As Shi Chun passed through the crowd, he gave Wu Jinliang a meaningful look, then left the group alone.
After waiting a moment, Wu Jinliang also moved to the edge of the milling crowd. He volunteered to do some work, using the pretext of adjusting the oil-lamp wicks to make his way farther off.
Once out of everyone's sight, he immediately darted after Shi Chun. He had not gone far before he found him bracing himself against the cave wall, head lowered as he panted.
Something looked wrong. Wu Jinliang hurried over and asked, "What happened?"
This was no time to discuss the details, and Shi Chun could not explain them clearly anyway. All he knew was that the strange sights visible through his right eye had gradually disappeared. His vision seemed to have returned to normal, and his body was slowly recovering. He felt considerably better than before, but had not fully recovered yet.
He shook his head. "I botched it. The moment Shen Youkun arrives, the whole thing will be exposed. We need to get out now. My body needs a little time to recover. You'll have to carry me for a while."
Wu Jinliang looked slightly startled. "Someone injured you?"
As he spoke, he hoisted Shi Chun onto his back.
Shi Chun said, "No. I'll explain later. Hurry, and watch out for Shen Youkun. He should already be inside."
Wu Jinliang immediately hurried away with him on his back.
Just as expected, despite the mine tunnel's length and depth, Shen Youkun had arrived. Wu Jinliang had not carried Shi Chun far before he doubled back, ran to a fork they had just passed, and swiftly slipped into the side tunnel, falling silent and holding his breath.
Soon, a party rushed past. Two bearers carried Qi Ziru on his reclining chair, while Shen Youkun was also being carried on someone's back.
There was no helping it. With his cultivation crippled, he could not move quickly through such a deep, lengthy mine tunnel without a cultivator's help, especially with the ground uneven and alternating between soft and hard.
The man who had gone to report the discovery and the two who had offered advice on the excavation also rushed back behind them.
Once the party had passed, Wu Jinliang swiftly emerged with Shi Chun on his back and continued running toward the exit.
Shi Chun murmured beside his ear, "We won't make it unless we run now. Charge out at full speed."
Wu Jinliang grunted in agreement, then went all out, hurtling through the mine tunnel.
On his back, Shi Chun waved his hand along the way, fanning out every oil lamp they passed...
The party carrying the crude reclining chair rushed up to the large crowd blocking the passage. Riding a man like a horse, Shen Youkun found the sight of those idle workers infuriating. "Get out of the way!" he bellowed.
Seeing that it was him, everyone standing or sitting hurried to their feet and moved aside. He clearly commanded far more fear than the overseers did.
Shen Youkun's party swiftly passed through.
No one noticed whether Shi Chun, who had supposedly gone to report the discovery, was there or had returned.
After rounding the bend and rushing to the end of the mine tunnel, Shen Youkun and the others saw the enormous, ferocious-looking snake skull resting on the dragon skeleton. They also saw the third eye socket on its head, but there was no sign of the supposed purple, glittering nebula.
Shen Youkun jumped down and immediately turned toward the overseer who had brought the news.
The overseer immediately pointed at the skull and insisted, "It was floating right there before, as big as a large tabletop. I haven't said a single false word. Everyone saw it."
Qi Ziru believed the man had no reason to lie. From his reclining chair, he turned to look behind him at the overseer sitting against the wall in a pool of blood.
Only then did everyone's attention return to the dead man. Shen Youkun strode back and pulled off his mask, confirming that he was someone he had recruited. He turned toward the way they had come and only then realized that their party alone had come through. Not one person from that crowd had followed. What was that supposed to mean? Were they blind?
He immediately bellowed, "Someone get over here!"
His voice reverberated through the mine tunnel.
Before long, several overseers came running. They had already approached hesitantly, unsure of the situation. Seeing that their colleague had also been killed alarmed them even more. They did not know why Shen Youkun had dealt such a vicious blow, and began to fear for themselves.
Then they noticed that the purple, glittering nebula had disappeared and thought they understood.
Instead, Shen Youkun pointed at the dead man and asked, "What happened? Who did this?"
The overseers were visibly taken aback and realized they might have guessed wrong. One ventured, "Didn't you kill him, sir?"
Shen Youkun instantly flew into a towering rage. "Bullshit! He was already dead when I got here!"
Qi Ziru also spoke from his reclining chair to dispel their doubts. "The wound has stopped bleeding, and the blood on the ground has stopped flowing."
Only then did the overseers come to their senses. If Shen Youkun's party had only just killed him, the blood would still have been flowing.
Shen Youkun snapped again, "Don't you dare tell me you don't know who killed him!"
The overseers exchanged looks filled with alarm and suspicion. They had all reached the same conclusion. One said, "Where's the man you sent to deliver your orders, sir? He was alone here with our chief for a while just now."
Shen Youkun was furious. "What man delivering orders? What nonsense are you talking about?"
Qi Ziru raised a hand from his reclining chair to calm the overseers. "Don't rush. Explain slowly. What orders? What happened?"
Naturally, the overseers dared hide nothing. They filled in one another's accounts as they described what had happened.
Once they finished, no further explanation was needed. Shen Youkun furiously pointed toward the way they had come. "A pack of fools! Don't you realize you've been played? Take some men and chase them!"
Qi Ziru added, "Pursue them as far as the entrance. If you don't see them outside, go no farther. Just seal off the entrance."
The overseers immediately looked at Shen Youkun, uncertain whose orders to follow.
Shen Youkun started to speak, then stopped. Someone had stolen the treasure. Surely they had to pursue the thieves and kill them-how could they simply let it go? But under Qi Ziru's cold glance, he could only agree. "Do as he says."
