Chapter 945: Sunken Ship Treasure

Chapter 935: Sunken Treasure

He Lingchuan was reviewing the new steward's exam papers with Ding Zuodong, not even looking up. "What's the good news?" All he wanted to hear now was good news.

"We found a lot of shipwrecks."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan finally looked up, seeing Min Tianxi smile. "After the malevolent energy on the Fourteen Islands was dispelled, we discovered many shipwrecks around the newly opened shipping lanes. There's also a bay at the northeastern tip of Dragon's Back Island, which we've named Shipwreck Bay. It's like a graveyard for ships. A few vessels are still intact, likely having entered only this year." Whether blown in by wind or having lost their way and drifted deep into the archipelago, these ships entered and never came out again.

He Lingchuan became interested, tossing the papers to Ding Zuodong to worry about. He clapped his hands and said, "Let's go, take a boat and see." Since installing the Dragon Punishment Pillars to collect the dark malevolent energy, he hadn't had time to tour his territory. Now, with the cloud sails hoisted, traversing the vast sea, he sat at the bow, watching the bright clouds drift in the sunlight, the sky wide and the earth boundless. That trace of anxiety, those numerous worries, were all swept away by the wind and waves. The grandeur of heaven and earth made human anxieties seem ridiculous.

Along the way, they passed several fishing boats casting nets. These waters had rarely been frequented before, so the fish were fat and foolish, unaware of human cunning. As He Lingchuan was lamenting the peaceful scene of fishing songs, Min Tianxi had already sent people to chase away the boats—these were Lord He's private waters, and naturally, the fish within belonged to him. No fishing was permitted without special permission!

Upon entering the bay at the northeastern corner of Dragon's Back Island, what the pirates called Shipwreck Bay, He Lingchuan indeed saw all sorts of wrecks and floating debris. The broken ships here were unusually crowded, piled one upon another, stacked on the shore. Some of the old wooden boats even had mangrove trees growing inside them. The northern shipping lanes of Yangshan Archipelago were very busy, with large numbers of vessels traveling back and forth each year. A very small number of them would, due to factors like getting lost, hurricanes, or even shifts in the range of malevolent energy, mistakenly enter the depths of the archipelago, and then simply disappear. Wrecked ships drifted with the currents; some sank to the seabed, while others were carried by ocean currents onto the islands, gradually becoming wrecks under the erosion of wind and waves. For many years, Dragon's Back Island had been a forbidden sea corner; even cultivators dared not trespass. It became a graveyard for shipwrecks, and even the malevolent vipers were uninterested until He Lingchuan absorbed all the malevolent energy from the northeastern corner of Dragon's Back Island, allowing humans to finally set foot there.

Qiu Hu and the Archipelago Guard under Min Tianxi had already begun leading people to search the shipwrecks. Min Tianxi's initial enthusiasm had turned into an embarrassed expression: these piles of wreckage, like small mountains, were basically just junk. Under years of immersion in malevolent energy and seawater, human bones, silk, and pearls were all corroded away, leaving nothing; coins rusted to verdigris, and even gold and silver became dull. Not to mention magical artifacts, which turned into scrap metal in such an environment. Over a hundred people rolled up their sleeves and set to work. Quickly, treasure hunting turned into scavenging. Min Tianxi felt some regret. As soon as he discovered the shipwreck graveyard, he had sought credit from He Lingchuan. Had he known, he should have sent people to search it first.

He Lingchuan patted his shoulder. "No mountains of gold and silver, but the haul is still quite good." More and more gold, silver, gemstones, and jade jades were being found from the shipwrecks' bottoms and the tidal flats of the graveyard. Although not in overflowing abundance as Min Tianxi had imagined, the quantity was steadily increasing. In just two hours, they had recovered about two hundred taels of valuables. After a little polishing and treatment back home, they would once again be desirable gold and silver ingots. Such a large stretch of shipwreck beach would likely take two or three months to fully excavate. In addition, the shipwrecks also contained a large number of jade seals, stamps, and personal items.

Just then, a whistle sounded in the distance. A pirate standing on an intact large ship waved and shouted, "There's something here!" Wang Fubao wondered, "Wasn't that ship already searched?" There were only a few intact ships, so they would certainly be searched first. Min Tianxi chuckled. "Ships often have hidden compartments and false bottoms. Some are cleverly concealed, so you have to listen carefully when tapping the planks." Inexperienced people wouldn't find them. These Rongshan people were incredibly powerful, but when it came to looting and searching ships, they were far from experts compared to them.

