Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

Underground rivers and a maze of branching paths.

The icy river water soaked up to their calves, and Qian Ming and Mu Tou struggled through the undercurrent.

All around him was absolute darkness, with only a faint tinder stick in Mu's hand, soaked in a special grease and capable of burning for only a few moments, providing a pitiful halo of light, illuminating the slippery, hideous rock face and the unfathomable passage ahead. The sound of water echoed loudly in the empty cave, and every step was a step into the terrifying unknown.

Qian Ming was panting heavily, his voice was particularly clear in the narrow passage, with unconcealable anxiety: "Mu Tou, how long will it take? It's so winding... I feel like we've been walking for almost an hour! If we delay any longer..." He didn't dare to think about the consequences.

The huge wooden body was like a moving iron tower, clearing the way ahead. He lowered his voice, his tone equally serious: "It's almost there! According to the route I found out before, we should have gone straight in. But didn't we just run into that group of bad guys? Twenty or so armored soldiers, rushing in would be suicide! We can only take a long detour and spend more effort, which is better than running into gunfire!" He pushed away a piece of driftwood that was blocking the way.

"But time waits for no one!" Qian Ming's voice trembled, "I have been delayed for too long to control the gate! If... if Brother Dahai has already found the entrance and exit mechanism on the ground, and we haven't reached the meeting point yet... Young Master and the others are still in Gaoyang Tower... then..." He didn't dare to say any more, as if he had already seen the terrible scene of Zhang Jingwei being surrounded.

"What?!" Mu Tou stopped abruptly, his massive body creating a splash of water. He turned abruptly, leaving only the light of the tinder stick illuminating his face, which had instantly become ferocious and furious. His copper-bell-like eyes glared at Qian Ming, and he growled in a low voice, "Young Master is here too?! Damn Wang Ergou! He told me in person that Young Master wouldn't be participating in this operation! How could you let Young Master take this risk?!"

Qian Ming was startled by his sudden outburst of rage and quickly explained, "Mu Tou, calm down! Er Gou... Er Gou is just worried that you'll worry and get impulsive! You know the young master's temper, and his decisions..."

"Are you afraid that I'll worry?! Afraid that I'll act impulsively?!" Mu Tou interrupted him rudely, his voice slightly hoarse from trying to control himself. "You...you didn't stop him?! What are we? We're just a bunch of chopping block! Even if we die, we'll just have a scar the size of a bowl! But the young master...the young master is a scholar! He's our backbone! An official appointed by the court! If...if anything happens to him..."

Qian Ming felt a mixture of emotions as he observed the unfeigned fear and loyalty in Mu Tou's eyes. He patted Mu Tou's muscular arm and said gravely, "Alas! There's no point in saying this now! Since the young master is already trapped, our only chance of survival is to risk our lives to get there on time! We must hurry!" He glanced at the despairing darkness surrounding them. "Speaking of which... how did you find your way in this pitch black? You didn't even dare to light a torch."

Mu Tou took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and pointed to the wet rock wall beside him: "Lean on this." As the faint light of his tinder stick moved, Qian Ming was surprised to discover that on certain specific areas of the rock wall near the waterline, there were actually some extremely tiny spots emitting a faint green or light blue light! They were like stars in the dark, although faint, but they appeared extremely clear in the absolute darkness, extending forward intermittently.

"Fireflies?!" Qian Ming's eyes widened as he took a closer look. "How could there be fireflies on this stone wall?"

Mu Tou shook his head, his tone full of confusion: "I don't know whether it is some kind of insect or the stone that can glow. Anyway, I have been hiding in this rat hole for several days, relying on these 'guide lights' to remember the way. After turning two more corners, we should reach the 'three-way intersection', which is where we agreed to meet. I guess I can meet that bastard Wang Ergou, or Captain Yang." He still gritted his teeth when he mentioned Wang Ergou.

The two of them said no more. Following the faint but resolute glow of fireflies on the rock wall, they quickened their pace as they waded through the icy river. The oppressive sound of water and footsteps echoed in the cave like a death-dealing drumbeat.

Just as they were approaching the first bend, Qian Ming suddenly pulled Mu Tou's arm, his voice very low and with a hint of nervousness: "Mu Tou! There is light... in front! It's not a firefly, it's the light of a torch!" A swaying, dim halo of light, obviously from an artificial light source, was projected from the rock wall at the corner ahead.

Mu Tou's eyes flashed, and he instantly entered hunting mode. He immediately extinguished the remaining tinder in his hand, his massive body pressed against the cold rock wall at the corner, like a giant beast blending into the shadows. "Don't worry," he gestured to Qian Ming behind him, his voice barely a whisper, "I'll put him down once he turns this corner."

