The Amusing Adventures of a Directionally Challenged Dad and Daughter

Chang'an and Old Gu Six hid in the nearby mountains, waiting for nightfall to investigate the large courtyard in the village.

"Daughter, should I go retrieve the treasure map now?" Old Gu Six assumed Chang'an wanted the map.

"No rush. I just want to know who these people are. We can take it back tonight."

When they entered the village, only a few villagers noticed them, as most were distracted by the commotion around the large ship. Those who saw Chang'an and Old Gu Six head into the mountains paid no further attention—outsiders venturing into the hills were a common sight in their village.

Seeing Old Gu Six wandering around curiously, Chang'an warned, "Dad, don’t wander off. I won’t come looking for you."

"I’m just surprised this mountain is so barren. Look, it’s all rocks—not even grass grows here."

"What’s so strange about that? Not every mountain is lush with plants."

Had the locals stripped it bare? Or maybe they’d just stumbled upon an unusually rocky hill.

Night fell, silent and still, but the largest courtyard in the village remained brightly lit.

Chang'an and Old Gu Six, dressed in black, descended from the mountain and headed straight for the compound.

Inside the hall, music played, cups clinked, and laughter filled the air.

The man seated at the head of the table asked, "Seventh Brother, two years ago, you mentioned disasters and chaos over there. How is it now?"

Seventh Uncle took a sip of wine and replied leisurely, "Still in turmoil. No telling when it’ll end."

"Why not settle here instead of going back?"

"If not for unfinished business, we would’ve stayed. That was the plan—but we must wrap things up first before returning."

Seventh Uncle exchanged a glance with the man at the head, who then dismissed everyone from the hall, leaving only Seventh Uncle, his two nephews, and himself.

The four huddled closer, lowering their voices.

Seventh Uncle pulled out a sheepskin scroll from his robe. "Second Brother, look—this was fished out of the sea by Qing."

The man examined the map closely, as if verifying its authenticity, then asked, "Are you certain this treasure map is real?"

"It should be..." Seventh Uncle recounted the discovery, explaining the small box and how the map was found.

"It does sound plausible. Very well, I’ll join you. If there’s truly treasure, we can bring it here to build our own power."

"Second Uncle, why develop here? This tiny island has barely any people—what’s the point?"

The young man disliked the place, especially the locals’ hairstyles—so ugly he couldn’t imagine shaving his own head like that.

Ugh.

If the uncles all moved here, he’d rather stay alone in Mingshan County.

The man tapped the youth’s forehead and chuckled. "Over there, we’ll always be beneath imperial authority. Not to mention the powerful noble families—each has resources rivaling the treasure of the Yuan clan."

"But here? We could establish our own kingdom."

The others’ eyes gleamed with ambition—all except the young man, who scoffed.

"With the treasure, we could vie for power back home too. The land is vast, the people numerous—wouldn’t that be more thrilling than playing emperor here?"

"You’re too young to understand," the man said, patting his head before turning to discuss logistics with the other two—how to locate the treasure and how many ships they’d need to transport it.

Bored, the youth stopped listening, stood up, and left for his room.

The trio in the hall deliberated until late into the night before dispersing.

Old Gu Six and Chang'an stealthily trailed Seventh Uncle. After he entered his room, they waited another quarter-hour.

Once his breathing steadied into sleep, Old Gu Six lit a sedative and slipped it inside.

After drugging Seventh Uncle unconscious, Old Gu Six retrieved the treasure map from his robes and handed it to Chang'an.

Without a glance, she tossed it into her spatial storage.

The ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍father-daughter pair then quietly looted the compound of anything valuable. The wooden structure itself—even the thatched roof—wasn’t worth taking.

Firewood was abundant elsewhere; no need to clutter her storage with it.

They drugged the young man, dragged him out, and set the house ablaze.

Flames roared, and soon, agonized screams pierced the night as trapped men burned alive.

Villagers, jolted awake, rushed with buckets to fight the fire.

Under cover of darkness, Chang'an and Old Gu Six carried the unconscious youth to his ship, removed the anchor, and let the vessel drift away with the wind.

The ship had servants aboard, but all were asleep—overconfident in their safety, they hadn’t posted a night watch.

Big White and the silver wolf waited on the fishing boat. Spotting Chang'an and Old Gu Six, they hurried forward.

"Daughter, are we still planting mushrooms?" Old Gu Six hadn’t forgotten their unfinished task.

"We will—but first, let’s sail farther out."

"Are we going back to plant them?"

"No. Don’t ask—just watch."

Chang'an pulled twenty wooden bird puppets from her storage, pricking her finger to drip blood onto each. Old Gu Six winced.

"Use my blood instead. I’ve got plenty."

"It’s fine," she reassured him, patting his head.

The blood soaked into the puppets, animating them instantly—twenty lifelike birds, indistinguishable from real ones.

In her mind, Chang'an sensed twenty new connections—the puppets’ consciousness.

She then retrieved twenty explosive eggs, assigning one to each bird. Through her psychic link, she commanded, "Nineteen of you—find active volcanoes and drop these. The last one waits here for the village. Hold off until the others are clear."

The birds took flight, vanishing within moments—all but one, which lingered obediently.

Old Gu Six poked it curiously. "Kinda cute."

The puppet tilted its head, confused by the touch, its tiny eyes brimming with innocence.

"Dad, speed up the boat!"

After another half-hour, Chang'an released the final bird but ordered it to delay detonation, giving them time to flee.

"Dad, row faster!" They paddled frantically, desperate to escape the blast radius.

Direction no longer mattered. "Brother White Whale! Are you there? Help push the boat!"

To their relief, a pod of white whales surfaced, hoisting the tiny fishing vessel onto their backs and racing away.

The two wolves were once again dizzy as hell—was this some kind of high-speed train, Beluga-style? Speed unknown.