He Even Dreamed of Mining!

"Brother Yang, why were you so polite to that Steward Niu? That bastard nearly had me beaten to death."

On the way back, Zhang Wei couldn't help muttering under his breath. His displeasure was plain in his voice.

Yang Ling smiled. "Little Zhang, Steward Niu is actually a decent person.

"He had you beaten that day to show you that if you didn't work hard at mining, you wouldn't survive here."

He'd been observing Steward Niu for a while and had realized the man was cold on the outside but kindhearted.

Although he turned a blind eye to Fifth Brother's actions, he was also happy to exchange copper coins for the miners who worked overtime at night.

The information the man had just given him was especially important!

"Decent, my ass."

Zhang Wei grumbled to himself, though of course he didn't dare talk back to Yang Ling.

The next day, Yang Ling didn't enter the mine. Instead, he headed to the southwest side of Miner Village.

There was a smithy there that specialized in making mining tools.

"After deducting my food and other expenses, I've saved two hundred and forty copper coins. That should be enough..."

As he entered the smithy, the clang of hammering rang out without pause.

Wang the Blacksmith was tall and burly. He continued hammering as he asked,

"What are you buying?"

"Wang the Blacksmith, I'd like to buy a Fine Iron Pickaxe."

Yang Ling cupped his hands.

"A Fine Iron Pickaxe? I've only got three left. Two hundred copper coins each. Pick one yourself."

Wang the Blacksmith pointed to the wall.

There were Fine Iron Pickaxes on the wall, along with some ordinary weapons.

Only the mine guards were allowed to use them.

"Fine Iron Short Blade, Agility +1, Attack Power 5" Price: one tael of silver.

"Fine Iron Staff, Strength +1, Attack Power 8" Price: one tael of silver.

"Fine Iron Pickaxe, Strength +2, Attack Power 1" Price: two hundred copper coins.

Yang Ling drew a deep breath, tamping down his excitement.

Although he wanted a weapon too, he knew that given his current situation and what he had to his name, those weapons were out of reach for now.

The Fine Iron Pickaxe, on the other hand, was quite good.

"According to its stats, just holding it will add two points to my Strength."

"That'll bring me to nine Strength. I'll level up faster, and my mining speed will improve a lot!"

As he thought this, Yang Ling was about to pick up the Fine Iron Pickaxe. But after glancing at the stats of the other two picks, he paused.

"Huh, a Fine Steel Pickaxe? Why does it look exactly like a Fine Iron Pickaxe?"

"Fine Steel Pickaxe, Strength +3, Attack Power 8"

"Same attack power as the Fine Iron Staff, but it adds three points of Strength... Doesn't that mean I can use it to mine and as a weapon!?"

Without letting anything show, Yang Ling picked up one of the pickaxes and examined it for a while before setting it down and inspecting the other.

He repeated the process several times.

Wang the Blacksmith grew impatient.

"They're all the same. What's there to look at?"

The same?

They were all two hundred copper coins?

Yang Ling's heart thudded several times. Then he picked up the Fine Steel Pickaxe.

"Wang the Blacksmith, I'll take this one."

"Two hundred copper coins. Leave the money and you can go."

"Sure thing."

Yang Ling counted out two hundred copper coins and set them down. Then he tucked the Fine Steel Pickaxe into his belt and strode away.

He'd gone a long way from the smithy, and the other man still hadn't reacted. Yang Ling could barely contain his excitement.

"What a steal! If there were other players around, I could easily resell this Fine Steel Pickaxe for two taels of silver, right?"

Yang Ling marveled to himself.

Just then, several figures suddenly closed in on him.

"Fifth Brother?"

Yang Ling paused, then hurriedly cupped his hands.

"What can I do for you?"

Fifth Brother grinned. "Of course there's something. I heard you've been secretly working overtime lately and mining a lot of Fire Crystal Ore."

How did he know?

Yang Ling was sure he'd been careful every night when he left. Fifth Brother had already gone drinking too, so when had he had time to keep tabs on him?

Then Yang Ling spotted Zhang Wei in the crowd, his face bruised and swollen.

He looked panicked and immediately ducked out of sight.

"Zhang Wei..."

Yang Ling's expression darkened.