The sound of heavy footsteps, mixed with the gentle scraping of metal armor, grew clearer as they approached. Clearly, there was only one person on the other side. The flickering firelight cast a swaying shadow on the rock wall, drawing closer and closer...

Finally, a head with an iron helmet and an arm holding a torch appeared from the corner!

Just at this moment!

The wood moved! Fast as a ghost! His giant hands, like palm-leaf fans, thrust out with tremendous force, like a giant python hunting its prey, lightning fast! One hand covered the man's mouth and nose with incredible precision, while the other gripped the man's neck like a pair of pliers, ready to twist it off!

"Ugh!" The attacker was caught off guard and only let out a short, muffled groan as he struggled violently. But how could he resist the terrifying power of the wood?

However, at this moment of life and death!

An extremely familiar voice, filled with panic and disbelief, was squeezed out from the covered mouth: "It's me! It's me!"

Mu Tou's whole body trembled, and the strength in his hands stopped instantly! Qian Ming also widened his eyes in astonishment!

Mu Tou suddenly dragged the man into the range of the torchlight, and took a look in the light of the fire - the face distorted by suffocation and fear was actually Wang Ergou!

"Ergou?!" Mu Tou was shocked and angry, and subconsciously let go of his hand.

Wang Ergou gasped for air like a fish out of water, bent over and coughing violently. It took him a long time to recover. His face was pale and frightened, and he pointed at Mu Tou and cursed, "Cough cough... cough cough... Mu Tou! You're going to strangle me to death!"

Qian Ming also rushed forward, looking at Wang Ergou in confusion, then glanced behind him warily: "Ergou? That's not right! Why are you coming this way? Aren't you in charge of the right gate? According to Fang Yue's map and plan, the meeting point should be in front of you. We have to meet Yang Zhao who is going through the middle gate first before we can get around to your side!"

Wang Ergou took a deep breath, but the look of shock on his face hadn't subsided. Instead, it had become even more solemn and... fearful. He waved his hand, his voice trembling slightly, his eyes warily scanning the dark path. "Don't mention it. I went through the right gate... It's also closed... But... But just now, when I was heading towards the meeting point... I saw someone!" He paused, as if trying to form his words, his eyes filled with confusion and fear. "Uh... I'm not sure... Is that... Is that a person?"

Qian Ming's heart tightened: "What nonsense is this? If it's not a human, then what is it..."

"Shh!" Wang Ergou suddenly raised his index finger to his lips, silencing them. His expression was extremely serious, and his voice was even lowered: "Don't ask yet! This damn place has too much echo! Try not to talk! The most urgent thing is to find Yang Zhao quickly! I feel...something is a little wrong!"

Qian Ming looked at Wang Ergou's genuinely frightened expression, and a chill ran down his spine. He immediately realized the gravity of the situation: three gates: left, center, and right. Qian Ming would take the left, Wang Ergou the right, and Yang Zhao the center. Theoretically, Yang Zhao should have reached the meeting point first, or Qian Ming and Wang Ergou should have encountered Yang Zhao, who was in the center, on their way to the meeting point! But now, the left and right groups, the least likely to meet first, had run into each other in a passageway far from the meeting point!

"No, no!" Qian Ming's voice was also filled with tension. "Logically, we should have met Yang Zhao before we met you! Where is he?!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ergou's face turned pale. He suddenly looked towards the middle passage, his eyes filled with foreboding: "If that's the case... where are they?!"

The three of them looked at each other, a strong sense of unease instantly gripping them. Deep within the dark cave, it seemed as if countless pairs of eyes were lurking, staring coldly at them.

---

Underground river, middle gate area.

Icy water washed over the rocks. Yang Zhao clutched the back of his head, aching, and struggled to sit up from the icy shallow water. He was soaked to the skin, and the biting cold made him shiver uncontrollably, his consciousness still hazy.

"Ugh..." He shook his head, trying to dispel the dizziness and buzzing in his head. Memories flooded back like fragments—he had successfully controlled the middle gate and was about to steer the boat to the rendezvous point... Suddenly! A sharp pain ripped through the back of his head! He didn't even get a clear look at his attacker before his vision went black and he fell into the water...

He suddenly looked up at the gate - the nets and mechanisms he had carefully arranged were still intact, but... the small boat he tied to the rock next to it was gone!

He touched his waist again - the tools, sheepskin bag, and armor were all gone!

"It's bad! It's bad!" Yang Zhao's heart sank to the bottom of the valley, a huge sense of panic and despair gripping him! He struggled to his feet and looked around. There was nothing but the cold, rushing river, the horrible rocks, and the boundless darkness. The attackers took away his only means of transportation and important equipment, but spared his life? Why? To trap him? Or...something else?

