Below the price list, numerous detailed rules were written in small characters.
For example, the deeper one goes into the mine, the more spirit stones are required, and the shorter the time limit.
Moreover, the ore mined by cultivators must not be hoarded; it should be presented in full at the time of extraction for inspection. Yugang Town will take fifty percent, leaving the other fifty percent for the cultivators.
"Ahzhuo, quick, look here; just as you suspected," Sun Lingtong transmitted to Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo gave up studying the price list and turned his head, only to see a wanted poster for that demon Black Wind Tiger.
The poster depicted the Black Tiger baring its teeth, viscous blood flowing from between them. The painter was skilled and captured the unique temperament of this demon.
"Black Wind Tiger Demons," Ning Zhuo muttered under his breath, softly reading the name listed on the wanted poster.
Besides it, there were several other demon cultivators that were quite familiar to Ning Zhuo.
Upon closer inspection, he recognized them as members of the group of demon cultivators he had seen in the valley. They were extremely strong and domineering when competing for blood food, serving as small leaders under the command of the Black Wind Tiger Demon.
"There is also that human cultivator," Sun Lingtong added, his observational abilities far surpassing Ning Zhuo's.
In Shanxi Valley, there was only one human clan cultivator, a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, used as a servant by the Tiger Demon.
Ning Zhuo looked in the direction of the sound and unexpectedly discovered that this human clan cultivator was not listed on the wanted poster but was instead part of a missing person notice.
The human cultivator, named Shisui and skilled in Earth Element Magic, was the son of the former town leader. Since the Black Wind Tiger Demon led an attack on the town, killing many cultivators including the previous leader, Shisui had been missing since the battle, nowhere to be found.
Sun Lingtong said, "That Tiger Demon was powerful enough to assault the town. Shisui must have been captured in that battle, held in Shanxi Valley all this time, not killed but used as a servant to attend to the Tiger Demon."
"Next, we poison the Tiger Demon, and Shisui might serve as our inside man. After all, his father died at the hands of the Tiger Demon! I thought he was a traitor."
Sun Lingtong looked at Ning Zhuo, smiling, "If we kill the Black Wind Tiger Demon, there is also a bounty to be claimed. Not bad, not bad. Should we accept the mission now?"
However, Ning Zhuo stopped him, "Boss, no hurry, let's explore the town first."
"Mm, I'll listen to you," Sun Lingtong said.
Since the Lava Fairy Palace incident, Sun Lingtong had fully realized Ning Zhuo's strategical prowess. He had the self-awareness to recognize that in terms of schemes and tactics, this younger brother he had nurtured was far more cunning and treacherous than himself.
The two then disguised themselves as loose cultivators mining for ores, each paying fifty spirit stones to enter the town.
Inside the town, streets were broad, with massive mechanical cars traveling back and forth.
Lining the streets stood simple stone houses that sparkled with jade light under the sun, clearly made by the cultivators using local materials.
The town was bustling with people; the voices of vendors and the laughter of miners mingled together.
Many cultivators walked around shirtless, their muscles bulging and their voices rough and bold, clearly Body Cultivators.
Besides them, there were mainly Gold and Earth Cultivators.
These three types of cultivators were most suited to work as miners.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong first went to a teahouse, ordered some Jade Rhinoceros Beef, and three measures of Jade Dew Wine, eating and drinking while listening to the discussions among the cultivators.
By the time the server brought the food, Ning Zhuo also handed him a spirit stone as payment for information.
After some inquiry, the two learned many details about the town.
For instance, the previous town leader, surnamed Shi, was harsh and petty, severely punishing any cultivator found smuggling anything, showing no mercy.
Conversely, the current leader, Meng Zizhong from the noble Meng Family of Southern Bean Country, was magnanimous and lenient, diligently training his soldiers and enjoying martial glory. He often led cultivators out of the town to sweep the area around Yugang Mountain, clearing all threatening demon beasts and demon cultivators—very responsible indeed.
His strong martial prowess also provided the townspeople with a sense of security; in terms of reputation, he was much better than his predecessor.
Sun Lingtong said, "Meng Zizhong, born into the Meng Family, is renowned for his martial spirit. Considering his ongoing efforts to hunt the Night Wind Tiger Demon shown by the posted wanted lists, he would surely support us and provide detailed information about the demon after we accept the mission."
Ning Zhuo pondered for a moment, then shook his head slightly, "No rush, boss. Since we're here, let's visit the mine."
Sun Lingtong exclaimed, "Just a hundred low-grade crystal stones... are you still concerned about this small amount?"
Ning Zhuo smiled, "From childhood to now, I've never mined like this before."
Sun Lingtong, resting his head on his hands, said, "You, you're still too young. What's so fun about mining!"
Not long after.
The two were mining at the first mining level.
"Quick, look what I've found! Such a big piece of Jade Dark Steel," Sun Lingtong boasted.
"Amazing, boss," Ning Zhuo smiled lightly.
"Look here, I knew something was off about this spot. After breaking through the jade steel, guess what I found!" Sun Lingtong took out an accompanying ore, showing off.
It was a piece of Biluo Stone, seemingly waxy and grey, used as a classical color ink ingredient in the "Cultivation Hundred Skills" art.
