Don't Provoke Me!

Qin Yao was completely immersed in the satisfying sense of grinding experience, paying no attention at all to the strange behavior of the old mining slave, Zhang Er.

"Mining Skill: Beginner (38/300)"

"Mining Skill: Beginner (147/300)"

"Mining Skill: Beginner (226/300)"

Time ticked away, second by second.

At one moment—

"Mining proficiency +5. Current proficiency: 302/300"

"Ding! Skill 'Mining' has advanced to the Lesser Achievement Realm (2/1000)"

Buzz!

At once, another warm current of energy surged from deep within Qin Yao's body and flowed through his limbs and bones.

Right after that, his fatigue greatly diminished, while his mining technique improved by leaps and bounds.

Qin Yao's physique also became increasingly sturdy and powerful!

The iron pick in his hand felt no different from a slightly longer branch.

If he wanted to, he could swing it wildly with one hand!

The visible improvement made Qin Yao even more delighted.

He opened the panel and took a look—

"Host: Qin Yao"

"Realm: None. A physically robust male laborer"

"Technique: None"

"Skill: Mining (Lesser Achievement Realm, 2/1000)"

"Available points: 2"

Clang, clang, clang!

A burst of gong beats suddenly rang out, mixed with shouts. "Work's over! Time to eat!"

At last, a glimmer of joy lit up in the miners' formerly numb eyes.

They tossed aside their iron picks and lined up to head out.

Qin Yao followed the crowd.

But as he passed Zhang Er, the old miner who had been leaning against the wall suddenly stuck out a leg and tripped Qin Yao to the ground!

"??"

Qin Yao, having taken a fall, was utterly bewildered.

"Oh dear, are you all right?"

Zhang Er bent down in a pretentious show of concern and reached to help Qin Yao up. "The mine tunnel is dark. You need to watch where you're walking, or you might twist an ankle!"

On the surface, he seemed concerned for Qin Yao.

But while pulling him up, his other hand repeatedly slapped Qin Yao's cheek as he threatened in a low voice, "Newbie, what are you putting on airs for? You got me whipped...

"This afternoon, you'd better work nice and slow for me. Otherwise, I'll make sure you can't swallow what you've bitten off!"

He didn't dare resent Overseer Li, the one who whipped him, even though Li was far stronger and of much higher status than him.

Instead, he blamed all the pain he suffered on me, a fellow mining slave?

Having figured this out, Qin Yao's lips curled into a cold smile.

"Yes, yes, thank you, old brother."

He thanked him politely, but his hand suddenly exerted force, viciously pressing down on Zhang Er's shoulder.

"Hm?"

The old mining slave realized he could not move at all and was startled. Where did this frail scholar get such strength?!

Before he could recover, Qin Yao savagely kicked Zhang Er in the left shin—

Crack!

"Ahhh!!"

The sound of cracking bone and Zhang Er's agonized cry rang out at the same time.

Everyone turned to look.

"Oh dear, Old Zhang, you just told me that the mine tunnel is dark and I should watch where I walk. How come you were so careless yourself?"

Qin Yao immediately began acting. "Twisted your ankle, did you? Come, come, I'll help you."

"You motherf—"

Sweating heavily from the pain, Zhang Er was just about to curse.

But Qin Yao's hand on the back of his neck abruptly tightened, his five fingers squeezing hard!

"Hiss—pain, pain, pain..."

The pain made Zhang Er forcibly swallow the rest of his curse.

Never in his wildest dreams had he expected the frail young man, who had been as silent as a stuffed gourd before Overseer Li, to possess such remarkable strength and nerve!

This time, Qin Yao leaned close to his ear and said, "This time, we're even.

"If you dare provoke me again, you won't just end up with one injured leg. Understand?!"

Zhang Er, drenched in sweat from the pain, forced out an awkward smile and nodded frantically. "Understood, understood. A misunderstanding—it was all a misunderstanding..."

