Start with a red name

Chapter 89 Welcome
"Da Huang, how did you know about the existence of this tunnel? Do you go there often?"

"Woo~~"

"My father often took you along this path when he went hunting alone in the mountains, didn't he?"

"Woo~"

"..."

Geng Xuan moved quickly in the tunnel while communicating with Dahuang in his arms.

At this moment, he had already adapted to the environment in the tunnel.

Its brightness is even slightly brighter than some of the tunnel areas under Kangleji, and the ventilation is also very good, without any feeling of stuffiness and depression as walking deep underground.

Moreover, tunnels are different from forests on the ground. There are no obvious ups and downs and no sharp turns.

Walking the same distance, the physical exertion is at most only 30% to 40% of that of climbing over mountains and hills on the ground.

When Geng Xuan walked about twenty miles forward in the tunnel, a "T"-shaped fork appeared in front of him again.

At the fork on his left, the light in the tunnel became brighter and brighter, while ahead it remained dim.

Geng Xuan roughly understood what was going on, but he still turned to the left. After walking only a few dozen steps, he found himself standing at the hidden exit of the tunnel.

Geng Xuan did not walk out, but just moved closer to the exit and looked out through the gap. When he saw the undulating mountains in the distance, his thoughts were completely confirmed.

Because of the peculiar undulating terrain of this section, it is a very distinctive landform in the area. When Geng Xuan and the hunting team passed by nearby, they paid attention to it from afar.

After passing this section of the mountain, Geng Xuan had a clearer grasp of his current location.

The "special sense" that had gradually become blurred after walking twenty miles in the tunnel was also calibrated.

Then, even if he continued to move forward in the dark in the tunnel, he would not lose his direction and would not know where he was going.

After calibrating his sense of direction with the help of this cave entrance, Geng Xuan continued to run rapidly in the dim tunnel.

From then on, there would be a hidden entrance and exit to the cave almost every twenty or thirty miles.

This brought a lot of convenience to Geng Xuan.

Based on his own experience, Geng Xuan analyzed that there were about four reasons for having so many hidden entrances and exits.

One is to calibrate the direction when digging;
The second is to ensure that the tunnel has good ventilation and lighting;

The third purpose is to facilitate the disposal of soil during excavation and to facilitate entry and exit after the tunnel is completed. Through this tunnel, one can easily reach a certain point in Chiwu Mountain.
Fourth, drainage is convenient.

Along the way, Geng Xuan passed through one cave entrance after another and was delayed twice.

These two delays were due to the same reason: he discovered a nest of wild beasts in the entrance and exit of the cave.

They apparently regarded this as a natural nest and moved in.

In one of the places, there were actually four bears hiding. Two of them were extremely huge. If they were standing up, they would be at least four or five meters tall, and their bodies were covered with scars.

The other two are slightly smaller, but when standing up, they are still one or two meters tall.

In another place lived a nest of giant rats. The largest one weighed at least forty or fifty kilograms, and there were even more of them. Even without counting them carefully, Geng Xuan estimated that there were no less than a hundred of them.

This discovery made Geng Xuan frown.

To be honest, because of the existence of so many entrances and exits to the cave, Geng Xuan felt that the probability of being discovered was not low, especially during the "Autumn Hunting" period.

The existence of these beasts increases the possibility of exposure.

Of course, Geng Xuan felt that this was also because his father had died and the tunnel was left unattended.

In order to keep the tunnel hidden, Geng Xuan even thought of killing the entire nest of bears and rats.

However, saving Dahuang is the most important thing now, so this matter can only be put on the back burner.

About three hours after Geng Xuan was led into the tunnel by Da Huang, when he looked out from the seventh tunnel entrance, he saw a familiar low hill in the distance, and Geng Xuan understood what was going on.

Changpingfang is just ahead.

Geng Xuan turned around again, turned left, entered the dim tunnel, and walked forward for about two miles. When he was walking quickly, he suddenly stopped.

