Ruizhu is very likely still in Shixi Building!

This deduction invigorated both Nan Xian and Huo Shaoying. The latter excitedly stood up and paced a few steps before quickly regaining her composure. She methodically instructed the guards, "Two people keep an eye on Linghu Sheng, two people guard the main gate, and the rest of you come with me to find the secret passage!"

Upon hearing this, Qi Maojin rolled his eyes. He raised his hand and asked, "Sir, can I go home now?" Fearing that Huo Shaoying would disagree, he quickly added, "I swear I will never tell anyone about what happened here. I... I didn't come here today, and I didn't see anything!"

Huo Shaoying naturally guessed his little scheme—Qi Maojin was a fence-sitter. He was only being subservient to Huo Shaoying and the others because he was using the First Leader's influence, but he didn't want to offend any faction. His decision to leave now was to distance himself from them.

She despised sycophants more than anything in her life, so how could she possibly let him have his way?

Huo Shaoying glanced back at him, then coldly pointed, "Keep a close eye on him too. If he dares to make any moves, knock him out."

Nan Xian almost burst out laughing when she heard the last half of the sentence.

Qi Maojin wanted to say something more, but the guards covered his mouth.

Since he was still nominally the younger brother of the first leader, the guards couldn't just tie him up like they did with Linghu Sheng, and they were also afraid he would cause trouble, so they simply locked him in a birdcage.

Qi Maojin gripped the birdcage bars with both hands, watching them walk away with a mournful face.

**

Shixi Building has been renovated many times. During the previous renovation, the previous owner spent a lot of money to add a very rare material to the walls. This material is often used to make protective magic items and has the function of concealing one's aura. This measure was mainly to prevent people with ulterior motives from identifying the guests in the private rooms by their aura.

Therefore, Huo Shaoying could not determine who was trapped where, and could only search through each secret passage.

The secret passage collapsed after Linghu Sheng launched his attack. Logically, the closer to the center of the attack, the more severe the collapse. Combined with what Qi Maojin said, they quickly determined the approximate area where people might be hiding, and three secret passages were the focus of their search.

They split into three groups and entered the secret passage from different private rooms on the fourth floor. Nan Xian and Huo Shaoying went together, and sure enough, they saw pieces of the wall on the ground not far away. The further they went in, the more pieces there were. After walking about ten meters and turning a corner, the passage in front of them was completely blocked by the collapsed wall.

The guards began digging with tools they found in the storeroom, while Nan Xian and Huo Shaoying waited on the side.

Seeing that they were all digging with brute force, Nan Xian couldn't help but wonder, "Why not use magic? Wouldn't magic save more time?"

Huo Shaoying led her to a completely intact wall that had not been affected by the fire. A glint of light appeared at her fingertips, transforming into a palm-sized knife. She gripped the handle and stabbed it into the wall.

The moment the blade pierced the wall, a layer of golden light with faint runes suddenly appeared on the wall, very similar to the protective shield that had previously covered Nan Xian.

She pulled out the knife, and the mark left on the wall shrank rapidly, like a healing wound, until it disappeared completely.

The golden light dissipated, and the wall remained intact.

Nan Xian was stunned.

Huo Shaoying explained, "The secret passage of Shixi Tower was specially prepared for high-ranking officials and nobles. Just to set up this stable formation, it took several big shots in the cultivation world half of their life's work. So even if the core of the formation is destroyed by Linghu Sheng and the secret passage collapses, the formation's effectiveness will still remain, and ordinary spells cannot cause it any damage."

Nan Xian suddenly realized: "No wonder there has been no movement from inside even after so long—minor spells are useless against this formation, and judging from the current state of the collapsed passage, using powerful spells would likely make things worse. The best thing to do when trapped in a place like this is to stay calm and wait for rescue."

Huo Shaoying nodded. She looked at the guards who were digging enthusiastically, her brow furrowed slightly, and a look of worry appeared on her face.

Upon learning that Ruizhu was most likely still inside Shixi Building, she was overjoyed, but when she actually saw the collapse, she hoped that Ruizhu had already been taken out...

At the very least, regardless of who released the butterflies or what faction they belonged to, since they were able to meticulously orchestrate this situation, they must have intended to use Ruizhu—

As long as she has any use, Ruizhu will not be in any danger.