The situation inside Hongshan Mine was beyond Ji You's expectations.
There were not only miners but also some women and children, who reportedly rushed in before the Evil Seeds surged out of Qi Ridge.
The hundreds of miners in the mine, seeing Ji You enter with his sword, their Killing Intent as thick as hemp, all nervously huddled in the corners.
Among them was one, who seemed to be a foreman or team leader, named Luo You, a forty-year-old man, standing in front of everyone.
Unexpectedly, he was a private Cultivator; judging by the Spiritual Qi fluctuations, he had been enlightened for several days.
And besides him, several men hidden in the shadows also showed signs of Spiritual Qi fluctuations.
Hongshan Mine is one of the largest Spirit Mines in the entire Qingyun World, and one-third of the Spirit Stones consumed by Immortals come from here.
Because of the abundant Spiritual Qi within, many miners could actually feel the Innate True Spirit constantly surging within their bodies.
However, because private Cultivation was a capital offense, many did not dare to try.
But now, it seemed they had exhausted all means of self-preservation in their desperation.
“Immortal… what does the Immortal Lord want?”
“We are trapped, and… there’s still a little food.”
“This one is bolder, suitable to be my hall master,” Ji You was still pondering his bandit stronghold.
Seeing that the other party did not speak, Luo You glanced at his pregnant wife hidden behind him: “There are also some Spirit Stones that have been mined; we can give them all to you…”
Food was for survival, and Spirit Stones were hope for Cultivating well enough to fight their way out.
They hadn't thought anyone would come to rescue them.
Because if miners died, they died; once the Evil Qi dissipated, another batch could be brought in.
“Do you… want to leave?”
Ji You had originally intended to take them out, but now he suddenly didn't know what to do.
If they were truly just ordinary miners, leaving would be easy, but now that they had become private Cultivators, they faced the same dilemma Ji You had encountered that day.
Luo You was stunned by his question, still terrified inside, unsure how to answer.
“Do you know that privately Cultivating Immortality is a capital offense punishable by death?”
Luo You knelt down with a thud: “We have already resolved to die; we only ask the Immortal Lord to give us some time to send our wives and children out.”
Ji You understood.
They weren't unaware that privately Cultivating Immortality was a capital offense; they had long since accepted their fate.
After becoming enlightened, they likely intended to protect their families and escape, feeling that even dying among the Evil Seeds would be a death in its proper place.
But now a new problem arose: if it were just a group of strong men, even if they were all ordinary people, as long as they could keep up, most could probably be rescued.
But now there were also children and pregnant women; this was a dead end.
Ji You turned to Yuan Chen: “Ask your questions first.”
Yuan Chen nodded and took out an Immortal Robe from his personal gourd.
Unlike the Immortal Robes of Tianshu Academy, this robe was entirely yellow with red lapels, and a four-legged square cauldron was subtly embroidered on the back.
“Have you seen six people wearing this kind of clothing appear here?”
Luo You glanced at it: “No… never seen them.”
Yuan Chen shook it again, somewhat anxiously: “Look more carefully? Maybe they just passed by, or perhaps they were being escorted.”
“Indeed, I haven't seen them.”
“Then on New Year’s Day, were there any strange people near here? Like Evil Seeds, full of Evil Qi?”
Luo You looked carefully for a long time: “On New Year’s Day, a large number of Evil Seeds suddenly surged out of the mountain, killing the Immortals guarding the mine, so we hid here and saw nothing.”
Dan Sect’s Alchemy requires a sealed and stable environment, and in Yuan Chen’s opinion, the mine was an extremely suitable location.
But seeing a group of people shake their heads, he couldn't help but feel a little desperate.
Now the only possibility was that his sister had been taken into the mountain, but with his ability, he couldn't possibly go in and search.
Moreover, entering the mountain based on just a sliver of possibility was not a wise move.