"Don't worry about how I found out. It just proves you didn't take Fifth Brother's warning seriously." Fifth Brother gave him a knowing smile, then addressed the miners nearby.

"What do you say? Is it right for this guy to mine a few extra hours every day?"

"Of course it's wrong! Yang Ling, you think you're the only one who works hard just because you mine a few extra hours? What if they make a new rule one day, requiring us to hand over at least two taels of Fire Crystal Ore every day?

"Are you going to make us die with you?"

A miner shouted angrily.

"Damn it, how does this kid have so much energy? I can barely manage four hours a day before I'm exhausted. And he can mine for eight or nine?"

"If he mines an extra tael of Fire Crystal Ore, we might have to mine one tael less later. This guy's too selfish."

Seeing that most of the miners agreed with him, Fifth Brother smiled smugly.

"Yang Ling, I've already warned you. I'll teach you a lesson today. If I catch you secretly working hard again, you're dead!"

With that, he ordered his men,

"Break one of his arms."

"Break my arm? That'd be as good as killing me! How am I supposed to grind experience after that!?"

Yang Ling had wanted to avoid trouble and quietly gain a few more levels. But seeing that the other man meant to cut off his path forward, he flew into a rage.

The two men at Fifth Brother's side had already reached Yang Ling and were about to grab him.

Without a word, Yang Ling kicked one in the stomach.

The first man couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying several yards.

The second man started in surprise, but before he could react, Yang Ling knocked him down with a punch!

"So this is what seven Strength feels like. That punch must've had the power of a professional boxer."

Yang Ling was secretly thrilled.

The scene fell silent.

Many miners stared at Yang Ling as if he were a stranger, their eyes filled with surprise.

Fifth Brother was stunned too. His expression shifted, and a hint of wariness entered his eyes.

"How is he so strong...?"

In the crowd, Zhang Wei watched what was happening and felt a pang of regret.

"Fifth Brother, we've always minded our own business. I mine my ore, and you do your thing.

"As long as you don't interfere with my mining, we can get along just fine.

"But if anyone dares to get in my way, I'll take his life!"

Yang Ling looked at Fifth Brother, his eyes sharp and unyielding.

At this point, he knew that if he didn't intimidate Fifth Brother, things would only get harder for him.

Mining was the only way he'd found to level up. He couldn't let anything interfere with it!

"You're dead today."

Fifth Brother's face darkened as he slowly rolled up his sleeves.

Yang Ling instinctively gripped the Fine Steel Pickaxe at his waist.

His Strength had shot up by three points. He felt as if his meridians had opened up and every muscle was rippling.

"What are you doing?"

A cold voice suddenly rang out.

At the sound of it, Fifth Brother immediately turned as meek as a quail.

The miners looked at Supervisor Wu with respect and parted to let him through.

Supervisor Wu appeared to be middle-aged. With several guards at his side, he slowly walked up to them.

Yang Ling opened the man's Attribute Panel and took a look.

Person: Wu Que

Class: Martial Artist

Strength: 12

Agility: 8

Spirit: 3

Martial Arts: Black Tiger Fist (Advanced Mastery)

A martial artist! This was exactly the kind of target Yang Ling had been hoping to find.

He'd been in the Divine Realm for so long, and the only martial artist he'd seen was Supervisor Wu.

It was a little strange, though. Supervisor Wu's stats weren't much higher than those of the mine guards.

So Yang Ling suspected the difference came from Supervisor Wu's Black Tiger Fist!

"B-Brother... Supervisor Wu."

Fifth Brother spoke softly.

Supervisor Wu gave a noncommittal grunt, his expression unreadable. Then his gaze fell on Yang Ling.

"You like mining?"

Without a word, Yang Ling cupped his hands.

"Supervisor Wu, I think I was born to be a miner. I even dream about mining!"

"Damn bootlicker!"

"You've got some nerve saying that!"

The miners' expressions changed drastically.

Fifth Brother clenched his fists in anger.

Supervisor Wu suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! I've overseen this Fire Crystal Rock mine for years, and you're the first miner I've ever met like you.

"Good. Keep mining. If anyone gives you trouble, come to me."

Fifth Brother's face grew impossibly grim.

"In another month, important figures from above will inspect several mines. The miners from each mine will have a chance to compete in their mining skills."

"We'll send you to represent us."

Supervisor Wu said this casually.