Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 118 Escape from the Secret Chamber
"Quick! Let's go to the secret room!" Rui'er suggested. "Master said that if bad people come, we should hide in the secret room."
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“Ah…ah…ah…” In front of the secret room, the mute woman gestured anxiously, not knowing what had happened.

"Grandma, don't worry, it's just that bad guys are coming. Let's quickly go into the secret room to hide!" Rui'er patted the mute woman's back and comforted her. "Xiao Liu is fine, don't worry. I just gave him acupuncture! He's regained consciousness, but his legs are still a little weak."

Everyone stood at the door of the secret room, but Rui'er was so nervous that her palms were sweating and she couldn't turn on the switch.

"Rui'er, don't rush, take your time!" Rong Wanyin drew her soft sword from her waist, shielding Rui'er behind her, ready to fight at any moment.

The noise outside the yard grew louder and louder, and the sounds from inside the house could be easily heard.

At the same time, screams of agony came from the courtyard, indicating that a mechanism in the courtyard had been triggered.

"Second Prince, there are too many traps and poisons in this courtyard. If this continues, the brothers won't be able to hold on!" a lieutenant warned, his face ashen.

"I've brought so many men, what's there to be afraid of! You're worried we won't have enough? Bring a few more, charge forward! I refuse to believe we won't run out of traps and poisons!" The Second Prince fiddled with a jade snuff bottle, not even glancing at his adjutant. "With so many men, someone's bound to survive..."

The Second Prince completely disregards human life. He doesn't care how many people have died; all he needs is a result.

The Second Prince turned the jade snuff bottle in his hand over and over, muttering to himself, "The villains from Medicine King Valley dared to try to kidnap the Sixth Prince. I was only ordered to rescue my Sixth Brother, but alas, he was still killed by the villains. Lord Yan and General Rong also tragically sacrificed their lives. I am heartbroken. My poor little brother... So I had no choice but to kill everyone in Medicine King Valley in a fit of rage to avenge my brother... Tsk tsk, how tragic!"

The second prince feigned a few beats and thuds, pretending to wipe away tears from the corners of his eyes. Then, he raised his head, raised an eyebrow, and smiled at the lieutenant general: "Lieutenant General Zhao, what do you think of my acting? Don't worry, I will certainly comfort your fallen brothers, and the compensation will be ample. I heard you recently bought a small courtyard house in the north of the city, and brought your wife, children, and elderly mother from your hometown. How is the house? Is it comfortable to live in? When I go back this time, I will have someone send you a housewarming gift, how about that?"

Deputy General Zhao clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead, gritted his teeth, and his chest heaved. If he weren't afraid of implicating his family, he would definitely kill this so-called second prince!
This man is worse than an animal! Not only did he kill his own brother and harm loyal and virtuous people, but now he's even using his wife, children, and elderly mother to threaten me. If I ever get the chance, I'll definitely kill this beast with my own hands!

"Hurry up and go!" The Second Prince forcefully threw the snuff bottle, which hit Deputy General Zhao on the forehead, causing blood to flow freely.

A round-faced guard standing nearby, who looked young and still somewhat childish, frowned deeply, his face full of resentment, and couldn't help but call out, "Sir!"

Deputy General Zhao waved his hand, indicating it was alright, casually wiped the bloodstains away with his sleeve, and shouted, "First Squad, follow me!"

"Wait a moment." The Second Prince leaned back on the cushion, lazily pointing a finger at the round-faced guard who had just spoken. "Let him lead the charge!" Leading the charge now was tantamount to sending someone to their death. This round-faced guard had only addressed him as "Sir" and hadn't said anything more. Deputy General Zhao, seeing his young age, had originally only assigned him to guard the Second Prince. This person in such a high position was incredibly petty. If he were to actually ascend the throne one day, it would truly be a misfortune for the Great Zhou.

Rank matters, and Zhao, the deputy general, glared angrily but was powerless to do anything. He remained silent for a moment before issuing the order: "Anyone who isn't afraid of death, follow me!"

The courtyard was filled with stone slabs of all sizes, scattered like stars, making it impossible to tell which ones contained hidden mechanisms. Several corpses of personal guards lay haphazardly on many of these slabs.

"Bring me ink! You take turns, one after another. Wait until the first person has finished before the next person starts. If the previous person steps on the right stone, they should make a mark on it. If they step on the wrong stone, the next person should not step on that stone." Deputy General Zhao calmly issued the order.

The round-faced guard was the first to step forward. He carefully observed and cautiously placed each step. He noticed that the stone slabs with mechanisms all had relatively large gaps at the edges. He slowly moved forward, step by step, until finally, the last step. However, the gaps at the edges of the two slabs in front of him were very small and completely indistinguishable. Just as he was about to crouch down to examine them, he suddenly heard a "whoosh" sound, and a crossbow bolt flew past his scalp from behind, striking the door panel with a "clang."

The round-faced guard turned around in disbelief, only to see the Second Prince holding a crossbow, his face calm but his eyes cold, and he laughed, "Oops, you missed..."

All the guards stared in astonishment at this scene. They had never seen anything like it before: soldiers fighting on the front lines while their superiors were shooting arrows from behind! This man was insane!
The second prince raised his crossbow again and said coldly, "Hurry up!"

The round-faced guard had no choice but to randomly select a stone slab, step on it, close his eyes, and await judgment. He heard a "hiss" sound, but no poison was sprayed out; the poison was used up!

Deputy General Zhao breathed a sigh of relief, a rare smile appearing on his face, and muttered, "This kid..."

"Great! It's passed!" the guards cheered.
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"Great! It's open!" Su Zhan cheered softly.

Everyone hurriedly entered the secret chamber. The stone door of the chamber slowly closed, and just as it was about to close, a pair of hands with distinct knuckles suddenly inserted themselves into the only remaining narrow gap. The veins on the back of the hands bulged as they resisted the powerful force of the stone door.

Seeing this, Rong Wanyin swiftly drew her soft sword from her waist and thrust it towards the hands, trying to force the man to release them. However, almost simultaneously, seven or eight scabbards precisely pierced the cracks in the stone door, and the hands withdrew, avoiding being stabbed. Immediately afterward, the shouts of the guards rang out from outside, "One, two, push! One, two, push!"

The stone door, which was almost closed, was pried open with a large crack, and the gap kept widening. It was only a matter of time before the stone door was pried open; the secret chamber could no longer protect them!
Rong Wanyin felt her heart pounding rapidly, and her palms were sweating slightly. She tightened her grip on her soft sword, her eyes fixed on the stone door, waiting for the moment it opened to launch her attack. The others also drew their swords, protecting the Sixth Prince and his companions.

The door is open!