137: End of the Valley

As they spoke, the group arrived at the cave entrance at the end of the valley.

Everyone stopped before the cave.

Baron had already sensed that there were people inside the cave.

"I'll go. I'm best at concealing my Qi."

"You old ghost, I'll go with you."

Xia Liuqing was a bit worried about Baron going alone and decided to accompany him.

Baron knew that Xia Liuqing was somewhat concerned about Rootless Life's Treasure Trove, which was why he said that.

"Alright, if you want to follow, then follow."

Soon, Baron and Xia Liuqing stealthily infiltrated the cave. They had only taken a few steps when they saw dozens of people resting.

Baron gestured to Xia Liuqing to retreat, and the two of them exited the cave.

As soon as Zhang Chulan saw Baron and Xia Liuqing exit the cave, he immediately asked, "How is it?! What's the situation inside?"

Baron said calmly, "It's a bit tricky. When the dozens of people inside are resting, they all keep their guns close, and there are a few who are Bizarre, and their Qi doesn't seem weak."

"I thought they were the group controlling Ma Xianhong, but there are a few foreigners inside, so it seems they aren't that group."

At this moment, Feng Baobao jumped out and looked at everyone.

"Hey, hey, hey, we've been walking for so long, aren't you all hungry?"

Saying that, Feng Baobao pulled out a large flatbread and a green onion from who knows where, brushed it with Lao Gan Ma chili crisp, rolled it up, and started munching on it nearby, making smacking sounds, eating with great relish.

Xia Liuqing couldn't help but roll his eyes at Feng Baobao.

"At a time like this, and you're still eating, eating, eating."

Baron took out a compressed biscuit from his pocket and began to chew. He looked at Feng Baobao's delicious-looking flatbread, then at his own choking compressed biscuit, and decisively threw it away.

"Cockroach girl, do you have any more? Give me one too."

"Here..."

Feng Baobao rummaged through her backpack again and pulled out another flatbread, handing it to Baron.

"As the old saying goes, 'Man is iron, food is steel; one meal missed, and hunger you'll feel.' Besides, aren't the people in the cave eating too?"

Baron took the flatbread and bit into it.

"Hmm... the taste is indeed good, much better than my compressed biscuit."

"Old Man Xia, you should also replenish yourself. At your age, don't overwork your body."

Xia Liuqing watched the two completely turn into eating machines, feeling a bit helpless.

Ma Xianhong and Lin Yuan also sat down on the ground nearby.

"Immortal Master Lin Yuan... shall we also eat...?"

Lin Yuan nodded.

"Alright, then let's have some simple self-heating hotpot, and also bring out the ham, salted duck eggs, and the crispy fried pork we packed earlier."

Ma Xianhong nodded and immediately took out a self-heating hotpot, water, ham, crispy fried pork from his Storage Magical Artifact... Ma Xianhong even disliked the dirty ground and took out a picnic cloth. The two of them sat on the cloth, preparing to heat the self-heating hotpot.

Everyone looked at the two with such high-end provisions and became envious.

"Big brothers, are you here for a spring outing?"

Normal people prepare portable and long-lasting dry rations when traveling far.

Ma Xianhong, however, had practically brought a small warehouse with him.

"Hmm? Magical Artifact? Are you an Artifact Refiner?"

Mei Jinfeng frowned as she looked at the Storage Magical Artifact in Ma Xianhong's hand. She felt this Magical Artifact looked somewhat familiar?

"These Magical Artifacts, I seem to have seen them somewhere before?"

Ma Xianhong scratched his head.

"It's good that it's familiar. I even pretended to be you before."

Zhang Chulan couldn't help but swallow his saliva as he looked at the fragrant self-heating hotpot and crispy fried pork.

"Martial Uncle Lin Yuan, you're making me too greedy, aren't you?"

Saying that, Zhang Chulan shamelessly sidled closer.

"If you want to eat, go find A'Zu Ge."

"A'Zu Gege~~"

Zhang Chulan kept shaking Ma Xianhong's hand.

"Here, here, here!!! Take it."

Ma Xianhong took out a box of self-heating hotpot from his Storage Magical Artifact with a look of disgust.

"Wow... A'Zu... I want some too, I want some too!!"

Feng Baobao immediately raised her hand and shouted.

"A'Zu Ge, can you count me in too...?"

Xia Liuqing, Baron, and Mei Jinfeng, the three of them, did not speak up, as they weren't familiar and didn't dare to ask A'Zu.

Lin Yuan could tell that the three of them were genuinely hungry.

"A'Zu, give them one each. Anyway, our reserves are plentiful."

Just a few lousy self-heating hotpots...

While the self-heating hotpot was heating, Zhang Chulan walked over to Lin Yuan's side.

"Martial Uncle Lin Yuan... I want to discuss something with you, alright?"

"Later, no matter the outcome, please guard the entrance of the cave and don't let anyone in or out."

Lin Yuan picked up a piece of lotus root and put it in his mouth.

"What mischievous idea do you have now, you rascal?"

Zhang Chulan revealed a sly smile.

"Hehehe... It's not really a mischievous idea, I just want to investigate some things."

Lin Yuan put down the self-heating hotpot.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Junior Martial Uncle! They are just a few small fry, there's no need for you to act. We can take them down together. If there are any sudden changes, it won't be too late for you to act then."

...Just then, a black man inside the cave suddenly smelled the fragrance drifting from outside.

"Hey? Brothers? Do you smell a fragrance? Why does it smell so much like hotpot?"

Standing opposite him was a blonde woman.

"Jerry, I always tell you to stop daydreaming. Now you can even smell hotpot, I think you've really gone mad."

The black man shook his head.

"Tom! There's no mistake! My sense of smell has been developed since I was a child, I won't smell wrong!"

"Alright, we just finished eating anyway, I'll go for a walk with you, just to help digest."

Saying that, the two walked towards the cave.

The moment the two of them arrived at the cave entrance, they saw a shadow of a staff strike.

Tom, caught off guard, was directly hit squarely by a staff, and then his entire body was instantly sent flying backward.

The next second, Wang Zhenqiu, wearing a Monkey King mask, appeared in front of Jerry.

Jerry immediately realized something was wrong, quickly dodged, and barely managed to avoid the staff.

Wang Zhenqiu was a little surprised.

He didn't expect to miss. It seemed that the ordinary people in the Twenty-Four Sections Valley didn't have many techniques, but with the enhancement of Qi, these people could still barely dodge.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

As Jerry's shouts came, a large number of mercenaries rushed out.

Seeing Wang Zhenqiu miss, everyone immediately moved. Xia Liuqing, wearing a mask and holding two maces, charged over.

"Your grandpa is here!! Little brats!"

Mei Jinfeng hid in the dark, constantly attacking the crowd.

Baron, holding a short knife, constantly moved through the crowd, while Feng Baobao, wielding a shovel, weaved through the people, delivering a headshot with a backhand to their heads.

Clang!

A crisp sound rang out. Did it sound good? If it sounded good, it was a good head!

...