Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Late at night.

The villa on Victoria Peak was quiet, with only the occasional sea breeze blowing through the window, bringing the faint sound of distant waves. He Damin stood before the French windows of his bedroom, gazing at the myriad lights of Victoria Harbour below, his gaze as deep and unfathomable as the sea.

Soft footsteps sounded behind him. Chen Xueru, wearing a thin velvet bathrobe, walked to his side and handed him a glass of warm milk.

"Aren't you going to sleep yet?" Her voice was soft, with a hint of concern.

He Damin took the milk, but didn't drink it; he just held it in his palm. The warmth of the cup seeped through his fingertips, just like the warmth of her body as she leaned closer.

"I'm going out tonight," he said.

Chen Xueru was slightly taken aback, then looked up at him. Under the lamplight, her eyes were as clear as ever, without surprise or questioning, only a faint worry and complete trust.

"Where to?"

"I need to go back to Beijing." He Damin placed the milk on the windowsill, turned around, and took her hand. "There's a shipment that's being delivered to Hong Kong tonight. I have to go pick it up."

Chen Xueru remained silent for a moment. She knew that He Damin possessed abilities she couldn't comprehend, and she also knew that he never spoke without certainty. Since he said "there is a batch of things," then it truly existed.

"Is it dangerous?" she asked.

"It's not dangerous." He Damin's voice was soft but steady. "I'm just going to get it, I'll be back soon. Before dawn, when you open your eyes, I'll be right beside you."

Chen Xueru pursed her lips and nodded gently.

"Okay." She stood on tiptoe and straightened his collar, just like she always did when she saw him off. "Be careful."

He Damin looked at her. In the lamplight, her eyes and brows were as gentle as a pool of spring water. He raised his hand and gently brushed her hair.

"Go to sleep. Don't wait for me."

Chen Xueru didn't say "I'll wait for you," she just hummed in agreement, then turned around, went back to the bedside, and lay down under the covers.

He Damin watched as she closed her eyes and her breathing gradually became steady before turning around and walking to the French windows.

He gently pushed open the window, and the night breeze rushed in, carrying the salty smell of the sea and the chill of the mountaintop. He didn't turn around, but a thought stirred within him—

The spirit leaves the body.

His physical body vanished in an instant, absorbed into his inner world. His Yang spirit, however, condensed and transformed in the night, becoming a magnificent and unparalleled peregrine falcon. Its entire body was enveloped in a faint purple-gold halo, its wings spread wide, perfectly streamlined, and its eyes sharp as lightning.

The golden peregrine falcon took flight silently, piercing the night sky and soaring into the clouds in an instant.

The lights of Victoria Peak rapidly shrank beneath him, and the dazzling night view of Victoria Harbour turned into a blurry patch of light. The peregrine falcon's silhouette left an almost invisible pale golden trail in the night sky as it swiftly swooped northward.

The speed of a Yang God in the Nascent Soul Realm is terrifying.

The wind whistled past his ears, yet seemed to be separated by an invisible force, unable to touch the Yang God even slightly. The mountains and rivers below rushed past—the fields of the New Territories, the shimmering waves of the Shenzhen River, the mountains of northern Guangdong, the winding Xiang River… everything flashed by in an instant.

He Damin rarely used this method for long-distance flight. The last time was three years ago when he went south to Hong Kong to lay out his plans. At that time, he was only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage, and although his speed was fast, he still had to consider the consumption of his Yang Spirit. Now that he has reached the Divine Transformation stage, his Yang Spirit is integrated with heaven and earth, and flying is no longer a consumption, but an instinct.

He even had time to look down at the night below.

The mountains of Lingnan undulated like inky waves under the moonlight, with a few scattered lights among them—sleeping villages. Crossing the Nanling Mountains, one enters Hunan Province, then the Yangtze River, and enters Hubei and Henan Provinces… Finally, as the bright moon hangs high in the sky, the outline of Beijing finally appears on the horizon.

The lights were much sparser, incomparable to the brilliance of Hong Kong. But the crisscrossing alleys, the rooftops of varying heights, and the sleeping courtyards had an indescribable warmth to them.

The peregrine falcon circled once high in the sky, then dimmed its light and silently landed on the branch of an old locust tree on the shore of Shichahai Lake. The dense shadows of the tree and the deep darkness of the night completely concealed it.

This place is not far from Prince Gong's Mansion.

Prince Gong's Mansion, the largest princely mansion in the Qing Dynasty, was no stranger to He Damin. In his previous life, he had been here on a mission and knew the terrain of the area like the back of his hand. In this life, he had lived in Beijing for three years and passed by many times, but had never set foot inside.

But he knew what was hidden beneath the mansion.