Just on the rock wall on the right, there is an area that shows signs of being carefully sealed by humans.

The blocking method was very sophisticated. If one did not practice the earth-walking technique to a certain level and did not have an outstanding ability to identify the soil, it would be impossible to see it.

But Geng Xuan saw it at a glance.

Because the exquisite sealing marks looked very familiar to him, he was not unfamiliar with it at all.

This kind of blocking method is used at both ends of the tunnel that runs through Changpingfang underground.

Geng Xuan recalled his first exploration after discovering the remains of a tunnel underground in Changpingfang.

At the beginning, the direction he explored was away from Kangleji and deep into Chiwu Mountain. After encountering signs of blockage, he turned back to the other end.

When Geng Xuan saw the same technique again, he easily thought of that exploration.

Then, relying on the wonderful intuition bestowed by the master's realm, Geng Xuan discovered that his current location was only forty or fifty meters away from the blocked entrance where he had explored and returned, and was basically at the same underground depth.

"So, this is most likely the other end of the blockage I discovered during my first exploration."

Geng Xuan thought so as he looked at the blocked opening on the right rock wall.

Although he was more than 90% sure in his heart, he had no intention of digging through the blocked hole.

It's not just that there's not so much time for the yellow dog in my arms, but there are better options.

Geng Xuan looked forward and continued to move at high speed in the dim tunnel.

With his familiarity with the terrain, Geng Xuan knew that the tunnel just brushed the edge of Changpingfang and went straight towards Kangleji.

Just when he walked forward about a kilometer, another blocked entrance appeared in front of him.

Then, Geng Xuan smiled.

Compared to the exquisite seal just now, which almost blended into the surrounding natural rock and soil, the seal in front of us almost clearly told those who explored this place -

I have closed this road, please go home!

Of course, if you ignore it and force it open, it will open.

Geng Xuan put Da Huang in his arms aside, then came to the blockage and waved his arms quickly.

Because the blockage was too simple and crude, in Geng Xuan's hands it was even worse than tofu dregs.

His entire body was like a red-hot iron, cutting into the solidified grease.

As he walked slowly, wherever he went, the front seemed to automatically make way for a passage for him to pass through easily.

Five minutes, just five minutes, and Geng Xuan dug through this tunnel that was blocked for more than ten meters with his bare hands.

Geng Xuan clapped his hands, shook off the dust on his body, picked up Da Huang and continued forward.

——Geng Xuan guessed that his previous father used this tunnel to enter Chiwu Mountain for hunting, and would not come here, but would use the entrance closest to Changpingfang or even farther away to enter and exit.

This will also create the illusion of hunting in the mountains in the eyes of others.

However, Geng Xuan's return this time was secret as he did not want to attract any attention from the community.

Given a choice, he didn't want to appear on the ground, he just wanted to get down and walk underground.

Because of this concern, I did spend some more effort, but fortunately it didn't waste too much time.

This also helped him solve another mystery in his heart.

……

After passing through the blocked entrance and walking forward for a distance, Geng Xuan once again saw traces of an area on the right side of the rock wall that had been carefully blocked and covered up.

Geng Xuan is even more familiar with this place.

This is the blocked entrance of the tunnel that crosses Changpingfang and leads to Kangleji.

When he arrived here, Geng Xuan felt like he was at home.

Soon, Geng Xuan returned to the tunnel under Changpingfang through the hole he dug.

"We're home."

Geng Xuan gently rubbed Da Huang's head. Da Huang, who was already very weak, made a soft whimpering sound and rubbed his head against his arms.

Coming all the way to the junction of the underground tunnel and the underground space he had dug himself, Geng Xuan slowly cleared the sealed area again.

——Every time there was a big commotion in Kangle Village, in order to clear his tracks as much as possible, Geng Xuan would deliberately seal off many passages again, thus creating more difficulties for possible tracking. This was the case after the group wiped out the Dingxing Hall stronghold of Wuyou Palace, and it was the same after returning from the martial arts hall last time.

