Chapter 42: About to Dig Through

"Bai Wen, in just three days you've already dug a tunnel over two hundred meters long; you're way too fast! How did you manage that?" Li Xuan looked at the exhausted Bai Wen and asked, puzzled.

Li Xuan didn't know the normal speed for a person to dig a tunnel, but Bai Wen's pace was clearly very fast, so Li Xuan asked.

"Xuan Ge'er, it's like this: the soil outside the Flower Sea isn't as hard as ordinary earth; it's actually very moist and soft. After I soak it with water, digging takes no effort at all—within a day I can easily push forward dozens of meters. If I work overtime, digging over a hundred meters a day isn't a problem." Bai Wen, hearing Li Xuan's words, explained weakly to Li Xuan.

These past days, Bai Wen spent all his time digging the tunnel; he was exhausted, so once he lay down he didn't want to move at all.

"Moist, soft soil… that's not a good thing, Bai Wen. When you keep digging, you must reinforce the tunnel with a proper frame; the ground here isn't solid and could collapse easily. Be careful and build a sturdy frame before digging further," Li Xuan mused, then advised Bai Wen.

"Don't worry, Xuan Ge'er, I've noticed the issue too, so I'll build a frame every meter; that should basically eliminate collapse risk." Bai Wen pulled out a piece of bread and began gnawing it.

Li Xuan silently nodded; Bai Wen handled things fairly steadily, so the tunnel digging should not encounter major problems.

A speed of dozens of meters per day is quite good; in two or three months a complete tunnel could be finished, and then I could leave the Flower Sea.

Lin Mo said Jiu Douluo gave himself a year, but Li Xuan thought Jiu Douluo wouldn't grant that much time; nevertheless, whatever the length, Jiu Douluo won't act within two or three months.

After all, the Strange Sky‑Reaching Chrysanthemum is still on Li Xuan, and there's still a chance for Li Xuan to cultivate the Strange Sky‑Reaching Chrysanthemum!

Thinking of that, Li Xuan felt much better; regardless, the chance of escaping alive was still high.

"Bai Wen, do you need anything else down here? I can arrange it." Li Xuan thought for a moment and asked Bai Wen.

"Xuan Ge'er, you've already left me plenty of supplies, covering every need; I don't need any extra." Bai Wen quickly waved his hand and said.

There's food and drink underground; apart from digging the tunnel, there's nothing else to worry about, and Bai Wen actually enjoys this life.

Li Xuan looked at Bai Wen's demeanor and shook his head.

"Alright, Bai Wen, I'll head back then." Li Xuan clasped fists with Bai Wen and then left the underground chamber.

After seeing Li Xuan depart, Bai Wen immediately returned to the tunnel and kept working.

Watching the tunnel grow longer, Li Xuan's spirits rose even more, since this was the key to his escape.

In the days ahead, besides delivering items to Bai Wen daily, Li Xuan spent all his remaining time studying the strange flora in the Flower Sea.

After all, Li Xuan had initially applied to Jiu Douluo to learn more about these plants' habits, laying the groundwork for cultivating the Strange Sky‑Reaching Chrysanthemum.

As for Lin Mo, that guy follows Li Xuan every day, trying to spy and figure out exactly what Li Xuan's ability is, hoping to steal it.

In the Flower Sea, Li Xuan had a new idea.

Using cutting propagation and the Green Spirit Liquid produced by the little green bottle, he could cultivate seeds without anyone noticing.

Cuttings require fresh roots, stems, or leaves, which are hard to preserve, so Li Xuan instead uses Green Spirit Liquid to cut a portion of the plants, then cultivates seeds, and collects those seeds for future use.

It must be said that Jiu Douluo's Flower Sea truly teems with countless exotic plants; both rare and precious specimens are as numerous as grass. Now Li Xuan has gathered all their seeds into his collection, and with the little green bottle he can quickly grow many medicinal herbs.

During this period, Lin Mo didn't cause any trouble; he simply stayed calmly behind Li Xuan, which saved Li Xuan a lot of effort.

……

Time flew, and after two and a half months Li Xuan had already finished breeding all the precious plants in the Flower Sea; three of his five Void Pearls were already filled with all kinds of seeds.

Inside were not only seeds but also various mature herbs; adhering to a no‑waste principle, Li Xuan dried them and packed everything into the Void Pearls.

Now there's nothing in the Flower Sea that Li Xuan longs for, and he's ready to leave at any moment.

After lightly tapping the Void Pearl on his belt, Li Xuan thought for a moment, left the Supervisor's Mansion, and returned to his own small courtyard.

Li Xuan's annex in the North District had been finished a month ago; after returning to his room, he went straight into the basement and followed the tunnel to its depths.

Just as he reached the tunnel's end, Li Xuan saw Bai Wen holding a Starfire Vine fruit in one hand, while his other hand gently brushed away the soil before him.

"Bai Wen, what are you doing?" Li Xuan, puzzled, scratched the back of his head and asked curiously.

"Xuan Ge'er, this must be the little hill shown on the map," Bai Wen said with a smile, turning back, pointing at the exposed Stone Wall, his voice trembling as he spoke to Li Xuan.

Bai Wen had lived underground for two months; his skin was now pallid, giving him a sickly appearance, and his smile had become terrifying.

"Let me have a look!" Li Xuan, startled by Bai Wen's words, hurried to the Stone Wall, reached out and brushed away the soil, indeed feeling the hard rock.

"Great! Bai Wen, we finally have a chance to get out of here!" Li Xuan exclaimed to Bai Wen, his voice full of joy.

"Yes! We finally have a chance to leave!" Bai Wen's tone was likewise filled with excitement.

"Bai Wen, now that we're about to leave, it's time to sort out some matters. How many days would it take to go around to the back of this little hill?" Li Xuan asked Bai Wen.

Bai Wen heard Li Xuan's question, thought for a moment, and extended five fingers.

"Five days, that's it," Bai Wen said seriously to Li Xuan.

Seeing Li Xuan's expression, Bai Wen understood what he intended, but Bai Wen didn't plan to stop him; after leaving the Flower Sea they would never return, so whatever Li Xuan wanted to do, he'd let him.

"Alright then, Bai Wen, work hard these few days, finish the tunnel, and we'll leave!" Li Xuan bowed deeply to Bai Wen.

"Bai Wen, I'm heading back; I need to make some preparations!" Li Xuan said, turned, and left the tunnel without waiting for a reply.

Wishing all the readers a happy weekend, gentlemen. Last night was a night shift, and I went straight to sleep when I got home…

(End of Chapter)