Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Roommates and Strange Snakes
Outside the cave, the sky was full of stars.
All the Mining Slaves were lining up in a vast field enclosed by high walls to have their ore weighed and turned in.
Torches were set up across the clearing, where disciples of the Cyan Cloud Sect maintained order.
They were all Qi Cultivation Cultivators, completely unaffected by the suppressive environment. The faint aura of pressure they casually emanated was enough to make Zhang Chi feel like he was suffocating.
’So this is a real Cultivator? They’re so powerful!’
Zhang Chi was inwardly stunned.
He followed the line, turned in his tools, had his ore weighed, and dumped it in the center of the field.
"Thirty jin. Take this."
After that, a Cyan Cloud Sect disciple casually tossed Zhang Chi a round, black Iron Coin.
’Thank goodness!’
Zhang Chi breathed a silent sigh of relief.
Thirty jin was the minimum. For every ten jin above that, you earned one Iron Coin.
But if you didn’t even meet the minimum, you would get nothing and be whipped as punishment.
Iron Coins were the currency in the mining camp.
You could use them to buy food or other goods.
The Mining Slaves who had earned a coin immediately rushed to one side.
Several large baskets, a large vat, and a pile of miscellaneous goods were set up there.
The vat was filled with wine, costing one Iron Coin per ladle.
The baskets held flatbreads, one Iron Coin each. They were the size of a face basin, hard, and dark-colored.
Fortunately, to ensure the Mining Slaves had enough energy to work, the flatbreads were filled with vegetables and meat.
Of course, the flour and meat were nothing special.
As for Demon Beast Meat or Spirit Rice, you could forget about it.
As for the other goods, there were things like jerky, cotton clothes, Antiseptic Medicine, Evil Exorcism Powder, and Antitoxic Pills.
However, these were all luxury items, far beyond what Zhang Chi could afford.
Zhang Chi spent the Iron Coin he had just earned on a meat-filled flatbread.
He took one bite and his eyes lit up. Like the other Mining Slaves, he immediately squatted by the mountain stream that had been diverted into the camp and began to wolf down the flatbread with gulps of fresh water.
The flatbread was actually quite plain, but it’s true what they say: hunger is the best spice.
Soon, the flatbread was gone. About seventy percent full, Zhang Chi felt a pleasant warmth spreading through his body.
He quickly washed up at the stream, but before he could even catch his breath, a Guard herded him back to his living quarters.
The living quarters were actually a dungeon, with six people to a cell.
But the number of Mining Slaves often dwindled for various reasons, so Zhang Chi’s cell currently only had five occupants.
Even so, the cell was filled with the stench of feet and sweat, and at night it was full of sounds like snoring and the grinding of teeth.
Here, the original owner of his body had often tossed and turned, unable to sleep due to anxiety, fear, pain, cold, and hunger.
But Zhang Chi was in good spirits and utterly exhausted, falling asleep almost the moment he lay down.
Zhang Chi even had a wonderful dream about Sword Control, riding dragons, and having a Fairy massage his legs.
CLANG! CLANG!
But at the crack of dawn the next day, Zhang Chi was jolted awake by the sound of a bell.
A moment later, a wave of nausea washed over him.
He realized that a tall, elderly man with slanted, triangular eyes was patting him down.
His dream about the Fairy massaging his legs was probably related to this.
"Kid, what’re you looking at? I was just checking on your condition, that’s all."
"Not bad. You won’t be dying anytime soon. Since that’s the case, work hard. And don’t forget, you haven’t paid your respects to your master in days."
"Or have you decided you don’t want the Cultivation Technique and Qi Concealment Technique I have?"
Seeing Zhang Chi was awake, the old man sneered.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left the cell, which had just been unlocked by the Guards.
"Heh."
His three roommates, who had been watching with cold indifference, immediately followed him out.
Memories of his roommates immediately surfaced in Zhang Chi’s mind.
None of his roommates were good people. The old man, in particular, was cunning and ruthless. His surname was Xu, and people called him Old Xu. He was the boss of this small cell.
When his predecessor first arrived, Old Xu had used both threats and promises to make him his so-called disciple.
Old Xu knew the previous owner was just a mortal who dreamed of attempting Cultivation in the mines, so he promised to teach him a Cultivation Technique and a Qi Concealment Technique to hide his progress.
In return, his predecessor had to "pay his respects" with one Iron Coin every other day.
His predecessor had thought he’d met a benefactor and was not only cooperative but deeply grateful.
Only later did he realize he had been duped.
Cultivation Techniques and Magic, while precious, were worthless in the mining camp; it was useless to have them.
Not to mention, Old Xu was just dangling a carrot on a stick.
Privately exchanging Cultivation Knowledge was strictly forbidden in the mining camp.
If the Guards found out, it was summary execution, no questions asked.
Therefore, Old Xu didn’t actually dare to teach him anything, and besides, he found it too troublesome.
As a result, his predecessor wasted a lot of money and his health deteriorated even faster, all while gaining nothing except for a few lines of the chant for Introducing Spirit into the Body.
By the time his predecessor realized the truth, it was already too late.
Once Old Xu realized his ruse was exposed, his exploitation of his predecessor became completely shameless.
