Chapter 258

Boom—!

Another explosion mixed with the sound of timber breaking came from outside, and dust sifted down in the secret chamber.

"Damn these bastards! I'll fight them to the death, old man!"

Xuan Fu Weng's eyes nearly burst, the short axe in his hand flashing with a cold light.

"Senior, don't!" Xiao Ningxun clutched Tuan Tuan with one hand and pressed hard on his arm with the other, "We're outnumbered; charging straight in plays right into their hands."

Thick smoke began to seep through the door crack, and everyone started coughing.

Xiao Ningxun retreated with Tuan Tuan to the innermost wall, trying to stay as far away as possible.

"Cough cough cough..." Tuan Tuan was choked by the smoke, his little hand gripping a sturdy-looking brass lamp stand on the wall.

The heavy lamp stand suddenly gave a soft "click" and tilted slightly outward.

Boom—rumble—

A dull mechanical turning sound came from inside the wall; the seemingly seamless wall slowly slid inward, revealing a dark hole, and a cool, musty wind blew out from within.

The brother and sister stared for a moment, then burst into joy.

Xiao Ningxun shouted, "There's a secret passage! Come quickly!"

Xuan Fu Weng, who had been glaring fixedly at the secret chamber's entrance, turned his eyes to the hole, stared wide‑eyed in disbelief, "How can there be a secret passage here? I've lived here for decades and never noticed!"

He looked at the two siblings: "How did you find it?"

Tuan Tuan looked innocent, pointing at the lamp stand with his little hand: "I just leaned on it a bit. Who knew it could move?"

Xiao Ningxun hurriedly nodded: "Tuan Tuan's right!"

Everyone: "..."

Xiao Ran slapped his thigh: "Little rascal, you really are a lucky star!"

"Quick! We can't linger here!" Lu Qi led the way into the hole, took a few steps inside, then came back, "Safe! Hurry up!"

Xiao Ningxun led with Tuan Tuan in his arms, Xiao Ran followed close behind, Xiao Er lifted Xuan Fu Weng and his wheelchair in one go, and the group filed in swiftly.

Xiao Er turned back, shoved the wall shut, sealing off the shouting and firelight from the inn.

The secret passage was dark and damp but not stifling; evidently there was another exit.

Xuan Fu Weng stared at this deep passage, still shocked.

He muttered, "This warehouse was originally the outer residence of a high official of the previous dynasty."

"When my horse gang was first established, I liked this place because it's spacious and well‑located."

"Later I happened upon that sturdy secret chamber and made it our headquarters."

"In the blink of an eye, decades passed, and I never imagined this secret chamber hid a lifesaving escape tunnel."

Tuan Tuan lay on Xiao Ningxun's shoulder, listening with delight, his little head nodding: "Wow! Old Grandpa, this is even better than the stories the storyteller tells at the teahouse!"

Her eyes shifted, she lifted her little hand: "Huh? Third Brother, what's that on the ground?"

Xiao Ningxun followed her pointing direction, bent down, and picked it up.

It was a child‑sized fist‑wide hollow copper ball, covered in dust, heavy in the hand, exquisitely crafted, like a small cuju ball.

Xiao Ningxun saw nothing special about it and casually handed it to Tuan Tuan: "Just an old toy."

"Thank you, Third Brother!" Tuan Tuan happily took it, wiped off the dust with his sleeve, and slipped it into his little embroidered pouch.

The group walked along the secret passage for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, when a stone stairway leading upward appeared, ending at a wooden plank.

Lu Qi cocked his ear, listened a moment, nodded to the others to be silent, climbed the stairs, and gently pushed open the wooden plank overhead.

Soft light poured down, and everyone instinctively narrowed their eyes.

"Smells great!" Tuan Tuan twitched his nose.

【39> Xiao Ran sniffed: "It's incense—what tea is this, so fragrant?"

Xiao Ran twitched his nose: "It's fragrant, what tea is this, so fragrant!"

The party filed out and discovered they were in an elegantly furnished room, like a private booth in a teahouse.

They had just steadied themselves and hadn't even spoken when footsteps and voices came from outside the door.

"Please come in, sir! This private booth is our best, quiet..." The attendant's eager voice cut off abruptly.

The booth door was pushed open; the attendant stood at the threshold with two customers, staring at the sudden crowd inside, stunned.

The attendant reacted instantly, bowing with an apologetic smile: "Oh dear! Sorry! Sorry, honored guests! I made a mistake—this room is already occupied! Sorry for the disturbance!"

How strange—when did anyone enter this room? I must have been muddled.

While apologizing repeatedly, he hurriedly pulled the door shut: "Honored guests, this way please—there's an even better room over here!"

Inside, the people looked at each other, unable to suppress a chuckle.

Xiao Ran laughed the loudest: "My heavens! This works?"

Xiao Ningxun exhaled in relief: "Now that we're out, this place seems safe enough. Let's rest a bit and then plan our next move."

Xiao Er and Lu Qi quickly restored the secret‑passage entrance to its original state.

Everyone sat down, and Xiao Ran shouted, "Attendant! I'm starving! Bring me all the good stuff!"

Steaming hot buns and several plates of refreshing side dishes were soon brought in.

Indeed hungry, they dug in heartily.

With warmth in their bellies, everyone finally relaxed.

Xuan Fu Weng set down his chopsticks, his face turning grave: "Right now the most important thing is to find the lone boat; otherwise my heart won't be at ease for a moment."

Xiao Ningxun asked, "Senior, you mentioned the 'Black Wind Hollow' earlier—what exactly is that place?"

Xuan Fu Weng replied, "It's a place that even we old-timers from Xibei frown upon when we mention it."

He dipped his rough finger in tea and sketched a few intersecting lines on the table, resembling canine teeth.

"Black Wind Hollow lives up to its name—treacherous terrain. In the past, herb gatherers went in and never came out; over time it became a no‑go dead zone."

He paused, his worried expression deepening: "That Ghost Doctor isn't from Xibei, yet he chose to come here and pick that damned Black Wind Hollow—it's mighty strange."

I don't know where exactly that ghost doctor is staying in Blackwind Gully, or whether he's alone...... I, an old man, have no idea.

Just then, a rolling gurgle sounded.

Tuan Tuan softly cried, "Oh no! My little ball!"

It turned out she had taken the small ball she'd picked up in the secret passage, was playing with it in her hand, and accidentally dropped it onto the ground.

Tuan Tuan jumped down from the stool and chased after the ball.

The ball rolled at extremely high speed, striking the wall corner.

With a crack, it split neatly into two halves, revealing its hollow interior.

A clump of light yellow, tightly wound material fell out from the ball.