Time temporarily goes back to more than an hour ago.
Inside the back mountain mine, Hong Xu was trembling as he carried half a basket of iron ore and climbed out from the dark, sunless mine tunnel.
Once a proud son of heaven and the young master of a prominent family, Hong Xu was known for his dashing and unrestrained demeanor.
But now, he was disheveled and filthy, his clothes torn into strips barely covering his essential parts, looking even worse than a beggar.
Even after exiting the mine, it wasn't over. He still had to drag his heavy steps through the alley to reach the mine hall.
This was the place designated for purchasing iron ore.
Hong Xu carefully dumped the stones from the basket onto a wooden tray. Someone came over, rummaged through them, and then shouted.
"Twenty-eight pieces of third-grade ore, thirteen pieces of second-grade ore."
Hearing this, Hong Xu became anxious.
These ores were dug out by him at great risk, from the deepest part of the mine, each piece was of high quality, worthy of being premium.
Although Hong Xu knew that without some benefit, these stone collectors would never grade his ores as premium.
But it couldn't be that the stones he painstakingly dug up were rated as second or third grade.
Yet, he dared not show any discontent and instead forced a smiling face, nodding and bending over as he spoke.
"Master Sun San, look how good these stones are. Can you perhaps upgrade them a bit...?"
Before he finished speaking, Sun San raised his hand and slapped him, causing blood to instantly flow from Hong Xu's nose.
Then Sun San angrily cursed, "Are you blind? With these lousy stones, you want an upgrade? Say one more word, and you won't even get this grade!"
"Yes, yes, Master, please calm your anger. I'm sorry for speaking out of turn!" Hong Xu repeatedly slapped his own face.
"Hmph, that's better." Only then did Sun San nod in satisfaction and casually tossed over a wooden plaque.
Hong Xu hurriedly caught it, then left with a flattering smile.
With that wooden plaque, Hong Xu exchanged it for a dozen dry, hard black buns that even dogs wouldn't eat, along with some salt and oil.
This was the entire harvest of Hong Xu's life-threatening hard work over two or three days.
Though pitifully little, Hong Xu still carefully tucked it away and turned to head back to his home.
Calling it home was actually a gouged-out cave, with a broken piece of wood blocking the entrance, serving as the door.
Inside, a stench hit him, making one nauseous.
There was naturally no light inside, but with the glow seeping in from the entrance, one could barely make out the scene in the cave.
In a spot against the wall, there was a haystack with someone lying on it, and a young man keeping watch beside them.
Seeing Hong Xu enter, the young man stood up and quietly called out.
"Brother!"
"Yeah!"
Hong Xu responded, handing over what he had and then approached the haystack.
"Father! How are you feeling?"
The person lying on the haystack was none other than the former awe-inspiring Patriarch of the Hong Family, who had controlled the lifeblood of Wuxiang City for years, Hong Shouchang.
But now, Hong Shouchang showed no trace of his former dominance.
He was emaciated, with large areas of skin ulcerated, clearly at the end of his strength.
Upon hearing the call, Hong Shouchang finally awoke from his half-comatose state. Seeing his son, his eyes suddenly brightened.
"How is it?"
Hong Xu was silent for a moment, then shook his head, "Although it feels like the poison inside is loosening a bit, it's still not fully resolved."
Hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed across Hong Shouchang's face, but he quickly regained his spirit.
"Any loosening is good; it at least proves my previous assumptions were correct. From today on, the medicine allocated to me will still be taken by you," Hong Shouchang said.
"But father, your health...," Hong Xu seemed anxious.
Hong Shouchang waved his hand wearily, "No need to say more. I know my body best. Even without the poison, I doubt I have many days left."
"Better to give you this precious medicine now. As long as you can clear your poison, there's hope for escape, and our Hong Family won't be extinct!"
Hearing his father's words, Hong Xu felt a heavy weight in his heart.
Both he and Hong Shouchang were captured during the last battle, by Cyan Bamboo Ridge and Refining World Sect, and brought into this mine.
After days of torment, many of the Hong Family had either died or perished, leaving only him, a distant cousin, and his father still alive.
Especially with the sudden betrayal by Cyan Bamboo Ridge, it inflicted a heavy blow on Hong Shouchang.
He constantly regretted his past actions, believing he was blinded by immediate interests and failed to see the wolfish ambitions of Cyan Bamboo Ridge, leading to this catastrophe.
Moreover, the harsh conditions in the mine quickly made Hong Shouchang fall ill.
Logically, with Hong Shouchang's strength, even if he fell ill, he shouldn't have reached the end of his strength so quickly.
The problem was their identity as members of the Hong Family.
To eliminate hidden dangers, Refining World Sect poisoned not only the Hong and Yang families but also anyone in Wuxiang City with some martial arts skills.
Every day, the mine provided these people with an antidote dosage.
But the antidote dosage was calculated very precisely, just enough to give you the strength to work, but utterly hopeless if you wanted to fully clear your poison.