Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 479 478 Treasure Map

Feng Xiuhu then realized that the "king" in "bandit king" did not refer to someone who had reached the top of the bandit ranks, but rather to a legitimate emperor.

Just then, two of his men carried over a bamboo frame.

Feng Xiuhu looked up and saw a cowhide map covering the bamboo frame.

Bao Xiaojuan introduced, "Second Master, take a look. This is the treasure map of the bandit king. It is said that when the Yu Kingdom fell, the bandit king buried a large amount of gold and silver treasures in Yu'ai Prefecture, intending to use them for the future restoration of the kingdom. However, with the death of the bandit king, his ambition to restore the kingdom vanished, and the whereabouts of this treasure have been unknown ever since."

Feng Xiuhu stood up solemnly and moved closer to observe.

The map showed undulating terrain, rolling mountains, dense forests, lakes, landmarks, and paths, all rendered in meticulous detail.

Looking from top to bottom, from left to right, Feng Xiuhu's face grew darker and darker.

He turned to Bao Xiaojuan and asked, "Is this the bandit king's treasure map?"

Bao Xiaojuan nodded vigorously: "That's right, I spent a lot of money to get it."

Feng Xiuhu wanted nothing more than to kick him to death: "The ink on this piece of junk hasn't even completely dissipated yet, and you're telling me it's a treasure map? Was it just drawn last week?"

Bao Xiaojuan quickly advised, "Second Master, don't be anxious, let me explain."

"To be honest, this is indeed a rubbing, but everything depicted on it is exactly the same as the original. I had to go through a lot of connections and spend a lot of money to find this picture."

Feng Xiuhu almost burst out laughing: "No, even the rubbings have been leaked, how can you guarantee the authenticity of your genuine work?"

Bao Xiaojuan said urgently, "Second Master, I know you have doubts, but there is absolutely no falsehood in this matter."

"You don't know this, but this rubbing is not the only one in front of you. Almost every capable leader of the major mountain strongholds has a rubbing. Not only that, even the noble families in the city have used their own means to obtain the treasure map and secretly organized treasure hunting teams. Foreigners also want a share of the pie. Recently, a large number of mining teams that have entered the mountains have been reduced, and all of them have been dispatched to search for treasure."

"Second Master, if this is the only rubbing available, I could say that I, Zuan Shan Bao, was bewitched and tricked. But now, all the dignitaries and foreigners are preparing for this. How shrewd are they? Could it be that none of them are smart and have all been set up?"

Bao Xiaojuan spread her hands: "That's obviously impossible! This is actually enough to prove the authenticity of the treasure map."

Feng Xiuhu exclaimed in surprise, "Good heavens, you guys have started a nationwide tomb raiding operation? I reckon even the bandit king himself never imagined that he would still be able to provide benefits to his descendants hundreds of years after his death."

Bao Xiaojuan rubbed her hands together and smiled obsequiously: "Second Master has extraordinary abilities. If we had your help, finding treasure would be a piece of cake."

So that's what he was waiting for.

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand and declined, saying, "Forget it, I can't even collect all five blessings. I can't get a freebie in this kind of nationwide event."

Bao Xiaojuan looked disappointed, but she couldn't force him.

Feng Xiuhu asked one more question: "The bandit king's treasure has been hidden for hundreds of years, why are you only now thinking of finding it?"

Bao Xiaojuan replied with little interest: "Naturally, it's because the original treasure map has only recently surfaced."

"It is said that the ancestor of the owner of the original was a close minister of the king of Yu. Therefore, the treasure map was passed down from generation to generation. His descendants searched for the treasure for generations, but all to no avail. It was not until this generation was really down on their luck that they made the matter public and made rubbings for profit."

This matter seemed a bit strange, and Feng Xiuhu became suspicious.

He pressed further, "Has no one found the treasure map during this time since it was leaked?"

Bao Xiaojuan shook her head with a wry smile: "No one has actually been found."

“It seems that with a map in hand, finding treasure shouldn’t be difficult, but the premise is that we at least need to know what places are depicted on the map, right? Otherwise, where do we even begin?” He pointed to the map in front of him: “That’s the problem. The map looks detailed, but no one knows exactly where it is. Even if you take out a map of the entire Yu’ai Prefecture and compare it with other maps, there are no similarities.”

It turned out to be the case.

Feng Xiuhu nodded silently, his curiosity satisfied, and he stopped investigating—after all, he had no intention of traversing the great mountain path of the bandit king, nor did he intend to imitate the Iron Triangle and play the role of a tomb raider.

……

Before long, the bandits brought out a dining table, filled with wine and dishes, for Feng Xiuhu and Bao Xiaojuan to eat and drink.

Bao Xiaojuan didn't mention inviting Shunzi and the others down. He knew what Shunzi was wary of, so he chose not to say anything. He simply had two meals taken to the car.

Although there was only one guest at the table, Bao Xiaojuan sincerely wanted to make friends, so the meal was enjoyed by both host and guest.

Taking advantage of her drunken state, Bao Xiaojuan tightly grasped Feng Xiuhu's hand and said excitedly, "If I had known I would be able to see Second Master today, I should have invited all the leaders of the major mountain strongholds so that I could benefit from Second Master's influence and gain a lot of face."

Feng Xiuhu still finds it hard to believe: "Do I really have such a big reputation? I didn't even know it myself."

"That's natural!"

Bao Xiaojuan slammed her hand on the table and glared at the crowd, saying, "Ordinary people may be ignorant and may not know the Second Master's name, but the deeds of the Second Master and the Third Master have already spread throughout the underworld."

"Those in the underworld are naturally better informed than ordinary people. Second Master is just like us, a bandit. When we face the government offices, temples, and churches, we can only grovel and beg for mercy. But only Second Master doesn't tolerate them. He tears off their dignity and stomps on them, and in the end, he can still escape unscathed. This kind of heroic spirit naturally deserves his current reputation."

Feng Xiuhu glared back: "How dare you talk like that? Who's like you? How have I become a bandit?"

Bao Xiaojuan said blankly, "If you fight against the church, you're obviously not a member of the church; if you oppose the government, you're obviously not a member of the government. And if you're a member of the temple, there's no reason for you to oppose the government. Since you're not one of the three—what else could you be but a bandit?"

Feng Xiuhu was also stunned. After thinking about it, he found that Bao Xiaojuan's words made some sense.

But he would never admit it, so he waved his hand and said, "I haven't had enough of being a master yet, and I'm not planning to change jobs for now. Stop badmouthing me outside."

Both of them drank quite a bit, but Bao Xiaojuan's constitution was far inferior to Feng Xiuhu's, and she was eventually carried away by her men, completely drunk.

Bao Xiaojuan had arranged a room for Feng Xiuhu in advance. After the banquet, her subordinates led Feng Xiuhu back to his residence.

It was getting late, and he had to continue his journey the next day, so Feng Xiuhu went to sleep.

In a daze, Feng Xiuhu sensed something, opened his eyes, and saw half a tiger's butt flash past the door.

Big bug?

Feng Xiuhu immediately came to his senses, scrambled to his feet, and chased after them.

Shi walked silently, strolling back to the main hall.

The treasure map stood by the wall, and Shi squatted in front of it, silently studying it.

Feng Xiuhu walked up from behind and asked, "What, are you interested too?"

Shi shook his head and replied in a low voice.

"This picture is most likely genuine."

(End of this chapter)