The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone were quickly found; Su Shi took them out of his personal book box.

Jin Wanliang's hands trembled as he took the wolf-hair brush, but he hesitated to put pen to paper. He stared at the pristine white Xuan paper before him, but his mind was filled with the dark, sunless scene below the well, the numb faces and desperate groans. The fear of those three years was etched into his very bones.

"What, can't remember?" Jiang Lin's voice rang out behind him, calm and even, yet it sent a chill down his spine.

"No...no..." Jin Wanliang's lips trembled. "It's too dark...it's too dark down there. I...I'm afraid I'll draw it wrong and harm all my benefactors."

"Then draw out what you know." Jiang Lin walked to his side and placed the lantern with the words "You Must Be Rich" written on it on the stone table. The orange light illuminated Jin Wanliang's pale face. "We don't need a perfect map, just a starting point. The rest, we'll measure with our own feet."

The warm light of the lantern seemed to give Jin Wanliang a bit of courage. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and tried hard to recall. After a while, he finally opened his eyes, and the pen in his hand began to move across the paper.

His hand was still trembling, and the lines he drew were crooked but exceptionally clear. A circle representing the well opening, a vertical line pointing downwards, and then a huge, irregular underground space.

"This well doesn't lead directly to the mine," Jin Wanliang explained in a hoarse voice as he drew. "About twenty zhang deep in the well wall, there's a tunnel I dug. I spent half a year grinding it out with a stone. Going through the tunnel, there's a natural rock fissure, very narrow, only wide enough for one person to pass sideways. At the end of the fissure is the outermost edge of the mine, where waste ore is piled up, and that's where the guards are most lax."

His pen moved across the paper, drawing intricate and complex paths.

"The mine is divided into three levels. The upper level is the dugouts where the laborers live, the middle level is the main mining area, and also where 'Black Water' is most abundant. As for the lower level..." Jin Wan's face became even more grim, and his voice was lowered to a whisper, "I haven't been to the lower level. I've only heard the foremen boast when they were drunk that it's Zhao Liben's real treasure trove, hiding something even more deadly than 'Black Water.' It's heavily guarded, and it's said that there are martial arts masters hired from the martial arts world stationed there."

Su Shi and Zhao Lingjun leaned over to look at the map, and their expressions became serious as they listened to Jin Wanliang's description.

"This is practically an underground city!" Su Shi couldn't help but exclaim in amazement. "That corrupt official Zhao Liben, what a grand scheme he's pulled!"

"It's not just large-scale, it's downright audacious." Zhao Lingjun frowned. "To operate a mine and keep slaves in such a remote and inaccessible place as Daming Prefecture is already an unforgivable crime. If there's something even more dangerous down there, then what he's after is probably more than just money."

Jiang Lin remained silent, simply staring at the lower area on the map marked as a "restricted zone" by Jin Wanliang. His fingers tapped lightly on the table, as if he were pondering something.

"Alright, we have the map." Jiang Lin turned his gaze to everyone. "Now, let's move on to the second question. Who's going down?"

The courtyard fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Go down? That's no leisurely stroll. According to Jin Wanliang's description, what lies below is a den of dragons and tigers; one wrong step and you could lose your life there.

"I...I have to go!" The first to speak was surprisingly Shen Kuo. He pushed up his glasses, his eyes brimming with barely suppressed excitement. "'Black Water,' also known as raging oil, and naturally occurring underground turbid gas. I must see this energy structure with my own eyes and collect samples! It's crucial to my 'Heavenly Craft Project'!"

Jiang Lin glanced at him and nodded: "You're one. We need someone with technical skills, just in case there are any traps or mechanisms."

"Headmaster, I'm going too!" Su Shi puffed out his chest, trying to appear righteous and awe-inspiring. "As a scholar, I should strive to save the people! If I don't witness this hell on earth with my own eyes, and if I don't speak out for those suffering people, what's the point of studying the classics!"

He spoke passionately, but his grip on Jiang Lin's leg tightened unconsciously, revealing his true thoughts.

Jiang Lin glanced at him and said irritably, "What are you going to do? Drown the foreman with your saliva, or collapse the tunnel with your weight?"

"I...I can write poems!" Su Shi exclaimed anxiously. "I can write poems about their crimes and spread them throughout the world! Let everyone see Zhao Liben's true colors!"

