Chapter 549: Treasure in the Deep Mountains

Censor Zhang cast a cold glance behind him and spoke to the military attendants and the Daoist beside him, “I know what kind of monster this is.”

“This kind of creature has thick skin, tough flesh. It’s hard to wound and even harder to kill. It’s troublesome to deal with, but in truth, it doesn’t have much real ability. It prefers to strike when people fall asleep in the dead of night. If no one sleeps, it just waits, lurking nearby. Don’t be fooled by its harmless appearance—if you so much as doze off, the next thing you know, it’ll be right in front of you.”

Hearing this, one of the military attendants asked, “Shall we drive it away?”

“You wouldn’t be able to handle it right now.” Censor Zhang shook his head. “At night, its powers are at their strongest. There’s no need to rush. As long as we don’t sleep, I have my own way to deal with it.”

The two attendants eased slightly at his words but did not lower their guard. Their hands remained firmly on their swords and bows, their senses still sharp as they stared into the fire in silence.

The calico cat beside the Daoist flicked its gaze toward Song You, then to the group around the fire, and finally to the monster lingering at the fire’s edge. Just as it was about to stand, the Daoist’s hand gently pressed down on its back, stroking it to keep it in place. He continued to pet the cat without a word.

“

Meow

?”

The cat turned its head in confusion, its swollen face looking particularly ridiculous.

The Daoist simply smiled, saying nothing. He was curious to see how this Censor planned to exorcise the creature.

Censor Zhang, too, fell silent.

None of them slept.

The monster would occasionally lift its head to glance at them, its restlessness growing. Several times, it pushed itself halfway up from the ground, studying them carefully. It was clearly reaching the limits of its patience. Yet whenever it saw the righteous spiritual resonance radiating from the two armed attendants and Censor Zhang, as well as the weapons at their waists, it hesitated and lay back down.

The night deepened.

Still, none of them slept.

On the contrary, the calico cat began to doze off, sitting in place. Its swollen head drooped lower and lower, bobbing slightly as it nodded off. Occasionally, it would sway too much and nearly topple over, only to jerk back upright again. Meanwhile, the monster at the fire’s edge also grew drowsy, its eyes beginning to close.

It was clear that its patience was nearly spent.

At that moment, Censor Zhang used a wooden stick to nudge a burning pinecone from the fire, sending it rolling toward the creature.

“

Whoosh

...”

The pinecone flew through the air.

The monster had been dozing off, its eyes half-closed. It didn’t seem to be a particularly bright or alert creature. Caught off guard, it failed to notice the burning pinecone that had landed squarely in its lap, snugly cradled by the folds of its clothing.

True to its reputation for having thick skin and tough flesh, the monster didn’t feel a thing at first. The scorching-hot pinecone smoldered in its lap, but it remained completely unaware. It only sensed a slight disturbance, found it odd, and lazily opened its eyes to glance at the people around the fire. Seeing that none of them had fallen asleep, it scratched its head and dismissed the thought before it closed its eyes again.

The pinecone continued to burn, slowly releasing wisps of smoke.

Everyone, including the calico cat, turned to watch the creature.

Censor Zhang wore an expression of quiet satisfaction, as if everything was going exactly as expected. The two military attendants stared wide-eyed, while Song You smirked, finding the situation amusing.

A few moments later, a deep, muffled roar echoed through the mountains.

“

Roar

!!”

The monster suddenly leaped to its feet, wildly slapping at its chest, sending a shower of fiery embers scattering like raindrops.

By now, its clothes were smoldering, and an odd, woody fragrance filled the air.

Only then did Censor Zhang speak. “We’re not going to sleep. With your abilities, you can’t do anything to us. You’d best leave now, unless you wish to suffer even more.”

The monster hopped and stumbled backward, retreating into the darkness.

Censor Zhang watched it coldly, not shifting his gaze until the creature’s silhouette vanished completely. Only then did he snort lightly and toss another piece of wood onto the fire.

Song You’s smirk deepened.

To see through the monster’s nature at a glance, to understand its temperament and intentions, to patiently wear down its endurance, and then, at the perfect moment, to drive it away with nothing more than a single pinecone and a few words—

Such was the skill of a true Embroidered-Clad Lieutenant.

By now, it was the fifth watch of the night. A thick mist blanketed the mountains.

Censor Zhang and the two military attendants remained vigilant, unwilling to sleep. But Song You had already leaned back against his pack, his eyes half-closed.

“Censor Zhang,” he murmured, “your methods are truly admirable. Now that the monster is gone, I doubt any others will come. I think I’ll get some rest. There’s still a long road ahead tomorrow.”

“Please, rest well, sir. We will keep watch,” one of the attendants assured him.

Yet, despite these words, all of them found themselves glancing his way.

It wasn’t often that someone could sleep so soundly in a place like this. They assumed that when the Daoist said he would sleep, he meant he’d just close his eyes for a while, or at most, struggle to get some rest.

But only moments later, his steady breathing filled the air, his chest rising and falling in a calm rhythm—he had already fallen fast asleep.

He truly could sleep anywhere.

In contrast, the calico cat beside him had become wide awake.

Though she had been nodding off earlier, now that her companion was sound asleep, she seemed suddenly alert. Her eyes shifted between Censor Zhang, the two military attendants, and the vast, shadowy night beyond.

It was as if she had taken it upon herself to stand guard in his place.

The east gradually began to lighten.

As the sky grew dimly bright, a swallow flapped its wings and landed on the back of a horse. It exchanged a brief glance with the calico cat before the cat finally allowed herself to drift into sleep. In turn, the swallow perched on the horse’s back, occasionally preening its feathers while its glossy black eyes darted around, surveying the surroundings.

