A Bountiful Harvest

Yue Qianchou appeared inside the mine tunnel and cocked his ear to listen. Everything around him was dead quiet. He set down his basket and pickaxe, put on the Mountain-Piercing Claws, and infused them with True Qi. The gloves immediately became one with his palms. Ten black, gleaming claws flashed as he swiped at the wall. Swish! Stone chips flew everywhere.

Didn't they say these gloves could sense spiritual energy? Then let's try it! He pressed both claws against the wall. The moment he calmed his mind, he felt the gloves seeming to tug him toward the left. Yue Qianchou's heart thumped wildly. He had really sensed spiritual energy. His hands moved according to the sensation from the gloves, stopping only after shifting three or four meters from his original position.

The distance he had moved was not far, yet it was nowhere near the direction he had initially planned to dig. Right ahead, he could clearly sense the Spirit Stones he wanted to mine. Yue Qianchou felt immensely fortunate. If not for these gloves, no matter how quickly he dug, it would all have been wasted effort.

Treasure, your lordship is coming! Yue Qianchou cried excitedly in his heart. His ten claws flew as he charged the stone wall ahead, baring his fangs and brandishing his claws. Swish, swish... There was no clanging sound. Like a sharp blade slicing through paper, the stone wall was utterly unable to withstand him and was instantly torn into a miserable state.

Before long, he had carved out a tunnel several meters deep. The sensation ahead grew stronger and stronger, spurring Yue Qianchou onward.

When one swipe of his claw revealed a crystalline white corner amid the glow of the stone wall, he could not help cheering. He immediately covered his mouth and snickered in secret. He had finally mined a Spirit Stone. Then he suddenly remembered that his basket and pickaxe were still in the outer passage. He hurriedly drilled out, checked that no one was around, grabbed his things, and ducked back into the tunnel.

He pried out that Spirit Stone and examined it closely in his hand. It was the first time he had realized that Spirit Stones could be so beautiful—crystal-clear and lovable from every angle. Unfortunately, it was only a low-grade Spirit Stone. He shook his head and had just tossed it into the basket when he slapped his forehead, apparently recalling something. He picked up the pickaxe and directly threw it, along with the basket holding one low-grade Spirit Stone, into his storage space.

Keep working. Perhaps high-grade Spirit Stones were ahead. Having made his first gain, he grew even more excited and followed the Mountain-Piercing Claws' sensations without stopping. Before long, the Spirit Stones in the wall went from appearing one or two at a time to several appearing together. He happily tapped them one by one into his storage space with his fingers. Though they were all low-grade, he welcomed every one and did not waste a single fruit of his labor.

"Damn! A bountiful harvest! One, two, three... nine—another ten low-grade ones." The ten low-grade Spirit Stones that had appeared together vanished one after another as he counted them with his finger.

After mining nearly a hundred low-grade Spirit Stones, a section of dense white crystal appeared before him. It was exactly like the mid-grade Spirit Stone his master had once used for him. There was no need to say more. His first mid-grade Spirit Stone was in hand.

As he continued digging, Yue Qianchou became more and more excited. The density of Spirit Stones kept rising. For every hundred low-grade stones, he could find one mid-grade stone. When he had mined nearly a hundred mid-grade Spirit Stones, he suddenly sensed something unusual from the Mountain-Piercing Claws.

Could it be that a high-grade Spirit Stone was about to appear? After a brief daze, he immediately dug in that direction as though his life depended on it.

A correct judgment naturally would not disappoint.

When a pale golden Spirit Stone emerged from the wall, Yue Qianchou carefully pried it out, removed the Mountain-Piercing Claws, and held it in his hand for a close inspection. No mistake—it was a high-grade Spirit Stone. It was his first time seeing one. He had only heard his master mention before that they were pale gold.

The pale golden Spirit Stone was as beautiful as amber. Under the illumination of the glowstones, it radiated a mesmerizing brilliance that left Yue Qianchou dazzled and entranced. Feeling the dense spiritual energy within it, he truly wanted to inhale it into his body in one breath. Yet he restrained that urge. For no other reason than that there would be more and more high-grade Spirit Stones ahead. He swallowed and said, "Such a good thing, and they want me to hand it over? Hmph! Not even if they beat me to death!" The amber-like crystal vanished from his hand...

The white fox within the golden bead had her guess confirmed. Sure enough, not long after Yue Qianchou disappeared, Spirit Stones began raining from the sky. They landed squarely in the courtyard, piling up into a small heap. She merely shook her head. Those things held no temptation for her. For someone whose cultivation had reached the late Tribulation stage, the peak of the Cultivation World, Spirit Stones were of no use.

Yue Qianchou also discovered the pattern behind mining Spirit Stones. Whenever he dug in a direction, the first stones he found would always be low-grade. Every hundred low-grade stones surrounded one mid-grade stone, and only after nearly a hundred such clusters would one high-grade stone appear.

After learning this pattern, he no longer had much interest in low-grade Spirit Stones. They wasted both time and effort. Digging straight for a high-grade one was worth a full ten thousand low-grade stones. Only when it was convenient did he tap any low- or mid-grade stones he spotted into his storage space.

By his reckoning, nearly a day had passed. Excluding the wasted half day, he estimated that in the remaining time he had mined nearly a hundred high-grade Spirit Stones, several hundred mid-grade ones, and several thousand low-grade ones. His mood had shifted from his initial excitement to indifference. Such was the change in mindset when a poor man became rich.