That was a secret discovered only in later generations—it wasn't until 2008, when the Prince Gong's Mansion underwent its first large-scale renovation, that experts discovered the hidden "secret wall" and cellar beneath the mansion. The secret vault in the secret wall alone contained over 30,000 taels of gold, and the cellar was filled with countless treasures, a dazzling array that would leave anyone breathless.

Later scholars estimated that Heshen's entire fortune was worth approximately 800 million taels of silver, which, in today's RMB terms, would amount to as much as 87.5 billion yuan. This does not include the incalculable gardens, pavilions, jewelry, calligraphy and paintings, cultural relics, or the profits from his banks and pawnshops throughout the country.

But He Damin knew more.

In his previous life, he had read some internal documents and knew that the actual number excavated that year was 30% higher than the official figure. Those hidden treasures were truly priceless gems—the finest gold bricks, the best-preserved ancient jade, and those secret treasures bestowed by Emperor Qianlong but not yet documented. The official report underestimated the amount by 30% to avoid a sensation and to protect certain things that were best left unsaid.

At this moment, this treasure trove was right beneath his feet.

He Damin's divine sense had already explored the area countless times. Back when he was still at "Red Star," on a quiet night, he used his divine sense to probe the underground of Prince Gong's Mansion and discovered the exact location of the treasure—more than one place.

There are two true treasure troves.

One was a cellar beneath the artificial hill in the back garden, its entrance sealed off by a huge rock, several meters deep. Hidden here were the heaviest and easiest items to inventory—boxes of silver ingots, neatly stacked gold ingots, and some large pieces of porcelain.

Another location was hidden within a wall behind the main hall of the mansion. This was Heshen's most meticulously designed feature—between two seemingly seamless walls, there was a mezzanine only three feet wide, completely invisible from the outside. Inside, rows of sandalwood boxes were neatly stacked, containing truly rare treasures: imperial jade pendants, enamelware, chime bells, antique clocks, and the jade mountain sculpture "Daiyue Wonder" that later astonished the world.

When the Jiaqing Emperor confiscated property, he searched the visible assets but failed to discover these two hidden treasures. For two hundred years, they lay silently underground, waiting to be unearthed by future generations.

He Damin's figure floated down from the old locust tree, lightly leaping over the high walls of the Prince's Mansion, and landing in a quiet courtyard.

Night had fallen, and the mansion was deserted. Only a few guards on night duty were dozing in the front yard. He Damin's spirit had concealed its form, so even if he stood right in front of them, they could not see it at all.

He walked through many courtyards and first arrived at the back garden.

Under the moonlight, the artificial hills were rugged and the pond was as smooth as a mirror. He Damin's divine sense had already locked onto his target, and he walked to a seemingly ordinary boulder deep within the artificial hills.

The boulder weighed over a thousand pounds and was seamlessly integrated with the mountain; even ordinary people, knowing there was treasure there, couldn't budge it an inch. But He Damin simply raised his hand, palm against the stone, and released a slight burst of true energy—

The boulder silently moved aside, creating a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

Beyond the crevice was a downward-sloping passage, dark and deep, with a faint, damp, musty smell emanating from it. He Damin floated in, and the boulder silently closed behind him, returning to its original state.

The passage wasn't long; after walking about ten zhang (approximately 33 meters), the view suddenly opened up before us.

This is a stone chamber, roughly three zhang square, with walls made of blue bricks, dry and well-ventilated. Inside, hundreds of large wooden crates are neatly stacked, their surfaces covered in dust, yet still sturdy. In one corner, there are a dozen or so rusty tin boxes, along with some scattered porcelain and jade artifacts.

He Damin's divine sense swept over the area and he understood immediately.

The wooden boxes contained mostly silver ingots. These were Qing Dynasty Kuping silver ingots, each weighing fifty taels, of excellent purity, with the official silver mark engraved on the bottom. A cursory glance revealed no fewer than one hundred thousand ingots—a full five million taels of silver. There were also dozens of boxes containing gold ingots, also officially minted, each weighing ten, twenty, or fifty taels, neatly stacked, totaling approximately thirty thousand taels. There were also some loose pieces of gold and silver—gold leaves, gold nuggets, and silver ingots—of varying purity, but in considerable quantities.

The tin box contained the finest silver ingots—fifty-tael silver coins, with the words "Great Qing Treasury Silver" engraved on the bottom, clearly from the imperial treasury. There were also several scrolls of calligraphy and paintings, which, although well-sealed, were of great age, and it was unknown whether they were in good condition.

He Damin didn't examine it closely. A thought flashed through his mind, and his divine sense surged forth like a tidal wave—

All the boxes, tin boxes, and scattered items vanished from their original locations and were stored in his small world, the Yang Anode Space.

The stone chamber instantly became empty, leaving only shallow marks from the bottom of the box on the ground.

He Damin turned and left, and the boulder silently closed again.