Just now, Old Xu had undoubtedly been searching him, hoping to find an Iron Coin.
’You old bastard. Just you wait!’
Watching them leave, Zhang Chi’s gaze turned ice-cold.
Even setting aside his predecessor’s history with them, Old Xu and his cronies would undoubtedly be a huge obstacle to his own plans.
In the parlance of the Immortal Cultivation Realm, this was a feud born of obstructing one’s Dao!
’No, I have to kill them as soon as possible, especially that old bastard. Doesn’t he have a Cultivation Technique and a Qi Concealment Technique? I can make good use of those!’
Having come to a decision, killing intent surged within Zhang Chi.
Back when Old Xu was trying to trick him, he had let slip some real information. That was how Zhang Chi knew the old man truly did possess a Cultivation Technique and a Qi Concealment Technique.
Every Cultivator has a Cultivation Technique.
But when many Cultivators purchase or are taught one, they must sign a non-disclosure Spirit Contract.
The consequences for violating such a contract are dire.
Therefore, not every Cultivator can pass on their technique privately.
But those who didn’t sign a Spirit Contract, or who obtained their Cultivation Technique through other means, were not bound by such restrictions.
Old Xu was clearly one of the latter.
And the Qi Concealment Technique was a common auxiliary Magic, so it was perfectly normal for Old Xu to know it.
Of course, even if Old Xu didn’t have the Cultivation Technique and Qi Concealment Technique, Zhang Chi wasn’t worried.
Because one of the other three men was bound to have one.
But even after making his decision, Zhang Chi didn’t act rashly.
For one, this wasn’t the right place to make a move.
For another, he couldn’t beat the four of them.
Even though the four were weakened by their shackles and the Gold Fiend, they were still Cultivators who had been tempered by Spiritual Power. Every move they made contained the force of several hundred jin.
Their speed, reflexes, and combat experience were far beyond what a rookie like him could match.
—
At this moment, the other Mining Slaves were pouring out of their cells and rushing toward the mine entrance, afraid they would be punished for being late.
Zhang Chi didn’t dally, immediately joining the stream of people.
He also noticed that after a night of deep sleep, his condition had indeed improved.
The Jade Pendant in his mind had returned to a light red color, meaning it could once again absorb more negative energy.
’Good!’
This change put Zhang Chi in a great mood.
But his good mood didn’t last long.
Last night’s meat-filled flatbread had long since been digested, and his stomach was starting to rumble again.
Clearly, one flatbread was nowhere near enough to cover his energy expenditure, let alone help him recuperate.
And that was just as a mortal.
If he were a Cultivator, whose body functions were much more powerful, he would need to eat even more without any Spiritual Qi to absorb.
—
At that moment, Zhang Chi also realized that there were over a thousand Mining Slaves, but only a few dozen Guards.
Yet the Mining Slaves were all completely docile.
Clearly, the ability to use Spiritual Power, Magic, and Magical Artifacts had an enormous impact on their Combat Power.
In the clearing outside the mine, the vendors selling flatbreads and other goods were already set up. Many Mining Slaves were buying something to eat.
One of them, a burly man over two meters tall who looked like a small giant, even bought wine and jerky along with his group of followers.
These were none other than Brother Zhou and his underlings.
But there were also many Mining Slaves who could only gulp down their saliva while drinking their fill from the stream.
Zhang Chi did the same, filling his belly with water. Then, herded by the Guards, he collected his tools and entered the mine once more.
But Zhang Chi didn’t rush to start mining. Instead, he followed his memories toward an abandoned mine tunnel.
The other Mining Slaves paid him no mind.
After all, it was normal for someone to break away from the group to find a better mining spot, relieve themselves, or take a break.
But Zhang Chi had none of those things in mind.
The existence of the Mine Tyrant and Old Xu had made Zhang Chi realize that it was unrealistic to rely on mining alone to earn money and recover his health.
Besides, mining was exhausting. Digging up too much ore would only arouse suspicion and risk exposing him.
Therefore, he had to find another way.
Fortunately, the mine was dark and damp, and creatures like centipedes, scorpions, poisonous insects, and rats were common.
This time, Zhang Chi planned to catch some to eat.
However, Zhang Chi’s primary target wasn’t just any common bug, but the horde of Four-legged Strange Snakes that had appeared in a mine tunnel two months ago.
Although the Guards had cleared out that tunnel, many of the snakes still remained.
The Four-legged Strange Snakes were not large and had average strength, but their fangs were sharp and their venom was incredibly potent.
Even the Guards found their bites extremely painful, requiring a large amount of Spiritual Power to perform a Refinement on the poison.
If a Mining Slave was bitten, the result was far worse.
Therefore, even though there was still plenty of Ore in that tunnel, it had been abandoned.
All the Mining Slaves stayed far away from that area.
But for Zhang Chi, it was the perfect place.
For one, he had the Jade Pendant, which could counteract the snake’s venom.
For another, the Four-legged Strange Snakes were Half-Step Demon Beasts, rich in qi and blood.
Their meat had a limited effect on Cultivators, but for a mortal like Zhang Chi, it was an absolute tonic.
Of course, if he could control some of the strange snakes and use them to help kill his roommates, or even aid in his future escape, that would be even better!
