Chapter 311: Strange Events in the Mining Town

The station master, seeing her tattered clothes, swollen belly, and shifty eyes that avoided direct gaze, remembered the city's announcement and decided to hand her over to the authorities. The woman cried and fussed, saying, "I'm just too hungry!" and "I don't want to hurt you!", then ran outside. The constable rushed to intercept her, but from the cotton basket behind the woman, a three-foot-tall monster leaped out and killed the station master, the constables, and the stablemen. Two patrolling guards happened to be resting at the station; they heard the commotion and came out to help, but they couldn't defeat the monster either, resulting in one dead and one severely injured. However, they managed to throw the monster outside the station, where at least a dozen travelers on the road witnessed it.

"And then?"

The eyewitnesses immediately fled in terror. By the time the constables arrived at the scene, both the woman and the monster had, of course, vanished.

"Was it the pregnant monster who escaped from Panlong City?" He Lingchuan mused. "Panlong City had been strictly checking pregnant women a few days ago, so she must have known she couldn't stay in the city and fled in advance."

However, the outskirts were bitterly cold, and a lone pregnant woman would have almost nowhere to go, likely having to seek shelter in dilapidated houses or abandoned shacks.

Willow frowned. "From Xikou Village to the mine we're heading to now, it's quite a long distance. Could a pregnant woman really make it?"

"Maybe she could," Gate Plank said gruffly. "What's inside her isn't human; maybe it enabled her to use some strange methods."

Willow snorted.

Chifeng is located thirty li northwest of Panlong City, not far. It's one of the most important mines in the northwest, producing high-quality and stable iron and copper. After years of development, a small town called Chifeng Town, with a population of over a thousand, has formed at the foot of the mountain.

Living off the mountain, the town's residents are primarily miners, blacksmiths, officials, and their families. The extracted ore is smelted on-site, saving labor and material time, then officially inspected, purchased, and transported to the city.

Panlong City, engaged in prolonged warfare, placed extreme importance on ironware. Upon learning of the mine collapse, they immediately dispatched personnel.

The further northwest they traveled, the fewer trees and more rocks appeared. The undulating terrain of the hills was clearly visible, with some steep peaks unable to hold snow, revealing their dark, bare surfaces.

However, there was a significant amount of wildlife. A large herd of wild deer was pawing through the snow to eat lichen, and they did not panic when the group galloped past, remaining in place and munching away.

He Lingchuan and his group arrived at Chifeng Town and saw that the road to the mine was indeed blocked, right near the entrance. The mountain road here had been specially widened and repaired for ore transportation by carts and horses. However, recent heavy snow from the high mountains had fallen, bringing large chunks of weathered rock with it, thoroughly blocking the path.

However, the clearing work was now in full swing. He Lingchuan saw two massive ice-rock golems digging through fallen rocks and snow. Standing over two zhang tall, they were even more imposing than his Golden-Armored Bronze Men. Their bodies were composed of solid ice and rock, with hands larger than door panels, perfectly suited for shoveling. Instead of lower limbs, they had four or five large ice wheels, making heavy transport more efficient.

The cultivator who summoned these two must have been nearby; the longer they were maintained, the more spiritual energy was consumed.

The reason manual labor wasn't used for excavation was twofold: firstly, the giant ice-rock golems were stronger and more efficient; secondly, rocks continued to fall from the mountain intermittently, with large ones wider than a round table and small ones bigger than coconuts. If a laborer were hit, their head could split into eight pieces.

And responsible for transporting the ice and rock, besides ordinary mules and horses, He Lingchuan surprisingly saw over a dozen enormous long-haired yaks, with curved horns on their heads and fur nearly obscuring their eyes.

These massive beasts were exceptionally robust and didn't look like they had good temperaments, yet they obediently pulled the vehicles, transporting construction debris for humans, expelling white vapor from their nostrils as they strained.

A single yak could drag a large cart fully loaded with waste rock. With their assistance, the clearing work progressed much faster.

Everyone gasped in admiration. Willow raised a hand and pointed towards the mountaintop: "Look, the Mountain Spirit!"

All the creatures were busy, but on a protruding rock above the mountain path, a huge sandy-yellow leopard lay sprawled.

It was larger than an ordinary male lion, lying in a languid posture, lowering its head to clean its front paw pads.

Its paws were as large as cattail leaf fans.

He Lingchuan was greatly surprised: "So this is the local Chifeng Mountain Spirit!" It looked so familiar. Wasn't it a sand leopard that caused his original body to fall off the cliff, incidentally beginning his destiny with the divine bone necklace?

Wait a moment, wasn't Zhong Shengguang's spirit beast also a sand leopard?

"That is Lord Zhong's companion," Willow said, her voice filled with respect. "Legend has it that it was the leader of the sand leopards that Lord Zhong subdued in his third year in the Panlong Wasteland. It fought alongside Lord Zhong and was later directly appointed as the Northwest Mountain Spirit."

It's said that when one achieves enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs can ascend to heaven. How much more so for a leopard demon that already possessed true abilities?

With the Mountain Spirit personally overseeing, it was no wonder the long-haired yaks below were so docile, as if they were just waiting for humans to put nose rings on them.

He Lingchuan sighed, thinking, "That young leopard demon's ancestor was a Mountain Spirit with an imperial appointment. How did its descendants end up as an entire den of mountain bandits?"

Each generation worse than the last.

