Chapter 35: Unexpected Gains from the Purple Jade Vein (Part II)

"My Lady." Seeing Gu Linglong arrive, Layman Chen Lin did not dare to be negligent and quickly stood up.

"I have troubled you, Layman," Gu Linglong said with a slight nod.

"Not at all. Being able to relieve your burdens is truly my honor." Layman Chen Lin’s flattery was so smooth that it made Li Chengzhu, standing to the side, curl his lip in disdain.

"Let us go down and speak," Gu Linglong said with a faint smile.

"After you, my Lady," Layman Chen Lin said, stepping aside and gesturing with a bow.

"Very well." Gu Linglong nodded, then led the group as they descended to the ground.

Watching the bustling scene of workers entering and exiting, Gu Linglong asked, "Layman, how much purple jade can be mined each day?"

"Generally, we can harvest about ten 'jie' of purple jade daily," Uncle Cai, who had been waiting on the ground to welcome them, spoke up immediately to answer.

Ten *jie*—that was one hundred cubic units. Li Chengzhu did some quick mental math on the side; it wasn't bad. Although the material wasn't particularly valuable, the sheer volume made up for it.

Gu Linglong nodded in satisfaction. Discovering this purple jade vein was truly a blessing for Rainbow City. Furthermore, other auxiliary refining materials could be found in the vein, and there was even a possibility of uncovering Heavenly Mystery Stones.

Li Chengzhu’s eyes darted over, and he saw the fake woman who made him so uncomfortable, Yuchun, running toward them with a smile, while Yuan Mu followed her like a lovesick puppy.

"Little Ying!" Yuchun exclaimed happily, opening her arms and embracing Little Ying.

Staring viciously at their chests, which were pressed together in a jarring contrast, Li Chengzhu curled his lip. How did this woman grow up? Her chest was so strangely shaped.

"Why is she here?" Boss Li lowered his voice and asked Yuan Mu, who had walked up beside him.

"She is Layman Chen Lin’s daughter. Why do you think she’s here?" Yuan Mu replied, also in a low voice.

Boss Li almost choked on his own breath. He took a closer look at Layman Chen Lin’s shriveled, gaunt appearance, and a burst of wild laughter erupted in his heart.

It truly is a case of "every man has his use," and "a rat’s son knows how to dig holes."

"Then why are you here?" Li Chengzhu squinted at Yuan Mu with ulterior motives, his face full of mischief.

"I go wherever I please," Yuan Mu replied, his old face flushing red.

"You aren't actually falling for her at first sight, are you?" Li Chengzhu asked in astonishment. This woman didn't have a single ounce of feminine charm; how could Yuan Mu be interested in her?

Watching the woman grab Little Ying’s hands and rub them incessantly, Li Chengzhu even had the urge to rush over and punch those two lumps until they were completely flat.

Leaning into Yuan Mu’s ear, Boss Li whispered a wicked suggestion: "I happen to have some Aphrodisiac Immortal Powder."

Yuan Mu’s mouth opened wide like a deep cave, staring at Li Chengzhu in disbelief.

Gu Linglong turned and shot a reproachful glare at Boss Li, her small hand twisting his arm in a subtle, sharp pinch.

"Heh heh," Li Chengzhu immediately let out an awkward laugh.

***

"Squeak! Squeak!" The little creature, which had been resting quietly in Gu Linglong’s arms, suddenly opened its eyes and stared intently at the mine shaft, letting out a sharp cry.

"What is it?" Little Ying stepped forward and stroked the little creature’s head, taking the opportunity to break free from Yuchun’s entanglement.

"Let’s go inside and take a look," Li Chengzhu suggested, rolling his eyes.

"My Lady, the mine is filled with dust and is extremely dirty. I think it would be better if I took a few men to check it out," Layman Chen Lin said, standing before the group.

"It’s fine," Gu Linglong waved her hand. "We are only going down for a look." Having spent a long time together, Gu Linglong knew well that the little creature was actually a Treasure-Seeking Mouse. Since it had given a signal, there was undoubtedly something to be found down below.

Boss Li watched Layman Chen Lin with cold eyes. Gu Linglong had been through great storms; she had walked across the Red Rock Terraces where the ground was soaked in blood and littered with severed limbs, yet she remained composed. Would she really be afraid of a little dust in a mine? Moreover, Li Chengzhu didn't see a hint of panic on the man's face. It seemed that even if there was treasure inside, they hadn't discovered it yet.

Li Chengzhu took a step forward and said to Layman Chen Lin, "Brother Chen, you should just stay outside and watch them. If no one is supervising, I’m afraid they’ll slack off, and then wouldn’t your share be much smaller?" As he spoke, his hand secretly traced characters on Gu Linglong’s back.

Gu Linglong understood instantly and quickly said, "Layman, you should stay outside; we will be out in a moment." Without waiting for a response, she led the group toward the cave entrance.

Since the City Lord had spoken, Layman Chen Lin had no choice but to obey, standing in place and watching them enter the cave.

