The wellhead was covered, and on the rusty iron well cover were two lines of characters—Hui Feng Medical College, sealed in the twelfth year of Jing Country.

"Is the Mountain Ancestor currently in this well at the Medical College?"

Zhou Xuan thought it was "searching with iron shoes only to find it without effort," and after a long fuss, it turned out that the Mountain Ancestor was actually inside the Medical College in Mingjiang Prefecture.

He swung his large sleeves and left the Blood Well, returning to the real world.

At this time, Little Fuzi had already cooked a table full of dishes, with roasted wild rabbit legs, stir-fried rabbit offal, braised bamboo shoot tips with rabbit meat... a full rabbit feast, and the God Traveling Department also sent over some yellow wine, just transported from Ping Shui Prefecture.

The wine was already opened, and Yun Ziliang happily poured himself a cup, and Zhao Wuya also poured himself one.

Zhou Xuan asked, "Ya Zi, can your monk drink wine?"

"I’m a Taoist!"

"Taoists can drink?"

"Master Yun... um... even my Grand Master drinks, there’s no taboo." Zhao Wuya lowered his head, gulping down the wine.

Seeing how he was practically planting his face into the table, Zhou Xuan confirmed that it wasn’t Ya Zi who was indulging in the wine, but rather Master Wu Ya.

This big monk also learned some cheeky tricks, using "Ya Zi’s" reputation to drink unabashedly.

Smelling the aroma of food and wine, Pan Mountain Eagle also arrived,

This one-eyed, hunchbacked eagle slave first served Zhou Xuan some soup, poured him wine, served rice, and took a large spoon, intending to feed Zhou Xuan.

"Old Pan, I’m an adult, I can eat by myself."

"I’m used to serving the Eagle Lord."

Pan Mountain Eagle gingerly put down the bowl and chopsticks, standing behind Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, then said to Pan Mountain Eagle, "You eat too."

"Master eats first, I eat after."

"Less nonsense."

Zhou Xuan handed Pan Mountain Eagle a bowl and chopsticks, served him rice, and said, "In the future, don’t serve me food, I can serve myself, eat."

After Zhou Xuan finished, he noticed Pan Mountain Eagle holding his bowl, standing at a distance to eat.

"For heaven’s sake, Old Pan, you’re a person... you can sit at the table." Zhou Xuan pointed at an empty seat, saying.

"Come on over to eat."

Yun Ziliang also pulled Pan Mountain Eagle up to the table, filling his bowl with various mountain delicacies and rabbit meat.

Pan Mountain Eagle no longer looked like the first villain of Mingjiang Prefecture, but old and sincere, scratching his head, he said, "It’s my first time eating at the table, not quite used to it."

"Old Pan, you’ve managed the order in Mingjiang Prefecture well these past two days, worth rewarding, after eating, go to the God Traveling Department, choose two Palms Ginseng, and say I sent you."

"That Palms Ginseng contains Buddha energy, it’s too precious."

"Without Buddha energy it wouldn’t be called Palms Ginseng, just go when I tell you to, next time if you keep dithering, I’ll..." Zhou Xuan smiled and mimed a "punching" gesture—Zhou Fist warning!

"Thank you, Master, hehe."

"You eat slower, the dishes on the table are going to be consumed by you, Big Child." Zhou Xuan slapped "Big Child, Third Child" with a backhand.

Pan Mountain Eagle was being bashful about eating, but the Red Ginseng Child didn’t need any reminding, and went to the table to gobble up the food.

"You’re a medicinal herb, not a rice bucket."

Zhou Xuan admonished.

...

When the table full of food saw bottom, Pan Mountain Eagle went to the God Traveling Department, the Red Ginseng Child continued playing with the Kaleidoscope, and Zhou Xuan said to Yun Ziliang, "Lao Yun, you and Ya Zi went on a wild goose chase today, the Mountain Ancestor is not in the sky, but here."

He pointed to the ground, speaking to Yun Ziliang.

"Here? Hui Feng Medical College?"

"Exactly."

Zhou Xuan said, "I found through Blood Well Divination, the Blood Well gave me an answer, in this Hui Feng Medical College, there’s a well that’s sealed, I suppose the Mountain Ancestor is in the well."

"Sealed well? The Bone Elder Association locked away the Mountain Ancestor?"

Yun Ziliang found he needed to reassess the Bone Elder Association.

This first Tangkou of Mingjiang Prefecture had previously sealed Miss Qiang, now it’s discovered they even sealed a Dragon Seeking God-level—how did this Tangkou manage that.

"I need to ask Old Hua."

Zhou Xuanzheng was just about to seek out the Painter when the Painter arrived.

