Chapter 144: You Are Not In Exile You Are Clearly Traveling!
**Chapter 144: A Rash Act!**
The group didn't expect to get this lucky, finding such a large cave during the peak of the blizzard.
Unable to continue their journey due to the fierce storm outside, everyone had to stay in the cave and rest. Each person sat several meters apart, cleaning the ground before resting.
The cave was surprisingly warm, not reflecting the blizzard raging outside.
Everyone relaxed, seizing the rare opportunity to rest.
Even though the occasional howling wind from outside could be heard, they weren't worried or scared.
Xu Tian and some constables found a few dry branches and lit a bonfire, but they realized there weren't many dry branches in the cave. Wood became a scarce resource.
Fortunately, the cave wasn't cold. Without fire on such a snowy night, many might have frozen to death.
Thus, Xu Tian and the others had to use the limited fire to cook food. Once they finished cooking, the flames flickered briefly and then went out.
After distributing the food, the cave's light dimmed significantly, suggesting it was getting dark outside.
However, no one minded. After eating, they went to sleep early. Sleeping in the snow these days had been impossible.
Even though they followed Chen Xue's advice to dig snow caves, they still felt cold, which wasn't the case here.
Everyone rested early, and Chen Xue's family also returned to their space to rest, but not before eating.
They enjoyed a hotpot, the most satisfying meal in winter.
Sweating from the heat of the hotpot, they no longer felt the cold.
"We need to store more wood," Master Chen said while picking up a piece of pork belly. Previously, Chen Xue had collected a lot of wood from home, but they hadn't stored more since then.
Seeing the scarcity of wood in the cave due to the heavy snow outside, Master Chen felt the need to stockpile wood. More was always better.
Chen Xue nodded. She had noticed plenty of wood in the space before and, thinking that the southern region didn't snow and had abundant trees, hadn't continued storing wood.
But now she realized she needed more.
Cooking consumed the most wood.
Not all trees could be used as firewood, and even those that could needed to be dried before use.
So, they decided to collect more wood in the coming days.
Chen Xue had planted many flowers, plants, and trees in the space. Whenever she saw something outside, she would transplant some into the space.
However, it would take years for these trees to grow large enough for firewood, even with the faster growth rate in the space, which still required several months.
After deciding to collect tens of tons of wood, Chen Xue and the others continued their hotpot meal.
With the blizzard outside, the team could only leave once it stopped.
The next morning, Chen Xue's family had just exited their carriage when they saw Xu Tian approaching.
"What's the matter? Has the snow stopped?" Master Chen assumed the blizzard had passed and Xu Tian planned to lead the group onward.
However, Xu Tian explained he intended to take a few men out to find wood.
"Although the cave is big, there's no wood, so we can't start a fire," Xu Tian said helplessly.
"There's a blizzard outside. If you take people out and something happens, what will we do?" Master Chen frowned. "If you get into trouble, who will lead the group?"
With no leader, the prisoners would become unruly.
"Aren't you here, Master Chen?" Xu Tian said awkwardly, thinking that even if he had an accident, Master Chen could handle things.
"You..."
Master Chen was speechless.
"Where will you find wood in a blizzard!" Chen Xue sighed. "Forget it, we have some wood in our carriage. Take it."
Xu Tian had helped them a lot, and Chen Xue wasn't ungrateful. It was just some wood, and they could collect more later.
Chen Xue went to another carriage, pulled back the curtain to reveal the wood inside, and let Xu Tian's men move it.
"We can't take it!" Xu Tian waved his hand, refusing. If he took the wood, what would Master Chen use?
"I said take it! Stop arguing!" Master Chen pretended to be angry.
Seeing Master Chen upset, Xu Tian had no choice but to comply.
With this wood, they wouldn't need to risk going outside and could manage for a few more days.
The following days were very calm.
The group cherished this peaceful rest, knowing they might not get another chance.
Even when the blizzard stopped, they were reluctant to leave.
"Get up!"
"Time to move!"
Xu Tian urged everyone. The blizzard had delayed them for several days.
Their journey to the southern region was undoubtedly delayed.
A few days' delay was manageable, but ten days to half a month would result in severe punishments. The constables would face responsibility, and the prisoners harsh penalties.
The prisoners could face branding on their faces or even forced labor without rest, working until they dropped dead.
For the constables, the penalties ranged from losing their status to imprisonment or even execution.
Thus, the constables urged everyone to get moving.
But the comfort had made everyone reluctant. Feeling the cold wind outside, they wanted to wait for warmer weather.
Some even knelt before Xu Tian, pleading to stay another day.
Seeing them beg, Xu Tian relented, saying, "One last day, but we leave tomorrow morning!"
Everyone rejoiced.
Hearing this, Master Chen shook his head but said nothing. Xu Tian's character would only change after facing setbacks; advice alone wouldn't do.
"Bored to death!"
Those previously troublesome individuals, after being beaten, had quietly nursed their injuries in a corner.
Once they recovered, they felt extremely bored.
They began wandering around the cave and heard strange noises from deeper inside.
Curious, they pressed their ears against the stone wall, hearing even more intriguing sounds.
They picked up stones and began smashing the wall.
Bang!
The wall quickly crumbled.
Buzzing noises filled the air, and they saw a dark swarm of unknown creatures pouring out.
"Help! Save us!"
The group screamed in terror, scrambling away. The others, witnessing this, turned pale with fear.
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