As dawn broke, Snowvale buzzed with activity. Suddenly, the valley was filled with people—restless ones at that—so how could it not be lively?
As expected, Duanmu Li already knew the exact location of the treasure. In fact, the map held a clue: the treasure was hidden on the northern slope of Snowpeak Mountain, halfway up. Although the area was still quite large, with so many people, finding it wouldn't be too difficult!
The moment everyone learned the treasure's whereabouts, they couldn't wait to begin their search.
Just then, Jenna Huang suddenly rushed in, flustered, and exclaimed, "Father... Maxwell Jing is missing!"
The bustling crowd in the hall fell silent. Huangfu Qian frowned and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Eyes red, Jenna Huang replied, "Yesterday, Maxwell Jing wanted to be alone for a while, so I left him. But this morning, when I went to look for him, I found his room empty. It seems Maxwell Jing never came back last night!"
Huangfu Sun suddenly asked gravely, "Did he go to Snowpeak Mountain?" When Jenna Huang nodded, Huangfu Sun grew anxious. "There was an avalanche on the mountain yesterday. Could it be..."
Shangguan Mo furrowed her brows and glanced at Damien Gray. Ethan Gu was nowhere to be found either. Maxwell Jing... could it be Maxwell Jing?
Gong Jueshang thought for a moment, then rose and walked outside. Shangguan Mo watched his departing figure and said calmly, "Since we already know where the treasure is, we should hurry and search for it."
Upon hearing this, no one cared about the avalanche anymore. Grabbing their weapons, they set off!
Huangfu Jiu watched as the group left without hesitation, stomping her feet in anger and cursing, "Ungrateful!" They came to Snowvale to eat, drink, and stay for free, but now, when help is needed, they run faster than anyone else. What kind of heroes of the martial world are they?
Huangfu Qian shook his head and said to Huangfu Sun, "Send someone to Snowpeak Mountain to look. Let's hope young Jing is alright!"
Shangguan Mo lingered at the end. After stepping outside, she didn't follow the others but instead walked into a deserted corner. "Shang..."
Damien Gray comforted her, "Don't worry, I'm fine. Ethan and Maxwell have been through all kinds of dangers—it's not so easy for something to happen to them!"
Shangguan Mo nodded and said, "I'll send the Little Reaper to search. They're more agile in the mountain when it comes to finding people!"
Inside the cave, Ethan Gu felt suffocated. Upon waking, he unsurprisingly found Maxwell Jing clinging to him like an octopus. He shook his head helplessly—clearly, this habit would never change!
Suddenly, they heard a faint sound. Ethan Gu patted Maxwell Jing, who opened his eyes, perked up his ears, and smiled slyly—though he regretted not being able to see the group's reactions!
Ethan Gu caught sight of Maxwell Jing's mischievous grin, leaned in, and kissed him. Maxwell Jing froze for a moment, then clung to him, responding to the kiss.
Hearing the mechanism turn, Maxwell Jing quickly pushed him away and whispered, "They're coming, they're coming..."
Ethan Gu said indifferently, "Let them come, what's there to be afraid of?" With that, he rolled over and pinned Maxwell Jing beneath him.
Suddenly, Maxwell Jing realized something, a look of sudden understanding on his face. He tried to push Ethan Gu away forcefully, but Ethan Gu leaned in and whispered a warning in his ear, "Do you want to be discovered?"
He knew it! Maxwell Jing gritted his teeth and glared at him, his mind racing with words: Despicable! Shameless! Sly! Lewd!
Ethan Gu stroked his neck, smiling teasingly, "Max, you can't win against me!" With a swift motion, he tapped Maxwell Jing's pressure point.
Maxwell Jing gritted his teeth in frustration. "Ethan Gu!" Why was he always so foolish? Always giving others an opening!
Ethan Gu chuckled, "It's to keep you from accidentally wasting all your hard work!"
Maxwell Jing's resentful expression faded, and he pleaded pitifully, "Let me go first. I promise I won't resist or let anyone find out..."
Ethan Gu remained unmoved. "You know I'm always cautious!" With that, he pretended to start undressing him.
Maxwell Jing looked at him nervously. "You... don't do anything reckless!"
Ethan Gu kissed the corner of his lips, smiling gently. "Then hurry up and say it!"
Maxwell Jing pulled a miserable face. "What do you want me to say?"
Ethan Gu gently stroked his waist, his tone still soft. "What's going on between you and Quentin Hua?"
Maxwell Jing froze, snapped back to reality, and was about to shout when Ethan Gu promptly silenced him.
Voices could already be heard outside.
"Haha... That was easy to find!"
"Eh? Why is there only one gold bar?"
"Could it be this isn't the place?"
"Hmph! How could the treasure be found so easily? There must be a mechanism here. This gold bar is the clue!"
The group argued heatedly, searching for mechanisms as they spoke. Shangguan Mo stood quietly at the doorway, surveying the stone chamber. Gong Jueshang was beside her, neither too close nor too far, making no moves—just observing everything.
Inside the cave, Ethan Gu let go of Maxwell Jing's lips and spat out two words, "Speak up!" The wall of the door connecting the cave and stone chamber was thick, so the treasure-hunters outside wouldn't hear their lowered voices. But with Damien Gray's keen intuition, he would surely notice something—and that's exactly what Ethan Gu wanted.
Since Maxwell Jing wanted to protect the gold and silver treasure, they couldn't just show themselves. If they didn't do this, and everyone left without discovering anything, they'd still be trapped inside. So the only way was to make sure Damien Gray stayed behind for now!
Maxwell Jing rolled his eyes. "Quentin Hua? Ethan Gu, are you out of your mind?"
Ethan Gu didn't press the issue. He actually knew there couldn't be anything between Maxwell Jing and Quentin Hua. Back then, he was just slow to understand feelings, so he misunderstood after seeing a few things.
"What about Jenna Huang?" Even though he knew Maxwell Jing had waited for him all these years and couldn't possibly care for anyone else, hearing Maxwell Jing call out Jenna Huang's name when drunk made him uneasy. And seeing the two so close, Maxwell Jing smiling so brightly at Jenna Huang, really bothered him.
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