The Prodigal Son

Under Qin Yu's astonished gaze, Xu Wan opened the cloth bag and took out a magnet.

"I……"

Watching Xu Wan rub the needle against the magnet, Qin Yu was so embarrassed he scratched his toes. "Why didn't you take this out sooner?"

"You didn't even ask!"

Xu Wan couldn't help but chuckle. "Besides, I'm a military envoy of the Treasure Mirror Bureau, do you think I don't have anything to tell directions?"

"..."

Qin Yu was speechless for a moment.

Ok!

It's my own narrow-mindedness that's the problem!

Damn it, this is a classic case of trying to show off and ending up getting the short end of the stick...

Xu Wan quickly determined the northwest direction using a magnetized needle.

This direction almost coincides with the course of the Qujiang River in the Zhanlong Gorge section.

As long as they follow the river, they shouldn't be going the wrong way.

After the group sat down to rest quietly for a while, Ning Huang swiftly returned to their side.

"Have you found anything?"

Qin Yu inquired.

Ning Huang shook his head slightly and quickly walked towards the fishing boat.

Seeing that Ninghuang had not gained anything, they had no choice but to set off again.

Fortunately, they don't have to worry about going the wrong way right now, so they can search slowly.

Just as they were searching carefully, Nan Que'er suddenly pointed to the cliff face on the other side, "Over there! Look over there!"

The group immediately looked in the direction Nan Que'er was pointing.

On the other side of the cliff, a "人"-shaped crack is clearly visible.

Above the crack, the waterline can still be clearly seen.

In other words, this crack only becomes visible during the dry season!

The deep ravine is hidden in... the abyss!

This incomplete sentence suddenly appeared in Qin Yu's mind.

A secluded ravine!

Isn't this a secluded ravine?

渊！

Isn't Zhanlong Gorge right now just Yuanyao?

Although they hadn't gotten close yet, Qin Yu was already basically certain in his mind.

This is the place they're looking for!

Qin Yu was secretly excited and quickly instructed He You, "Quickly, over there..."

Before Qin Yu could finish speaking, Ning Huang stood up again.

At the same time, the fishing boat suddenly seemed to be equipped with a motor, rushing directly towards the crack.

The sudden acceleration caused He You to sway and almost fall into the river, but luckily Qi Dachui grabbed him.

Watching the fishing boats speeding forward, Qin Yu couldn't help but feel a pang of envy.

Grandmaster, that's fucking awesome!

I don't know when I'll be able to be that awesome.

While Qin Yu was lost in thought, the fishing boat sped toward the crack.

As they got closer, they discovered that the crack was larger than they had expected.

The crack, level with the water surface, is at least three zhang wide.

As the fishing boats approached the crack, they could clearly feel the gentle breeze blowing in from within.

Seeing that it was pitch black inside, Qin Yu immediately suggested that they find a place to stop the boat first, get some torches for backup, and then go in.

Ning Huang peeked inside and nodded in agreement.

After that, they spent about half an hour making about twenty torches before they boarded a boat and entered the crevice.

As the fishing boat ventured deeper into the water, the light inside grew dimmer and dimmer.

In the dim light, a narrow path suddenly appeared inside the cave.

"Disembark!"

As soon as Ning Huang finished speaking, he was the first to leap ashore.

Qin Yu and his group followed closely behind and tied their fishing boat to a protruding rock nearby.

Qin Yu looked at He You, "You can't keep up with us, so you stay here and guard the fishing boat! We'll be back soon!"

He opened his mouth slightly, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded gently.

After leaving some dry rations for He You, they picked up torches from the fishing boat and followed Ning Huang.

The path clings tightly to the cave wall, allowing only one person to pass at a time, but clear signs of human excavation can be seen on the path, and many stalactites can be seen on the cave ceiling.

The cave was completely silent, save for the whistling wind and the sound of dripping water.

At this moment, both Qin Yu and Nan Que'er were basically certain that they had found the right place.

All the signs seemed to tell them that this was the place they were looking for.

As the last glimmer of light disappeared, Ning Huang lit a torch ahead.

The wind blew in from inside the cave, making the torch flames flicker and sway.

As they ventured deeper, the path gradually widened, and the water level decreased, becoming a trickle.

They were all quite skilled, moving about as if on flat ground.

When the second torch burned out, a glimmer of light suddenly appeared in front of them.

The group was overjoyed and immediately sped up.

The further you go, the brighter the light becomes.

As they stepped out of the cave, a bright and open space suddenly appeared before them.

However, all five of them, including Ning Huang, were completely stunned.

Qi Dachui rubbed his eyes vigorously and patted his cheeks gently, as if he doubted that he was dreaming.

"this……"

The five people stared in astonishment at what they saw, almost unable to believe their eyes.

It's already early winter, but it's warm like spring here.

Looking up, they were greeted by a lush, verdant landscape, vibrant colors, and a scene of bees and butterflies flitting about.

The four seasons seem to exist here as if they don't exist at all!

A thin mist lingers, making this place look like a fairyland.

They could even see a group of monkeys of all sizes picking plump, juicy fruit from the top of the trees!

Their intrusion startled the monkeys, who squawked and fled into the depths of the mist, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

For a moment, they really wondered if this was some immortal's blessed land.

"What a nice view!"

Nan Que'er and Xu Wan exclaimed in sincere admiration almost simultaneously.

Hearing the two exclaiming in admiration, Qin Yu finally came to his senses.

When he looked up, he realized that their heads were covered by thick fog, and they couldn't see the sky at all.

If you were standing above and looking down, it would probably just be a vast expanse of white.

At this moment, Qin Yu was 100% certain that this was the ancestral home of Nan Que'er and the others.

Deep ravines, shrouded in clouds, enveloped in mist...

These words match perfectly here!

This must be the "divine soil" mentioned on the jade disc!

Such a paradise on earth truly deserves to be called a divine land!

"Let's go take a look!"

Ning Huang walked in without saying a word.

It's clear that even Ning Huang is filled with curiosity about such a blessed land.

Qin Yu and the others quickly followed and carefully examined the surrounding environment.

As the group continued forward, the surrounding vegetation became increasingly lush. They cleared a path as they went, startling many animals that roamed the area and causing a cacophony of chatter around them.

As they continued forward, Ning Huang suddenly warned in a low voice, "Be careful, it seems like we're being watched by something!"

Hearing Ning Huang's reminder, the four of them immediately became more vigilant, continuing forward as if nothing had happened while quietly sensing the movements around them.

Suddenly, a dangerous aura approached.

Just as the group pinpointed the direction from which the danger was coming, a dark green shadow suddenly darted out of the dense forest and pounced on them...