Chapter 7: Startling the Snake

As Shi Chun passed through the crowd, he gave Wu Jinliang a glance and then left the group alone.

After a short wait, Wu Jinliang also edged away from the casual crowd, busying himself by adjusting the wicks of oil lamps as he gradually moved further away.

Once out of sight, he immediately darted after Shi Chun. He hadn't gone far when he saw Shi Chun, leaning against the cave wall, head bowed and gasping for breath.

Sensing something was wrong, Wu Jinliang immediately went over and asked, "What's the matter?"

Shi Chun couldn't explain exactly what was wrong; it wasn't the time for a detailed conversation. All he knew was that the strange phenomena he had seen with his right eye were gradually fading, his vision seemed to be returning to normal, and his body was slowly recovering. He felt much better than before, but was not yet completely back to normal.

He shook his head. "We messed up. Shen Youkun will see through us as soon as he gets here, so we need to leave immediately. My body needs to recover, you'll have to carry me for a bit."

Wu Jinliang was slightly surprised. "Were you injured?" He asked as he hoisted Shi Chun onto his back.

"No," Shi Chun replied, "I'll tell you later. Hurry, and be careful not to run into Shen Youkun; he should be in here by now."

Wu Jinliang immediately turned and swiftly carried him away.

As expected, despite the length and depth of the mine, Shen Youkun still arrived. Wu Jinliang hadn't carried Shi Chun far when he turned back, running to a fork they had just passed, and quickly darted into the side tunnel, holding his breath and remaining silent.

Soon, a group of people clattered past. Two porters carried Qi Ziru on a stretcher, while Shen Youkun was carried on someone's back. There was no other way; with his cultivation crippled and without the help of other cultivators, he couldn't run fast in such a deep mine with its uneven ground. The person who had gone to report earlier, along with the two who had offered excavation advice, also rushed back, following behind them.

Once the group had passed, Wu Jinliang quickly darted out with Shi Chun on his back and continued running towards the exit.

"If we don't run now, it'll be too late," Shi Chun whispered in his ear. "Sprint out at full speed."

Wu Jinliang grunted in agreement and immediately sprinted with all his might, racing rapidly through the mine tunnel. As they sped along, Shi Chun, still on his back, waved his hand to extinguish the oil lamps they passed.

The group, carrying the makeshift stretcher, rushed towards a large crowd blocking their path. Shen Youkun, who was being carried on someone's back, grew furious at the sight of the workers lounging idly. He roared, "Get out of the way, clear the path!"

Seeing who it was, those standing or sitting quickly rose and moved aside, clearly more intimidated than by the overseers. Shen Youkun and his party quickly passed through. No one paid attention to whether Shi Chun, the supposed messenger, was present or had returned.

After turning a corner, they rushed all the way to the end of the mine tunnel. Shen Youkun and the others saw the colossal, sinister snake skull resting on a skeletal structure, and also noted the third eye socket on the skull. However, they saw no trace of the "shimmering purple nebula."

Shen Youkun, who had just dismounted, immediately turned to face the overseer who had given the report. The overseer immediately pointed at the skull and insisted, "It was floating right there before, as big as a large tabletop. I swear, everyone saw it."

Qi Ziru, believing the man had no reason to lie, turned on his stretcher to look at the overseer sitting against the wall in a pool of blood. Only then did everyone's attention turn back to the dead man. Shen Youkun quickly walked back, reached out, and removed the man's mask, confirming it was one of his own recruits. He then looked back the way they came, only to realize that he and his immediate group were the only ones who had arrived. Not a single person from the larger group had followed. What did this mean? Were they blind?

He immediately roared, "Someone!" His voice reverberated through the mine.

Moments later, several overseers arrived, approaching hesitantly and uncertainly. Seeing that their colleague had been killed, they were even more shaken, wondering why Shen Youkun would commit such a brutal act and feeling somewhat endangered themselves. Then, realizing the shimmering purple nebula had vanished, they thought they understood something. To their surprise, Shen Youkun pointed at the deceased and asked, "What happened? Who did this?"

The overseers were immediately taken aback, realizing they might have guessed incorrectly. One tentatively asked, "Didn't you kill him, Sir?"

Shen Youkun instantly flew into a rage. "Nonsense! He was already dead here when I arrived!"

Qi Ziru, from his stretcher, further dispelled the overseers' suspicions, stating, "The wound has stopped bleeding, and the blood on the ground is no longer flowing." At his words, the overseers suddenly understood: if Shen Youkun and his group had just committed the act, the blood would still be flowing.

"Don't you dare tell me you don't know who killed him!" Shen Youkun fumed.

The overseers exchanged glances, their eyes filled with surprise and suspicion, sharing the same thought. One spoke up, "Where's the man Sir sent to deliver the order? He was here alone with the boss for a while just now."

"What man to deliver an order? What nonsense are you talking about?" Shen Youkun erupted.

Qi Ziru, from his stretcher, reached out to calm the overseers. "Don't rush, speak slowly. What order was given, and what happened?" The overseers, naturally daring not to conceal anything, recounted the previous events, each adding details to the other's account.

After hearing their story, Shen Youkun, without another word, furiously pointed back the way they came. "A bunch of fools! Don't you realize you've been tricked? Quickly, take men and pursue them!"

Qi Ziru added, "Chase them to the cave exit. If you don't find them outside, don't pursue them further; just seal off the entrance."

The overseers immediately looked at Shen Youkun, unsure whose orders to follow. Shen Youkun hesitated. His treasure had been stolen; he should be pursuing them relentlessly, not just giving up. But a cold glance from Qi Ziru made him reluctantly echo, "Very well, do as he says."

