Ye Hao smiled with relief and then proceeded to enter the tunnel first. He had the eighth-generation system, which would alert him in any emergency, so he had no hesitation to stand at the forefront.

Zheng Guang hurriedly stepped forward to stop Ye Hao, saying, "Young Master, let me go ahead?"

"No need, Elder Zheng, just follow behind me. Flying Fish, make some marks on the way as we enter the tunnel. I don't think getting down below will be that simple," Ye Hao said as he approached the edge of the tunnel.

"Got it, Boss." Flying Fish nodded.

"Long, Song, and Ah Zhen, keep your eyes on the surroundings at all times. Tao Feng, you bring up the rear," Ye Hao instructed them.

"Understood." They all nodded in unison.

Thus, Ye Hao led them decisively, spiraling down the layers of the tunnel towards the mountain.

At first, Ye Hao and his team thought this tunnel went straight down. However, these tunnels were like coiled snakes, circling several rounds yet not reaching the very bottom.

Reaching the bottommost layer, they needed to head toward the basin. Ye Hao couldn't help but admire the ingenious craftsmanship of their ancestors. He estimated that this winding mountain tunnel was at least three kilometers long and so smoothly constructed.

"Boss, we've gone around ten circles," Flying Fish reminded Ye Hao.

Ye Hao nodded and said, "Keep going down, and remember to properly number the places we've passed. Otherwise, we won't know the way back up."

"Understood." Flying Fish nodded as Tao Feng took the rear. They walked for over ten more minutes before reaching the bottom layer.

But even at the bottom layer, it wasn't over because there was another slanted tunnel ahead that went down about a hundred meters.

Ye Hao walked initially without any danger and gradually picked up speed. Otherwise, at the previous pace, it would take a day and a night to reach the end.

Ye Hao quickened his pace, and Zheng Guang stayed right by his side.

Lu Yunsong, Long, and Ah Zhen remained cautious, while Flying Fish quickly made numerous marks.

After they walked about fifty meters down the slope, three tunnels appeared.

Each tunnel had a special symbol above it: the left one had a circular symbol, the middle one had a solid circular symbol, and the right one had a dashed circular symbol.

Ye Hao stopped them and looked at Zheng Guang, asking, "Elder Zheng, have you seen these symbols before?"

Zheng Guang looked up briefly but couldn't find any difference in the symbols. He shook his head and said, "Young Master, I've never heard of these symbols, but I wonder if they hold different meanings?"

"I think so too. All three are circles: one is empty, one is solid, and one is dashed. Let's help think about if there's any significance in these," Ye Hao frowned as he looked at the three symbols on the tunnels.

Everyone pondered carefully, also observing the tunnel colors or the sounds of the wind.

Ye Hao asked in his mind to Qianqian, "Qianqian, can you detect inside the tunnel from here?"

"Yes, Master, but after fifty meters, every tunnel leads to the Absolute Spirit Wall," Qianqian said.

"What's on the Absolute Spirit Wall?"

"The tunnel with the left circular symbol has Nine Dragons and Five Phoenixes engraved on it, the middle tunnel with the solid circle has one dragon and one phoenix, and the right tunnel with the dashed circle has one dragon and three thousand little phoenixes," Qianqian said.

After hearing this, Ye Hao asked Zheng Guang, "Elder Zheng, how much do you know about Ming Taizu, Zhu Yuanzhang?"

"Know?" Zheng Guang asked ashamedly, then said, "I don't know much about Ming Taizu. All I know is that he was once a monk, then he became a beggar, and eventually, he became the leader of a force. That force later retreated, but he led some of its branches in uprising, defeated the Yuan Soldiers, and finally established the Ming Dynasty." Zheng Guang said.

"Anything about his wives?" Ye Hao asked.

Surprised to think that Zhu Yuanzhang was once a beggar, he mused, it's quite an inspirational story! If he could succeed after being a beggar, it tells posterity that with effort, one can eventually achieve success.

"There's something. Later, modern people even made a movie," Zheng Guang laughed.

"What movie?" Ye Hao asked.

"Empress Ma with Big Feet," Zheng Guang laughed.

"Tell us, what's it about?"

Ye Hao asked, so everyone sat outside the three tunnels, listening quietly as Zheng Guang spoke of the events of Empress Ma and Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Speaking of Empress Ma, also known as Empress Xiaoci, surname Ma, most of her actual name has been forgotten with time. But there is one thing; anyone who knows about Zhu Yuanzhang knows he loved the Empress he favored all his life, and that was this Empress Ma. She was a truly virtuous and capable wife. While her husband Zhu Yuanzhang wielded the Great Ming Dynasty, she was frugal and plain, personally led the palace maids and concubines in embroidery and weaving. She led by example, living modestly, eating simple meals, and mending old clothes. When Zhu Yuanzhang slaughtered loyal ministers and great generals, she often advised him to restrain himself. Otherwise, the Great Ming Dynasty would be destroyed by his own hand..." Zheng Guang spoke based on both the television portrayal and historical records.

"Did Zhu Yuanzhang only ever love this Empress Ma?" Ye Hao pondered and asked.

"Yes, Young Master." Zheng Guang said.

"Haha, I think I know which tunnel to take." Ye Hao laughed.

"Boss, seriously? Just hearing about Empress Ma and you know which tunnel to take?" Xue Zhaolong questioned in disbelief.

Lu Yunsong also expressed disbelief.

Tao Feng listened quietly, neither affirming nor denying, but the smile on his lips seemed to tell everyone that he didn't believe it.

Zheng Guang looked at Ye Hao with confusion but didn't voice it. He was a qualified housekeeper; even if he didn't believe it, he wouldn't put the Young Master on the spot in such a situation.

"Of course! If I didn't have this skill, how could I be your boss?" Ye Hao joked and laughed.

"Then, Boss, tell us, which tunnel?" Xue Zhaolong asked.

"Haha, take another look at these three circular symbols, and think about what a circle represents." Ye Hao laughed and asked.

They all shook their heads; they had thought about it, but nothing came to mind.

Seeing this, Ye Hao said helplessly, "A circle is like a man and a woman together, meaning completeness."

"Then what about the dashed circle, solid circle, and solid circle?" Zhuorong Town asked.

"Haha! That's even simpler. Zhu Yuanzhang went from beggar to monk to the Red Turban Army uprising. After succeeding, he had a frugal Empress. His life was surely steadfast, so of the three tunnels, it must be the solid circle tunnel." Ye Hao laughed.

"Why?" Everyone was even more puzzled. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com) with recommendation and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please go to m.qidian.com to read.)

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