Shen Congwen smiled again, but this time, he did not explain anything; instead, he made a welcoming gesture and led Chu Ge and the others in front of a mural, "The door to the basement is right behind this mural."
Speaking, he knocked three times on the wall, then moved to another side and knocked three more times. Subsequently, he gently inserted a key into the mural, and it indeed went in.
Huo Tianqian, a straightforward man, scratched his head in confusion, "What kind of high technology is this? Why the need to knock these three times? Can’t you just directly insert the key? It’s all so mysterious and secretive."
Shen Congwen explained, "This mural cannot have the key directly inserted. If someone who doesn’t know does that, not only will it fail to open the door to the basement and add another lock, but the basement will also become a completely sealed chamber. Unless you blow up this villa with dynamite, you can forget about getting inside."
"Is it really that miraculous?" Huo Tianqian still didn’t quite understand.
However, Shen Congwen seemed to have no intention of explaining further. He simply stated, "This is a unique technique of the Shen Family, so I’m sorry, Mr. Huo, I cannot explain too much to you."
Huo Tianqian pouted, dismissing the need for further explanation.
The mural, like a scroll door, slowly raised, revealing a staircase leading to the basement.
As Shen Congwen walked, he continuously felt along the walls. This time, Huo Tianqian didn’t ask further because he knew that even if he did, Shen Congwen wouldn’t tell him.
Although the basement had three levels, the distance between each level was quite long, and the space was rather large. However, as they descended, the temperature also became progressively warmer.
"What’s going on? Why is it getting warmer as we go down?"
Huo Tianqian couldn’t help but speak out again.
Though the temperature was not extremely high, it was considerably higher compared to the outside.
The warmth felt almost spring-like, giving the illusion of reviving all living things.
Shen Congwen nodded, "The Earth Ganoderma, although nurtured by spring water, cannot survive in too cold or too hot environments. So, I designed the walls to act as radiators, maintaining a temperature around seventeen to eighteen degrees."
That was why he had been feeling the walls, to check on the temperature.
Huo Tianqian muttered, "So there’s so much complexity in cultivating just one Earth Ganoderma?"
Building villas and wall radiators were one thing, but despite the large area of the basement, the maximum yield of Earth Ganoderma was only three because of its rarity.
The price of three Earth Ganoderma hardly justified the costs invested.
Shen Congwen seemed to grasp Huo Tianqian’s thoughts and shook his head with a smile, "Mr. Huo might not be aware, but an Earth Ganoderma is serendipitous and beyond monetary valuation."
Because he didn’t actually know how much the price could be for a first-level Earth Ganoderma, as he had never auctioned one off.
It’s fortunate there hadn’t been auctions, for if there were, it would mean endless disturbance for the Shen Family.
Chu Ge also nodded in agreement, "Among Ancient Martial Artists, it becomes extremely difficult to achieve a breakthrough in power once reaching the Divinity Realm. At that stage, even the influence of external medicines is miniscule. First-level Earth Ganoderma becomes a necessary medicinal choice for those in the Divinity Realm.
"Mr. Chu, do you already possess the strength of Divinity Realm?" Shen Congwen was taken aback.
Nangong Yunhai also looked intently at Chu Ge; he was equally curious.
Chu Ge chuckled and shook his head, "How could that be? But I will reach it soon!"
His goal was not just to reach the Divinity Realm. He aimed to stand at the pinnacle of Ancient Martial Artists, becoming the King of Kings!
This was his grand ambition and also the dying wish of the old man.
During their conversation, they arrived at the first level of the basement. The space was huge with gray walls that bore little decoration. Even here, they could feel a bit suffocated.
Chu Ge raised his eyebrows in confusion, "Is there no ventilation here?"
"No, there’s ventilation," said Shen Congwen, pointing to the upper left corner of the room. "That is the exhaust vent to the outside. It might look unassuming, but the air that passes through this device is pure oxygen."
Since it’s pure oxygen, not much is needed—just a small amount each day is enough.
No wonder they felt somewhat stuffy as they went down, but it wasn’t enough to leave them gasping for breath. In fact, the air felt very pure, as if devoid of any impurities.
In the center of the room sat a huge box, about two meters in length and width, made of stainless steel with numerous holes drilled into it.
Huo Tianqian, somewhat speechlessly, asked, "Don’t tell me you have the Earth Ganoderma in there?"
Shen Congwen smiled and shook his head again, pulling a key from his pocket and opening the box.
Then, an open elevator appeared before them.
"My heavens, Mr. Shen, how many contraptions have you installed in this basement?"
"I had no choice; the Earth Ganoderma is simply too precious. I can’t afford to take it lightly." He shook the key in his hand and added, "This key opens the floor where the first-level Earth Ganoderma is located. Even if my incompetent brother, Shen Conghai, sneaks in to steal the Earth Ganoderma, all he would get are some worthless ones."
Huo Tianqian pursed his lips, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed.
Previously, he had gone through great lengths to find an Earth Ganoderma in Su City, even nearly losing his life for it, only to learn that it was just a regular Earth Ganoderma.
Everyone knows that even a common Earth Ganoderma could fetch tens of millions. Its efficacy was evident.
Now aware of the first-level Earth Ganoderma, and seeing how meticulously Shen Congwen protected it, Huo Tianqian suddenly felt ashamed facing Chu Ge.
After all, he had not even found out about the first-level Earth Ganoderma earlier.
Like a godfather to him, Chu Ge had helped him transform from a useless person into someone valuable, and now, guilt filled his heart as he looked at Chu Ge with a self-reproachful gaze.
Noticing his look, Chu Ge, puzzled, asked, "Why are you looking at me like that? I’m not into that kind of thing."
Huo Tianqian’s lips twitched; he was straight, for goodness’ sake!
"Mr. Chu, I didn’t manage things well before. I failed to find out about the first-level Earth Ganoderma and ended up going in such a big circle."
Hearing his self-reproach, Shen Congwen, quite pleased with himself, turned back and said, "Mr. Huo, the first-level Earth Ganoderma is the Shen Family’s secret, never known to outsiders."