Back then, pressed for time, Xu Fei had focused solely on dealing with the guards and rescuing Ma Sanlaizi, paying little attention to his surroundings.
Now, entering the building for the second time, he realised there was more to this place than met the eye.
Before him was a door leading to the small courtyard he’d visited before, which he recognised.
To his left, there was a spiral wooden staircase he had also been to.
He had taken down about twenty guards lying in wait there.
But now, Xu Fei was puzzled by a dark entrance in the corner of the wall, something he hadn’t noticed at all during his first visit.
“Come take a look. You seem familiar with the Gong family. Do you know where this leads?” Xu Fei called out.
Ma Sanlaizi, who had been hiding behind a corner since entering, shielded tightly by the scavenged shield, poked his head out at Xu Fei’s words and approached.
He glanced at the pitch-black passage but seemed equally clueless.
“Sorry, Mr. Xu. Though I was held here for a long time, that Gong fellow only cared about making me crack the mechanism of the Dragon-Phoenix Auspicious Casket. He never let me go anywhere else, so…” Ma Sanlaizi trailed off.
Xu Fei understood the rest without needing it spelled out.
It made sense—back then, Ma Sanlaizi’s only value to Master Gong was his potential to unlock the Dragon-Phoenix Auspicious Casket.
“Well, since we’re here, let’s check it out!” Xu Fei decided.
He started towards the passage, but after a few steps, he sensed something was off. Turning back, he saw Ma Sanlaizi frozen in place, clearly too scared to follow.
“Mr. Xu, don’t laugh at me. I’m an old bag of bones who just wants to retire peacefully with my brother. It’s so dark in there—what if there’s some trap?” Ma Sanlaizi stammered.
Xu Fei shot him an exasperated look.
“If you know it’s dark, why don’t you go find something to light the way?”
Spurred by Xu Fei’s words, Ma Sanlaizi realised he could be useful. Dragging his shield, he rummaged through the belongings of the fallen guards and found two torches.
Handing one to Xu Fei, Ma Sanlaizi grew noticeably braver with the light in hand.
Xu Fei took the lead, and the two ventured into the dark underground corridor, guided only by the faint glow of their torches.
After walking for several minutes, they found themselves still descending a seemingly endless spiral staircase.
If Xu Fei hadn’t been certain of his clear state of mind, he might have wondered if he’d fallen under some illusion or encountered a ghostly trap.
“Mr. Xu, this staircase is endless! Should we just turn back?” Ma Sanlaizi began to lose his nerve.
Xu Fei snapped, “You old codger, if you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll kick you flying!”
“We’ve come this far. I’m sure we’re almost there!”
With Xu Fei’s insistence, they pressed on. After a few more minutes, the staircase finally ended, and the scene before them opened up.
Though the torches’ light was limited, Xu Fei could tell this was likely a vast underground palace.
Just as he prepared to investigate further, a dazzling light suddenly shone from above!
