Wings of Freedom

"The snake hole you dug opens to the outside of this manor!" Yang Ning said. "However, the snake hole is quite small, so you'll need to widen it!"

"Won't anyone notice?" Jiang Yunhao asked.

"The closest guard is 24 meters away, and he's just a normal person!" Yang Ning replied.

"I understand!" Jiang Yunhao nodded, then called his companions over to discuss. Before long, the sounds of painful groans started again.

However, one young boy jumped into the hole and began widening the passage with his hands.

You don't know until you try. As he started digging, he realized that from years of crawling, the snake path had become both tough and slippery. He couldn't dig out much dirt with just his fingers.

The young boy gritted his teeth and clawed fiercely. His hands immediately became bloody, but he ignored the pain and dug out a handful of dirt.

Next, it was the next boy's turn!

Yang Ning watched this scene silently. There was nothing he could do to help.

He didn't want to say anything about hardships turning into growth, so he just watched silently, silently cheering them on.

By the time the night was deep and the moon was as cool as water, the snake hole had finally been dug wide enough for everyone to pass through.

Fortunately, they were all children. If they were adults, it would have taken much longer.

"Alright!" Seeing that some children were still trying to dig, Yang Ning quickly had Jiang Yunhao stop them and said, "We can go now!"

"Okay!" Jiang Yunhao immediately called out to the others, arranging for them to leave while minimizing their groans.

He was the last one to leave, watching his companions go while observing the guards outside.

Fortunately, the guards found it too dirty and had no intention of coming in.

"Have you thought about what you'll do after you get out?" Yang Ning asked.

"Of course, I'll work for you!" Jiang Yunhao replied.

"I don't have much for you to do. Most of the time, you'll be free!" Yang Ning said.

"Then I'll cultivate diligently and find a way to rescue our companions!" Jiang Yunhao declared. "I want to create an organization to save the Jiang Yun people!"

"Do you have cultivation techniques? Aren't you afraid of being captured?" Yang Ning asked.

"Yes!" Jiang Yunhao nodded. "We'll definitely be captured, but I believe the Taiheng Sect won't kill us. They like to cultivate opponents for their disciples to train against, and I'll use this opportunity to slowly grow stronger!"

Yang Ning was aware of Taiheng's methods, but he hadn't expected Jiang Yunhao to exploit them.

But...

"If you do this, the sacrifices will be immense!" Yang Ning warned. "You might die, and your companions might die too. You'll be like leeks, harvested as soon as you grow!"

"As long as the banner remains, hope remains!" Jiang Yunhao said seriously. "I believe every Jiang Yun person is prepared to sacrifice, and I am no exception!"

"Great ambitions are born from sacrifice; dare to change the world with them," Yang Ning praised.

"Senior is amazing, to be able to write such a poem!" Jiang Yunhao's eyes lit up. "Senior, please give us a name!"

How could a teacher's poem not be amazing?

But, would naming them create karma? Would it be calculated by some fate-calculating technique?

Perhaps the karma was already created the moment I contacted him!

Yang Ning sighed. Life was always full of surprises, but at this moment, his calm heart finally stirred.

So what if I'm calculated? They have nothing, yet they're still full of fighting spirit even as slaves. I have all these advantages and even planned my escape routes, yet I'm still hesitant.

Can a coward become an immortal?

"There was once a bird that could never be caged, because every feather on its body shone with the light of freedom!" Yang Ning said softly. "This bird is called the Passenger Pigeon, also known as the Wandering Pigeon. Since your heart yearns for freedom, let your name be in the name of freedom, call yourselves the Wings of Freedom!"

"Wings of Freedom, what a beautiful name!" Jiang Yunhao nodded seriously. "From today on, we are the Wings of Freedom!"

Five minutes later, Jiang Yunhao appeared in a desolate alley. Beside him stood his eighty companions, not a single one left behind.

This was a place Yang Ning had specifically chosen. Not only was Jiang Yunhao smart, but the slave exchange they were in was also remote and desolate, located in the commoner district. The shops on the adjacent street closed at night.

There were definitely people around, but Qi Refining cultivators with divine sense or high-level Body Refinement Realm experts wouldn't bother with the houses here. Those who lived here were either commoners with no cultivation or old martial artists who were in their twilight years but only at the third or fourth level of Body Refinement Realm, with little potential.

If there were any Qi Refining Stage cultivators hiding in such a remote place, they would surely have ulterior motives and wouldn't be using their divine sense late at night.

"What should we do next?" Jiang Yunhao asked.

"Head east. There's a river 400 meters away. You need to wash off your scent there. Across the river, there's a boat transporting slaves. It only has four guards, and they're fast asleep right now. Seize the boat and let it drift downstream. You'll continue east on foot."

"And then?" Jiang Yunhao asked.

Yang Ning shook his head. "We'll talk about that after you get the boat!"

Jiang Yunhao nodded and immediately called everyone to set off.

Eighty teenagers who had just eaten their fill were tired and sleepy. Some were still injured or sick.

Even if modern university students were taken on a field trip by their teacher, some would fall behind. How could this group be any different?

But Jiang Yunhao still displayed excellent leadership. He divided the eighty people into 16 teams of five, appointed 16 captains, and then grouped four teams together. One of the four captains would serve as the group leader. Orders were directly issued to the group leaders, and the four strong captains would look after and support the team members, ensuring no one was left behind.

As a result, not only did no one fall behind, but throughout the entire journey, there were no shouts, no groans, and no cries of pain. Even those who were sweating profusely managed to walk from start to finish!

