In the novel "Joy of Life," the protagonist wakes up at Li Chengze's residence.

At this moment, the two had already reached the bottom of the stairs.

Xie Bi'an was waiting downstairs when he saw the two chatting happily, and he guessed what was going on.

After all, Li Chengze arranged for him and Fan Wujiu to do all these paper contracts.

(These things were just too troublesome to do... so Fan Wujiu did them all himself.)

Furthermore, judging from His Highness's attitude towards Tao Jingyang these past few days...

Your Highness is tempted. / (Eating melon seeds while holding a sword)

Xie Bi'an had followed Li Chengze for many years and had never seen him like any woman.

Of course, I've never been in love with a man.

Xie Bi'an carried the wooden box that His Highness had tossed to him, a slight smile on his face, as he walked out, thinking to himself:

[Now His Highness has someone in his heart; he is no longer alone.]

As Xie Bi'an's figure disappeared into the night, Li Chengze revealed a mysterious smile and led her into a seemingly ordinary room.

In the very center of the room, there was only a soft couch with a hollowed-out wooden backrest.

A carpet was laid on the floor behind the tatami mat, and on the wall behind it, a floor-standing wooden display shelf was embedded.

The center is empty, with a circular calligraphy or painting hanging there.

There were a few decorative items scattered on the shelf, nothing particularly special about them.

"You mean... you're going to lead me through the secret passage?" Tao Jingyang asked him in disbelief.

Li Chengze tapped her nose and said softly with a smile, "That's right."

My private passage leads to the Prince's palace.

As he spoke, he tried to walk to the mechanism to open the hidden door.

Tao Jingyang watched his movements and pulled him back: "This is something that can save your life, you shouldn't have told me."

Li Chengze stared at her intently, his eyes clear and bright.

She uttered softly, "I believe you."

Then I rotated the second-to-last row of the shelf, the third ornament from the left, half a circle counterclockwise and one and a half circles clockwise.

As it rotates, a faint mechanical sound is heard.

"Click..." A small door, taller than a person, popped open from the back wall on the right, where a flowerpot stand was placed.

The secret passage was pitch black, like a colossal beast crouching in front of you from the abyss.

It can only be seen that it is a staircase leading downwards, but it is impossible to tell how deep it is.

There is a saying:

One should not enter a temple alone, two people should not look into a well, three people should not hug a tree, and one should not lean on a railing alone.

Based on modern experience, following someone into a secret passage that you are completely unfamiliar with is a very "dangerous" thing.

[But... if it's Li Chengze, then it's fine.]

Tao Jingyang followed Li Chengze into the secret passage.

"Is this secret passage a straight path?" The stairs weren't very long, and we soon reached the bottom, where the "straight path" mode was activated.

It's alright. In straight-ahead mode, two people can walk side by side, and it's a two-way road.

Li Chengze held up the torch he had just taken from the secret passage, the firelight illuminating their faces.

He said, "No, these secret passages connect to several of my other strongholds."

"Is it far?" Tao Jingyang asked, trying to make conversation.

"It's not far. If it's too far, the workload will be enormous. If we do it inside Kyoto, it will definitely be discovered."

Li Chengze said honestly.

Tao Jingyang looked ahead; the road ahead was still extremely narrow and pitch black.

It seems like there's no end to the journey, no end to the sights.

If she were to walk this path alone, I wonder if she would feel a sense of "despair".

She looked at the road and felt a strange sense of familiarity.

Is this the path that Li Chengze is taking?

She suddenly took Li Chengze's arm, and the latter paused.

He noticed that Tao Jingyang seemed preoccupied ever since he entered the secret passage.

Is he afraid of the dark?

Thinking back, I realized I hadn't noticed her fear of the dark, and I couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

Just as he was about to speak to comfort her, Tao Jingyang spoke.

"Li Chengze, have you ever thought about leaving Kyoto one day and seeing the outside world?"

......