124: On Jiuzhou Ridge, the black stone bears witness.

Wang Dalong followed behind Lin Feng, feeling as if the air in his lungs was filled with sparks.

Jiuzhou Ridge was a volcanic geological park on the outskirts of Haikou. Rather than a mountain, it was more of a hilly area formed by volcanic eruptions. Black volcanic lava formed the main body of the hills, filled with jagged rocks and dense holes, looking like a giant, charred sponge. Tropical plants burst from the cracks in these black stones with savage vitality, their emerald vines coiling around the scorched rock walls to create an eerie yet magnificent landscape.

"Brother Feng, I... I can't do it..." Wang Dalong leaned against a waist-high volcanic rock, gasping for air as sweat poured down his round cheeks. "We took a taxi to the foot of the mountain, and we've been climbing for over an hour. This mountain doesn't look high, so why is it so hard to walk?"

The mountain path was rugged; the so-called "path" was nothing more than a dirt trail trodden out by hikers, frequently interrupted by abrupt rocks and interlacing tree roots. Combined with the pervasive humid heat, the physical exertion was more than double the usual.

Lin Feng stopped and glanced back at him. His own condition wasn't much better; his T-shirt was already soaked through, clinging to his back, and beads of sweat hung on his face. However, the gaze behind his black-rimmed glasses showed no fatigue; instead, it shone with an incredible brightness.

"We're almost there." Lin Feng's voice was steady as he handed Wang Dalong a bottle of water. "This is one of the highest points in the Northern Hainan Region. Over seven hundred years ago, it was higher than it is now, and the view was even more expansive. If Su Xian wanted to 'climb high and gaze North,' this would have been his only choice."

Wang Dalong gulped down half the bottle of water. After catching his breath, he began his daily grumbling. "I tell you, this General Su is something else. If he wanted to hide treasure, he could have just found a spot, but he had to add all this sense of ceremony. Erecting monuments, climbing heights... wouldn't it have been easier to just carve a map on the stone? Simple and direct, much friendlier to his descendants."

"Because to him, this treasure wasn't wealth; it was a responsibility, a shackle." Lin Feng looked toward the summit. "'North-Facing Worship' was to remind himself and his followers who they were and why they were here. It was the only way they could maintain their conviction. To them, as long as this wealth couldn't be used to restore their nation, they were nothing but a group of lonely ghosts burdened by the national treasury. They didn't need descendants to find the treasure easily; they needed someone who could understand their intentions."

Wang Dalong curled his lip but didn't argue further. He knew Lin Feng had entered that state of "communing with the ancients." In this state, any joke was like playing a lute to a cow. Resigned to his fate, he shouldered the photography equipment and continued following Lin Feng.

The higher they climbed, the sparser the vegetation became, and the more exposed black volcanic rock appeared. The stones underfoot were filled with honeycomb-like holes, making every step feel unstable. The salty, fishy scent brought by the sea breeze grew stronger in the air.

Finally, Lin Feng stopped on a relatively level clearing at the summit.

This was the highest point of Jiuzhou Ridge. Standing here, the view suddenly opened up. Looking North, one could see the silhouette of Haikou's urban area and the endless Qiongzhou Strait in the distance; further North lay the mainland. Looking South, there were rolling hills and green fields.

"This is it." Lin Feng's gaze didn't linger on the scenery. He began pacing back and forth on the small clearing at the summit, searching for something carefully.

Wang Dalong set up the tripod. While filming the surrounding scenery, he shouted to Lin Feng, who was off-camera, "Brother Feng, there's nothing but rocks and grass up here, not even a pavilion. Where are the ruins?"

Lin Feng didn't answer. His steps followed a regular pattern, tracing an almost square path along the edge of the clearing. His eyes scanned the ground, not missing a single abnormality.

Ten odd minutes later, he crouched down and pushed aside a clump of waist-high weeds.

Beneath the grass was a bluish-gray stone slab, distinctly different from the surrounding black volcanic rock. One end of the slab was smooth, while the other was broken, with clear traces of manual polishing visible on the edges.

"Fatty, come over here."

Wang Dalong ran over at the call. When he saw the stone slab, his eyes lit up as well. "We've got something! This stone definitely doesn't belong here!"

The two immediately got to work, clearing away the surrounding weeds and loose soil. Soon, more stone slabs were exposed. They were half-buried by dirt and roots, but a rough outline was still visible—it was a square platform foundation built from long stone blocks.

The platform wasn't large, about five meters square. It was in a state of ruin, with most of the stones broken or displaced. However, in the very center of the platform, a massive square cornerstone remained roughly in its original position.

Lin Feng took out his phone and opened the compass app. He placed the phone flat on the central cornerstone. The needle on the screen pointed steadily in one direction.

The north-south axis of the platform aligned almost perfectly with the actual geographic north and south.

"North-Gazing Terrace..." Lin Feng murmured. He stood up and stepped onto the cornerstone, facing North.

Over seven hundred years ago, Su Xian and his subordinates had stood right here, time and time again, offering sacrifices from afar toward their fallen homeland. The sorrow of a lost nation and the despair of hopeless restoration seemed to drift over with the wind, making one's chest feel heavy.

Caught up in the atmosphere, Wang Dalong put away his playful grin and asked in a low voice, "Brother Feng, where's the clue? This platform is bare; nothing's carved on it."

Lin Feng looked around, his brow slightly furrowed. The platform ruins had been found, and the location was correct. But there truly were no indicative words or symbols here.

Did Su Xian's clues end here?

No.

Lin Feng's gaze fell back onto the cornerstone beneath his feet. He crouched down and brushed away the dust with his hand. His system skills as a stonemason gave him an extraordinary sensitivity to stone. His fingertips could feel the smooth surface that had been meticulously carved, as well as the tiny pits left by seven hundred years of wind and rain erosion.

This wasn't just an altar.

For a group of people whose lifelong mission was to guard the treasure, this most ceremonial location, which they visited every year, must be closely linked to their mission.

If the treasure site wasn't on the altar, then it must be... visible from the altar.

A bold idea took shape in Lin Feng's mind.

He looked up at Wang Dalong, a light bordering on madness flickering in his eyes.

"Fatty, I want to test a hypothesis."

"What hypothesis?"

"Lie down." Lin Feng pointed at the cornerstone beneath his feet.