While Mike was exploring the cave, the four guards searched everywhere, trying everything to find traces of Mike. However, they couldn't find anything and ultimately failed. The four guards exchanged painful looks but decided to return and report what happened to their captain.

Upon their return, the four guards began reporting to the captain.

Guard one, who had a scar on his eyes, reported while bowing his head: “Captain, we lost the child. We can't find him anywhere. We've searched outside the village, but it's as if he suddenly vanished. At first, we could sense him, but later on, he vanished instantly, as if he never existed from the beginning.”

The captain was furious about the situation, as he would also be included in receiving punishment. His face turned red from anger, and his blood veins were visible, as if they were going to explode at any moment.

Captain: “How can you lose a child? You are all cultivators, but you failed to capture a child! What's even worse is that it was just a mortal child! A bunch of useless pigs!”

The four guards' faces turned pale due to the oppressive aura that the captain exuded.

The four guards replied at the same time while trembling: “We're very sorry, Captain. We swear it won't happen again!”

Upon hearing the four guards' response, the captain replied with anger, his expression menacing while exuding his aura: “If this happens again, I sentence you all to death! Let's keep this incident a secret. You guys are lucky this time that the child doesn't have the bloodline of the Zeit clan. I don't know why he came out from the Zeit state.”

The captain scanned the four guards and added: “The four of you, we are lucky this time. Find a chance to retire and bring your families to a safe place. If this incident is discovered, even the emperor will wipe out your entire clan.”

The four guards were shocked when they heard that even the emperor would make a move in person just to keep in check such a lowly clan. One of the guards couldn't help but ask.

Guard one; “Is it not too insane for the emperor to be involved in such a lowly clan?”

When the captain heard it, he looked at the guard who asked. Seeing that the captain was looking at him, he couldn't help but lower his head.

Seeing the subordinate's reaction and the others' eyes full of curiosity, he shook his head as he said; “The Zeit clan is not as simple as you guys think. I once overheard a conversation with the Luo clan leader and the elder when I was at the Lou state studying. The Zeit clan used to be a powerhouse, but a huge battle occurred that led the Zeit clan to fall to the bottom. I am not clear on the details, but one thing I know is that the emperor himself commanded the Lou clan to keep in check the Zeit clan. His command was to make sure every member of the Zeit clan must remain a mortal and prevent them from cultivating. The reason I said that today's incident can be considered lucky is that the boy didn't possess the Zeit clan bloodline, even he was a member of the Zeit clan.”

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He then looked at the entrance array hanging on the gate and added while looking at the array: “Did you see that?”

Upon hearing the captain's words, the other four guards followed the captain's gaze, and they saw a huge crystal.

While the other four were confused because they thought that the crystal was just a decoration, the captain added: “That crystal is a formation. It will glow if a person belongs to the Zeit clan and goes close to it. It will start to glow. But that child didn't trigger it, which means he didn't possess the bloodline. That's why I said you guys are lucky, including myself. We must find a way to leave the Lou clan, take our families away, and start living in a faraway place while the child is still young. I am sure if that kid grows and starts causing trouble, our family will be in trouble. Remember, no secret can last forever.”

While the four guards were looking at the crystal, he asked them: “Didn't you guys find it weird that we are not allowed to disrespect the Zeit clan? Even though they are just prisoners or can be considered as slaves for the Lou clan. The Lou clan buys the herbs harvested from the Zeit clan, maybe 80% lower than the market price, but still, the Zeit clan is not allowed to sell to other clans. In short, every year, the Lou clan makes a killing profit from the Zeit clan.”

The other four guards nodded their heads because of the captain's revelation. They knew that their lives were in danger, not now, but it would eventually come.

Meanwhile, Mike was walking inside the cave, his face full of curiosity. He saw a crystal on every wall, and if someone saw this, they would surely die from happiness. Because the crystals in the cave were more than enough for simple people, and even for a huge clan, these crystals could compare to the imperial vault even better.

The cave was so bright, and Mike noticed that it was too long. So, he decided to go deeper to explore. While he was exploring, Mike saw a treasure chest.

Mike, being a young man and a big fan of treasure hunting, exclaimed: “Wow! I didn't expect to stumble upon such treasure in this beautiful cave.”

Mike opened the chest and saw a lot of gold coins, armor, swords, and many elixirs. Mike took around 3,000 gold coins, enough for him to carry since he didn't have a storage ring. For him, 3,000 gold coins were enough since one gold coin was equivalent to 1,000 silvers, and one silver was equivalent to 1,000 bronzes. This was more than enough for him to survive in the capital. If he needed more, he just needed to return. He wanted to give some gold to the clan, but it was impossible at now since he was still weak.

The Zeit clan's annual income was only 5,629 to 6,000 silver, depending on the harvest and season. After thinking for a while, he then took some armor and a simple-looking sword. When Mike was done and made sure he had what he required for his journey, he then dug a hole and buried the remaining treasures. While he was digging, Mike saw an old ring and picked it up. He observed the ring for some time and put it on his middle finger.

Mike had no idea what it was, and he didn't know that it was a storage ring, since he hadn't seen one before. For him, it was just a nice ring, so he kept digging until it was deep enough to bury the treasure.

When Mike was done burying the treasure, he went deeper, and after walking for a while, Mike noticed a book. He picked it up and looked at the cover. Mike was shocked because the book was familiar to him.