"By the time you finish writing your poem, we'll all be fertilizer for the flowers," Jiang Lin mercilessly retorted. "You stay here with Jin Wanliang. If we can't get up here, the two of you try to break out and send a message to Kaifeng Prefecture. Remember, find Bao Zheng, not anyone else."

"But..." Su Shi wanted to argue.

"This is an order." Jiang Lin's tone was not harsh, but it made Su Shi swallow the rest of his words.

"And what about me?" Niu Aihua took a step forward, holding her broadsword. She didn't utter any grand words, but simply looked at Jiang Lin with her eyes, the meaning clear: this kind of fighting and killing can't be done without me.

"Of course you have to go," Jiang Lin laughed. "Without you as the demolition team leader, we wouldn't even be able to get in the door."

Niu Aihua nodded in satisfaction and went back.

"Alright, the people are chosen, next is the equipment." Jiang Lin clapped his hands. "Time is short, we must get this done before dawn. Shen Kuo, how do we solve the lighting problem?"

"That's simple." Shen Kuo rummaged through his treasure chest and pulled out several bamboo tubes and some strange chemical powder. "Open flames are most dangerous in the Fierce Fire Oilfield, otherwise they will cause a deflagration. But I can make 'cold light'. Mix two specific mineral powders and add a little water, and it will emit a fluorescent light that lasts for an hour. Although it's not bright, it's enough to see in the dark."

"Alright, the lighting is yours." Jiang Lin then looked at Niu Aihua, "What about the weapons?"

Niu Aihua patted her broadsword: "This is enough."

Jiang Lin shook his head: "It's too big; it won't be able to maneuver properly in the tunnel. Do you have a shorter weapon?"

Niu Aihua thought for a moment, then pulled out two bull-ear-shaped daggers from the leather sheaths strapped to her legs. The blades gleamed coldly in the firelight.

"This one will do too."

"Okay." Jiang Lin looked at himself last. "Ropes, water, dry rations, and some wound medicine. Everyone, split up and prepare."

Everyone immediately sprang into action. Shen Kuo began fiddling with his chemical luminescent rod, Niu Aihua inspected her weapons, and Zhao Lingjun and Su Shi together retrieved ropes and food from the carriage.

Jiang Lin stood by the well, looking at the eerie blue flames, and took a deep breath.

He knew that this trip would be the most direct and dangerous challenge he had faced since arriving in this era. But he felt no fear; instead, he felt a secret excitement.

As a history professor, being able to personally uncover a piece of history that has been hidden in the darkness is an incredibly exciting feeling.

Fifteen minutes later, everything was ready.

A sturdy hemp rope was fixed to the stone block at the wellhead, with the other end hanging into the bottomless darkness.

Shen Kuo made four simple cold light sticks, and the bamboo tubes emitted a faint green light, making the faces of the people look like a scene from a ghost movie.

Jiang Lin, Niu Aihua, Shen Kuo, and Zhao Lingjun stood by the well, ready to go.

Su Shi and Jin Wanliang stood behind them, their faces full of worry.

"Headmaster, you...you must be careful!" Su Shi's eyes were red.

"Don't worry." Jiang Lin patted his shoulder, unusually refraining from his sharp tongue. "Keep an eye on the house. If we're not up by dawn, do as I say."

After saying that, he didn't hesitate any longer. He grabbed the rope, was the first to roll down into the well, and his figure quickly disappeared into the darkness.

Next up was Niu Aihua, whose movements as she went down into the well were swift and decisive, like a nimble monkey.

Next was Zhao Lingjun. Although he was a little nervous, his movements were still quite steady.

Finally, it was Shen Kuo's turn. He carried a box filled with various bottles and jars, carefully climbing down the slope, muttering, "Samples... we must collect samples..."

At the wellhead, only Su Shi and Jin Wanliang remained.

"Young Master Su...," Jin Wanliang's voice trembled as he looked at the empty well opening, "Can they... do it?"

Su Shi wiped away his tears, straightened his chest, and tried to appear confident.

"Don't worry! With my headmaster on the case, one man is worth eight! He'd even dare to venture into the gates of hell!"

Even so, his clenched fists betrayed his inner unease.