Chapter 1

Amidst the gathering peaks and surging waves, the road to Tongguan is guarded by mountains and rivers. Looking west to the capital, my heart hesitates. The places I passed through in the Qin and Han dynasties are now filled with sorrow, and the thousands of palaces have turned to dust. In prosperity, the people suffer; in decline, the people suffer. (Zhang Yanghao — "Sheep Slope? Reflections on Tongguan")

Eight massive stone pillars encircled the towering Wugong.

On the vast black rock dome, countless stalactites of various sizes hung upside down. Several venomous hunting spiders darted nimbly between the stalactites, their ghastly green eyes filled with a bloodthirsty madness, overlooking the vast Wugou Valley below.

"Amidst the gathering peaks and surging waves..."

"The places I passed through in the Qin and Han dynasties..."

"Win, and the gold coins don't suffer..."

"Lose, and the gold coins suffer terribly..."

Tightening the tattered hemp rags that barely covered his body, the rat-headed, emaciated figure of Gold Coin, standing no more than four feet tall, muttered to himself. Suddenly, he longed for his comfortable and warm ancestral leather armor.

Looking up at the 'false sun' in the center of the black dome, which was gradually dimming, the surrounding light rapidly faded. Listening to the hoarse roars of the hunting spiders, Gold Coin shivered and hurriedly ran along a narrow path carved into the stone wall, heading lightly toward the nearest abandoned mine outside Wugou Valley.

After running for several hundred meters, Gold Coin reluctantly turned back to glance at a stone house on the edge of Wugou Valley below.

That was the only tavern in Wugou Valley. Fifteen minutes ago, Gold Coin had been enjoying the attentive care of the barmaids inside, feeling like a true gentleman. Now, he was no different from a beggar.

"I should have chopped off these two hands..." As he ran lightly, Gold Coin cursed bitterly: "My gold coins, my money... my ancestral leather armor... damn it, they must have been cheating when they threw the dice..."

"Why can't I control these hands of mine?"

Gold Coin walked dejectedly forward, and the path ahead suddenly opened up. Hot winds blew in his face, and red light flickered on the distant stone walls. Faintly, the sound of 'ding ding' hammering followed the hot wind.

Gold Coin suddenly stopped. He turned around and made a rude gesture toward Wugou Valley. Clenching his teeth, he screamed: "Mr. Gold Coin will be back! You wait... Mr. Gold Coin will definitely come back! I will win all your gold coins!"

The ground shook violently, accompanied by a low rumble. Four tall, earth-colored stone pillars, several meters high, rose from the ground with a 'rumble,' trapping Gold Coin in the center. Yellow light swirled around the stone pillars, and a massive pressure suddenly pressed down on Gold Coin's four-foot-tall, emaciated body.

Gold Coin let out a strange cry. His body suddenly shrank, and large clouds of black smoke erupted around him as he tried to burrow into the ground.

Under the immense pressure, the action that Gold Coin could usually complete with a snap of his fingers suddenly slowed down several times.

A large hand suddenly emerged from behind one of the stone pillars and grabbed Gold Coin's shoulder.

A red light burst from the large hand, and a fiery energy surged outward, dispelling the black smoke. Gold Coin, now limp, was lifted into the air by the large hand.

A towering man, over ten feet tall, stepped out from behind the stone pillar. He shook Gold Coin vigorously and called out in a deep, thunderous voice: "The best informant in Wugou Valley... Gold Coin?"

Gold Coin looked up, his face full of flattery, and showed a mouthful of sharp white teeth: "Sir... you must have mistaken me! Who is Gold Coin? I am an old resident of Wugou Valley... I swear by my father's head, I have never heard of this name!"

With a 'clank,' a large handful of gold coins was suddenly scattered on the ground.

Gold Coin's eyes narrowed sharply. He looked up suddenly and said boldly: "Sir, that's right, I am Gold Coin! You... are these gold coins for me?"

The giant's voice became unusually low and weak: "Find Witch Tie and Witch Taiping, and I will give you ten times, a hundred times the gold coins!"

Pausing, the giant muttered heavily: "Alive or dead, I must see him... no matter what, find him!"

Gold Coin's smile suddenly froze.

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