Chapter 108: The Blockade

Yu Mu ran for a stretch and, as expected, found no one pursuing him. The soil in the mine was incredibly hard; the only way to escape was to reach the outer edge, so he had no choice but to keep moving inward.

The tunnels within were intricate and complex, much like a labyrinth. As he walked, a thought suddenly struck him, and he released his Yin Spirit to scout the path ahead. In such a place, the utility of a Yin Spirit far surpassed that of a human.

As a non-corporeal entity, the Yin Spirit could pass directly through walls where the rock was thin. This saved a vast amount of time, and Yu Mu soon reached the end of the mine.

As a plant-based being, he did not need to dig with claws like Tiger Girl; he had his own clever methods for escape. Yu Mu transformed into a burrower, dove headfirst into the tunnel wall, and vanished into the earth in an instant.

This method was not only silent but also much faster. He burrowed upward, and within moments, he had ascended twenty or thirty meters. Based on his previous estimations, this should have brought him halfway to the surface.

As he continued, the soil suddenly turned soft. Immediately after, he sensed a hollow, sealed space above him.

Yu Mu was filled with curiosity. Could this be a void accidentally left behind when the mine was backfilled?

Bypassing this space would take extra time, so he decided to pass through it. Exercising caution, he sent his Yin Spirit into the space first.

Through the perception of his Yin Spirit, Yu Mu discovered it was an artificial chamber. It was small, perhaps twenty or thirty square meters. Inside, there were only two boxes—one large and one small—and nothing else.

"Why would such a space exist here, and who would bury items in such a deep place?"

Filled with questions, Yu Mu tunneled into the chamber. Upon entering, he was astonished to find that a small teleportation array had been set up there.

"So that's how it is!" Yu Mu immediately understood the purpose of this space.

"But what are these two boxes for?" He opened them and was immediately startled.

"What is this?"

Both boxes were filled with yellow and white treasures. The large box was packed with bars of silvery, shimmering metal, while the small box held gold, shimmering metal pieces.

Yu Mu picked up one of each, only to find them different from what he had imagined. Both were exceptionally light, and the gold metal was even lighter than the silver.

The large box contained nearly a hundred silver bars, yet it weighed only seven or eight pounds; the gold bars were fewer than twenty, totaling less than half a pound.

"Could this be Mythril? And what is this golden stuff? Besides, even if Mythril is valuable, it wouldn't warrant a secret chamber just for storage, would it? Could there be something special about them?"

Yu Mu was suspicious, unsure of the true answer. However, he knew that anything hidden with such secrecy was certainly no ordinary item.

Being around Tiger Girl for so long, he had picked up a bit of a bandit's spirit. He did not stand on ceremony; he looted everything, destroyed the teleportation array, and departed with satisfaction.

After more effort, he finally broke through to the surface. Dawn was approaching, and the mountain was exceptionally quiet. He wondered if Tiger Girl had managed to escape as well.

***

The place where Yu Mu emerged was outside the mine's perimeter, deep within a dense forest. With the day about to break, he dared not delay and hurried down the mountain.

He summoned his Thousand-Mile Crane and entered the woods; this time, he dared not follow the trade route.

He was now being hunted by three different factions, and the road was surely riddled with ambushes. The deep forest was home to ferocious beasts, and he lacked the courage to travel through it alone. Thus, he could only attempt to skirt the edges of the trade route.

He proceeded with caution. Not long after, a group of cultivators flew overhead. Yu Mu was alarmed; he hurriedly drove the crane into the thicket and transformed himself into a large tree.

The group of cultivators descended and landed right above him.

"Could they have discovered me?" Yu Mu was gripped by doubt, ready to strike at any moment.

"Huh? I clearly felt something here just a moment ago. How did it vanish in the blink of an eye?" asked the one who appeared to be the leader.

One of his subordinates replied, "Captain, perhaps your eyes played a trick on you? We've been searching for those two demons since yesterday without rest. We're truly exhausted; why don't we rest here for a while?"

