Chapter 600

Chapter 600: The Path to Wealth by the Heavenly Dao

Xie Yu Zhou was utterly baffled.

Last night, he attempted to climb over the wall, but the soldiers outside stood guard all night, forbidding him from leaving.

He tried to crawl through a dog hole, only to find it blocked.

Now, as he sprinted after his father, Prince Jing Xi’s entire family was already disappearing into the distance.

By the time Xie Yu Zhou returned to Prince Jing Xi’s Mansion, the main gate remained shut. A side door creaked open just enough for a bundle to be tossed out before slamming shut again.

“Young Heir, the Prince said he has prepared your travel funds. Tonight, you will stay at the Lu family’s residence.” A maid’s voice called from inside.

Xie Yu Zhou: ?!!

“Has my father been possessed? No, that’s impossible—if he were, Chao Chao would spot it immediately.”

“Forget it. There’s no point in wasting my energy on things I can’t figure out…” Xie Yu Zhou, never one to dwell on uncertainties, decisively hoisted the bundle onto his back and set off to find Chao Chao.

Lu Chao Chao hurriedly shut the door, rubbing her small hands together in sheer disbelief at the sight before her.

A room filled with gold and silver.

Even before lighting the lamps, the treasure illuminated the entire chamber with its brilliance.

Lu Chao Chao lay flat on the ground, opening a dusty chest. “Wow! This entire box is filled with gold! It’s mine, all mine!”

She pried open another. “This one has jewelry…”

Inside were golden hairpins, jade ornaments, and deep-sea pearls—treasures beyond measure, stacked haphazardly like common trinkets.

She continued opening more wooden chests, each brimming with rare and ancient artifacts.

The chests were dusty, and the surrounding earth still clung to them.

Lu Chao Chao pinched the surface, finding the wood damp, as though it had just been unearthed.

“Wow! We’re rich! No more worrying about money! Where did you get all this silver and gold? You didn’t… rob or kill anyone, did you? You are the Heavenly Dao—you can’t just take lives at will! You’ll entangle yourself in karma!”

“The impurity alone already affects you enough. I won’t let you collapse again! Next time, no one might be able to save you!” Lu Chao Chao’s expression turned serious as she grabbed his hand.

The young man smiled faintly, his lips curving softly. “I didn’t kill anyone, nor did I rob them.”

“No one ever saw me.”

His eyes were clear and bright as he gazed at Lu Chao Chao. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

Lu Chao Chao sighed in relief. As long as he hadn’t stolen or killed for it, she didn’t care where the wealth came from.

“What’s this? It looks quite exquisite…” Lu Chao Chao picked up a jade cicada the size of a fingertip.

The jade glowed with a hint of green, its wings so finely carved they seemed like real ones.

“I’ve heard that Northern Zhao’s royal family once had a jade cicada like this, but it was lost centuries ago. I’ve never seen it before…”

“Still, it couldn’t possibly be as fine as this one.” Lu Chao Chao held it lovingly.

“I’ll show it to Mother later.” She tucked it away in her robes.

She then continued rummaging through a chest, pulling out a golden tooth. Giggling, she examined it. “Hahaha! It looks just like a real tooth!”

The young man propped his chin on his hand, squatting beside her. “Do you like it?”

Lu Chao Chao nodded enthusiastically. “I love it! I love it so much!”

“I’m going to show it to Father and Mother… And when I’m old and my teeth fall out, I’ll get gold ones too!” The little girl clutched the gold tooth in one hand and the jade cicada in the other as she dashed towards the outer courtyard.

By now, the sky had darkened, and lanterns lit up the surroundings.

However, as Lu Chao Chao reached the outer courtyard, she noticed something unusual.

The courtyard was eerily silent.

“Father? Mother? Shan Shan?” Lu Chao Chao called out loudly.

A maid hurriedly emerged, her eyes red-rimmed. “Princess, you must hurry! Something has happened to the Xu family! Madam and the General rushed home immediately! They say Grand Tutor Xu was so enraged he fainted!”

Lu Chao Chao’s heart sank.

Her grandmother had extended her lifespan through deceit, fooling Lu Yuan Ze into giving her years of his life. Had something gone wrong?

Grabbing the young man’s hand, Lu Chao Chao raced out the door.

“Madam is at Longevity Garden outside the city!” The maid shouted after her.

Thankfully, it was late, and the streets were not too crowded. Their carriage sped towards the city gates, only to find a long queue blocking the exit.

Many carriages were leaving the city.

“What’s going on today? The gates are about to close—why is everyone heading out of the city?” Lu Chao Chao overheard murmurs from the crowd.

“Something big happened at Longevity Garden. These noble families are losing their minds. We’d better hurry and set up a stall there—selling cold tea in this heat will surely be profitable.” A vendor rushed out of the city.

After a long delay at the gate, the carriage sped forward for over an hour before arriving at Longevity Garden.

Longevity Garden was a burial ground, situated beside the imperial mausoleum.

The imperial tombs required careful geomantic selection, determined by the Imperial Observatory. Thus, noble families had chosen adjacent land to bury their ancestors, forming what became known as Longevity Garden.

The moment Lu Chao Chao stepped out of the carriage, muffled sobs filled the air.

Officials Zhou, Li, Wang, and Xiao—all pale-faced—descended from their carriages, too distraught to exchange greetings.

“Something terrible must have happened in the cemetery.” Yu Shu’s face paled in horror.

Without a word, Lu Chao Chao sprinted towards the Xu family tombs, heart pounding.

Along the way, she heard furious curses, saw noblewomen wailing on the ground, their decorum shattered.

“Which wretched grave robber desecrated our ancestors’ tomb?!”

“Scoundrel! How desperate must one be to steal from the dead?!”

“Ancestors, forgive your useless descendants for letting your resting place be violated!” The old officials knelt, weeping and cursing.

When Lu Chao Chao spotted her mother, Xu Shi Yun, she was wiping away tears.

Her eldest uncle supported their nearly unconscious grandmother.

Her second and third uncles knelt before Grand Tutor Xu, who was seething with rage as they tried to calm him with medicine.

“Father, don’t get too worked up. Our ancestors’ bones are still intact—only the treasures were stolen…”

“Father, we can rebuild the tomb. If anything happens to you, our entire family will crumble…” The uncles pleaded anxiously.

Grand Tutor Xu lay there for a long time before his breath steadied. His lips had turned deathly pale from anger.

“Rogue! Rogue! Who dares defile the Xu family’s grave?!” He clutched his forehead, veins bulging, his fury uncontained.

“Even the coffin lid was pried open! Our ancestors have been shamed!” He ground his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.

Lu Chao Chao, distressed by her elders’ grief, gently patted their backs.

“First, gather the remains and select an auspicious day for reburial,” Grand Tutor Xu commanded weakly.

“If we find the thief, he will be torn apart!”

“Grandfather, don’t be angry! Let me show you something nice…” Lu Chao Chao rummaged through her sleeves, trying to cheer him up.

Children acted simply—when their loved ones were sad, they wanted to share their treasures to bring them joy.

She still clutched the gold tooth in her hand.

Just then, a servant approached after finishing the remains’ collection.

“Master, the ancestors’ gold teeth were pried off. Should we craft a new one as replacement?”

Lu Chao Chao froze.

The gold tooth nearly slipped from her grasp.

She turned slowly, staring in horror at the young man beside her.

You… you…

What have you done?!