Ning Zhuo gave a thumbs up.
Sun Lingtong grinned, rubbing his hands together excitedly, and dove back onto the mining bed.
His face was almost flush against the stone surface, his eyes sparkling with Spirit Light. He was using his Innate Spiritual Eyes, which allowed him to analyze more precisely, penetrate deeper, and discover more and better-quality ores.
Sun Lingtong dug and dug, immersing himself in the task.
When Ning Zhuo practically dragged him out, Sun Lingtong was still somewhat reluctant to leave, "We haven't used up our time limit yet, fifty spirit stones each, we should at least break even."
"Boss, you've already broken even, haven't you?" Ning Zhuo communicated telepathically while approaching the overseer to present the mined ore.
The overseer picked some ores and then shone a magic artifact over Ning Zhuo's entire body before waving him off.
Sun Lingtong had hidden many precious accompanying ores and only handed over some Jade Dark Steel ores.
The overseer, unable to detect them with the magic artifact, similarly waved Sun Lingtong off.
Sun Ning walked down the streets together.
Ning Zhuo telepathically sighed, "Yugang Mountain is uniquely endowed, containing such abundant Jade Dark Steel. If one person monopolized it, that mountain alone could help them grow and expand, forming a large cultivation family."
Sun Lingtong shrugged, "Yugang Mountain is good, but it pales in comparison to Fire Persimmon Mountain. It can only support a mountain town, whereas the resources in Fire Persimmon Mountain could sustain an entire Immortal City."
"The resources inside Fire Persimmon Mountain are endless, continuously cycling. Yugang Mountain loses its essence with each extraction and cannot last."
Ning Zhuo shook his head slightly, "Boss, you still don't understand what I mean. Let me be clear, I am a branch Clan Leader of the Ning Clan. Sadly, my branch has just been established and is in dire need of development. What can a few minor positions at Lava Fairy Palace amount to?"
"There's no reliable family business."
"What do you think about Yugang Mountain?"
Sun Lingtong, baffled, didn't understand why Ning Zhuo suddenly brought this up.
"Weren't we supposed to be collecting your mother's relics?"
"We discovered the Black Wind Tiger Demon, and only by eliminating him can we possibly get what we want."
"How come you're interested in Yugang Mountain now? What's this all about?"
Ning Zhuo's smile deepened, "It's all part of the act."
Seeing that Ning Zhuo was serious, Sun Lingtong considered his plan and felt quite troubled after thinking for a while, "This town is guarded by Meng Zizhong, who has a very solid background. How do you plan to overthrow him? And how can your branch get involved?"
Ning Zhuo's gaze deepened, "What if we created some evidence to prove that Meng Zizhong secretly colludes with the Black Wind Tiger Demon?"
Sun Lingtong responded, "You want to frame him? That's difficult and not easy to do."
"Don't forget the Divine Hunter Office's Trace Origin Technique."
Ning Zhuo chuckled, "Boss, I want to try."
Sun Lingtong felt excited, "I already feel that this will be very interesting and thrilling."
Thus, the two left the mountain town and used the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon to return to Mist Hidden Mountain.
The Mechanical Dragon burrowed deep into a valley and discovered Human Cultivation Stone Shards.
Sun Lingtong acted swiftly, knocked it unconscious, and stuffed it into the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon.
The duo returned to Yugang Mountain and released the Shisui.
Ning Zhuo executed the Life Hanging Divine Power on the Shisui.
When Shisui regained consciousness, he found himself having miraculously escaped death and was extremely shocked.
Seizing the opportunity, Ning Zhuo sent a message, posing as a worldly expert, he told Shisui it was he who had rescued him, but fearing trouble, wished not to disrupt his reclusive life, thus he brought Shisui to Yugang Mountain and advised him to report to Meng Zizhong.
Shisui, overwhelmed with joy, immediately kowtowed several times and then barged into Meng Zizhong's mansion.
Ignoring the gatekeeper's attempts to stop him, he entered the courtyard and began shouting loudly.
Thus, he alarmed Meng Zizhong.
Meng Zizhong led Shisui into the study and inquired meticulously.
Shisui, highly emotional, spilt everything he knew.
Meng Zizhong asked, "Was it really you who ran away?"
Shisui, adhering to the "worldly expert's" advice, didn't reveal the latter's identity, confidently nodded, and explained that he had prepared for years and finally seized the opportunity a few days ago to run for his life all the way to Yugang Mountain, seeking justice from the Southern Bean Country to avenge his grievances.
"Meng Lord, when will you dispatch troops?" Shisui looked hopeful.
Puff.
A knife penetrated Shisui's chest.
Shisui was utterly shocked, staring at the hand on the knife handle, then followed the arm upwards and saw Meng Zizhong's face.
"You, you…"
The next moment, Shisui died.
In the Ten-Thousand-Li Travelling Dragon, this scene was perfectly replicated.
Sun Lingtong was extremely astonished, "What happened? Does Meng Zizhong really have issues?!"
He suddenly turned his head, looking at Ning Zhuo, "Little brother, how did you know?"
"We've both been acting together this whole time."