After digging through the seal again, Geng Xuan carried Da Huang into the underground space below the river.

Then, he walked in the dark tunnel that he had dug with his bare hands and headed quickly towards his own courtyard.

When they were about two hundred steps away from his own courtyard, Geng Xuan suddenly felt that Da Huang, who had been lying quietly in his arms, bumped into him twice without making any sound.

Its unusual behavior made Geng Xuan confused at first, and then awed.

He didn't stop, but his heart was secretly in his throat. He entered a state of tension and alertness.

After walking forward another hundred steps or so, when he was about fifty or sixty steps away from the complex underground space under the courtyard that he had carefully designed, Geng Xuan saw a faint red light.

Watching the faint swaying of the flames, Geng Xuan, with his familiarity with this underground space, had basically determined that there was a fire burning somewhere.

"Someone!"

At this moment, the alarm bells in Geng Xuan's heart began to ring.

When digging this tunnel, Geng Xuan did not consider the issue of lighting.

Therefore, the underground space, including this tunnel, although closer to the ground than the underground tunnel, is even darker than the tunnel without lighting.

He was very sure that when he left, he had carefully checked the conditions above and below the ground in the house, so it was impossible that the fire had not been extinguished.

What's more, it is now the ninth day of his autumn hunting in the mountains. Even if the dead fire is rekindled, it cannot burn for so long.

This fire could only have been lit by someone else.

There is a high possibility that the person is just ahead.

This change was completely unexpected to Geng Xuan and completely activated his thoughts.

He soon had the following picture in his mind:
Someone took advantage of the long absence of his family and sneaked into his house, and even found the location of the underground entrance hidden under the bed.

Although, because of his arrangement, through that entrance one could only see a small, see-through basement.

But if the intruder has patience and enough time, he can still find the entrance to the underground space in the basement.

From then on, the entire underground space dug by himself will be open to the other party.

Now, the only thing Geng Xuan is thankful for is that he has a good habit.

Every time there was a big commotion in Kangleji, all the "interfaces" would be blocked to create obstacles for possible tracking.

Now, it is not known whether the pursuit from Kangleji was blocked, but at least this sinister person was prevented from finding the tunnel hidden deeper through this underground space.

If he were to follow his lead all the way to Kangleji, his underwear would basically be completely ripped off.

However, the current situation is not much more optimistic.

There are many sensitive things, which could be fatal if exposed, but they are all hidden in this underground space!
However, some of them were casually placed in the open, such as the remaining dozens of kilograms of medicinal wine and thousands of taels of silver.

Others were hidden in holes he dug. To him, the underground space was full of "safes."

Dig and bury as you go, no one knows the exact location except him.

He handled all the items that were too precious, too sensitive, and that he didn't know how to deal with at the moment in this way.

For example, there are a large number of various weapons of various types, and various cultivation techniques.

Including the two nine-level secret arts: "Earth Walking Chapter" and "Running Dog Chapter".

……

The moment he saw the faint flame, countless thoughts ran through Geng Xuan's mind.

And he made up his mind that this sinister person must be eliminated!

And now is the best time.

There’s no better opportunity than now!

Geng Xuan placed Da Huang gently on the ground. The unusually intelligent Da Huang made no sound except for rubbing against his palm.

When he stood up, Geng Xuan took out the black bow and held it in his hand.

Although the use of bows and arrows in this underground space is slightly limited, with his familiarity with this space, he is confident that he can maximize its power.

His feet moved silently, and figures flashed through Geng Xuan's mind one after another.

He could basically conclude that the person who sneaked in was from Changpingfang.

During the autumn hunting period, the neighborhood’s defenses against outsiders are the strongest of the year!

Unless there is a life-and-death feud with the local community, no one would come to stir up trouble at this time.