He was trapped at the gate! Ahead was the impassable net he had set up, and behind him lay the unfathomable dark waterway. Without his boat, he couldn't move forward! And time was ticking away! Over there with Zhang Jingwei... Ergou and Qian Ming... Yang Zhao felt a chill of helplessness.

---

There was wind and rain on the outer wall of Gaoyang Tower.

The big raindrops hit the vermilion outer wall of Gaoyang Building with a crackling sound, instantly soaking Liang Dahai like a drowned rat.

He had just climbed into this narrow mezzanine from the third-floor window, risking being smashed to pieces like a gecko. Now, he leaned against the cold wall, gasping for breath, his heart pounding.

The mezzanine was pitch black, pitch dark, with only the occasional flash of lightning outside briefly illuminating the narrow, dusty, and cobweb-covered space. Liang Dahai groped the walls, trying to find the "up and down stairs" or the entrance to the trap marked on Fang Yue's map. However, after a long search, he found only cold, hard, solid wooden walls on both sides, and the road ahead seemed to be a dead end! He felt like he had entered a sealed pipe!

"Damn it... Impossible..." Liang Dahai wiped the rain and sweat from his face and cursed softly. Fang Yue's map couldn't be wrong, and Ge Dabao's confession also mentioned a staircase on the mezzanine. Could it be... the entrance was sealed?

He refused to give up. He simply squatted down and pulled out his ingenious hand-cranked drill and several specially made drill bits. He chose a relatively secluded spot near a corner, pointed the drill at the wooden floor, and began to crank the handle vigorously.

"Zizi... Zizizi..." The sharp sound of drilling wood was particularly piercing in the narrow mezzanine! Liang Dahai's heart was in his throat, fearing that the sound would attract the guards. He drilled very slowly, trying to minimize the noise.

Finally, the drill bit penetrated the thick floor! Liang Dahai immediately stopped, carefully approached the small hole, held his breath, and put his eyes close to it.

There is light below!

Although it was faint, it was definitely the light of a lamp! Moreover, through the small hole, he vaguely saw... there seemed to be a similar mezzanine space below, but it was not a dead end!

It was quite a commotion; if there were people down there, they would have noticed it long ago! But there was complete silence below, with only the sounds of wind and rain coming from even lower down.

Liang Dahai gritted his teeth and decided to take the risk! He quickly used tools to enlarge the drill hole into a round hole large enough for his body to pass through. He peered down and saw that the floor of the mezzanine below was about ten feet (more than three meters).

The wind and rain outside intensified, lashing the air with rainwater, making it nearly impossible for Liang Dahai to stand. He took a deep breath, grasped the edge of the hole with both hands, and lowered his legs first, then his entire body slowly down...

"Crack!" A rotten wooden board under his feet suddenly broke! His body sank suddenly!

"Oh my god!" Liang Dahai was terrified! At the critical moment, his arms erupted with incredible strength, clinging tightly to the edge of the cave! His entire body was suspended in mid-air, swinging like a pendulum! This previous blow had truly frightened him to the point of breaking out in a sweat!

He calmed himself down, gritted his teeth, and moved his body little by little, looking for a new foothold. Finally, he landed safely in the mezzanine below.

After landing on solid ground, he gasped for air, his heart still pounding. He looked around—this mezzanine was clearly different! Small oil lamps were embedded in the walls at intervals, emitting a dim light that was enough to illuminate the path! More importantly, he saw it! At one end of the mezzanine, a narrow, steep wooden staircase led down!

Liang Dahai's mind suddenly lit up! Combining the scene he saw while drilling just now with his current position, he slapped his thigh and instantly figured out the key!

"I get it! This damn building!" he growled.

The 'third floor' window I climbed through earlier wasn't even the third floor! This Gaoyang Building looks like a three-story building from the outside, but it's actually been renovated into a five-story building! There are two mezzanines hidden in the middle! The place I just crawled down from was the mezzanine on the fourth floor (which looked like the second floor from the outside)! Now I'm on the mezzanine on the third floor (which looked like the first and a half floors from the outside)! And the mezzanine with the stairs mentioned in Fang Yue's map and confession is right here!"

"This staircase goes down further..." Liang Dahai's gaze was directed towards the end of the deep and deep staircase, his eyes flashing with brilliance. This was the place where Shitou had accidentally escaped before! This was the real entrance to the underground cave!

He finally found it! Liang Dahai suppressed his excitement, clenched his fists, crouched down, and quietly sneaked towards the stairs leading down. The wind and rain outside the building seemed to be even more violent.