A stone door blocked the passage.
Blocking the way of Su Xian and others.
Su Xian stepped forward and took a closer look, and found that the stone door was not completely closed. There was a hole the size of a human head in the lower left corner, blowing in cold wind.
He ordered Yang Zhilan, Zhou Wei, Guan Ping and others to push hard, and found that they didn't move at all.
"We were indeed blocked."
Su Xian turned around and looked at Chen Keyan behind him.
Yang Zhilan, Zhou Wei, Li Qingniu and others also looked sideways.
All eyes fell on Chen Keyan.
Everyone seemed to be saying:
"Didn't you just say that we will have unimpeded traffic? Then why is there such a big stone slab here? Can you do it?"
Chen Keyan looked calm and confident as she walked closer to the big stone slab and said, "Let me take a look."
Su Xian and others stepped aside to make way for her.
Everyone felt a little relieved when they saw that she was so confident, thinking that she must be able to open this stone door.
Everyone looked at her to see how she "performed".
After Chen Keyan approached the stone door, she touched here and knocked there. She hesitated for a while, then pondered for a while, and finally tilted her head slightly and murmured to herself:
"Strange, why is there a stone gate here?"
"..."
"It turns out you don't know either!"
Su Xian and others were speechless and almost fell to the ground. This was a waste of their expressions.
"What should we do now?" Zhou Wei frowned.
"It seems we need to take a long-term approach." Li Qingniu fell into deep thought.
"..."
After Su Xian thought for a while, he took the torch himself and observed the stone door inch by inch with a very serious expression.
When Chen Keyan and others saw this, they reacted one after another and held up torches to observe carefully. Everyone bowed and stepped on the ground, and the place suddenly looked like an archaeological site.
After a while, Su Xian finished his observation and looked at Chen Keyan: "There is indeed a mechanism in this stone gate. Look at the top and bottom of the door..."
"Let's all look for it together. There must be a machine that activates the mechanism nearby."
Following Su Xian's order, the entire cave became lively, with sounds of knocking and banging, all looking for the mechanism to open the stone door.
As the saying goes, there is strength in numbers. After a while, someone in the cave shouted in surprise: "Found it!"
The sound came from a few feet away from behind.
Su Xian and others rushed over immediately and took a closer look under the light of the torch. Sure enough, there was a sunken niche on the cave wall, with a metal enlargement inside.
I don't know how many years have passed, but this amplifier has become seriously rusty.
Fortunately, it hasn't completely rusted to death yet.
"Everyone, stay back!"
Su Xian shouted, and everyone stepped back.
Zhou Wei is very powerful and takes the initiative to assume the important task of controlling the machine expansion.
He just heard him shouting and pushing the machine in the niche hard, and a dull friction sound came from the cave, like a big stone being dragged on the ground, rumbling like thunder.
"The stone gate moved!"
By the light of the torch, everyone could see that the heavy stone door about a foot away was shaking slightly, and stone powder and stones as big as a finger fell down.
"It really works!"
Everyone looked overjoyed and thought they would be able to cross this barrier soon.
However, the heavy stone door shook for several breaths, and a lot of stone powder fell off, but it remained motionless, as if it was welded to the cave wall.
The smiles on everyone's faces slowly stiffened.
Seeing this, Su Xian immediately ordered:
"Those who are strong, hurry up and push."
"yes!"
Several people from Zhou Wei and Guan Ping rushed forward, shouted loudly, and pushed and pulled the heavy stone door with the greatest strength in their lives.
Su Xian quickly reminded: "Pay attention to safety, and if nothing can be done, retreat immediately!"
Zhou Wei and others' faces turned red from holding back, and they were unable to respond, so they could only nodded to express their understanding.
Card!
Kakaka!
Finally, the heavy stone door moved.
Even though it's very slow, it's better than not moving at all.
Su Xian, Chen Keyan, Li Qingniu and others were overjoyed when they saw this.
However, after the stone door only moved a little more than half a foot, it stopped in place.
No matter what kind of rumbling sounds came from the stone walls of the cave, and no matter how hard Zhou Wei and the others tried, it just didn't move at all.
The joy on the faces of Su Xian and others gradually disappeared.
This stone door must have been in disrepair for a long time, and the mechanical expansion has decayed. The fact that it can move a little more than half a foot is only the result of Zhou Wei and the others pushing and pulling hard.
"Fortunately, this gap is enough for us to pass through."
Su Xian stepped forward and gestured at the half-foot-long width, which a normal person could pass by leaning sideways.
