Chapter 369: Chapter 212: Tunnel Broken Through

When Zhou Zhendong heard this, his eyes lit up with joy. He asked, "Are you sure it’s all been cleared?"

The man smiled and nodded. "Yes, it’s all cleared. The area for the central plaza hasn’t been fully widened yet, but the main passage is open. We can go straight through now."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhendong laughed. "Alright! You head back first. I’ll go inform the Young Clan Leader."

The man cupped his hands in acknowledgment and returned to Tiantuan Village.

Li Yihuo saw the two of them talking in low voices, but he didn’t ask about it.

’This is the Cheng Family’s business. I just need to do my part. There’s no benefit in knowing things I’m not supposed to know.’

Zhou Zhendong approached Li Yihuo, cupped his hands, and said, "Sir, I have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll be taking my leave."

Li Yihuo smiled. "Don’t worry, go on. Learning isn’t accomplished in a day. Just take your time."

Zhou Zhendong nodded and left, heading for the residence on Yunli Lane.

After searching for a while without finding any sign of Cheng Zongyang, he headed to the Celestial Break Gang to look for him.

As it turned out, he ran into him on the way.

"Young Clan Leader, news just came from Tiantuan Village. They said the passage has been cleared. Would you like to go take a look?"

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang was a little surprised. "That was fast?"

Zhou Zhendong smiled. "It must have gone smoothly. Besides, that big fella digs through earth like it’s mud, so it’s not surprising it was fast."

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Then let’s go take a look."

He waved to Xu Dong and Ma Yue, who were not far away. The two men, who had been following at a distance, immediately spurred the horse and carriage to catch up.

He handed the Crystal Stone to Ma Yue, saying, "Just follow the usual procedure."

Ma Yue accepted the Crystal Stone with a serious expression. He knew this was a task he had handled before, so he didn’t ask any questions and simply nodded in acknowledgment.

Cheng Zongyang and Zhou Zhendong then headed out of West City.

「Tiantuan Village.」

Upon reaching the entrance, they were greeted by the sight of rolling rice paddies, a vast sea of gold.

The rice stalks, heavy with grain, drooped low, swaying gently in the breeze. The endless rustle of the fields was a clear sign that the harvest was near.

The early summer sun shone through the occasional passing cloud, bathing the fields between the ridges in light.

Farmers in straw hats bustled about, weaving through the shoulder-high stalks to check the ripeness of the grain. Their faces beamed with smiles of satisfaction and anticipation.

In the distance, a flock of birds circled, seemingly drawn by the impending harvest. They swooped low over the paddies, then landed on the stalks, only to take flight again and disappear into the clouds.

"This is far more spectacular than the paddies back in our village," Zhou Zhendong remarked with a sigh.

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "It is, but the yield isn’t as high as our village’s. I imagine their rice is probably still out sun-drying right now."

This rice would be ready for harvest soon. When the time came, combined with the resources each family had brought, it should be enough for the people in the County Town to last until the next harvest.

"Who’s in charge here at the moment?" Cheng Zongyang asked as they walked deeper into the village.

Zhou Zhendong answered, "Zhao the Seventh is in charge for now. Per your instructions, the Celestial Break Gang’s Earth Demon Hall headquarters is located here to maintain secrecy. The one in the city is just a branch. Additionally, the Zhenwu Hall’s Body Forging training ground for Martial Artists is also here. As for our people, Cheng Yuanbo and Cheng Yuanwei are standing guard with four other Martial Artists from Cheng Family Village."

Zhou Zhendong had also learned more through his interactions with Zhao the Seventh. This was how he was getting a better understanding of the matters in Jade Peak County.

Cheng Zongyang nodded slightly and asked no further questions. As they passed, nearly every farmer recognized him.

After all, Cheng Zongyang had provided these rice seeds and farming supplies. They had never seen such large grains of rice before, so they were naturally thrilled.

"It’ll be some time before we can harvest the medicinal herb fields. Zongying says many of the Medicinal Materials aren’t mature enough yet."

Cheng Zongyang said, "Then just do as she suggests."

Soon, they entered the Tiantuan Village base and made their way to the warehouse in the West District.

The village originally had only one warehouse, but Cheng Zongyang had it changed to two, one each in the east and west.

The West District warehouse was used as a transfer point for goods. It covered two mu and had been created by knocking down the walls between three adjacent houses and combining them.

Inside the warehouse, there were also three small, separate storage rooms used for storing certain items.

"Young Clan Leader, Steward Zhou."

Seeing Cheng Zongyang and Zhou Zhendong arrive, Cheng Yuanwei and Cheng Yuanbo immediately came out from the warehouse.

"How is it?" Cheng Zongyang asked as he walked.

Cheng Yuanbo reported, "The villagers are reinforcing the exit right now. The entire passage is basically clear. The only thing is, work hasn’t started on the central transfer plaza you designed, but the Clan Leader has already had the Mole Beast turn around to start excavating it."

As they spoke, they arrived at the exit located in the back-left corner of the warehouse.

Seven or eight men were using tools to tamp down the ground on the tunnel’s gentle slope, which was graded at about fifteen degrees.

"Young Clan Leader."

The villagers inside looked up, their faces filled with excitement upon seeing Cheng Zongyang.

"Young Clan Leader, it’s been a long time! Why haven’t you come back to the village to visit?"

"The Young Clan Leader is here! Young Clan Leader, the passage is pretty much complete!"

"..."

Unable to contain their joy, the crowd chattered excitedly, one person speaking after another.

One could say that Cheng Zongyang had saved their lives. Their lives now were even better than before the disaster, so they were naturally grateful to him.

"I will. I’ll head back as soon as things are settled. Thank you for all your hard work," Cheng Zongyang replied with a smile.

He then went down the gentle slope into the underground passage to inspect it.

The villagers could only go back to their work, not wanting to disturb Cheng Zongyang’s inspection.

’The passage is three meters wide and high, which is more than enough. In the future, there will be plenty of space for flatbed carts to pass through and turn around.’