Everyone boarded the ship to take a look. It turned out that there was a hidden room next to the cargo hold, with a very discreet entrance. Before the door was even opened, Min Tianxi inverted his saber hilt and tapped everywhere, listening for sounds. "This hidden room is quite generous; I'd guess it's at least five feet square." The ship itself was large, with three decks. Wang Fubao pointed at the lock and said, "Wouldn't opening it tell you the size?" "Heh heh, it's not that simple," Min Tianxi gestured to a subordinate. "Everyone move back, don't stand directly in front of the keyhole. Guizai, come open the lock!" The team member called Guizai pulled a small device from his pocket, carefully inserted it into the keyhole, and then stepped aside. The lock-picking device resembled a winch, with two long metal rods. Guizai stood about a foot from the door, pulling and turning the winch to try and open the lock. Dozens of people crowded into the narrow corridor, watching him slowly operate the lock-picking device. Three turns left, three turns right, no luck. Try again. No one knew how many turns the lock-picking device had made, but the air quickly became stuffy, and the smell inside the sunken ship was already unpleasant. Wang Fubao couldn't help but ask, "Hey, how much longer?" The words had barely left his lips when, with a click, the lock opened. Xiang Lian patted Wang Fubao's head. "Why didn't you ask sooner? The sooner you ask, the sooner it opens." As the two joked, two small holes suddenly collapsed above the keyhole. With two whooshing sounds, two steel nails shot out, embedding themselves deeply into the opposite wooden board. They pierced the wood deeply, with considerable force. Fortunately, no one was standing in front of the keyhole, or they would have gained two extra holes in their bodies. "There's a mechanism on the door," Min Tianxi said, pulling out the nails with small pliers and examining them. "If you force the lock or open it abnormally, hidden arrows will shoot out and harm you. The nail heads are also poisoned." Magic arrays would be corroded by malevolent energy, but the mechanical traps remained. No one went to open the door. Wang Fubao wanted to ask how many losses they had suffered in the past to become so cautious. After five or six breaths, a plume of green smoke spewed from the doorway. Poison smoke, the second trap had activated. Everyone stood far away, so no one was sprayed, but they still instinctively held their breath. Xiang Lian casually performed a Wind Dance art, letting the wind carry away the toxic smoke in a gust. Min Tianxi cursed, "These dead devils, they were quite cautious." What good was caution when they all died here anyway? When Heaven wills destruction, none can escape it! After waiting for a long time, the secret door didn't act up again, so Guizai used a long stick to prop it open.

Everyone was full of anticipation. The more sinister the traps, the more valuable the items in the secret room were likely to be. The room certainly didn't disappoint; as soon as the door opened, there was a dazzling display of jewels and treasures! The pirates—no, the guard soldiers—all let out whoops of excitement. The hidden room was about four or five square meters, piled with three large chests and three small chests. Originally, all the chests were lidded and roped. No one knew what the ship had encountered before it lost control, but one large chest had overturned, its ropes undone, spilling its gold and silver jewelry across the floor. As a wave came and the ship swayed, a golden rabbit rolled to He Lingchuan's feet. He picked it up and examined it. The ornament, more than a finger long, was heavy, exquisitely carved, with individual rabbit hairs visible on its round tail. Its eyes were made of rubies, sparkling brilliantly when held to the light. Other precious curios and ornaments were also of remarkable craftsmanship. The ship had not been wrecked for long and could still float; otherwise, if the cabin had been submerged later, the treasures would not have been so lustrous. He Lingchuan ordered the chests to be brought out and opened. The three large chests were filled with gold and silver in various forms: ingots, pellets, bars, and even animal shapes. He Lingchuan had never seen gold and silver in so many different forms. In any shape, they were all delightful. Of the three small chests, two were tightly wrapped and neatly arranged with various precious vessels and jewelry. Qiu Hu casually unwrapped a brocade pouch and found a necklace within, set with forty-eight equally lustrous and clear emeralds, bordered with pavé diamonds, exquisitely opulent. The last small chest contained various miscellaneous items: a small bag of plant fruits/seeds, several bottles of red liquid, a few seals, some mineral rocks, and so on. Ling Guang hopped down from He Lingchuan's shoulder, picked up the bag of seeds, and sniffed it. "It seems like herbal medicine." It unceremoniously took them. Min Tianxi's subordinate took out a talisman, lit it, inserted it into a bottle of clear water, then took a sip of the water and sprayed it towards the items in the chest. With a "poof," a mist of water filled the air. Qiu Hu and the others couldn't help but step back. "What are you doing?" "Checking if the treasures have curses on them," Min Tianxi explained. "A few years ago, we encountered such a sunken treasure, and some unlucky fellow was cursed. Half of his body rotted away, and he died before reaching shore for treatment... Hmm, these treasures are clean; no one has tampered with them." Looking at this unexpected wealth, everyone was grinning from ear to ear. Only He Lingchuan thought for a moment before saying to Min Tianxi, "Can you find the captain? Or the person with the highest status on this ship?" Min Tianxi immediately said, "I'll get right on it. This ship looks quite new; the deceased might not have been completely corroded by the malevolent energy yet." With that, he immediately led people to search cabin by cabin. He Lingchuan nodded discreetly. Min Tianxi carried out his superior's orders without questioning why, indicating he was adapting to his change in status. The ship was larger and more magnificent than ordinary merchant ships, exuding an air of grandeur. The materials used for the hull and the ship's layout were also very meticulous, unlike a typical person's vessel. If the ship's owner had status and position, their personal belongings should be even more valuable. Soon, Min Tianxi found two clothing chests in a ship cabin compartment. The clothes inside were exquisite and of high quality, and there was even a set of ceremonial armor, inlaid with gold, pearls, and jade ornaments, designed to dazzle. There was also a mark on the chest of the ceremonial armor. However, no human remains were found on this ship. Unfortunately, ordinary creatures could hardly withstand the erosion of malevolent energy. He Lingchuan had no choice but to give up on that, ordering the chests of valuables to be moved back.

Afterwards, Ding Zuodong calculated that, apart from the rewards given to Min Tianxi and the other guides, Shipwreck Bay had so far yielded over thirty-seven thousand taels worth of treasure for Young Master He. Indeed, people don't get rich without unexpected windfalls! He Lingchuan's net worth temporarily returned to a level of over two hundred eighty thousand taels—though it wouldn't last long.

I just returned from Mount Putuo yesterday. When I made offerings to the Bodhisattva, I also prayed for peace and prosperity for all of you, my readers, and walked around the lotus pedestal seven times. So, if anyone's wishes come true within the next year, remember to go to Putuo and make an offering in return! Heh heh heh.

(End of chapter)