Chapter 54: All Passwords Decoded, the Shocking Truth Revealed

"Jade Balance, Open Yang, Pivoting Light..." As the final symbol fell into place, the entire book seemed to spring to life, emitting a faint, ethereal glow.
It worked!
I was so thrilled I almost jumped up. This was the cipher to a treasure trove!
Getting rich overnight was no longer just a dream!
"Wan'er, you're amazing!" Yun Sheng smiled weakly, his pale face carrying a trace of relief.
Look at this guy, injured as he was, and still thinking about praising me!
A warmth bloomed in my chest as I quickly took out the wound-healing ointment to treat him.
"Hiss... lighter, lighter, it hurts!" he cried out with exaggerated pain. I rolled my eyes. "Alright, cut the act. Anyone watching would think I did something terrible to you!"
Scholar Li coughed awkwardly from the side, breaking the slightly ambiguous atmosphere.
"Miss Lu, although this cipher has been decoded, this old man believes there is a deeper mystery hidden within." He pointed to several symbols that repeatedly appeared in the code. "Look, do these symbols resemble the layout of the inn?"
My heart gave a jolt, and my financial intuition vaguely sensed something as well!
Could it be...
The treasure was right here in the inn?!
My goodness!
I eagerly leaned in to study it closely. Sure enough, these symbols matched the locations of several iconic landmarks around the inn!
This was getting too thrilling!
"So that's it! The owner of this treasure was truly meticulous!" Scholar Li stroked his beard, his eyes flashing with excitement.
"Then let's go find it right now!" I couldn't wait to unearth the treasure, wishing I could transform into an excavator on the spot!
"Don't be hasty, Miss Lu, there are surely mechanisms guarding this..." Before Scholar Li could finish his sentence, a loud "bang" echoed as the door was kicked open...
Innkeeper Zhao stood at the threshold with a gloomy expression, staring fixedly at the book in our hands...
Innkeeper Zhao lunged forward like a starved wolf, his eyes locked onto the book in my hands with a gaze so fierce it felt as though he wanted to tear me apart alive!
"Hand over the book! This treasure belongs to me!" he roared viciously, spittle nearly flying into my face. Ugh!
A few burly thugs instantly surrounded us impenetrably, the air in the room freezing solid.
My heart sank. This plot was not going the way it was supposed to!
I cast a stealthy glance at Yun Sheng. His complexion was ashen; it was clear he was badly hurt.
What about Scholar Li? He was getting on in years; if a brawl broke out...
No way, I had to think of something!
Innkeeper Zhao rubbed his hands impatiently. "Don't toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! If you know what's good for you, hand over the book, otherwise..." He flashed a sinister smile that sent a shriek down my spine.
This old geezer's smile looked uglier than crying!
My brain raced at lightning speed. It was glaringly obvious this old scoundrel wanted to rob us in broad daylight, and the three of us combined couldn't take him in a fight!
What should I do?
What should I do?
Waiting online, it's quite urgent!
Just as I was fretting like an ant on a hot pan, Scholar Li suddenly shouted, "Wait! I know!" He pointed at a jade pendant hanging on Innkeeper Zhao's chest, his beard twitching with excitement. "That jade pendant is the final piece of the puzzle to unlock the treasure!"
I followed the direction of his finger. Innkeeper Zhao wore a mutton-fat white jade pendant around his neck, exquisitely carved and obviously worth a small fortune.
Wait, the pattern on this jade pendant...
Why did it look so familiar?
I quickly lowered my head to check the cipher in the book. Holy cow!
Wasn't the pattern on this jade pendant the missing piece of the puzzle?!
Innkeeper Zhao instinctively covered the pendant, his eyes darting about with a thoroughly guilty conscience.
"You... what nonsense are you spouting!" he roared, putting up a bold front.
"Nonsense? Do you dare take off the pendant and let us have a look?" I raised an eyebrow defiantly, laughing inwardly. Old man, you never expected your weakness to fall right into my hands!
His face flickered between green and white, clearly betraying his guilt.
Taking advantage of his lapse in attention, I grabbed...
Well, actually, I made Yun Sheng grab it, since my arms and legs were too short to reach him.
The guy proved reliable at a crucial moment, ripping the pendant right off and making Innkeeper Zhao yelp in pain.
"Ouch! My jade! My family heirloom!" Innkeeper Zhao wailed, clutching his neck as if I had subjected him to unspeakable tortures.
My heart remained completely unruffled; in fact, I felt like laughing a little.
With the pendant in hand, I quickly cracked the final cipher using Scholar Li's method.
A flash of light swept across, and a line of small characters materialized on the page: The treasure lies at the bottom of the withered well in the inn's backyard.
A withered well? The corners of my mouth twitched. What kind of bizarre hobby did this treasure owner have?
Our group headed straight to the backyard and located the withered well.
Yun Sheng, agile as he was, leaped down in two or three nimble moves.
After a brief moment, he tossed a bundle up from the bottom of the well.
"Just this?" I opened it up to find a tattered book and several small boxes containing what appeared to be medicinal herbs.
Wait, this plot was seriously off!
What happened to the gold, silver, jewels, and fine silks?
Where was my dream of sudden wealth?
"Is... is this the treasure?" Innkeeper Zhao stared in utter disbelief, eyes wide. "Just this? Just this?!" His face turned green with rage, making him look more like the rightful owner of the treasure than anyone else.
Seeing no gold or silver, the thugs he had brought along scattered like birds and beasts.
Innkeeper Zhao had no choice but to slink away in disgrace, glaring fiercely at me before leaving as if to say: Little girl, you just wait!
My inner monologue: Wait it out then, who's afraid of whom!
Although we had shaken off the nuisance of Innkeeper Zhao, this manual of martial arts and these herbs seemed to harbor an even greater secret.
I flipped open the manual to reveal four striking characters: Sunflower Manual...
Wait, was something wrong here?
"Wan'er, look at these herbs," Yun Sheng picked up one of the boxes, "they seem to be... the legendary resurrection medicine!"
Me: "..." Resurrection? This joke had gone too far!
Scholar Li also leaned in for a closer look, his expression grave as he said, "These herbs are indeed rare, but whether they can truly bring the dead back to life remains to be verified."
Holding the manual, with Yun Sheng holding the herbs, the three of us stared blankly at one another.
Suddenly, a chill swept across my back... Someone was there!
I spun around abruptly, catching only a fleeting shadow vanishing into the dark... "Who goes there?!"