"If we really dig something out of there, it'll be our great fortune."
Li Haomiao's lips curled into a smirk. Despite his usual composure, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"You demoness... You wretched demoness. It seems I am destined to be your nemesis. I swear, I will restore the Li Family to its former glory and bring honor back to the Great Zhou."
Ignoring Li Haomiao's grand proclamations, Xu Yunfan hesitated, wanting to back out.
'This thing looks incredibly dangerous. I have my Skill Level panel; I can make a good living no matter what I do. There's no need to take such a risk.'
Seeing Xu Yunfan turn to leave, Li Haomiao spoke up. "If you leave, and word of the Ancient Jade Wall gets out, this entire Ninggu Tower will have to be silenced. Everyone will die, especially those who have seen it. Even if you manage to escape this mine..."
"Knowing that demoness, even if you fled to the ends of the earth, she would hunt you down and have your bones ground into ash."
The Ancient Jade Wall was far too important. So important that sacrificing the entirety of Ninggu Tower would be considered an acceptable price.
Xu Yunfan froze. After a moment of silence, he turned to face Li Haomiao.
"Teach me another martial art. I want a Body Technique."
A flicker of light appeared in Li Haomiao's eyes, but he agreed with a nod, not a hint of hesitation.
"I have a martial art called the Flying Leg. If you reach Great Success with it, you'll be able to race like a fierce horse and be as light as a feather. Ordinary people wouldn't even be able to see you go."
At this, Xu Yunfan couldn't help but interject, "Don't you have any martial arts with more... impressive names? Flying Leg... Hah."
'Take the Copper Body Skill, for example. The General Outline talks about achieving a 'Great Mastery of copper skin,' but the introductory memories the system gave me were just of tempering my body by being beaten with clubs and whips. The whole process was agonizing. Just thinking about those implanted memories leaves a sour taste in my mouth.'
Li Haomiao didn't even raise his eyelids.
"I know other Martial Arts, but the conditions here are not suitable for their Cultivation. Take the Taoist Sect's highest-level Lightweight Skill, Shrinking Inches. At its peak, you can chase the wind and outpace lightning. A single step can cover miles in the blink of an eye. But to practice it, you need the help of Secret Medicine, special massage techniques to stimulate the muscles and tendons in your legs, and poultices made from Treasure Medicine. It costs no less than a thousand taels of silver a day. On top of that, you must endure the excruciating pain of your muscles reshaping and your bones shattering only to mend themselves again."
He looked up at Xu Yunfan. "On top of all that, you must read the Daoist Canon in its entirety, comprehend its philosophies, and possess an exceptionally high aptitude for enlightenment to grasp the essence of Shrinking Inches from the ultimate principles of the Zhou Yi. In the two-thousand-year history of the Taoist Sect, the number of Cultivators who could learn it can be counted on one hand. And without exception, it took them ten years just to learn the basics and a hundred years to master."
Xu Yunfan held up a hand. "Alright, that's enough. Just tell me about the Flying Leg."
Li Haomiao knew Xu Yunfan wouldn't commit without a guarantee, so he immediately began to explain the training methods for the Flying Leg, detailing the mnemonic verses and the techniques for Emitting Force.
An Hour later, watching Xu Yunfan practice the footwork, Li Haomiao couldn't help but ask, "Did you really memorize everything?"
"Of course. When I'm at my best, I have a photographic memory."
Xu Yunfan was secretly delighted as a notification for the Flying Leg cultivation appeared in his vision, followed by the skill itself showing up as a grayed-out, unlearned technique on his Attribute Panel.
'After getting started with the Copper Body Skill, my Blood Qi has become more active. It seems to make learning other Martial Arts a bit easier.'
Li Haomiao opened his mouth as if to say something, but then simply said, "Well then, keep digging."
"Are you sure there's no danger?"
"There's none. In fact, this might be a great opportunity for you."
Xu Yunfan didn't hesitate any longer. He swung the Iron Pickaxe again and again, clearing away a large section of rock until a Jade Wall as tall as a man was revealed before him.
