Temporary Cooperation

The side passage was deeper and more winding than Li Tui had imagined.

Su Lueying, meanwhile, knew the terrain astonishingly well. In the dim light, she ducked and slipped through low spots like a cat, always managing to avoid the sand bandits along the way.

After they had made their way through the tunnels for roughly half an incense stick, Su Lueying suddenly stopped in front of a rock wall. She reached out to feel around, then lightly pressed a finger into a shallow depression.

"Click."

A section of what looked like solid rock slid inward by half a foot, revealing a narrow crevice just wide enough for one person to crawl through.

"Get in," Su Lueying whispered, crawling inside first.

Li Tui followed close behind.

Beyond the crevice lay a natural stone chamber. Faint light filtered down through tiny cracks in the ceiling, just enough to see by.

Su Lueying leaned against the rock wall and caught her breath. At last, she took off her battered felt hat, revealing uneven, shoulder-length hair. Then she eyed Li Tui coldly with her slender eyes, one hand never leaving the needle pouch at her waist.

"As for what you said earlier, I'll pretend I never heard it," she said. Her voice had returned to normal, but it was colder now. "Once we leave this crevice, we go our separate ways."

Li Tui didn't answer right away.

He was also taking in the stone chamber. It wasn't large, but it was orderly, with all kinds of everyday odds and ends piled in one corner.

This woman was no simple character. It wasn't just that she knew these mine tunnels far better than anyone should. The stone chamber alone showed she had made plenty of preparations in advance.

"Go our separate ways?" Li Tui finally said, his voice calm. "How do you plan to do that? Go back the way we came? The Black Sand Society is all over the place outside. They've searched the side passage and found no one, so they'll definitely widen their search. This chamber may be well hidden, but it won't withstand repeated searches."

Su Lueying's eyes turned cold. "That's my problem."

"It's mine too," Li Tui said. "Because right now, we're in the same boat. If you're exposed, I won't survive either. I doubt you want to die, so why not work together?"

At his words, Su Lueying's gaze grew colder still. "I could kill you right now."

"Go ahead and try." Li Tui looked at her. "But killing me will take time and make noise. And... are you sure the people outside won't hear?"

Though the stone chamber was hidden, it wasn't completely soundproof. Any fierce struggle was bound to be heard outside.

Su Lueying was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "You say we should work together. Why should I?"

Li Tui answered calmly, "I survived two of your killing moves, and I can face you without fearing your Killing Intent. Is that enough?"

Su Lueying's eyes flickered.

"And besides," Li Tui continued, "you've set traps here. Are you planning to deal with the Zhou Family or the sand bandits? But have you thought about what happens after you kill a few of them? How will you get out? The Zhou Family's people are both inside and outside the mine, and the Black Sand Society is roaming everywhere. How far can you get on your own?"

His words struck a nerve. Su Lueying stopped rubbing the short needle between her fingers.

"I have my own way," she said, her voice still hard, but less sure.

"Your way is to hide in the mine and wait for an opportunity?" Li Tui shook his head. "Opportunities don't come looking for you. You have to go find them."

Su Lueying stared at him. "What do you mean?"

"I mean we can help each other," Li Tui said bluntly. "You know the terrain and how to hide in the tunnels. I can back you up. No matter how capable you are, you can't watch every direction at once."

He paused, glancing at the short needles at Su Lueying's waist. "Your poisoned needles are powerful, but you need to get close. If someone helps distract your targets and create an opening, you'll have a much better chance of landing a hit."

"More importantly," Li Tui lowered his voice until it rasped like a blade scraping stone, "there are more than the Zhou Family's dogs in these tunnels. There are wolves from the Black Sand Society too. When they bite each other, they'll leave meat behind."

Su Lueying's gaze sharpened.

"Meat?" she asked, puzzled.

"Rations, water, weapons," Li Tui said, looking her in the eye. "And the pills and talismans they strip from the dead. Those people were too stingy to use them while they were alive. Once they're dead, whoever finds them gets them."

He paused, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly. "How much can you carry on your own? If you run into a whole squad, will you fight or flee? If you're wounded, who'll keep watch for you?"

"You're good at keeping accounts," she said. "But how do I know you won't stab me in the back while we're searching a corpse?"

Silence fell over the stone chamber.

Li Tui met her gaze and didn't immediately argue. He knew that in a place like this, empty promises were worth less than nothing.

"Because right now, I need a 'way out' more than you do." He glanced at the sealed rock walls around them.

"These mine tunnels twist and branch in every direction. If I go alone, there's a nine-in-ten chance I'll end up dead. I can't avoid the Black Sand Society or the Zhou Family's overseers, and there's a good chance I'll be trapped in here until I die."

Then he looked at Su Lueying and laid it out plainly. "Until you lead me out, half my life is in your hands. Killing you would mean cutting off the only road to survival I have. I can do the math."

"You still don't trust me?" Li Tui probed.

"I don't trust anyone," Su Lueying replied without hesitation. "Especially someone who comes to me asking to work together. But you're right: two people do have an easier time of it than one. So we can cooperate for now, until we get out of here."

She put heavy emphasis on the words "cooperate for now."

Li Tui quickly weighed his options. This woman was far more cautious than he'd expected. Still, he had no better choice at the moment.

"Fine." He nodded. "Then we'll cooperate for now. What do you need me to do?"

"First, prove you're not dead weight," Su Lueying said. "I know three possible ways out of the mining area, but each comes with trouble. I'll choose one we can handle, on the condition that you can keep up and pull your weight when needed."

She didn't reveal any specific route, offering only a vague promise.

"How do I prove it?" he asked.

"Follow me for a while, and you'll find out." Su Lueying stood and put her battered felt hat back on. "We'll set out in a few hours. The first test is simple: stay alive, keep up, and don't make a sound."

She went to one corner of the chamber and began checking her crude tools, no longer looking at Li Tui.

Li Tui sat where he was, his gaze calm.

He would have to adjust his plan. This woman was harder to deal with than he'd expected. But on the other hand, cooperating with someone this cautious might actually improve his odds of survival.

As for the route... he'd find a chance to figure it out.

There was no need to rush.

Li Tui leaned against the rock wall and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

Inside him, that wisp of pale green true qi circulated slowly. There was no spirit rice to sustain him here, but there was a steady supply of Killing Intent.

That was his confidence.

In these mines, the Killing Intent that others feared like a tiger could instead help him cultivate. Just give him time and resources, and he would grow far faster than he could by cultivating in seclusion at home.