Chase Game

When Ling Yi and Zhang Qiang swam out of the cave, the sky was already turning a pale white.

"I didn't expect the exit to be so close..."

In his Water Ape beast form, Zhang Qiang's water combat abilities are unparalleled, making swimming a piece of cake for him.

"Actually, it's quite far, it's just that you swim fast."

"Hurry up and get ashore, you need to get back in time too."

Ling Yi was soaking in the water, her clothes sticking to her body, which wasn't very comfortable.

Zhang Qiang didn't rush ashore. He seemed to have seen something and said:

"Wait a minute...look, isn't that a boat?"

Ling Yi looked in the direction he was pointing and sure enough, there was a boat.

"It really is true, there seems to be someone casting a net up there."

"Why don't we just swim over there and ask that person where this is?"

"That's also possible..."

At Zhang Qiang's speed, they arrived near the fishing boat in no time.

"Hey! Boatman! Boatman!"

Zhang Qiang shouted loudly that he had already deactivated his beast form, otherwise he probably would have scared people away.

Old Man Ge, who was hauling in the nets on the boat, thought he was hallucinating.

But when he saw two people floating in the dimly lit river, he was startled.

But he soon discovered that the person was alive, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

Old Man Ge quickly steered the boat closer.

"Hey! Are you two even human?"

He held a long pole in his hand, guessing that if Zhang Qiang gave a careless answer, he would get a whack with the pole.

"It's a person, a living, breathing person!"

"Sir, we've accidentally fallen into the water. Please have mercy and help us out. We'll be very grateful!"

Ling Yi made up a reason on the spot.

Hearing this, Old Man Ge believed him somewhat and then let the two of them board the boat.

"Quickly take off your wet clothes and warm yourself by the fire."

The old man brought a stove from the cabin, which suited Ling Yi's needs perfectly.

Old Man Ge lit his pipe, took a couple of puffs, and then said to the two men:

"You two are also here looking for the treasure in that great cave, right?"

Zhang Qiang looked at Ling Yi, but Ling Yi didn't respond immediately. Instead, she looked somewhat embarrassed and stammered.

"this……"

When faced with uncertainties about whether something is good or bad, it's best to wait for more information.

The old man chuckled at this moment:

"Hehe, it's nothing special. Ever since the incident in Dongshan Village, many young people like you have come here to search for treasure."

Is it Dongshan Village again?

The so-called "Dongshan Village incident" must refer to that fire, right?

Ling Yi did not answer, but instead asked:

"Boatman, my companion needs to return to Zhuncheng County. I wonder how far it is from here?"

"The county town... the boat can't go there, but if you cross that mountain and follow the official road, it's not far, only about an hour's walk!"

One hour, or two hours, means Zhang Qiang only has a little over an hour left to stay outside, but with his beast-transformed speed, that should be enough.

Ling Yi remembered that there were a few taels of silver in the waist pouch close to Zhang Qiang's clothes, which belonged to Zhang Qiang's salary as a guard.

Without a second thought, he shoved the whole thing at the boatman and then told him to bring the boat to shore.

Old Man Ge hesitated briefly, but eventually smiled and put the bag in his pocket before running back to the stern to row the boat.

Inside the cabin, Ling Yi and Zhang Qiang were also talking, but because there were outsiders present, their conversation was unclear.

"Do you want to come back to the county town with me?"

Ling Yi shook her head: "No, I'm going to Dongshan Village to take a look."

"What's so great about that place...?"

"Since we're already out, there's no harm in going to check it out. What if we find a clue?"

"Yeah... Sigh, I wish I could be with you."

"If I'm not mistaken, you'll have some new developments coming up soon. There's a lot you can do; following me would actually be a limitation."

Zhang Qiang knew that Ling Yi was referring to the matter of "returning home in early winter".

The clash between the real young master and the acting family head will likely be quite a spectacle.

"Alright... but how are you planning to get to Dongshan Village? We don't have much time."

Ling Yi hadn't decided yet, but at that moment, Old Man Ge at the stern spoke up:

"Gentlemen, please don't blame me for eavesdropping... However, if you want to go to Dongshan Village, just follow this waterway down."

"If you don't mind, I can give you a ride on my boat."

Ling Yi was overjoyed: "In that case, I'll trouble you!"

There was actually no dock to reach the shore, so Old Man Ge could only row the boat to a spot not far from the shore.

The remaining distance required Zhang Qiang to swim across himself, which was a piece of cake for him.

Only after Zhang Qiang's figure disappeared into the distance did Old Man Ge and Ling Yi turn their gaze away.

"Your friend is quite the expert. He's like a dragon in the water, and once on land, he moves as swiftly as a tiger."

Ling Yi chuckled as he listened to Old Man Ge's praise.

Zhang Qiang turned into a beast as soon as he got ashore; wasn't he a tiger?

It was just that it was dark, and they took advantage of Old Man Ge not being able to see clearly.

On the boat, Old Man Ge was rowing at the stern, while Ling Yi was drying clothes in the cabin.

After some conversation, Ling Yi learned Old Man Ge's name, but he still called him "Uncle" or "Boatman".

This old man, Ge, lives in the village next to Dongshan Village. The two villages are both on the same river and are not far apart.

Old Man Ge had come out to fish, but after receiving Ling Yi's thank-you fee, he felt it was best to take the money home as soon as possible.

That's why I said I'd take Ling Yi along on the way.

The old man was also a talkative person. He didn't care whether Ling Yi was willing to listen or not, and just kept talking to himself.

"After the fire in Dongshan Village, many young people like you started searching for treasure along this river."

"If you ask me, we country folk aren't destined for that. We'd be better off being honest farmers or fishermen; at least we can guarantee three meals a day..."

Ling Yi automatically filtered out the useless part in the second half and asked the old man with great interest:

"Uncle, you know about what happened in Dongshan Village?"

For people who naturally have a desire to express themselves, sometimes all you need to do is throw out a hook, and they will automatically take it and then pour out everything they know like beans spilling out.

Old Man Ge is that kind of person.

"Of course I know. When something happened in Dongshan Village, the first place to hear the news was our village."

"Unfortunately, when we arrived, Dongshan Village was already in ruins. The fire was truly devastating."

Old Man Ge lowered his voice: "The houses burning down is a minor issue; the people and livestock are all charred..."

Although Old Man Ge described it vividly, that was not what Ling Yi wanted to hear.

He still used the form of a question to get to the information he wanted.

"I heard... that the fire broke out so inexplicably because it angered a god?"

The old man's hand, which was rowing the boat, paused noticeably, and he said in a serious tone:

"That's a saying..."