would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious.
"Alright. I’ll go in first. You put the stone back at the entrance to stop anyone from coming in."
With that, Eunuch Liu slipped into the secret passage.
Chu Lingguang did as he was told, placing the red stone—the one that could release a powerful Consciousness Attack—back where it belonged before following him into the passage.
"The Five Poison Hand."
"Has this guy lost his mind?"
Inside the secret passage, Eunuch Liu’s gaze fell upon the chieftain’s corpse again. He couldn’t help but exclaim in shock when he saw that the man’s right hand had been stripped of its flesh, leaving only blackened bone.
"I heard him take off his Iron Fist Glove and thought he had let his guard down, so I struck quickly. I never expected that he’d be even stronger without the glove than with it. It’s a good thing my Bloodline Divine Abilities can form a defensive barrier, or I would have ended up just like him."
Chu Lingguang said, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"Although you have yet to step into the True Martial Realm, your power already surpasses that of most experts who have. I can’t imagine what heights your strength will reach once you finally break through. As you are now, neither I nor your master would be guaranteed a victory against you."
Eunuch Liu remarked with a sigh.
He had rushed in to help after hearing the commotion. The plan had been for the two of them to launch a sneak attack, but even then, he had expected killing the chieftain would be a difficult ordeal, and they might even be discovered by the other pirates.
He never thought Chu Lingguang would actually kill the chieftain all by himself.
It had truly amazed him.
"You praise me too much, Eunuch. I don’t know when on earth I’ll ever be able to step into the True Martial Realm."
Chu Lingguang sighed.
Yan Zhen, Qin Yu, and even, it was said, Tuoba Yunhong, had all recently entered the True Martial Realm. He was the only one still stuck at the bottleneck, with no idea when he would break through.
The wait was agonizing.
Especially when it was an indefinite wait.
It would be a lie for Chu Lingguang to say he wasn’t anxious.
"You will succeed. If even you can’t break through, then who knows how long my good-for-nothing apprentice will have to wait."
Eunuch Liu knew that even at his worst, Chu Lingguang was a hundred times more outstanding than Xuanyuan Jinkang.
"Actually, a few months ago during the final round of the Palace Examination’s Martial Arts Examination, I was on the verge of breaking through. It’s a shame I couldn’t seize that opportunity."
Chu Lingguang lamented.
The two of them conversed in low voices as they walked deeper into the secret passage.
The secret passage was very deep.
It seemed to stretch from the mountaintop all the way to the seabed; they walked for a long time.
"How come you never mentioned this before? Tell me about it."
Eunuch Liu was curious.
"At the time..."
Chu Lingguang then told Eunuch Liu in full detail what had happened during the Palace Examination when he faced the impact of Zhang Xuan’s and Li Mao’s power.
Eunuch Liu fell into deep thought.
He had a bold idea. "Jin Kang was also there at the time," he said. "He told me about it, but his reaction was different from yours. He said the power of those two experts from Yuanchu Mountain felt like Mount Tai was crashing down on him. It crushed him so much he could barely breathe, and he even felt like an ant being stepped on. He was depressed for days because of it."
"But you were the complete opposite."
"I know your strength is far greater than Jin Kang’s, it’s just..."
Eunuch Liu racked his brain, finding it difficult to put his thoughts into words.
"Please speak freely, Eunuch."
Sensing his difficulty, Chu Lingguang prompted him.
"I think... those two experts from Yuanchu Mountain might have been trying to help you achieve a breakthrough, but you failed."
"I don’t know if I’m right or not."
"Perhaps I’m overthinking it. But if it’s true, then your future is limitless."
Eunuch Liu said after a moment’s hesitation.
"That... how is that possible?"
Chu Lingguang found it inconceivable.
’What have I ever done to deserve the favor of Zhang Xuan and Li Mao?’ Chu Lingguang thought. ’If it’s really as Eunuch Liu says, and I failed to break through even with their help, they must be incredibly disappointed in me, right?’
"I’ve made some inquiries. Your transfer to Qingzhou Prefecture to guard Black Bear Island has something to do with the Holy Emperor. Not many people can win the Holy Emperor’s favor. Perhaps it’s because of Yuanchu Mountain, or perhaps it’s your character. The Holy Emperor might see you as a talent worth nurturing, hoping to cultivate you so you can serve the Great Yuan Dynasty sooner."
