Chapter 23: Following into the Cave

The two of them moved swiftly and lightly through the forest, using the colorful chicken feed trail that Cuihua had left as their guide to quickly and accurately determine the direction.

Xiaojiu knew full well how urgent the situation was—any delay could increase the danger Zhao Hu and the others were in.

“Xiaojiu, what do you think those men in black are after? Why did they capture Zhao Hu and the others?” Yan Jue asked as he rushed forward.

Xiaojiu scratched her head and asked the system in her mind.

The system guessed, “They probably weren’t targeting Zhao Hu’s group specifically. These men in black likely happened to pass by the back mountain, saw Zhao Hu and the others, and decided to capture them too. I suspect they’re after children of that age, and Zhao Hu’s group just happened to appear at the wrong time.”

Xiaojiu quickly relayed the system’s explanation.

Yan Jue was surprised that a five-year-old could reason this much.

“There’s definitely a chance that’s the case. To commit such an act in broad daylight, the force behind them must be significant,” he calmly analyzed.

Xiaojiu frowned at his words, picking up her pace and staying on high alert in case of unexpected danger.

Lin Qi and the others followed closely behind. Though not as fast as Xiaojiu and Yan Jue, they pushed themselves to not fall too far behind.

After tracking for a while, Xiaojiu and Yan Jue arrived at a secluded valley. A massive boulder blocked the entrance, making it nearly invisible to outsiders—if not for Cuihua’s special markings, it would’ve been nearly impossible to find. The two exchanged a glance, then instructed Lin Qi’s group to stay and guard outside while they quietly approached the boulder to investigate.

Xiaojiu and Yan Jue pressed against the rock’s edge and carefully peered into the valley. A light mist hovered in the air, and scattered around were several crude wooden huts. In the center lay an open training ground where a few men holding long whips were forcing a group of children through some kind of training. The children’s faces were drenched in sweat, their eyes dull and lifeless.

Zhao Hu and his friends weren’t among them. It seemed the men in black had only just returned and hadn’t had time to wake them yet.

“Looks like we found the right place,” Yan Jue whispered.

“What are they doing?” Xiaojiu stared at the beaten children, clenching her tiny fists. She was ready to fight.

If Cuihua hadn’t followed them, this place might never have been found. Zhao Hu and the others would eventually become just like those children.

Xiaojiu’s face turned red with rage. “I’m going to beat them to death.”

“Let’s find our people first,” Yan Jue said, his expression grim.

The two exchanged a glance and decided to split up.

Using her small size to her advantage, Xiaojiu quietly circled around to the other side of the valley, carefully following a path while making as little noise as possible.

As she neared the wooden huts, she heard familiar voices. The drug had worn off—Zhao Hu and the others were awake.

The moment Zhao Hu and the others opened their eyes and saw the unfamiliar place and strangers around them, they were completely confused.

Weren’t they on the mountain having a duel to decide who was the boss?

How did they end up here after waking up?

Where were they?

Who were these people?

Why were they all tied up?

“Where are we?”

“Huh? Why are we tied up?”

“How did we get here?”

“Did we get caught by human traffickers?”

“I don’t want to be sold! Wuwuwu…”

The timid Shuanzi couldn’t hold back and started crying.

“Don’t cry! What if the people who tied us up hear us?” A’dou quickly tried to hush him.

At that moment, footsteps sounded outside the door. Xiaojiu immediately found a hiding spot.

Hearing the footsteps, Zhao Hu and the others huddled together and stared at the door.

Two men in black entered the room and saw that the children were awake.

“Well, these kids look decent—good martial arts potential. We can count this batch as a success,” one of them said.

“Yeah, a batch died recently. These ones, plus the ones we got yesterday, should make up the numbers,” the other replied.

After saying that, the two men kicked the tied-up people on the ground and said, “Let’s go.”

“Go where?” Zhao Hu asked stubbornly.

“Hey, kid, you’ll find out when we get there. Now get up.” Just as one of the men in black was about to kick again—

Suddenly, there was a noise from the window of the wooden hut. The two men turned around and saw a little girl climbing in through the window, her eyes quietly fixed on them.

“Weren’t there only six people tied up? Why is there one more?” The man in black thought she was part of the group they just brought in.

Xiaojiu walked toward the two men in black with a blank expression, then suddenly grinned.

“Is she stupid or something?” The man in black looked at the little girl walking toward him with a smile and said.

If only they had looked down at the tied-up kids on the ground, they would’ve seen that three of them now had sparkling eyes and excited faces.

Wow!

The village chief is going to throw people again!

But this time, Xiaojiu didn’t throw anyone—because the noise would’ve been too loud.

She remembered seeing on TV that if you hit someone on the neck, they’ll pass out.

Xiaojiu looked at the massive height difference between herself and the two men in black.

She waved at them, signaling them to lower their heads.

Not knowing what was going on, the two men curiously leaned closer, wondering what this silly girl wanted to say.

With perfect coordination, both men lowered their heads.

Looking at the two necks now right in front of her, Xiaojiu raised her hand and struck each one.

The men in black felt like their bones had shattered—not just broken, but crushed into powder.

They collapsed to the ground without a sound. Even as they died, they were still wondering why they had leaned down.

Seeing that the two were down, Xiaojiu went over and untied the others.

Zhao Hu said excitedly, “Village Chief, I knew you’d come save us!”

“See? I told you, didn’t I? Our village chief is the greatest hero in the world!”

The children from the neighboring villages had already forgotten their fear.

Their eyes were full of admiration.

After untying them all, Xiaojiu signaled for them to stay quiet.

She extended her spiritual sense outward—this cave had a lot of people.

She didn’t know their combat strength yet, so she didn’t dare act rashly.

Zhao Hu tossed away the rope that had bound him and flexed his limbs. “Village Chief, are we going to fight our way out?”

“There are hundreds of people out there,” Xiaojiu said, looking at Zhao Hu.

You’re that tough? Then go ahead.

Zhao Hu scratched his head awkwardly. “Then… how are we getting out, Village Chief?”

Xiaojiu looked around but didn’t see Cuihua. She asked, “Where’s Cuihua?”

“Cuihua? Was she with us?”

“She followed you the whole way, leaving marks. Otherwise, how do you think we found you so quickly?”

“We? Who else came?”

“Mr. Yan.”

“…..”

“Hurry, let’s go meet up with Mr. Yan.” Xiaojiu opened the window and signaled for the others to climb out. Behind the hut was a forest—perfect for cover.

The group moved quickly, skillfully climbing up and out the window one after another into the dense woods.

Even though they were nervous, they couldn’t help but feel excited. It was thrilling.

Xiaojiu was the last to jump out. She gently closed the window, making sure no traces were left behind.

As they passed through a thicket of low shrubs, a familiar sound reached their ears.

“Cluck cluck, cluck cluck.” Cuihua, seeing her master, clucked excitedly and flew into Xiaojiu’s arms.

Master, master!

You finally came.

You told me to watch these brats—

They’re such a headache!

I had to scatter feed along the way just to keep up!

Cluck cluck.

I’m starving!

The others watched a chicken in the village chief’s arms, looking pitifully up, speechless.

“Well done. I’ll make it up to you later—with double the feed,” Xiaojiu praised, patting Cuihua on the head.

“But why are you here?”

Upon hearing that, Cuihua’s spirit lifted.

“Cluck cluck, cluck cluck!”

Gold, gold, Master!

Shiny gold!

Bright silver!

As it turned out, Cuihua had followed the men in black to the cave. When she saw Zhao Hu and the others unconscious, she wandered off to look for food.

In just a short while, Cuihua had already explored the entire cave.