Chapter 5

Meng Yan firmly refused the invitation of the two beauties, one big and one small. This reaction was considered normal, as a common little beggar not wanting to approach a forbidden area was quite natural, and it also demonstrated the danger of the forbidden area. There were many such forbidden areas on the earth, where even gods and immortals dared not approach. Not to mention ordinary people, even the strong from various sects and major organizations would change their expressions at the mention of these places. However, these forbidden areas were filled with countless treasures, making them incredibly tempting...

"Little brother, you don't need to be afraid. My senior sister and I will protect you..."

"You two are strangers from elsewhere. How can I trust you? If I lead the way and you die once you get there... and then run away, I'll have done all this for nothing. That's a real safety issue, right? Don't take advantage of me just because I'm from the countryside. You can't just give me a few copper coins or meat buns and think that will be enough. The ones who tried to do that earlier are still lying dead at your feet!"

"...If I remember correctly, it was I who killed those people. Are you trying to scare me with the people I killed?"

"No, no, that's not it. I'm just giving an example to show that no matter who does it, anyone who tries to take advantage of or cheat the labor of farmers will surely die!"

The young boy and the girl were bickering, and Mei Ying, who was watching from the side, couldn't bear it anymore. She dismounted from the crane and came to Meng Yan, placing a silver coin in his palm. "This is a down payment. Take it first. We never bully kind-hearted people or take advantage of farmers. Please lead the way..."

"Oh, this... with the money, I'll definitely do the job."

Meng Yan led the two beauties to the forbidden area in March Mountain. Jie Lin and Mei Ying originally planned to ride the cranes, but as they approached the target area within five miles, the two large cranes became agitated, flying erratically and unable to calm down. They had no choice but to land and walk.

"The cranes' reaction is so intense, which means there must be something there. Senior Sister, we definitely didn't come here for nothing."

Encountering the strange phenomenon, Jie Lin became even more excited, as if the treasure was already in her hands. Meng Yan couldn't help but say, "It's not necessarily so. Animals are just animals. Their reactions can only be used as a reference, not as a definitive sign. When I fertilize my fields, the birds in the surrounding woods all fly up and don't land for a long time. Does that mean there's something in my fields?"

"How can you compare the two? The birds here are afraid because of the treasure's light or the evil aura. As for you... you... who knows what kind of manure you used, so smelly that the birds won't even come down."

Jie Lin clearly saw this as ordinary farming work, but Meng Yan wanted to retort, "That's just because you haven't seen peas chasing after people," but he thought it wasn't worth arguing over and remained silent as he led the way.

On the way, Jie Lin was always excitedly rushing ahead, while Meng Yan, who was leading the way, fell behind. He didn't mind, but when they reached a turning point on the mountain path, Mei Ying suddenly pulled him aside and whispered, "Little brother, our young miss is playful and doesn't know her limits. When we get to the forbidden area, just let her wander around the entrance. Don't take her deep inside... I'll give you extra compensation later."

Meng Yan was a bit stunned for a few seconds, not expecting them to play this trick, but since he was in the service industry, as long as he got paid, the content of the task wasn't a problem. Leading the young miss around the garden was much easier than digging holes to bury bodies, so he had no reason to object.

However, what Meng Yan didn't expect was that just as he agreed to Mei Ying's request, Jie Lin, using the excuse of a loose shoelace, fell behind and pulled him over, whispering, "Hey, I have a favor to ask. Is there a place around here where we can get rid of someone? I'm here to seek treasure, but with my senior sister watching, I can't do anything. Later, find a place to get rid of my senior sister, and then we can seek treasure... I'll give you gold, you know what gold is, right?"

"...I may be a simple country boy, but I'm not that simple... since you're offering gold, it's a deal."

Meng Yan felt that this was a typical case of each having their own agenda, but in the service industry, it was all about getting paid. As long as he didn't have to pay, even if the client's request was a bit strange, it could still be negotiated.

The group soon arrived at the back of a side peak of March Mountain. On the mountain wall, covered with climbing plants, there was a cave hidden by vines, which was quite concealed. If not for a local guide, outsiders would find it hard to discover. However, the cave was narrow and small, barely larger than a dog hole. It was hard to believe that this small cave was a forbidden area.

Jie Lin put her hands on her hips and frowned, "Are you sure? You took our money and led us to the wrong place? Are you trying to rip us off?"

Meng Yan scratched his head, "It really is here. If you don't believe me, I can't do anything..."

