The Northern Song Dynasty returned south, seeking the truth of the Dao.

Wang Huanzhen glanced at the still-dark sky outside and said to Ao Shuang, "Let's wait until it's completely dark. After all, it's trespassing, and it wouldn't be good if someone saw us."

"Alright, I'll listen to you, brother. You're very thoughtful about this kind of thing. To be honest, I'm really not good at using my brain. You can make the decision after we get down to the cave."

Seemingly because he had drunk some alcohol, Ao Shuang became more talkative. He put his arm around Wang Zhenhuan's shoulder and whispered in his ear. Wang Zhenhuan also felt a bit tipsy.

He patted his chest and declared confidently, "Leave it to me, little brother! You might not be so good at magic, but when it comes to using your brain, I've never been inferior to anyone!"

As the saying goes, alcohol emboldens the timid, and the two men, having drunk a pot of rice wine, were now slightly tipsy. Although the rice wine at this time had a low alcohol content, drinking too much still left them feeling somewhat drunk.

Wang Zhen, fearing that Xiao Er would worry, closed the door and looked out at the dark Huai River. He exchanged a glance with Ao Shuang, then leaped out of the window, landing on a nearby rooftop.

Ao Shuang followed closely behind, and the two of them walked along the rooftop to the bridge. After crossing the bridge, they soon arrived at the Chen residence. Just like when they arrived during the day, the Chen residence was still tightly closed at night.

Seemingly a chain reaction, or perhaps due to the ghost story, not only was the Chen residence's gate tightly shut, but the gates of nearby houses were also closed. The surroundings were quiet and deserted.

Wang Huanzhen glanced at the gate tower, gathered his strength, and leaped up. Ao Shuang followed closely behind, and the two of them crouched low, carefully reaching the roof of the room they had stayed in before.

To his surprise, it was already completely dark. However, the entire Chen residence was utterly dark. Not only was the courtyard pitch black, but no lights were on inside the houses either.

He turned and exchanged a glance with Aoshuang. According to past experience, he should have stayed in the side room for a while to observe and make sure it was safe before taking any further action.

However, Wang Zhenhuan was already slightly tipsy from the alcohol. The cold wind only amplified his drunkenness instead of calming him down.

Without a word, he leaped off the roof and landed in the courtyard. Ao Shuang wanted to stop him, but after seeing Wang Zhenhuan land, she thought for a moment and followed him.

"Brother, where is that cave dwelling located?" Wang Zhenhuan asked as he looked around the courtyard.

"Old Chen has already dug up the underground space in that backyard," Ao Shuang replied without hesitation.

Wang Zhenhuan nodded upon hearing this. No wonder he had said earlier that attacking the restriction had caused the aftershocks to collapse the dam upstream of the Huai River. The location of this cave was so close to the Huai River.

The power of the aftershocks was completely absorbed by the river; it would be strange if there hadn't been a flood. The more Wang Zhenhuan thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. He even felt that his brain had actually become faster after drinking.

"Let's go, let's go straight there. Let's see what that cave is like. To be honest, brother, I've never seen an immortal's cave since I started cultivating." Wang Zhenhuan chatted with Ao Shuang.

"Don't tell me you've never seen one. I've lived this long and I've never seen one either. These kinds of things are extremely rare. Usually, before immortals ascend to heaven, they send a message to their disciples to clean their caves in advance, so very few can be preserved intact," Ao Shuang explained.

"No wonder. According to what you said, brother, the original owner of this cave must have had no sect or disciples. Otherwise, how could it have survived until now?" Wang Zhenhuan was taken aback, and then asked in return.

"Who knows? Judging from the characters on the cave entrance, they should be ancient seal script from before the Han Dynasty. They might even be bronze inscriptions from the Shang and Zhou Dynasties," Ao Shuang said, shaking her head.

"Then the owner of this cave must be someone of great importance. Perhaps there are even the immortal's legacy inside." Wang Zhenhuan's anticipation and curiosity about this immortal's cave grew stronger.

The two walked and talked as if no one else was around, passing through the main hall and arriving at the backyard. Throughout the entire process, they didn't see a single person in the Chen residence.

Wang Zhenhuan was completely absorbed by the immortal's cave and didn't notice the situation. However, given his current state, he probably wouldn't have cared even if he had. He continued on his way to the backyard.

Just as Ao Shuang had said, the backyard had now been completely dug up. Judging from the marks, it must have been dug up little by little. The excavated soil was neatly laid out to the side.

Judging from the appearance, it must have been dug by that Chen Shanren himself. And fearing that the people nearby would notice something was wrong, he didn't even dispose of the soil he dug out, but just piled it up in the yard.

In the center of those small mounds, a dark entrance could be vaguely seen. Wang Huanzhen pointed and asked Ao Shuang, "Brother, is that it?"

"Hmm, it seems that old man Chen has been quite busy. Last time I came, it was only two feet wide, but now it's almost ten feet wide." Ao Shuang nodded and muttered softly.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by the listener. Upon hearing his words, Wang Zhenhuan's heart stirred. He grabbed Ao Shuang, who was about to step forward, and Ao Shuang, not understanding why, turned to look at him.

"Brother, don't be anxious. Have you thought about why that Chen Shanren would enlarge the entrance to the cave? He didn't want to be exposed in the first place, and even dismissed the servants in his household for this reason. Now he has dug the entrance to be so big, isn't that contrary to his original intention?" Wang Zhenhuan asked with a frown.

Upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, Ao Shuang immediately realized what he meant. If it was only for getting down to the cave, the small opening that was just over two feet wide was perfectly adequate.

Now that the opening is so large, it's not only difficult to conceal, but it also means more dirt will be dug out. Wouldn't this create unnecessary complications and increase the chances of exposure?

Upon hearing Wang Zhenhuan's words, Ao Shuang stopped and looked at the dark cave entrance, asking with some confusion, "Yes, why would that old man Chen do such a thing?"

Wang Zhenhuan frowned in thought, slowly speculating, "Chen Shanren is an ordinary person. Since he's determined to hide this cave, he certainly wouldn't use outsiders to dig it."

In other words, he must have dug the hole himself, shovel by shovel. According to what you said earlier, Brother, there was absolutely no need for this benevolent Chen to widen the hole.

unless……"

"Unless it's absolutely necessary!" Ao Shuang slapped her thigh and pointed at Wang Zhenhuan, saying, "Brother, you're right. That old man Chen must have found something big down there."

The opening was too small to get it out, so he went to great lengths to widen it! That's the only explanation!