Chapter 8: Unavoidable

Regardless of whether they were truly sincere in quelling the rebellion, they had at least arrived for that purpose. Upon seeing a group of people rush out of the cave, they immediately drew their weapons with a clatter.

Those emerging from the cave saw the outsiders draw their weapons against them. Those who were armed immediately readied their own weapons in response. The miners' tension was clearly visible on their faces, as they were unsure of what was happening.

Those from outside the cave shouted, "Put down your weapons!"

Their companions echoed the threat.

Those who came out of the cave retorted loudly, "What do you want?"

As the crowd parted, Shen Youkun stepped forward. Pointing at the group who had rushed in from outside, he reprimanded them, "What do you want? Are you tired of living?"

Even though he had lost his cultivation, his stubborn defiance remained unchanged when faced with gleaming blades. This showed how little he regarded these natives, a habit they had indulged. For instance, when the chieftain of Dongjiuyuan didn't indulge him, he became somewhat afraid.

Upon seeing him, the group from outside lowered their weapons. Their leader asked with surprise and doubt, "Mr. Shen, are you alright?"

"What could be wrong with me?" Shen Youkun retorted angrily. "Why aren't you guarding outside? What are you doing running in here?" He had been counting on these guys to block anyone escaping.

With this confrontation between the two sides, the situation became clear. Shen Youkun became utterly exasperated, cursing them, "A bunch of idiots!"

Once it was confirmed there was no danger, Qi Ziru was also carried forward. His unhurried voice calmed the agitated Shen Youkun. "Was it just one person who broke out?" he asked.

He wanted to confirm, as if it truly was a single person who dared to risk their life alone and fool them all so thoroughly, then he would indeed have to hold them in high regard.

"Yes, just one person."

"We only saw one person."

"Wait, no, there was also a miner near the entrance who appeared to be severely injured and unconscious. That could also be fake."

"Oh, you're right. If the miner rebellion was fake, then that severely injured and unconscious miner could also be fake."

As various voices responded, a guard who had been stationed at the cave entrance also chimed in, "That miner was the tallest one, the big guy. He was very conspicuous. I remember him going in and out several times."

At this, Shen Youkun suddenly murmured to himself in a daze, "A tall guy, two people..."

The memory of nearly colliding with a tall man at the cave entrance earlier flashed in his mind. With a sharp crack, he suddenly slapped himself hard, growing even more agitated. "It's them, Uncle, it's..."

Qi Ziru abruptly interrupted him, "Silence! First, seal off the cave entrance."

Shen Youkun urgently said, "Uncle, I know who it is, it's..."

Qi Ziru's voice suddenly sharpened, "I told you to be silent!"

Shen Youkun was immediately rendered speechless. His uncle was truly angry, and he had no choice but to obey.

Under Qi Ziru's command, the people present immediately pursued them.

By the time the group rushed out of the mine, dusk had already fallen, and there was no sign of anyone.

Qi Ziru did not allow them to scatter in pursuit and search. He spoke frankly in front of everyone, asking, "Who can guarantee that the culprits haven't created a diversion and are actually still hiding inside the cave? Who can guarantee that the culprits didn't blend in among us during the chaos?"

A headcount was taken on the spot, revealing that five overseers were missing.

Qi Ziru also did not unmask each person and inspect their faces.

Some people earning this reward were known for their reputations, and it was enough for Shen Youkun to know who they were, as they preferred not to reveal their true faces in front of others. However, Qi Ziru's reason for not checking was different.

Qi Ziru did not send the guards who had been secretly lying in wait back to their original positions. He only left a small number of people to block off the cave entrance. The rest of the manpower was fully integrated into the digging team, instructing everyone to excavate the remaining parts of the skeleton inside the mine as quickly as possible.

He accepted the suggestion of the two overseers: the excavated earth and stone didn't need to be brought out, but could be dumped into nearby tunnels. The priority was simply to dig quickly.

After arranging all of this, Qi Ziru laboriously got up from his reclining chair. He raised a hand to stop the sedan bearers from accompanying him and strolled through the valley, with only Shen Youkun following.

Shen Youkun clearly looked around with some nervousness. After learning who was causing trouble, he was now outside the protective circle and genuinely feared the culprit might suddenly appear.

Once no one else was nearby, Qi Ziru stopped, glanced at his nephew, and looked up at the darkening sky. "No need to be nervous," he said. "They've already got what they wanted and are busy escaping."

Hearing this, Shen Youkun indeed felt relieved. He looked back at the cave entrance, pondering his uncle's intentions. He was certain the culprits had escaped, yet his uncle had said they might still be in the cave and had sealed the entrance.

Qi Ziru's voice broke his thoughts. "Did that chieftain pay us a visit?"

Shen Youkun immediately brightened. "That's right! It was 'Sichun' and 'Wu Jinliang'! The guard at the entrance reminded me, and I remembered that Wu Jinliang and I must have met at the entrance. I was so preoccupied with finding you that I overlooked it at the time."

Qi Ziru sighed in wonder. "It truly was them! Just two people, yet they dared to brazenly mix among so many others and act so wantonly. Even such an obvious tall person dared to blend in! They clearly regard us as nothing. What audacity! Not only did they make fools of us, but taking the treasure was as easy as reaching into a pocket. What a formidable character!

"No wonder you were willing to spare no expense to get rid of them rather than confront them directly. So you had already learned a profound lesson from them! But you refused to disclose it beforehand. If I had known earlier that they were individuals of such caliber, how could I have let you handle this so easily? How could I have let him succeed so easily?"

Shen Youkun mumbled somewhat guiltily, "Back in the mine, I already suspected it was them and wanted to tell you, but you reprimanded me and wouldn't let me speak."

