Two Paths in Parallel

Two Paths in Parallel

Li Xuan and Lin Mo did not return to the Flower Sea until noon.

After getting out of the carriage, Lin Mo returned to his room in the rear courtyard of the Supervisor Mansion and went to sleep.

Although this outing had been safe and uneventful, Lin Mo still felt utterly exhausted. After all, he had nearly lost Li Xuan.

After watching Lin Mo return to the Supervisor Mansion, Li Xuan did not go in to rest. Instead, he headed straight for the North District to check on the progress of his little courtyard.

Half an hour later, Li Xuan arrived in the North District and spotted his courtyard from far away.

The courtyard walls were still standing, but the thatched house inside had disappeared.

Pushing open the gate and walking in, Li Xuan saw Liu Li and his four brothers, along with Bai Wen, inside a large pit, tamping down soil while filling it with stones.

"Uncle Liu, Brother Bai Wen!" Li Xuan called out to them.

Hearing Li Xuan's voice, the people in the pit stopped what they were doing and raised their heads to look at him.

"Xuan Ge'er, you're back!" Liu Li and Bai Wen greeted Li Xuan in unison.

"Yes. I've finished purchasing the building materials too. They should reach us in another two or three days. But Uncle Liu, our progress is really fast," Li Xuan said with a smile.

"Haha, my brothers and I haven't built a house with proper materials in years. Our hands have been itching for it for a long time. Now that we finally have the chance, of course we want to get the house up as soon as possible," Liu Li said with a hearty laugh.

"You've worked hard lately, Uncle Liu. How about this? Take tomorrow off and go to the Supervisor Mansion for a good meal and some rest. Once the building materials arrive, we'll continue construction," Li Xuan said with a smile after thinking it over.

"That would be wonderful! My brothers and I have been craving the food at the Supervisor Mansion for ages. Thanks to Xuan Ge'er, we'll finally get to taste it!" Liu Li's eyes lit up when he heard this.

The food in the North District was truly terrible. They could barely ever eat their fill, so Liu Li was naturally thrilled at the prospect of good food, wine, and meat.

"Uncle Liu, let's stop here for today. Go back and get some rest. Brother Bai Wen and I have something to do," Li Xuan said, directly telling Liu Li to leave.

"Alright, Xuan Ge'er. We'll head back early and rest today, then go to the Supervisor Mansion first thing tomorrow morning for a proper meal!" Liu Li did not say much else. He simply nodded and accepted Li Xuan's arrangement.

Then Liu Li and his four brothers left Li Xuan's courtyard with their tools.

"Xuan Ge'er, what is it?" Bai Wen asked curiously.

"Let's talk downstairs," Li Xuan said in a lowered voice.

Bai Wen nodded, found the entrance to the basement, and opened the hatch. Then he and Li Xuan entered the basement.

At that moment, the basement was brightly illuminated by the Starfire Vine.

Li Xuan and Bai Wen sat down directly in the chairs.

"Xuan Ge'er, what exactly is going on?" Bai Wen asked curiously.

"I want to start digging the tunnel now," Li Xuan said solemnly, looking at Bai Wen with a serious expression.

"Is it really that urgent?" Bai Wen froze for a moment, then looked at Li Xuan in confusion.

"I don't think Chrysanthemum Douluo fully trusts me yet. The sooner we dig through the tunnel, the sooner I can rest easy," Li Xuan said with a helpless sigh.

Chrysanthemum Douluo put far too much pressure on Li Xuan. Moreover, Lin Mo had told him that once he cultivated the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum, Chrysanthemum Douluo would kill him without hesitation.

If the tunnel could be completed, he would have a way out when the time came.

"Alright, Xuan Ge'er. I'll listen to you. In that case, I'll start digging the tunnel today and get it through as quickly as possible," Bai Wen said, nodding seriously and thumping his chest in assurance.

"It's not quite that urgent. This tunnel will be very long, so we should wait until the building materials arrive before we start digging. Otherwise, it could collapse easily," Li Xuan said quickly, waving his hand.

If the tunnel were only a few meters long, it would not matter much whether it had a supporting frame. But the tunnel Li Xuan wanted to dig would be several, perhaps even more than ten, kilometers long. It needed a stable framework to ensure nothing went wrong.

Otherwise, if the tunnel collapsed, their plan to dig an escape route would definitely be discovered.

By then, Li Xuan might not even have time to run.

"That makes sense... but Liu Li and the others still have some leftover building materials. I can use those first to brace the tunnel. They should hold until the new materials arrive," Bai Wen said after giving it some thought.

"That could really work." Li Xuan's eyes lit up. That way, they could indeed begin digging the tunnel several days early.

"But Brother Bai Wen, if you're underground, you'll have to dig day and night in a place without sunlight," Li Xuan said with a frown, explaining the hardship involved.

"What's so bad about that? As long as I can leave the Flower Sea, a little hardship is nothing. Freedom is what people yearn for most!" Bai Wen said, waving his hand, his eyes filled with longing.

"Since Brother Bai Wen isn't afraid of hardship, then I should thank you. I'll prepare enough food and water to make sure you can eat your fill underground. But bread would be the best food, so you'll have to put up with that," Li Xuan said, nodding at Bai Wen.

"What's there to put up with? As long as I can eat my fill, that's enough," Bai Wen said with a smile.

"By the way, Brother Bai Wen, I got something good during this trip to Sala City. Look." As Li Xuan spoke, he took a map from the Void Pearl and placed it before Bai Wen.

"This... this is a map! A map that includes the Flower Sea!" Bai Wen looked it over, his eyes lighting up with surprise.

Li Xuan nodded and began determining the direction based on his memory, then worked out a route for the tunnel.

Very soon, Li Xuan had a rough plan in mind. He grabbed a charcoal pencil and drew a straight line across the map.

This was the estimated direction and endpoint of the tunnel.

The tunnel would be about eight kilometers long, ending at a low hill. As long as they opened an exit on the far side of that hill, Li Xuan and Bai Wen could leave the Flower Sea.

"Eight kilometers. That's much shorter than I imagined. Great!" Li Xuan said happily, his eyes brightening at the estimated distance.

"Come on, Brother Bai Wen. Move the building materials down first. I'll get you some supplies," Li Xuan said with a smile.

"Alright, Xuan Ge'er." Bai Wen nodded, then left the basement to move the materials.

Li Xuan took out a bag of Large Rye Bread and more than a dozen jars filled with water from the Void Pearl, enough for Bai Wen to eat and drink for quite some time.

After placing everything in the basement, Li Xuan began digging open the tunnel leading to the stone wall again.

Dear readers, tomorrow is the weekend. I wish you all happiness every day.

Dear readers, I'm sorry. I actually finished writing this chapter last night, but I was so tired that I wrote gibberish. I didn't dare post it, and only just found the time today to check it over and revise it several times before posting. Sorry for being a little late.