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

"Even if there's not enough time, we have to do it. We'll do as much as we can. This is a feat that will benefit the present and future generations." Xu Zize's voice was filled with a desperate determination. "But four years is too short. The river channel to be dug is more than a thousand miles long, and there are countless dangerous peaks to be cut through. The money and manpower consumed will probably empty the national treasury several times over."

Jing Chunxi suddenly realized: "So Brother Xiaokang is in a hurry to see if there is any money hidden in the secret passage?" He remembered that he had urged him many times before but was stopped by him. Now he took the initiative to come at dawn, which shows how critical the situation is.

"If we can't find enough gold and silver here, we'll have to use the secret treasures that the Emperor has hidden beneath the Daqing Mountains." Xu Zize said in a heavy tone, "Father has been sleepless nights over this, feeling incompetent. Using the Emperor's savings so early is truly unfilial, and he's also worried about damaging the foundation of the country."

"Since this is for the sake of saving the people, the Emperor's spirit in heaven will surely understand." Jing Chunxi held his slightly cold hand, trying to comfort him. "If it's still not enough, I have those things that you can always find a reason to use slowly."

Xu Zize shook his head and sighed, "Such a massive project is unprecedented. Even the detailed regulations haven't been drafted yet. How can a mere space of gold and silver possibly fill it?" He raised his hand to smooth her hair back, his tone slowing, "Let's just take it one step at a time. Brother Xiaokang doesn't hold out much hope either."

The two men finally arrived in front of the door-shaped, pitch-black mechanism, one after the other. Xu Zize carefully stretched out his fingers and touched the cold surface. The touch from his fingertips was unusually smooth.

He spread out his palm and looked at it carefully against the firelight. There were only a few specks of dust on his palm. It was strange that this mechanism buried deep underground could remain so clean.

Looking closely at it in the flickering flames, the surface of the mechanism was emitting a dark metallic luster. The fine steel material had not shown any signs of rust after years of use, as if it had just been cast yesterday.

Xu Zize handed the torch to Jing Chunxi, placed his hands on the protrusion of the mechanism, and tried to push leftward. His arm muscles instantly tensed, but the mechanism remained motionless, as if embedded in the wall. He took a deep breath and exerted his strength again. Veins in his forehead bulged, and even his shoulder blades creaked slightly, but the dark iron lump remained as steady as a rock.

"Try the right side." Jing Chunxi had barely finished his words when Xu Zize changed direction and began to push again. He pushed against the ground with his feet, twisting his waist, and the fabric rustled as he tried left and right. But no matter how he changed the angle, the mechanism remained unresponsive.

"Would it be necessary to trigger other mechanisms at the same time?" Jing Chunxi asked, placing her warm palm on the back of Xu Zize's hand. Their knuckles turned white from the combined force, but the mechanism remained dormant. She looked at his sweat-soaked forehead, her tone hesitant.

"Let's look again." Xu Zize wiped the sweat from his forehead and took the lead, torch in hand, to examine the dark room. The light flickered across the mottled walls, and the two of them carefully examined even the moss between the cracks in the stone. They retreated to the dark passage and tapped on every brick and stone to listen, but in the end, they still found nothing.

Xu Zize stood in front of the mechanism again. This time, he simply took off his outer robe and tucked it around his waist. The clothes were quickly soaked with sweat. He changed his posture, sometimes leaning forward and lowering his waist, sometimes leaning sideways and elbowing. His panting was particularly clear in the silent dark room, but the monster made of fine steel refused to yield.

"Brother Xiaokang, let me do it!" Jing Chunxi stretched out his hand eagerly.

"It's no use." Xu Zize was about to stop him when the torch was already shoved back into his hand. He hurriedly held the torch high, his other hand resting on the girl's side. Jing Chunxi imitated him, trying left and right, and finally turning away in frustration, her hair disheveled and plastered to her sweat-soaked cheeks.

She pulled the corners of her mouth helplessly at Xu Zize, her outstretched hands trembling slightly, and she fell backwards as if exhausted, trying to rest against the wall.

"Ding... Ding Ling Ling... Crunch...!" The sudden crisp sound startled Xu Zize's pupils and made them shrink. He stretched out his long arm and pulled Jing Chunxi behind him, his clothes stirring up a gust of wind as he quickly retreated a few steps.

In the flickering firelight, the stone wall that was originally tightly closed was slowly cracking, and the creaking sound of the twisting iron chains echoed in the enclosed space.

The gap gradually expanded from the thickness of a hair to the width of a fist, and finally stopped at a width wide enough for two people to stand shoulder to shoulder. All sounds stopped abruptly.

"Let's go in and take a look." Jing Chunxi raised her foot and was about to step forward, but Xu Zize firmly grasped her wrist. "Xi'er is waiting outside." He pressed the torch into her hand, his tone unquestionable.

Jing Chunxi softened his voice and argued again: "I have space to keep torches ready, so I can deal with any traps I encounter." But the torch eventually returned to his hand, and he gently pushed him back.

Fearing she might snatch it, Xu Zize quickly dodged through the doorway, raising his hand to signal her to stop. He stood two steps inside the door, torch in hand. The flickering flames cast a slightly swaying shadow on the wall, and Jing Chunxi watched him nervously.

After carefully looking around, he took a half step to the right, then turned to the left to observe intently. When the same crisp "ding" sound rang out again, Jing Chunxi almost rushed into the door.

"Don't come in!" Xu Zize's voice was soothing, "Brother Xiaokang, try opening and closing it from the inside." Just when the stone door was completely closed, Jing Chunxi couldn't wait any longer and put out his hand to hold the doorstop, and the door began to open again.

When the gap was just big enough for her to pass sideways, she slipped into the door like a swimming fish, and the two of them immediately hugged each other tightly. They could feel each other's violent heartbeat and trembling shoulders, as if they had lost something and then found it again, as if they had survived a disaster.