Yang Zhi was even happier. He lit two torches, handed one to Chen Xiaobei, and took the other himself, leading the way into the cave.
In Chen Xiaobei's memory, he had seen caves more than once, the most memorable being that scorching hot afternoon five years ago.
He had come into this cave to cool off, but after walking further inside, he noticed a subtle movement. He thought there might be some treasure hidden within. However, upon reaching the end, he discovered it was merely an underground river. A slight leakage here had formed a small, clear spring.
Chatting and laughing with Yang Zhi, he walked all the way to the bottom. The situation was much the same as his memory from five years ago, with no significant changes.
"Brother Yang, there's water further inside, which they can drink. This will lessen your pressure when guarding them."
Yang Zhi held up his torch and moved forward. Not long after, he heard the sound of water underfoot. Chen Xiaobei quickly lowered his torch.
At first glance, there were some changes. When he came five years ago, it was just a small puddle, about one square meter in area. Now, it was at least seven or eight square meters.
This meant the puddle was constantly expanding.
Yang Zhi waded through the water and continued deeper, intending to investigate further. Suddenly, he yelped and turned to run back.
The sudden commotion startled Chen Xiaobei, and he took a few steps back with Yang Zhi.
"Brother Yang, what is it?"
Yang Zhi, still shaken, pointed at the water. "In the water, there seems to be something in the water. It almost bit me."
As he spoke, ripples appeared in the water ahead, indeed suggesting something was there.
Chen Xiaobei was puzzled.
The cave was so deep. Aquatic creatures couldn't possibly walk in on their own. They could only have come through the underground river. But the last time he checked, the underground river was only seeping water.
However, he reconsidered. This time, the water surface had expanded several times compared to when he had entered. Perhaps the underground river had developed a larger fissure.
At this moment, Hu Laoqi and the others heard Yang Zhi's shout and rushed in. "Second Master, Second Master, what happened?"
Yang Zhi seemed a bit embarrassed. "Ah, I don't know what was in the water. It startled me."
Hu Laoqi chuckled and took the saber from his waist.
"Second Master, wait here. I'll go into the water and have a look for you."
With that, Hu Laoqi rolled up his trousers and stepped into the water. Chen Xiaobei quickly called out to stop him. "Don't go further. What if it's something bad?"
Hu Laoqi laughed. "Brother Xiaobei, don't worry. I, Hu Laoqi, grew up by the water. They're always afraid of me."
As he spoke, Hu Laoqi had already waded back and forth in the water. Finally, he discovered something. In a distant corner, the water suddenly rippled.
Hu Laoqi moved like a startled rabbit, and the saber in his hand flashed out like lightning.
"Got it!" he couldn't help but exclaim.
Shouting, he took a step forward and lifted the saber in his hand.
Pierced on the tip of the saber was a large shadow, at least a foot and a half long.
It was a fish, a large fish.
Hu Laoqi held the fish up to the torch, and everyone couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh, it's just a black fish. It scared me," Yang Zhi said, appearing somewhat sheepish.
"We can have a feast tonight," Hu Laoqi said proudly.
Yang Zhi and the others laughed, and the matter was put aside. However, Chen Xiaobei was full of suspicion.
This black fish was a foot and a half long. In his past life's memory, black fish grew quite quickly.
A black fish of this size could grow to maturity in two or three years.
But there were no plankton in this water. It was difficult for it to survive for so long and grow so large. Therefore, it was highly likely that the fish was already very large and had accidentally fallen in.
With this thought, Chen Xiaobei also rolled up his trousers, held up his torch, and continued to walk deeper into the cave, all the way to the deepest part of the cavern.
Indeed, there was a hole the size of a bowl on the rock wall, and water was gurgling out from it.
This meant that the large black fish had also entered through here.
This was strange. How could there be fish in the underground river? And such large ones at that.
Chen Xiaobei secretly judged his location. Tomorrow, he would have to go up the mountain to see if he could find anything.
Emerging from the cave, Yang Zhi breathed a sigh of relief. "Brother Xiaobei, you've chosen a really good spot."
This was a heartfelt compliment to Chen Xiaobei, which he accepted wholeheartedly.
After returning home for dinner, Chen Xiaobei proactively waited at the village entrance. He knew that soon Liu Rumei would arrive with her people.
He waited and waited until the second watch of the night. Finally, there was movement ahead. Torches were approaching in a hurry. The leader was still Liu Ce.
Liu Ce cupped his fists towards Chen Xiaobei and Yang Zhi. "My apologies for keeping you two waiting. We encountered some minor trouble on the road and were delayed."
"Alright, Steward Liu, no need for formalities. We've found a place to hold them. You can come directly," Chen Xiaobei said straightforwardly.
Liu Ce smiled and nodded. "Then please wait a moment. My young lady will be here soon."
With that, Liu Ce put his pinky finger in his mouth and blew a long, clear whistle.
Before long, specks of fire appeared at the end of the road in the distance, and a long line of people approached.
Looking at these people, Chen Xiaobei's heart was filled with complex emotions.
He had originally just wanted to live a peaceful life with Cui Hongyu and Chen Qiao'er, but he had unexpectedly become entangled in all sorts of affairs. Now, Yang Zhi and Liu Rumei were actually going to live in Hetou Village. He didn't know if this would be a blessing or a curse for such a small mountain village.
Then again, whether it was a blessing or a curse, in the face of the opponent's superior martial strength, he had no room to resist.
Liu Rumei arrived before Chen Xiaobei and cupped her fists. "Thank you, Chief Chen, for your trouble."
The change in address from "Young Master Chen" to "Chief Chen" indicated a shift in Liu Rumei's perception of him.
Frankly speaking, Liu Rumei was currently seeking his help, so it was natural for her to be more polite.
"Miss Liu, I have also arranged your accommodation. Please follow me."
Chen Xiaobei turned to leave, but Liu Rumei spoke, "Wait a moment. Let's get the people locked up first. We can discuss other matters later."
This made Chen Xiaobei look at Liu Rumei with renewed respect. The young lady was personally handling such a detailed matter.
However, it would also be a good thing to familiarize Liu Rumei with the landscape of their Hetou Village.
Looking at Sun Jian's subordinates, their eyes were all covered, and they relied on the tugging of the ropes to discern their direction. At the forefront were Liu Ziming and Liu Ziliang, the brothers, pulling the ropes and leading them.
Seeing this, Chen Xiaobei instantly felt a sense of admiration. Liu Rumei had a formidable approach.
By not letting these people see the path they were taking, even if they wanted to escape, they would be in complete darkness and wouldn't know where to go.