An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

Jing Chunxi originally thought that the entrance to the mechanism would be at the bottom of the rockery as usual. However, she was wrong.

The entrance to the mechanism is actually at the base of the wall behind the rockery. It is overgrown with weeds and a dense bush. The weeds and branches are intertwined, covering the entrance tightly. If there is no one leading the way, it cannot be found at all.

The entrance door was already open. It wasn't big, only about three or four feet square. Jing Chunxi stood there and looked down. He saw a number of steps below. They were made of bluestone, and the steps were covered with moss, making them a little slippery.

The light below was not a dim oil lamp, but some flickering flames. The flames danced in the darkness, giving people a mysterious and weird feeling.

"Prince, just sit tight on the boat. There are people pulling the rope over there, so don't be afraid." The man in black said as he led Jing Chunxi and Xu Zize down the stairs.

"Be careful, your feet will slip." The man in black's voice was low and powerful.

After walking down five or six steps, the man in black pulled out two torches from somewhere, lit one, and handed it to Xu Zize. The flames of the torches burned in the darkness, making a crackling sound. The light reflected on the man's face, making him look particularly resolute.

The black-clad man held another torch in his hand and matched it with the torch in Xu Zize's hand. Soon, both torches were burning brightly, and the surroundings suddenly became brighter.

Only then did Jing Chunxi see the surrounding environment clearly. The walls of the passage were also made of blue bricks and stones. There were some water droplets hanging on the stone walls, making them look a little damp.

The man in black handed the fire starter in his hand to Xu Zize and said, "The river is too dark and there may be bats. If the torch goes out, you must light it in time." There was a hint of seriousness in his tone, obviously reminding them to be careful in the upcoming journey.

Xu Zize took the fire starter and nodded to show that he understood.

The three of them walked down the narrow steps for dozens of steps and reached the flat ground.

After walking a few dozen steps straight ahead and descending another twenty or thirty steps, I finally saw the boat. I also saw the light of the fire that had been burning in the cave. It was a pile of seven or eight pieces of firewood stacked together.

The boat was truly tiny, more than half the size of a typical fishing boat. Using the torchlight, they discovered that the so-called underground river was actually a man-made ditch lined with stone slabs. The ditch was barely wider than the boat.

At this time, the water in the ditch was rushing rapidly, making a "rushing" sound, but the water was very shallow. The water was still pushing in from the outside. The boat was shaken by the impact of the water and began to sway from side to side, as if it would capsize at any moment.

Jing Chunxi held Xu Zize's hand tightly, feeling a little nervous. However, Xu Zize seemed very calm. He also held Jing Chunxi's hand tightly, giving her courage and confidence.

The man in black said, "Sir, we have to wait a little longer. From the moment you entered the garden, the gates over there will be opened after the signal from the front yard. We should have to wait another half a cup of tea."

As he spoke, he squatted down and pointed to a red mark on a nearby stone. He said, "Only when the water reaches this mark can we sail."

The red mark is a thick line drawn on the stone with red paint, which looks very eye-catching.

The man in black stood up and said, "Someone has to guard outside. I'll go up first. Don't be afraid, my lord and my lady." After saying that, he flew out and disappeared on the steps in a moment.

Before Jing Chunxi could even thank him, the man had already vanished without a trace. However, Jing Chunxi could see that this man's Qinggong skills were not inferior to hers, and he was agile and skilled.

The water flowed in faster than they had imagined. Neither of them said anything, but just watched and waited quietly.

After a while, the boat completely floated up, its swinging from side to side much less. The water just covered the red mark, and within a short while, the water stopped coming in. Jing Chunxi and Xu Zize exchanged a glance, both breathing a sigh of relief, knowing they could now board the boat.

They didn't rush to board the boat, waiting until the water was completely calm and the boat was just shaking. Xu Zize then pulled Jing Chunxi forward a few steps and stepped onto the stone slabs beside the underground river. The two of them stood face to face, right in the middle of the boat.

Xu Zize stepped onto the boat with one foot first, and the boat didn't even shake. Xu Zize switched to holding Jing Chunxi's right hand with his left hand, and gently supported her waist with his right hand and pushed her to the left: "Slow down, put one foot on first."

Jing Chunxi carefully lifted his right foot and stepped gently onto the boat. Both of them used some Qinggong to keep their bodies steady on the boat without it shaking much.

"Xi'er, sit down slightly to the right, don't be afraid." Xu Zize himself sat slightly to the left of the center, raised his hand, and grabbed the small iron ring hanging under the rope. He tried to pull it a few times, then put his hand down.

It was then that Jing Chunxi noticed that at regular intervals in the river channel in front of the net, an iron hook protruded from the wall, precisely holding the rope hanging above it, keeping it at the same height and preventing it from falling into the water. These hooks looked sturdy, clearly carefully designed to ensure the safety of the boat.

The two men sat facing each other for a while until they saw the rope above their heads move. Xu Zize grabbed the iron ring again. As the rope was pulled, the boat slowly moved forward in the water.

The torch that had just been passed to Jing Chunxi was also grabbed by Xu Zize's other hand. He stared at Jing Chunxi, who was less than two feet away from him and said, "Do you have a veil hat? If you do, put it on. Where there is water, there should be bugs."

After he reminded him, Jing Chunxi finally thought of this move. He took out two pink veiled hats from the space. Xu Zize frowned, somewhat resistant to the color, and quickly shook his head and said, "Brother Xiaokang, don't use them."

Although Xu Zize was somewhat reluctant, Jing Chunxi would not indulge him. She put a veiled hat on his head first, with the gauze curtain lowered, so that only his two eyes could be seen. It looked a bit funny, regardless of gender, but Jing Chunxi did not laugh, because she knew that this was not the time to joke.

Actually, there was a black hood in the space, but Jing Chunxi didn't take it out because he wanted to play a prank and see how he would react. Besides, the hood that fits tightly to the face is not easy to use. You have to let your hair down and tie it up first, which is very troublesome.

The man in black had already said there would be bats, and there were definitely mosquitoes and poisonous insects in the dark underground, and snakes were also common. The old patriarch had said that the underground river had been almost unused since it was built, so who knew what was living in it?

The boat can only move forward about ten steps at most. When it passes the iron hook, it has to change to another small iron ring before it can continue moving forward.

The cave entrance became short and small. It was only wide enough for a small boat, and if you weren't careful, it would hit the wall. Jing Chunxi felt the cave entrance was too low, and he kept subconsciously bending down and lowering his head.

Xu Zize said with a smile, "Don't be afraid, Xi'er. I'm not that short. I can sit up straight. Look at the iron rings I'm holding. They're all higher than my head."

Jing Chunxi looked up and saw that the iron ring was indeed quite high. She then realized that her judgment had been wrong. She straightened up and calmed down.