Down the Mine

The mine manager died along with Tanggu on the last day of May in the 425th year of the Great Wei Immortal Dynasty, devoured by a swarm of Gold-Devouring Rat that emerged from an abandoned mine pit.

Accompanying them were the Tanggu County, supervising cultivators from several counties, a squad of soldiers dispatched by the prefectural governor to exterminate the spirit beasts, and four to five thousand laborers from several counties—all of them were cleaned up.

On the administrative map of Cloud Horn Prefecture, the main officials of yet another county were missing, once again enraging the entire prefectural government.

Two Instruments Sect seems to be expressing its dissatisfaction to the state court in this way. Objectively speaking, the intensity seems a bit too much, and it has somewhat broken the tacit understanding between the two sides.

However, since it involved manipulating a swarm of Gold-Devouring Rat, it did save the state government some face. The latter could simply consider this incident a bolt from the blue, swallow their anger, and bear the loss silently.

Kuang Liuting was clearly not one to suffer a loss. Huo Bing was summoned to his side and severely reprimanded. If it weren't for his old age and tearful appearance, he would probably have been dismissed on the spot.

Because of this incident, Kang Dabao and Huo Chun's profitable business could not last long and had to be terminated.

There was no other way; the laborers were terrified and would rather be whipped to death than dare to enter the mine again.

Not to mention they were afraid, even the supervisors Sect Leader Kang Da were afraid. This time, a swarm of nearly ten thousand Gold-Devouring Rat had emerged. Even if a Foundation Establishment like Huo Bing, who was at the bottom of the ranks, came, it would be hard to say whether he could escape unscathed.

But they had no choice in the matter. Before they could even gather together to discuss whether or not to run away, the state government seized the ownership of the Spirit Stone mine from the governor's mansion.

They also acted swiftly, sending three Foundation Establishment True Cultivator to summon the county magistrates of the area and questioning them for several days.

Judging from his tone, he was probably planning to take those of them who were relatively familiar with the mine down with him to explore it.

Most of the laborers were relieved of their hard labor. The Foundation Establishment felt that their presence was too much of a hindrance, so except for a few unfortunate individuals who were to be kept as guides, the rest were sent back to their hometowns that very day, which once again sparked a chorus of gratitude and praise.

The Foundation Establishment True Cultivator above had already made their decision, and no matter how much these Qi Refinement Refining cultivators mourned, they couldn't refuse.

Kang Dabao could only be thankful that he had persuaded Zhou Yixiu and Duan Anle to go back early, otherwise they might not have been able to escape either.

This is the case with the various forces in Tanggu County.

Regardless of whether there were any Foundation Establishment True Cultivator in their families, the three Foundation Establishment cultivators were all recruited based on the county's roster and the state government's directives. Few dared not to come.

The recruited cultivators quickly gathered near the mine.

Tanggu County differed from Pingrong County; it suffered little damage in the campaign to pacify the barbarians, and thus its borders remained relatively prosperous.

After the three Foundation Establishment personally signed the contract, at least two or three hundred cultivators were recruited, almost all of whom were in the mid-to-late stage of Qi Refinement, with very few cultivators in the Early Qi Refining Stage.

With so many cultivators rushing over, the recreational area that had been repaired for the laborers was conveniently made available for their use.

Among them, Sect Leader Kang Da saw two familiar faces: Kuai En from the Kuai Household and Ming Yue from the Ming Household.

The former is the son of Kuai Wu's elder brother from the same mother, and the current head of the Kuai Household. Since Kuai Wu's death in battle, the Kuai Household has only three cultivators left, among whom Kuai En has the highest Qi Refinement Fourth Layer, barely able to maintain his position, but unexpectedly he was still conscripted.

If something were to happen to Kuai En, then it would be safer for the younger sister of the Kuai Household to quickly marry into the Chongming Sect along with another Kuai Household cultivator.

The latter was Kang Dabao's master's wife's cousin, and by seniority, he was Sect Leader Kang Da's uncle.

Previously, the Ming Household had intended to sever ties with the Ming family, but now that Kang Dabao has married the eldest daughter of the Fei Household, the Ming Household may not necessarily want to reconcile. However, the current Sect Leader Kang Da may not want to let bygones be bygones with the Ming Household.

As soon as Kuai En arrived at the Spirit Stone mine, he found Kang Dabao and clung to his leg, repeatedly crying out, "Uncle, save me!" and "Uncle, save the Kuai Household!" He sobbed and wailed for a long time without stopping.

