The Legend of the Condor Heroes: From Being Expelled from Peach Blossom Island

Chapter 297 The Little Deer with a Mysterious Origin

For the next three days, smoke rose from the cave in front of Qingfeng Ridge, and the aroma of porridge lingered. If it weren't for the fact that it was deep in the mountains, it would have attracted countless bandits long ago.

Wu Chengyu's men had been physically exhausted for too long, and three days was far from enough, but their complexions visibly improved. Most importantly, they were no longer living a precarious existence, and everyone's spirits were significantly different.

But Wu Chengyu was always frowning. If he wanted to develop his power, even if it was to become a mountain king, a good base was essential. Living in a damp cave all the time, not to mention the children, Wu Chengyu felt that he was going to get arthritis.

He hasn't had a moment's rest these past few days; he's searched the entire area around Qingfeng Ridge but still hasn't found a suitable location.

The location has high requirements. First, it must be easy to defend and difficult to attack, and second, it must be well hidden so that it can avoid detection by outsiders at least until his forces grow stronger.

There must be enough space to house these people, a place where they can train and practice martial arts, a clean water source, and an escape route in case of emergency.

Wu Chengyu had already asked around and found that the twenty-odd slaves were all farmers who knew nothing but farming. If there were some flat wasteland nearby that could be cultivated, it could solve some of the food problem.

However, to meet these requirements in the vast Ziwu Ridge region, it would be impossible for Wu Chengyu to search bit by bit.

The rebel base in the Qinling Mountains was discovered by finding hidden troop caves from the Qin and Han dynasties, which allowed them to gradually expand their territory. However, such locations are rare and hard to come by.

It is said that since the Qin Dynasty, General Meng Tian has been opening up the straight road and building passes here, but they are all located near Gansu. Wu Chengyu is now located on the other side of the mountain, a place rarely visited by people, and there are no traces of artificial excavation.

"Chief, your lunch is here." Little Deer carried a tray with a bowl of porridge, but she deliberately added more cured meat.

Wu Chengyu hasn't made any special requests these days. He eats whatever his subordinates eat. He doesn't need to think about many things. In his previous life, the Red Army treated officers and soldiers equally during the War of Resistance against Japan, sharing meals and lodging. He can simply copy these practices.

However, Xiao Lu's words reminded Wu Chengyu that the words "lunch" were not something a little girl who had been an orphan since childhood, wandering from place to place, and living a precarious life could say.

Moreover, when I first met Xiaolu, I felt that she must have an extraordinary background. She was methodical in her work and spoke in a refined manner. Although she was a girl, she had a high level of prestige among the children. She was practically a management talent.

Wu Chengyu asked, "Little Deer, can you read? Tell me about your background."

"I don't remember much about my childhood, but I do remember that my family was quite well-off and I had maids and servants to serve me."

Then one day, suddenly some bandits came to our door and killed everyone in the house. The butler led me on a long escape, and somehow we ended up in this place.

Later we encountered bandits again. The steward risked his life to let me escape. If it weren't for Song Mu and Geda, I probably wouldn't be alive today.

I did have a tutor who taught me to read and write when I was at home, but I've forgotten most of it now.

Wu Chengyu remained silent. He could tell that the girl was hiding something from him; she wasn't lying, but there were some things she hadn't said.

Of all the people, she was the most wary. Wu Chengyu's brainwashing tactics over the past few days had some effect on her, but not very deep. In short, educated people are generally not so easy to fool, but Wu Chengyu didn't care.

"Since you've read books, can you read pictures? I brought some letters from the fortress; could you help me find where I put them and bring them to me?"

"Yes, Chief, please have your meal first. I'll be right back."

At this moment, Wu Chengyu also remembered the map in the secret room of the bandit leader of the fortified village. According to his guess, it should be the Ziwu Ridge.

This person was a spy sent here by the Western Xia First-Class Hall. It was only natural for him to investigate the terrain and draw a map; he had thought of this before.

However, Wu Chengyu couldn't understand either ancient maps or maps from his previous life. In his previous life, he had a poor sense of direction and relied on navigation when driving. Even if you gave Wu Chengyu a city map, he would only know that north is up, south is down, west is left, and east is right. He believed that he wasn't alone; many modern people actually couldn't understand maps.

So Wu Chengyu had never expected this map before, but now he had no choice but to consider it.

He wandered aimlessly through the nearby mountains and forests like a headless fly, but to no avail. Since this little deer could read and had been staying in Qingfeng Ridge for a long time, it might be able to help Wu Chengyu find his way.

Soon, Xiao Lu brought over all the letters. Her face was a little red, but Wu Chengyu didn't seem to notice.

He tossed the letter aside, took out the map, examined it carefully, and found the fortress he had seen before, but he couldn't determine his current location.

"Take a look at this map. Is our Qingfeng Ridge on it?"

The little deer took the map, examined it carefully, and soon pointed to a place on the map and said...

"This is Qingfeng Ridge. This map is drawn so well, it's very clear at a glance."

Wu Chengyu was dumbfounded. He looked carefully in the direction the deer pointed, but he couldn't see that the place was where he was.

The map was not small, and Ziwu Ridge was even larger, so the area where Qingfeng Ridge was located was only the size of a fingertip. Wu Chengyu would never have guessed that this was Qingfeng Ridge, no matter how hard he tried.

However, Xiao Lu recognized him at a glance and spoke with great certainty, which made Wu Chengyu a little embarrassed. His face turned red, but he quickly covered up his embarrassment and kept telling himself that everyone has their shortcomings, and it's normal.

He looked around Qingfeng Ridge following the deer's finger, but still couldn't see any connection between the surroundings and what he had been exploring over the past few days.

Little Deer, however, carefully examined the map and suddenly pointed to a place not far from Qingfeng Ridge, exclaiming, "The Secret Cave!"

"What secret cave?"

The little deer pointed to the spot and said, "Here, there's a marker with two small characters that read 'Secret Cave.'"

Wu Chengyu immediately looked at it. He had actually seen it before, but he had immediately ignored it. The two characters were very small, but it was impossible for him not to see them. It was just that he couldn't understand them. The two characters were written in the same style as those in the letters from the Big Boss and Yipintang. They were all in Xixia script.

"Can you read Tangut script?"

Xiao Lu blushed and nodded, then pointed to the letters and said, "These letters are also written in Xiawen, which I learned when I was a child."

Wu Chengyu immediately recalled what the chief had said: they had initially come here to find the son of the Western Xia prince who had failed in his struggle for the throne, but they had never found him. However, since Xiaolu was clearly a girl, he didn't think much of it.

"What is your relationship with the Xia Kingdom?"

"I can't remember, I only know that I learned it when I was a child."

Wu Chengyu nodded without asking further questions. He had no intention of investigating the origins of the deer for the time being, but he kept the matter in mind.

"Let's put those letters aside for now. Can you lead me to this secret cave using the map?"

(End of this chapter)