"Speak of Old Hua, and there he arrives."

Zhou Xuan stepped forward, giving the Painter a punch in the chest, the force wasn’t strong, it was purely a joking gesture among old friends: "Old Hua, your Bone Elder Association is impressive indeed, managed to seal the Dragon Seeking Mountain Ancestor."

The Painter looked bewildered, glanced at Zhou Xuan, and said, "Sir, you can’t speak carelessly, we don’t have that ability."

"Playing dumb?"

"I’m truly confused." The Painter said, "What kind of person is the Dragon Seeking Heavenly Master? Prospect sand, question water, travel across the world’s evil lands, even a Great Talisman Array couldn’t hold them, what would our Bone Elder Association have to lock away the Mountain Ancestor."

At this point, Yun Ziliang stroked his beard, countered: "Xuanzi, Old Hua has a point, our Dragon Seeking Heavenly Masters, with Dragon Walk, Tiger Step, even the dreamlands of a storyteller can’t necessarily hold us, let alone the Bone Elder Association?"

"But during my divination, the Blood Well clearly showed, the Mountain Ancestor is imprisoned by your Bone Elder Association’s well."

Zhou Xuan said.

"What kind of well?" The Painter asked.

Zhou Xuan then described the well, and at the end, he added, "The well cover has characters, Hui Feng Medical College, sealed in the twelfth year of Jing Country."

"Oh... you’re talking about that well."

The Painter’s expression was a bit tense, he said, "That well, we at the Bone Elder Association, don’t even call it a well."

"Then what do you call it?"

"Earth Abyss."

The Painter said very seriously.

Zhao Wuya couldn’t help but say, "A deep well is just a deep well, why all the mystery, calling it the Earth Abyss?"

"Master Wu Ya, it’s truly the Earth Abyss."

The Painter explained to everyone: "I heard that this Earth Abyss goes straight down thirty thousand feet underground—the Earth Abyss is extremely sinister, with unspeakable things, don’t listen, don’t hear, don’t see."

"It’s getting more and more mystical." 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

Zhao Wuya wasn’t buying the Painter’s story, and said, "Where does this thirty-thousand-foot Earth Abyss come from?"

"Dug out."

The Painter said.

"Who dug it?" Zhou Xuan asked.

"One of our Bone Elder Association’s former Mysterious University Scholars." The Painter said.

This surprised everyone, what kind of Mysterious University Scholar would be so mad as to dig an abyss ten thousand meters deep for no good reason?

The Painter smiled and said, "Actually, sometimes, there’s just a fine line between a great scholar and a lunatic, isn’t there a saying, ’genius on the left, madman on the right’."

Zhou Xuan listened with intense interest and said, "So why don’t you tell us the origin of this Earth Abyss."

The Painter waved his hand and said, "Regarding the Earth Abyss, I don’t know much, Li Chengfeng, Mr. Li, has done extensive research on the Bone Elder Association’s Earth Abyss affairs back then, I shall find him to speak."

At this, the Painter sent out a secret letter, and shortly after, a Divine Lantern depicting a book silently arrived.

Li Chengfeng descended, and upon realizing everyone wished to explore the "Earth Abyss affairs," he opened the conversation.

"The person who led the excavation of the Earth Abyss was Liu Pingyao, a man obsessed with mystical theories, very mad, and bold."

"Liu Pingyao, one day suddenly thought the most secretive place in Jing Country must be underground, the deeper the underground, the deeper the secret might be buried, he mused, isn’t the Bone Elder Association researching Jing Country’s secrets all their life? No need for research, just dig, dig a giant deep hole."

Li Chengfeng was waxing eloquent, finding no flavor in his words, he borrowed a folded fan from Zhou Xuan, snapped it open with a pop, and said, "Henceforth, the Earth Abyss plan officially commenced."

"In the ninth year of Jing Country, Liu Pingyao, found twelve Tomb Raider Captains, and started digging."

"The Tomb Raider Captains are one of the four great tomb-raiding sects, Mountain Mover Taoists, Tomb Raider Captains, Grave Expert Heavenly Officials, Tomb Raider Captains... these four sects each have their own methods, so-called Mountain Moving Art, Tomb Raider Armor, Heavenly Official Seal, Tomb Raider Talisman, Tomb Raider Captains have an artifact, called Pangolin Armor, sharp armor worn on the body, digging earth swiftly."

Li Chengfeng was indulging in his storytelling passion, lacking a gavel, he slapped his palm heavily on the bamboo table.

"Bang!"

"Old Li, if you dare say ’to know what happens next, please listen to the following episode’, I will kill you." Zhou Xuan threatened...