Don't assume he's young just because he's Kuai Wu's nephew.

Kuai En was a year older than Kuai Wu, and was also a rough man nearing forty.

The Sect Leader Kang Da, was naturally in a bad mood after being hugged for so long by his unshaven nephew. But he didn't even care that his pants were soaked with tears and snot. He had to first whisper words of comfort to Kuai En before pulling his legs out, making himself look quite disheveled.

The day after all the cultivators had arrived, the three Foundation Establishment True Cultivator convened another meeting with them.

Among the three Foundation Establishment cultivators, the one standing in the middle was a middle-aged cultivator with a fair complexion, long beard, and a half-plum blossom mark on his forehead. Objectively speaking, he was a dashing and debonair-looking man.

Of the other two Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, one was fat and had a big ear, smiling like Maitreya Buddha, while the other was dressed in plain clothes and had a plain face. Their cultivation levels were probably lower than the middle-aged cultivator's, and their words and actions subtly indicated that they regarded him as the leader.

"My surname is Gun, and my given name is Shi De. I am honored to serve as the registrar of the Marquis of Earl of Nan'an's Residence. I am fully responsible for the Marquis's order to explore the Spirit Stone mine in Tanggu County. You all must obey my orders. Those who perform meritorious service will be rewarded, and those who disobey will be punished. Do you all understand?"

Gun Shide was clearly a decisive and capable man. He succinctly stated his purpose, and seeing that none of the cultivators below dared to object, he nodded in satisfaction.

He then ordered the county officials present to select their own men, assemble teams, and assign three Foundation Establishment experts to search various mines.

Since Kuai En was crying so hard, Kang Dabao naturally had to take him along first. When he looked at Ming Yue again, the latter had already found an acquaintance from another county and joined the team.

It seems the Ming Household is more concerned with their reputation than the Sect Leader Kang Da thought, and wouldn't do anything too arrogant before becoming obsequious.

However, this means that the friendship between the two families will be completely severed from now on.

Ming Yue left on her own. Kang Dabao didn't know any cultivators in Tanggu County anymore. When choosing people, he didn't look at their cultivation level. He took Kuai En and went through the remaining cultivators one by one, looking for those he knew who were honest and law-abiding.

Once they had gathered twenty people, they lined up and stood behind Gun Shide.

Gun Shide clearly recognized Kang Dabao and smiled kindly at him. Only then did the latter remember that the clerk in front of him seemed to be Acting Sima Gun's cousin, and that he had also come to toast him on his wedding day.

So he immediately bowed respectfully, and felt a little more at ease.

After the battle at the Five Aspects Sect, Acting Sima Gun showed him goodwill, and since Gun Lushi was his clansman, he would not neglect him.

Since marrying Fei Shuhe, Kang Dabao felt that there were virtuous seniors everywhere in Cloud Horn Prefecture. Now, facing these unfamiliar Foundation Establishment whom he used to only dare to hide from, he no longer felt much fear.

It's hard to say whether this change in State of Mind is good or bad.

However, his originally cautious personality seems to have gradually changed subtly as his cultivation improved and the overall strength of the Chongming Sect was restored.

Gun Shide did want to take care of Kang Dabao, but the mines in the Spirit Stone veins were crisscrossed and winding, and even he couldn't say for sure which vein had a higher chance of harboring Demon Beast.

So he could only randomly order the mine tunnel that Kang Dabao was most familiar with since the beginning of the past three months, which was mined by the laborers of Pingrong County.

In addition to giving Kang Dabao an extra token compared to other teams, Gun Shide also secretly handed him a stack of First-Tier Supreme-Grade lightning tokens that he no longer needed, telling him they would be useful for saving his life.

Unlike Huo Bing, a local Foundation Establishment who exudes a shabby air, even the cultivators he hires for side jobs are reluctant to give him more than a few Spirit Stone to help him out.

This Foundation Establishment from a big city is incredibly generous. The price of just this stack of Thunder Talismans he casually threw out was almost the same as what Sect Leader Kang Da had earned by being a parasite on this Spirit Stone mine for the past six months.

Having obtained such a precious item naturally boosted Kang Dabao's confidence. Seeing that the other teams had almost finished leaving, the three Foundation Establishment each chose a mine tunnel to enter.

Only then did Sect Leader Kang Da lead his team into the dilapidated mine tunnels.

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