11: Chapter 11 The Despicable Earthlings

"According to the Cave Master, how much spirit residue do I need to offer to bridge the gap?"

"Uh... if you can take out twenty pieces..."

"I don't have that much."

"Ten?"

"I have seven extra in total. I have to keep some for myself, so I can give five at most."

"Five... that works. Actually, it's not about the amount; the key is your attitude and sincerity. Besides, I suggest you don't hand over extra every day; save some for yourself. If you get injured or feel unwell later, you can sneak some rest."

"You just arrived, so there's a lot you don't understand. Although our cave has the highest output, it also has the highest death toll. We've already lost three brothers this year, which is why you were brought in as a replacement."

"Furthermore, if you always hand over extra, the Overseer will indeed praise you, but everyone else will get scolded. Others will inevitably have opinions about you."

Tang Long smiled faintly and pulled five pieces of spirit residue from his waist pouch, but he didn't hand them over immediately. Instead, he shook his head.

"Brother Hei, I can't control what others think. But Lord Vulture has been good to me, and he hopes I'll bring him some honor. I don't dare refuse."

Heizi's face twitched as he smiled awkwardly. "Understandable, understandable."

Tang Long suddenly added, "By the way, Brother Hei, when I'm compressing spiritual energy, I always feel like something is missing. The spiritual energy intensity won't go up. How did you solve this problem?"

Heizi squinted at the spirit residue in Tang Long's hand and then laughed.

"Brother, you've asked the right person. There are over two hundred high-grade mine slaves in our mining area, but very few can actually enter the ranks. Some experiences were discovered at the cost of many lives; most people wouldn't tell you at all."

"Oh?"

"If you want to increase your spiritual energy limit, tepid Breathing Technique is a waste of effort."

At this point, Heizi lowered his voice.

"You have to use spirit residue! The spiritual energy in spirit residue is even more powerful. Using just one can provide a significant boost. Although you'll inevitably suffer some injuries, the effect is very obvious."

"Use more spirit residue, and use it frequently and quickly to raise your spiritual energy intensity. It's best to form a Spirit Ring in one go; otherwise, it will quickly drop back down."

"But using spirit residue is also dangerous. If you're not careful, you'll hurt yourself. You must be extremely cautious."

"However, once the Spirit Ring is formed, the benefits are enormous. You'll have to weigh the pros and cons yourself."

Tang Long nodded in realization and handed over the five pieces of spirit residue.

"So that's how it is. Thank you for the guidance."

Heizi smiled as he took the spirit residue, patted Tang Long's shoulder, and got up to leave.

Watching his retreating back, Tang Long sneered inwardly.

Despicable Blue Star People!

Cultivating with spirit residue is faster? But using that stuff once costs over a hundred HP and more than three points of vitality.

Do you think I'm dying too slowly?

Since you want to play dirty, don't blame me for being ruthless.

...

Late that night, as a section of earth and rock collapsed, Heizi and his brothers looked at the hole and laughed together in low voices.

"We've finally dug through!"

"Damn, that took a hell of a lot of effort, but it's finally finished. This breeze feels great."

"Everything is ready; we just wait for the heavenly change to arrive."

"We're finally going to be free."

"Bring the things we've saved and bury them here first. From now on, don't let anyone except our own people into this cave. Make sure the outside is well-camouflaged too."

"Boss really thought of everything."

"Brother Hei, you borrowed spirit residue from that kid, so it feels a bit wrong to keep an eye on him. But if we don't, I'm afraid he'll notice something's wrong. What should we do?"

Heizi smiled triumphantly. "No need to watch him anymore. He won't be wandering around."

"Oh? You've subdued him too?"

"No, I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble at a time like this. But when I borrowed the spirit residue, I told him to use it for his Breathing Technique. At nightfall, I heard him screaming in the cave, sounding like he was rolling on the ground. He should have internal injuries by now; he probably won't even have the strength to come here if we called him."

The group burst into laughter.

"Brother Hei's wisdom is simply incredible."

"That kid is truly a fool. He actually believed it when you told him to practice like that. If he keeps it up, he'll probably practice himself to death before long."

"He doesn't need to die, as long as he doesn't get in the way."

"Everyone, act friendly these next few days. Que San and Old Tree, he made up the spirit residue for you two, so go visit him when you have time."

"Understood."

"Seal this opening first. Let's move out!"

"Wait! Brother Hei, shouldn't we take a look at that treasure?"

Heizi turned to look at a certain man with loose hair who had spoken, then at the expressions of the others, and finally nodded with a cold smile.

They went to Heizi's cave. Heizi walked to a spot on the ground, stepped on it, and then began digging. Soon, he stopped when he reached a piece of cloth and called out to the man with loose hair.

"Changmao, take it out."

Changmao quickly stepped forward with a smile, brushed away the accumulated dirt on the cloth, and took out a cloth bundle from underneath.

Everyone immediately gathered around. Changmao opened the bundle, revealing a glittering golden mask.

The golden light was dazzling; it was clearly a treasure.

However, the mask was covered in blood-red patterns, ornate and exquisite, yet looking at it couldn't help but inspire fear.

"So beautiful. It's pure Bright Gold. How much do you guys think this thing is worth?"

"I think it must be worth at least tens of thousands, right?"

"Tens of thousands? That's just pocket change! In our Yu City black market, it would start at least at two hundred thousand!"

"We wouldn't sell it for any less."

"Alright, alright. The item is safely here; everyone's seen it. Let's bury it again."

The mine slaves chatted and laughed, and Changmao's mouth was wide with joy.

He spoke while preparing to close the bundle and rebury it.

But then Heizi suddenly spoke, "What's the rush? According to the rules we all agreed upon, shouldn't we verify its authenticity?"

Changmao's smile froze on his face, and the laughter of the other mine slaves quickly vanished. The atmosphere became somewhat oppressive.

Changmao said awkwardly, "Hei... Brother Hei, this thing can't be fake. There's no need to verify it, right? Every time we verify it, someone gets sick for a few days. We can't risk delaying our big plans."

Heizi shook his head. "It's better to verify it. It's everyone's livelihood for the rest of our lives, and you don't quite trust me. If we don't verify it clearly, how can I prove it's real and hasn't been secretly replaced by me?"

"Brother Hei, I—"

"Brother Hei, I never doubted you, and I never suggested looking at it."

"Yeah, Brother Hei, Changmao was the one who brought it up. We didn't say anything."

"Changmao, you idiot! Why did you have to insist on seeing it for no reason! We're all digging dirt here every day, and no one can escape. How could it possibly go missing! Hurry up and apologize to Brother Hei!"

"Brother Hei, I was wrong!"

Heizi still shook his head. "Don't waste time. It must be verified! Changmao, you were the one who brought it up, so you do it!"

Forced by necessity, Changmao could only take out his hand pick and lightly strike the mask.

A few golden sparks flew, and a small pit was gouged into the mask, but Changmao immediately let out a muffled groan, looking quite pained.

Even more miraculously, after only a few seconds, the blood-colored runes on the mask rippled like water, and the damaged spot actually recovered rapidly.

Only then did Heizi speak, "Everyone saw it clearly, right? It can restore itself; it's a true divine object."

Everyone nodded in quick succession.