Lu Ye suddenly felt a powerful force grab him, and his body involuntarily followed along. Suppressing the pain in his chest, he asked, "Manager Yang, where are we going?"
"Shut up!" Manager Yang growled, took a few steps, and then looked at the mining basket behind Lu Ye: "Throw it away."
Lu Ye didn't dare to disobey, untied the basket, and threw it on the ground. However, he didn't drop the mining pick. Manager Yang glanced at it but didn't say anything more.
As they moved deeper, the light behind them grew dimmer.
The depths of the mine were very dark, with torches providing light only every few dozen feet. The tunnels within the mine were complex and interconnected, and not every tunnel had torches. Most of the tunnels were shrouded in darkness year-round, and no one knew where they led.
So, if one didn't follow the trail of torches while mining, it was easy to get lost.
For the mortal miners, getting lost in such a place meant a predictable outcome.
The miners called the tunnels with torches "bright tunnels" and those shrouded in darkness "dark tunnels."
It was common for torches to burn out, turning bright tunnels into dark tunnels, and for miners to get lost and starve to death.
As Manager Yang led the way, Lu Ye noticed something strange: Manager Yang would often look back, his expression tense.
As if there was some danger behind them.
Manager Yang's behavior made Lu Ye nervous as well.
"Lu Ye, do you know any dark tunnels?" Manager Yang suddenly asked.
"Um, yes." Lu Ye nodded. There was no point in denying it in front of Manager Yang. In fact, not only did Lu Ye know a few dark tunnels, but the few powerful miners also knew several.
While the bright tunnels were safe, there were few places left to mine. On the contrary, the dangerous dark tunnels often yielded good finds.
It was thanks to these resource-rich dark tunnels that Lu Ye could harvest a lot every day. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had any extra contributions to exchange for Blood Qi Pills.
This was also why Manager Yang had brought him along after recognizing him.
"Manager Yang, are you going to those dark tunnels?" Lu Ye asked, guessing from Manager Yang's sudden interest in the dark tunnels.
Manager Yang said, "Take me there, to the most hidden one."
"Sure!" Lu Ye nodded and took a few steps, but then groaned and clutched his chest.
His ribs had been dislocated from the beating, and the rapid pace with Manager Yang had left him no time to rest. Now, the pain made him stop, and sweat trickled down his forehead.
Manager Yang gave him an annoyed look, hesitated for a moment, and then reached into a cloth bag at his waist. He quickly pulled out a small, round, soybean-sized pill and handed it to Lu Ye, saying, "Take it!"
Lu Ye took it, not recognizing the pill. In the past year, he had only dealt with Blood Qi Pills, and this one was clearly different.
However, since Manager Yang needed him, he probably wouldn't harm him. This pill was likely for healing.
He put the pill in his mouth, chewed a few times, and immediately regretted it, as it was extremely bitter.
"Why are you chewing it? Just swallow it. It's a healing pill." Manager Yang said irritably.
Indeed, it was a healing pill. Lu Ye, with a bitter expression, had to be grateful: "Thank you, Manager Yang."
"If you really want to thank me, hurry up and walk." Manager Yang pushed him.
Lu Ye had to muster his strength and lead the way.
The pill, though extremely bitter, had an unexpectedly good effect. Shortly after taking it, Lu Ye felt a warm current in his abdomen, and the pain in his chest lessened, becoming a tingling sensation.
This made him sigh, "Good medicine tastes bitter."
Under Lu Ye's guidance, the two continued through the complex tunnels. Occasionally, they encountered returning miners, and Manager Yang would kill them with a single palm strike.
Lu Ye's eyes widened, and his suspicions grew clearer.
After about an hour, they stopped at a dark tunnel. Lu Ye already had a torch, which he had taken from nearby, and said, "Manager Yang, this is the most hidden dark tunnel. When you go in, turn left at the first intersection, then at the second..."
Before he could finish, Manager Yang kicked him in, saying, "Lead the way!"
Lu Ye's heart sank. He didn't want to lead the way. From Manager Yang's actions, he suspected that if he led him to the place, he wouldn't have a good outcome.
But his last attempt had failed, and Manager Yang clearly didn't intend to go alone. Having someone familiar with the terrain was better than exploring alone.
With no choice, Lu Ye continued forward.
After many twists and turns, even Manager Yang, a cultivator, had trouble remembering the way back. After another hour, the tunnel ahead was blocked, with no way forward.
Lu Ye stuck the torch in a dark peg on the rock wall.
Manager Yang took a deep breath, sat on the ground to catch his breath, and glanced at Lu Ye, smiling, "You're really capable, finding such a place."
Lu Ye smiled, "Just lucky."
Manager Yang nodded and said no more.
Lu Ye said, "Manager Yang, I'll go back now."
Manager Yang raised his eyes slightly and said coolly, "Lu Ye, you're a smart person. Smart people do smart things."
As he spoke, he stood up and walked toward Lu Ye, his shadow dancing in the flickering torchlight.
Lu Ye's face showed panic, "What do you mean?"
Manager Yang sighed, "I'll be straightforward. The Haotian Alliance has come, and this mine might not be safe for long. I'm here to avoid disaster. Although I'm grateful you brought me here, I can't let you go back."
Lu Ye took a step back, his heart confirming his suspicions. When he saw Manager Yang kill the miners, he had guessed that Manager Yang was afraid of the news leaking and would kill anyone who saw him.