Once inside, Boss Li immediately assumed the role of the leader, walking at the front to show the way. In truth, he was mostly worried that the light was too dim and that some worm or rat might jump out and frighten the two ladies. Although both ladies had high cultivation levels—one was even at the Immortal tier—they were still women, after all.

Glancing back, Boss Li felt a surge of frustration.

That little wench Yuchun had actually followed them in. It seemed that while he had shaken off the old man, he hadn't managed to shake off the young one.

"Why are you following?" Li Chengzhu asked, feigning surprise.

"What? Am I not allowed to look? Besides, I am much more familiar with the layout of these side tunnels than you are," Yuchun glared at Li Chengzhu.

Boss Li looked at Little Ying, then at Yuan Mu; both looked as if they couldn't help him at all.

"Damn, I curse you to grow a small penis tomorrow," Boss Li muttered to himself, his mind racing on how to get rid of this little tail.

The mine was equipped with light-gathering stones. These stones could be found in most parts of the Immortal Realm and were useless for anything other than soaking up sunlight during the day to provide illumination at night. However, they were enough to light the way for the low-level miners so they wouldn't bump their heads.

Li Chengzhu had long known that the stories in books about cultivators being able to see perfectly clearly at night were all fabrications by writers to deceive people.

The laws of light refraction were universal—if there was no light, you couldn't see a damn thing. High-level cultivators could see in dimly lit environments, but that still required at least a sliver of light to enter their eyes. Otherwise, who had eyes that could emit their own light?

In any case, at his current cultivation level, if he were to go several miles deep into a tunnel where all light was blocked, he wouldn't be able to see a thing.

The first few hundred meters of the mine were a straight path, two people wide and one person tall. After walking for a third of an incense stick's time, Li Chengzhu found a side path. The clanging sound of picks striking rock echoed from both sides.

Although cultivators had the ability to harness the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, they generally mined by hand. Firstly, this preserved the integrity of the ore, and secondly, they might discover other useful materials within the vein.

Otherwise, with the means of a cultivator, they could just blast the entire vein to pieces and everyone could just squat on the ground and pick up the remains.

Although manual mining was time-consuming, in a world lacking resources, finding such a large vein was a stroke of luck that the lower-level cultivators were more than happy to endure.

***

"Which way?" Li Chengzhu looked back at the little creature in Gu Linglong’s arms.

"Squeak." The little creature reluctantly raised its head, let out a cry, and then collapsed back into Gu Linglong’s arms, closing its eyes.

For such a spiritual beast, neither Gu Linglong nor Little Ying could understand what it was saying, but Li Chengzhu, who shared a psychic connection with it, understood perfectly.

Sure enough, following the creature's guidance, Li Chengzhu turned left and led the group deeper inside.

After taking a dozen turns, Li Chengzhu finally reached the end of the path.

At the end, a small miner was holding a specialized mining pick, carefully tapping at the rock layer and picking up the purple jade that came loose.

Hearing the noise behind him, the miner paused and turned around, only to find a crowd standing there. The leader was none other than the "cow dung" who had plucked the two flowers of Rainbow City.

An idol! He was about to speak and pay his respects, but under the light of the stone, he saw the two flowers behind that "cow dung."

He was so moved that he nearly choked. Mining was just a bit tiring, but the City Lord had actually brought people to visit and show their concern! The City Lord was truly the best in the Immortal Realm.

"You, get out," Boss Li said, looking at the man's trembling shoulders, pointing outside with a stern face.

"Eh?" The little miner was confused.

"I said get out!" Li Chengzhu impatiently grabbed the miner by the collar, hauled him out, threw him onto the ground, and dusted his hands off. He looked at him coldly: "The City Lord is here to inspect your mining progress. Go notify the others and have them gather outside the cave entrance. If anyone’s work is found to be below standard later, heh heh..."

"Yes, yes!" Hearing that the City Lord was inspecting, the miner scrambled off to notify the others.

"Hey, why are you treating our people like that?" Yuchun couldn't stand it anymore. This guy had led them around in circles only to end up here, and now he dared to bully her people right in front of her.

Li Chengzhu turned his head and looked at her coldly: "It’s the City Lord’s order." He then arched his eyebrows at Yuan Mu.

Yuan Mu quickly looked away; ever since he had been tricked by this guy last time, his heart would go cold whenever he saw those eyebrows arch.

"What a spineless fellow," Boss Li muttered, rolling up his sleeves. Taking advantage of the moment Yuchun turned to ask Gu Linglong a question, he stepped forward and struck her on the back of the head. Yuchun didn't even moan before she went limp.

Yuan Mu was quick-witted and rushed behind her to catch her.

Heh heh, ever since he knocked out Qiu Feng last time, Boss Li had become quite skilled at controlling his strength.

Gu Linglong shot a reproachful glare at Li Chengzhu.

Little Ying smacked her lips: "Up to no good again."