Chapter 45: The Taste of Freedom

Li Xuan and Bai Wen quickly dug a tunnel along the cliff face.

Li Xuan chose the tunnel exit on the back side of the Stone Mountain; the back side is a wide wasteland of grass, and the mountain's shelter also reduces the risk of exposure.

Thus, Li Xuan and Bai Wen spent a full day digging before they finally succeeded in carving a tunnel that bypasses the Stone Mountain.

After repeated checks, Li Xuan finally confirmed the tunnel's exit.

Once the exit's location was confirmed, the two prepared to dig a stairway upward.

After a dozen minutes, with Li Xuan's vigorous swing of the shovel.

The shovel struck nothing! Li Xuan, excited, withdrew the shovel, and a bright, dazzling beam of light shot from the Cavity into the tunnel.

"Success!" Li Xuan turned around, his face alight with excitement, and said to Bai Wen.

"Success!" Bai Wen was equally thrilled, lowered his voice, and waved his fist excitedly.

"Xuan Ge'er, you go down first; we'll wait until night to leave—going out in daylight is too risky," Bai Wen said, watching Li Xuan try to enlarge the opening and quickly stopped him.

Hearing Bai Wen, Li Xuan also halted his actions, nodded, and slowly stepped back.

Bai Wen followed Li Xuan back, and the light‑permitting cavity remained, usable as a timer; once night falls, the two can officially make their escape.

Back inside the tunnel, Li Xuan and Bai Wen found a spot to sit and quietly waited for night to arrive.

Li Xuan took some bread and water bladders from the Void Pearl and handed them to Bai Wen.

"Eat something, restore your spirit and gather strength; after we go out, we'll have to run at full speed," Li Xuan said with a smile to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen nodded, then took the food and drink from Li Xuan's hand and began to eat and drink.

Seeing Bai Wen say nothing, Li Xuan also took some food from the Void Pearl and started eating.

After they were full and hydrated, Li Xuan and Bai Wen leaned against opposite sides of the tunnel, closed their eyes to rest, having dug for two days and one night without any break; now they took the chance to rest, restore spirit and strength, preparing for the night escape.

Time flew, and the light in the cavity gradually dimmed.

When the light vanished completely, Li Xuan and Bai Wen opened their eyes together, their gazes filled with excited light.

"Xuan Ge'er, wait a bit longer; it's still early, we'll set out when night deepens!" Bai Wen stopped Li Xuan, speaking softly.

Li Xuan also nodded; they had already waited months, missing just these two hours.

Suddenly, Li Xuan remembered something, took a black cloak from the Void Pearl and handed one piece to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen took it and draped it over himself.

Though the garment was a bit small, it still provided some concealment.

Li Xuan didn't idle; he pulled Kongming Grass, Lucky Four-Leaf Clover, and Dark Realm Ghost Orchid from the Flower Pot, placed them into a jar, poured in a measured amount of diluted spirit liquid, sealed the mouth with soil and cloth, and carefully packed it back into the Void Pearl.

He hoped these three Heavenly Material Earth Treasures would survive; Li Xuan did his best.

Otherwise, carrying three pots of plants, Li Xuan could never run.

After Li Xuan finished arranging the three pots, Bai Wen also felt the time was right and nodded at Li Xuan.

"Let's go!" Li Xuan also nodded, waved his hand, and said softly.

After Li Xuan and Bai Wen carefully widened the opening enough for one person, they immediately crawled out.

Having crawled out, Li Xuan discovered that tonight was overcast!

"Heaven aids me!" Li Xuan whispered excitedly to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen was also extremely excited.

The overcast sky offered no moonlight, so Li Xuan could not see the surrounding road, yet no one could see him either. He glanced at the Stone Mountain behind him and instantly indicated a direction away from it.

Bai Wen did not hesitate, immediately followed Li Xuan, weaving through the dense wasteland grass.

The two could not quicken their pace, moving cautiously to avoid sound or trace as they headed toward the distance.

……

Li Xuan and Bai Wen walked through the wasteland grass for an entire night.

When the sky began to lighten hazily, Li Xuan and Bai Wen finally saw the road ahead.

They could actually see the edge of the wasteland grass.

Li Xuan and Bai Wen exchanged a glance, their eyes full of fatigue and excitement.

The two began to quicken their steps and, before dawn, finally left the wasteland grass, exiting the range of the Flower Sea.

After leaving the wasteland grass, Li Xuan and Bai Wen did not stop to rest but continued along the previous direction toward the distance.

At this point they still dared not stop, after all the area near the Flower Sea was still under the jurisdiction of Chrysanthemum Douluo, so the farther they fled, the lower the chance of being discovered.

After traveling an unknown distance, Li Xuan and Bai Wen saw a village.

The two quickly changed direction, bypassed the village, and headed farther away.

As the setting sun slipped west, Li Xuan and Bai Wen dragged their exhausted bodies, stepping stiffly, and kept moving forward.

They suddenly spotted a small grove of trees.

"Xuan Ge'er, it's getting dark, let's rest," Bai Wen said hoarsely to Li Xuan.

"Okay, rest a bit," Li Xuan nodded, then stepped toward the grove one step at a time.

Soon, the two entered the grove and sat directly on the ground beside a large tree.

Leaning against the tree, they stared blankly at the starry sky.

The day‑and‑night trek had already left them exhausted; at this moment they lacked the strength even to speak.

After resting a while, Li Xuan regained some strength, took some bread and water bladders from the Void Pearl, and gave a portion to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen was unreserved, took the bread and water, and began to eat.

Li Xuan glanced at Bai Wen and, unconcerned with appearances, gnawed the bread in his hand.

The two sat under the tree, eating ravenously to replenish their stamina.

After they were full and hydrated, Li Xuan and Bai Wen lay on the ground; that day their feet had never ceased, marching onward, and even when their consciousness grew hazy from exhaustion, they kept moving.

"Xuan Ge'er, where are we now? Where should we go next?" Bai Wen took a sip of water and asked Li Xuan.

"Don't worry, I'll take a look first." Li Xuan, dragging his tired body, got up from the ground, then took the map out of the Void Pearl and carefully analyzed his location.

Soon, Li Xuan used the positions of the village and Stone Mountain he just passed to determine his current location.

"Brother Bai Wen, we've already run at least fifty kilometers! The nearest city is only a dozen kilometers away," Li Xuan said excitedly to Bai Wen.

"Ten kilometers? If we both push hard, let's get into the city and rest tonight!" Bai Wen patted Li Xuan's shoulder, then clenched his teeth and got up from the ground. Towards.

Li Xuan also nodded excitedly.

After the two ate their fill and drank enough, they rested for a while before continuing the journey.

Ladies and gentlemen, may everyone be happy every day; only three days left until the weekend, keep it up...

(End of chapter)