Chapter 137: Antiquity and the Escape Room

The betting stall had been set up, and the boss was counting his money with a joyful expression. Judging by the current odds, Fang Nian was bound to lose. Encouraged by the instigation of those around them, more and more people began to adopt a high-risk, high-reward mindset and wagered on Fang Nian to win.

Just as the boss was feeling pleased, a woman dressed in Hanfu and wearing a veil suddenly tossed over a receipt stamped with the anti-counterfeiting seal of the Bank of China.

"I'm betting one million on Fang Nian to win."

The boss paused slightly. He noticed that the woman before him had an exquisite figure, as ethereal and graceful as a celestial being descending to the mortal realm. Although she wore a veil, the single pair of eyes exposed were soul-stirringly captivating.

"Beauty, are you certain?"

The woman's eyebrows arched slightly.

"What? Daring not to take the bet?"

Stung as though his dignity had been trampled upon, the betting boss declared:

"What's so difficult about that? Isn't it just one million? I'll take it, why wouldn't I take it?"

With that, the beautiful woman sat down not far from the boss to watch the match, murmuring faintly under her breath:

"Fang Nian, you bastard, let's see how you end up chopping off your own hands."

***

Having finalized the terms of the duel, Xia Moyan asked Fang Nian:

"You're making too big a deal out of this this time. Winning or losing aside, you shouldn't treat your hands like a joke. Besides, this hunting ground is probably at least D-grade, and that Bai Zhe is on good terms with Liu Huan. I'm afraid..."

Fang Nian smiled and said to Xia Moyan:

"Don't worry, this Bai Zhe is no match for me. It'll be fine."

Xia Moyan originally wanted to say more, but deep down she felt that Fang Nian would not lose, so she nodded and said:

"Alright."

Soon, a makeshift hunting ground was set up on the stage. There were only two sets of equipment, clearly configured for a heads-up duel between Fang Nian and Bai Zhe.

When everything was ready, Liu Huan began to announce the theme of this hunt.

"The hunting ground for this hunt was bought at a heavy price from a prominent family in District 4. We originally intended to keep it for the Century Auction. But now, since everyone has such refined interests, we've decided to bring it out for everyone's amusement."

Liu Huan's words instantly won countless rounds of applause from the audience, with many people giving him thumbs up.

Liu Huan clearly enjoyed the feeling of being the center of attention, but he pressed his hands down to signal for quiet. He then clicked the remote control in his hand, and instantly, a three-dimensional holographic poster appeared in the air. It depicted a scene of a mountain peak overlooking a canyon, where a man in tattered clothes gazed down at a stream and trees in the valley below.

To the left of the man stood three illusory figures, gazing at the blueprint just like him.

On the other side was the phantom of an army, fully equipped and ready to march at any moment.

After the image was displayed, the name of the hunting ground finally appeared on the giant screen amidst much anticipation.

"Tomb Seeker: D+"

Upon seeing this hunting ground, the entire venue completely erupted.

"What? A D+ hunting ground? Holy crap, the Liu family is really rolling big. They even brought out their bottom-of-the-box treasures, didn't they? And looking at the classification of this hunting ground, it should be a confrontation-type hunting ground. Such hunting grounds are rarely seen. I'm truly blessed with a great sight today."

"A confrontation-type hunting ground? What kind of hunting ground is that? How come I've never heard of it before?"

"I must say you really are a country bumpkin not to have even seen such a famous type of hunting ground. Let me educate you. Actually, a confrontation-type hunting ground is very easy to understand. It's a competition conducted through direct head-to-head confrontation between two people. In other words, both are given the exact same objective, and whoever completes it first is the ultimate winner."

"Oh, so that's how it is. Then the theme is already very clear. This time the theme should be tomb raiding, and they must be the ones who find the tomb first to win."

"Right, it should be like that. But this topic is really niche; it requires very specialized knowledge—specifically the arts of dragon-vein spotting, point-locating, and feng shui. Otherwise, no matter how strong a hunter you are, I'm afraid you won't be able to find that ancient tomb hidden deep within the mountains."

"Yeah, but I've heard that Bai Zhe actually has experience clearing a feng shui hunting ground. Is the reason Liu Huan chose such a niche hunting ground specifically for Bai Zhe?"

"Highly likely. They're probably cut from the same cloth."

***

Fang Nian looked at the revealed topic, frowned slightly, but then smiled instead.

"I really didn't expect to use the contents of that book so soon."

After the two prepared themselves, at Liu Huan's command, Fang Nian's world instantly turned pitch black.

Fang Nian did not remain in the darkness for long before he recovered. Unlike before, upon entering the hunting ground, Fang Nian did not enter any prop inventory room, but was transported directly into the hunting ground.

When all the darkness dissipated, Fang Nian finally regained control of his body and simultaneously saw everything before him.

First, Fang Nian checked himself. He found that he was wearing a Hanfu. Although slightly different from modern Hanfu, judging by the style, it appeared to be from the late Eastern Han Dynasty.

If Fang Nian guessed correctly, the background of this hunting ground was not modern times, but ancient times.

However, this was still just Fang Nian's speculation; whether it was true or not remained to be confirmed through further exploration.

Fang Nian observed his surroundings and found that this should be a secret room, or rather, a stone chamber. Why did he call it a secret room? Because the surrounding walls were made of solid stone, with neither doors nor windows. Moreover, when Fang Nian touched the stone walls, there were many fine water droplets on them. It was obvious that this place was underground, which explained why it was so damp.

With a helpless look, Fang Nian spread his hands and muttered:

"Right off the bat and it's another secret room. Can't they come up with something fresh?"

Fang Nian observed further. The secret room was not large, and it must have been used frequently because the six oil lamps on the wall were still burning. Fang Nian checked the lamps and found that there was still plenty of oil inside; they should easily burn for another three or four days.

This further proved Fang Nian's conjecture: there were no signs of electricity whatsoever; the background story was indeed ancient, and this secret room must have been used not long ago.

Having confirmed these details, Fang Nian examined the other furnishings in the secret room.

The area was about ten square meters. The decoration, by ancient standards, was quite exquisite. The polished marble floor appeared very smooth. Against the north wall stood a large screen carved from rosewood, depicting numerous birds in flight or perched, rendered vividly. One could tell the craftsman's skill was exceptionally refined, with even the tiniest details carved with extreme precision.

Beneath the screen sat a square table and two armchairs, also crafted from rosewood, carved with dragons and phoenixes respectively—clearly a matching set of dragon and phoenix chairs. A closer examination of the workmanship and color gradient revealed that they came from the same artisan and were even hewn from the same tree, a hallmark of master craftsmanship.

Meanwhile, on the rosewood table sat a set of purple clay tea ware, which clearly looked to be of high quality.

In addition to these, a bookshelf stood against the west wall of the secret room, lined with numerous books in the form of bamboo slips, which were very rare in modern times. Fang Nian flipped through a couple and found that most of them were ledgers recording financial accounts.

Directly opposite, on the east wall, hung several pieces of calligraphy and paintings. The signatures belonged to renowned masters whose names echoed through the Han Dynasty. Among them was a piece of calligraphy written with exceptional skill—bounding and unrestrained, yet possessing a trace of elegant and enchanting charm winding through it.

"The bright moon rises from the clouds under the railing, the boundless sea of clouds crosses the Tianshan Mountains."

Looking at the signature at the end: Wei Kai, Wei Boru.