Chapter 3

"Mom, I'm going up the mountain to take a look."

"Okay, be careful. There are quite a few snakes and insects on the mountain now."

"I know, do you still not trust my abilities?"

Wang Yong bid farewell to the aunt and came to the foot of the mountain behind the old house. Today, Wang Yong had a purpose for going up the mountain: to solve the problem of funds. He had told his uncle that he had enough money because Wang Yong really didn't like to owe anyone, even his own uncle. He believed in the saying he had read in high school: "Sweat your own sweat, eat your own food, relying on heaven, earth, or the lord is not the way of a true man." Since then, he had made it his life creed to avoid troubling others whenever possible and to solve all problems on his own. This was also the reason why Wang Yong struggled to get by in society. In modern society, relationships and favors are crucial. People help each other, and in the process, their relationships deepen. But for Wang Yong, it was "I can help you, but I won't accept your help." He was the type who would rather the whole world owe him than owe the world anything. If he were a civil servant, he would definitely be a good public servant.

Wang Yong had only about 10,000 yuan left from his earnings over the past few years. At the time, the family savings and compensation amounted to over 50,000 yuan, but that money was for his younger brother's education, and Wang Yong hadn't used a single cent from it since his internship. The project he wanted to undertake would cost at least 200,000 to 300,000 yuan. Where would he get the money? The small world in his space wouldn't be enough to help him in time. Today, his uncle had already started the renovation and contacted a company specializing in building greenhouses to come and inspect the site. Wang Yong wasn't worried about the money because he had a secret that could instantly make him a millionaire. The secret was hidden in the mountains, which is why he was eager to go up the mountain today.

Following the water channel, Wang Yong walked for almost two hours before reaching the top of the 300-meter-high hill. The mountains behind Ban Shan Village were part of the Yan Mountains. Behind the hill where Wang Yong stood, there were three more ridges, making a total of four. Beyond these four ridges was another county in Gangcheng. The four ridges extended south and north, seemingly endless. One might wonder what kind of secret could be hidden in these four ridges, which were not deep forests.

After resting on the mountaintop, Wang Yong started to descend, heading deeper into the mountains. The hill was mostly covered with oil pines and cypresses, with a few locust, elm, and stinking toon trees scattered here and there. The most common plants in the mountains were wild hawthorns, which had very little flesh and large seeds. Even children in the area didn't like to eat them. However, in recent years, after the road was built, merchants started coming to the village to buy wild hawthorns, providing an additional source of income for the villagers.

Going down the mountain was much easier than going up, Wang Yong always thought. After about half an hour, he reached one-third of the way down the hill and began searching for a familiar place. Looking around, he spotted a peculiar pine tree. The main trunk of the tree grew horizontally about 1.2 meters above the ground, almost parallel to the ground, extending straight out like a signpost.

Wang Yong's eyes lit up. He had found it. He quickly followed the direction indicated by the horizontal branch. After walking about 50 meters, he came to a large rock. He quickly knelt down and used a stick he picked up to clear away the weeds and pine needles, revealing a small cave entrance. The entrance was just big enough for one person to crawl through, and it was dark inside, with only the outer part visible. Wang Yong took out his phone, turned on the flashlight, and prepared to crawl in. He first extended his hands, then used his hands and feet to crawl in. The cave got larger as he went deeper. After crawling about ten meters, he could bend over and walk. Another ten meters in, and he could stand up straight, as he was 1.7 meters tall.

Wang Yong used his phone to light the way and activated the light brain.

"Beep—" A soft sound echoed in his mind, followed by a 14-inch display screen.

"Master, Light Brain 1545233 at your service." A clear and standard Mandarin voice appeared in Wang Yong's mind.

"Um, do you have a name?"

"Please give me a name, Master."

"Um, what should I call you? ... Got it. You may not look impressive, but you have great potential, and you're shaped like a flying saucer. I'll call you Qiankun Disc. No, that sounds like 'Qiankun Dad.' Forget it, I'll just call you Little Light."

"Yes, Master. Command input... Command input complete. Please confirm."

Wang Yong silently confirmed in his mind.

"Confirmation complete."

"Little Light, scan this cave for me."

"Yes, Master. Scanning started... Scanning complete. Transmission to projection."

A 3D map of the entire cave immediately appeared on the screen in front of Wang Yong. The cave wasn't deep, only about 20 meters. There were no twists and turns, just a straight path to the end. The scan also revealed some items in the cave, such as a grass snake a short distance ahead, a scorpion above his head, and other creatures like ants and centipedes. At the very end, there was a large wooden box, which was Wang Yong's target.

Wang Yong avoided the snake and approached the wooden box. The box resembled a military ammunition box, about 50 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide, and 10 centimeters thick. He gently lifted the lid, and under the light of his phone, a golden glow caught his eye, making him squint. After a moment, his eyes adjusted. Inside the box were two layers of gold bars, with a clear tooth mark on one of the bars at the top.

Wang Yong had discovered this place by chance when he was six years old, chasing a rabbit into the cave. He found the box and the gold inside. He bit one of the bars, leaving a clear tooth mark. At the time, he forgot about the rabbit and ran home with the gold bar, giving it to his father. His father was shocked and, after learning the story, told Wang Yong to quietly return the gold bar and modify the cave entrance, even marking a pine tree as a guide. He then repeatedly instructed Wang Yong not to tell anyone about this.

Wang Yong had forgotten about this incident until he entered the small world with the light brain. Suddenly, his mind became sharp, and he could even remember the details of his birth. He was surprised and asked the light brain, only to learn that his body had been improved by the spiritual energy of the small world, and the light brain had stored all his memories. Now, Wang Yong could browse his entire life like watching a movie. In this sense, Wang Yong could be said to have a photographic memory. Anything he saw or heard was automatically stored by the light brain, though he could command the light brain to delete or block some content. However, after learning that the storage capacity of the light brain was so vast that it would take a billion years to fill, Wang Yong let it do as it pleased. After all, there was plenty of space. The light brain, designed by a great being to manage the small world, was a powerful entity in the small world, and it had to have some capabilities.

Wang Yong looked at the golden bars and felt a sense of awe. Whatever his father's reasons for keeping this a secret, it didn't matter now. If it weren't for the urgent need for money, he might not have cared about this gold, given his possession of the space artifact. Getting money wasn't that difficult, after all.

"Little Light, how much is this gold bar worth?"

"Master, this gold bar, at a price of 230 yuan per gram, weighs ten kilograms, making it worth 2.3 million yuan. However, this gold bar can be considered an artifact, likely cast during the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom period. It has 'Taiping Heavenly Kingdom' inscribed on the front and 'Holy Treasure' on the back. If sold to a collector, it could fetch around 5 million yuan. For reference."

"I don't need that much. Selling it for 2 million yuan would be enough," Wang Yong muttered to himself.

He walked around the cave again but found nothing else. How did these gold bars end up here? Who put them here? Is anyone else aware of this place? With these questions in mind, Wang Yong carried the gold bar with the tooth mark and walked out of the cave.

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