Xu Yunfan's expression shifted. He could faintly make out what looked like a dark shadow within the Ancient Jade Wall.
"Do Immortals really exist?"
Li Haomiao was quiet for a moment before answering. "Perhaps. There are those in the world who possess True Blood, and legend says they are of a True Immortal Bloodline, but there's no way to prove it."
At this, a look of sudden realization dawned on his face.
"Now I understand why the Mining Supervision Office organized a mine here beneath Ninggu Tower, and why it's under their direct control. The key must be... Someone's coming."
Understanding the half-finished sentence, Xu Yunfan quickly re-covered the man-high Jade Wall with loose rocks.
Although Li Haomiao's cultivation was destroyed, his hearing remained exceptionally sharp, allowing him to pick up sounds Xu Yunfan couldn't.
He moved to a different spot and resumed digging in silence.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Even Xu Yunfan could hear the commotion coming from outside their tunnel branch.
The newcomer's footsteps were heavy, as if he carried a Thousand Jin Power. Each step landed with a dull thud that seemed to echo in one's chest, a suffocating pressure that felt like a heavy stomp on the heart.
Xu Yunfan turned to the side, his body tensing up. He gripped his Iron Pickaxe tightly, his eyes fixed on the entrance to the tunnel without blinking.
In the flickering firelight, a figure appeared, so large it nearly filled the entire width of the tunnel.
He was massive, built like a towering iron pagoda, with broad shoulders and a thick back. Powerful muscles rippled underneath his tight-fitting shirt.
With each step, his thick, powerful legs looked as if they could punch a crater into the ground. He radiated a powerful, suffocating aura, like storm clouds gathering overhead.
Li Haomiao whispered, "He's achieved at least Great Success in a Lower Grade Martial Art. With an aura like that, he must be a Martial Master who has reached the Great Mastery of Skin Cultivation."
When Xu Yunfan got a clear look at the man's face, a chill ran down his spine.
This was the head Supervisor, the same one who had split that young boy in two with a single lash of his whip.
Yang Gan.
Yang Gan shot a dismissive glance at Xu Yunfan in the corner before his gaze shifted to Li Haomiao, who was lying quietly to the side, resting with his eyes closed.
A wide grin spread across his face, revealing a set of crooked, jagged teeth.
"Well, if it isn't Prince Yan, enjoying the fine ambience. Has Your Highness been eating and sleeping well?"
'So he's not here for me.'
Xu Yunfan breathed a small sigh of relief. He naturally kept his head down, trying to be as unnoticeable as a random passerby.
Li Haomiao opened his eyes. His gaze was serene, holding an air of detached elegance that Xu Yunfan had never seen before—as if he were looking at a lowly peasant.
"The food is indeed lacking. I wonder if Leader Yang has a solution?"
Seeing that indifferent gaze, that look of self-proclaimed superiority, a flash of rage crossed Yang Gan's eyes, though he just let out a dry, chuckling laugh. "Heh heh heh..."
"To think the once high and mighty Great Zhou Royal Family, who looked down upon the masses, has fallen so low. Just waiting to die down here... Life's little dramas really are eye-opening, aren't they?"
As he spoke, Yang Gan pulled a small porcelain vial from within his clothes.
"These are Grain Avoidance Pills. I trust Prince Yan knows what to do with them."
Seeing this, Li Haomiao's expression grew complicated. After a moment of silence, he spoke slowly.
"Who sent you?"
Yang Gan replied, "I don't know. I'm just following my superior's orders. They said you're not allowed to die, but you're also not allowed to leave the mines beneath Ninggu Tower."
Hearing this, Li Haomiao didn't press the matter. He simply said, "You may leave now."
Yang Gan's gaze lingered on Li Haomiao for a moment before finally shifting to Xu Yunfan.
In that instant, an intense, bone-deep chill seemed to seep into Xu Yunfan's very being. The raw malice directed at him, enveloping him completely, made every muscle in his body clench tight.
'He wants to kill me!'
"I have a use for this man."
Li Haomiao's voice was low, laced with a clear note of displeasure.