After he finished gesticulating, he subconsciously glanced at Chen Keyan beside him, his eyes slid down again, glanced at her chest, and then quickly moved away.
Although Chen Keyan's size is not small, it is far less exaggerated than the Queen and Princess Lanling. There is no problem in passing through this gap sideways.
Chen Keyan was very sensitive and naturally noticed Su Xian's subtle behavior. She lowered her head and pursed her lips, giving Su Xian a secret look.
Su Xian felt guilty, and when he saw this, he subconsciously glanced sideways and met her eyes.
Chen Keyan has a cheerful and open-minded personality, and she has already identified Su Xian. She is actually not very angry in her heart. When Su Xian looks at her, she even winks mischievously...
…
After everyone passed through the narrow gap one by one, they continued to move along the passage.
This section of the road is not straight, but winding, and the direction is unknown.
In fact, Su Xian and the others had walked several miles in the cave. Based on the straight-line distance, they should have arrived at the imperial palace in Jiangning City.
Going around the cave like this will undoubtedly increase the distance traveled several times.
But there is no way, this is their only way...
In this way, after everyone had walked for a while, the person clearing the way suddenly stopped and shouted loudly, with deep fear in his voice:
"In front...in front...someone is talking, the sound of someone talking in front!"
"Ah... there is a ghost, there is a ghost ahead..."
"..."
There was a sudden chaos in the cave.
The person who opened the way in front tried to back away.
Someone was so frightened that they dropped the torches to the ground, but they were not extinguished immediately. The jumping firelight reflected the mottled stone walls, and the shadows floated, creating an inexplicable atmosphere of terror.
"Why panic!"
Su Xian shouted loudly. Because everyone was in the cave, his voice was blessed. This loud shout was extremely loud and deafening.
The panicked people froze instantly.
The panicked noise also stopped abruptly.
Zhou Wei, Guan Ping and others immediately joined in and severely reprimanded those who had just retreated in panic... At this time, the cave became completely quiet, and everyone calmed down.
Su Xian held up a torch and scolded loudly:
"What are you afraid of? Even if there is something in front of you, you must be afraid of fire. We all have torches in our hands. Are we still afraid of them?"
"..."
Although Su Xian was scared, he also knew that he must not give in at times like this, otherwise his morale would be lost.
Until then, don't say "bad ghost", they themselves will be in chaos first.
In fact, Su Xian was also afraid. When he said this, he couldn't help but take a step closer to Yang Zhilan beside him, and even held her hand with trembling hands.
Although Yang Zhilan's little hands were slightly cold, they gave him a great sense of security.
"What the young master said is true!"
Everyone agreed, they had torches in their hands, they were afraid of ghosts, they would burn every one that came!
However, at this moment, an evil wind suddenly blew from the front of the cave, bringing with it a thick chill, and everyone couldn't help but shiver.
It was nothing more than trembling, but what really made their hair stand on end was that the flames of the torches in their hands swayed violently under the influence of the wind, and seemed to be extinguished soon!
I'm going, the torch is going out!
This is their weapon against "fierce ghosts"!
Not to mention other people, even Zhou Wei and Guan Pingping, who were not afraid of anything, could not help but feel chills in their hearts at this moment, and a cold air rushed straight from their spines to their foreheads.
Creepy!
Fortunately, this wind lasted only a moment and passed in the blink of an eye.
The torch burned brightly again, spreading light and bringing them warmth and confidence.
Everyone felt at ease.
But at this moment, the frightened people just now screamed again: "Human voice, someone is talking in front..."
Su Xian frowned and yelled: "Shut up!"
"Shut up, shut up!" Zhou Wei and Guan Pingping acted as Su Xian's "megaphones." The cave suddenly became eerily quiet, and no breathing could be heard.
Su Xian calmed down and listened.
After more than ten breaths, he laughed and said:
"That's not a human voice, it just sounds like it. Don't forget, we are in a cave, so any sound will be distorted."
"It's not a human voice? What is that?" Someone was puzzled.
Su Xian looked sideways at Chen Keyan beside him and asked, "Miss Chen, does she know whether this underground passage is connected to the underground river?"
Chen Keyan was frightened just now. Fortunately, Su Xian came forward. She was very grateful. Now when Su Xian asked this question, she couldn't help but frown and thought:
"There seems to!"
"That's right!"
Su Xian nodded, "The voices you hear are actually the sounds of water. If you don't believe me, if we keep going, there must be an underground river not far ahead!"
Li Qingniu nodded and said:
"Yes, there are many caves in Shu. Although I have never entered one, I have heard from local people that wherever there is water in the caves, there must be wind, and the sound of water sounds like human voices in the distance."
