It turns out the author didn't get himself stranded by accident but on purpose. Gu Zhi was seated down in one of the chairs with a bunch of books gathered to his side. He was tasked with a mission to map out the palace by his clan.
'Huh, I guess some clans really do just have better resources'. Gu Zhi knew for a fact that this information wasn't public which means a clan that can bring participants into the palace almost has the entire place mapped out. An absolute enormous advantage no doubt.
'Well, if you can beat the trials that is'.
Gu Zhi doubted Ji Long, or Ji Er knew about this, simply from the small actions he saw from them. They were exploring around the place just like they were.
The journals describe how he found the place, why he stayed here, how he acquired food what the palace was like when it was cut off from the world. It was interesting to note that the only reason he could accomplish this feat was because of trial he faced. The trial of separation, a solitary trial designed to test your mind against time and limits all interactions you can have with your partner.
'Sounds awful'.
That being said Gu Zhi doubted he would have any trouble with that particular trial. He had been through worse, or so he thought.
'Let's see: Food is always available in the dinning hall, never go towards the vaults without permission, their is hidden meanings in the guides words'.
It was mostly a list of do's and don'ts with occasional stories and explanations, what was interesting to see was how long the trial lasted.
'80 years'.
It was long enough for a mortal to die from old age.
'Maybe I underestimated this trial'.
It noted how this was the last trial him and his partner had, where they had to decide who would stay in the city and who would stay in the palace. If there love for each other ever faded, then they would lose the trial.
'That's brutal'.
It really did seem like he underestimated the trial. In any case he got valuable knowledge about the palace. Realizing there was probably nothing more to gain from the books, Gu Zhi started to study the map. The most important parts of the map were clearly outlined. It outlined the place he was in, the vaults to avoid, and lastly a wine cellar filled with spiritual wine. In all the time the person -who was unnamed - lived here they noted how the only thing they could find that was beneficial to their cultivation was without a doubt the wine cellar. They did note that the palace was huge and even with 80 years of time by their side they couldn't reveal every secret - they were even banned from entering large parts of the palace. However the one place of interest that was hidden and greatly helpful to him was this wine cellar. In the cellar they found aged spiritual wine of very high quality. The wine was so good that some of it instantly intoxicated him, greatly helped with their cultivation, or both. The ways that they helped in cultivation varied, just as the flavor, texture, and how much it impacted you. One of his entries even stated that one time he got so drunk, he thought he had died and moved on, another time he was so intoxicated he lost feeling in his legs for 3 days, almost starving himself to death.
'In all honesty I HOPE Gu Xiao will be able to identify the alcohol'.
Gu Zhi experienced many things in his past life, and he was not the biggest fan of drugs or alcohol. That being said they might have the chance to bring some back to their world to sell, otherwise they would have to take a gamble and hope for the best.
Gu Zhi memorized some places on the map so he wouldn't have to go back out the same way he came in. It was time he brought his wife to the wine cellar to try some wine.
He left through the staircase bringing his torch, once he was out he used a memorized route to navigate the sewers. He eventually reached an alcove before pressing forward towards a certain cobblestone wall.
'It was the third one to the left'
He pressed on an ordinary stone in the wall only for it to be a button.
"*Click*".
"*Rumbling*".
This time it was a hidden stair case leading up and straight into a hallway on the ground floor. He looked at a vase nearby on a pedestal and pushed it to the side. Just like before the entrance he came from closed up again. He had left the torch behind a while back as he no longer needed it and head straight back to their room. He had no idea if his wife would be there as she had said she would be exploring. But walking around without a shirt on was quite indecent and he wanted a bath after a sewer dive.
He made his way back to his room and on the way ran into Ji Long and Ji Er, they said nothing but gave him strange looks with his current appearance. He didn't mind and eventually made it back to his suite.
'Man this place is nice'.
It was the best place he stayed at in terms of view and amenities, in terms of service he couldn't say it was bad, just that it wasn't good either.
He took a nice hot bath and relaxed before he heard someone opened the door, it seemed like his wife had returned.