After almost three hours of trekking down the winding stairs, Mingfeng finally led Anji off the main staircase to a path that seemed to lead to nowhere. According to the sect leader, this was a shortcut that was only used for emergencies. The shortcut was something Mingfeng discovered, and Anji should keep it a secret from everyone else.
"This secret tunnel was created by me and can be used to escape or hide if the Celestial Dragon Sect is ever under attack by enemies," he declared. "The only people who know about this are your mother and your older sister. I have not told your brothers about this secret tunnel yet because they have not come of age."
Blinking, Anji wondered why her father was telling her the secret. Like her brothers, she was not yet fifteen.
After hearing Anji’s concerns about learning the family’s secret tunnel before she was of age, Mingfeng shrugged. Of his four children, Anji was the most mature. Age was just a number. If Ruiting had not turned fifteen this year, he would have kept it from her a little longer, too. Even if Yihao turned fifteen, Mingfeng had second thoughts about revealing this secret tunnel to his troublemaking son. Knowing the hyperactive child’s personality, Yihao would abuse the tunnel to sneak out of the mountain more frequently.
"I said this trip was going to be a secret from even your mother, didn’t I?" he chuckled. "Besides, if I don’t tell you now, I might never have the chance to tell it to you. Your shifu told me to send you to the Mystical Qilin Sect after your sixth birthday. She said you’re not allowed to leave her sect until you complete her successor training. You might become an adult by the time you finish, and I might not be around to guide you anymore. Think of it as my selfish wish to give you the grand tour while I’m still the leader of this sect."
The grave undertone of her father’s voice and the image of his back created a deep impression on Anji. It was as if he was creating as many memories as he could with her before he bade farewell. Anji had no idea why her father had the impression she would not be returning once she left. Even if Anji married, the Celestial Dragon Sect would always still be her home. She wasn’t going to go away. Anji did not make a deal with the golden dragon to be sent away so easily.
"Anji’s going to finish the successor training before becoming an adult. Father is worrying too much."
The confident claim made Zhao Mingfeng laugh aloud. He stopped to turn around and squatted to pick his daughter up. Even if he said this was a training session so Anji could get used to walking more, the father just wanted to hold his little girl in his arms for now.
"Forgive father," he told her. "I’m going to hug you for the rest of the way until we reach the village. Do your best to remember this path because you’ll be leading the way back."
Surprised by the free lift, Anji clung to her father’s neck and nodded. Her father wasn’t crying. However, he seemed so fragile at the moment that she kept her lips sealed. Adults had complicated feelings all the time, as Lizi had explained to Anji before. Thankfully, she was a child, and all she had to do was hug them to make the complicated feelings go away. That was what she ended up doing as Mingfeng revealed a secret tunnel hidden inside the opening of a dead tree.
The entrance to the secret tunnel was unexpected. Anji thought secret tunnels were usually found in small crevices and caves. Sometimes, they were hidden behind grand, dangerous waterfalls or in a lake that supported a hidden cavern for limestone caves. The secret tunnel was nothing like she had imagined. Follow current novᴇls on novel⁂fire.net
The tree that looked like a grand stump had a decaying hollow that appeared to be a nest for some creatures. However, it turned out to be a cleverly disguised door with a hidden panel inside the hollow. The hole in the trunk was big enough for Mingfeng to get into, but it was very dark inside. Anji clung to her father tightly like a koala, afraid of bugs and potential bats. However, when the panel was closed behind them, Anji was surprised by the dim illumination coming from the artificially built steps leading down.
The spiral stairway led to a small room with many books protected by spells. It appeared to be a small study with several closed chests and some sleeping and living supplies.
"This is the secret bunker that I built while creating this tunnel shortcut," Mingfeng explained. "There are enough elixirs and fasting pills to sustain a person for three years here. These books are copies of the greatest martial arts in the Celestial Dragon Sect."
Anji noticed the numerous spells used to light up the underground bunker. It reminded Anji of the small isolated hut she had spent the last two months in with her shifu. Her father must have created this safe bunker with the idea that the sole survivor in case of a disaster would use the time hiding to improve on cultivating so that one day they could revive the Celestial Dragon Sect and continue the legacy.
Moving past the secret bunker, Mingfeng activated a seal on the stone wall in the secret bunker that led to a dark corridor. Here, he used a lantern and imbued it with spiritual energy so it lit up the path. The lantern would last several hours, enough for them to make it to the bottom of the mountain. Anji held it up for them as her father descended the rather steep slope.
"I thought of making a minecart to make the travel quicker. However, the metal would rust over time and become dangerous. Not to mention, these slopes are uneven with many turns. It’s still faster to go down these slopes than on the main winding staircases that go around the mountain," he explained. "We can arrive at the town from here in an hour or less."
An hour?! Anji tried to compare the distance she had travelled earlier and the shortcut. That was a lot of time saved! Her father made the right decision not to tell her third brother about this place yet. Yihao would definitely misuse this shortcut and secret bunker for his personal misdeeds.
"When you learn how to expand energy to coat your body like a layer and manipulate its properties, you’ll also be able to travel using this secret tunnel. Due to the extreme steepness and lack of oxygen, it becomes impossible for most people to use."
Lack of oxygen? Anji did not feel any different from before. Her lungs were still functioning fine even though her father’s toes should feel like they were dying from how much pressure they had to support, working against gravity and holding up two people’s weight.
In about fifteen minutes, Anji finally understood what her father meant by lack of oxygen. Feeling slightly dizzy from the staleness of the air, Anji left the holding of the lantern to her father as she rested her head on his shoulder lifelessly. Breathing was difficult. Even with the energy circulation she did for her lungs. Her father had to add more ventilation channels for this secret tunnel.
"Bear with it for a little longer," he told Anji. "Breathe slowly. I’m going to start running a little, so clench your teeth tightly."
Heeding his warning, Anji braced herself for impact. However, she screamed in terror as soon as he took off. Nobody told Anji that running was different in a cultivator’s definition. Her father was going so fast at such a steep angle that it almost felt like Anji was flying or falling. On the bright side, they would make it on time for lunch.
In less than ten minutes, Mingfeng reached the bottom of the secret tunnel. He activated another seal that moved the stone wall and revealed the exit that was in a small underground wine cellar.
When Minegfeng opened the trapdoor of the cellar, Anji realised they were already in the town. The house was part of the town’s residential buildings that was built during the expansion of the village. Although Anji had not seen this place, it was a neat arrangement. The secret tunnel and bunker was not the only place that they could live in. Although the small residence was not lived in, it was clean and well-maintained.
"Someone from the town will clean it every week," Mingfeng explained. "They don’t know who this residence belongs to. However, it is occasionally used to accommodate guests of the Celestial Dragon Sect. People won’t question us leaving it."
Nodding in understanding, Anji looked around the small residence. It was cosy and resembled the isolated hut she trained in for the last two months. Maybe her father made a terrible decision to tell her about this place because now, Anji wanted to improve her cultivation to be able to use the secret tunnel and spend more time in this homey house when she needed to train in secret.