Eunuch Liu analyzed.
"Regardless of the reason, now that I’m on Black Bear Island, I will do my duty and protect these waters."
Chu Lingguang’s mind raced with possibilities, but he didn’t forget his responsibility.
Eunuch Liu nodded slightly. What satisfied him most about Chu Lingguang was that he never lost his composure, no matter the situation. He understood that the foundation of his standing was to do the job at hand well.
"Eunuch, there’s a light up ahead."
Chu Lingguang saw a golden gleam below them.
It was so dark in the passage you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. Without the ability to probe with Spiritual Power, an ordinary person would find it difficult to make their way down, even if they had brought candles.
"Be careful."
Eunuch Liu warned.
「A quarter of an hour later.」
The two of them finally reached the very bottom of the secret passage.
There were braziers filled with animal fat below. After they lit them, the area was finally brightly illuminated.
Although they could perceive the situation below with their Spiritual Sense, when the braziers were lit and firelight illuminated the bottom of the passage, both men were stunned by the sight before them.
Countless pieces of gold, silver, and jewels were piled up before their eyes.
There were at least several million silver taels, tens of thousands of gold taels, as well as various antiques, paintings, scrolls, silks, and expensive ornaments.
The bottom of the passage was like a giant basin.
In the middle of the basin was a pool of water.
The pool was an emerald green color, clearly not seawater.
They were probably still inside Xiazigou Island, not under the sea.
"How many years of wealth have they accumulated?"
Eunuch Liu exclaimed in amazement.
Even though he held a high position and was a prominent figure in the Imperial City who wanted for nothing, his normally murky eyes glinted with an unusual light upon seeing the mountains of gold and silver.
Likewise, Chu Lingguang, despite his mastery of the Heart Guarding Skill, was also moved by the sight of such immense wealth.
But both men quickly restrained themselves.
"Lin Guang, if you conquer Xiazigou and allow the Court to obtain this fortune, the merit you earn, even if it’s not enough to get you directly into Yuanchu Mountain, will at least be enough for the Court to request an expert from Yuanchu Mountain to help you break through your Qi Sea."
Eunuch Liu reminded him.
"If you hadn’t come with me, Eunuch, I wouldn’t have dared to take such a risk, kill the leader of Xiazigou, and discover all this silver in the secret passage."
Chu Lingguang said sincerely.
"We must leave here at once, go back and gather our men, and take down Xiazigou in one fell swoop."
Eunuch Liu said.
"Right. We can’t let the pirates discover this secret passage, especially all this gold, silver, and jewelry down here."
Chu Lingguang nodded.
"No, we have to let them discover it. Who wouldn’t be green with envy at the sight of so much wealth? Let them kill each other for it, and then we’ll strike when they least expect it."
Eunuch Liu suggested.
"That’s an excellent idea."
Chu Lingguang’s eyes lit up. He knew Eunuch Liu was experienced and shrewd; whenever he received the man’s guidance on matters he didn’t understand, he always gained a new perspective.
"Each of us will grab a handful. We’ll scatter it on the path in a bit."
Eunuch Liu grabbed a handful of gold, silver, and jewels.
"Alright."
Chu Lingguang also grabbed a large handful. He saw a beautiful bracelet and couldn’t resist stuffing it into his pocket, planning to take it back for Senior Sister Guo.
Thinking of Senior Sister Guo made him think of his Second Aunt and Zhang Linghua.
So he took a few more items and put them in his pocket.
Eunuch Liu noticed his small movements, saw a nice-looking ring in his own hand, and slipped it onto his finger.
They were both ordinary mortals, after all.
They couldn’t be completely without desire.
Besides, this was treasure accumulated by pirates. Even if it was ill-gotten, it was impossible not to be moved when faced with such a mountain of wealth.
Picking out a few nice things to take back for their families wasn’t excessive in the environment of the Great Yuan Dynasty.
On this matter, the old man and the young man found common ground.
The two of them started walking back up the passage.
"SWOOSH!"
But just as they turned to leave, two Water Arrows shot out from the emerald pool, followed by a terrifying tentacle that lunged for them.