Chapter 61: Treasure's Aid, Turning the Tide

"There..." the Sect Master repeated with an eerie tone, closing in step by step.

My heart felt as though it would leap straight out of my throat. It was over, we were doomed!

Just at this critical juncture, my golden finger—my acute sense for money—actually triggered!

I felt something in the front left calling out to me frantically, as if mountains of gold and silver were waving at me!

I grabbed He Yunsheng and Scholar Li, lowering my voice as I urged, "Follow me!"

Crouching low, we hugged the wall and groped our way forward in the direction I sensed.

The Sect Master's voice grew closer and closer; I could practically feel the fiery rage radiating from him.

Thank goodness, we finally found a concealed entrance. With a firm push, it turned out to be a secret door!

We slipped inside and swiftly pulled the door shut. It was pitch black within, so dark we couldn't even see our own fingers.

"What is this place?" He Yunsheng's voice trembled slightly.

I pulled out a fire starter and ignited it. The faint glow illuminated our surroundings, and my jaw nearly dropped to the floor!

This...

This was actually a treasure vault!

Gold, silver, and precious jewels were piled mountain-high, shining with a dazzling, brilliant light that nearly blinded me!

We were rich!

We were truly rich this time!

"Good heavens..." Even the usually composed Scholar Li couldn't help gasping aloud.

Excitedly, I rubbed my hands together. "Talk about searching high and low without finding a thing, only to stumble upon it effortlessly! With all these treasures, what do we have to fear from the Sect Master!"

I hurriedly had He Yunsheng and Scholar Li help pack the gold, silver, and jewels into our bundles.

Just as we were working away frantically, Scholar Li suddenly pointed at a map on the wall and exclaimed, "Miss Wan'er, look!" I hurried over and saw that it was actually a map of the sect, clearly marking the locations of all the exits and mechanical traps!

With this map, our chances of escaping increased dramatically!

I immediately stowed the map away and resumed hauling the treasures.

Just as we were about to fill all our bundles, He Yunsheng gave a muffled groan, his face turning pale as he clutched his chest.

"Yunsheng, what's wrong?" I rushed over to support him and discovered that his wound was beginning to seep blood again.

"I... I'm fine..." He Yunsheng smiled weakly, yet leaned against me powerlessly.

His breath brushed against my ear, warm...

I looked down at his pale face, a knot tightening in my chest.

No, I had to get him out of this ghost place immediately!

"Yunsheng, hold on, we're getting out right now!" I gritted my teeth, hoisted his arm over my shoulder, and hauled him forward step by step.

Scholar Li hurried over to help as well. Supporting each other, the three of us finally managed to exit the treasure vault.

Armed with the map, we practically had cheat codes activated, bypassing all the mechanical traps and moving forward without a single obstruction.

Seeing the exit right before our eyes, my excitement surged.

Freedom!

Wealth!

Here I come!

Suddenly, the sound of fighting drifted from ahead, and my heart plummeted.

Oh no, the Sect Master must have sent people to hunt us down!

"Yunsheng, hide here. Scholar Li and I will go check it out." I settled him in a concealed corner, drew the precious sword I had just found in the vault, and prepared to charge out.

"Wan'er, be careful!" He Yunsheng grabbed my hand, his eyes filled with worry.

I gripped his hand back, giving him a reassuring look. "Don't worry, I'll be right back."

Scholar Li and I rushed out to take a look, and sure enough, it was the Sect Master's underlings—every single one of them looked fierce and harbored malicious intent.

Previously, we had been chased by them like stray dogs, but things were different now!

I held a sword capable of cleaving through iron as if it were mud, wore soft hedgehog-leather armor impervious to blades, and tucked a few internal-energy-boosting pills at my waist. I was fully equipped as a female warrior deity!

"Come on, you little trash, let Grandma teach you how to behave!" I roared, brandishing my sword as I charged forward.

Scholar Li was not to be outdone either; he drew his homemade hidden weapons, taking down several enemies in rapid succession.

With our seamless teamwork, we beat those lackies into a panicked retreat, scrambling away with their tails between their legs.

Just as we thought victory was within our grasp, an icy voice echoed from behind us: "Do you really think you can escape the palm of my hand like this?" I turned around—it was the Sect Master!

He had actually come in person!

My heart instantly sank to rock bottom. As I gripped my sword, my palms turned ice-cold.

He walked closer step by step, a gloomy smile plastered across his face. "Hand over the treasures, and I might consider sparing your lives..." He abruptly stopped in his tracks, his gaze locking onto something behind me...