"Danger" is a word that commands attention, and when Wang Jue merely hinted at the gravity of Ming Xiaoyu and Li Xiaoshu's situation with the understated phrase "not good," Hou Dayong's soft response of "danger" instantly elevated the tension among the three to its absolute peak.

Looking at Zhang Yuqiu, her face was ashen, her hand constantly fumbling inside her pocket, as if trying to retrieve something, only to shove it back in halfway through. Hou Dayong watched closely, recognizing the agitated uncertainty in her demeanor, grasping what she intended to do with about eighty percent certainty. He immediately stepped closer and whispered in her ear, "Perhaps we should wait until we find them before calling them over."

Though Hou Dayong's voice was kept as low as humanly possible, Wang Jue accidentally overheard it. He inwardly chuckled, amused that these two specters hadn't noticed his acutely sensitive hearing at all, treating him as a normal person and bothering to speak in hushed tones to conceal things from him. Feigning ignorance, he scanned the surroundings. His eyes landed on the well in the courtyard, suddenly recalling what Hou Dayong had mentioned before entering. He pointed at the well and asked, "Could there be something hidden in this well? We saw something similar on the Blood Kin Compass."

"I agree, it wouldn't appear on the Blood Kin Compass for no reason," Hou Dayong mused thoughtfully, lending credence to the suggestion. However, before he could finish, Zhang Yuqiu and Wang Jue were already standing by the well, leaning over to peer inside.

"Is this a dry well?" Zhang Yuqiu asked Wang Jue as she looked down.

"Why would you ask such a thing?" Wang Jue countered.

"A normal well gives off a cool sensation when you approach it. We're this close, practically with our heads inside, yet we feel no difference in temperature between down there and out here," Zhang Yuqiu analyzed.

Hearing this, Wang Jue bent down and picked up a small pebble from the well curb, tossing it in. "We'll know right away if it’s dry."

The small stone dropped suddenly into the depths of the well, vanishing from sight with no audible sound of impact. The two exchanged a smile, speaking in unison: "Dry well."

With that settled, there was work to be done. Wang Jue searched the entire courtyard and found a coil of hemp rope in a corner. Estimating its length to be about ten meters, he tied one end around his waist and handed the other end to Hou Dayong. Hou Dayong was momentarily stunned, then, noticing the difference in their height and weight, finally understood what was expected of him. He dropped the rope onto the ground with a sigh, muttering, "You think too little of me!"

Seeing Hou Dayong reject the safety harness and play the hero on his own, Zhang Yuqiu had a flash of inspiration. She picked up the rope from the ground, smiled brightly, and offered it back, saying, "You don't need it, but I do! If you find an entrance or something later, I'll need this to slide down. Only you can manage free-climbing; I'm not so capable."

At her words, Hou Dayong had no retort. He resigned himself to the task, tying the rope around his waist. He braced his legs against the well's edge and began to lower himself slowly, following the pace at which Wang Jue let out the line—a section of rope released, a small jump down, another section released, another jump. Their coordination was surprisingly seamless.

The rope ran out after about ten meters. Hou Dayong hung suspended in the air, neither able to go up nor down. He craned his neck, using the light from the well opening to look below, faintly discerning that the bottom was only two or three meters beneath him. Since the well hadn't held water for years, the walls were riddled with eroded hollows, unlike the smooth stone of an ordinary well. Hou Dayong quickly untied the rope, pressed himself flat against the wall, and began to inch his way down, step by careful step.