Trouble at the Mine

The soldier whipped his head around, about to lash out, then saw the newcomer's face.

Nie Li stood before him, gripping his whip, his face expressionless. His fingers clenched so tightly that the leather whip twisted slightly in his palm.

The soldier's anger caught in his throat. His mouth opened and closed, but he recognized Nie Li and forcibly swallowed his fury.

He released the whip and took half a step back. His tone was still stiff, but the arrogance from a moment ago was clearly gone. "Young Master Lei, this is the Silver Wing Family's mine. What brings you here?"

Nie Li did not look at him. His gaze rested on the old man and child on the ground.

The old man was still kneeling there, the back of his clothing torn to shreds, blood still seeping through.

The child's face was wet with tears. He clung desperately to the old man's arm, his eyes wide and frightened. He looked at Nie Li as though at a stranger, but his hands never loosened.

Sikong Hongyue walked over from the side, a composed smile on her face, looking as though she had come to smooth things over.

She glanced at the whip in Nie Li's hand, then at the old man and child on the ground. Her tone was unhurried. "Young Master Lei, this Scarlet Blood Crystal mine is a vital site for our Silver Wing Family. It would hardly be appropriate for you to delay the mining here. Besides, these people are nothing but lowly slaves. Why should you stand up for them?"

Nie Li released the whip. It fell to the ground, stirring up a ring of dust. Ignoring Sikong Hongyue's words, he crouched down and met the child's eyes.

The child took half a step back, bumped into the old man's legs, and stopped.

Nie Li reached out and slowly rested his hand on the child's head. His touch was gentle, as though he were handling something easily broken.

The child's whole body stiffened, but he did not dodge. He merely tilted his head up and looked at Nie Li through his tears, his lips trembling, unsure what this man intended to do.

"Don't be afraid," Nie Li said. His voice was quiet, yet it rang unusually clear amid the noisy mine. "What's your name?"

The child opened his mouth, his voice as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Stone."

The old man raised his head with difficulty. A sharp piece of rubble had cut a gash near his temple, and blood ran down his cheek, mingling with his tears.

His clouded eyes looked at Nie Li. His lips moved, and his voice was so hoarse it was barely audible. "Please... save my grandson..." Those words seemed to exhaust the last of his strength. His body swayed, then toppled sideways. The child immediately threw himself forward and grabbed his arm, bursting into a wail.

Nie Li stood and turned toward Sikong Hongyue. His expression had not changed, but his tone was firmer than before. "Miss Hongyue, I would like to take this boy with me. May I?"

The smile on Sikong Hongyue's face faded a little. She shook her head, her tone still courteous but leaving no room for discussion. "No. Everyone in this mine bears a slave brand. Once they go more than a thousand meters beyond the mine, their entire bodies will burst apart and they will die. These people come from hostile families. How could our Silver Wing Family fail to take precautions?"

Nie Li said nothing. He was silent for a few seconds, then looked back at the child on the ground.

The child sobbed so hard he could barely breathe, refusing to let go of the old man's arm as he called out, "Grandpa, Grandpa." The old man lay on the ground with his eyes closed, his breathing so shallow that the rise and fall of his chest was barely visible.

Shen Fei had been standing a few steps away, watching it all.

He noticed Sikong Hongyue stop beside him and turn her head slightly toward him. There was a probing note in her voice. "I didn't expect Young Master Su to have such a compassionate heart."

Shen Fei did not turn to look at her. His gaze remained on the child named Stone. The boy was so thin that his cheeks were hollow and his wrists looked like sticks of dry firewood, yet the hands gripping the old man's arm held so tightly that his knuckles had turned white.

He remembered the children who had run after the adults atop the city wall in his previous life. They had looked just like this, clutching the hems of the adults' clothes and refusing to let go. Then the adults had fallen.

The children had crouched beside the bodies and cried, still crying even after their voices grew hoarse. When the claws of Demon Beasts finally smashed them to pieces, tears had still hung on their faces.

