Saving System: Calm Down, My Fleeing Host!-Chapter 189: Leng Qi’s Determination

Father, Uncle, and Brother are severely injured and may take one to two months to recover fully.

Fortunately, there are two carriages. Watching the carriages disappear, Cheng Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but feel uneasy, recalling the instructions given earlier.

Currently, the epidemic is rampant outside. Everyone only has a simple mask, which offers little protection. If only there was time to brew some herbal preventive soup for everyone to drink, it would be more secure. Unfortunately, they don’t have the time.

She gently touched the soft fur of Xiao Li in her arms, "After being locked up for so long, did you miss sister?"

Xiao Li was released by her during the recent skirmish. If Cheng Jia hadn’t hesitated several times to speak, she might have forgotten about this sneaky fellow.

Squeak Squeak!

Squeak Squeak!

Xiao Li licked the palm of her hand as a sign of comfort.

"We need to get to work quickly."

Time is life; escaping Zhuge Fang’s territory as soon as possible will bring peace of mind.

She still has many tasks and cannot be careless.

It’s urgent to find others; otherwise, this group of women and a few disabled people will definitely be targets for robbers.

Luckily, Cheng Jia provided a useful clue.

He remembered that when he was captured and brought back, although he was blindfolded, before entering the city, he felt a refreshing coolness, similar to the feeling of playing by the lake in summer.

There was a faint sound of running water, and the cool breeze was even chillier than a regular breeze.

Most likely, they passed by a river. Only the temperature by a large river can provide such a cooling sensation.

Cheng Xiaoxiao quickly determined the direction.

Beyond the official road ahead, there is a towering mountain to the left, its peaks stretching as far as the eye can see. To the right lies a forest with a winding path leading to an unknown place.

Anyone would logically think the base might be deep in the forest on the right.

However, the system detected that the forest extends continuously with no river within at least 2000 meters.

But behind the mountains on the left, there is a river. Advancing 500 meters further, between two peaks, there is a low mountain pass with a gentle slope about three to four meters high.

Clearly, this is the only accessible path into the mountain.

Who could have thought there was something hidden behind these mountains?

Without the system, discovering this secret would be difficult.

This base is very discreet; Zhuge Fang indeed is cautious.

Leng Qi insisted on staying behind to handle the aftermath. Cheng Xiaoxiao had no choice but to compromise, knowing she’d previously infuriated Leng Qi to the point of rage.

For some reason today, he kept opposing her at every turn, as stubborn as a mule unwilling to let it go.

It’s outrageous.

If Cheng Xiaoxiao knew he planned to risk his life to stop the enemy and buy them time to escape, she definitely wouldn’t have agreed.

Unfortunately, Leng Qi didn’t give her the chance to see through everything.

He busied himself setting simple traps along the road independently.

She had to move on ahead.

Returning later with the men from Qingshan Village to lend him a helping hand.

Just as Cheng Xiaoxiao thought this, Leng Qi’s voice sounded.

"Received word from the Pavilion Master, reinforcements will arrive soon, so don’t retrace your steps. Find a shortcut to regroup with the others."

Upon hearing that reinforcements were coming, Cheng Xiaoxiao’s eyes instantly brightened.

"Really? How many people?"

"Not sure yet."

Then Cheng Xiaoxiao realized something was off!

When did he receive the message? How did she not know about this?

"When did the message arrive?"

Leng Qi hesitated in setting the traps, "Before you arrived, it was agreed people would be sent within five days. Today is already the fifth day."

"Then how can you be sure they’ll arrive today? Wait, it’s almost dawn, it’s already the sixth day."

Unable to explain, Leng Qi diverted, "Hurry and rescue them! Delay any longer, and no one will escape."

She couldn’t verify what happened five days ago, so decided to drop it. Besides, she could monitor Leng Qi’s situation at any time.

"Don’t push yourself, act within your capacity."

"Of course, if I’m alone and can’t win, isn’t escaping the easiest option?"

What a statement! Wasn’t he suggesting they were just dead weight, absolute weak teammates?

No denying it, Cheng Xiaoxiao had to admit they were indeed a drag on the village.

Unable to counter, she accepted it awkwardly.

"Alright! Take care of yourself then."

Leaving some rations and water, she decisively vanished into the night.

Watching the girl’s back, Leng Qi stood unmoved for a long time, unable to hold back the blood surging in his chest, coughing up a large mouthful.

With a self-deprecating smile: from initially dismissing them to now risking his life to protect, he couldn’t ascertain if it was an order or subconsciously wanting to fight for this girl, for these close comrades he had long regarded as family.

None of that mattered now.

His life ceased to belong to him after his last failure; he was content to serve one last crucial purpose.

Clutching the sword in his hand, he resolved to fight to the last breath to gain more time for their evacuation.

"Safe journey."

The night wind was chilling, brushing across his determined face, dissipating this whispered wish.

As for when the Pavilion Master would receive the news, or whether someone would be sent, he had no certainty.

Right now, with wars, pandemics, and bandits everywhere, reaching here smoothly is no easy feat.

Cheng Xiaoxiao, using the faint starlight, discovered a small path in the mountain ravine. The path twisted in an S-shape, with faint traces of horse tracks—this must be the way out.

Thinking of Leng Qi left behind to fend off the enemy, she quickened her steps. As she crossed the mountain ahead, the system’s voice sounded, "Host, host found them. Across the river, over the hill, there’s a canyon, wide and vast, with numerous wooden and bamboo houses built around, filled with sleeping soldiers inside.

There’s also a large open area with many stands, where soldiers’ training weapons are stored."

Squinting, Cheng Xiaoxiao peered through the darkness, only seeing the shimmering river reflect on the gray skies, with a faint light on the distant horizon, seemingly guiding the dawn.

Yes, it’s now 4:50 AM, over an hour until daybreak.

By then, rescuing will be more challenging.

Thus, she had one hour to rescue everyone.

After much traversing, exhausted, she finally approached the camp. It seemed short, but traversing revealed the lengthy distance. Otherwise, the system would have scanned earlier.

In the distance, she noticed two soldiers on sentry duty by a torch on the watchtower, engaged in conversation.

The tightly closed gate was over three meters high, impossible for her small frame to climb.

Besides, walking straight through the gate would undoubtedly be discovered, wouldn’t it?