When the book-traveling little detective meets the two-faced prince

Seeing this, Chang Feizhang was panicked and quickly waved his hands to explain: "General Cheng, I just felt something uncomfortable in my legs and feet, so I just found a place to sit down. I didn't see clearly what it was. This... This really has nothing to do with me, General."

Cheng Su stepped forward, said coldly, "Get out of the way."

Chang Feizhang responded repeatedly and stepped aside with the help of Qingchuan and Zhou Yuanliang.

The boulder did not completely block the well mouth, leaving a small gap at the edge.

After making eye contact with Cheng Su, Hong Mingxu stepped forward to check the huge rock pressing on the well. He groped his way to the bottom of the rock, frowned, pushed aside the weeds beside the well, and looked down under the rock.

"General, there are signs of wear and tear underneath this stone. It must have been moved around frequently."

"What." Cheng Su also squatted down beside the well, and his rough palms stroked the heavy stone pressing on the wellhead. After confirming, his eyes darkened.

Cheng Su stood up, looked at the heavy stone in front of him and said, "Move the stone away."

"Yes."

After receiving Cheng Su's instructions, Hong Mingxu lifted the heavy stone covering the well, and when he placed it on the ground, it made a heavy sound.

Even without looking at the bottom of the stone, the degree of wear and tear on the well alone can tell that the well is frequently used.

Cheng Su looked down into the well. It was pitch black inside and he couldn't tell how deep the well was, but he could vaguely hear the sound of water flowing in the well.

Cheng Su bent down, picked up a small stone from the side, and threw it into the cave. The splash of water was not loud.

Hong Mingxu looked at Cheng Su with heavy eyes and guessed: "It seems that the water below the wellhead is very deep. Will it be connected to Pinghai Lake?"

"possible."

Hong Mingxu looked around the courtyard and said puzzledly, "There are no buckets or ropes in this courtyard. He moves around frequently but not to get water. Could it be that... there is something else under this well?"

Cheng Su thought for a moment, holding on to the stone at the mouth of the well, leaned half of his body in, and groped along the earth wall below the well mouth. When he touched a certain place, his face became serious, and he straightened his upper body and pulled the things in the well mouth up.

But after pulling it just a little, it got stuck at the bottom.

A small part from the drag, and the texture, is a long rope.

The top is firmly fixed to the well wall.

"I didn't expect this rope to be so hidden, General. I'll go down and find out what it is."

Hong Mingxu wanted to take the rope from Cheng Su's hand, but Cheng Su did not let go. Hong Mingxu looked at Cheng Su in confusion, "General?"

Cheng Su said with a sullen face: "I will go down myself. I want to see what this murderer fox is up to."

"General, I'll go first, just in case there's a trick!"

Cheng Su looked at Jiang Lian'an who was standing beside him and said, "Didn't Detective Jiang Gui say that the murderer set off the smoke to seek justice? If that's the case, I believe he won't harm anyone, and..." Cheng Su looked at Hong Mingxu and entrusted him, "Don't worry, you stay here to guard me."

"But..." Seeing Cheng Su's insistence, Hong Mingxu took a step back and said, "I don't know what will happen down there. General, take at least one person with you."

Cheng Su glanced at the twenty or so soldiers who came. Among the twenty or so soldiers, only one was dodging. A hint of displeasure rose in Cheng Su's eyes. He pointed at the dodging soldier and said, "Let's pick him."

The soldier looked back in the direction Cheng Su pointed.

He is a soldier who has just joined the barracks.

Cui Yan.

Seeing Cui Yan dodging, Hong Mingxu shouted with displeasure: "Why are you hiding? Come here quickly!"

He Yu stepped forward and said, "Xiao Yan is still young and has just joined the barracks. He has not experienced this. I will go in his place."

"Brother He..."

Cui Yan looked at the guilty look in He Yu's eyes.

"Young people should be more experienced. On the battlefield, will the enemy show mercy just because you are young?" Hong Mingxu drew the sword at his waist and said intimidatingly: "If you disobey military orders, I can punish you according to military regulations now."

He Yu wanted to say something, but Hong Mingxu looked at He Yu and said in a deep voice: "Those who plead for mercy are guilty of the same crime."

"Brother He, Captain Hong is right. I'll go..."

Watching Cheng Su and Cui Yan go down into the well one after another, Lin Lezhi raised his eyes to look at the hole in the roof of the fire room. A hint of speculation appeared in his eyes, as if there was something he couldn't figure out.

Cheng Su walked downwards along the slippery earth wall for a quarter of an hour. He could hear the clear sound of flowing water, and the air was very cold. He must have found an underground river below.

"Stop for a moment."

"Yes, General."

Cheng Su used his legs to step on the walls on both sides to stabilize his body, then took out a fire starter from his arms.

The light from the fire stick is just enough to allow for barely enough vision.

With the help of a faint light source, Cheng Su discovered that the rope was connected to the opposite river bank wall, with a platform for walking at the other end.

"General, how's it going down there?"

Cheng Su put away the tinderbox and said, "There seems to be a path nearby. Don't move. I'll go over and take a look."

"General, the river is turbulent. What if..."

While Cui Yan was talking, the bottom end of the rope began to shake, and Cui Yan's heart tightened for a moment. When he didn't hear the sound of it falling into the water, Cui Yan finally let go of his tense heart.

A light came on, and Cui Yan mustered up the courage to look down, and found Cheng Su squatting on the ground looking at something.

"Did the General find anything?"

"There are quite a few footprints here. It looks like someone does come here often. Come down."

"Yes, General."

Following the light source, Cui Yan carefully moved slowly towards that direction, making sure that he would not fall into the water before he let go of his hand and jumped in.

"How are things down there, General? How are you—?"

It has been a while since Hong Mingxu came down from the wellhead.

"No problem, you guys wait for my news up there."

"Yes, General—!"

The two walked forward, one in front and one behind, following the footprints on the ground. They even had to bend down to pass through many places. In the dark underground river, the only sound they could hear was the water flowing beside them.

I don’t know how long I walked, but when I reached a certain place, I saw a gap on the earth wall beside me.

There is a crack between the earth walls, which is big enough for a person to pass through, and there are footprints of people walking on the ground in the crack.

Cheng Su took a fire starter and shone it inside. The crack was deep and dark, just like a wellhead. It was difficult to tell what was inside. It was like a bottomless black hole.

Looking at the dark crack, Cui Yan said with a somewhat uneasy look: "General, should we go back and bring more people down first, and then investigate again after we have discussed countermeasures?"

Cheng Su thought for a moment and said, "I'll stay here. You go back and tell them the situation here and find some people to come down. Go quickly and come back quickly."

"Yes, General!"

Half an hour had passed since the two of them went downstairs. In order to ensure Cheng Su's safety, Hong Mingxu would ask inside every half an incense stick of time.

But there was only a response when I just went down.

Hong Mingxu was pacing beside the well, obviously very anxious.

Just when Hong Mingxu was really worried and the soldiers next to him also looked uneasy and were about to send someone down, a sound came from the wellhead.