Chapter 96: Division of Labor
"It's going to take a while for you to get there. If you really want to find someone, you have to go up here." The old farmer, leading his donkey back to Jiang Lin and the others, pointed to a path they had overlooked and swung his hammer into the ground, instantly creating a crack. Although the snow was thick, it had thankfully melted somewhat thanks to the warmer weather over the past two days, making it much easier to deal with.
Jiang Lin watched him go back and forth, frowning, "Old man, you..."
"I'm not moved by your friendship. I've lived for most of my life, what haven't I seen? I just feel that after accepting your money, I should at least help you do something. Otherwise, I won't feel safe holding the money, and I won't be able to explain it to my wife when I go back." The old farmer said naturally, and put the silver in his arms inside his clothes. "Alright, hurry up, otherwise the sun will set and the people inside will have to toss for another day."
Jiang Lin did not politely refuse his help. With someone who knew Phoenix Mountain inside and out, they would save themselves a lot of trouble.
"Topographic map." Jiang Lin returned to the carriage and spread his hands to An Feng. An Feng pulled out a topographic map of Phoenix Mountain from a bamboo tube. The map only showed simple directions and the general terrain. Based on this, it was impossible to guess where An Liu and his companions were staying. "Master, even if An Liu left marks along the way, we wouldn't be able to find them. The snow is blocking the mountain, making it difficult to move forward. If we dig up bit by bit, I'm afraid we'll have to clear the entire mountain."
An Feng was not pouring cold water on them, he was just stating the current situation they were facing.
Jiang Lin knew this was the dumbest, most helpless solution, but he couldn't think of anything else. "Keep sending signals, try to contact Undercurrent. The others..." Jiang Lin looked at the teapot in the carriage, then suddenly thought of something. He lifted the curtain and quickly jumped out. Because of his quick movements, the hem of his shirt was caught by the carriage's rafters, tearing it a little. Jiang Lin glanced down, but didn't care.
The old farmer also took turns helping out. Jiang Lin grabbed his arm and asked, "Excuse me, is there a hidden river on Phoenix Mountain?"
"River?" The old farmer was stunned by the question and blinked for a long moment, but soon understood what he meant and nodded. "There's a cave a few dozen meters to the west. The kids here call it the Fairy Cave. It's inconspicuous on a normal day, but when people lost in the mountains are extremely thirsty, they can knock on the outside with a stone twice, and clear water will flow out for them to drink."
"That place was later said to be extremely sacred. Someone even placed a small shrine there, saying that it was for offering incense to the water god." The old farmer's words ignited a little hope in Jiang Lin. He rolled his eyes and looked at the gradually darkening sky. "Leave two people here to continue digging. The rest of you follow the old man and dig through that underground river!"
The secret guards followed the old farmer, and An Feng followed Jiang Lin behind. He frowned in confusion and asked, "Master, what is this?"
"They are trapped in the mountains and need water. As long as they are alive, they must be very close to a water source. If there really is an underground river in Phoenix Mountain, it must be flowing in the mountain. As long as we dig through the underground river, we can follow it to find them!" Jiang Lin's mind appeared the appearance of Qin Xiangnuan. She was trapped in the deep mountains and forests for many days. Would she... be afraid?
The second this thought popped up in Jiang Lin's mind, he denied it himself.
When Gu Mingqi approached with a knife and torture instruments, Qin Xiangnuan was able to remain calm, let alone such a small predicament. She would definitely try her best to find a way to escape. "Hold on, wait for me." Jiang Lin gently folded his palms, looked up at the white mountain top, and thought to himself.
Anliu and others didn't know that reinforcements had arrived outside and were helping with the rescue.
They panted and pounded on the wall, but to no avail. Just as everyone was feeling dejected and their enthusiasm waned, a cry of surprise suddenly came from the direction of Shou Houer and Xu Jian. They jumped up and down, pointing at a crack that let in a tiny glimmer of light and exclaimed, "Look! We found it! This must be the way outside! Air! Really cold air!"
"There are even snowflakes floating in!"
Skinny Monkey put his face close to the tiny hole and took a deep breath, feeling as if his lungs were about to explode from the cold. He quickly stood up and pointed at the tiny snowflakes on the tip of his nose. "Miss Third, you are truly amazing! Let's work harder, and we'll definitely be able to break it open in less than half a day!"
"It would be great if we had gunpowder. We only need a little bit, not to mention the whole wall..."
Skinny Monkey was an official, and it was inevitable that he couldn't change his desire to save trouble. Qin Xiangnuan looked at their excited expressions and tried to sit up, but she stretched her back. She frowned and said, suppressing the pain, "No, even if there is gunpowder, its power is too great. If we are not careful, it will cause a second collapse. The way out we have finally found will be blocked by snow and rocks, and we will never be able to get out in this life."
"Stop talking nonsense and get to work!"
When Xu Jian heard her say this, he raised his hand and slapped Shou Hou'er's head hard, then kicked him in the butt, signaling him to shut up and get back to work. Shou Hou'er rubbed his nose, knowing he was in the wrong, and quickly started working hard. The cave, formed over the years, was not so easy to dig open. Although there was a breakthrough, after several hours, they had only dug out a passage the size of an arm.
It will take some time for someone to get through.
"Gurgle..." Just when everyone was working hard, Shouhou'er's stomach suddenly rumbled. His dark, rough face turned red. He scratched his ears with his hands and looked back at Qin Xiangnuan embarrassedly, "The vegetarian noodles made by the third lady are so delicious, but I'm not hungry at all! Why don't we take a break?" Xu Jian looked at him and was about to scold him, but Qin Xiangnuan nodded and signaled Anliu to take them back.
Anliu looked at Qin Xiangnuan who wanted to stay here and said, "Then I will stay here with you."
"No, I just want to stay and watch the cave entrance so it doesn't get blocked by snow. You guys go back quickly and come back after you finish eating to save time." Qin Xiangnuan waved her hand, frowning impatiently. Anliu hesitated for a moment, then obeyed the order and led his men away. As soon as they left, Qin Xiangnuan gasped and collapsed to the ground.
The cold, damp stone on the ground pressed against her back. Although there was a chance of a high fever or a cold, it could cool her down and relieve the pain at the moment, and she could no longer care about anything else. Qin Xiangnuan closed her eyes, feeling that every breath would cause severe pain in her body, and her thoughts gradually became blurred.
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