Garden

"There is a garden in this cave?" Alex asked in surprise. It didn't seem like the place for those sorts of things.

"No, it's outside," Yao Jia said. "Why would there be a garden inside the cave? You, humans, are such a silly creature."

"Oh, there is an 'outside' in this place?' Alex asked with surprise. "I thought everything was underground."

"No," Yao Jai said. "Only the palace is underground, everything else is outside."

"Now I'm really curious," Alex said and followed Yao Jia. They walked through a maze corridor and came to the end of the tunnel where the spirit vein in the ceiling stopped. 

Beyond that point was a door with beasts staying on guard in it. Under Yao Jia's order, they opened the door which led to a flight of stairs. 

The two of them started climbing the stairs and finally reached aboveground where they came out of a well-maintained gateway at the opening of the cave.