Chapter 24: The Storage Pouch Comes in Handy

“Really?” Xiaojiu rubbed her hands together. Gold and silver—she loved them more than anything.

But she quickly calmed down. The most urgent task was to get Zhao Hu and the others out safely first.

“We’ll come back later. Let’s rescue them first,” Xiaojiu said, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Cuihua, do you know the way out?” Xiaojiu patted the chicken nestled in her arms.

Of course Cuihua knew. In just a short while, she had already become acquainted with the local wild chickens in the cave.

After all, with her newly learned lightness skill, she was completely different from the average chicken. The wild chickens in this cave were absolutely enchanted by her. They told her everything there was to know—otherwise, how else would she have discovered the hidden treasure in this mountain cave so quickly?

Cuihua clucked excitedly a few times, then ran toward the cave exit, occasionally turning her head to make sure everyone was following.

The group followed closely behind, carefully navigating the winding cave paths and avoiding potential traps and obstacles. With Cuihua leading the way, they successfully found the exit.

“Great, we’re finally out!” Zhao Hu was the first to burst out of the cave, taking deep gulps of fresh air. The other children ran out one after another, eyes wide with excitement. Escaping alive—it was thrilling!

When Lin Qi and the others saw the village chief bringing the children out, they quickly rushed forward.

Xiaojiu looked around but didn’t see Master Yan. She asked Lin Qi, “Has Master Yan come out yet?”

“No, we’ve been watching the entrance the whole time. No one else has come out,” Lin Qi replied quickly.

“It’s not safe to stay here. You take them back to the village. I’ll go back in and check,” Xiaojiu instructed, then took Cuihua and re-entered the cave.

“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”

Back inside, Cuihua flapped her wings excitedly and led Xiaojiu toward a hidden corner deep within the cave.

Human and chicken moved nimbly among the rocks and crevices.

Soon, Cuihua stopped in front of what looked like an ordinary rock wall. She scratched at it a couple of times with her claws, signaling to Xiaojiu that the gold was here.

Xiaojiu stepped forward suspiciously and examined the spot, but didn’t notice anything unusual.

Just as she was about to ask Cuihua, the chicken suddenly pecked forcefully at a specific spot on the wall. To Xiaojiu’s astonishment, a stone on the wall slowly shifted, revealing a hidden opening.

“This…” Xiaojiu’s mouth fell open in shock.

Cuihua clucked smugly.

“See? Right here.”

Xiaojiu cautiously approached the opening. With the faint light, she saw piles of glittering gold and gleaming silver neatly stacked inside—it was like a miniature treasure vault.

“Wow—gold! We’ve struck it rich! Cuihua, you’re a real gem!” Xiaojiu cried, scooping the chicken up and planting a big kiss on her.

Cuihua clucked happily, basking in her owner’s praise.

Thrilled, Xiaojiu took out her storage pouch and stuffed all the gold and silver treasures into it.

In no time, the once dazzling treasure trove was now pitch-black and empty.

Like a swarm of locusts had passed through—not a single thing left behind.

Seeing that there was nothing of value left, Xiaojiu quickly took Cuihua and slipped away.

Mission complete, vanishing without a trace.

Cuihua led Xiaojiu toward a secluded area.

“Cluck-cluck-cluck!”

Master, they locked up a bunch of kids here.

Just yesterday, there were seven or eight of them kept in that wooden hut up front.

Cuihua flapped her wings, pointing toward the wooden huts in the distance guarded by several men dressed in black.

Xiaojiu lay low in the grass, watching the black-clad guards from afar.

She hesitated for a moment, considering whether to rescue the children.

In the end, she decided to go ahead—after all, she had just taken so much gold and silver from the cave for free; this could be considered payment for saving lives.

Xiaojiu summoned an electric baton from her storage space and used her spiritual power to scan the area. Good, there were about ten guards.

To take them down quietly, she needed more than just physical strength—tools were essential.

She quickly planned the best route in her mind.

Using the grass as cover, she stealthily approached the guards, each step cautious and silent, careful not to make a sound.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, rustling the grass tips. Taking advantage of this, Xiaojiu moved swiftly like a ghost, instantly closing in on a guard whose back was turned to her.

She held her breath and lightly touched the guard’s arm with the electric baton. A faint blue light flickered, the guard shuddered, then collapsed limply to the ground—completely silent.

Next, Xiaojiu repeated the process, taking down the other guards one by one, as if copying and pasting.

The more she did it, the easier it became.

The electric baton never expected it would one day be so useful—doing in minutes what would take others months.

Once all the guards were incapacitated, Xiaojiu tiptoed toward the wooden hut and gently pushed open the door.

Inside were seven or eight children, boys and girls, their eyes full of fear and helplessness.

Seeing the door open, the children were momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the young girl who had entered.

“Eh, you got caught too?” a chubby little boy said, looking at Xiaojiu.

Xiaojiu recognized him—it was the same boy who had bought candy and cloth bags from her before.

She stepped forward, untying their bonds while saying, “I wasn’t caught. I’m here to rescue you.”

One little girl wearing a pink dress immediately perked up, excitedly asking, “Officials came? Did my father catch them all?”

This little girl was Shen Zhiyuan, the daughter of the county magistrate. Seeing someone come to rescue them, her first thought was that her father had sent help after realizing she was missing.

Xiaojiu coldly dashed that hope: “No, it’s just me. Will you come with me? If not, you can wait here for your father.”

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing the flicker of hope in the children’s eyes.

A trace of disappointment flashed in Shen Zhiyuan’s eyes but was quickly replaced by determination.

No matter who it was, as long as they could get them out of this terrifying place, it was a lifeline.

Better to leave than to stay here being whipped like those poor kids in the training ground—or worse, being sold off somewhere unknown.

“We’re going. Of course we’re going!” Shen Zhiyuan quickly responded, pulling another dazed girl to her side with a determined look.

The chubby boy immediately raised his hand and said, “Go, we have to go. They don’t even give us food here; I’ve been starving all day.”

He had never suffered like this in his life.

Seeing this, the other children stood up one after another, though their bodies were still stiff from long confinement.

Xiaojiu quickly untied their ropes.

“Don’t make a sound, there are many black-clad guards outside,” Xiaojiu whispered, peeking through the door crack to ensure the area was temporarily clear, then turned back and said, “Stay close to me. We’ll leave through the back door and head into the forest ahead.”