Infiltrating the Mine

Su Mu and the others' departure did not attract the attention of the stone-gambling guests in the mine area, for they were completely immersed in the joy of a bountiful harvest.

As they had anticipated, the stall where Xi Meng had unearthed the Lan Tian Jade Heart indeed yielded a large quantity of Lan Tian Jade Stones, all of high quality. Naturally, they no longer had the inclination to bother with people like Su Mu.

The mine area was originally established around the mining site, and the distance was not very far. Su Mu and his group did not walk long before they found the place.

Su Mu looked up and saw a group of miners, faces blackened like charcoal, their bodies hunched, pushing trolleys in and out of several mine shafts, transporting cartloads of ore outwards.

Su Mu roughly calculated that, based on this rate of extraction, the daily output of ore from this mine area was quite astonishing. It seemed the reserves of Jade Stone beneath this mine were considerably abundant.

However, perhaps precisely because of this, the protective measures around the mine area were very strict. Besides basic enchantments, many Sensing Formations were also arranged around the mine area. Su Mu even detected a hint of the aura of Spirit Refining Cultivators.

It made sense, as good things like Lan Tian Jade were also very useful to cultivators, so it was inevitable that criminals would covet them. A little caution was no problem.

However, the background of the owner behind this mine area was also extraordinary, capable of inviting a Spirit Refining Cultivator to guard it. One wondered which power it belonged to.

Watching Xi Meng's figure stealthily evade several guarded checkpoints, Su Mu and the others exchanged smiles, just about to follow, when three streaks of light suddenly flew out from above the mine area, stopping before Xi Meng and revealing their figures.

It was two men and one woman, all with different appearances and auras, clearly not from the same lineage.

"Miss Xi Meng, please reveal your true form."

The only female among the three looked at Xi Meng, who was secretly trying to bypass them, and sighed softly. She gently waved her sleeve, breaking the Concealment Art on Xi Meng.

"Senior Sister Sun Tu, you found me again. Couldn't you have pretended not to see me?"

Discovered, Xi Meng showed no embarrassment. Instead, she very familiarly hugged Sun Tu's arm, acting pitiful and coquettish.

Judging by her demeanor, she was clearly a repeat offender.

Sun Tu patted Xi Meng's head, gently evaded Xi Meng's arm, and walked with her two companions to Su Mu's group, respectfully bowing.

"This junior Sun Tu greets Perfected One. May I ask why Perfected One has come here?"

Su Mu and his group had not deliberately concealed their presence. They had been detected by the three as soon as they entered the mine area, so upon seeing Su Mu heading towards the mine area, they had directly come out.

"Nothing much, this humble Daoist is merely strolling around casually."

"So that's how it is."

Sun Tu nodded slightly, exchanged glances with her companions, one dressed in a monk's robe and the other in a Daoist robe, and then, gathering her courage, said, "Perfected One, please forgive me, but this is a private area and not open to outsiders. If Perfected One is interested, this junior can accompany senior to stroll around that other mine area."

After speaking, Sun Tu looked at Su Mu's expressionless face, then at Zhao Gua standing behind Su Mu, and couldn't help but swallow.

This Perfected One, though young, had a profound and heavy aura. Moreover, with a Heaven's Chosen from Jade Scripture Mountain like Xi Meng accompanying him, his background must be extraordinary. If not for her duty, she would never dare to speak to Su Mu like this.

Su Mu naturally noticed the change in Sun Tu's expression, but he was not angry. He smiled and said, "No matter. You three may do as you please. This humble Daoist will not trouble you further."

Hearing that Su Mu intended to leave, Xi Meng immediately seemed reluctant. Just as she was about to say something, her ears suddenly twitched, followed by a joyful expression as she caught up with Su Mu, actually leaving.

Seeing Xi Meng so readily agreeable this time, Sun Tu and the other two were somewhat surprised. The Daoist even spoke directly, saying, "Big Sister, this girl left so readily this time. Could there be a trick?"

"Second Brother is right. The previous times, this one always had to cause a big scene before she was willing to let go. Why the change of heart today?"

Hearing the Daoist's words, the monk also chimed in.

"Perhaps there are esteemed guests, and it's inconvenient to be too excessive."

Watching Su Mu and his group gradually disappear into the distance, Sun Tu was also somewhat uncertain. After a brief thought, she said:

"Next, we still need to be careful. The Grand Shopkeeper values this place greatly, and there must be no losses."

"Yes, Big Sister."

The Daoist and the monk agreed in unison, then flew back to the top of the mine area, while Sun Tu waited until Su Mu and the others had completely disappeared from her sensing range before leaving.

Once bitten by a snake, one fears a rope for ten years. Xi Meng and her siblings' reputation throughout the entire Da Zhou cultivation world was thunderous. They were almost regarded as plague gods.

After all, wherever these two went, incidents almost always occurred. Although the two always reaped rich rewards each time, the people around them were not so fortunate.

"Brother Su Mu, it's almost time to go."

Xi Meng patiently walked a long way with Su Mu, looking at Lan Tian Town just ahead, and finally couldn't bear it any longer.

Seeing Xi Meng's appearance, Su Mu also stopped, glanced at the distant mine area, and smiled, "Almost. Let's go."

With that, Su Mu's body swayed slightly, and the Hou Tu Divine Killing surged forth, enveloping all of them.

Bai Ze and the others did not resist, allowing the Hou Tu Divine Killing to cover their entire bodies, and under Su Mu's pull, they descended underground.

"Going underground? Brother Su Mu, you might not succeed this way. Senior Sister Sun Tu is most skilled in Earth Evasion Art, and with the formations around this mine area, even a Void Refinement Perfected One would find it difficult to evade her senses."

Seeing Su Mu actually choose to return underground, Xi Meng immediately lost some interest. She no longer held much hope for the subsequent exploration.

Originally, she had agreed to leave after hearing Su Mu say he had a way to get her in, but she didn't expect Su Mu to use such a method, which truly disappointed her.

Seeing this, Su Mu was not angry. He directly controlled the Hou Tu Divine Killing to pass through the ground, quickly arriving beneath the mine area.

Indeed, as Xi Meng had said, the mine area was covered with formations, not even sparing the ground beneath. If they were to force their way through, it would certainly attract the attention of Sun Tu and the others.

However, this could not stop Su Mu, who possessed the Hou Tu Divine Killing.

To Xi Meng's astonishment, the formations that had blocked her countless times seemed to ignore them, allowing them to pass through freely.

Seeing that Su Mu actually had a way to conceal them from those formations, Xi Meng's gaze towards Su Mu immediately turned to worship, and at the same time, other thoughts arose in her heart.

If she could learn this method from Brother Su Mu, then wouldn't she be able to go wherever she pleased in the future, with no one able to restrain her?

But how should she bring it up? Directly asking would certainly not work; this was definitely his unique technique. So, what then...

Become his disciple?