When Manager Yang saw Lu Ye at the mine entrance, he was delighted because he knew Lu Ye could lead him to a hidden place.
Hiding in such a place, even if the Haotian Alliance took over the mine, they wouldn't easily find him, giving him a good chance of survival.
Realizing his situation, Lu Ye had been trying to escape, but Manager Yang wouldn't let him go.
"Then I'll stay with you. I won't leave." Lu Ye's back hit the rock wall, with nowhere to retreat.
Manager Yang paused, as if thinking, but then shook his head, "I don't have much food, and I don't know how long I'll have to hide. Even if the Haotian Alliance doesn't stay long, a month or two is possible. You'd starve to death before you could keep me company. So, as a thank you, I'll send you on your way!"
They were only ten feet apart. As he spoke, Manager Yang struck out with a palm.
Although his cultivation wasn't high, killing a mortal like Lu Ye was easy.
But he never expected that as he moved, Lu Ye would charge forward with the mining pick, striking hard at his head.
Lu Ye's ruthlessness and decisiveness surprised Manager Yang, but it was just that...
However, what happened next made his soul tremble.
He suddenly found his spiritual energy in his spirit orifices sluggish, as if some mysterious force was restraining it, allowing only a tiny bit to flow.
The mining pick struck, and Manager Yang, unable to retreat in time, blocked it with his palm.
A sharp crack, and the mining pick hit Manager Yang's arm, breaking it.
Manager Yang cried out in pain and retreated.
With the first strike successful, Lu Ye's heart eased. It seemed the rumors he had heard were true, and there was still a chance to survive.
He pressed his advantage, relentlessly attacking with the mining pick, leaving Manager Yang almost defenseless.
Although Manager Yang was a cultivator from the Evil Moon Valley, his cultivation was low, which is why he was assigned to manage the mine. He rarely fought, and dealing with miners was easy with his cultivation. But with his cultivation severely suppressed, he was only slightly stronger than a mortal, and against someone as ruthless as Lu Ye, he was quickly overwhelmed.
As he dodged Lu Ye's attacks, he reached into his cloth bag and raised his hand, revealing a flash of cold light.
Lu Ye was startled, stopped, and raised the mining pick to block.
The cold light cut into the front of the mining pick, slicing it in half.
Lu Ye looked at Manager Yang's hand and saw he had a long sword, which he had taken from his cloth bag.
Manager Yang swung the sword, intimidating Lu Ye from advancing.
The situation became a stalemate. In the deepest part of the mine, a mortal and a cultivator faced off. The former was calm, while the latter was in a sorry state, his face contorted in pain.
"Primordial Magnetic Field?" Manager Yang gritted his teeth, quickly understanding why his spiritual energy was restrained.
This place was rich in Primordial Magnetic Ore!
Primordial Magnetic Ore was a rare mineral, and in this mine, it was the most valuable. It was useful for some cultivators.
However, Primordial Magnetic Ore had a characteristic: it emitted an invisible force field that restricted the flow of spiritual energy within its range.
Once in this field, a cultivator's strength would be greatly reduced.
Manager Yang's cultivation was limited, and being in the Primordial Magnetic Field, his spiritual energy was almost completely restrained, reducing him from a powerful cultivator to an ordinary mortal.
He remembered that Lu Ye had occasionally mined some Primordial Magnetic Ore in the past year, but others had too, so he hadn't paid much attention. After all, the mine contained various minerals.
But now, it seemed Lu Ye had known the location of a large amount of Primordial Magnetic Ore and had only mined a little to avoid suspicion, showing deep calculation.
"You planned this?" Manager Yang was almost mad, realizing Lu Ye had deliberately led him here.
A mortal who he thought he could control had turned on him, and Manager Yang was furious. However, with a broken arm and multiple injuries, and unable to use his cultivation, he was no match for Lu Ye.
So, he made a quick decision and ran.
Seeing this, Lu Ye knew it was bad.
He only had a basic understanding of the Primordial Magnetic Field. When he first submitted Primordial Magnetic Ore, he had heard a cultivator from the Evil Moon Valley describe its properties, so he had been cautious.
Seeing Manager Yang kill the miners, he knew this trip was dangerous, so he had led him here. Before breaking Manager Yang's arm, he wasn't sure if the Primordial Magnetic Field would restrain Manager Yang's strength.
Fortunately, the Primordial Magnetic Field did the job.
But the range of the Primordial Magnetic Field was limited. If Manager Yang escaped its range, Lu Ye was dead.
He couldn't let Manager Yang escape!
Lu Ye bent down, picked up a fist-sized rock, and threw it hard at Manager Yang.
The fleeing Manager Yang, caught off guard, was hit in the back of the head and stumbled.
Before he could get up, the sound of a rushing wind reached his ears. He rolled over just in time to see Lu Ye charging with the remaining half of the mining pick.
There was no way to avoid it!
In the moment of life and death, Manager Yang shouted, "We die together!"
He thrust his sword forward!
The next moment, his head was smashed in by the mining pick. Lu Ye, not satisfied, hit him a few more times, ensuring he was dead.
Severe pain from his thigh made him look down. He saw a sword, Manager Yang's sword, embedded in his leg.
He must have been stabbed without realizing it.
Dropping the mining pick, Lu Ye sat on the ground, breathing heavily, feeling the beauty of life.