Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Finding Feng Xuan

"Oh?"

Feng Xuan feigned curiosity. "Just how extraordinary is her background?"

Their conversation drew a small crowd. Old Lin, enjoying the attention, kept them in suspense and told them to guess.

Feng Xuan suppressed his anxiety. After basking in the attention for long enough, Old Lin finally spoke under everyone’s urging. "That female is a messenger chosen by the Beast God! The recipe was imparted to her by the Beast God in a dream, and it’s meant to benefit all Beastmen!"

Amid the crowd’s gasps of astonishment, Feng Xuan quietly slipped away. Once he was back in his room with Ao Er, he could no longer hide his excitement. "Second Brother Ao, it’s my Female Master! My Female Master is right here in Sand City!"

Ao Er was stunned for a moment, then his face lit up with joy. "That’s wonderful! Once we escape, you’ll be able to reunite with your family!"

However, the security here was exceptionally tight. They had been here for two days and still hadn’t found an opportunity to escape.

Someone had tried to run, but they were caught and dragged back before long.

All that awaited them was punishment and even stricter guards than the regular miners had.

Feng Xuan considered this as well. He frowned in thought for a long time before suddenly taking out a silver coin.

He carved a small, stick-figure tiger onto it—something Yu An had taught him to draw before.

To be safe, he also took out his half-used bottle of Divine Spring Water and soaked the coin in it for a moment, making sure it picked up the scent.

"I heard that supervisor say my Female Master has three males with her. If I can get a message to them that I’m nearby, they’ll figure out a way to rescue me."

If Yu An were alone, Feng Xuan wouldn’t have tried to contact her before escaping.

’It’s too dangerous; I can’t let her put herself at risk.’

Ao Er hesitated. "Are you sure this silver coin will reach your Female Master?"

"It’s worth a try," Feng Xuan said, though he wasn’t a hundred percent certain. "What if it works?"

With that, he told Ao Er to wait there while he went to find Supervisor Lin.

The supervisors had their own separate rooms. Old Lin was inside his, counting how much money he’d made that day, when a knock came at the door.

He thought it was one of the Stewards who had seen him striking it rich and wanted a cut. Panicked, he quickly hid some of the silver coins.

When he finally opened the door, heart pounding, he saw it was just the miner he’d been talking to earlier. Old Lin let out a sigh of relief.

Relief was quickly followed by annoyance. He snapped, "What do you want? If you have a problem, go find your own Steward in the Underground Mine!"

Feng Xuan didn’t get angry. He lowered his voice. "Supervisor Lin, I have a bit of extra money. I was hoping to ask you to buy something for me."

Old Lin froze. After glancing left and right, he beckoned to Feng Xuan. "Come in and talk."

After closing the door, he put on a stern face. "Alright, what do you want to buy? I’ll tell you up front, my price isn’t cheap."

"I know," Feng Xuan said, taking out a Gold Coin. "This is for your trouble."

Old Lin’s eyes went wide, and his tone softened considerably. "Go on, what do you need? I’ll make a special trip to Sand City for you tomorrow."

Feng Xuan thanked him, then said, "I’d like to buy the shaved ice we had today. Two servings."

"Just that?"

Old Lin had thought he would use this opportunity to buy more things, especially since the group from the Underground Mine would be heading back in a few days.

"Yes," Feng Xuan nodded. "You can buy almost anything in the Underground Mine, but this shaved ice... this might be a once-in-a-lifetime treat."

Old Lin didn’t overthink it. "True enough. Since you already paid me for my trouble, I won’t charge you extra. The shaved ice costs one silver coin per serving in the city, so just give me two silver coins."

"Money first," he added. "I’m not using my own money to buy it for you!"

Feng Xuan hadn’t expected this small kindness. He quickly said, "Of course. Here you are, Supervisor Lin."

As Feng Xuan held out the two silver coins, Old Lin noticed a pattern carved on one of them.

He immediately grew wary. "What’s this carved on here? Let me warn you, don’t even think about sending a message for someone to rescue you. If you do, you can kiss your life goodbye!"

Someone had tried that before, and it dragged a whole lot of people down with them. Old Lin had no desire to get caught up in that.

Feng Xuan feigned a moment of confusion, then said sheepishly, "I have a habit of carving things. I just pick stuff up and start carving without thinking. I don’t even know when I did that."

"As for sending a message... that’s not it at all. I made some enemies on the outside. This place is actually much safer for me. I have no desire to leave."

Feng Xuan made a move to take the coin back. "How about I go get another one? Or maybe I should ask one of the other supervisors for help?"

"No, no," Old Lin said, waving his hands dismissively. "This is fine. You go on back and wait. I’ll drop it off for you tomorrow after I buy it."

’Are you kidding? How could he pass up such a good opportunity to make money?’

Feng Xuan thanked him again and returned to his room, his heart filled with nervous anticipation.

Remembering yesterday’s long queue, Old Lin left the mining area very early.

Even so, by the time he arrived, the line was already incredibly long.

Old Lin hurried to the back and waited for a very, very long time before it was finally his turn.

He handed over the two silver coins Feng Xuan had given him. "Boss, I’d like two servings of shaved ice."

Han Li was in charge of taking the money. He took the coins and was about to drop them into the cash box when he noticed something odd about the feel of one of them.

He glanced down and saw the stick-figure tiger carved on it.

Seeing Old Lin about to leave, Han Li didn’t have time to mention it to Yu An. Instead, he called out, "Sir, where are you from? You look a lot like one of my elders back home."

As he spoke, he grabbed a bowl of shaved ice. "Here, sir, let me treat you to a bowl. Why don’t we go over there and chat for a bit?"

Old Lin hadn’t expected such a lucky break. ’It’s free, so why not?’ he thought. His only concern was that the two servings he’d bought would melt.

Han Li noticed his hesitation and suggested, "Why don’t you leave the shaved ice here with us? We’ll keep it for you. You can pick it up when you’re ready to leave."

"To be honest with you, that elder of mine left home many years ago, and I’ve missed him ever since. Seeing you is like seeing him again..."

Yu An didn’t know what had gotten into him, but she knew Han Li must have a reason for acting this way.

Old Lin was coaxed and wheedled over to the side by Han Li. After some small talk, Han Li managed to pull some useful information out of him.

"Take care, Uncle Lin."

When Old Lin was about to leave, Han Li said warmly, "Come back again tomorrow! Let me tell you..."

He lowered his voice. "If you want more shaved ice, just come by tomorrow. You don’t need to bring any Silver Coins. Consider it a treat from me, your nephew."

"I remember you bought fifty servings yesterday. You were taking them back to sell, right? If you’re still selling, I can give you a discount."

Old Lin was thrilled. "That would be great! Thank you so much, my good nephew!"

Han Li smiled and waved his hand. "It’s nothing. I could even deliver it to your home for you. Take care now." 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

After seeing Old Lin off, Yu An was also just about ready to close up the stall. Fearing that walls have ears, Han Li held back until they had returned home. Only then did he take out the silver coin carved with the stick-figure tiger.

"An’an, look at this!"

Yu An took it and saw the carving. Understanding dawned on her instantly. "It’s Feng Xuan!"