Courtyard House: The Road to an Industrial Power

"Knock knock! Knock knock knock!"

The deaf old woman lying in bed suddenly opened her eyes.

Their keen ears picked up the faintest sound coming from the direction of the secret room.

She froze for a moment, then quickly regained her composure.

She slowly moved over and reached into the hidden compartment on the edge of the bed.

With a flick of his finger, he pulled out a palm-sized, gilded pistol.

The gun was shiny and clearly had been maintained for many years; the bullets were already loaded.

Leaning on her cane, she quietly moved the solid wood wardrobe against the wall, forcefully inserted the tip of her cane into a hidden hole in the corner of the wall, and gently turned it.

"click"

A soft sound

A crack slowly appeared in the ground, revealing the entrance to the secret chamber.

The deaf old woman bent down to open the entrance.

Then, holding a small pistol, he slowly stepped into the passage.

After taking only two steps, my eyes hadn't yet adjusted to the darkness from the light, and my vision became blurry.

In that very instant!

A cold, hard object was suddenly pressed firmly against her forehead!

The dark muzzle of the gun carried a chilling aura.

The sight instantly sent chills down the elderly deaf woman's spine, a sense of impending death rushing to her head.

Even though she had lived most of her life and seen many storms, her heart suddenly stopped.

Inside the passage, Li Yichuan's figure was hidden in the darkness, a sinister smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He had calculated that when a person moves from light into darkness, they will be unable to see for a short period of time, which is the best opportunity to subdue the deaf old woman.

The secret room had already been thoroughly searched beforehand.

Several emergency oil lamps were lit, their dim light illuminating the entire secret room.

On the shelves and in the wooden boxes in the secret room, there were neatly stacked gold bars, silver ingots, and many other treasures such as jade and agate.

In a wooden box to the side, lay two brand-new pistols and a full box of gleaming yellow bullets, a shocking sight.

In the far corner, covered with a tattered oilcloth, Li Yichuan lifted it, and a putrid, fishy smell wafted out.

Under the oiled paper cloth were several shriveled, dried corpses, their clothes tattered and their bodies emaciated, clearly indicating that they had been dead for many years.

Li Yichuan's eyes darkened, and he instantly understood: "It seems that these are the workers who built the secret room and underground passage back then. They were silenced after finishing their work. What a ruthless method."

The hearts of those who remained from the previous dynasty were indeed more venomous than snakes and scorpions.

Looking at the shriveled corpses, Yi Zhonghai was so frightened that his legs went weak and he almost collapsed to the ground, his back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

He had known the deaf old woman his whole life, yet he had never known that she harbored such a terrifying secret.

In order to protect the secret room, they killed the construction workers and buried them in a corner of the room.

The thought of spending every day with her before made Yi Zhonghai's heart pound with fear and dread.

After searching the secret room, they discovered that the exit leading to the deaf old woman's room was blocked by a heavy stone gate.

Yi Zhonghai fumbled around for a long time, sweating profusely with anxiety: "Only the deaf old lady knows how to open this opening; I can't open it at all!"

Li Yichuan's eyes turned cold, and he patted the person next to him.

The man immediately raised his foot and kicked the stone wall of the passage hard, making a muffled "thud" that was particularly clear in the quiet night.

A moment later, a sound came from the entrance of the passage, followed by a sliver of light shining in.

Immediately afterwards, the deaf old woman came downstairs holding a pistol.

But as soon as she stepped into the passage, Li Yichuan pressed a gun firmly against her forehead, rendering her unable to move.

The deaf old woman took a deep breath and slowly put down the small pistol in her hand.

Without the slightest struggle, his voice was low: "You were brought by Yi Zhonghai, weren't you? No one knows about this secret room except him and me."

She looked up and, even though she couldn't see the person's face clearly, she accurately locked onto Yi Zhonghai's direction.

A hint of resentment flashed in his eyes, but he didn't show it. "Since you're here, what's the matter? Why don't we sit down and talk it over?"

Li Yichuan chuckled and gestured for his men to take the deaf old woman back to the secret room.

Under the dim light, the deaf old woman looked at the gold treasures that had been rummaged through the room, and then at the people in front of her.

With his sinister gaze, Li Yichuan and Yi Zhonghai, who was trembling with fear, already knew what was going on.

Li Yichuan toyed with the pistol in his hand and spoke directly, his tone arrogance undisguised: "Old lady, I won't beat around the bush with you. I'm here today to deal with Lin Weidong."

"I need your secret passage; I need your cooperation."

Upon hearing the name "Lin Weidong," the deaf old woman's eyes instantly welled up with overwhelming hatred.

She gripped her cane tightly, gritting her teeth as she said, "Deal with Lin Weidong?"

"Great, I'll cooperate with you!"

"But I have one condition: Lin Weidong must be handed over to me. I want to kill him myself!"

Lin Weidong repeatedly undermined her, embarrassed her, and cut off her support. Her hatred for Lin Weidong had long since penetrated to the bone.

Li Yichuan laughed heartily, looking at the angry old woman in front of him, and said, "No problem! As long as you cooperate, old lady, you can do whatever you want with Lin Weidong!"

He secretly sneered to himself: Lin Weidong is highly skilled, so naturally he should be captured and brought to the Empire to be used by the Empire.

If he refuses to submit, this corner of the secret room will be his burial place, where he will be buried forever, just like those other mummified corpses.

At this moment, the deaf old woman spoke up: "Since you were able to find this place, it means that Yi Zhonghai, that traitor, has told me most or least about my situation."

"You need to take care of my living supplies from now on."

"Otherwise, if I, this old man, starve to death in this room one day, your plans will probably fall through."

Upon hearing this, Li Yichuan said with ease, "Grandma, don't worry, I will arrange for someone to deliver your food, clothing and daily necessities, ensuring you will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of your life."

"All you need to do is open the secret passage when I make my move and cooperate with us."

The deaf old woman nodded immediately, a kind smile spreading across her face, and said, "It's a deal!"

Yi Zhonghai, standing behind Li Yichuan, felt a chill run down his spine at the sight of the deaf old woman's smile.

At this moment, the deaf old woman looked at Yi Zhonghai with a mocking expression and said, "Yi Zhonghai, is this how you repay this old lady?"

Yi Zhonghai stammered, "I...this..."

"Forget it, don't bother explaining anymore," the deaf old woman waved her hand and said.

"By the way, I have some good news for you. With your help, the Zhang family and He Daqing are doing quite well."

"It seems the two are getting married this weekend, and they'll be hosting a banquet for the whole hospital."

After saying that, the deaf old woman looked at Yi Zhonghai with a mocking expression, his veins bulging. She wanted to provoke him.

Although these people were there to deal with Lin Weidong, she now wished she could shoot Yi Zhonghai.

Li Yichuan was unwilling to linger, so he waved to the crowd and, with Yi Zhonghai, returned along the same route through the underground passage.

The group left the courtyard house quietly, passed through a secluded alley, and returned to the inconspicuous spy courtyard.

The smile on Li Yichuan's face vanished completely the moment he closed the courtyard gate.

"Lin Weidong, you'd better know your place."