Ran Yan crouched on the ground and pulled at the carpet, but it didn’t budge. She tapped it lightly twice, producing a hollow sound, and imdiately said, "It’s here."
Everyone imdiately gathered around.
Since there was only one person in the attic, if there was a secret passage under the carpet, it generally wouldn’t lie so flat. There were several pieces of furniture in the room, and people didn’t imdiately beco suspicious of this piece of carpet.
Team Leader said, "Lady, please step back. Let open it."
Ran Yan made a sound of acknowledgent and stood up, retreating a few steps.
Team Leader examined the spot and inserted his sword into the edge of the carpet, prying hard, but only a faint cracking sound was heard without the carpet opening.
Team Leader tapped again and said, "Lady, there’s an entrance here, but it seems it has been locked from the inside."
"Pry it, if you can’t pry it open, smash it," Ran Yan said without hesitation.
Team Leader tried to pry it with his sword a few tis, but when he couldn’t, he simply picked up a stool and smashed it down onto the floor.
However, the floor seed very hard. After more than ten hits, the stool began to fall apart, but the floor still hadn’t broken open.
Ran Yan slightly furrowed her brow and took out a hamr and saw from her dical box, which had been made by a blacksmith for the purpose of performing brain dissections.
"Step aside," Ran Yan said in an even tone.
The guards stepped back upon hearing this. Ran Yan took out the largest scalpel and inserted it at the junction where the carpet adhered to the floor, quickly removing the carpet to reveal the pitted floor underneath.
Ran Yan inserted the scalpel into the pit and used the hamr to deepen it, then striking it from the side. Ran Yan’s scalpels were specially made by the blacksmith, sharp and exceptionally hard. After repeating the process several tis, she pried open a gap in the floor, inserted the saw, and began sawing.
Everyone watched her series of actions in stunned silence, unable to help exchanging glances. Sohow, they all felt a tingling sensation on their scalps.
"Lady, let do it," Team Leader was the first to react.
Ran Yan didn’t insist and imdiately handed over the saw to him, since n had much more strength and the work would proceed faster.
Team Leader initially didn’t know how to use the saw very well, but after a couple of tries, he seed to find the knack, and his sawing beca much smoother.
About the ti it took to drink a cup of tea, the entire plank was sawed through, revealing a dark entrance.
The guards imdiately brought torches closer for illumination.
"Let’s go down and take a look," Ran Yan said.
But everyone was very quiet, with no one obeying the order, and even Team Leader hesitated.
The unknown is always the most terrifying.
Originally, these guards thought that searching for soone near Chang’an would not pose any significant problems. However, after seeing a few of their companions and Liu Pinrang’s dead bodies, they all beca cautious. Faced with such a dark entrance where nothing could be seen, no one dared to go down first.
Ran Yan respected the lives of others, so she didn’t force the issue. She reached into her dical box and stuffed several bottles of dicine into her pocket, took a torch, and was about to go down first.
"Lady!" Team Leader exclaid in shock, quickly stopping her.
Ran Yan looked up at him and said coldly, "My husband’s life is in the balance, you can wait, but I can’t. Just follow behind ."
Ran Yan’s actions and words imdiately sparked the pride of many. Were they, proud n, to cower behind a woman in the face of danger? That would be a joke. If word got out, they wouldn’t even have the face to et their ancestors in death.
Moreover, considering the generous compensation Ran Yan had provided for the deceased—a whole five hundred coins! A Centurion who died in battle would only receive a little over a hundred coins. Where else could they find such a good deal?
"I’ll take the lead!"
"I’ll clear the path!"
Suddenly, several people were eager to try.
Ran Yan nodded and said, "Good, all of you are brave n. Once I confirm my husband is safe, I will surely reward each of you handsoly."
"Thank you, Lady!"
The crowd all thanked her in unison, and Team Leader designated twenty people to carry torches and lead the way in front.
Ran Yan followed them down, with the next two people behind her, and the rest stayed outside to guard, waiting for the governnt to arrive.
This secret tunnel was no different from an ordinary cellar, except that it was on the second floor, so it went much deeper. The group passed through smoothly, and after walking about ten yards, they could clearly hear the sounds of string music and laughter coming from above.
When they reached the end, the group saw a structure similar to the other side.
Ran Yan gestured with her hand, signaling soone to go up and listen for any noise first.
A guard obeyed and approached the exit, listening intently for a while before shaking his head.
Ran Yan felt a lack of oxygen down below and was about to order the opening of the exit when suddenly, clear footsteps were heard from above.
"Is Xiao Yuezhi dead?" a gloomy voice asked.
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