Chapter 1438: 1422: Return and Departure (2)

Capítulo 1438: Chapter 1422: Return and Departure (2)

Everything was ready, and Song Xiaodong was prepared to leave. This time, accompanying him were not only Qingluan but also Huarui and Huaqing, with Song Hu following along.

Each of the other three cities had sent two people, all important and loyal figures, because they needed their own people to go out and see the situation outside for themselves. No matter how much Song Xiaodong described it, it couldn’t compare to their own firsthand experience.

Standing at the cave entrance, aside from Song Xiaodong, Qingluan, and Song Hu, everyone else was incredibly nervous.

Song Xiaodong squeezed Qingluan’s hand and said with a smile, “We’re about to go out.”

“If we’re going out, then let’s just go out.” Qingluan shook off Song Xiaodong’s hand, her expression not looking too pleased.

Song Xiaodong froze for a moment, initially not understanding why Qingluan seemed unhappy about going out.

But he quickly realized that here, Qingluan could set aside her identity as the Dark Night Sect Princess, and he could ignore his identity as the Dragon Gate Young Master. Yet once they went out, they would become enemies again, unable to maintain the same tender affection they had inside.

“I’ll handle it, trust me!” Song Xiaodong once again squeezed Qingluan’s hand tightly.

Qingluan looked at Song Xiaodong, her eyes suddenly turning red, saying nothing as she just tightly held Song Xiaodong’s hand in return.

Chapter 1423

A long rope connected everyone together, with another long rope tied around Song Xiaodong’s waist, serving as a landmark for when they needed to return.

Everyone crawled into the cave leading to the underground river, and then, relying on his memory, Song Xiaodong found the place where the giant python had brought them in.

Huarui and Huaqing were both extremely nervous at this moment, and Song Xiaodong held their hands, saying, “I’ll lead you, so don’t be afraid, but you absolutely must hold onto this.”

Both of them had air sacs tied to them, and upon hearing this, they quickly held on tightly.

Qingluan snorted, saying, “Alright, I’ll take one. With these two burdens, what else can you do?”

Huarui and Huaqing both lowered their heads at her words, fully aware that by coming along, they were more of a burden to Song Xiaodong than a help.

Song Xiaodong said, “Don’t blame them. Knowing how dangerous it is, they still chose to come along, and that’s already commendable.”

Qingluan rolled her eyes at Song Xiaodong and said irritably, “You just protect them.” Then she directly pulled Huaqing over.

Song Xiaodong knew that Qingluan was just harsh with her words, so he smiled and said, “Then I’ll have to trouble you, madam.”

After preparing a bit more, everyone squeezed into the waterway.

With air sacs on, swimming was quite strenuous, and everyone struggled to navigate into the cave they had entered.

But after that, the air sacs came in handy, the buoyancy lifting everyone upwards.

This cave, in fact, was like a U-shaped pipe, with water flowing down from the mountain above, then through the underground river, finally rising into the pool above.

When Song Xiaodong came in, he couldn’t resist the giant python, and had to avoid being smashed against the rocky walls, paying close attention to the water flow and other matters.

Especially when there were changes in the water flow, suggesting branches in the route, he remembered clearly.

So when going out, he easily found the right path without taking any unnecessary detours.

Also, although the water was deep, the underwater pressure wasn’t too great, as the winding cave had several spots where one could surface for air, unlike the continuous underwater journey they experienced entering.

The exit process was far easier than imagined, taking less than half an hour for Song Xiaodong and the others to emerge from the pool.

Song Xiaodong rushed to the shore and let out a long howl, indescribably excited and thrilled.

Seeing the outside, Qingluan also felt excited, but upon seeing Song Xiaodong’s exhilaration, her smile vanished, and she came over to kick Song Xiaodong in the backside.

Song Xiaodong staggered forward a couple of steps, turned his head to look at Qingluan, and said, “What are you doing? No need to kick me just because I’m a little excited!”

“Come here, I want to say a few words to you.” Qingluan grabbed Song Xiaodong’s arm, breaking the rope tied to his waist with one hand, and led him aside.

Song Xiaodong looked back at Song Hu and the others, seeing their stunned expressions, then followed Qingluan over, saying, “What’s going on? Let’s sort them out first, then talk, okay?”

“I’m leaving.” Qingluan stared at Song Xiaodong.

“Leaving?” Song Xiaodong was taken aback, then smiled bitterly, saying, “Yeah, we’re out, and you’re back to being the Princess, while I’m the Young Master again.”

Qingluan looked at Song Xiaodong, then sighed, saying, “What I mean is, I hope you won’t use the people from this world for Dragon Gate, and I won’t take them to the Dark Night Sect. I don’t want to involve these people in our conflict between the Dark Night Sect and Dragon Gate.”

Song Xiaodong looked at Qingluan, and after a moment, nodded, saying, “I won’t. These people can’t fit into our society; they don’t have a sense of law, and possess Kung Fu. Poor management could present significant safety risks.”

Qingluan said, “That’s none of my concern now.” Then she looked at Song Xiaodong, suddenly reaching out to embrace him.

Song Xiaodong hugged her back, saying, “Qingluan, will we meet again?”

Qingluan held Song Xiaodong tightly, saying nothing, then released him after a while and pushed him away, saying, “Next time we meet, I will kill you. You’d better hurry and improve your strength, so it’s not too easy for me to do so.”

With that, Qingluan didn’t wait for Song Xiaodong to respond, and she just leaped away, disappearing in an instant.

Song Xiaodong stood there for a long time without moving, knowing that from the moment they emerged, an insurmountable chasm had formed between him and Qingluan.

“Master!” Song Hu was the first to react, standing by Song Xiaodong’s side, his face unable to hide his excitement.

Song Xiaodong gently shook his head, then smiled, saying, “This is the outside world, what do you think?”

“I’m just too excited!” Song Hu clenched his fist.

Song Xiaodong smiled again, patting Song Hu’s shoulder, saying, “Let’s go.”

At this point, Huarui and Huaqing excitedly gathered around Song Xiaodong. With Qingluan gone, they dared to approach and hold onto Song Xiaodong’s arm, with Huarui exclaiming excitedly, “Sir, it’s so beautiful here, truly stunning, we can’t even take it in with just our eyes.”

Song Xiaodong laughed, “This is the poorest mountain area around here, and there’s so much more you won’t expect.”

They secured the rope brought from inside to make it easier to descend.

Just as they finished, Song Xiaodong suddenly turned around, looking towards a patch of forest, then released Huarui and Huaqing, rushing over as if flying.

The brush parted, and several people emerged from the forest, surprisingly Sun Yiyi and He Lingzhi, along with two Su Family guards.

“Hubby!” He Lingzhi and Sun Yiyi swiftly rushed over.

Song Xiaodong stretched out his arms, wrapping them around both women, his excitement beyond words.

He Lingzhi, usually reserved in her expressions, was truly moved this time, hitting Song Xiaodong’s chest and scolding, “You bastard, how could you disappear for so long? You promised to return within half a month, and it’s been more than a month now. Do you still want this family?”

Song Xiaodong apologized repeatedly, holding the two tightly. Even if he enjoyed a carefree life in the underground world, he now realized how much he missed his family.