He likely did not know that his earnings over this half day already equaled the output of this entire Spirit Stone mine for one day. Naturally, the credit went to the fox clan's treasured artifact, the Mountain-Piercing Claws.

For three days straight, he dug almost without pause. Unlike the others, he did not hand over Spirit Stones once each day. The Spirit Stones in his possession were already enough for him to pay all three days' quota at once.

Only near the end of the second day did he feel a little hungry. After all, he had not yet reached the Core Formation stage and could not go without food. He went into the golden bead and roasted a wild chicken to eat. Seeing the Spirit Stones piled nearly halfway across the courtyard, he grinned happily and sighed that his hard work had not been in vain.

But the white fox warned him that if he dared throw another Spirit Stone into the courtyard, she would take back the Mountain-Piercing Claws. The threat was quite effective. From then on, he threw all the Spirit Stones into the woods outside the courtyard.

When the three-day deadline arrived, Yue Qianchou came out carrying a basket brimming with Spirit Stones. More than ten overseers stood at the cave entrance, counting the miners' Spirit Stones. As he was near the back of the line, he waited a while before his turn came.

Just as he walked over, he heard someone say, "Let me see!" Looking up, he saw Gao Shiping, his face full of flesh, sneering at him.

"Junior Brother Yue, I've been waiting for you to come out! I wonder how well you completed your task?" Gao Shiping said with a smile that did not reach his eyes.

This fellow's attitude wasn't very friendly! Yue Qianchou removed his basket and placed it on the large table at the entrance. Smiling, he said, "It was my first time, so I truly wasn't used to it. But fortunately, I barely managed to complete the task."

A pile of Spirit Stones spilled onto the table, sparkling brightly. A trace of greed flashed through Gao Shiping's eyes, so subtle it was almost undetectable, before quickly vanishing. Yet Yue Qianchou caught it all. The corners of his lips rose slightly in a faint smile. Gao Shiping waved his hand, and two overseers came over to count the Spirit Stones.

"Senior Brother Gao, there's something I'd like to ask you." Yue Qianchou gestured for them to speak aside.

Gao Shiping frowned. Give you three parts color, and you really think you can open a dye shop. I call you Junior Brother only out of courtesy, yet you truly dare address me as Senior Brother? Didn't you ask around what sort of place this is? Remembering the instructions of the two law enforcement senior brothers, he could not afford to offend Yue Qianchou too severely. Perhaps Yue Qianchou would one day rise in the Qingguang Sect, and he might have to ask him for help then. With a grim expression, he walked aside and said coldly, "What is it, Junior Brother Yue?"

"This junior brother has just arrived and worries that there may be things I have failed to do properly. If I have offended you in any way, I hope Senior Brother will be generous and forgive me." Yue Qianchou raised his hand in salute toward Gao Shiping. A pale golden gleam flashed through his hand unnoticed. After glancing around and seeing no one paying attention, he lowered his hand naturally, and the pale golden object slipped into Gao Shiping's robe.

Gao Shiping had seen that enticing pale gold the instant Yue Qianchou raised his hand. Naturally, he recognized what it was. Before he could react, the thing had already slipped into his clothes...

Gao Shiping shuddered. His hand instinctively pressed against the object at his abdomen. His gaze flickered as he stared at Yue Qianchou. The temptation of a high-grade Spirit Stone was far too great, and he was considering whether to accept it. As a Core Formation stage cultivator, he received only twenty-five mid-grade Spirit Stones each month. One high-grade stone was worth four months' worth! Although he guarded the Spirit Stone mine, he had never dared take even one Spirit Stone from it. If anyone discovered it, the consequences would be unimaginable—especially with three Nascent Soul Realm elders stationed here.

Gao Shiping lowered his voice a few degrees. "Looking after Junior Brother is only proper. But Junior Brother was sent here by the sect to perform hard labor. If you fail to complete your task or do anything you should not do, I cannot look after you either. After all, there are three elders here, and some matters are beyond my authority."

Yue Qianchou understood the meaning behind his words. Looking after him was possible, but there were matters Gao Shiping could handle and matters he could not. For example, failing to meet the quota, or stealing or secretly absorbing Spirit Stones.

Damn it! A man with a thief's heart but no thief's guts! Yue Qianchou rubbed his nose, patted Gao Shiping's hand where it pressed against his abdomen, and smiled faintly. "Rest assured, Senior Brother. I definitely won't do anything that puts you in a difficult position. I only want to live a little more comfortably here. I trust that won't make things difficult for you."

Gao Shiping was still somewhat hesitant when an overseer called out from the other side, "Yue Qianchou, task completed! You exceeded the quota by five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. Come over for inspection."

"Rest assured, Senior Brother," Yue Qianchou said softly. He walked over, and the overseer used a bronze mirror to inspect him but found nothing unusual.

Gao Shiping, who had been watching the whole time, let out a breath of relief. He barked at the overseer beside him, "Watch more carefully!" Then he walked to Yue Qianchou and smiled. "For Junior Brother to exceed the quota by five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones on his first time mining, I've never seen anything like it in all my years here. Truly impressive!" These were not empty words. If he counted the one high-grade Spirit Stone he had accepted, that amounted to ten thousand five hundred low-grade Spirit Stones. He had indeed never seen such a thing among newcomers.

"Luck, luck—pure luck. I just happened to run into a good vein," Yue Qianchou said modestly. The two left together, chatting and laughing, leaving the others somewhat unable to believe their eyes. Gao Shiping had always been secretly called Gao the Butcher here. No one knew how many miners had died at his hands. When had anyone ever seen him show such a pleasant face to a miner?

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