C15 Husband's Cave

After a night of quiet in the underground passage, it was impossible to tell whether it was day or night outside. Chen Yuan was aware that after roughly four hours of rest, the group began to stir and get up one by one. Washing up was a simple affair—each person took a sip of water to rinse their mouth. As Wudian put it, they weren't in the tribe with an abundance of water; they had to conserve. If they stumbled upon an underground river, they could refill their supplies, but that was the extent of it. No one dared to swim in those waters, not unless they had a death wish. After all, who knew what horrors lurked in the depths of those rivers?

Breakfast consisted of roasted Wolf Spider Eggs, a food not easily transported. Heeding Mr. Mo's advice, the group finished off the remaining eggs that morning. The Wolf Spider Meat, however, was still carried by Wudian and the others, a task made less worrisome by the deep underground location that kept the meat from spoiling.

"Mr. Mo, should we check out the surface today?" Chen Yuan inquired after everyone had packed up, eyeing the large tree trunk. The previous night, during their rest, Kong Zi had discovered a small hole inside the trunk, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through, and it seemed to lead upwards. If Chen Yuan's guess was correct, they could climb up to the surface following this tree.

Mr. Mo gave Chen Yuan a meaningful look and spoke with gravity, "Our main task is to find a new settlement for the tribe. The surface can wait; there will be other opportunities. Besides, it's not as safe as you might think. A single misstep could be fatal. Let's move out, it's time to depart!" With that, he led the way back through the tunnel from which they had descended, followed by Wudian and the others who cheerfully slapped Chen Yuan on the shoulder as they passed.

Chen Yuan was the last to ascend. He took a moment to memorize the cave's layout before hefting the hefty Moonlight Stone to the entrance and tossing it up. Mr. Mo was ready above, catching the stone with ease. Chen Yuan then nimbly leaped into the hole and climbed out in a few swift moves.

Chen Yuan had initially proposed breaking the Moonlight Stone into pieces for each person to carry, but Mr. Mo and the others unanimously rejected the idea. They wanted to keep the stone intact and have Lao Wang, the blacksmith, divide it later, ensuring no waste. Since Chen Yuan wasn't the one carrying it, he didn't press the issue.

Nevertheless, Chen Yuan managed to chisel off a small chunk of the Moonlight Stone to keep with him. And so, with Mr. Mo at the lead, Wudian joyfully bearing the substantial weight of the Moonlight Stone in the middle, and Chen Yuan bringing up the rear with his palm-sized piece, they continued on their journey. Their robust physiques, typical of this world, made the task manageable. Even Wudian, only at Body Tempering Level One, could easily shoulder the heavy load, though they would need to switch carriers every couple of hours.

They trekked for over two hours, navigating numerous passageways. At one point, close to the surface, they could hear the distant thuds of activity above. But Mr. Mo quickly guided them away from that area, leading them deeper underground.

Moreover, under Mr. Mo's seasoned judgment, Chen Yuan and his companions had indeed discovered several cave dwellings. Sadly, they were either too cramped or perilously situated, rendering them unsuitable as a new hub for the tribe.

"This is already the third cave we've come across today, and it's still a no-go!" Wudian said, exasperatedly ruffling his hair.

They were standing before yet another cave that proved to be disappointingly small.

"What's our next move? Keep going?" Wudian and the rest turned to Mr. Mo for guidance.

Ahead of them lay a crossroads, with four mysterious tunnels branching off into the unknown.

Mr. Mo advanced a couple of steps to the nearest tunnel, peered down, and declared, "These must be tunnels the Arch Dragon carved out long ago. They should be safe. Any will do."

Just as the others were about to concur, Chen Yuan interjected, "Hold on!"

At his words, everyone instinctively swiveled to face him.

Chen Yuan's interventions had become a pattern, and his knack for making the right call had not gone unnoticed.

They were, in fact, quite eager to hear his input.

Chen Yuan, however, didn't rush to speak. He simply stood there, seemingly lost in thought.

But in reality, he was checking a new alert from the system.

Indeed, just as Mr. Mo was about to choose, the system had chimed in with another notification—this time, a delightful surprise.

[Ding! System Notification: Take the leftmost path. Three thousand meters ahead, a spacious natural karst cave awaits!]

[Alternatively, if you're up for some excitement, the rightmost path leads to a cave where a long-armed ape is currently napping.]

...

"Only a fool would pick the rightmost path," Chen Yuan mumbled to himself before suggesting, "Mr. Mo, let's head left. I have a hunch the right path might just lead us to the surface."

"Alright, your call," Mr. Mo agreed, leading the way.

Wudian followed, and Duner took over carrying the Moonlight Stone from Wudian, placing himself third in line.

The remaining two positioned themselves ahead of Chen Yuan, who brought up the rear.

Trusting the system's safe selection, the group of six proceeded without incident for roughly three kilometers. Suddenly, Mr. Mo shielded the Moonlight Stone's glow with his hand.

Chen Yuan, following suit, quickly obscured his own stone, plunging the passageway into darkness.

Before anyone could question the move, Mr. Mo whispered, "There are footprints on the ground, and I think I hear running water ahead. Everyone, proceed with caution!"

Chen Yuan paused, his brow furrowing in confusion.

If his calculations were correct, they should be near the hospitable karst cave the system had mentioned. But why were there other animals' tracks here?

Despite his curiosity, Chen Yuan remained silent, his gaze fixed on Mr. Mo in the pitch black.

The others did the same, awaiting instructions.

"Stay put. I'll scout ahead," Mr. Mo instructed in a hushed tone. He then carefully allowed a sliver of moonlight to escape his grasp, casting a faint glow inside the cave, and cautiously began to explore further.

In the shroud of darkness, Wudian and his companions maintained a silent vigil. Meanwhile, Chen Yuan advanced to the forefront, his Azure Peak Sword already drawn, poised for immediate action.