Chapter 24: Secret Passage

The two of them were so excited upon hearing this that they almost jumped up and down on the spot. “It’s only one day younger! If it weren’t for eldest aunt falling, how could you possibly be older than us? Besides, ask anyone, do you look like an older sister, or do we look like older brothers?”

Yan Huan looked at them with a wry smile, finding herself speechless.

Just because you two look older than me, I have to call you brothers. What kind of logic is that? These two dunderheads really left her speechless.

Ever since they were little, whenever she returned to the old residence, these two would always chase after her, calling her “Sixth Sister, Sixth Sister.” It got to the point where everyone in the family now assumed she was indeed younger than them. Didn’t they ever wonder why she was ranked sixth while they were the seventh and eighth sons?

However, just as they said, the three were only a day apart in age. Moreover, Second Aunt had indeed conceived before her mother. She was born almost a month premature because her mother had fallen. So, everyone had automatically ignored the brother-sister designation and let them call her whatever they wanted.

While they were chatting, the group arrived at the place where the two had killed the wolves before.

The messy footprints on the ground continued to this point. Could it really be that the companions of the wolves they had killed earlier had come for revenge?

Subsequently, Yan Huan also noticed an extra bonfire.

Last night, they had lit one bonfire inside the cave and another outside.

Looking now, there were two inside the cave. Touching the extra one, it was surprisingly still warm.
Wolves wouldn’t light a fire, which meant someone had been here before, and they hadn’t left long ago.

However, they had searched all around but couldn’t find any more human footprints. Where did this person leave from? Could they fly?

Actually, a question had been lingering in Yan Huan’s mind, unable to dissipate: why would Liu die so far from the Yan family’s camp, and the time of death should have been in the middle of the night?

Judging from the traces at the scene, Liu should have walked there herself. Even if she needed to relieve herself, she should have gone to a place closer to the Yan family. Each small group had a designated small area for this purpose and wouldn’t randomly look for a place.

The officials didn’t really want to know the cause of Liu’s death. They just needed to figure out why wild beasts would come down the mountain to the edge of the area. That place was very close to the villages and towns, and they needed to eliminate the potential danger.

Originally, the officials’ intention was to leave quickly and stay away from danger, but the higher-ups had issued an order for them to stay and assist the county government in finding the real killer.

Actually, it wasn’t hard to understand. A murder case had occurred, and it just so happened to be related to this group of unfortunate exiles. Using them as bait couldn’t be more suitable.

After all, they were just a group of criminals. Even if something unexpected happened, it would be considered making amends for their crimes.

That’s why they were ordered to camp in place, even though the danger was obvious.

Thinking about it now, the sudden destruction of the official road earlier seemed too convenient. Could it also have been man-made? And what was the purpose of the person who did this?

One accident could be called a coincidence, but too many accidents became highly suspicious.

Yan Huan was originally a simple-minded person. She couldn’t even understand the game of Werewolf, let alone figure out the intricate twists and turns here. So many questions troubled her, making her head feel like it was about to explode.

Just as she was about to give up on guessing, she heard the long-silent System Master in her mind reappear.

“Ding, the system detects that the host is overusing their brain and will automatically issue a simplest task, with a reward of seven walnuts and a bottle.”

Hearing this task, Yan Huan almost cursed out loud. Was this reward trying to insult her? Did it mean she needed to nourish her brain?

Whoever wanted to do this kind of task could do it; she certainly wouldn’t.

Regardless of whether she did it or not, the system’s task appeared in large letters in her mind.

“Task: Chestnuts from the Fire!” Underneath the large red letters, a line of smaller text faintly appeared.

“There are three bonfires in front of you. One of them has roasted chestnuts. Please retrieve the chestnuts within ten seconds, otherwise, the system will forcibly execute a penalty. The penalty is that you will not be able to accept any tasks for one month.”

“Ten, nine, eight, seven…”

???

What did this mean?

Was this forced buying and selling?

The task popped up on its own; it wasn’t like she summoned it. And she wasn’t allowed to refuse?
Although the rewards for the last few tasks hadn’t been particularly good, they were still somewhat useful. Moreover, this task was indeed quite simple.

The other two bonfires still looked the same as yesterday, not relit. The chestnuts must be in the new bonfire.

Yan Huan walked forward and kicked around in the ashes with her foot. Several chestnuts rolled out.

“Congratulations, host, for completing the task. You have received seven walnuts and a bottle.”

Yan Huan rolled her eyes, not even wanting to acknowledge it. If she wasn’t afraid of not being able to receive tasks later, she wouldn’t have done this idiotic task.

Roasted chestnuts were quite delicious. Bending down to pick them up, she noticed something strange about this patch of ground.

The color of this patch of ground was actually slightly different from the surrounding area.

The ground nearby was dry and hard, covered in moss, but this patch was bare. Although it also looked firm, it seemed to have been dug up and then refilled.

Yesterday, the two of them had been so focused on eating that they hadn’t noticed.

Yan Huan quickly called Jiang Duo’er over.

Jiang Duo’er stomped her foot and said, “This ground seems hollow underneath.”

Soon, the soldiers dug up this patch of ground, and a secret passage appeared before everyone.

Hong Dabao sent a soldier down to investigate the situation. After a while, the man came out beaming. After glancing at Yan Huan and the others, he leaned over and whispered a few words into Hong Dabao’s ear.
Hong Dabao looked delighted upon hearing this and quickly left ten soldiers to guard the place before leading the rest down the mountain.

Yan Huan and Jiang Duo’er were both confused. They had said they were going up the mountain to look for clues. Did the soldier find clues inside?

But even if they found clues, what was it that they couldn’t let them know?

Since the soldiers didn’t want them to know, Yan Huan was too lazy to guess.

On the way back, Yan Huan, with her sharp eyes, discovered several unfamiliar plants, successfully completing the fertile land upgrade task.

Yan Huan had thought they would stay here for a few more days. Judging by the officials’ previous behavior, they should at least investigate the reason why the wild beast attacked the camp and killed Liu. But afterward, the officials didn’t continue the investigation but directly ordered them to set off.

Moreover, they very readily unlocked the shackles of both families.

The next day, Yan Huan discovered that Zhao Song had been promoted to acting captain overnight, responsible for managing all the soldiers in the escort team, while the previous leader, Hong Dabao, had left the group.

When Zhao Song saw Yan Huan, his face was full of joy. He specifically brought her a large bag of vegetables, with a large piece of meat sandwiched in the middle.

“Sixth Miss, this time it’s all thanks to you. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have had this opportunity. I don’t have anything good, so consider these as a thank-you gift.”