I just wrote a love poem, how did that make me so powerful?

Xu Qing took a deep breath to calm herself down.

"You're letting me down, right? I'll take them with me, okay?"

The monkey nodded, overjoyed.

Xu Qing added, "It's nighttime now, so it's a bit inconvenient. You have sunglasses during the day, so you're not afraid of the light. How about we go during the day?"

The monkey nodded, took off its sunglasses, and put them in the box that Xu Qing had taken out.

Xiao Mingyuan then handed over a small handbag.

"Hey Monkey, take this with you. Use it to store your sunglasses."

The monkey was even happier when it saw the little satchel. It chirped happily a few times and then disappeared into the well with a satisfied look.

Xu Qing turned around and looked at Xiao Mingyuan and Su Man.

"Hard work pays off! We can finally get a good night's sleep. Tomorrow morning, we'll go down the mine!"

……

……

The next morning, before it was fully light.

Xu Qing and Xiao Mingyuan arrived at the entrance of the house.

Su Man was already waiting under the eaves, having changed into a neat short-sleeved outfit, with two attendants following behind her.

Xiao Mingyuan brought Zhou Xing and two guards with him.

Zhou Xing was carrying a roll of rope ladder slung over his shoulder.

After everyone went inside, Xu Qing whispered something towards the well opening.

"Hey, we're here."

A moment later, the monkey poked its head out from below, already wearing the smoky crystal sunglasses.

The brass-framed glasses perched on his hairy face, making him look like an elderly scholar.

As soon as it saw Xu Qing, it pushed its sunglasses up its nose with its paw, then pointed at Xiao Mingyuan and then at Su Man.

It emitted a series of pleasant squeaking sounds.

Xiao Mingyuan couldn't help but laugh out loud at its comical appearance.

"Brother Monkey, you look just like my accountant."

Whether the monkey understood or not, it puffed out its chest and arrogantly went down into the well.

The attendants were all taken aback when they saw the monkey wearing sunglasses.

Xiao Mingyuan said seriously.

"Don't let anyone know what I saw today, or Miss Su and I will not let him off the hook."

Su Man nodded as well.

The attendants quickly bowed their heads in response.

Zhou Xing squatted down by the well platform, first reaching out to probe the brick wall inside the well opening to make sure the rope ladder was securely attached, before turning over and stepping onto it.

The rope ladder swayed twice beneath him before straightening.

He turned around and gestured with his chin towards Xu Qing.

"Young master, I'll get off first; you all follow behind me."

Xu Qing hummed in agreement, and waited until he had gone down more than ten steps before stepping onto the rope ladder and moving down step by step.

The well wall is much deeper than it appears from above.

The rope scraped against the bricks and stones, making a soft, rustling sound, and the further down you went, the colder it became.

The air smelled of moisture and moss, damp and musty.

Xu Qing slid down thirty steps on the wet brick surface with his palm pressed against it, and then suddenly stepped onto the hard ground.

He looked down and saw that the silt at the bottom of the well had dried and felt like a layer of hard soil when he stepped on it.

He bent down and looked up, and saw Zhou Xing standing at the bottom of the well, with a hole about the height of a person visible next to him.

The edges of the cave entrance were lined with rubble, indicating that it had been repaired.

The cave walls were covered with thick moss, and water seeped out from the cracks in the rocks at the cave entrance, forming a trickle that flowed along the shallow channel at the bottom of the well toward the darker direction.

The monkey had already slipped into the hole and was waiting for them not far away, its two paws taking off its sunglasses.

Xu Qing squeezed into the cave entrance, which was only wide enough for one person to pass sideways. After walking a dozen steps, it gradually widened.

The surrounding rock walls were much higher, and the ground was covered with slippery pebbles. There were also some slender ferns in the crevices on both sides.

The sound of the water became clearer.

Right at your feet, between the rocks, an underground river was flowing slowly.

The river meanders and twists; in some places you have to bend over to pass, while in others the view opens up suddenly.

Xu Qing noticed that on the rock walls in those open areas, traces of human excavation could occasionally be seen, and they were not very regular.

It looks like it was slowly dug out by someone with a pickaxe.

Xiao Mingyuan muttered something as he followed behind.

"Was this place dug out by people?"

Xu Qing nodded. "That's right, let's follow."

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the area ahead suddenly became brighter.

Zhou Xing's voice came from the front.

"We've arrived, everyone be careful."

Xu Qing quickened his pace and walked over. The moment he emerged from the hole, he froze.

The space in front of me was like an underground plaza, many times wider than the river channel we had just crossed.

The top is very high, with several thick, short stone pillars supporting the dome, their surfaces covered with dark moss and lichen.

The steps on the ground were carved out by people.

The higher you go, the drier it gets.

The air already carried a dry, dusty smell.

It created a subtle contrast with the dampness on the other side of the river.

The monkey jumped out from the corner, waved at them, and then darted off to an inconspicuous corner on the side of the square.

Xu Qing followed and found several large stones piled together at the corner, with a narrow gap between them, just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.

The monkey squeezed inside sideways, and a moment later, a short chirping sound came from inside.

Xu Qing followed Zhou Xing and squeezed into the crevice. After taking seven or eight steps, it suddenly narrowed and then opened up again.

An unexpected scene unfolded before us.

This is a space that resembles a small courtyard.

Several naturally formed cracks in the stone wall overhead allowed a few faint rays of sunlight to filter through, casting shadows over the entire space.

The ground was covered with gravel, which made a rustling sound when you stepped on it.

In the very center of the courtyard stood a dead, short tree, its stump covered with grayish-white fungi, and next to it stood three stone chambers.

The door frame was carved from a single piece of bluestone. The door on the left had collapsed halfway, while the middle door remained intact. Above the door frame was a line of faint characters, most of which were now blurred.

The monkey hopped to the doorway of the middle stone chamber and used its paws to pry a key out of a recess above the door frame.

The key is made of brass, but it has turned a bit green.

He handed the key to Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took the key; it was icy cold to the touch, and the rust left some green marks on her fingertips.

He glanced at the monkey, which tilted its head and nodded.

Xu Qing took a deep breath, inserted the key into the lock, and turned it gently.

After a rusty clanging sound from the lock, the door opened.

The stone chamber was not large, about two zhang square.

A half-open wooden box sat on a stone platform against the wall.

Xu Qing walked over and found that there seemed to be a stack of papers inside the wooden box.

He looked to the side and saw several iron nails nailed into the stone wall, with rotten clothes hanging on them, their original color no longer recognizable.

Only a few dark fragments remained hanging there.

Several stacks of earthenware jars and broken porcelain bowls were piled up in the corner, covered in dust.

After Zhou Xing circled around and confirmed that there was no danger, he nodded to Xu Qing.

Then, Zhou Xing walked to the stone platform and gently lifted the lid of the wooden box.

Inside were several thin booklets, their covers yellowed and their corners curled.

One of the letters was sealed with thick hemp paper, and a few lines of text were written on the cover.

Although the strokes are thin and firm, it's clear that they trembled a bit.

Xu Qing took the envelope, held it up to the light, and read the few lines of text clearly.

But the contents of that document are rather chilling...