"A nation like this, people like these, how could they not rise?" Yang Ning watched this scene silently. These were just children who hadn't grown up yet!

It can only be said that Jiang Yun's cultural genes are like this, with hardship and resilience carved into his bones!

Yang Ning took the opportunity to doubt Jiang Yunhao's identity again. Was he really just a descendant of farmers?

Right, he said his ancestors were farmers, not his father or grandfather's generation.

It doesn't matter, none of this is important.

400 meters, eighty people took fifteen minutes, and soon, a small river appeared before everyone.

Ancient cities were all built by rivers, and Seacloud City was no exception. This was the mouth of the Taiheng Heavenly River, so there were countless large and small tributaries. This small river, though called small, was 50 meters wide, with many boats of various sizes docked on it.

Fortunately, the current was calm.

Jiang Yunhao quickly located the slave ship Yang Ning mentioned, as they had arrived on such a ship.

The youths first bathed in a shallow area and then climbed onto the ship along the anchor rope.

An old fisherman with white hair, who lived on the ship, suddenly saw this scene when he got up at night. He opened his mouth in terror but then closed it, thinking better of it.

He had lived so long precisely because he had a tranquil nature and didn't like to meddle in other people's business.

Ten minutes later, the anchor on the ship was raised, and the vessel slowly began to move. It left the riverbank and headed towards the center of the river before starting to drift downstream.

They saw the group of youths floating in the water, leisurely swimming towards the opposite bank.

Another ten minutes later, everyone was ashore, not a single person left behind.

"You can all swim?" Yang Ning was somewhat surprised.

"We're all from the same village!" Jiang Yunhao explained. "Our village is by the river, so everyone knows how to swim."

He was somewhat curious, if they couldn't swim, what would this Senior have done.

He ultimately didn't ask.

Little did he know, Yang Ning's plan was quite simple: there were wooden planks on the slave ship; they could hold onto them and swim across.

He hadn't pretended to be some omnipotent, all-powerful being, so he could shamelessly suggest a simple plan.

"The manor in front of you is a cloth shop!" Yang Ning said. "Remember this place. This shop only recognizes money, not people. After you settle down, you can come here to buy cloth to make clothes!!"

"Great!" Jiang Yunhao's eyes lit up. Their slave clothes were too conspicuous. Having new clothes would be wonderful, at least so that ordinary people wouldn't be able to tell.

"Head south, this is the direction out of the city. There's still 1 hour and 42 minutes until dawn. You need to walk 8 kilometers in an hour and a half to reach a place called Yunshan. There's a Yunshan Manor here. Mu Yunshan secretly bought it to keep his mistress, but Yunshan has already been murdered by his wife and her lover. Now, only Mu Yunshan's mistress and a dog are in the manor. Whether you kill them or let them live is up to you. In any case, this will be your residence from now on!"

"There's actually such a place?" Jiang Yunhao's eyes lit up. If it weren't for Senior, he would never have known.

And with this, it seemed he wouldn't have to confront the slave traders immediately upon escaping, but instead, he would have time to develop steadily!

"We'll leave now!" Eight kilometers in an hour and a half is equivalent to walking 88 meters per minute.

It wasn't much, but for starving minors, it was a very difficult task.

But what if walking this path meant they would finally be free!

Yang Ning didn't know how much potential freedom could unleash in a person. In any case, he watched as the shaky, stumbling group finally reached Yunshan Manor within an hour and a half.

Just as they stopped at the entrance, Jiang Yunhao felt a chill on his brow.

He reached up and touched it. It was a drop of water.

The next second, the patter of raindrops fell from the sky, washing away the dust of the travelers while also beginning to cleanse various traces and scents.

Jiang Yunhao's mood, which had been filled with apprehension, unease, and hope, instantly transformed into excitement, gratitude, and shock as the rain began to fall!

"Senior, did you predict this, or did you make it happen?" Jiang Yunhao didn't speak, but silently held his shock and admiration in his heart. Then, taking advantage of the sound of the rain, he led everyone over the high wall.

Soon, dog barks and a woman's screams came from the courtyard, but they quickly turned into a woman's cries.

A short while later, the woman stopped crying, and the sounds of chopping vegetables and washing dishes echoed from the kitchen.

They were starting to cook.

"You're not going to kill her?" Yang Ning asked.

"Does Senior want me to kill her?" Jiang Yunhao retorted.

"I said, how you deal with her is entirely up to you!" Yang Ning replied.

"Although I hate Taiheng people, every wrong has its cause and every debt has its debtor. Sister Fu is an innocent ordinary person. Our war should not involve ordinary people!" Jiang Yunhao didn't know what Yang Ning was thinking. Perhaps Senior wanted him to kill this woman.

Or perhaps, he judged that Jiang Yunhao would kill this woman.

But would Senior want someone he saved to be someone who killed innocent people?

Jiang Yunhao didn't know, but he believed that someone willing to extend a helping hand to those in desperate situations must have a fiery heart!

"What do you need me to do, Senior?" Jiang Yunhao asked. "We are completely settled now and can serve you!"

"Learn artifact forging by the way!" Yang Ning smiled. "I'll have you forge one item every day. That's all!"

"Okay!" Jiang Yunhao nodded heavily. This was perfect, Wings of Freedom also needed an artifact forging master!

As if he had thought of something, Jiang Yunhao asked again, "By the way, Senior, you mentioned before that there was a type of bird. What about the passenger pigeons now?"

Yang Ning pondered for a long time and said, "Extinct!"

"Extinct?" Jiang Yun was stunned.