Free Web NovelChapter 42: Chapter 42: Search
Although such a thought had crossed Jiang Xu’s mind, he still felt the probability of this being a trap was low.
Unless someone wanted to declare war on the Profound Origin Sect directly.
Otherwise, no one would dare provoke one of the Profound Origin Sect’s Top Ten Inner Disciples.
These disciples all had Foundation Establishment Elders as their masters.
They carried numerous treasures bestowed by the Sect, making it difficult for even someone at Qi Cultivation Great Perfection to capture them.
As for a Foundation Establishment expert making a move...
Then all they could do was resign themselves to fate.
But even if a Foundation Establishment cultivator managed to capture them, they would be hunted down by the Profound Origin Sect for the rest of their days.
No one was careless with their own life.
’But if it isn’t a trap...’
’...then where in the world did Yang Shu go?’
Jiang Xu had initially wanted to search for him, but after mulling it over, he decided against it and returned directly to his room.
...
The next day, Jiang Xu rose early.
After stepping outside, he used the Spiritual Eye Technique and spotted the fluctuations of Yang Shu’s Magical Power.
The Magical Power fluctuations of a Qi Cultivation Seventh Layer cultivator were as dazzling as a small lightbulb.
’He really did come back.’
According to the itinerary Yan Chunyu had set yesterday.
It was time to gather at Yan Chunyu’s location.
Jiang Xu ambled over to the designated meeting spot.
Before long, everyone had assembled.
"Let’s check the residences of the missing disciples first,"
Yan Chunyu announced, stating the plan they had already decided upon.
And so, with Yang Shu leading the way, the group headed into the mining area.
Though it was early morning, the mining area was already bustling with activity.
The four Outer Disciples had also begun their work as supervisors.
The residences of the Outer Disciples were also within the mining area.
However, their residences were a clear step up from the dilapidated shacks that surrounded them.
They were at least brick-and-tile houses, which was practically "luxurious" by comparison.
Perhaps because they were short three Outer Disciple supervisors, the remaining ones in the mining area seemed slightly overwhelmed.
The miners’ faces were weary and grim. The long hours of physical labor and the harsh environment had stained their skin a deep gray, as if weathered by years of wind and dust.
Every miner emerging from the tunnels was stooped over, a large basket at least a meter tall strapped to their back.
The baskets were filled to overflowing with ore and looked to weigh over two hundred pounds.
For context, a normal adult can carry about one hundred pounds.
Even for Cultivators with their enhanced strength, but a Cultivator at the Qi Cultivation First and Second Layers has barely stepped onto the path of an Immortal Cultivator. They weren’t Body Cultivators, so while they were stronger than mortals, the difference was limited.
The miner would approach a supervisor and dump out the ore. The supervisor would then take out a Magical Artifact to measure the approximate content of Primordial Magnet Iron within the pile of Primordial Magnet Ore.
They would then record the miner’s number, the Primordial Magnet Iron content, the time, and other information in a logbook for the end-of-month payroll.
Immediately after, the miner would return to the tunnels to continue excavating ore with a Spiritual Pickaxe.
This was the daily life of a low-level Loose Cultivator.
And yet, these miners weren’t even at the very bottom of the hierarchy.
At least they had stable work.
This wasn’t some illicit operation; it was an industry owned by the Profound Origin Sect, a Major Sect of the Righteous Sect. There was no unprovoked docking of pay or beating of miners.
The entire mining area operated on the principle of "the more you work, the more you earn." The more Primordial Magnet Iron you mined, the more Spirit Stones you received.
If you got lucky and excavated Primordial Magnet Ore with an extremely high concentration of Primordial Magnet Iron, you’d strike it rich.
The Spirit Stones you’d get would be more than enough to buy a Spirit Pill to break through to the Qi Cultivation Third Layer, with plenty left over!
Unlucky low-level Cultivators often met far worse fates: captured to be used as Furnace Cauldrons, used as material for Demonic Cultivators to practice their Demon Skills, or turned into living petri dishes for special Gu Insects.
Such situations were disturbingly common.
It was only because the Profound Origin Sect prided itself on being a pillar of the Righteous Sect that it frequently dealt with such matters within its sphere of influence.
Otherwise, the living conditions for these miners would probably be ten times worse!
Jiang Xu looked away, feeling a wave of emotion while also being secretly thankful.
’Thankfully, the person I transmigrated into didn’t have too tragic a life.’
’If I’d really been reborn into one of those worst-case scenarios...’
’...I can’t imagine how I would’ve broken free.’
’I probably wouldn’t even have had the chance to die.’
Just as Jiang Xu’s mind was wandering, Yang Shu opened the door to one of the rooms.
"Everyone, this is the residence of one of the missing disciples."
Yan Chunyu stepped inside first, and the others followed her in single file.
Jiang Xu scanned his surroundings.
It was just an ordinary room.
A bed, a table, a stool, and other such things.
Some clothes were scattered about the room, and there was still some food on the table.
There was no sign at all that someone was planning to leave; to Jiang Xu, it looked no different from any ordinary room.
"Steward Yang, did you search this place after they disappeared?"
Yan Chunyu hadn’t found anything either, so she posed the question to Yang Shu.
"Well... I only came to check if they were in their rooms. As for anything else... I haven’t done that," Yang Shu replied.
"Mm."
Yan Chunyu nodded, then began searching the room with Shan Lanlan and Ding Shiping.
But after a long search, they found no clues.
"On to the next place!"
Yan Chunyu’s brow furrowed. After a moment, she called for everyone to head to the next room.
But unfortunately, just like the last one, they found nothing.
"Everyone, this is the last room. It’s the one belonging to the disciple named Jiang Zhuo, the one at the Qi Cultivation Fourth Layer."
Hearing this, the group’s flagging spirits were lifted once more.
From what Yang Shu had said, this disciple, Jiang Zhuo, was the key to the entire incident.
Therefore, it was highly likely they would find something unusual in his room.
Jiang Xu had kept his Spiritual Eye Technique active the entire time.
He was hoping the Spiritual Eye Technique would reveal something out of the ordinary.
But, just like everyone else, he hadn’t seen anything unusual in the first two rooms.
But just as the door to Jiang Zhuo’s room was opened, Jiang Xu’s keen senses detected a sudden flicker in the Magical Power fluctuations within Yang Shu’s body.
It was only for an instant, and then there was no further change.
Hm?
’What was that?’
’Was I just seeing things?’
He was suspicious. After scrutinizing Yang Shu again, he couldn’t see any change.
He didn’t just dismiss it as a mistake caused by being overly sensitive.
’Even the slightest hint of something wrong must be taken seriously!’
Jiang Xu made a mental note and covertly cast a Concealing Breath Spell, a Light Body Spell, and a Giant Strength Technique on himself. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
He already had a Small Cotton Needle Technique formed and ready in his palm.
It was just a shame that the Golden Light Spell formed a Golden Light Shield around the body, which would cause too much of a commotion.
Otherwise, Jiang Xu would have cast it already.
’I wonder if the Golden Light Spell can be used with more Concealment once it reaches the Master Level...’
As he was thinking, Jiang Xu saw that Yang Shu had already walked through the doorway.
Only after everyone else was inside and he had observed no unusual reactions from them did Jiang Xu cautiously step through the door himself.
