Sitting behind the desk, the plump cultivator took out a palm-sized jade slip from his storage bag, glanced at Lu Ye, and said, "Name, background, and cultivation level?"
Lu Ye answered one by one.
The plump cultivator pondered, "Lu Ye from the Xuantian Sect... hmm, found it, there is indeed such a person!"
Only then did Lu Ye realize that the jade slip in the plump cultivator's hand must contain some information about the mine, including the backgrounds and identities of the mine slaves. This verification could ensure that no remnants of the Evil Moon Valley had infiltrated.
"But... that's not right!" The plump cultivator narrowed his eyes. "The jade slip records that Lu Ye is just an ordinary person without any spiritual apertures, but you have already opened one. This doesn't match the records, which makes things a bit difficult."
As he spoke, he kept glancing at the storage bag on Lu Ye's waist.
Lu Ye inwardly smiled. His previous worries were indeed justified. A mine slave carrying a storage bag could easily attract unnecessary covetousness.
If he had followed his original plan, giving up the storage bag wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, he was now free, and with the sky as his limit, he wouldn't have trouble finding better things.
But with the old man's casual words as a foundation, Lu Ye didn't need to fear anything. He couldn't let the old man's kindness go to waste.
Facing the plump cultivator's questioning, Lu Ye said, "I encountered an injured cultivator from the Evil Moon Valley in the mine tunnel. I killed him and opened my spiritual aperture in the struggle."
The plump cultivator's eyebrows shot up. If what Lu Ye said was true, that was quite remarkable. A tiger is still a tiger, even when injured; it's not something a goat could provoke, let alone kill.
He began to understand where Lu Ye's storage bag came from...
At this moment, the young cultivator who had brought Lu Ye leaned in and whispered something in the plump cultivator's ear. The plump cultivator looked surprised, "Which Old Tang?"
The young cultivator didn't speak, just looked at him.
The plump cultivator realized and cleared his throat, his expression toward Lu Ye becoming much friendlier, "I see, you do have some courage! Well, although your identity is basically confirmed, we still need to follow the procedures. Follow me."
With that, he stood up.
"The senior brother Pang, I'll be busy now," the young cultivator said, bowing.
"Go ahead, go ahead," Senior Brother Pang waved his hand.
Following the plump cultivator, Lu Ye headed toward the direction where the mine slaves were gathered.
When they got close, the plump cultivator put his hands on his waist, took a few breaths, and then said, "Is there anyone from the Xuantian Sect? Step forward so I can see you."
No one responded.
Lu Ye scanned the crowd but didn't see any faces of Xuantian Sect disciples.
The Xuantian Sect was a small sect, with few disciples to begin with. Many had died when the Evil Moon Valley attacked a year ago, leaving only about twenty young people alive.
Over the past year, many more had died, but in Lu Ye's memory, there should still be three or four survivors.
But he didn't see those few people, so they must have met with misfortune.
He couldn't help but feel a bit melancholic. Although he didn't have a strong sense of belonging to the Xuantian Sect, the fact that he was the last remaining disciple made him realize the harshness of this world even more.
The plump cultivator continued, "Is there anyone who knows him?"
Still, no one responded. Lu Ye's relationship with the other mine slaves wasn't very good. Everyone was pale and emaciated, struggling to survive, while Lu Ye lived comfortably and had enough contributions to exchange for Qi and Blood Pills. As a result, the other mine slaves didn't have a good impression of him.
Shared misfortune didn't bring people together; it only created more barriers and resentment.
Lu Ye saw the Liu brothers in the crowd. These two had somehow survived, but they had no intention of vouching for Lu Ye's identity. They just looked at him with a smug expression.
The plump cultivator couldn't help but glance at Lu Ye, doubting whether he was really Lu Ye from the Xuantian Sect. As a mine slave, there should be someone who could vouch for his identity.
Many others had been verified this way, through mutual recognition and identity confirmation.
"I know him, he is Lu Ye from the Xuantian Sect." Just as the plump cultivator was getting suspicious, a weak voice spoke up.
"Who's speaking?" The plump cultivator's gaze returned, looking for the source of the voice.
The crowd parted, revealing the speaker.
Seeing the person, Lu Ye was slightly surprised. He had only met this person once, and it had been a long time since he last saw her.
The speaker was a woman. Compared to the other mine slaves, who were dirty and disheveled, her clothes, though not bright, were at least clean and tidy.
The plump cultivator looked at the woman and asked sternly, "Are you sure he is Lu Ye from the Xuantian Sect? Think carefully before you speak. Lying to me won't end well."
The woman shrank back but still said firmly, "I can confirm it."
The plump cultivator nodded and waved at Lu Ye, "Alright, your identity is clear. Go stand over there, and don't wander around." He then winked at Lu Ye, "There's an opportunity waiting for you tomorrow."
With that, he turned and left.
After he was gone, the oppressive atmosphere eased. It was clear that these slaves, living at the bottom of society, still feared the plump cultivator.
Lu Ye thought for a moment and walked over to the woman who had spoken. When he got close, he said, "Miss, thank you for your fair words."
The woman shook her head, "No need, you saved me before, and I never got the chance to thank you."
She was referring to an incident that had happened about half a year ago. At that time, Lu Ye had encountered her in the depths of the mine tunnel. She was being chased by another mine slave, and Lu Ye couldn't stand it, so he taught the aggressor a lesson.
However, he hadn't seen this woman since then.
Lu Ye smiled, "Then we're even?"
The woman also smiled, her gloomy face brightening, "We're even."
"Let's introduce ourselves again. I am Lu Ye from the Xuantian Sect!"
The woman gave a graceful bow, displaying the manners of a well-bred lady, "I am Yu Xiaodie from the Yu family."
Lu Ye asked curiously, "Does Miss Yu know why we are gathered here? What was the opportunity the fat man mentioned?"
Yu Xiaodie reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and explained, "We are all people with clear backgrounds and identities, mostly without any spiritual apertures, or with very low cultivation levels if we have opened any. The Evil Moon Valley doesn't consider us human and doesn't cultivate us. But among us, there are definitely some who are suitable for cultivation. The Haotian Alliance has taken control here and will make some arrangements. Some of us who are suitable for cultivation and have the potential will be taken in by the sects of the Haotian Alliance."
"So that's the opportunity the fat man was talking about?" Lu Ye realized.