Upon reaching the mountain wall, Du Fei and Fang Chao were greeted by a vast, flat expanse.
What struck them as odd was that while the lower slopes were lush with vegetation and dense shrubs, this platform on the cliff face was barren, strewn only with bare rocks.
"This place is so strange," Fang Chao remarked, looking at the ground before them. "It's so green down below, but up here, it's just rocks and more rocks."
Du Fei nodded in agreement.
The treasure map Du Fei had found in an ancient book indicated that the treasure was hidden in a cave on the mountain wall.
Scanning the cliff face, the two quickly spotted a large mound jutting out in the distance.
They surmised this must be the location of the cave containing the treasure.
Having come this far, they were determined to investigate, no matter what.
Exchanging a glance, they began walking towards the mound.
Hiss.
Hiss.
About halfway there, they suddenly heard a faint sound.
Both Du Fei and Fang Chao, with their sharp hearing, detected it immediately.
Turning towards the source of the noise, they saw several small, slender black snakes slithering towards them.
Though these snakes were only about twenty to thirty centimeters long and as thick as chopsticks, they moved with astonishing speed. When first spotted, they were some distance away, but in the blink of an eye, they had reached Du Fei and Fang Chao.
Hiss hiss hiss.
The small snakes approached Du Fei and Fang Chao, their forked tongues flickering in the air.
"Well, well, even a few little snakes dare to challenge us."
In Fang Chao's eyes, they were no different from caterpillars.
Before Du Fei could respond, the snakes that had been flicking their tongues at them began to advance.
To ordinary people, snakes are frightening creatures. Many a woman, seeing a snake slither towards them, would likely scream and flee.
But Fang Chao grinned, swiftly raising his foot and stomping down.
After repeating this a few times, the small snakes that had advanced towards them were all struck at their vital spots and lay still, clearly dead.
"Huh, these little snakes don't look like much, but their venom seems quite potent."
As they prepared to move on, one of the partially stunned snakes opened its mouth and spat venom at them.
Due to the short distance, the venom didn't travel far before hitting the ground.
Remarkably, it corroded a small hole in the earth.
Although the hole was minuscule, it surprised both Du Fei and Fang Chao.
It's worth noting that not all snakes are venomous; many snakes in nature look intimidating but are actually harmless.
Even among venomous snakes, their toxicity varies greatly.
The venom spat by these small snakes, capable of corroding the ground, was comparable to that of some of the most potent venomous snakes.
What further puzzled Du Fei and Fang Chao was that with Mount Huayan's growing popularity over the years, there had been an increasing number of outdoor enthusiasts visiting, yet there were no reported cases of snakebites or fatalities.
Why were these small snakes confined to the mountain wall and not found elsewhere on Mount Huayan?
Despite the lingering questions, Du Fei and Fang Chao continued their ascent towards the mound.
As they drew closer, they realized the mound was far larger than they had initially perceived.
From a distance, it appeared to be only about five or six meters high. However, upon reaching it, they discovered a massive cave hidden behind it.
The cave extended downwards into an unknown depth, and a cool breeze occasionally blew out, sending a shiver down their spines.
"What do you think? Shall we go down and take a look?" Fang Chao asked Du Fei, as they stopped at the cave entrance.
Du Fei, who was examining the cave's interior, replied, "What do you think? We've come all this way. Are we just going to turn back now that we're at the entrance? Whatever's inside, let's go in and see."
Fang Chao was, in fact, very curious about what lay within the cave, but he had been concerned that Du Fei might not be interested.
Hearing Du Fei's agreement, he immediately grinned and took the lead into the cave.
For some reason, despite the bright sunny weather outside, the ground inside the cave was damp, and their feet felt sticky with each step, which was quite unsettling.
After walking for a few minutes, Du Fei and Fang Chao stopped.
Before them lay a pile of white bones.
Judging by their shapes and sizes, these bones likely belonged to large animals.
While Du Fei knew that some animals seek secluded spots to die in their final moments, the sheer quantity of bones here was remarkable, and some of them were incomplete or severely misshapen.
"Let's be careful from now on," Du Fei said to Fang Chao. "There might be a ferocious beast in this cave."
Fang Chao nodded, acknowledging the warning.
Despite their deduction that a formidable creature might inhabit the cave, both men were confident in their abilities. They had shown no fear when encountering a bear at the base of the mountain, and they were certainly not about to retreat now, faced with mere bones.
With heightened vigilance, Du Fei and Fang Chao continued their slow progress deeper into the cave.
As they ventured further, not only was the ground damp, but the surrounding walls also felt moist.
After another few minutes of walking, Du Fei reached the deepest part of the cave.
At the rear of the cave lay a vast pool of water.
In the center of the pool, a lotus-like plant stood serenely on the surface of the water.
"Seven-Star Lotus?" Du Fei exclaimed upon seeing the plant on the water.
Fang Chao, standing beside him, noticed Du Fei's astonished expression and immediately inquired about this "Seven-Star Lotus."
Du Fei gazed longingly at the Seven-Star Lotus on the water for a few moments before explaining its origins to Fang Chao.
He revealed that the Seven-Star Lotus was an extremely rare and valuable medicinal herb. Its growth environment was highly specialized, and it only sprouted one leaf every ten years, requiring seven leaves to be considered fully grown, hence its rarity.
Du Fei had learned about the Seven-Star Lotus from his ancestor's legacy.
According to his ancestor, this top-tier medicinal herb was virtually non-existent in the market today.
This was because anyone who recognized or was able to procure a Seven-Star Lotus would undoubtedly be no ordinary individual. They would keep it for themselves immediately, rather than offer it for sale.