Chapter 19: Seeking the Hidden Treasure

"Who doesn't know that?" Miaomiao shot him a glance. "Egypt has the Nile, India has the Ganges, ancient Babylon had the Euphrates and Tigris, and here in China, we have the Yellow River and the Yangtze..."

Bao Tianxi was delighted. "Oh, you certainly know quite a bit! Is that the advantage of you journalists traveling far and wide, being so well-informed?"

"Let me tell you, this is the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the cradle of many of Asia's rivers. It is the innate incubator of Eastern civilization, and the... the... well, the breeding ground for civilization." Tianxi almost said "ovary and uterus."

"Heh, your choice of words is always so sharp; makes you sound so cultured!" Chen Miaomiao glared at him.

In Bao Tianxi's heart, culture meant nothing; finding the "terma"—the hidden treasures—was the biggest gamble of all. Otherwise, who would come to these wild, desolate mountains to suffer like this?

Just then, Hao Xiaoyu walked over and said, "Brother Bao, I heard that the Parlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon has long been listed as an important part of China's Great Shangri-La National Eco-Park."

"So what?" Tianxi asked.

Xiaoyu said, "The internet says the Earth's climate is gradually warming, and the plateau glaciers are melting. It’s already directly affecting this region and even having a huge impact globally. I don't think treasure hunting is going to be that easy."

Miaomiao, while maneuvering her drone, added, "That’s why protecting the canyon's ecological environment is so important right now."

Tianxi slapped his thigh suddenly and shouted excitedly, "Exactly! This climate change is perfect for me! Only when the geology shifts are those treasures likely to be revealed."

He was full of confidence in searching the Parlung Tsangpo river basin in the southeastern part of Tibet, certain that they would find the treasure.

"Boss, this is Tibet. I've heard that all these treasures are protected by gods and buddhas, and guarded by powerful Vajra protectors. You can't touch them; be careful of karma," said Xing Sengfu, the monk whom Boss Bao always revered as his spiritual mentor. He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of warning.

Tianxi turned his head, a smile on his face, and replied, "That’s why we should chant more scriptures and pray for blessings. That way, we increase both our merit and our lifespan. Don't the gods and buddhas want us to live well?"

Xing Sengfu shook his shiny, bald head helplessly and said no more.

Bao Tianxi turned to Chen Miaomiao, and seeing that she had retrieved her drone, he asked, "We are looking for terma. Does anyone here know what that is? Miaomiao, you're well-traveled; let me test you. Do you know what 'terma' is?"

Chen Miaomiao responded readily, "Of course I do. Terma are legendary Esoteric treasures buried by high-ranking monks and masters. They are the treasures hidden by Guru Rinpoche after he defeated the demons and unified Tibetan religion."

"That sounds plausible enough. Do you know where these treasures are hidden?" Tianxi asked, intentionally trying to stump her.

Chen Miaomiao thought for a moment and said, "I heard that back then, Guru Rinpoche felt the Tibetan people weren't evolved enough to accept the scriptures, so he buried many treasures all over Tibet."

"Do you know the specific locations?" Tianxi pressed on.

Little Bean Chen Miaomiao thought for a while and said helplessly, "As for where exactly they are hidden, I'm afraid you'd have to ask Guru Rinpoche himself. However, I’ve also heard that he hid some of the terma within people's consciousness."

Hearing this, Tianxi looked disappointed and couldn't help but mutter, "How cunning!" It was unclear whether he was talking about Miaomiao or complaining about Guru Rinpoche.

Miaomiao immediately retorted, "You're the cunning one!"

Bao Tianxi quickly explained, "I didn't mean you, I really didn't." He wouldn't dare offend his sister’s best friend; otherwise, Xiaotong would surely hold him accountable.

Ye Qing, nicknamed "Gazi," who had been listening with his ears pricked up, looked disdainful. "Boss, I think this is all fake. If there really were treasures, they would have been taken long ago. Can we really wait for them to just pop up? How long would that take?"

Meng Yang chimed in, "Exactly! Gambling is much more straightforward; the wins and losses are clear at a glance. Look at Yao Kui, Young Master Yao..."

"Isn't he dead?" Iron Hand Gu Dajun interjected abruptly.

"Dead?" Mouse Deng Da asked, looking confused.

"Ah... ah... there was a little accident." Meng Yang glared fiercely at Gu Dajun.

Gu Dajun seemed to realize he had said the wrong thing; he awkwardly rubbed his hands and fell silent. But Chen Miaomiao, with her sharp journalistic instincts, wouldn't let it go. She stared at Meng Yang and pressed, "What kind of accident?"

"A car accident, just a car accident," Meng Yang said, looking flustered and trying to brush it off.