The overseers immediately accepted the order and hurried away.
Once they were gone, Shen Youkun wanted to ask why, only for Qi Ziru to rebuke him first. "I told you to oversee things here in person. Who told you to go outside?"
Again, Shen Youkun started to speak, then stopped, feeling somewhat wronged. His uncle had arrived unexpectedly, inspected the excavation site, then gone outside because he found it a little stuffy. Shen Youkun could hardly avoid following him out. There were things he could not conveniently discuss in front of everyone in the cave, and of course he wanted to ask his uncle what was going on. Who could have known this would happen?
What was done was done, and Qi Ziru did not waste more words on him. He raised a hand to signal the bearers to carry him away. Before leaving, he glanced back at the snake's head and muttered to himself, "To think they unearthed a different treasure..."
Having traveled back and forth several times, Shi Chun was already familiar with the mine's layout. Seeing that they were nearing the exit, he stopped fanning out the oil lamps, leaving those along the final stretch burning. He patted Wu Jinliang's shoulder. "Stop. I've recovered enough."
He slipped off Wu Jinliang's back and landed on the ground, taking deep breaths as he checked his condition again.
Wu Jinliang asked again, "Wasn't everything going fine? Why is it about to be exposed?"
Shi Chun said, "I'll explain later. Get ready to fight our way out!"
"What?" Wu Jinliang exclaimed in surprise. "Aren't we going to bluff our way out the same way we came in?"
Shi Chun said, "There's no time for that. We won't make it." As he spoke, he vigorously wiped the wound on his arm, clearing away the mud caked over it and deliberately making it bloody. The pain tugged at the corner of his mouth, but he immediately held his bloodied arm out to Wu Jinliang.
No explanation was needed. Wu Jinliang immediately dipped his fingers in the blood and smeared it over his face, though he did not forget to warn him. "Think this through. If we go straight out, I'm afraid we won't be able to hide who we are. We've glimpsed Shen Youkun's secret. He'll be even less willing to let us go."
"We've already beaten the grass and startled the snake. If we don't get out now, we won't get out at all. There's no choice. We have to deal with what's in front of us first." Shi Chun could not help sighing. He glanced back into the pitch-black tunnel, withdrew his bloodied arm, and smeared some blood around his own mouth and nose before turning and running toward the entrance.
Wu Jinliang followed close behind.
They could already see daylight outside. As they neared the entrance, Shi Chun glanced back and signaled. Wu Jinliang immediately slumped against the cave wall and sat down, looking, in an instant, as though he had died of grievous injuries.
Shi Chun, meanwhile, looked like a badly wounded man fleeing for his life as he ran straight outside.
The two guards outside were badly startled. One hurried to support him while the other urgently asked, "What happened?"
Shi Chun used his cultivation to amplify his voice and shouted hoarsely in every direction, "Quick! Assemble, everyone! Mr. Shen is in danger! Hurry and save Mr. Shen!"
His ringing voice echoed all around.
At his words, figures appeared on the surrounding hilltops and looked over.
The guard supporting him asked urgently again, "What happened?"
Shi Chun surveyed the surroundings, then once again amplified his voice and cried out mournfully, "A great haul of precious treasures was unearthed in the cave! The miners grew greedy and rebelled! This is an emergency! Mr. Shen is in danger! Everyone, hurry and save him! Any delay will be too late! Please hurry and save Mr. Shen!"
Precious treasures? Both guards froze, then turned in unison to look into the pitch-black cave.
At the same time, people began leaping down from the surrounding hills. More and more followed, all speeding toward the entrance.
"Don't worry about me. Hurry and save him." Shi Chun pushed the guard, then used the motion to collapse onto the ground, panting.
The guard hesitated briefly, but when he saw his companion dart into the cave first, he immediately followed.
Those arriving from the hilltops paid no attention to whether Shi Chun lived or died. Seeing that the entrance guards had already gone inside, they immediately rushed in one after another. As far as they were concerned, the guards must have spoken with Shi Chun and verified his account. Everything was in order, which further dispelled their doubts.
The surrounding figures soon vanished. Shi Chun, lying on the ground, immediately lifted his head and called into the cave, "Jinliang, are you dead yet?"
Wu Jinliang's figure quickly appeared inside the cave. Near the entrance, he "died" on the ground again and asked about the situation outside. "How's it looking out there?"
Shi Chun immediately rolled over and sprang to his feet, calling, "Let's go!"
Wu Jinliang promptly came "alive" again, shot outside, and ran right on Shi Chun's heels.
Shi Chun did not know whether everyone lurking in the surroundings had left. He simply ran toward a spot where he had seen someone emerge earlier...
Inside the mine, Shi Chun's extinguishing of the lamps had caused the pursuers considerable trouble. They charged into the darkness, but when no light appeared ahead, they finally realized something was wrong. It was too dark to see their own hands, and even their cultivators' eyesight was useless.
Relighting every lamp along the way before continuing the pursuit was impractical. Someone had to relight an oil lamp and carry it, protecting the flame with his cultivation to provide light as they resumed the chase.
Their delay allowed even Shen Youkun and Qi Ziru, who had set off later, to catch up with them.
The men rushing in from outside to save Mr. Shen ran into the same absurd predicament. The lamps along the first stretch inside were burning perfectly well, so they suspected nothing and simply charged deeper in. Only after plunging into darkness did they discover that the entire passage ahead was unlit. They too began fumbling about, searching for fire strikers and the oil lamps along the way.
When the two large groups carrying lights collided head-on, there was another flurry of frantic confusion. Those coming from outside thought the rebels were fighting their way out.