"Captain Lin, why do you think Prisoner Butcher suddenly came to our Qingshan City?"
Wu Que asked out of the blue.
Captain Lin shook his head slightly. "I have no idea what he was thinking. But it was only because he came to Qingshan City that we got the chance to catch him.
"If my men hadn't underestimated him this time, that scoundrel wouldn't have slipped into your Ore Vein. I'm afraid we've made a poor impression."
As they spoke, Captain Lin's constables had already collected Zhang Hao's body.
Wu Que asked curiously, "I heard Prisoner Butcher went to Ku Jue Temple a few years ago and stole a scripture. Is that true? How could a first-rate great sect let a petty thief sneak in and escape alive?"
"I couldn't say. Since the authorities haven't issued any notice and Ku Jue Temple hasn't reacted, I'd guess it's just a rumor. You know how these petty thieves like making up stories to save face."
Captain Lin shook his head with a smile.
After a few more pleasantries, he took his leave with his men.
Wu Que naturally saw them off.
Steward Niu waved a hand. "It's all over. Get back to mining."
The miners dispersed at once, though they were still talking excitedly about what had just happened.
"Mine to level up! That's the only way to make a place for myself in the Divine Domain."
Thinking back to what he had just witnessed, Zhang Wei clenched his fists and glanced at Yang Ling among the crowd before turning to look for Fire Crystal Rock.
"Mountain River Sect and Ku Jue Temple must both be major sects in Zhao State."
"Supervisor Wu's Strength reached 24 when he used his power, and he still couldn't even get a place as an outer disciple of Mountain River Sect?"
"How outrageous must those sect disciples' attributes be?"
"Their Martial Arts must be unfathomably profound, too. If I could learn them, I'd be able to make a place for myself in Zhao State."
He had leveled up repeatedly over the past few days and even scraped together the five taels of silver needed to buy an identity.
That had made Yang Ling feel a little more at ease, even somewhat pleased with himself.
But what had happened today showed him that he was nowhere near free of the dangers of the Divine Domain.
For that matter, if Supervisor Wu had attacked him, he probably wouldn't have been able to fight back at all.
"Three moves at most, and I'd be dead..."
The upcoming miners' contest, Fifth Brother's death, and what had happened today had filled Yang Ling with an urgency he had never felt before.
"Level up! I have to level up!"
"Even without Martial Arts, with enough Attribute Points, sheer strength can overcome any technique."
Yang Ling went to look for Fire Crystal Rock, planning to head back down into the mine when no one was around.
"Chen Xu, isn't that the NPC who lent us three Copper Coins?"
When Lin Guoliang spotted Yang Ling, he hurriedly asked in a low voice.
Chen Xu took a closer look, and a glimmer of delight appeared in his eyes.
"Come on, let's go talk to him!"
The three quickly approached Yang Ling, intending to strike up a conversation. But when they saw him swinging his Steel Pickaxe rapidly, chipping off a large amount of Fire Crystal Rock with every blow, they were stunned.
One of his blows was worth half a day of their hard work!
"That's amazing..."
Wu Meng said without thinking.
Lin Guoliang's expression turned solemn as he slowly nodded.
"I've been observing a lot of NPCs lately..."
"Don't say that kind of thing again."
Chen Xu reminded him.
Lin Guoliang immediately corrected himself.
"I've been observing a lot of miners lately. They're much stronger and more skilled than us, but none of them are as good as this guy.
"He's probably one of the best miners in this Ore Vein."
"I asked around. Apparently Supervisor Wu thinks highly of him, and soon he'll be competing against miners from other Ore Veins."
Chen Xu said.
By then, Yang Ling had finished mining the Fire Crystal Rock in front of him. After gathering the ore fragments, he went to look for another spot.
Seeing this, Chen Xu hurried over.
"Brother."
"Need something?"
Yang Ling stopped and turned around, glancing at the three of them.
"Brother, you lent us three Copper Coins last time, but you didn't tell us your name. We didn't know how to find you to pay you back."
Chen Xu hurriedly explained.
"Yang Ling."
Yang Ling smiled faintly. "Keep the three Copper Coins. You don't have to pay me back."
So generous!?
Lin Guoliang's expression shifted, and he blurted out, "Brother, could you teach us how to mine?"
Yang Ling glanced at him.
"Why should I?"
Lin Guoliang froze, an awkward look on his face.
Chen Xu cursed under his breath and glared at Lin Guoliang before turning back to Yang Ling with a smile.
"Brother, my friend isn't very bright. Please don't hold it against him. We've earned some Copper Coins over the past few days, though, so we really should pay you back."
With that, he took out five Copper Coins and handed them to Yang Ling.
Five?
Yang Ling smiled, accepted them, then waved and hurried away.
"Why did you give him five..."
Lin Guoliang looked a little displeased.
One Copper Coin could buy a bun. That was a lot of money!
"Think of it as an investment. Maybe the game has some kind of favorability system.
"He seems pretty approachable. Raising our hidden favorability with him might help us later."
Chen Xu said.
"You could've at least discussed it with us first..."
Lin Guoliang complained.
Wu Meng nodded. "Exactly. We should discuss things like this in the future. After all, the money belongs to all of us."
"..."
Chen Xu fell silent for a moment. "Fine, I'll cover the other two Copper Coins myself."
Lin Guoliang and Wu Meng immediately brightened.
"Deal."
This time, Yang Ling didn't wait until nightfall. He seized an opportunity, made sure no one was nearby, and slipped into Mine No. 5.
Before you continue