Hearing this, a weight lifted from Yu Mu's heart. It seemed Tiger Girl had escaped as well.

The captain looked around, and seeing the expectant gazes of his men, he nodded. "Very well, everyone, take a moment to rest. We continue our patrol in the time it takes to burn an incense stick. If the bosses find out we’ve been slacking for too long, we'll all be in deep trouble."

"Understood! Thank you, Captain."

They sat down to rest, pulling out rations to eat and drink.

"Captain," one asked while eating, "do you think those two demons were acting under someone's orders? With their abilities, how would they dare to rob three of our strongholds in a row?"

The captain shook his head. "How would I know? But don't underestimate those two. They must have some tricks up their sleeves to succeed repeatedly and force our three factions to unite."

The man lowered his voice. "I heard that the Gold and Silver Stronghold lost some kind of treasure this time—something even more valuable than a spiritual artifact. I wonder what it could be?"

"Don't go prying into things you shouldn't know. Our three factions have sent out our best, and we’ve set a net from which those two demons cannot escape. Whatever they stole, it will be recovered. Alright, break's over, let's move."

After the captain led the group away to continue their patrol, Yu Mu reverted to his human form. *It seems the situation is even more dire than I anticipated,* he thought. *The repeated provocations have completely enraged these bandits. Escaping from here will not be easy.*

Yu Mu abandoned the Thousand-Mile Crane and chose to continue on foot. Although slower, it was less likely to expose his whereabouts. Along the way, he dodged several patrols, only to find his path blocked by a canyon.

A checkpoint had been established in the canyon, both surrounding peaks were filled with troops, and squads of scouts patrolled the skies.

Faced with this situation, Yu Mu had only two choices: take the risk of venturing deep into the forest to bypass the area, or return the way he came to find an opportunity to slip through.

After some deliberation, he chose the latter. He had already experienced the dangers of the deep forest and felt no confidence in making it through alive.

***

Having made up his mind, Yu Mu returned to the vicinity of the Gold and Silver Stronghold and turned into a large tree by the road, waiting for an opportunity while he cultivated.

A day later, the opportunity arrived.

At the end of the trade route, dust rose in the air as a caravan slowly approached. This was the very caravan that had nearly made him a scapegoat.

Seeing his target, Yu Mu transformed back into his human form. He bit his own palm, smeared the blood on his body, added some dirt, and fashioned himself into a disheveled mess. He also altered his features and began to limp toward the caravan.

"Hey! You there, stop! Who are you?" While still some distance away, Yu Mu was intercepted.

The three men blocking his path were all riding Thousand-Mile Cranes, surrounding him in a triangular formation. The one who spoke was a middle-aged man directly in front of him.

Yu Mu pretended to be startled, his face full of panic. "I am a low-level cultivator named Zhang Feng. I am just a traveler, not a bandit."

The middle-aged man looked him up and down, suspicious. "A traveler? Then why are you in such a sorry state?"

With a mournful expression, Yu Mu said, "I was traveling with several brothers toward Huyu City. We didn't expect the bandits to set up a blockade in the canyon ahead, forbidding anyone from passing. When my brothers tried to reason with them, they were viciously murdered. I only survived because I ran fast."

As he spoke, grief welled up within him, and he managed to squeeze out a few tears.

The middle-aged man was shocked. "Are you telling the truth?"

Yu Mu nodded repeatedly while wiping away his tears.

"Usually, the bandits on this road rarely attack lone travelers," the man muttered to himself, then suddenly asked, "Which stronghold's bandits did you encounter?"

"Magu Ridge, Seven-Star Slope, and the Gold and Silver Stronghold—all three were there."

"What!? How is that possible?"

"If you don't believe me, sir, you can send someone to scout."

"Fine! You come with me." Turning to the other two, he ordered, "You two, go ahead and investigate. Be thorough."

"Yes!" The two departed to carry out the order.