Xi Xi felt that the octopus-like water monster-like stone statue had changed, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what had changed. Perhaps its position had shifted considerably, or perhaps the direction in which its tentacles extended was different from before.

At the foot of the stone statue, the water level is extremely low. Just as it approaches the base of the statue, it is as if it has been suddenly cleaved open by an invisible giant axe, naturally forming a clearly visible underwater passage that extends along the riverbed into the depths of the earth.

The water flowing on both sides of the road seemed to have hit an invisible, solid wall, and had to detour, separating itself from the stone statue in a very unnatural way.

Xi Xi stepped into the passage first, followed closely by Shaliman, with Chu Zhiqin bringing up the rear. Each of the three performed their assigned tasks, their eyes scanning their surroundings warily.

This winding path leading directly underground is remarkably smooth, with each step echoing the sounds of history and the rhythm of nature, the continuous sound of footsteps clearly audible.

As they ventured deeper, the surrounding light grew increasingly dim.

Knowing this, Sallyman took out a Radiant Lollipop from her pocket, following the pre-arranged rule of taking turns lighting the lights.

And so they slowly made their way through the mysterious tunnel, the only sounds being the soft footsteps and breathing of each other.

Time passed second by second, and finally, after turning the last bend, the view ahead suddenly opened up—the end of the tunnel appeared before their eyes.

A cellar door suddenly appeared before them. This door was completely different from the surrounding scenery, simple and solemn, clearly an entrance.

In front of the cellar door, there was a cleverly placed stone trough. It was not an ordinary object, but was carved from a rare dark stone with a smooth, mirror-like surface that reflected a faint light.

If you listen carefully, you can hear a thin stream flowing into the stone trough. The water is crystal clear and its source is unknown. It flows quietly, making a series of tinkling sounds.

Xi Xi stepped forward and examined the shape of the stone trough, then compared it with the magnetic mechanism box in Shaliman's hand. Sure enough, the two were the perfect size!

The magnetic mechanism box must be the key to opening the cellar door!

"However, it's already very late..." Chu Zhiqin reminded her softly, unable to help but feel a little worried.

If there is another very long new road behind the cellar door, they may become exhausted because they don't have time to sleep.

Xi Xi, who had originally wanted to continue exploring, instantly calmed down and pondered for a few seconds.

Indeed, as Chu Zhiqin said, even if you drink functional coffee, you can't completely give up sleep.

The paths in the sewers are of varying widths and cannot be fixed, making it impossible to deploy a vehicle using a vehicle talisman at any time. If their exploration cannot be stopped, they cannot simply sleep on the ground—that would be too dangerous…

"How about this, let's go back to sleep first and meet up early tomorrow morning." Xi Xi looked at Shaliman and Chu Zhiqin. "Anyway, the mechanism box is in our hands, and opening this door is only a matter of time, so there's no need to rush it."

A short while later, Chu Zhiqin and Xi Xi returned to their RV.

Today, their clothes inevitably got dirty, so Xi Xi used a cleaning talisman to clean both of their clothes.

When Chu Zhiqin came out of the washroom and bent her arm to straighten her collar, Xi Xi noticed that her mother's actions seemed a little strange, and an odd feeling welled up in her heart.

"Mom, what happened to your arm?" Xi Xi stopped tidying the bed and stood up to ask.

Upon hearing her daughter's question, Chu Zhiqin's eyes immediately darted away, as if some secret had been exposed. She appeared extremely flustered, hurriedly reaching for her collar and repeatedly saying, "N-nothing! It's really nothing!"

However, her extremely unnatural demeanor and movements had already betrayed her, so how could Xi Xi not see it?

Without saying a word, she quickly walked to her mother's side and rolled up Chu Zhiqin's sleeve without further ado.

Chu Zhiqin's arm was covered in red swelling, looking particularly shocking. Xi Xi remained calm, gently pressing around the injured area to inquire about the degree of pain Chu Zhiqin was experiencing, in order to assess the severity of the injury.

"Hiss..." Xi's mother couldn't help but gasp. She gritted her teeth, her face turned ashen, and beads of sweat quickly appeared on her forehead, sliding down her cheeks.

"It could be a sprain or a muscle strain, but judging from the current situation, the bones shouldn't be seriously injured." Xi Xi frowned, then let out a long sigh and said, "When did you get injured?"

She looked at her mother's arm, which was swollen like a steamed bun, and saw large red patches at the joints, indicating that it had suffered a considerable injury.

Seeing that she could not hide it from her daughter, Chu Zhiqin told her the whole story of the violent impact that Fishing King had suffered.

She then tried to move her arm as Xi Xi had instructed, but the pain forced her to give up.

With no available medications on hand, Xi Xi could only take out the safflower oil she had stocked up at the convenience store.

She unscrewed the bottle cap, poured some into her palm, and gently applied it to her mother's sprained area, massaging it lightly in the hope of relieving some of the pain.

After treating her mother's injuries, Xi Xi quickly told Chu Zhiqin to go to sleep as soon as possible. She reached out and turned off the night light, plunging the carriage into darkness.

Xi Xi didn't fall asleep immediately. She quietly opened the light screen, entered the trading hall, and began searching for ointments that could treat sprains and muscle strains.

To her disappointment, she searched the entire transaction page but could not find this urgently needed medicine.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!