The Mountain Spirit leopard demon, unaware of He Lingchuan's mental commentary, stretched on the giant rock, then roared at a lazy yak.

The saw-like roar startled the yak, which then buried its head in work.

He Lingchuan had only watched for a few breaths when a cheer erupted from the mountain path: the first blockage had been cleared.

Someone from the town waved to them, and He Lingchuan and his group rode their horses over.

This person was the headman responsible for managing Chifeng Town. He was dark and thin, with high cheekbones and a perpetually worried expression.

He said to He Lingchuan, "There are three teams in total, correct?"

He Lingchuan looked around the town and indeed saw other patrolling guards. Since defeating Meng Shan, He Lingchuan's reputation had spread among warriors, and most guards recognized him, nodding in greeting.

Gate Plank answered for him, "That's right."

"Then everyone is here," the headman said, inviting the other patrolling guards into the town's temple. This temple was dedicated to the Mitian Goddess, and its back hall was very spacious, not feeling crowded even with over twenty people inside. "My name is Hu, and I oversee all matters big and small in Chifeng Town. By order from above, I am to brief you on the situation here."

"Our mine isn't very deep, and it's close to the main road, so we can mine even in winter. Further in, there are several rich ore deposits, but heavy snow blocks the mountains in winter, preventing access." This was one of the reasons Chifeng Mine was highly valued by Panlong City. "For the past three days, there was heavy snowfall, but the road to the mine was fine until yesterday when an avalanche suddenly occurred. The avalanche face was very wide, blocking at least two or three li of the mountain road, making it very difficult to clear."

Headman Hu continued, "The problem is, the mine hasn't stopped operating; there have always been people inside. We heard from the escaped laborers that it seems a monster has infiltrated the mine tunnels and is eating people."

"Eating people?" The captains exchanged glances. "What does it look like?"

"We don't know. The mine tunnels are pitch black, and the creature moves fast, so they couldn't see it clearly at all. Sometimes they'd hear a companion scream, but by the time they rushed over, the person was already gone."

He Lingchuan asked, "Was it caused by a demon or a wild beast?"

"With the Spirit Leopard Mountain Spirit present, local demonic beasts wouldn't dare attack humans; even wild beasts would avoid people by a wide margin," Headman Hu replied. "The Mountain Spirit also inquired with its subordinates, and they all said they hadn't eaten anyone."

"Oh, and before the avalanche, some townsfolk heard strange sounds, like a baby crying. At first, everyone thought it was a wild cat in the mountains calling for a mate, but then it sounded stranger and stranger," Headman Hu swallowed. "Actually, two people have also gone missing in town over the past half month. Well, originally it was three, but one of them had just walked too far while gathering firewood, got caught in a snowstorm, and was delayed for two days before returning..."

Another captain, Xu Chun, interrupted him, "Are those two missing or dead?"

"One went out to purchase supplies eleven days ago and never returned; another, named Ding, lived right here in our town. The next day, everyone woke up to find his door open and him gone."

"Were there any bloodstains?"

"No bloodstains, no signs of struggle or a fight," Headman Hu said. "His footprints led out of his house, heading west for four or five zhang, then they vanished. The snow was very thick, so the footprints were very clear."

In other words, Old Ding had vanished without a trace just four or five zhang from his front door.

He Lingchuan considered that this small town was built in a valley, with limited space, so residences were built one against another. The soundproofing was probably only slightly better than his wooden house in Panlong City. If the missing person had been attacked, neighbors should at least have heard screams.

Could it be that they were attacked while asleep, utterly unable to resist?

Willow stood up. "Which house did this person who disappeared in town live in?"

Headman Hu pointed it out to her.

Willow then said to everyone, "I'll be back shortly."

As she went to investigate, Headman Hu smiled wryly. "Since Old Ding disappeared, everyone in town has been anxious and dares not sleep soundly at night. And with this mine situation… please, honorable guards, you must eliminate the monster, otherwise, the iron casting quota from the city will be impossible to meet."

Chifeng Mine had a fixed quota of iron goods to submit each month.

Xu Chun was about to speak when the old woman carrying hot water suddenly interjected, "Headman, why aren't you telling the honorable guards about that woman? She also arrived half a month ago; the timing matches!"

Headman Hu glared at her. "What nonsense are you spouting? Don't cause trouble here!"

The patrolling guards wouldn't let any clue slip past them. "What woman?"

"Honorable guards, don't listen to this old woman's gossip. Seventeen or eighteen days ago, a woman came to town, saying she was going to stay with relatives. But her relatives had already passed away. We saw she was heavily pregnant and felt sorry for her, so we gave her a vacant room to live in."

Heavily pregnant? Everyone exchanged glances, their minds alert. Wasn't Panlong City inspecting pregnant women recently? The timeline certainly matched.

He Lingchuan suddenly asked, "Did she look over fifty, gaunt, and short?"

"She was a bit short and thin, but not fifty, was she?" Headman Hu was taken aback by the question. "She was only about thirty."

The old woman carrying water interjected unexpectedly, "She had quite fair skin."

He Lingchuan was surprised.

He had thought it would be the old woman he had previously encountered.

Xu Chun then asked, "Where is she now?"

"She left a few days ago," Headman Hu shook his head. "She said she was five or six months pregnant, but to us, it looked like at least nine months; her belly was alarmingly large. How could she stay with us long-term?"