"Don't get ahead of yourself, there's still plenty to do."
Chen Pingfan chuckled, then followed Li Chonglou out of the dark forest.
What he didn't know was that Wang Bing and the others had managed to evade surveillance perfectly because they had received inside information, essentially holding a map. His own safe passage, on the other hand, was thanks to Li Chonglou's Sky Eye perspective ability.
Li Chonglou had thought more than once that if there were a way to use his Sky Eye perspective ability in the underground world, it would be an unparalleled advantage. In terms of resources, there was nowhere in the world that could compare to the underground!
Unfortunately, he hadn't figured out how to do that yet.
Speaking of which, after leaving the dark forest, the two didn't return to the main camp. Instead, they headed back to the defensive line.
"We're just going to wait here?"
"Not us, you."
Chen Pingfan looked at Li Chonglou in confusion.
"Your mission now is to scout out their defense line, ideally finding a safe path."
"No, Brother Li, where are you going?"
Li Chonglou smiled faintly. "Of course, to keep an eye on Wu Di and the others. Also, the situation at the camp isn't simple either. If I get the chance, I need to figure out what's really going on and what those villagers are talking about."
Chen Pingfan then remembered the anomalies he had noticed upon arrival and nodded, "That's true, we still know too little about this place."
The two quickly reached an agreement: one would stay to observe, and the other would return to gather intelligence.
Although Donghai Island was large, its original inhabitants mostly lived near the main camp. After all, it was an official organization. By the time Li Chonglou secretly returned to the village, it was already night.
For cultivators, a few days without sleep made little difference compared to ordinary people sleeping a few hours less. Upon arriving in the village, Li Chonglou found a house with lights still on and approached it.
"Little girl, you should go to sleep quickly."
"Mom, I miss Daddy."
Hearing this voice, Li Chonglou's expression froze for a moment, as it was the mother and daughter who had flagged him down earlier.
"I miss your father too, but our lives are hard, born in a place like this. Little girl, you must be sensible, or your mother won't be able to hold on."
The sound of the woman's crying came from inside, sounding particularly desolate.
Li Chonglou thought for a moment and directly pushed the door open.
"Who!"
The room, barely ten square meters, contained a table, a bed, and a stove. The floor was dirt, and walking quickly could stir up dust.
Such a simple place was the living space for the mother and daughter.
A stranger suddenly barging in, the woman, though pale with fright, instinctively shielded the little girl in her arms.
"Who are you, what do you want? This is the main camp's territory, don't you dare mess around!"
The woman appeared to be in her fifties, her face etched with the ravages of time, giving her a weathered look.
Clutching the little girl, she retreated to the bedside. The little girl in her arms, however, showed no fear, only wariness.
Li Chonglou quickly waved his hands, "Don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person."
Their expressions didn't change, as if they were silently saying, "Do you expect me to believe that?"
Just then, footsteps were heard from outside.
"Quick, ask a few more people."
Li Chonglou immediately made a shushing gesture to the two and decisively extinguished the lamp.
"Huh? They were lit up just a moment ago?"
"Never mind, let's not disturb them. Let's find some people who are still awake."
It must be Wu Di and his group.
Li Chonglou understood, but he heard muffled sounds from the child in his arms.
"Sorry, please wait a moment."
He couldn't afford to be soft-hearted at this moment. He had no intention of meeting up with Wu Di and the others yet, and if he jeopardized the plan, it would be a loss.
A few minutes later, after the people outside had completely gone, Li Chonglou immediately released the two and turned the light back on.
"You really don't need to be afraid. I'm also from the main camp. I came here mainly to understand the situation."
Li Chonglou had intended to use the name of the main camp to calm the woman's emotions, but as soon as he said it, the wariness in her eyes intensified.
It even turned into a bit of hostility!
Li Chonglou instantly realized something was wrong. Coupled with the looks from the villagers during the day, he couldn't help but ask, "Do you have some kind of misunderstanding about us from the main camp?"
The woman said fiercely, "Misunderstanding? No misunderstanding! My husband was taken away by you! His whereabouts are still unknown!"
It seemed there were other hidden matters here.
Li Chonglou had some suspicions but decided to stabilize her emotions first, saying, "Then you can rest assured. One of our purposes for coming here is to internally purge any problems. If you have any issues, you can tell me!"
He patted his chest, and at first glance, it seemed quite convincing.
However, at the dead of night, a grown man barging into a woman's house was a somewhat strange scene.
Seeing that the wariness in her eyes hadn't receded, and she even shrank back against the wall, Li Chonglou finally understood what was happening.
"Cough, this was my only option. As soon as we arrived, we were already being watched. I could only slip out when they weren't paying attention. You heard the noises just now, right? They were probably looking for me."
This logic made immediate sense, and the wariness in the woman's eyes visibly diminished.
"Are you really from the main camp? Didn't you come to deal with us?"
Li Chonglou rolled his eyes, "Sister-in-law, as the saying goes, officials and civilians share the same heart. We are all on the same side, why would I deal with you?"
Seeing Li Chonglou's casual demeanor, the woman clearly began to believe him more, and slowly sat down by the bed with the little girl.
"Then you say you're here to clear out the bad guys, so why didn't you go find them directly? Why come here?"
Li Chonglou sighed, "Didn't I just say? They've been wary of us for a long time. Now, forget about taking action, it's hard even to investigate. So, I'm just using this method to get out and understand the situation first."
The woman's eyes lit up, "So you are really here to seek justice for us?"
Was her hearing faulty, or what? Talking to her felt so tiring!
However, Li Chonglou still comforted her, "Of course. Otherwise, if I had any ill intentions, I would have acted long ago. Why wait until now?"
As he spoke, he bent down and swung his fist, creating a small hole in the dirt floor.
Although it wasn't a display of his fused realm, it was enough to show his uniqueness, as ordinary people couldn't achieve this level.
The woman was completely convinced this time. However, to Li Chonglou's astonishment, her first reaction upon realizing the situation was to kneel down with the little girl in her arms.
"Sister-in-law, what are you doing?"
The woman's tears were like that of an award-winning actor, coming on command. One moment she was filled with wariness, and the next, she was already in tears!