"But who is it?"

One after another, familiar and unfamiliar figures appeared in his mind.

But Geng Xuan didn't want to face some of these figures at all.

It's not because of the opponent's strength.

"J!"

When thinking about certain possibilities, Geng Xuan found himself feeling a little soft-hearted. He couldn't help but clench the black bow in his hand and strengthen his resolve.

When he walked to the exit of the tunnel, the red light of the burning flame became clearer and clearer.

With his familiarity with this underground space, he had roughly determined the location of the fire.

Moreover, through the changes in the red light, Geng Xuan also determined that it was a moving fire source.

Geng Xuan had already imagined a person holding a torch and walking slowly in a certain area.

Because of this judgment in his mind, Geng Xuan did not slow down at all when he walked out of the tunnel and entered a room opposite with doors on all four sides.

Then, he tiptoed towards the source of the fire.

Before he got close, he heard a continuous and gentle knocking sound.

Geng Xuan instantly understood that the man was probably using this method to find the treasure he had hidden in the rock wall.

Thinking of this, Geng Xuan's heart tightened again.

By doing this, this person may have dug out something through this method!
Geng Xuan passed through two more doors, turned three corners, and then stopped moving. He stood motionless at the fork in the road connecting the three rooms.

He had silently pulled the black bow to the full moon state.

The arrowheads of the nine long arrows were aimed at the wall twenty or thirty steps away.

Because he was not targeting anyone, even the most sensitive person to danger would not be able to sense it.

And just about five breaths after he drew his bow and aimed, a figure with his back to Geng Xuan appeared in his sight.

The man held a torch in one hand and a small wooden hammer in the other, tapping the rock wall lightly with concentration.

However, what was unfortunate was that the moment this person appeared, he took the initiative to put himself at the center of the target of Geng Xuan's arrow.

The moment this person appeared, Geng Xuan released the bowstring without hesitation.

He still didn't know who this person was, but that didn't stop him from letting go decisively.

Do you want to confirm the person's identity before shooting?
No need!
"Whoosh whoosh—"

The sound of the long arrow rapidly breaking through the air instantly tore the peaceful atmosphere apart.

When the figure with his back to the camera noticed something unusual behind him and wanted to react, nine long arrows had already hit his back.

One shot fiercely into the "gap" where the cervical vertebrae and spine meet;

One bullet hit his heart from the back.
One bullet penetrated deeply into the "gap" between the lumbar vertebrae of the person;

The other two were divided into two kidneys;
The other two are taken from the junction of the arms and shoulders;
The last two are taken at the junction of the knees.

The moment he was hit by the arrow, his back bulged high and his clothes were torn instantly, revealing his black and gray skin like volcanic rock.

Due to its powerful, timely and effective defense, the three most deadly long arrows, which were aimed at the cervical vertebrae, lumbar vertebrae and heart, were intercepted after piercing the skin.

Although some damage was caused, it was not fatal.

But this person mobilized all the resources in his body and tried his best to block these three most fatal "gaps", which was equivalent to him voluntarily giving up the defense of the other six.

Then, Geng Xuan heard the pleasant sounds of long arrows successfully piercing the skin and breaking through the flesh.

Finally, there seemed to be a slight "pop" sound, which came out from the other side of the body.

His left and right shoulders, arms, kidneys, and knees were pierced by six long arrows.

The figure who was shot by the arrow let out a shrill roar, turned around suddenly, threw away the wooden hammer and torch in his hands, and a long sword appeared in his hand. He was about to rush towards Geng Xuan regardless of everything.

But another wave of arrows came towards them.

Because the space was too narrow and there was no room to turn, he successfully blocked five arrows.

But four arrows were still "planted" on this person.

More importantly, his offensive was also forced back by this wave of arrows.

He was about to attack again when a teasing voice rang out:

"Master Li, you are a rare guest. Welcome to my home!"

(End of this chapter)