Only then did Qin Yao release him, leaving Zhang Er clutching his injured leg and howling as he walked toward the line for food.

The nearby old mining slaves, who had also harbored some petty thoughts, saw Zhang Er's fate. Their eyes flickered as they silently put away those filthy notions.

In this pitch-black mine, weakness was the original sin.

Qin Yao, who had only just arrived, was a frail scholar stripped of his scholarly honors and condemned as a criminal.

With that persona, he was undoubtedly the softest persimmon to squeeze in this hellhole.

If he wanted to protect himself, he had to bare his fangs at the proper time!

Just like now—regardless of whether one was strong or weak, a ruthless, daring temperament could always earn a measure of fear...

Before long.

The thousand-odd mining slaves of the T-Shaped Pit had formed a long line outside the food shed in Gravel Square.

Bang!

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a thin mining slave was kicked to the ground by Overseer Li Gang.

Then Li Gang snatched him out of the line as easily as an eagle catching a chick.

"Little Fourth, who the hell allowed you to line up for food? You barely did any work today. Don't you know that?!"

"Master Li, Master Li, spare me!"

The man, whose hair was gray-white but whose body was still fairly sturdy, pleaded pitifully, "This lowly one caught a chill last night. The fever hasn't gone down today, and I truly can't work.

"Please, Master Li, show mercy for two days. In two days, I definitely..."

"Get lost, damn you!"

Li Gang flung him to the ground. "Two days, is it? Fine. Then wait two days before you eat!"

Qin Yao took in the entire scene, inwardly shocked. That toad-mouthed overseer casually tossed a grown man several meters away.

Whether or not he has entered the path of martial arts, his strength far surpasses mine!

If I don't want to be at others' mercy, I need to grind like mad!

As he was thinking this, more people were continuously dragged from the food line—

Smack!

Thud!

"Ah!"

"You, get the hell out of the line!"

"You! You get out here too!"

"And you, you dog! How much ore did you even mine today? You still have the nerve to eat?!"

Before long, the line for food had shrunk by more than a hundred people.

Wherever Li Gang and the other overseers looked, the mining slaves trembled in fear.

Following the crowd, Qin Yao finally reached the front and saw that today's lunch consisted of a Coarse Pancake hard enough to crack teeth, along with a bowl of rotten-leaf soup clear enough to reflect one's face.

He felt somewhat relieved. That Coarse Pancake should be enough to fill me seven or eight tenths of the way!

Though mining slaves were slaves and had no wages to speak of, they were still given three meals a day.

After all, without enough food, they would have no strength; without strength, they could not mine properly.

Of course, the prerequisite for mining slaves to "eat their fill" was completing that day's enormous work quota.

If they failed, they would either starve to death or be beaten to death.

In any case, in these times, there was no shortage of laborers willing to sell themselves into the mines to support their families—or even just for one full meal.

Not to mention the many "criminal convicts" like Qin Yao...

Grrr~ Grrr~

"Hm? Where's that stomach growling coming from?"

Qin Yao looked toward the sound.

The mining slaves who had earlier been dragged from the line by the overseers had now been driven to the corners of Gravel Square, where they clutched their heads and squatted in rows.

"If you don't mine enough, you don't eat. Stay crouched here properly!"

"You bunch of cheap-boned trash, I want to see how many meals you can go hungry for!"

Smack!

"Raise your heads! Open your eyes!"

"Watch them eat properly!!"

It turned out that the mining slaves who had failed to meet their quotas not only received no lunch, but had to squat there and watch everyone else wolf down their food...

No wonder every one of them had rumbling stomachs and drool spilling from their mouths!

Good thing I awakened the Grind Emperor System.

Qin Yao secretly counted himself fortunate. Otherwise, I'd probably end up just like them.

Very soon, Qin Yao received his own portion of food as well.

Just as he swallowed a mouthful of slightly softened Coarse Pancake—

"Ding!..."