"This is what happens when you don't live a good life! With so much money, couldn't he just live properly?" Old Cat Li Yanzhong let out a long sigh and looked earnestly at Monkey Meng Yang. "You’d better take note. There's no good end to gambling!"

Meng Yang rolled his eyes and quickly distanced himself. "Don't look at me; I'm not like him. I don't have any money."

Li Yanzhong wasn't buying it and replied mercilessly, "I'm talking about you running the gambling dens."

He then turned his gaze to Bao Tianxi. "I'm telling you, Boss, stop trying to fool us! I agree with Gazi. In these desolate mountains, where would there be any terma?"

Bao Tianxi kept his signature smile and explained patiently, "Brother, you don't understand. The more inaccessible a place is, the more likely it is to hide treasure. Think about it: if it were easy to find, would it even be our turn to hunt for it? Someone else would have hauled it away long ago."

"Anyway, it doesn't matter. They say you'll regret it for a lifetime if you don't come to Tibet, and regret it for a lifetime if you do. Besides, this high-altitude, cold climate isn't an ideal place for humans or other creatures to survive!" Ye Qing muttered under his breath after hearing his boss, his tone filled with conflict and helplessness.

"Boss, do you think this trip will be a total waste?" Old Cat Li Yanzhong asked with a worried expression, his brows furrowed. He felt uneasy; after all, the road ahead was full of hardships, and the hope of finding treasure seemed quite slim.

Just then, someone spoke up loudly: "Is there no end to this? Even if it is a wasted trip, we have to follow the boss. Anyone who wants to leave can go back now!"

Everyone turned to look; it was Guo Zhenhu. The group fell silent. After all, when the contracts were signed, it had already been agreed that they should be prepared for hardship.

Bao Xiaotong, worried about conflict, quickly smoothed things over: "Since we're here, don't have any regrets. All the hard work won't be in vain; there will definitely be a reward! Everyone, trust my brother."

Bao Tianxi sensed that the group no longer held much hope for finding the terma, and even his sister was only interested in the adventure. So, he said, "Let's talk about something more immediate. I heard that wild men have appeared in the Himalayas recently."

"Really?" A flash of excitement crossed Xiaotong’s eyes.

"Wild men? Stop joking. I spent several months in Shennongjia and didn't even see a shadow of a wild man," Chen Miaomiao said, looking completely unconvinced.

"If you don't believe me, ask Mouse; let him tell you what he heard." Bao Tianxi turned his head toward Deng Da.

Deng Da, always considered the most well-informed, blinked and said seriously, "This is information from an authoritative source. Recently, the geological changes in the Himalayas have been frequent, and many strange phenomena have occurred. Some people have even witnessed wild men on the glaciers."

"See, little sister! I wasn't making it up," Bao Tianxi said, looking triumphant as if he had received solid confirmation. "Tibet is a magical place; even wild men have appeared. I think they might be the guardians of the treasure! If we manage to find them, it will definitely shock the whole world and make us a fortune!"

Ye Qing asked curiously, "Boss, I'm not afraid of you fooling me, but I'm just here to relax anyway. Whether you call them wild men or guardians, what do they actually look like?"

Chen Miaomiao took over the conversation: "I heard that wild men are extremely strong, with a thick head of hair, small but bright eyes, white teeth, dark skin, short legs, and long arms. No one can compare to their speed."

Ye Qing couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Doesn't that sound just like a gorilla? How is that a wild man? In my opinion, all the stories about wild men are made up. How could wild men exist in this world? It's nothing more than a trick adults use to scare children. Or it's a gimmick invented by the local government to promote tourism, calling them mysterious monsters or something."

Chen Miaomiao refused to yield and immediately countered: "That's not true! It is said that there have been records of wild men as early as 326 BC."

"Aha, I really didn't expect you to know so much, Little Bean! But have you seen a wild man with your own eyes?" Ye Qing asked with a wicked grin.

"This..." Miaomiao was stumped for a moment, but her mind moved quickly, and she soon regained her composure. "Although I haven't seen one, do you know how many different names there are for wild men in China?"

"Isn't a wild man just a wild man? Could there really be all sorts of names for them?" Everyone turned their eyes toward her, filled with curiosity.

"Let me tell you! In China, the names for wild men are quite varied. In the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi, people call them 'Hairy Men'; in Yunnan, they are called 'Yapei' and 'Dongdu'; in Guangxi, they are 'Bianpo' and 'Mountain Specters'..." Miaomiao spoke like a knowledgeable scholar, rattling off the information as if she were counting the treasures in her own home.

"Really?" Ye Qing still looked skeptical, clearly not convinced.