The Taste of Freedom

The Taste of Freedom

Li Xuan and Bai Wen quickly began digging a tunnel along the mountainside.

Li Xuan chose an exit on the far side of the rocky mountain. Behind it lay a vast stretch of wild grassland, and the mountain itself would help reduce the risk of exposure.

And so, Li Xuan and Bai Wen dug for an entire day before finally creating a tunnel that bypassed the rocky mountain.

Only after confirming it repeatedly did Li Xuan settle on the tunnel's exit.

Once the exit's location was decided, the two prepared to dig upward and make a set of steps.

More than ten minutes later, Li Xuan drove his shovel down with all his strength.

The shovel struck empty air!

Li Xuan excitedly pulled back the shovel, and a bright, blinding beam of light shone through the opening into the tunnel.

"We did it!" Li Xuan turned around and said to Bai Wen, his face filled with excitement.

"We did it!" Bai Wen was equally thrilled. He lowered his voice and pumped his fist excitedly.

"Xuan Ge'er, come down first. Let's wait until tonight before going out. It's too dangerous during the day," Bai Wen said, quickly stopping Li Xuan as he tried to widen the opening.

After hearing Bai Wen's words, Li Xuan stopped what he was doing. He nodded and slowly backed away.

Bai Wen retreated with Li Xuan into the tunnel, leaving the light-piercing hole behind. It could be used to tell the time; once night fell, the two of them could officially begin their escape.

After returning to the tunnel, Li Xuan and Bai Wen found a place to sit and quietly waited for nightfall.

Li Xuan took out some bread and a waterskin from the Void Pearl and handed them to Bai Wen.

"Eat something. Rest up and save your strength. Once we get out, we'll have to run with everything we've got," Li Xuan said with a smile.

Bai Wen nodded, took the food and drink from Li Xuan, and began eating.

Seeing that Bai Wen said nothing, Li Xuan took out some food from the Void Pearl and began eating as well.

After eating and drinking their fill, Li Xuan and Bai Wen leaned against opposite sides of the tunnel and rested with their eyes closed. They had spent two days and one night digging without resting at all. They took this chance to recover their spirits and strength in preparation for their nighttime escape.

Time flew by, and the light shining through the hole gradually dimmed.

When the light vanished completely, Li Xuan and Bai Wen opened their eyes at the same time, their gazes gleaming with excitement.

"Xuan Ge'er, wait a little longer. It's still early. Let's leave when the night gets deeper," Bai Wen said softly, stopping Li Xuan.

Li Xuan nodded as well. They had already waited several months; another two hours made no difference.

Suddenly, Li Xuan thought of something. He took out two black cloaks from the Void Pearl and handed one to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen accepted it and put it on.

Though the clothes were a little small, they still provided some concealment.

Li Xuan did not idle around. He pulled the Void Grass, Lucky Four-Leaf Clover, and Dark Domain Ghost Orchid from their flowerpots, placed them in a jar, poured in some diluted spiritual liquid, then sealed the mouth with soil and cloth before carefully storing it in the Void Pearl.

Hopefully, these three Heavenly Treasures would survive. Li Xuan had done all he could.

Otherwise, carrying three flowerpots would have made it impossible for him to run.

After Li Xuan finished arranging the three flowerpots, Bai Wen also felt the time was about right and nodded at him.

"Let's go!" Li Xuan nodded too, waved his hand, and spoke softly.

Li Xuan and Bai Wen carefully widened the opening until it was large enough for one person to pass through, then immediately crawled out.

After crawling out of the hole, Li Xuan discovered that the sky was overcast that night!

"Heaven is helping us!" Li Xuan whispered excitedly to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen was equally excited.

With no moonlight beneath the cloudy sky, Li Xuan could not even make out the road around him—but neither could anyone else see him.

After glancing at the rocky mountain behind them, Li Xuan immediately pointed in a direction away from it.

Bai Wen did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately followed behind Li Xuan, weaving through the dense wild grass.

They could not move too quickly. They carefully made their way into the distance, trying not to make noise or leave behind any traces.

Li Xuan and Bai Wen walked through the wild grass for an entire night.

As the sky began to brighten, Li Xuan and Bai Wen were finally able to see the road ahead.

They could actually see the edge of the wild grassland.

Li Xuan and Bai Wen exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with both exhaustion and excitement.

They quickened their pace and finally left the wild grassland before dawn, escaping the boundaries of the Flower Sea.

After leaving the wild grassland, Li Xuan and Bai Wen did not stop to rest. Instead, they continued onward in the same direction.

They still did not dare stop. After all, the area around the Flower Sea remained under Chrysanthemum Douluo's jurisdiction. The farther they fled, the lower their chances of being discovered would be.

After walking for who knew how long, Li Xuan and Bai Wen spotted a village.

The two quickly changed direction, circled around the village, and continued farther away.

As the sun set, Li Xuan and Bai Wen dragged their exhausted bodies forward, their steps stiff as they kept walking.

Then they suddenly spotted a small forest.

"Xuan Ge'er, it's dark. Let's rest," Bai Wen said hoarsely to Li Xuan.

"Mm, let's rest." Li Xuan nodded and slowly walked into the forest step by step.

Before long, the two entered the small forest and sat directly on the ground beside a large tree.

Leaning against the tree, they stared blankly at the stars.

Just one day and one night of grueling travel had already left them utterly exhausted. At that moment, they did not even have the strength to speak.

After resting for a while, Li Xuan recovered some strength. He took out bread and waterskins from the Void Pearl and gave some to Bai Wen.

Bai Wen did not stand on ceremony. He accepted the bread and water and began eating.

Li Xuan glanced at Bai Wen, then ignored all appearances and gnawed on the bread in his hand.

The two sat beneath the tree and ate ravenously, replenishing their strength.

After eating and drinking their fill, Li Xuan and Bai Wen lay on the ground. Their feet had not stopped moving all day; they had kept going forward. Even when they were so exhausted that their consciousness had become hazy, they had continued onward.

"Xuan Ge'er, where are we now? Where are we going next?" Bai Wen asked after taking a sip of water.

"Don't worry. Let me take a look first." Li Xuan dragged his weary body up from the ground, took out the map from the Void Pearl, and carefully analyzed their location.

Before long, Li Xuan determined where they were based on the locations of the village and rocky mountain they had passed.

"Brother Bai Wen, we've escaped at least fifty kilometers! The nearest city is only a little over ten kilometers away!" Li Xuan said excitedly.

"Ten kilometers? If we push ourselves, we can get into the city and rest tonight!" Bai Wen patted Li Xuan's shoulder, then gritted his teeth and climbed up from the ground.

Li Xuan nodded excitedly as well.

After eating, drinking, and resting for a while longer, the two finally continued on their journey.

Dear readers, I wish you happiness every day. Only three more days until the weekend—keep it up...

(End of Chapter)