Chapter 54 The Key to the Treasure Map

Ye Wanning looked at Pei Zhi: "What do you think?"

Pei Zhi thought for a moment: "Let's return to the capital first, give the map to the Emperor, and have him send troops to wipe out the branch of the Esoteric Buddhism. At the same time, we must find the *Esoteric Buddhist Manual* as soon as possible; we can't let it fall into the wrong hands."

Ye Wanning nodded: "Okay, we'll do it your way."

The small boat glided slowly on the river, moonlight shimmering on the water. Ye Wanning leaned against the boat, gazing at the stars, her heart filled with hope. She knew that as long as she was with Pei Zhi and Chun Tao, they could overcome any difficulties and obstacles ahead, fulfill her mother's last wish, and bring the bad guys to justice.

The secrets of Begonia Valley still seem to be incomplete. What exactly is hidden in that book, "The Esoteric Buddhist Mind Method"? And what is the "greater secret" the old man spoke of?

Ye Wanning was filled with curiosity and anticipation. She knew that her journey of revenge and protection had only just begun.

The small boat drifted downstream for two days and two nights before finally reaching a dock near the capital. The three of them went ashore, found an inn to rest, changed into clean clothes, and only then dared to enter the city.

The situation in the capital was more tense than when they left; soldiers patrolled everywhere, and checks at the city gates were much stricter. Ye Wanning and Pei Zhi showed their tokens before they were allowed to enter the city.

"It seems the emperor is quite interested in matters of Tantric Buddhism," Ye Wanning said.

“Yes,” Pei Zhi nodded. “We need to deliver the map to the Emperor as soon as possible so he can make preparations.”

"We will go directly to the palace to request an audience with the Emperor."

Pei Zhi requested an audience with the emperor. The emperor was delighted to hear that they had returned with a map of the Tantric sect and immediately summoned them.

Ye Wanning presented the map and recounted what had happened in Begonia Valley. After reviewing the map and listening to her account, the emperor's expression grew increasingly grim.

"I never imagined that the influence of Tantric Buddhism was so vast, spreading throughout the land," the emperor roared. "If you hadn't discovered it in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

“Your Majesty, the most urgent task now is to send troops to wipe out the branch of the Secret Sect as soon as possible, so that they cannot catch their breath,” Pei Zhi said.

The Emperor nodded: "You're right. Minister Pei, I'm entrusting this matter to you. You have the authority to mobilize all the Imperial Guards in the capital. You must wipe out the Secret Sect in one fell swoop."

Pei Zhiying replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."

"Miss Ye, you've worked hard too." The Emperor then looked at Ye Wanning, "What reward do you desire? Just tell me."

"Your Majesty, I don't want anything, I just want you to help me find out the cause of my mother's death back then," Ye Wanning said.

"Alright. I will have your mother's case reopened and I will definitely give you an explanation." The emperor agreed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Ye Wanning said gratefully.

Upon leaving the palace, Pei Zhi immediately began making arrangements to eradicate the Tantric sect throughout the country. He mobilized all the imperial guards in the capital and, following the markings on the map, launched attacks on one Tantric sect branch after another.

Ye Wanning returned to the Minister's residence and began sorting through some books and letters left by her mother, hoping to find clues about the time of her mother's death from these materials.

Chun Tao chimed in, "Oh, right, Miss, I just remembered! After I escaped from Begonia Valley that day, I hid the 'Essential Buddhist Manual' in a safe place. Let's go retrieve it now."

“Of course we have to go. That book is very important; we can’t let anyone get their hands on it,” Ye Wanning said.

The two set off and, following Chuntao's directions, arrived at a dilapidated temple outside the city. Chuntao said she had hidden the book in a secret compartment behind the Buddha statue.

Ye Wanning and Chun Tao entered the dilapidated temple and came to the hidden compartment behind the Buddha statue. Sure enough, the book was there. Ye Wanning picked up the book and began to read it.

It turns out the book contained the martial arts techniques of Tantric Buddhism, as well as some historical materials. It seems that Tantric Buddhism was founded by a prince of the previous dynasty who, after failing to seize the throne, established Tantric Buddhism in an attempt to overthrow the dynasty.

"No wonder they wanted this book, and even wanted to control the martial arts world and threaten the imperial court," Ye Wanning suddenly realized.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the dilapidated temple. Ye Wanning and Chuntao quickly hid the book behind the Buddha statue.

Soon, several men in black entered, looked around, and began searching for something. Ye Wanning looked closely and realized that the leader was actually the same man in black from the Duke of Li's mansion!

How could it be him? Ye Wanning muttered to herself.

The man in black said, "Search carefully; the master said the book might be here."

The others responded and began searching the dilapidated temple. Ye Wanning and Chun Tao hid behind the Buddha statue, too frightened to even breathe.

Just as the man in black was about to find the hidden compartment, shouts of battle suddenly erupted outside. The man in black's expression changed, and he hurriedly led his men out.

Ye Wanning and Chuntao emerged from behind the Buddha statue, and Pei Zhi led the Imperial Guards in.

"Are you all alright?" Pei Zhi asked with concern.

“We’re fine,” Ye Wanning said. “People from the Li family came by earlier, apparently also looking for the *Esoteric Buddhist Manual*.”

Pei Zhi's expression changed: "It seems that Duke Li has a close relationship with the Tantric sect. We must find out their connection as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences will be dire."

Ye Wanning nodded and took out the "Esoteric Buddhist Manual" from the hidden compartment: "We've found it."

Pei Zhi looked at the book and said, "Excellent. With this, we know the secrets of Tantric Buddhism, making it much easier to wipe them out."

The three left the dilapidated temple and headed towards the capital. Ye Wanning, holding her book, knew in her heart that this was only the beginning. Behind Duke Li and the Tantric sect, something even more terrifying awaited them. And she, too, had to be prepared to face even greater challenges ahead.

Ye Wanning hid the "Esoteric Buddhist Manual" in a secret compartment in the Red Leaf Courtyard. The book looked thin, but it was heavy in the hand. The pages were yellowed and looked like they would break at the slightest touch, indicating that it was a very old book.

For three days straight, Ye Wanning racked her brains over this book before realizing it was actually quite suspicious. The martial arts techniques in the book were very ordinary; some moves were even inferior to the boxing manual left to her by her grandfather. But when she turned to the last few pages, she found strange symbols interspersed between the words, resembling bird claws or insect crawls, somewhat similar to the markings engraved on the back of the tiger tally.

"Chuntao, bring the magnifying glass." Ye Wanning pointed to a distorted symbol. "Look at this, doesn't it look like the character '西' (xi)?"

Chun Tao squinted and stared for a long time: "It does look a bit like it. But why would these Tantric practitioners write our Chinese characters?"

Ye Wanning remained silent, picked up paper and pen, and began to draw the symbols. When she drew the seventh one, she suddenly realized that when these symbols were connected, they actually overlapped with the outline of the topographical map of Begonia Valley drawn in her mother's diary!

"This is it!" She slammed her hand on the table. "This isn't a manual on martial arts techniques; it's the key to a treasure map!"