Chapter 23: The Underground Treasury

Chapter 23: The Underground Treasury

Li Chaofeng indeed owed Hu Tiehua a significant debt.

The Azure Dragon Society’s intelligence had been passed on by Jiang Biehe before his death. Without the Dragonflow Steps, Li Chaofeng would have barely survived the Mulanshan incident. Let alone climbing the Weapons Chart and earning the title "Yao Long."

Three years ago, after the Mulanshan battle, Li Chaofeng arrived at Mount Emei. It took him little time to locate the Emei Sword Sect’s so-called "Holy Ground"—a modest temple whose caretaker knew no martial arts, housing only a clay statue of a bodhisattva with no guards. Using his acute perception, Li Chaofeng quickly found the underground treasury’s entrance. He navigated a hidden passage, broke through a wooden wall, and entered the Spirit Vault—a place even Xiao Mimi didn’t know existed.

By then, Xiao Mimi had occupied the upper-level tomb for years, unaware of the vault beneath. Thus, Li Chaofeng faced no obstacles. The Spirit Vault had eight sections: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, wood, stone, and earth. The stone crank controlled the tomb above, where Xiao Mimi resided. Unless she randomly explored the corpse-filled tomb below, she’d never discover Li Chaofeng.

The wooden wall connected to the Emei Sword Sect’s Holy Ground, while the earth wall led to the vault’s self-destruction mechanism. Behind the five metal cranks: gold held treasures, silver housed Ouyang Ting’s residence, copper contained divine weapons, tin stored rare poisons, and iron led to the Five Supreme Arts—Li Chaofeng’s obsession.

Beyond lay the skeletal remains of the Five Supreme Martial Artists and Ouyang Ting’s preserved corpses. Having secured the treasures, Li Chaofeng didn’t linger to train. The vault’s neighbor was Xiao Mimi herself. Though she’d never entered the vault before Jiang Yulang dug his tunnel, Li Chaofeng took no chances. Three years ago, he’d been no match for the already-famous Xiao Mimi.

Don’t underestimate her. In the novel, she drowned—a plot-driven death, not the TV version where Jiang Xiaoyu and Jiang Yulang killed her. Her entrance came when Xiaoyu, desperate, scattered treasures across the mountains, drawing Jianghu martial artists into a frenzy. Xiao Mimi emerged victorious, claiming the spoils. Such a woman, though not a peerless master, was cunning to the extreme.

After meeting Hu Tiehua and Jiang Biehe, Li Chaofeng knew not to trust appearances. He couldn’t let TV adaptations mislead him—when facing original novel characters, he’d assume their strength matched the text.

Li Chaofeng opted for a methodical "ant-moving" strategy, taking everything: the Five Supreme Arts, gold, weapons, and poisons. By day, he rested at an inn; by night, he tunneled through earth. He worried less about Xiao Mimi noticing than the Emei Sword Sect patrolling their "Holy Ground" at night.

After a month of covert operations, Li Chaofeng secured a three-courtyard estate at Mount Emei’s base. Once treasures were stored, weapons categorized, and poisons sorted, he began practicing the Five Supreme Arts.

Regardless of whether Xiaoyu would later be lured into the tomb by Xiao Mimi, Jiang Yulang would never reach the vault. With Jiang Biehe still unbecoming a hero, no treasure map would be created. Without it, Jiang Yulang wouldn’t trek to Mount Emei. Without his year-long tunneling, Xiaoyu’s encounter with Xiao Mimi would never reveal the vault’s secrets.

Emptying Ouyang Ting’s tomb made Li Chaofeng wealthy—but also brought trouble. Bai Xiaosheng added him to the Weapons Chart:

"Dragon Fang", the sabre of Yao Long Li Chaofeng. Eight inches long, severing gold and jade like a demon’s blade. Though Yao Long’s skill paled compared to his weapon, his unpredictable techniques earned him tenth place on the Weapons Chart.

At Mulanshan, Dragon Fang cut through every opponent’s blade. The former tenth, the East Sea Jade Flute, dropped to eleventh.

Li Chaofeng fumed, nearly grinding his teeth to dust. But without finding Bai Xiaosheng, he couldn’t erase his name from the Chart.

Wealth and fame made Li Chaofeng seem like an overnight success. Yet he knew better. The Azure Dragon Society’s size masked its lack of supreme masters—his victory relied on terrain advantages. Hua Ruyu retreated not from weakness but due to unsustainable losses.

Masters like Hua Ruyu and Xing Xuan, if defensive-minded, could evade him indefinitely. A brief clash with Xing Xuan taught him this: he had no intention of pursuing, realizing he’d only get trapped trying.

His only chance against top-tier martial artists was luring them into close combat, where his Soulbound Dagger could strike fatally. But anyone ranked on the Weapons Chart—even reclusive Jianghu experts—could face him head-on.

Now ranked tenth, Li Chaofeng lost the luxury of stealth. To avoid challengers, he abandoned Mount Emei. The Azure Dragon Society had seen his face; they’d never keep his secrets.

He entrusted his estate to a local real estate agent. Not out of sentimentality, but to hide treasures. He buried valuables in a secret well-room, sealed it with lime, and filled the well. Whether they rotted mattered little—he’d never return them to the vault or gift them.

He chuckled. Who could decipher his "treasure map"? It was merely a land deed—for a house he’d already rented out.

Li Chaofeng concluded that true treasure-makers were either lazy (hiding riches shallowly) or kind-hearted (fearing their legacy’s loss). He was neither.

Two months of moving treasures later, he left for the northwest desert, carrying silver notes and portable riches. Unlike Jianghu’s crowded cities, the desert offered anonymity. Though famous, he blended in, adopting a new identity as a tavern owner.

For three years, he honed the Five Supreme Arts. Studying its full version revealed its truth: Ouyang Ting, the "prodigy of his age", had tricked the Five Supreme Martial Artists into creating it.

Born from five masters’ hands, it compiled the deepest secrets of every sect—techniques not only perfected but innovatively blended with other schools’ essence. Most crucially, transitions between styles were seamless, making the entire system feel unified.

It was, at its core, a cultivation manual.

External techniques guided internal energy through movement; internal practices refined true qi via meditation. Strength and true qi were two sides of the same coin—the difference lay in understanding their flow.

Much like Hu Tiehua’s Dragonflow Steps: practice until energy naturally arose, granting lightness skills.

Li Chaofeng clenched his jaw. His teeth ached.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end