Since the situation inside the gate was unknown, after discussing with Han Mengyao, Ji Qian decided to divide the people in the team into pairs and connect them with ropes around their waists to prevent anyone from being left alone.
Xu Qi, holding the rope, instinctively wanted to move closer to Ji Qian, but saw Ji Qian raise her hand and take the rope from Wang Yingying's hand.
Xu Qi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized what was happening and naturally handed the rope in his hand to Ying Xu beside him.
After successfully binding herself to Wang Yingying, Ji Qian winked at Earl Lanruer, signaling him to step forward and open the wooden door.
Although he was already beyond dead, Count Lanruer was still somewhat apprehensive when faced with the imminent danger. With Ji Qian's help, he took out the key from the hidden compartment in the wall and carefully turned the keyhole.
"Snap!"
With a crisp click of the lock, the wooden door, sealed for hundreds of years, was slowly pushed open, and thick dust flew up, instantly turning the entire space gray.
Ji Qian and the others waited for quite a while before the dust finally settled, and the view inside the door was finally revealed to everyone.
Inside was an extremely narrow passage, only wide enough for one person to pass through, with a long staircase leading to the end of the passage.
[Not bad, it has a bit of a horror movie feel to it.]
[Haha, Xu Qi's face turned pale with fright!]
He must regret participating in this show.
Why isn't Wang Yingying saying anything?
[I'm actually a little unaccustomed to the sudden absence of the double-consonant sounds]
[Hey, you're being CPU-bound!]
Holy crap, Meng Jie is amazing!
Han Mengyao was the first to grab a flashlight and go forward, but after looking for a long time, she still couldn't find the end of the stairs.
So she turned to look at the only person present who might know the truth:
"Excuse me, where does this lead?"
Count Lanruer's face turned ashen, and he hadn't heard Han Mengyao's question at all.
In fact, he had concealed some details about the secret room from Ji Qian. When he was young, he had tried to open the door, but his father, who rushed over, stopped him in time.
His father explained that the items displayed there were very valuable antiques, and they were stored separately because he was worried that the servants would damage them.
The young Earl of Lanruer believed this story, and having no interest in antiques, he never thought of the room again for many years afterward.
It wasn't until after his father's death, when Count Lanruer was sorting through his father's belongings, that he happened to remember this secret room.
Unfortunately, before he could find the time to check again, he unexpectedly passed away at a young age.
Seeing Earl Lanruer clearly lost in his memories, Ji Qian moved closer to him and repeated Han Mengyao's question in a louder voice.
Earl Lanruer then came to his senses, his reply tinged with complex emotions that Ji Qian couldn't understand:
"As far as I know, this castle doesn't have a basement."
Upon hearing this, the gazes of everyone present toward the secret passage became even more complex.
"Why don't we go back and discuss this further?"
Xu Qi tugged at Ji Qian's sleeve, once again attempting to perform the art of backing down.
Unfortunately, Ji Qian's attitude was very firm:
"No, some things become more dangerous the longer they are delayed."
Upon hearing this, Xu Qi glanced in Wang Yingying's direction and said nothing more.
Oh no, Ji Qian has gotten bolder, my youth is over!
Look closely, Sister Qian's expression clearly says: Come on, if you've got the guts, kill me!
[Seemingly daring, but actually driven to the brink of death]
Indeed, fear eventually gives way to anger.
Ten minutes later, Xu Qi expressed deep regret for his previous compromise.
If he had been more resolute, even if he ended up alone on the ground, he wouldn't have had to walk up the stairs in the dark for so long.
In fact, to ensure safety, the assistant director specially provided each of them with a flashlight.
But it's unclear whether he bought some counterfeit or substandard product, because after two minutes of continuous use, the flashlight's beam became weaker than a candle's.
Fortunately, the walls on both sides of the staircase are also equipped with one of the oldest lighting devices in human history—torches.
And perhaps because they have never seen the light of day, these torches look to be in relatively good condition.
So Ji Qian stepped forward with hope, hoping that the torch could illuminate the entire passage.
Unfortunately, the moment the lighter in her hand made intimate contact with the torch, the torch, which had been perfectly shaped, suddenly shattered and turned into ashes on the ground in no time.
Those who witnessed this scene remained silent for a long time, and never mentioned anything related to lighting again.
The staircase was longer than anyone had imagined; it took Ji Qian and her team a full twenty minutes to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Qianqian, look ahead, there seems to be an iron gate there."
Ji Qian looked in the direction Han Mengyao was pointing and indeed saw a faint metallic gleam at the end of the passage.
The group, who were already on the verge of going crazy from the cramped space and darkness, quickened their pace upon hearing this and soon saw the full view of the 'iron gate'.
Although it's called a door, it's actually only the size of a window, with a long iron bar on the right side, which should be the door handle.
Ji Qian stepped forward, grabbed the handle, and tugged at it a few times, but couldn't budge it.
"Hey! This looks like a keyhole."
Wang Yingying followed closely behind Ji Qian, pointing to the lower right side of the doorknob in the light.
Upon hearing this, Ji Qian immediately shone her flashlight forward to examine it closely, and sure enough, she saw a small keyhole.
Having confirmed the existence of the keyhole, Ji Qian straightened up and looked at Earl Lanruer, the meaning in her eyes self-evident.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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