"Outside, there are too few people. Unless they unite their strength, none of them has a chance of survival. That's how habits like this develop." After saying this, he spared Sikong Hongyue no further glance. He withdrew his gaze and followed Nie Li back.

Nie Li was already heading out of the mine. His pace was unhurried, his back straight, and he never once looked back. The child was still kneeling beside the old man, crying. His muffled cries echoed back and forth between the mine's rock walls.

After passing beyond the mine's fence, the two walked one behind the other along the path they had taken there. The stone shelters on either side receded farther and farther behind them. The smell of dust gradually faded, replaced by the damp air native to the cavern.

Their footsteps sounded in turn against the stone, one ahead and one behind. Neither spoke first.

At a fork in the path, Nie Li stopped. He stood at the junction, looking into the pitch-black passage ahead, and spoke softly. "The blood brand can only be removed once one's cultivation reaches Gold Rank. That child hasn't even begun cultivating. If he tries to reach it on his own, it'll take at least ten years."

Shen Fei stood behind him without answering. He knew Nie Li was not really speaking to him. It was more as though he were talking to himself.

Nie Li fell silent for a few seconds, then said, "Ten years is too long."

He said nothing more after that and started walking again. Shen Fei followed him. Retracing their route, they returned to the Silver Wing Family's residence, one behind the other.

The lanterns beneath the courtyard corridors had already been replaced, but the light was much the same as when they had left. Nie Li did not visit Duan Jian's secret chamber. He went straight to his own room, and the door closed behind him with a soft sound.

She saw Nie Li go straight to his room and close the door behind him without another word. She withdrew her gaze, turned to Shen Fei, and asked, "What happened?"

Shen Fei sat down on the stone stool opposite her and briefly recounted what had happened at the mine.

He told her how the soldier had whipped the old man, how the old man had protected the child, how Nie Li had caught the whip, and how Sikong Hongyue had prevented him from taking the child away.

He kept it brief, adding neither oil nor vinegar to the tale, and finished in just a few sentences.

After listening, Xiao Ning'er frowned. "How could the Silver Wing Family do such a thing?"

Shen Fei did not answer immediately. He picked up the cup of cold tea on the stone table and took a sip. The tea had lost all its warmth and tasted astringent.

He set down the cup, his gaze settling on the lantern at the courtyard entrance. Its flame remained motionless in the windless underground space.

"In this Dark Realm, that may simply be the law of survival," Shen Fei said quietly. "There isn't an enormous Demon Beast threat here like there is in Glory City. There may be plenty of Red Ghosts outside, but the Silver Wing Family is strong enough to deal with them. Without an external enemy, people become the greatest threat. Those miners were captured from hostile families. Without blood brands, they'll escape, and once they escape, they'll bring outsiders back for revenge. What Sikong Yi is guarding against isn't the miners themselves, but the trouble they might bring with them."

Xiao Ning'er said nothing, but her brow remained furrowed.

Shen Fei continued, "I understand why they do it. Any family in the Silver Wing Family's position, faced with captives who might turn around and bite them at any moment, would probably use similar methods. Otherwise, their own people would die. Whoever sat in Sikong Yi's place might not be able to do any better."

He paused, his tone growing even more level. "But I don't condone it."

Xiao Ning'er looked up at him. The lamplight fell across the side of his face. His expression was calm, and his tone had barely changed throughout, but those final words landed with unmistakable weight.

When he said he understood, he truly did. From Sikong Yi's position, those blood brands and whips were indeed the surest means of keeping control.

When he said he did not condone it, he meant that too, because he had seen the looks in those people's eyes at the mine. They were exactly the same as those of the people who had wept beneath the city wall in his previous life, holding their children's bodies.

Xiao Ning'er was silent for a while, then nodded gently.

She did not say, "You're right," or, "I feel the same way." She simply nodded once to show that she understood what Shen Fei meant.

She reached out and took the cold tea from in front of Shen Fei, then poured herself a cup. Lowering her head, she took a sip and said nothing more.