37: Chapter 37 Ore Vein Clues and Followers

The Stone Chamber was not large, but it had clearly been managed by the Pangolin for quite some time.

A pile of hay and moss lay in the corner, serving as its sleeping spot.

On the other side were scattered a few gnawed tree roots with tooth marks, along with insect carapaces.

Lin Xuan's gaze was quickly drawn to a few inconspicuous stones beside the sleeping spot.

Those were three fist-sized stones, grey-black all over with clear purple markings—lightning-struck stone, and their quality was clearly higher than the fragments he had found before.

The markings were deeper, the Spiritual Qi more condensed; they were at least First Order Medium Grade.

He picked one up; it was slightly heavy in his hand, and he could clearly feel the stable Thunder Spiritual Energy contained within.

"This Pangolin, indeed guarding good things."

He continued searching and, in the soil at the edge of the Stone Chamber, discovered over a dozen scattered fingernail-sized fragments of dark purple Ore.

These fragments had a metallic luster on the surface, were hard in texture, and had sharp edges.

"Thunder-Patterned Iron Ore..." Lin Xuan picked up a piece and rubbed it with his finger.

Thunder-Patterned Iron was a more precious Artifact Refining material than lightning-struck stone! It usually accompanied deep veins of lightning-struck stone and was an important additive for refining thunder-attribute Flying Swords and Magical Artifacts. A fist-sized piece of raw Ore was worth quite a lot after refining.

He looked toward the depths of the cave that the Pangolin had previously dug. The soil there was fresh, with obvious signs of downward excavation.

"Was its nest originally deeper? Did it flee to this temporary Stone Chamber because it was injured?" Lin Xuan speculated, "The real Ore vein, or at least a rich deposit, is down there."

But now was not the time to explore.

For one, the Pangolin was severely injured and could not assist in digging; for another, the noise of excavation would be too loud and might attract unnecessary trouble—like the group of people who had injured the Pangolin earlier.

He quickly cleaned up the traces he had left: smoothing out the soil he had stepped on, wiping away handprints, and even carefully using his sleeve to wipe away the moisture caused by his breath. He collected all the lightning-struck stone and Thunder-Patterned Iron fragments, leaving not a single one behind.

After doing all this, just as he was about to leave the Stone Chamber, his Earth Listening Technique suddenly caught the sound of deliberately lowered voices from afar.

Someone was coming!

Lin Xuan's eyes sharpened; he immediately flashed into the shadows inside the cave entrance, pushing his Breath Concealment Technique to the limit.

The voices moved from far to near, quickly becoming clear.

"... Senior Brother Wang, did that beast really run this way? We've been searching for two days." A slightly young male voice sounded, filled with impatience.

"The bloodstains faded at the edge of the Stone Forest, but this Stone Forest has abnormal Thunder Spiritual Energy, which is most suitable for it to heal. It must be hiding nearby." Another voice was raspier, its tone certain, "Junior Brother Zhao's Golden Rainbow Sword injured its foundation; it can't have run far."

A third voice rang out, sharper: "Senior Brother Liu is right. That Thunder-Patterned Pangolin is a rare commodity, with dual earth and thunder attributes and a talent for digging holes and finding Ores. If we capture it alive and sell it to the Artifact Refining Peak or the Beast Taming Peak, we can exchange it for at least a few hundred contribution points! There must be good things in its nest too; we were in too much of a rush to look closely when we fought it earlier."

Lin Xuan understood clearly. It was the same three-man team that had injured the Pangolin!

He held his breath and peeked outside through a crack in the stones.

He saw three Disciples walking over from the other side of the Stone Forest.

Their attire was mixed: the leader was a square-faced, wide-mouthed burly man (Senior Brother Wang), dressed in Houtu Peak style, at Qi Refining Level 3, Early Stage;

Beside him was a Thin Tall Man (Senior Brother Liu), in Sharp Metal Peak attire, at Qi Refining Level 2, Peak;

The last was a short, stout Disciple (Junior Brother Zhao), also from Sharp Metal Peak, at Qi Refining Level 2, Middle Stage. At his waist hung a long sword with a magnificent scabbard, and faint golden light flowed around the hilt—this must be the "Golden Rainbow Sword" that had injured the Pangolin.

The three of them scanned their surroundings vigilantly, occasionally using their sword scabbards or feet to push aside rubble and grass.

"Split up and search! Watch out for caves and stone crevices!" Senior Brother Wang ordered, "That beast is best at digging holes; don't let it slip away underground!"

The three of them fanned out, gradually searching toward the collapsed area where Lin Xuan was hiding.

Lin Xuan's thoughts raced.

The Pangolin had already been taken by him, and the traces at the scene had been cleaned up, so the others might not immediately discover this hidden cave entrance. But if they searched carefully, they would eventually find it.

He couldn't fight them head-on. The three opponents—two at Qi Refining Level 2 and one at Qi Refining Level 3—had worked together before, so their strength was not weak.

Although he had broken through to Qi Refining Level 2 and possessed many methods, taking on three people at once was too risky.

He had to lure them away.

