Chapter 1281 - 647: Underground Lake
Boss Kun sighed deeply and said, "Anyone who wants to leave, speak up now, and I’ll give each of you 500 taels of silver."
Including himself, there were six people in the team. Except for Yuan Hou and Fourth, the others showed signs of cowardice in their eyes, obviously having thoughts of retreat and escape. Their usual work involved dealing with ghosts and spirit monsters, not treasure hunting in such eerie places. If they missed the chance to leave the Water Room earlier, there’s a chance they might perish in the underground palace without any possibility of escape.
Boss Kun glared at his nephew and coldly snorted, "Aji, do you want to leave too?"
Aji hesitated for a moment and said, "Uncle, this place is too strange. As the saying goes, ’as long as the green hills last, there’s no fear of running out of firewood.’ Perhaps we should..."
Boss Kun looked at him a couple of times. After all, Aji carried the Kun family’s bloodline. If Boss Kun were to die in the underground palace, Aji would be the hope for carrying on the Kun family lineage, so letting him leave was not out of the question.
Changtian, who had been observing coldly, suddenly spoke up, "The architect expended much effort to set up this underground palace. Do you think he would let intruders leave easily?"
As soon as he said this, everyone felt a chill wash over them. Han Chunlin frowned at him and said, "What do you mean by that? Don’t spread alarmist talk!"
Ning Xiaoxian leisurely said, "It’s exactly as it sounds. Anyway, we still have to continue exploring ahead. Those who want to leave can do so now, just be cautious about any hidden designs in the waterways."
The few of them looked at each other, unsure of what to do, so they turned to Boss Kun.
Boss Kun indicated that the map in his memory wasn’t marked with any arrangements in the waterway or where it flowed.
Eventually, Aji gritted his teeth and decided to leave. But of course, the three of them wouldn’t recklessly dive into the water; they planned to spend a short time observing the water conditions here.
She stood aside, listening to their debate and finally spoke up, "If you want to find a place to rest, there’s a path down here."
Everyone looked and finally discovered a narrow path along the side of the tunnel, almost like a few small footholds carved into the stone, allowing one person to climb down sideways. It was probably used by those who built the underground palace back then. However, because it was so dimly lit and the path was hidden, no one had noticed it. Everyone felt a pang of shame.
This path led to a large sandy beach by the lake, and the group descended one by one.
The sand grains were very coarse, enough to make their bottoms sore when sitting. However, as soon as they stepped onto the beach, hearing the rhythmic waves gently lapping against the sand, with the endless "splash, splash" monotonous water sound, they felt an indescribable exhaustion surface from body and mind, almost enough to overwhelm them. They had encountered numerous monsters along the way, their nerves constantly on edge; even the toughest person would struggle to endure.
Boss Kun, with a hoarse voice, instructed, "Rest in place for four hours, and we’ll discuss later." Despite the urgency in his heart, the group’s current physical state required a good rest to relax their muscles and relieve fatigue. If they continued on with forced marching, their spirits would slowly wilt, their reactions would become slower, and they wouldn’t be able to cope with other sudden circumstances.
This group was indeed accustomed to traveling through the wilderness. Even though they were extremely fatigued, they still managed to first light a fire, thoroughly heating the nearby ground, and then spread a thick circle of realgar powder around the temporary camp. This not only kept away insects and ants but also continuously released ground heat while they slept, improving their sleep quality.
Afterwards, Fourth carefully approached the water’s edge, drew a bamboo tube of water, and dropped some powder into it to test the water quality. After observing for quite a while, he happily said, "This water is drinkable."
Boss Kun immediately took out a large pot, instructed people to fill it with water and set it on the fire to boil, then threw in dried meat, flour, dried mushrooms, and even a handful of dried wild vegetables! Ning Xiaoxian’s eyes flashed briefly; Boss Kun wasn’t carrying a bag, so these items must have come from a storage ring.
Even low-level cultivators couldn’t acquire a storage ring, so how could a mere mortal like Boss Kun have one? She knew, however, that some Heavenly Masters, possessing a little spiritual power, could open storage rings.
Boss Kun didn’t seem to care about revealing his secrets, taking out seven or eight sweet potatoes and burying them under the fire to cook them with the heat. Meanwhile, others built small leather tents. These tents, crafted from tanned calfskin, were waterproof and fireproof. Sprinkling some medicinal powder on them further kept insects away. Besides, they were lightweight and compact, with a single tent costing at least twenty taels of silver outside.
They set up the camp by the water, and as a safety measure, they stayed close to the tunnel they entered from. If anything went wrong in the water, they could quickly retreat into it.
"Fourth" set up two Arrays around the camp, the outer one for alert and the inner one for defense, also releasing several little ghosts he kept to patrol and float around the camp. Watching his setup, Ning Xiaoxian suddenly asked, "Not far from here, the Wu Family’s granary is rumored to be a ghost village. Have you ever gone to see it?"
"Fourth" chuckled, "I heard about it when passing through Songjiang City. I’m quite interested, and if we weren’t pressed for time, I would’ve taken a detour to check it out. Miss, are you interested too?"
She nodded, "I’m also interested in the Ghost Path."
"I have some apprentices scattered in the area. Who knows, one day they might capture those wandering souls."
At this moment, the pot released an enticing aroma. The group gathered around, each taking a large bowl and feasting merrily with sweet potatoes. Changtian didn’t need to eat; she was accustomed to finer delicacies and declined Boss Kun’s offer to join the meal. (To be continued. If you like this work, feel free to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets on Qidian (qidian.com), your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)