The overseers immediately took their leave and departed swiftly. As soon as they were gone, Shen Youkun was about to ask for an explanation, but was instead met with Qi Ziru's angry rebuke: "I told you to personally oversee the site. Who told you to run out?"

Shen Youkun again hesitated, feeling somewhat wronged. His uncle had suddenly arrived, and after inspecting the excavation site, had gone out because he found it a bit dull. It would have been difficult for Shen Youkun not to follow him, and some things were not easily discussed in front of a crowd in the cave. He had surely wanted to find his uncle to clarify the situation, never imagining something like this would occur.

The incident had already occurred, so Qi Ziru didn't waste words with him. He raised a hand, signaling to depart. Before leaving, he looked back at the snake head, muttering to himself, "They actually unearthed a different kind of treasure..."

Shi Chun, having traversed the mine many times and being familiar with its layout, saw they were nearing the exit. He stopped extinguishing the oil lamps, leaving those close to the exit lit. He then casually patted Wu Jinliang's shoulder. "Stop, I've recovered enough." He then dismounted and jumped to the ground, taking deep breaths as he re-assessed his physical state.

Wu Jinliang asked again, "Weren't things going fine all this time? Why are we about to be exposed?"

"I'll tell you later," Shi Chun said. "Prepare to fight our way out!"

"Ah!" Wu Jinliang exclaimed in surprise. "Can't we just use the same method to sneak out?"

"No time, it's too late," Shi Chun said. As he spoke, he vigorously wiped the wound on his arm, clearing away the clinging dirt and deliberately making it bleed profusely, a slight wince of pain on his lips. He then extended his bloody arm towards Wu Jinliang.

No explanation was needed; Wu Jinliang immediately dabbed some blood from Shi Chun's arm and smeared it on his own face. At the same time, he didn't forget to caution, "You need to think this through. If we go out directly, our identities will surely be revealed, and having seen Shen Youkun's secret, he will never let us go."

"We've already alerted the enemy. If we don't leave now, we won't be able to leave at all. We have no choice but to deal with the immediate situation." Shi Chun couldn't help but sigh, glancing back at the dark path they had come from. He withdrew his bloody arm, smeared some blood on his own mouth and nose, then turned and ran towards the cave entrance. Wu Jinliang followed close behind.

As they saw the light from outside the cave and neared the entrance, Shi Chun gave a backward glance, and Wu Jinliang immediately slumped against the cave wall, appearing as if he were severely wounded and dying. Shi Chun, on the other hand, made it look like he was severely wounded and fleeing, running directly out of the cave.

The two guards outside the cave were greatly surprised by the sight. One quickly helped him up, while the other urgently asked, "What's going on?" Shi Chun then used a spell to project his voice, shouting hoarsely all around, "Quick! Quickly gather! Mr. Shen is in danger! Go quickly to save him!" His voice echoed loudly throughout the area.

At his words, figures began to appear, one by one, on the surrounding hilltops. The guard supporting him urgently asked again, "What happened?" Shi Chun glanced at their surroundings, then once more projected his voice, shouting mournfully, "A great treasure has been unearthed in the cave, and the miners have turned greedy and rebelled! The situation is critical, Mr. Shen is in grave danger! All of you, go quickly to save him! Delay will be fatal! Please hurry to his aid!"

"Great treasure?" Both guards were stunned and simultaneously turned to look into the dark cave. At the same time, people began to leap down from the surrounding hillsides, growing in number, and rushing towards them.

"Don't mind me, go quickly to save Mr. Shen!" Shi Chun pushed the guard, then collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath. The guard hesitated briefly, then saw his companion dart into the cave first and immediately followed. The people arriving from the various hilltops paid no mind to Shi Chun's state on the ground. Seeing that the cave guards had already entered, they immediately rushed inside. In their view, the guards must have communicated with and verified Shi Chun's story, so there was no problem, which further quelled any doubts they might have had.

The surrounding area was quickly emptied of people. Shi Chun, still lying on the ground, immediately lifted his head and shouted into the cave, "Jinliang, are you dead?" Wu Jinliang's figure soon appeared in the cave. As he neared the entrance, he "died" on the ground again, asking about the situation outside, "How's it looking out there?"

Shi Chun immediately rolled over and sprang to his feet, calling out, "Let's go!" Wu Jinliang instantly "revived," darted out with a whoosh, and ran close behind Shi Chun. Shi Chun didn't know if all the people who had been hidden around had cleared out, but he simply ran towards a spot from which people had just emerged.

Inside the mine, Shi Chun's act of extinguishing the lamps along the path caused considerable trouble for their pursuers. Rushing into the complete darkness and seeing no light, they finally realized what had happened. It was too dark, pitch-black; they couldn't see their own hands, rendering even the cultivators' enhanced vision useless. It was unrealistic to relight all the lamps along the entire path before resuming the chase. Instead, some individuals had to relight oil lamps, hold them, and use magic to protect the light as they continued their pursuit. Due to their delay, even Shen Youkun and Qi Ziru, who had followed later, caught up to them.

The reinforcements who rushed in from outside the cave to save "Mr. Shen" encountered a similarly frustrating situation. For a stretch after entering the cave, the lamps were still lit, so they suspected nothing and charged inward. It was only after they plunged into complete darkness that they realized the entire path ahead was unlit. They began to frantically grope around, searching for flint and steel, and the oil lamps lining the path. When the two large groups, both holding torches, finally collided head-on, it created another frantic, tense moment, as those from outside thought the rebels had broken out.