At this moment, Ji You also twisted the gourd in his hand, and as a Spiritual Light flashed, a pile of assorted grains appeared on the empty ground outside the door, forming a small mountain.
“I originally wanted to rescue you, but it seems I can’t do it now.”
“The food was acquired from the granary in Beisha Town before I came; it’s enough for you to eat for a while.”
“Continue to Cultivate; perhaps you can still Cultivate a glimmer of hope. After you get out, flee east. If you’re lucky, you probably won’t encounter Immortal Sect Disciples.”
After Ji You finished speaking, he looked at Yuan Chen: “Let’s go. All the questions have been asked. I’ll send you out of Beisha Town.”
Yuan Chen’s face was somewhat pale: “My elder sister must have been here. Since she’s not here, perhaps she was taken into the mountain.”
“You shouldn’t just rush in based on a guess. I assume you ran away from home, right? I suggest you go back and explain things to your family first, then make long-term plans, preferably finding some trustworthy Upper Five Realms experts to prepare.”
“I don’t even know if my elder sister is alive or dead; how can I go back…”
“Since they captured Alchemists to reform Medicinal Pills, your elder sister won’t be in any danger in the short term.”
“Really?”
Ji You pointed to his head: “This thing, sometimes it’s quite useful.”
Yuan Chen remained silent for a long time after hearing this, then twirled his fingertips, and a square box appeared on the ground in front of him.
Inside the box were the Medicinal Pills he had brought, originally intended as a price to ask for help from other Immortal Sects.
Now that the clue was broken, the Medicinal Pills in the box were no longer needed.
However, he didn't say how to take them; he simply pushed them towards the miners and walked silently to the door.
“They came here, and then they went into the mountain.”
“?”
Luo You’s wife looked at the food and suddenly spoke as they turned to leave: “People wearing those clothes went into the mountain, escorted by people wearing cloaks.”
Luo You turned to look at his wife, his eyes somewhat sharp.
But his wife’s face showed a stubborn expression, which made him fall silent, not stopping her.
Yuan Chen was stunned for a long time, then suddenly turned to Ji You: “Brother Ji, a thousand taels, gold!”
“I’m just a Junior Third Realm Completion; I can’t go.”
“I can give everything I can, I just want to save my elder sister.”
Luo You looked up upon hearing this, hesitated for a moment, then spoke: “If you want to enter the mountain, you can take the mine tunnel; it’s closer. Hongshan Mine has a mine tunnel that leads into the mountain.”
Ji You looked incredulously at the honest miner in front of him, thinking, “You guys must be hired by Yuan Chen to put on a show for me.”
“Why is it so hard for me to become a bandit?”
Yuan Chen looked up at Ji You: “My elder sister is very beautiful…”
“I don’t care; I’ve seen the most beautiful.”
“Then being a concubine is fine too…”
Ji You looked at his incredulous face: “Have you asked your sister what she thinks?”
Yuan Chen was deflated: “Life is the most important thing; in this world, everything else besides life and death is a small matter…”
“Add another thousand taels; my stronghold needs initial capital.”
“Deal!”
Ji You turned to Luo You: “Can you tell me everything you know about Qi Ridge? Some things might be useful to us.”
Luo You looked at his wife, who silently nodded, and finally sighed: “Over the years, people have actually been entering and leaving the mountain frequently. We only dared to watch from afar and didn’t dare to follow into the mountain. The only thing we know is that they didn’t just capture people wearing those clothes, but also many Immortals from Immortal Sects.”
Luo You’s wife added: “And infants.”
Ji You turned to look at her: “What?”
“For the past three years, there have been babies crying in the mountain every day. Someone from the mine followed the sound to look for them before, but they never came back.”
Upon hearing this, Ji You was completely stunned.
Kuang Cheng was looking for lost infants and finally found clues from the records of Yanhang Post Station. Ji You had asked in Beisha Town, but everyone in the town said they didn't know.
He had thought the clue was broken, but he never expected it to be reconnected here.