After noticing Xiao Tianci's gaze, Qing Lin exchanged a glance with Xiao Tianci.
Her face flushed slightly, then she winked playfully at Xiao Tianci.
" Qing Lin, well done." Xiao Tianci gave Qing Lin a thumbs up and smiled gently.
Then, Xiao Tianci arrived at the dark cave entrance.
With a flick of her wrist, a Moonlight Stone appeared in Xiao Tianci's hand.
Xiao Tianci tossed the Moonlight Stone into the cave entrance.
However, to Xiao Tianci's surprise...
After the Moonlight Stone entered the cave, it seemed to encounter no resistance from the water flow and fell directly to the bottom of the cave.
Then, the Moonlight Stone tumbled a few times in the dark cave before disappearing completely.
"There's no water inside the cave entrance in this lake?"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Tianci couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
The situation at the cave entrance in the lake was truly beyond Xiao Tianci's expectations.
He had initially thought he would have to brave the current to explore the underwater caves, but the current situation surprised him.
"Yes, we just had someone explore it a bit. For some reason, there is indeed no water in this underwater cave, and the air inside is not murky at all, but rather quite fresh. However, there are at least a dozen passages below, each winding and twisting, like passages crawling through by a giant snake. It's quite complicated."
Upon hearing this, the mercenary first expressed his surprise, then adopted a wry smile and continued.
"I see." Xiao Tianci nodded, also slightly annoyed.
Unfortunately, for some reason, my divine sense couldn't penetrate this underground area; otherwise, there wouldn't be this much trouble now.
"Otherwise, I'll send people down one by one to investigate," Xiao Ding's laughter suddenly came from behind Xiao Tianci.
"No need for that." Xiao Tianci shook his head. "The situation in the underwater passage is a bit complicated, and we don't even know if there are any dangers in it. I'm already very satisfied that the Mo Tie Yong Army has gone to such great lengths to help me find the passage. If they suffer any losses because of these passages, it would be too much of a loss."
"It's alright, Brother Tianci. There are no cowards in our Desert Iron Mercenary Group. Besides, you also spent a lot of money to help you search for the passage this time, giving away so many precious pills. We'd feel a little embarrassed to accept them."
One of the mercenaries spoke to Xiao Tianci with a very simple and honest smile, and there was no hint of reluctance in his voice.
"Rest assured, everyone, I will definitely keep my promise regarding the pills I gave you. Besides, you have all helped me find the passage, so the pills I promised you will naturally be upgraded to grade three!"
Xiao Tianci waved his hand and spoke.
"Good!"
"Brother Tianci is truly magnanimous!"
Immediately, the surrounding mercenaries couldn't help but show their delight, and they all cheered.
Both Xiao Ding and Xiao Li wore broad smiles.
With each person receiving a third-grade pill, it's foreseeable that the strength of their Desert Iron Mercenary Group will experience a rapid leap forward.
"Alright, I'll select a dozen or so strong team members to accompany you down. After all, the situation inside this passage is too complicated, and I'm not comfortable letting you go down alone."
Xiao Ding pondered for a moment before speaking.
Xiao Tianci initially wanted to refuse, but seeing Xiao Ding's extremely serious expression, he realized that Xiao Ding was probably very determined this time and wouldn't let him refuse.
"Alright, but let those mercenaries follow behind me. And if we encounter any trouble at the cave entrance, let them go. Don't worry about me; I have my own methods."
Xiao Tianci also revealed a determined and serious expression as he spoke.
After listening to Xiao Tianci's words, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li looked at each other for a while before nodding.
If what happened last night hadn't happened, Xiao Ding and Xiao Li would naturally have refused Xiao Tianci's request without hesitation.
But now, both of them know that Xiao Tianci's strength is probably much higher than they imagined!
"Young Master Tianci, let me go with you. I can sense that the residual energy within that passage is quite strong. If I go with you, I should be able to help you find the right path."
Just as Xiao Ding was choosing who would go down with him, Qing Lin suddenly stepped forward and spoke in a timid voice.
"Oh? Really?" A look of surprise and delight appeared in Xiao Tianci's eyes.
"Hmm." Qing Lin covered her mouth and smiled, then nodded.
At that very moment, Xiao Ding finished selecting the people who would follow Xiao Tianci into the passage.
"Let's go, Brother Xiao Ding, let's go downstairs," Xiao Tianci said, holding Qing Lin's small hand.
After saying this, he turned his gaze to Qing Lin and said, "After we enter the cave, you must stay close to me and don't fall behind. If anything unexpected happens, try to come to my side as soon as possible. Remember that."
After hearing Xiao Tianci's reminder, Qing Lin pursed her lips, nodded quite seriously, and then said, "Young Master Tianci, I'll remember."
At this moment, Xiao Ding had also given all the instructions.
He planned to go down with Xiao Tianci, while Xiao Li would naturally be in charge of the situation outside.
Then, Xiao Ding Xiao Ding took out a bundle of rope that looked quite thick, tied one end to a wooden stake that had already been fixed in place, and held the other end of the rope in his hand.
"This passage isn't particularly steep. These ropes are just for safety. If something unexpected happens inside, we'll just pull on the ropes, and the mercenaries outside will naturally pull us out."
Seeing that Xiao Tianci had noticed the rope around his waist, Xiao Ding smiled and offered an explanation.
"Brother Xiao Ding is indeed very thoughtful," Xiao Tianci smiled.
Then, he took Qing Lin's little hand and led her to the entrance of the passage.
The lake where the passage is located is quite deep, even reaching above Qing Lin's little head.
Therefore, Xiao Tianci could only pull Qing Lin into his arms.
Then, he directly activated his Dou Qi to displace the water pressure and enter the dark cave.
The next moment, Xiao Tianci stepped onto solid ground.
Just as he had expected, there was indeed quite fresh air inside the cave!