So, cursing and complaining, the two of them made their way back the way they had come.
By that time, Bai Sasa and the others were already waiting at the well with bated breath.
The eldest sister had left in the morning, and even after The Sun had set in the west, she still hadn’t returned, leaving them wondering what was beneath the well.
"Did elder sister and Brother Fox go to complete the task given by the City Lord?" Xiao Shan asked, propping his chin up with his hands.
"Hmm. They went to open the sluice to put out the Earth Fire. I wonder if it’s dangerous," Bai Lingyu said, sitting beside the Mosquito-eating Plant.
The roots of the Mosquito-eating Plant stretched one half into the vegetable garden, another half was drinking water in the well, and still another sat next to Bai Lingyu under the house eaves,
its Sepal fluttering in the wind without a sign of worry.
"They’ll definitely come back safely," Bai Sasa glanced at the sky. "Let’s hurry up and prepare some food to greet them."
"Sure. But what should we eat?" Xiao Shan asked, puzzled.
This question also made Bai Sasa pause,
as they had already eaten the last of the rice that morning, and now there really was nothing left to eat.
Just as Bai Sasa was about to suggest picking some wild vegetables, suddenly there was a disturbance from the well.
A familiar giant Boa Spiritual Slice suddenly poked out from the well.
The three kids and the plant were startled and quickly took refuge inside the corridor.
While they huddled together, screaming "Snake! Run away fast!" Bai Junjun and Li Wenli emerged from beneath.
When they had returned to the pool, they saw the Boa that had been killed still floating in the water.
Remembering that they had no food left, Li Wenli had taken a Dagger and cut off the plumpest piece of snake meat.
Just as they brought it up, they heard the children in the courtyard screaming in terror.
Bai Junjun thought there was an emergency and quickly rushed up, only to find that it had been a false alarm all along.
The three children broke down in tears when they saw Bai Junjun appear.
It took a while for them to calm their emotions, and then they noticed that Li Wenli was only in his underwear, with his cotton robe missing.
Bai Sasa belatedly covered her eyes, with the implication that it was inappropriate to look or listen.
Bai Junjun looked at the young girl speechlessly, thinking that surely she was only eight years old; did she need to be so precocious?
However, Bai Sasa didn’t care and hid by the Mosquito-eating Plant, refusing to come out.
Helpless, Bai Junjun could only rush Wenli to go to the City Lord’s storage room to find some clothes.
But thinking of something, Bai Junjun quickly followed after Li Wenli, only instructing Bai Sasa, "Sasa, deal with the snake meat. After eating, we’ll go back."
"Eh?" Bai Sasa looked up belatedly, but by then, elder sister and Brother Wenli had already disappeared together.
Only then did the three young workers anxiously realize that they had forgotten to ask elder sister about the situation inside, whether the sluice was open or not, and what was the deal with the snake meat.
But since the person involved had left, they could only suppress their curiosity.
Meanwhile, Li Wenli and Bai Junjun were heading straight for the City Lord’s storage room.
The storage room was in the backyard of the City Lord’s Mansion, and this large warehouse, also made of stone tiles, hadn’t been opened for a thousand years.
When they had arrived the day before, it was already night, and they were too anxious to find the map to pay attention to their surroundings. Now that they had completed the City Lord’s assignment, it was time to properly discuss the reward with him.
They naturally were going to visit the Treasure Cave below, as the Old City Lord and his General were still waiting for them to lay them to rest.
But before burying the Old City Lord, it was necessary for them to tidy up their personal appearance, as this was the greatest respect they could show to the deceased.