Lin Xuan quietly communicated with the Pangolin in the Spirit-Taming Tower Space. Through the contract connection, he could transmit simple thoughts: "In which direction was your previous nest? Roughly how far away?"

Although the Pangolin was weak, the contract connection allowed it to understand Lin Xuan's meaning.

It transmitted back a vague sense of direction and distance—it was in the northwest of this Stone Forest, about five zhang underground, and about two hundred zhang away from here.

This matched the location of the Ore vein that Lin Xuan had sensed himself.

"Is there anything special in the nest?" Lin Xuan asked again.

The Pangolin fed back a strong feeling of "longing," pointing to a spot deep in the nest—it was the place it liked to lean against when resting, where there was a small cluster of "shiny and warm" stones.

A lightning-struck stone crystal cluster! The mark of an Ore vein core!

Lin Xuan was even more certain. But he immediately suppressed his greed.

Now was not the time.

He observed the search route of the three people outside and quickly formulated a plan in his mind.

Senior Brother Wang was walking toward the cave entrance, already less than thirty zhang away.

Lin Xuan quietly took a small piece of ordinary lightning-struck stone from his Storage Pouch, pinched it with his fingertips, then channeled a trace of Thunder Spiritual Energy and flicked it out gently—

"Pop."

The fragment landed on a rock about five zhang diagonally from the cave entrance, making a slight sound.

But in this silent Stone Forest, it was enough.

"Hmm?" Senior Brother Wang's footsteps paused, his sharp gaze immediately scanning the source of the sound.

He walked over quickly, picked up the fragment, and examined it closely: "Ordinary lightning-struck stone fragment... There are fresh signs of it being overturned."

He looked up, toward the cave entrance where Lin Xuan was hiding, then looked at where the fragment had landed, frowning, seemingly judging whether it was knocked over by a beast or by a person.

This moment of hesitation was exactly what Lin Xuan needed.

His figure slid silently out from the other side of the cave entrance like a fish, using the shadows of the collapsed boulders as cover, and dashed toward the southeast, the exact opposite direction of the Pangolin's nest.

At the same time, he took another slightly larger lightning-struck stone fragment from his bosom. While passing a patch of soft soil, he used the tip of his foot to "brush" it extremely lightly, leaving half a vague, claw-like mark.

Then he continued forward, leaving a subtle clue every dozen zhang or so—a piece of "brushed away" moss, a "broken" dead branch, a wisp of extremely faint Thunder Spiritual Energy residue that hadn't been fully retracted due to rapid movement.

These clues all pointed to the southeast—there, when Lin Xuan had explored earlier, he had vaguely sensed the aura of a group of Yao Beasts.

Like a shadow, he wove between the stone pillars, always keeping about fifty zhang ahead of the three.

Whenever the others hesitated because the clues were broken, he would create a new "trace" further ahead.

During this process, he also constantly soothed the Pangolin in the space, which was restless due to sensing the aura of its enemies through the contract.

About half an hour later, Lin Xuan had led the three to the edge of the Stone Forest, where a few low leopard roars could be faintly heard in the mist ahead.

He stopped, hiding behind a giant rock, and looked back.

He saw Senior Brother Wang and the other two gathered together, discussing in low voices.

"... The traces get messy here; it looks like there's a group of Yao Beasts ahead." The Thin Tall Man, Senior Brother Liu, said with a hesitant tone.

"Could that beast be intentionally leading us into a dangerous place?" The short, stout Junior Brother Zhao stroked his sword hilt.

Senior Brother Wang pondered for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "We've chased for so long, we can't let our efforts go to waste! Be careful, go over and take a look! If it's that beast's nest, we must explore it, no matter how dangerous!"

The three of them vigilantly crept toward the direction of the leopard roars.

Lin Xuan didn't stop any longer, turning and moving quickly toward the northwest—the direction opposite to where the real Pangolin nest was located.

This time, he didn't leave any traces, his Breath Concealment Technique fully activated, his figure completely blending into the grey-purple mist.

Not until he was at least three miles away from the Stone Forest and confirmed that no one was following him did he stop by a stream, cupped water to wash his face, and let out a long breath.

"Safe for now."

He looked toward the northwest, his eyes deep.

That lightning-struck stone Ore vein, and that cluster that might exist... He had noted it down.

His strength was not enough now; rashly mining would be tantamount to suicide. But in the future, when his cultivation improved and the Pangolin's injuries recovered, he would come back here, and that Ore vein would be in his pocket.

"First, get out, heal the Pangolin, and improve my strength."

Lin Xuan determined the direction and walked toward the general location of the canyon entrance.

The identity jade token in his bosom was slightly warm—proof of a bountiful harvest.

And inside the Spirit-Taming Tower Space, the Thunder-Light Bug was quietly gathering thunder, the thunder-attracting vine was stretching its branches and leaves, the Herb-Seeking Mouse was napping on the side, and the severely injured Pangolin was curled up under the vine roots, its breathing having stabilized.

Everything was moving in a good direction.

The canyon wind blew past, carrying moist mist.

Lin Xuan's figure went further and further away, disappearing into the hazy grey-purple.