"..."
Everyone finally gradually relaxed.
Encouraged by Su Xian, he held the torch and continued to move forward.
Not long after, they encountered an underground river with gurgling water.
Now everyone was completely relieved.
"We've been walking underground for so long, so we should be there soon, right?" They chatted as they walked.
"Almost, Jiangning City should be above our heads..."
While they were chatting, the person leading the way suddenly let out another exclamation:
"No, the torch went out!"
"There is no air here, retreat quickly!"
"..."
Su Xian led the people forward, frowned and asked, "Why did you stop?"
The person leading the way gasped violently, with a look of fear on his face, and replied: "There is no air ahead... and the torches will go out on their own! We can't pass at all!"
"The torch goes out on its own?" Everyone's expressions changed slightly. This is not good news.
"It must be because the last section of the road has been closed all year round and has no ventilation." Chen Keyan guessed from the sidelines.
"This is a problem." Li Qingniu frowned.
"What should we do next?" Zhou Wei, Guan Ping and others were at a loss.
"..."
Although there was no obstacle on the road ahead, there was a lack of air. This was something they had not expected, and they were helpless at the same time.
Yang Zhilan suddenly stood up and introduced himself:
"Sir, I'm good at holding my breath, and I'm not afraid of the dark. I can explore the road."
Su Xian looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and wanted to refuse, but then remembered her birth, and finally nodded:
"Okay, then go explore the road, but remember not to take risks. If there is any problem, retreat immediately."
"yes."
Yang Zhilan set off.
She didn't take a torch and just disappeared into the dark cave without a trace.
While everyone admired Yang Zhilan's courage, they couldn't help but worry about her.
Fortunately, not long after, Yang Zhilan suddenly returned.
She remained expressionless and didn't look hurt.
Su Xian and others were relieved, but there was a dark feeling in their hearts. Yang Zhilan's return so quickly showed that the way forward was impossible.
"How about it?"
Despite the suspicion in his mind, Su Xian couldn't help but ask.
Yang Zhilan calmly replied: "Sir, the road ahead is not without air at all. It is enough to keep people breathing, but it won't be possible if we add torches."
"Is that true!?" Su Xian and others were shocked, and then overjoyed. This is truly a perfect path.
"We can fumble through this last stretch of road without torches." Zhou Wei suggested.
"Yes, although it is very dark, there are so many of us, so we have nothing to fear." The others agreed.
Yang Zhilan remained calm and poured cold water on everyone, saying:
"Inappropriate! The ground on that section of the road is very rough, the passage is very winding, and there are unknown dangers. Without light, we can hardly pass!"
"..."
After hearing this, everyone fell silent.
It's not possible to do it in the dark, let alone holding a torch, so what should we do?
Su Xian said in a deep voice:
"We must come up with a solution as soon as possible. We cannot delay here for too long. The situation in Jiangning City is changing rapidly, and we must hurry up."
Chen Keyan was more anxious than anyone else, but she also knew that this matter was difficult, and she had no other choice but to frown and think deeply.
Li Qingniu, Zhou Wei, Guan Ping and others are also brainstorming. They must overcome the current problem and do it quickly.
It became quiet in the cave.
After more than ten breaths.
Su Xian's eyes suddenly lit up and he asked, "I remember that when you were preparing the torches, you seemed to have prepared many candles?"
"Master, we have indeed prepared candles for the convenience of lighting the torch." Someone replied.
"That's it!"
Su Xian clapped his hands and said with a smile:
"Since we can't pass with torches, we can hold candles. Although the light of the candles is dim, it is enough for us."
"..."
After Chen Keyan and others heard this, they did not become happy. Instead, they looked at Su Xian with doubts on their faces and asked, "Sir, what is the difference between a candle and a torch...?"
Su Xian patted his forehead. The problem of "oxygen consumption" couldn't be explained to them. He just said confidently: "Don't worry, the candle will definitely work. Without further delay, let's set off quickly."
Although everyone was confused, seeing how confident Su Xian was, they nodded and believed for the time being.
After a while, a group of dozens of them lit several candles and slowly walked towards the last section of the road.
after a while.
"The candle was indeed not extinguished!" Everyone marveled.
"It's a little difficult to breathe, but it's still enough."
"Let's hurry up and don't stay here any longer." Su Xian reminded.
"..."
Finally, they successfully crossed this section of the road.
Next, there is a staircase that slopes upward.
Everyone was extremely happy when they saw this, because they finally arrived. Going up the stairs was the destination of this underground passage - Chen Keyan's princess mansion.
