In the pitch-black mine tunnel, Lu Ye followed Old Tang, his mind buzzing like a small auction—he was intently going through the storage bag he had just casually picked up.
Inside the bag, aside from blood tonic pills and healing pills, there were several bottles that seemed to contain “strange, specially-made pills.” Lu Ye stared blankly at them—he had never seen such things before. As for the ores? Well, their quality was far from impressive, nowhere near the valuable ores that Steward Yang had shown him earlier. Thinking about those top-tier ores, Lu Ye almost broke into a grin, they were like treasures beyond compare.
But these? They weren’t worth mentioning. Even so, Lu Ye’s mood remained quite good—after all, these were things he had "picked up." Even if they weren’t much, they were still "free" things!
He stowed a gleaming longsword into the storage bag, thinking to himself, “With this storage bag as a cover, the other one hidden on me is even safer. What a clever trick.”
Lu Ye didn’t immediately ask Old Tang about cultivation matters. His mind worked quickly, and he thought, “Such expert matters can be asked at the right opportunity. I can’t rush things or act recklessly. What if Old Tang gets annoyed, and in a bad mood, he kills me with a thunderous slap?”
So, he obediently followed Old Tang, jogging quickly so as not to fall too far behind. Old Tang walked with ease, as if casually strolling, which made Lu Ye wonder if the old man didn’t take this mine tunnel seriously at all—how could he navigate such a complex route so effortlessly?
“This old man walks more easily than I do; his cultivation must be high!” Lu Ye mused silently. Every time they reached an intersection, he had to pause and check the direction, but Old Tang always picked the right way immediately, which made Lu Ye’s confidence drop. He silently made a resolution: in the future, not only would he need to cultivate, but he’d also have to learn some map reading too.
About half an hour later, light began to appear ahead—it was the exit of the mine!
The moment Lu Ye stepped out of the dim tunnel, he felt a rush of freshness, almost like stepping from darkness into light. He nearly teared up. “Ah, life is short— I must enjoy this bright world.”
Standing at the exit, Lu Ye suddenly felt like he had been reborn, as if he had been granted a new life. However, before he could savor a few more seconds of freedom, a loud voice rang out: “Old Tang!”
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At the mine entrance, guards were stationed, all evidently cultivators from the Haotian Alliance, clearly on alert for any remnants of the Evil Moon Valley trying to escape. Upon seeing Old Tang, they all respectfully saluted.
Old Tang nodded indifferently, his mood not looking particularly bright. "Ah, Old Tang, getting old, huh? No need to work every day anymore," he grumbled inwardly, though his expression didn’t change.
One of the middle-aged cultivators curiously sized up Lu Ye and couldn’t resist asking, “Old Tang, who is this?”
“Oh, this kid is a disciple from the Xuantian Sect. His sect was destroyed a year ago, and he was captured as a mine slave. He just helped me out a bit and I’m taking him out on the way,” Old Tang replied leisurely, his tone friendly. Hearing this, Lu Ye felt a warmth in his heart—this was practically a "golden shield," immediately blocking all potential trouble.
The middle-aged cultivator widened his eyes. "A mine slave?" He quickly understood, muttering under his breath, "A mine slave managed to help Old Tang? That’s impressive."
Then, without asking more, the middle-aged cultivator patted a young cultivator beside him. “Go, record his identity.”
“Yes, Senior Brother!” the young cultivator responded, heading off to comply.
Lu Ye had originally intended to thank Old Tang, but by the time he turned around, Old Tang had already silently walked away, his figure quickly disappearing into the distance. It seemed like he had more important matters to attend to.
“That’s fine, there will be other opportunities to thank him,” Lu Ye thought to himself, though he felt a bit regretful. Still, he felt more gratitude and respect than anything else.
He looked around and noticed that the scene before him was completely different from what he had imagined. He had expected the Haotian Alliance’s base to be full of tall, gleaming buildings, but instead, what he saw was a valley filled with the smell of blood, looking like a battlefield site. There were even fresh bloodstains on the ground, which took Lu Ye by surprise.
“These people really fight hard. The Evil Moon Valley’s cultivators must have suffered quite a bit.”
He looked down and saw that he was standing among a group of people. These people looked gaunt and hollow-eyed, especially some of the young women, whose faces were written with helplessness and pain. Lu Ye immediately realized that these were all former mine slaves who had been oppressed by the Evil Moon Valley and were now finally free.
“I’ve actually become one of these people,” Lu Ye thought to himself. “But at least I’m free now, no longer a mine slave to be used.”
Just as he was still reflecting, his attention was caught by a desk in front of the group. Behind the desk sat a chubby cultivator, looking rather young, lounging in his chair, arms crossed, taking a nap.
“Is this really considered work?” Lu Ye thought in confusion, silently mocking.
When the young cultivator knocked on the desk, the chubby cultivator jerked awake, almost falling off his chair. "Huh? What’s going on?" He sat up straight and immediately locked eyes with Lu Ye, his gaze falling on the storage bag at Lu Ye’s waist. His eyes immediately widened.