As usual, Xinxiu's egg wrap fried rice was delicious. But then, something was a little different. Yiren could not explain clearly which part was not the same. It wasn't that the dish wasn't good enough. It's just that there was an additional taste that usually didn't exist.

"Xiudi, did you try a new recipe?"

Yiren turned to the questioner. In fact, he wasn't the only one who felt the difference. While chewing, Yixiong asked the question.

"Hahaha...!" Xinxiu laughed. "Not that I have a new recipe, but I have a brilliant assistant."

Zhengyi turned to Yingyue. "So you're good at cooking, huh! What a coincidence, so we can have more choices now."

A blush flashed across Yingyue's cheeks. "That's not true. I was just helping Xiuge fry the spices. Xiuge has prepared all the spices and prepared them well. So I have done little."

"It's not just frying spices. This young lamb was also fried by this sweet Miss Lüqiu," said Xinxiu.

Yingyue's cheeks turned even redder at Xinxiu's words. "So, how was the trip down there?" Yingyue asked. Her tone was like that of someone wanting an answer right away. Yiren got the impression that Yingyue hoped the conversation would soon move on to something else.

Since returning from the dungeon, Shanquan, Zhengyi, and Yixiong really have said nothing. The three of them were so mysterious. They just said that they would soon tell what they saw. Shanquan added they would expose it when they all had breakfast at the dinner table.

The three people hadn't showered yet. They only had time to wash their hands and faces before sitting in the dining room, where their dining table was located. Shanquan just smiled in response to the conversation. Meanwhile, Zhengyi, like Yixiong, was already busy devouring the food that was served.

"Now we're all at the table. We've even started eating. I think it's about time you guys said something," said Xinxiu.

"But we still eat," Yixiong said.

"So what if you guys are still eating?" Xinxiu widened his eyes. "Right now, we're talking, also while eating, right?"

"Okay!" Yixiong said. "But I think it's best if Dage does the talking."

"Right," said Zhengyi. "Besides, I don't see everything down there."

"You don't see everything when you're there?" Yingyue looked at Zhengyi with a questioning look.

"There are times where I have to wait somewhere down there." Zhengyi's voice was a bit unclear because his mouth was full of food. "Back then, I had no idea what Dage and Xiongge were doing." He turned to Shanquan. "Dage, you start talking now!"

Shanquan nodded. He looked around him before starting to open his mouth. With a slow tempo, he told the things they saw in the underground passage. The story was detailed enough that it seemed a bit long-winded. He even repeated the conversation that took place between the three of them sentence by sentence. Yiren, of course, didn't know how accurate those sentences were, but from the reactions on Yixiong and Zhengyi's faces, Shanquan had indeed reconstructed the conversation between them.

"So there's a big, heavy stone bench in the hall? Like the stone table in the basement behind?" Xinxiu's eyebrows were slightly raised.

"Maybe it's a resting place for people walking through the alleys." Zhengyi made his guess.

Shanquan continued his story. Like Yiren, Xinxiu and Yingyue listened to the story in amazement. Yiren was sure that all of those present had heard stories about underground passages. But that was the first time they were that close to the things they were talking about.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

"Then where does the underground passage end?" Yiren was very curious when Shanquan's story reached the part where Shanquan and Yixiong saw a bright light at the end of the hallway.

"Guess what? Where does the underground passage lead to?" Yixiong smiled as he raised his eyebrows. His facial expression was so funny.

"Although I don't know the answer to that question, I think each of us already has an idea about it." Zhengyi nodded with a smile.

"Eh? Uncle Zhengyi doesn't know either?" Yingyue looked surprised to hear Zhengyi's words.

"I didn't go through the dog door. Besides, the two of them said nothing when they got back into the passage," Zhengyi said.

"I think I figured it out!" Xinxiu laughed. He put the rice into his mouth.

"Eh, Xiuge already knows?" Yingyue turned to Xinxiu. Her face was so cute.

"Yes. But that's just an estimate." Xinxiu chewed the rice in his mouth.

"So, where's the exit?" Yingyue's face looked so curious.

"They're still underground, but they can already see a bright light. What kind of place around here is like that?" Xinxiu's voice was utterly indistinct.

"You swallow the food in your mouth first, then talk." Shanquan smiled. "But your guess is not wrong. I think Zhengyi actually guessed it, too. Isn't that right?" Shanquan pointed his index finger at Zhengyi.

Zhengyi just smiled. He neither denied nor confirmed.

"Oh!" Yiren exclaimed. So we don't have to worry about traveling anymore. We can go anywhere without worrying about someone following us when we leave the house."

"Eh! I still don't know where the passage ends!" Yingyue shouted. Her expression looked even funnier.

"Zhonghang subway station!" The five middle-aged men said in unison. They all laugh.

"Ow!" Yingyue let out a short exclamation. "Yeah, I think that's good news."

"So we can move things to the Xindongchang warehouse via the underground passage," said Xinxiu.

"Maybe it's not that easy," Yixiong said. "There are passages that are so narrow."

"Ah, Xiongge mean, the dog door?" asked Xinxiu.

Yixiong nodded.

"Regarding that, I think we should be cautious," said Shanquan. "There's something else we should be aware of."

"That's right," said Yixiong, "there are other people who know about the underground passage as well. So indeed, there are people who may have regularly used the passage before."

"You guys locked the door in our basement, didn't you?" Yiren asked.

"Yes. We have even covered it with the cupboard." Zhengyi's face was so serious when he said those words. "So it's the same as before we touched it last night."

"Aren't we going to use the underground hallway?" Yingyue asked.

"We will definitely use it. We just have to be very careful," Shanquan replied.

"We haven't had time to open the other door yet," Yingyue said.

That is true! There is still one door in the dungeon that we haven't even opened.

"I'd love to explore that other door. But I don't think we have time," said Yiren.

"Do we have the key?" Zhengyi asked.

"We don't have one. But I think the key is hidden in the same way as the lock on the door we opened," Yixiong said.

"You're right. Maybe the key is under one of the stone benches over there," Shanquan said. "I think that if we have a little time later, we should try to find the key."

"Then? What are we going to do next? I think, after that, we still don't have much time. Soon we will have to leave this place." Zhengyi sighed.