It was as if they were taking shifts.

Censor Zhang found this sight rather peculiar. He called to his two military attendants and, taking advantage of the morning light, they each lay down for some rest.

By the time the sun was fully up, the Daoist awoke—and so did the others.

Without hesitation, Censor Zhang drew his sword, took up a torch, and led his two attendants into the dense mountain forest, as if searching for something.

Guided by the calico cat, they finally arrived at an ancient tree about a li from their campsite. The tree had several hollow openings that eerily resembled human facial features. Below, a fresh, scorched black mark marred the trunk. And a faint, strange woody fragrance lingered in the air.

By now, the swelling on the cat’s face had fully subsided, revealing her true appearance. Seeing her now, the group was taken aback. This cat was unexpectedly beautiful.

Without hesitation, Censor Zhang ordered his men to gather pine cones. They piled them at the base of the tree and set them alight. When they were glowing red-hot, they stuffed them into the gaping hole in the tree that resembled a mouth.

The ancient tree trembled violently. A deafening howl rang through the forest.

“

Hmph

...”

Censor Zhang let out a cold snort, watching the tree as it was consumed by flames. Only after a long while did he finally turn away. He then bowed toward Song You, saying, “I must have made a fool of myself in front of you, sir.”

It was clear that he had realized that these creatures were likely of little consequence to him given the Daoist’s abilities.

“Not at all,” Song You replied, returning the courtesy. “For a mortal to so effortlessly eliminate evil spirits without breaking a sweat is truly an eye-opening sight.”

“Will you be continuing forward, sir?” Censor Zhang asked.

“Naturally,” Song You replied.

With that, they returned to pack their belongings and resumed their journey, following the same path that the forty-thousand-strong expeditionary army had once taken.

The deeper they ventured into the mountains, the colder it became.

Even the horses slowed their pace.

By the time they reached the heart of the mountains, though it was the height of summer and they were still far from the snow line, an eerie snowfall began to descend from the sky. The ground, once coated in white frost, had now turned into a thick layer of snow.

“It’s just ahead,” Censor Zhang said to Song You.

The Daoist did not respond, merely gripping his staff and pressing forward.

Cresting a small hill, the world before them transformed into a vast expanse of ice and snow.

Snow fell in the summer.

Dark clouds loomed overhead, making the sky murky and oppressive. Ahead, where a vast lake should have been, there now lay a small glacier. The ground was covered in thick ice, studded with towering icicles. Beside the glacier stretched a long, frozen army.

Some rode horses, while some marched on foot. Some guided carts laden with supplies, grain, and provisions. Meanwhile, some transported rare treasures.

But all of them had been turned into ice sculptures—frozen in their final moments, their expressions preserved in lifelike detail.

Forty thousand soldiers lay entombed here.

Some had died with looks of confusion, unaware of what had happened before their lives were suddenly snuffed out. Others had faces twisted in terror, as if they had sensed their impending doom. Together, they formed an infernal frozen graveyard in the heart of the mountains.

No wonder the palace envoy had been scared out of his wits.

“Sir...” Censor Zhang turned to look at the Daoist.

Yet the Daoist showed no fear. He simply leaned on his bamboo staff and stepped forward.

Only upon entering this frozen purgatory did they discover that the victims were not just soldiers. There were also Western Region merchants and wanderers among them. From their frozen postures, it was clear that most of them had arrived later—drawn here by greed after hearing that this army had looted the entire wealth of the Weilan Kingdom.

But the moment their hands touched the treasure chests, they, too, had been frozen into ice sculptures, permanently fused with the army and its stolen riches.

Song You raised his bamboo staff and pointed toward one of the treasure chests.

“Sir!” Censor Zhang immediately called out.

“It’s fine.” Song You paused for a moment, offering those two words of reassurance, then continued. He extended his staff, nudged open the lock of a chest, and lifted the lid.

Censor Zhang held his breath, his heart pounding.

But nothing happened.

Song You proceeded to open several more chests, peering inside. As expected, they were filled with gold, silver, and jewels. But those were the only things in there.

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

As for the so-called “rare treasures” Censor Zhang had spoken of, Song You saw none. Instead, he noticed several smaller chests nestled inside the larger ones, as if whatever had been inside was more valuable than gold itself.

Yet every single one of these small chests was empty, as if someone—or something—had already taken their contents.

“It must have been that demon who took them!” Censor Zhang said grimly. “That creature is surprisingly selective!”

“Perhaps.”

Song You’s expression remained calm as he continued forward, turning his head occasionally to meet the gazes of these frozen faces from over a century ago.

The calico cat, meanwhile, leaped onto one cart after another. Its eyes were fixed on the gold, silver, and jewels inside the chests, unable to look away. However, with outsiders present, it could only turn toward the Daoist and meow insistently. The Daoist, however, paid it no mind.

“This army was indeed ruthless,” Censor Zhang said, shaking his head behind him. “But even for crimes deserving execution, justice should have been served by our Great Yan court upon their return. How could we allow a demon to slaughter them at will?”

“If this were divine punishment for their massacre of an entire city, then so be it,” he continued. “But death should bring an end to one’s suffering. Yet here they are, frozen for over a hundred years, their corpses exposed to the elements. That demon refused them even the peace of death. That is excessive.”

His voice carried more resignation than anger, filled with sighs of helplessness. “I do not seek vengeance against this demon. I only wonder... when will these soldiers finally find rest?”

Song You pressed his lips together.

It would be today.