At first, the cave was not small. The entrance was wide enough for a cart to pass through, and people often saw outsiders crawling out of it. But at some point, the entrance started to shrink, eventually becoming as small as a dog hole. The outsiders often appeared nearby with puzzled expressions, and the locals were equally confused.

"This is the forbidden area. The nearby villagers don't dare to come here. If you're afraid, I'll lead the way, going first."

Meng Yan took the lead, and by "going first," he meant crawling into the cave. Jie Lin and Mei Ying were a bit surprised, but since they had come this far, they had no reason not to follow. Even a country beggar dared to crawl in, so they couldn't back out...

After crawling about ten meters through the small cave, the two women were amazed by what they saw. This seemingly small cave was not simple at all. The interior of the cave was not ordinary rock but a vein of minerals. The walls were covered with semi-transparent crystals, some clear and some murky, all emitting a strange light. When the cave widened and they could stand up, Jie Lin and Mei Ying were dazzled by the beautiful, colorful light from all directions.

"Senior Sister, is this... crystal?"

"Not entirely. Some have too many impurities, and some... wait, this is five-colored celestial marrow crystal... and seven-colored... oh my God! How is this possible? I've never heard of this kind of marrow crystal forming naturally!"

Mei Ying was greatly surprised. Jie Lin understood why her usually composed senior sister was so flustered. Although she didn't have as much knowledge as her senior sister, she had heard of the five-colored celestial marrow crystal.

This was a divine substance that was highly sought after but rarely seen. There was no specific method to obtain it. According to ancient legends, it was a type of dragon marrow, formed when two dragons fought to the death, their blood vaporizing and condensing into this substance. It was much more powerful than ordinary dragon marrow and had many uses. The higher the grade of the dragons and the more intense the battle, the more beautiful the color of the marrow crystal. A single-colored crystal was already expensive, and the five-colored crystal had recently set a new record at an auction. As for the seven-colored... it was only mentioned in ancient texts, and no one knew if it actually existed. But... there was a pile of it here...

"Wow!" Meng Yan was puzzled, "Why are you both gaping? Are these stones edible?"

"Country bumpkin, you really don't understand?" Jie Lin said, "Senior Sister, why are there so many celestial marrow crystals here? It even looks like a vein... I've never heard of this thing having a vein..."

"I haven't heard of it either. March Mountain must be hiding a big mystery. Perhaps in ancient times, this place... " Mei Ying shook her head, "Forget about that. Since this is a vein of marrow crystals, you can't possibly collect and take them all. If the news leaks out, there will be big trouble. We should go back and notify..."

"Hey, does the value of this thing increase with more colors?" Meng Yan rubbed his chin, "About ten steps ahead, there are nine-colored ones. You've come all this way, why not take some as a souvenir?"

More than seven colors? The attraction was indeed great. Mei Ying and Jie Lin both rushed forward, but Meng Yan held back Jie Lin, and only Mei Ying moved ten steps forward. This action... Jie Lin didn't notice anything, but Mei Ying sensed a danger and stopped immediately, looking back at the young boy.

"...What do you mean?"

As soon as she spoke, the crystals in the cave began to glow brightly. Mei Ying stood still, but the distance between her and the others quickly increased. In a moment, the distance went from ten meters to a hundred meters, and she was completely out of sight. This unexpected situation shocked Jie Lin, who turned around and collided with the crystal wall, creating a distance between herself and the boy, staring at him with hostility.

"Who are you? Who sent you?"

"Why this look? Didn't you ask me to do this? Don't try to deny the gold you owe me!"

"I... I asked you to do this?" The green-clad beauty was both shocked and angry, "I never did! You're lying!"

"Isn't this what you asked for? To keep your senior sister occupied for a moment so you could go treasure hunting?" Meng Yan shrugged, "Once you go more than thirty steps into the cave, you trigger something here, called 'a step away from the world' or something. I don't understand the details, but if your senior sister walks back for ten to twenty years, she'll return, or... if she doesn't take anything, she'll come back in about half an hour... It meets your requirements, right? Your senior sister asked me to keep you at the entrance, and I did. I didn't let you get stuck. Now... it's time to pay up, right?"

"Pay? I'll pay you a head!"

Jie Lin didn't expect her request to lead to such a result, and she was both shocked and angry. She wanted to control the situation by subduing the boy first. Meng Yan, seeing her expression, didn't dare to stay and immediately turned and ran towards the cave entrance.

"Don't think about running!"

Jie Lin immediately chased after him, and the two of them, one fleeing and one chasing, quickly rushed out of the cave.