He didn't stop, but went straight through the courtyards and arrived at the back of the main hall of the mansion.

There was an ordinary-looking blue brick wall, blending seamlessly with the surrounding walls. But He Damin's divine sense had already penetrated the wall and seen the hidden layers inside.

He stood before the wall, stretched out his hand, and gently pressed it against the brick surface. His true energy seeped in, and the wall trembled slightly—

A very thin crack split along the brickwork, silently sliding to both sides to reveal a narrow entrance. The entrance was only wide enough for one person to pass through sideways; it was pitch black inside, yet a faint, precious light emanated from it.

He Damin stepped inside.

The space inside the wall was larger than he had expected. It was about three feet wide and more than ten feet long, with moisture-proof wooden boards inlaid on both sides of the walls and blue bricks paving the floor. Along the walls, dozens of sandalwood boxes were neatly stacked. The boxes were not large, but they were exquisitely carved and faintly exuded the unique fragrance of sandalwood.

He Damin casually opened the nearest box.

The brilliance was dazzling.

Inside the box was a complete set of jade artifacts—a jade bi, a jade cong, a jade huang, and a jade gui, totaling twelve pieces. Each piece was as smooth as water, with exquisite craftsmanship, clearly imperial artifacts. He Damin recognized the style of some of the pieces; they were exquisite antique imitations made during the Qianlong era, each of which could fetch astronomical prices at auction in later generations.

He closed the box and opened the other opening.

The box contained gold and silver artifacts—gold bowls, chopsticks, spoons, silver plates, and a silver pot. These were all practical items, but their craftsmanship was far beyond that of ordinary gold and silver. The gold bowls were engraved with a pattern of five blessings surrounding longevity, and the silver pots were decorated with lotus scrolls in relief. Each piece was a masterpiece of craftsmanship.

The third box contained cloisonné enamelware. The vases, censers, boxes, and tripods, made of copper with filigree, were brilliantly colored and had a lustrous glaze, typical of Qianlong-era court enamelware. Any one of these pieces would be a museum-quality treasure.

The fourth box contained one of He Damin's targets—the jade mountain sculpture "Mount Tai's Spectacular Scenery." He gently lifted the lid, revealing a massive jade boulder carved into the grandeur of Mount Tai, with its overlapping peaks, pine trees, rocks, swirling clouds, and pavilions scattered throughout. The entire mountain was emerald green, except for a vibrant splash of crimson at the summit, carved into the shape of a rising sun. Later assessments would have determined that this single piece was priceless.

He continued opening the boxes behind him—

There is a set of sixteen gold chimes bestowed by Emperor Qianlong, each engraved with a different inscription.

There is a Western-made self-ringing clock with an enamel dial, gold and bronze inlay, and an exquisite movement, which is still running today.

There are whole boxes of rare and ancient books, Song Dynasty editions and Yuan Dynasty prints, each one a unique copy.

There are scrolls of calligraphy and paintings by famous people, such as Zhao Mengfu, Dong Qichang, Tang Yin, and Qiu Ying. Those names that later generations can only admire from behind glass in museums are now lying quietly in front of him.

He Damin read through them one by one, and his heart couldn't help but stir with emotion.

He knew that Heshen was incredibly wealthy, but only after seeing these treasures with his own eyes did he understand the true weight of the phrase "wealthy enough to rival a nation." And this was just the private collection hidden within the walls; it was already so astonishing.

The figures later published were indeed 30% lower than reported.

With another thought, all the sandalwood boxes disappeared and were stored in his small world.

The space inside the partition wall was empty.

He Damin took one last look at the secret chamber that had been hidden for two hundred years, then turned and left. The walls behind him silently closed, returning to their original state, as if no one had ever been there.

Standing in the courtyard of the mansion, He Damin looked up at the sky. The moon had already set in the west, and the night was still deep. He calculated the time; it had only been two hours since he left Hong Kong.

Fast enough.

He didn't rush to leave, but stood in the courtyard, quietly observing the ancient princely mansion for a while. Under the moonlight, the pavilions, towers, carved beams, and painted rafters faintly revealed the splendor of yesteryear. Two hundred years ago, Heshen squandered money here; one hundred and fifty years ago, Prince Gong Yixin strategized here; now, he has taken away the wealth buried deep underground.

This can be considered as making the best use of resources.

A moment later, his figure transformed into a golden peregrine falcon once more, took flight, and disappeared into the northern night sky.

The return trip is faster.

The peregrine falcon sped south at breakneck speed. As the first rays of dawn appeared on the eastern horizon, the villa atop Victoria Peak came into view in the distance.

He Damin did not land directly in the villa. He withdrew his Yang spirit into his physical body in mid-air, then appeared from his inner world and gently landed on the bedroom balcony.