Lu Ye suddenly felt a strong force grabbing him, his body involuntarily following along. Suppressing the pain in his chest, he asked, "Manager Yang, where are we going?"
"Shut up!" Manager Yang snapped viciously. After a few steps, he glanced at the mining basket behind Lu Ye, "Drop it."
Lu Ye dared not disobey, untying the mining basket and dropping it to the ground. However, he did not drop his mining pick. Manager Yang only glanced at it but said nothing more.
The light behind grew dimmer as they went deeper in.
The depths of the mine were very dark, with the occasional torch every few dozen feet providing a bit of light. The passages within the entire vein crisscrossed, with extremely complex terrain, and not every mining tunnel was illuminated by torches. Most of the mine passages were enveloped in darkness all year round, and no one knew where these tunnels led.
Therefore, when mining here, if one did not follow the traces of the torches, it was very easy to lose direction.
For the mortal mining slaves who lost their way in such a place, the outcome was predictable.
In the mouths of the mining slaves, the lighted mine tunnels were called lit tunnels, while those enveloped in darkness all year round were known as dark tunnels.
There were often instances of torches burning out, turning lit tunnels into dark tunnels, and mining slaves losing their bearings, starving to death.
As he followed Manager Yang, Lu Ye noticed something strange, that Manager Yang kept looking back nervously as if there was some danger behind them.
Manager Yang's behavior made him anxious as well.
"Lu Ye, have you discovered any secret paths?" Manager Yang suddenly asked.
"Yes," Lu Ye nodded. Denying it in front of Manager Yang was pointless. In fact, not only did Lu Ye know several dark tunnels, the few stronger mining slaves in the mine each had a few paths as well.
Although the lit tunnels were safer, there were not many places left to mine in them; in contrast, the dangerous dark tunnels often contained valuable finds.
It was by relying on these dark tunnels rich in resources that Lu Ye was able to have a full harvest every day. Otherwise, where would he find the extra contribution to exchange for blood Qi pills?
That was also why Manager Yang took him along after recognizing him.
"Manager Yang wants to go to those dark tunnels?" Lu Ye asked, his suspicion growing as Manager Yang suddenly inquired about the dark tunnels.
Manager Yang said, "Take me there, find the most secluded dark tunnel."
"Alright!" Lu Ye nodded, walking a few steps before suddenly groaning, clutching his chest.
The bones in his chest were dislocated from the beating and following Manager Yang on this fast-paced journey gave him no chance to rest properly. Now, as the injury was aggravated, pain made him stop in his tracks, his forehead breaking out in a cold sweat.
Manager Yang looked at him disapprovingly and hesitated for a moment before reaching into a pouch at his waist and pulling out a round and soybean-sized pill, handing it to Lu Ye, "Eat it!"
Lu Ye took it, unable to recognize what kind of pill it was. He had only encountered blood Qi pills throughout the year; this pill was clearly different from the blood Qi pill.
But at this moment, with Manager Yang needing him, it was unlikely that he would harm him. Chances were, the pill was for healing purposes.
He popped the pill into his mouth, chewed a few times, and immediately regretted it deeply as the medicine was incredibly bitter.
"Why chew it? Just swallow it down. It's a healing pill," Manager Yang said irritably.
So it was indeed a healing pill. With a face as bitter as a gourd, Lu Ye still had to express gratitude, "Thank you, Manager Yang."
"If you really want to thank me, then get moving," Manager Yang pushed him.
With no choice but to muster his spirits, Lu Ye led the way.
Though the pill was bitterly unpleasant, its effect was astonishingly good. Within moments after taking it, Lu Ye felt a warm current flowing in his lower abdomen, and the pain in his chest lessened, turning into a ticklish sensation.
This made him inwardly remark that indeed, good medicine tastes bitter.
Under Lu Ye's lead, the two of them continued to navigate the complex network of mining tunnels. Occasionally, they encountered mining slaves on their way back, whom Manager Yang killed with a wave of his hand.
Lu Ye's eyelids twitched, and his suspicions grew clearer.
About a Shichen later, they stopped in front of a dark tunnel, with Lu Ye now holding a torch he had taken from nearby. He said, "Manager Yang, this is the most hidden dark tunnel. After you enter, take a left at the first junction, and at the second junction..."
Before he could finish speaking, Manager Yang kicked him inside, "Lead the way ahead!"
Lu Ye's heart sank to the bottom. He didn't want to lead the way. Judging by Manager Yang's actions on the way here, if he really led him to the place, he probably wouldn't end well.
But his last attempt had already failed. Clearly, Manager Yang did not plan to venture into the dark tunnel alone. Having Lu Ye, who knew the terrain, lead the way was far better than him fumbling around by himself.
Helpless, Lu Ye could only continue forward.
After many twists and turns, even the cultivator Manager Yang began to forget the way back. More than two hours later, the mining tunnel ahead was blocked, with no way forward.
Lu Ye planted the torch into a concealed stake on the rock wall.
Manager Yang took a deep breath, sitting down to catch his breath and glanced at Lu Ye, unable to suppress a chuckle, "You're quite capable, finding such a place."
Lu Ye smiled, "Just lucky."
Manager Yang nodded and said no more.
Lu Ye said, "Manager Yang, then I'll head back first."
Manager Yang slightly lifted his eyelids, saying indifferently, "Lu Ye, you are a smart person, and smart people should do smart things."