The implication was: 'See? Some things, when I want to say them, you don't let me. When I don't want to say them, you blame me for not saying anything. It's really hard for me to get it right, isn't it?'

Qi Ziru, whose physical condition made him averse to anger, initially didn't want to get angry, but he couldn't help but change his expression and curse, "Idiot! Haven't you said enough already? Based on what you've said, anyone with a keen mind could easily guess who stole the treasure if they just bothered to investigate.

"Until we catch them, absolutely no outsider can know who stole the treasure. Only our forces can pursue them. Otherwise, neither you nor I will be able to explain it to the family. Do you want to attract other factions to compete for the treasure? Not a single person who heard your words today can be left alive!"

Speechless, Shen Youkun stammered repeatedly, finally realizing he had a screw loose.

Feeling guilty, he changed the subject, saying, "Uncle, that scoundrel is very cunning. If he escaped with the treasure, it might not be so easy to catch him again."

Qi Ziru glared at him dismissively. Then, with his hands clasped behind his back, he slowly looked into the distance and said, "Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he shouldn't be able to escape."

Shen Youkun was startled. "Can't escape?"

He wasn't sure if his uncle meant right now or eventually, but seeing his uncle's calm and composed demeanor, it seemed to imply the former. Vaguely realizing something, he couldn't help but look around.

Qi Ziru snorted. "The important task entrusted by the family—did you think I would entrust it all to you? While you were recruiting people, I had already contacted another group of people here as backup. If you succeed, fine; if not, someone else can take over at any time.

"When I received news that you had confirmed finding the item and rushed here, I also scouted the surrounding terrain. I had people set up ambushes on all possible essential paths. I had already given the order: anyone found leaving this place without my permission will not be spared!"

Shen Youkun could understand such arrangements, intended to prevent anyone from sneaking away. But he still expressed doubt, "How many people have you deployed? The surrounding area is so vast, and there are too many escape routes."

Qi Ziru replied, "Fearing pursuit, he will likely try to escape far away quickly over short distances. He should choose routes that are easy to flee through, so the chance of him encountering our ambush should be high."

Shen Youkun remained concerned. "Uncle, that scoundrel is not only cunning but also quite capable in a fight here. If the blocking forces are too thin, they might not be able to stop him."

Given such a large area, he believed his uncle couldn't possibly have deployed large groups of people everywhere, nor could he create such an exaggerated formation in the land of exile.

"He won't escape, unless he finds a loophole. As long as he's spotted, even if he's at the High Martial realm, he won't get away!" Qi Ziru's calm reply exuded confidence.

Shen Youkun's eyes, set in his fleshy face, blinked repeatedly. He understood: his uncle had made extremely thorough contingency plans. He immediately grew excited, eagerly anticipating what would happen when that scoundrel Shichun fell into his hands, unable to stop grinding his back teeth.

Qi Ziru paid no mind to his reaction. Lowering his head, he paced back and forth, murmuring to himself in contemplation. "What exactly is that glittering purple nebula? Does the family know, or not? They probably don't, otherwise they wouldn't have failed to disclose something so important beforehand..."

What he was thinking about now was whether to conceal the matter from the family if the chieftain wasn't intercepted and escaped, especially since all involved individuals would need to be silenced afterward.

People are prone to selfishness and easily consider their own interests. He worried that this mess would incur the family's displeasure and cause an unforeseen event that would force him to leave this place prematurely. After all, he had already found what the family had asked for and truly didn't want any further complications.

Despite his apparent confidence in front of his nephew, the chieftain's display of capabilities here still somewhat bothered him. Deep down, he still felt a little uncertain.

Shichun and Wu Jinliang, having rushed to a mountain spot, moved a large rock aside. From beneath it, they pulled out two bundles of clothes. They were accustomed to wearing proper attire when going out, as they represented the dignity of Dongjiuyuan.

They also retrieved two items from the pit: a large and a small knife.

The smaller one was not actually small, being the size of a regular saber, but it appeared small compared to the large one. It had a scabbard wrapped entirely in cloth strips.

The large blade, however, had no scabbard. It was entirely black, nearly five and a half feet long and almost a foot wide, with a spine as thick as a fist. It was an incredibly massive and heavy piece, which Wu Jinliang effortlessly swung onto his shoulder with one hand.

This blade had no particular origin; he had personally forged it at a blacksmith's. The blacksmith had told him to use whatever materials he wished, so adhering to the principle of 'it's a sickness not to take advantage of a good deal,' he personally used ample materials to make it. Later, he discovered that a large weapon also had distinct advantages in a fight, and he eventually grew accustomed to using it.

Normally, when Shichun wished to maintain a dignified appearance, he would have Wu Jinliang carry his saber. However, there was no need for that now, as they were fleeing for their lives and protecting themselves.

After repositioning the large rock, they grabbed their blades and bundles and quickly ran off again.

Along the way, they consistently ran along low-lying terrain such as gullies, not daring to easily ascend to higher ground where they could be easily spotted. Only occasionally, when they wanted to check the situation behind them, would they briefly climb a nearby hilltop to scan for pursuers.

After running for a while and repeating this pattern, Shichun, who had just looked back a few times and was about to duck into a gully again, suddenly extended a hand and gripped Wu Jinliang's shoulder. Both of them simultaneously halted on the mountainside.

Wu Jinliang was about to ask what was wrong, but before he could, Shichun was already cautiously looking around, saying, "Something's wrong!"

Immediately, he turned back, crouched down, and crawled to the mountaintop to lie prone, looking back to observe the path they had taken.

So Wu Jinliang crawled over to him and asked, "What's wrong?"

Shichun said in a low voice, "It's too quiet. We haven't seen a single pursuer the entire way. Do you think it's normal for them to just let us escape like this?"