Chapter Twenty-One: The Treasure

Twenty minutes later, Tang Long finally emerged from the mouth of the dark cave.

He threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh.

"Did you find a gold mine in there?" Zhang Xiu'e hurried over, her eyes wide with curiosity.

"No," Tang Long shook his head.

She rolled her eyes at him and snapped, "If you didn't find a gold mine, what are you laughing about? Do you realize how dangerous it was to go in there alone? If the mountain had collapsed and buried you alive, who would dig you out?"

Tang Long didn't take offense, knowing Zhang Xiu'e was just worried about him. That was precisely why he had gone in alone—he was confident that, should anything happen, he could at least ensure his own safety as much as possible.

"So what's in there?" Zhang Xiu'e couldn't restrain her curiosity.

"It's a gift from heaven to our Yutou Village," Tang Long replied with a grin.

"A gift?" Zhang Xiu'e was momentarily puzzled, not understanding what Tang Long meant. She pouted, displeased. "Why are you being so mysterious all of a sudden?"

"It's a karst cave—very deep and incredibly magnificent, with great potential for development," Tang Long leaned in and explained briefly.

Zhang Xiu'e's face flushed, her ears tickled by his proximity. She took two steps back, glaring at him with her large eyes.

"Are you sure it's a karst cave? You didn't see it wrong?" She knew exactly what a karst cave was—formed by groundwater and surface water dissolving and depositing soluble rocks, through erosion, sedimentation, collapse, and accumulation.

"Are there stalactites?" Her eyes widened with excitement at the thought.

If there were stalactites, Yutou Village might truly be on the brink of fortune.

"Yes," Tang Long nodded firmly, smiling.

"Liansheng, set up a guard post here!" Without another word, Zhang Xiu'e called over Liansheng.

Pointing toward the cave entrance, she commanded, "No one is allowed in, whether from our village or outsiders. If anyone dares go in and damages the stalactites inside, I'll hold you personally responsible!"

Normally reserved and never one to curse, Zhang Xiu'e couldn't help but blurt out a harsh word.

The stalactites weren't going anywhere, but her greatest fear was that villagers might enter and break them.

"Come on, take me inside to have a look!" After instructing Liansheng, Zhang Xiu'e grabbed Tang Long excitedly, insisting he take her in. She couldn't rest until she had seen the cave for herself.

"Are you out of your mind?" Tang Long pulled her back, forcing a wry smile. "Just now you were scolding me for going in!"

Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she protested, "It's safe now. I don't care, hurry up and take me inside."

Tang Long dragged her back down the mountain, afraid she’d rush in on her own. There was no need to be hasty.

"What’s the rush? It's not going anywhere. There will be plenty of chances to see it in the future!"

Zhang Xiu'e fought the urge to run back up the mountain. Tang Long was right—the cave was there and wasn’t about to grow legs and run away.

The real challenge now was how Yutou Village could make use of this cave—how to turn it into real wealth.

"Will the county or township have any designs on this cave?" Zhang Xiu'e fixed her bright gaze on Tang Long.

Tang Long chuckled, "Whatever they might want, the cave sits on Yutou Village land. Whether we develop it ourselves or partner with others, Yutou Village will always have its share."

Who could have imagined that a raging storm would not only blow apart the village’s houses but also split open a "golden cave" in the mountainside?

If they made good use of it, that cave on the mountainside could indeed become Yutou Village’s golden cave.

Zhang Xiu'e sat on a bench, gradually calming her excitement, then frowned. "There are plenty of such lava caves in the country. Even those 5A tourist attractions don’t get much foot traffic except on holidays."

She paused, then continued her analysis. "Taoyuan County itself is a provincial-level poverty county, and Donghe Town is poor as well. If we don’t fix the only road connecting Yutou Village to the outside, there’s no way tourism can take off, even if we want it to. The county and township won’t be able to help us much."

"This cave on the mountainside—developing it ourselves would be too difficult. Attracting investment would require a huge price, and investors might not even come."

The more Zhang Xiu'e thought, the more troubled she became. Yutou Village didn’t even have a decent road to the outside world, and their funds were limited. Even with the cave and its beautiful stalactites as a draw, who would actually want to come here?

Such caves, beautiful as they are, command high ticket prices at every site. For most people, the novelty wears off after a visit or two.

Taoyuan County isn’t a famous tourist destination, and outsiders rarely think of coming here—let alone to the remote Donghe Town and Yutou Village.

A sense of having a treasure mountain but nowhere to use it welled up in Zhang Xiu'e’s heart.

Unless, of course, they smashed the stalactites from the mountainside cave and tried to sell them.

But no matter what others might do, Zhang Xiu'e would never allow it. That would be nothing short of a crime.

It takes centuries for a stalactite to grow just a few inches; to form such unique landscapes takes tens of millions of years. Stalactites are truly nature’s crystal masterpieces.

If they were destroyed now, they would be gone forever—but if preserved, in a few years, ten years, or even decades, they could become a legacy for future generations.

With this in mind, Zhang Xiu'e even considered sealing off the cave.

But it couldn’t be done—sealing it would attract too much attention, and the cave mouth was enormous, a forty- or fifty-meter-high diagonal cut across the mountainside. With what could they possibly block it?

If it couldn’t be sealed, then it had to be guarded.

Zhang Xiu'e clenched her teeth, making up her mind.

"No one can be allowed inside the cave at will. And the treasures within must not be destroyed by the villagers—I don’t want to be the culprit." She looked at Tang Long, wondering if he could understand her views and feelings, given the differences in perspective and education.

Tang Long grinned lazily at her. "Secretary Xiu'e, do I look like someone with such a narrow view? I know what you’re thinking, and I fully support your decision."

Zhang Xiu'e blushed, muttering under her breath, "I just don’t want you doing anything stupid!"

In her eyes, destroying the stalactites in the cave was stupidity of the highest order.

"Anyone who breaks a single stalactite in the cave will be fined a hundred thousand."

"Too lenient!" Zhang Xiu'e said through gritted teeth. "Break one and I’ll break their leg!"

Tang Long couldn’t help but laugh—she was fierce, all right.

"What are you laughing at?" Zhang Xiu'e glared at him, thoroughly annoyed.