He Yuhan picked up the letter and opened the envelope. Inside was a letter written with a calligraphy brush; the paper was yellowed considerably, indicating it was quite old. Although the letter was written in traditional Chinese characters, He Yuhan could still recognize them.
The letter contained little information, but it conveyed a great deal.
This place was discovered by a man from Kyoto. He thought it was a paradise and could perhaps be used as a final refuge, so he and a few trusted confidants renovated it.
As the situation worsened, he gradually hid all his belongings here, hoping to preserve them.
Later, when he was truly facing the danger of national collapse and family destruction, he brought several family members and confidants to this place for refuge and lived a secluded life in a paradise.
They would occasionally go out, but the outside world was becoming increasingly chaotic, so they rarely went out anymore.
One by one, the people who came here died, and the survivors sent their cremated ashes back to their hometowns for burial, which can be considered as returning to one's roots.
The person in this coffin was the last to die, and also the youngest in the family when they first arrived here.
In his letter, he wrote that if anyone discovers this place, please cremate him as well, and take his ashes back to Kyoto to be buried next to the former imperial tombs. Whoever helps him accomplish this will own all the valuables here.
The token-like object inside the box is the key to opening the treasure vault.
After looking at it for a while, He Yuhan said dejectedly, "Why doesn't this letter say where to get out?"
Han Yixian said, "Since they were able to find this place, it means there must be a way out. If anyone else finds this place after them, they must have come in the same way they came in. If they can get in, they can definitely get out. Why would they need to write it in a letter?"
Who would fall off a cliff like you? You'd be seriously injured, if not dead.
Judging from our journey here, the path we came from is very likely the only entrance, so there must be an exit in the valley outside, otherwise they wouldn't be able to get out.”
He Yuhan said, "Then let's not give up yet. Let's look around here. What if we find a way out?"
Han Yi nodded and said, "Let's look for him some more. What should we do with this person? Should we help him fulfill his wish?"
He Yuhan said, "Respect for the dead is paramount. If we have the chance, we can come back again and cremate him. When the opportunity arises later, we can send his ashes back to Kyoto for burial. It's understandable that people from the past have a special attachment to their hometown and want to return to their roots in the end."
Since we can help, let's help him fulfill this last wish.
Han Yi nodded and said, "Let's leave it here for now and deal with it when we have the chance later."
After the two left the cave, they closed the stone door and continued their exploration.
The letter said there was a treasure vault here where valuables were stored, so of course they had to look for it.
They soon discovered another cave, which was small, only a dozen square meters, but it had been renovated.
Han Yixian discovered many exquisite carvings on a wall. These reliefs were beautiful and intricate, dazzling the eye.
He Yuhan took a look and then took out the thing that was supposedly a key. She examined it closely and found that the pattern on the key was very similar to the pattern on the stone wall.
He Yuhan started to gesture and try it little by little. It really tested her eyesight because the patterns were basically the same, with only very subtle differences.
Through He Yuhan's tireless efforts, the key finally fit perfectly into a pattern, and soon the wall moved backward, revealing a doorway.
This time, He Yuhan and Han Yixian did not go in immediately, but waited outside for a while.
The two men, still wearing gas masks and carrying flashlights, entered the cave.
Under the light of a flashlight, you can see that the cave is several tens of square meters in size, with many wooden boxes inside, all covered in dust.
Seeing these and recalling the contents of the previous letter, the two of them roughly understood the situation.
Han Yixian carefully opened a wooden box, and a flash of golden light appeared in the beam of the flashlight. The box was full of gold.
The couple were already mentally prepared, so they weren't too shocked; it seemed the place was full of gold and silver treasures.
Han Yi first opened the wooden boxes one by one. Inside the boxes were gold, various jewelry and jade, antiques and calligraphy and paintings, and so on.
Han Yixian picked up an antique and examined it carefully, saying, "These things are definitely not something that an ordinary wealthy family would own. This family is very likely a descendant of the royal family of the previous dynasty."
He Yuhan nodded and said, "No wonder the letter asked us to bury his ashes next to the former imperial tombs in Kyoto. It seems he really is a descendant of the former royal family and wants to be buried with his family."
Brother Yi, what should we do with all this treasure?
Han Yixian said, "Given the current situation, these things are not suitable to be taken out. You should put them in your spatial storage first, and donate them to the country when the time is right. Although, according to the letter, these treasures could all belong to us, it's better if we don't take them. The Han and Wen families already have enough wealth."
He Yuhan nodded and said, "That's what I think too. The situation is unstable right now. Even if we donate everything, people will think we're keeping some for ourselves. So let's keep it for now and donate it later when things are more stable and there's no more danger."
Han Yixian said, "When we have the chance, we'll come back here to cremate that gentleman and then take his ashes to Kyoto for burial. We must fulfill his request."
He Yuhan said, "If you want to start a fire, it's best to do it at night, when it's less likely to be noticed. If you start a fire during the day, the thick smoke will be too obvious and will easily attract attention and arouse suspicion."
Han Yi nodded and said, "You're right, we need to pay attention to some details. You should put these things away for now."
He Yuhan nodded and stored all the treasures from the cave into her spatial storage. She didn't plan to touch these things; she intended to donate them all later.
Just as Han Yixian said, the wealth left by the Han and Wen families is many times greater than these treasures.
The Han family was once incredibly wealthy, and the things they have passed down are all exquisite, mostly priceless items.
Although the Wen family was not as wealthy, they still left behind a huge fortune.
With two companies' treasures already secured, He Yuhan had lost interest in these valuables. Perhaps she was experiencing visual fatigue.
He Yuhan said, "Brother Yi, let's not tell anyone here. Let's keep it a secret between the two of us. If we ever go into seclusion in the future, we can come here. It's a nice place."
Han Yixian's eyes lit up upon hearing this. "That's right, let's keep this place as our secret. When we retire, we'll come here to live in seclusion, just the two of us, without anyone else. We'll enjoy our own little world here."
He Yuhan laughed and said, "You're just thinking about your time together. Let's quickly search this place. If there's nothing special, we'll go back and continue looking for a way out tomorrow."
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