27: Chapter 27 The Beginning of the Scheme

Yun Song did not give up mining for Spirit Stones just because he had obtained four hundred of them.

He exchanged all four hundred Spirit Stones for contribution points and entered the Mine Cave again.

He felt that mining more Spirit Stones would not only allow him to exchange for more contribution points but also help him improve the Eight Styles of the Mining Hoe.

Time slipped away quietly amidst the monotonous tapping sounds and the shifting of his Moves; in the blink of an eye, five days had passed.

Little did he know, a crisis had already quietly descended.

The scheme meticulously plotted by the Yuwen Jinran brothers was tightening its grip on him step by step.

Inside the Grass Hut at the Mining Site, Yuwen Jinyuan kicked his crossed legs heavily onto the table.

The wooden table let out a groan of unbearable weight, and even the spider on the grass wall was shaken, stumbling and struggling frantically on its web.

"Toad, Pockmark, are you two certain that after that brat went into the Mine Cave, he never came out again?"

Yuwen Jinyuan's eyes were fierce as he spoke coldly.

"Yes!" Toad's eyes widened, his head bobbing like a pestle pounding garlic as he rushed to answer, eager to speak for fear of losing the chance. "We took turns watching the entrance; we never saw him come out!"

Pockmark frowned, his face full of doubt, and hurriedly chimed in, "Brother Yuan, that brat hasn't come out at all. In my opinion, he must be scared, knowing that you won't let it go, so he's deliberately hiding in the Mine Cave, not daring to show his face!"

Toad scratched his head, a look of worry appearing on his face, and stammered, "Brother Yuan, why don't we just go straight into the Mine Cave and snatch all the Spirit Stones he's mined over these past few days? Perhaps the four hundred Spirit Stones we gave him earlier are still on him."

Hearing this, Yuwen Jinyuan glanced at Toad irritably and sneered, "Oh! You're quite capable, aren't you! If you can bring those Spirit Stones back, I'll call you Big Brother from now on!"

"Ah?" Toad shuddered, eyes widening, his voice involuntarily rising, "Brother Yuan, you... you mean, just me going alone?"

Yuwen Jinyuan crossed his arms over his chest, chin slightly raised, looking completely matter-of-fact as he replied, "Otherwise?"

Toad's face immediately fell as he pitifully pleaded, "Brother Yuan, I... I really don't have that ability. That brat wields his mining hoe with such strange skill; even eight brothers couldn't stop him last time. If I go in with my amateur skills, wouldn't I just be serving myself up on a platter?"

Yuwen Jinyuan spat impatiently and cursed, "Look at how pathetic you are! You're usually the one who talks the most, boasting about how you can tear apart a Yao Beast with your bare hands, and now you can't even handle a coward?"

Beside them, Pockmark was holding back laughter so hard his shoulders were shaking; he pretended to cough and busily buried his face in his sleeve.

Yuwen Jinyuan turned to look at Pockmark and asked, "You tell me, is there any way to force that brat out? We can't just let him stay inside forever."

Pockmark's eyes rolled around, a flash of cunning crossing his face. He leaned closer to Yuwen Jinyuan and lowered his voice, saying, "Brother Yuan, I have an idea. We all know that the Mine Cave's ventilation shafts connect to the outside."

"We can find some dry grass and damp firewood, light them at the entrance, and let the thick smoke fill the Mine Cave."

"Once that brat can't stand the smoke anymore, he'll definitely have to run out, and then we can just..." He made a throat-slitting gesture.

Yuwen Jinyuan's expression was grim, his deep eyes narrowed slightly as he said slowly, "The method is fine, but it's too blatant."

He paused, his tone growing colder, "What we need to do is thoroughly understand his daily habits, find a flaw, and then eliminate him quietly without leaving any traces."

"Your method would likely let everyone in The Mine know."

After being rejected by Yuwen Jinyuan, Pockmark's brows knitted into a tight knot. Unwilling to give up, he rubbed the corner of his clothes, "Then how about poisoning the water source in the Mine Cave? He can't go without drinking water, right?"

Before he could finish speaking, Yuwen Jinyuan grabbed a teacup from the table and hurled it at him, causing Pockmark to dodge in fear.

"Idiot!" Yuwen Jinyuan shouted sternly, "If you poison the water, are you trying to poison every single Miner?"

"Damn it, are you trying to get me killed?" He sneered, reaching out to pinch Pockmark's chin with enough force to make him wince in pain. "Come up with a clean and efficient plan for me, otherwise... next month you can go mine four hundred Spirit Stones for that brat yourself."