"Everyone, hurry in. Something seems amiss here," Yang Chun called out to the crowd outside as the thought crossed his mind.
Upon hearing his words, the young maid, Liu Rumei, and the others immediately rushed in.
Yang Chun pointed to the disturbed ground, explaining his suspicions.
Liu Rumei's eyes suddenly lit up at his words, and she immediately strode towards the main house.
"Everyone, split up and search," Yang Chun shouted, hurrying to follow Liu Rumei.
Arriving at the entrance, Liu Rumei held up her torch and searched, but found no bolt.
She reached out and tried to push the door first.
It didn't budge. With more force, it creaked open.
Liu Rumei couldn't help but frown. While not common to lock doors in this era, people usually at least used a bolt. Otherwise, if one were away for an extended period and a storm hit, the door could be blown open, causing quite a scene.
He had expected the door to be bolted from the inside, but it swung open with a push.
"Miss Liu, be careful!" Yang Chun shouted, rushing up to shield Liu Rumei.
Liu Rumei understood Yang Chun's protective intentions, but she felt that if no one was present, there shouldn't be any danger.
After Yang Chun entered the room first, he sniffed the air. A faint scent of decay lingered in the room, but it was almost imperceptible.
This suggested that the room had been aired out recently, meaning someone had been here.
There was a table in front of the windowsill. Yang Chun approached it, holding his torch.
He crouched down, examining the traces on the table. A thin layer of dust covered the surface, but upon closer inspection, it was clear that the dust was not evenly distributed. In the center, there was a distinct, unscattered area.
Yang Chun took a breath and gently blew on the table. The dust on the nearest corner was blown away.
Beneath it were larger particles.
Seeing this, Yang Chun smiled. This was clearly sprinkled earth.
If it were dust from the air settling naturally, it would be extremely fine, as only such particles could filter through the cracks in the window. The sprinkled earth, while appearing fine, contained coarse grains.
This further proved that someone had deliberately created these signs.
The more elaborate the deception, the more suspicious it became.
Yang Chun and Liu Rumei searched the main house separately.
They checked every corner, tapped and knocked on the walls.
They stomped on the floor, testing for any anomalies, but found nothing suspicious.
The two exchanged a look of helplessness and withdrew from the main house.
By then, the young maid and the others had emerged from the side rooms.
Seeing their dejected expressions, Yang Chun knew they had found nothing.
But something was wrong. Yang Chun was certain this residence held a secret. Moreover, the deliberate creation of these signs indicated an attempt to make the place appear abandoned. Therefore, even if Chen Xiaobei wasn't hidden here, some other secret must be.
Out of caution, Yang Chun re-entered the east wing. It was cluttered with firewood.
The young maid followed him in. "Brother Yang, I've checked the stove and cooking area here. Nothing seems unusual. Why would he hide someone in a wood shed?"
Yang Chun smiled faintly and shook his head. Wealthy young ladies like her wouldn't understand these hidden tricks. The best places to hide someone were indeed these inconspicuous nooks and crannies. Hiding someone in a wood shed was far more discreet than in the main house.
With this thought, he intently examined the firewood.
He then looked at the other corners and found a subtle clue. In another corner, some of the scattered firewood was not stacked neatly.
His brow suddenly furrowed. He picked up a nearby wooden stick and began to move the firewood aside.
He then spotted something.
The outer layer of firewood was bright, while the inner layer appeared older. With this in mind, he pointed to the young maid and said, "Girl, look. Doesn't the firewood inside seem grayish-white, while the outer layer looks brighter?"
The young maid nodded. "Yes, yes, Brother Yang. What do you think this means?"
"It means this firewood was disturbed recently. The grayish-white wood inside was originally exposed, and now the outer layer was covered inside. That's why it looks fresher."
"Quick, move this firewood."
Yang Chun stepped forward, hefting the firewood and tossing it outside. Liu Rumei and the others outside saw this and rushed in, joining Yang Chun in moving the firewood. Before long, the pile was completely cleared.
Yang Chun stepped forward and stomped forcefully on the ground.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Hearing the sound, Yang Chun's face broke into a wide smile.
The others could also tell from the sound that the ground beneath was hollow.
Yang Chun drew his saber and scraped away a layer of dirt from the ground, revealing a wooden plank.
Seeing the exposed plank, Yang Chun motioned for everyone to step back. He then used the tip of his saber to gently pry open a gap in the plank and inserted a wooden stick. He then levered another corner and inserted another stick.
With the two sticks in place, Yang Chun applied force, pressing down on the sticks. The wooden plank on the ground was lifted open.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh."
A series of sharp sounds. Over a dozen short arrows struck the ceiling.
Seeing this, Liu Rumei felt a chill of fear. If not for the experienced Yang Chun, she would have impetuously rushed forward to lift the plank herself. In that case...
After waiting a while longer and seeing no movement from the pit, Yang Chun waved his torch in the opening.
Still no sign of activity, Yang Chun then threw the torch into the cellar.
After a moment's wait, there was still no response. He then shouted into the hole, "Hello, is anyone down there?"
Chen Xiaobei, hearing the shout, shivered. The voice was vaguely familiar. Wasn't that Yang Chun?
Was he dreaming? He tried to shake his head, to clear his mind.
It wasn't a dream; it was Yang Chun's voice. But Chen Xiaobei's mouth was stuffed with a rag, making it impossible to shout. His hands and feet were tightly bound to a wooden frame, preventing any movement. He was anxious but helpless.
Meanwhile, Yang Chun shouted into the hole more than ten times, receiving no response. The young maid next to him spoke, "Perhaps there's no one down there. If there were, there would be some sound by now."
Liu Rumei, however, had a different attitude. She stepped forward and said, "Whether there's anyone or not, since we've come, we have to go down and see."
Yang Chun nodded and looked back at Lin Yang and Liu Kai behind him.
"You all wait here. I'll go down first. If anything happens to me, none of you should go down. Leave quickly and wait to exchange tomorrow. Do you understand?"
Liu Kai understood. Tears streamed down his face.