The Amusing Adventures of a Directionally Challenged Dad and Daughter

They walked out of the canyon, pushing through tall grass that stood taller than a person.

"Dad, isn’t this thing supposed to grow by the water? Why is it growing in the mountains?"

"Maybe it doesn’t necessarily have to grow by the water. You’ve probably just seen it growing there before."

When they emerged, they couldn’t find their mule.

Where had that big mule of hers gone?

"Little Yin, go find out where the mule went."

Hopefully, it hadn’t been snatched by a tiger.

The silver wolf let out a low, impatient growl but still went off to search for the mule.

They waited for two quarters of an hour before the mule and Little Yin returned. The mule looked somewhat dejected, while the wolf seemed rather smug.

Chang’an pretended not to notice—this was a matter between animals, and humans should stay out of it.

"Just one more mountain to cross, and we’ll reach the third treasure," Chang’an said leisurely after studying the map for a while.

"Are you sure it’s just one mountain?" Old Gu Six craned his neck to look. To him, it seemed like the treasure was marked near a small village.

How could there be a village in this deep wilderness?

"Dad, where are you looking?"

"Over there," he pointed to a spot on the map with small houses drawn.

"We’re not even looking at the same place. Stop pointing randomly."

Chang’an glanced at where Old Gu Six was pointing—it was even farther than crossing the mountain. Better to stick with the closer option.

The neighboring mountain was so close that they probably didn’t need Little Yin to guide them.

Father and daughter trudged straight up the slope, while the silver wolf watched them, then glanced the other way.

Seriously, couldn’t they just go around? Was climbing absolutely necessary?

Well, if they insisted, so be it. It wasn’t the wolf’s problem—just poor mule.

By the time they reached the mountainside, it was already dark. They cleared a relatively flat spot, removed flammable debris, dug a pit, and then lit a fire inside it.

In these endless mountains, if a fire got out of control, not only would the animals suffer, but they wouldn’t be able to escape either. And if there were people living in these mountains, the consequences would be even worse.

A single careless blaze would be an unforgivable sin.

Setting up a tent on the mountain was impractical, so they decided to rough it for the night.

Dinner was prepared by Chang’an in her spatial storage and brought out—a big pot of hodgepodge stew for convenience.

She served Old Gu Six a heaping bowl.

As he took it, Old Gu Six felt something was off but couldn’t quite place it. He’d had the same feeling when eating watermelon before, but the reason eluded him.

Chang’an, however, suddenly realized and nearly choked on her food.

Wasn’t this how pig slop was made?

She quickly turned away, shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.

"Sweetheart, what’s wrong? Are you cold?" Old Gu Six, clueless, assumed the evening chill had gotten to her.

Chang’an forced her laughter down and said, "No, I just burned my mouth."

But when she turned back and saw Old Gu Six eating, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing, spraying food everywhere.

"Wahahaha—" Her laughter was downright eerie.

The mule and Little Yin’s ears pricked up in alarm.

Old Gu Six stared blankly at his suddenly hysterical daughter. What alternate dimension had her mind wandered off to now?

He decided to ignore her. She’d stop when she got tired. The world of children was beyond him, but he respected it.

Chang’an finished her meal between giggles and shudders, only calming down after washing the dishes.

Rubbing ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌‍her cheeks, she resolved to keep using that bowl for Old Gu Six—it was just too entertaining.

After a night in the open, they set off again at dawn.

Little Yin took the lead, having long given up hope in these two.

At the mountaintop, ready to descend, Chang’an pulled out the map again. Three heads—two human, one wolf—crowded together, but only the wolf knew where to go next.

Two pairs of bright eyes stared at it. Old wolf, you’re our only hope.

Little Yin raised a paw, nearly smashing the map before Chang’an yanked it away.

The treasure wasn’t at the foot of the mountain but halfway up. A grave in the middle of nowhere—who would haul a body all the way here to bury it? What a hassle.

The map’s little flag marked the spot clearly, practically screaming, This grave is suspicious.

No traps this time—just straight-up grave robbing.

Father and daughter each took a hoe, digging with their backsides in the air. The grave was deep—two meters down, and still nothing.

As he dug, Old Gu Six suddenly remembered his wife and adoptive father, stored in Chang’an’s spatial realm. He glanced at her discreetly, then kept working.

Later, he thought. If we settle here, I’ll find a way to bury them on the hillside behind the house. If we move again, we’ll wait until we find a permanent home.

His bond with his wife had been a karmic debt tied to Chang’an. Now that it was settled, dust would return to dust, earth to earth—no further ties.

Clang! Old Gu Six’s hoe hit wood.

His wandering thoughts snapped back. The coffin was plain, its lid nailed shut. Prying it open would be a pain, so he knocked on it instead.

Thud, thud. The hollow sound confirmed his suspicion.

"Sweetheart, no need to look. There’s nothing in here."

"So we dug all this way for nothing?" Chang’an wondered if the other sites were empty too. Maybe only two spots had real treasure, and they’d already looted them.

Were the rest just decoys?

But then why did Brother Li have a treasure map?

Unless his great-grandfather had played a prank on his descendants.

"Sweetheart, climb out first," Old Gu Six tossed his hoe out of the pit and motioned for Chang’an to follow.

She didn’t ask why but complied, leaping gracefully out of the grave.

Once she was clear, Old Gu Six lifted the empty coffin and hurled it out. Buried for a century without rotting, the impact split it clean in two.

That throw had been strong. No wonder the man ate so much—all that food turned into raw power.

Under the coffin lay a stone slab. Old Gu Six pried it open, revealing a square pit with a large earthen jar—the kind used for storing water.

"Chang’an, put this jar in your space and take it back out. Saves me the trouble of hauling it up."

"Got it!" With a wave of her hand, the jar vanished.

When Old Gu Six climbed out, Chang’an retrieved the jar—only to face a new problem.

The jar was nearly as tall as she was. To see inside, she’d need a ladder.

Seriously?! She pulled out a stool from her space to stand on.

Old Gu Six suppressed a smirk, cleared his throat, and broke the jar’s clay seal.

Chang'an leaned over the large vat, stretching his neck as far as he could. The vat was enormous, yet it was only a third full. Could it be that the Yuan family couldn’t afford a smaller one? Why not just get a smaller vat that could actually be filled?

Inside were nothing but jade artifacts—no other items. Chang'an took the contents out and placed the empty vat back into the pit.

"Dad, the coffin is broken. Should we still bury it?"

"Put it back. Who’s going to see it’s broken once it’s underground?" He tossed the coffin, already split in two, back into the pit—only for it to shatter into four pieces.

"Little Yin, come help fill in the pit."

Old Gu Six noticed the silver wolf dozing off nearby and decided it was far too idle for his liking. He couldn’t just let it laze around.