Zheng Tan felt that he must have been languid and sluggish lately, with too little activity, for he was tired just from climbing the stairs. After hopping up the stairs using alternate leg thrusts, his leg muscles still ached a bit, probably from pulling too hard just now. Fortunately, he hadn't cramped up, otherwise, he would have rolled down the stairs.
Without stopping for a rest, Zheng Tan hastened to the door where Xiao Jiu was confined, examined the keyhole of the lock, then the key. Thankfully, it seemed there was only one key matching that keyhole, so there was no need to try several keys, saving him a lot of effort.
He picked out the correct key and held it with one paw, using the strength of his hind legs once more after jumping up the stair steps. He leapt up, hooking the doorknob with the other paw that wasn't holding the key. The key was a bit more complex than the ones for the Jiao family's wooden doors, and Zheng Tan had to insert it a few times before it went in.
