198: Lin family mining slave

"Clang! Clang!"

Dull hammering sounds echoed in the depths of the mine.

Su Quan gripped the special pickaxe and used every ounce of his strength to pry a top-grade immortal crystal from the mineral vein.

"Collecting a hundred top-grade immortal crystals in seven days... this mission won't be easy!"

Su Quan wiped his sweat. Deep inside a mine a million meters down, his body was under constant pressure and magnetic erosion. In less than half a day, he felt exhausted.

"Little Sister Su, it's time to stop and eat!"

Jiang Sui's voice drifted from afar.

The Mine Slaves of Mine No. 9 immediately stopped their work. They gathered together, taking the food handed over by Jiang Sui and eating ravenously.

Looking at the pitch-black "food" in his hand that emitted a faint stench, Su Quan couldn't help but frown. "Sister Jiang, what is this?"

"Minced meat from Maiteng Worms mixed together."

Jiang Sui explained, then advised helplessly, "Little Sister Su, eat up. This is all there is in the mine. If you don't eat, you won't have the strength to work, and you won't last seven days!"

In the outside world, Immortals could achieve Inedia by absorbing Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, but the depths of the mine clearly didn't offer that luxury.

The burly woman sitting next to Su Quan finished her food in a few bites, then wiped her mouth and grinned. "Hey, newcomer, if you don't want to eat, let This old lady eat it for you!"

"Tie Cui, I'm warning you, don't bully Little Sister Su. With her thin and small frame, she probably won't last three days without food!"

Jiang Sui glared at the woman.

The Mine Slaves here were all rough and burly women; she felt a natural affinity for this new, thin, and fair-skinned girl.

"Thank you, Sister Jiang!"

Su Quan wasn't fastidious. He followed their lead, stuffing the black food into his mouth. A pungent stench rushed into his stomach, nearly making him gag, but he forced himself to swallow it down.

Maiteng Worms were unpleasant to eat, but they contained decent spiritual power.

He felt his exhausted body relax significantly, and new strength began to emerge.

"Oho, not bad, newcomer!"

Tie Cui slapped Su Quan's shoulder with her large hand and grinned. "Eating Maiteng Worms so readily the first time... it seems you were a tough character back in the Lower Realm too. It doesn't quite match your pampered and fair appearance."

"Being able to swallow Maiteng Worms raw saves a lot of trouble."

Another Old Woman spoke up, picking meat scraps from her teeth. She said indifferently, "Newcomer, since you've been captured by the Lin Family to be a Mine Slave, you need to face reality. Don't bring your Lower Realm temper here."

"Here, you aren't a high and mighty Mahayana Realm Old Ancestor enjoyed by tens of thousands; you're just a slave at the mercy of others."

"Your tasks are only two: stay alive and mine!"

"If you cause any trouble, our entire Mine No. 9 will be implicated."

The woman's words were harsh, but they were a cold reality.

The Mine Slaves sitting together fell silent, their expressions turning grim.

"Alright, alright. Now that everyone's rested, get back to work. The quota of a hundred top-grade immortal crystals isn't easy to meet."

Jiang Sui clapped her hands. Seeing the crowd disperse, she walked up to Su Quan and surreptitiously handed him another portion of Maiteng Worms.

"Sister Jiang..."

"You're frail; you need to eat more, or you won't be able to handle the hardship."

Jiang Sui smiled faintly and reached out to help the youth tidy his messy hair. His fair and delicate face was covered in dust, obscuring his features, but one could still faintly tell he was a peerless beauty.

She didn't think of Su Quan as a man at all.

Because men could not be sent down to the mines.

Precious male Immortals would be kept like breeding boars to produce talented descendants for the Lin Family.

"Thank you, Sister Jiang."

Su Quan did not refuse her kindness.

After saying goodbye to the woman, he returned to his work area and began digging diligently... Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

"Assemble, assemble! Work is over!"

Jiang Sui stood at the entrance of the mineral vein, her tired face unable to hide her joy.

After suffering in the pitch-black mine, the happiest moment was this.

For every seven days of mining, they would have two days of outdoor rest time.

"Tie Cui, this harvest: 106 top-grade immortal crystals, 332 High Grade Immortal crystals, and some Medium Grade Immortal crystals."

"Daoist Wuhu, this harvest: 113 top-grade immortal crystals, 26 High Grade Immortal crystals, and some Medium Grade Immortal crystals."

"..."

"Su Tian, this harvest: 102 top-grade immortal crystals, 165 High Grade Immortal crystals, and some Medium Grade Immortal crystals."

Everyone's gaze shifted toward that thin figure.

"Not bad, newcomer. You finished the task on your first try."

"With your small frame, I thought 80 would be your limit. It seems this Old Woman misjudged you."

"This is a good thing!"

Jiang Sui also nodded at him approvingly.

There were 26 Mine Slaves in Mine No. 9, and only one failed to complete the quota. Jiang Sui took three crystals from her own basket and handed them over. That person thanked her repeatedly, and everyone looked at Jiang Sui with respect.

This wasn't the first time she had done something like this!

Her high prestige in Mine No. 9 was inseparable from her magnanimity and loyalty.

"Alright, out of the mine!"

She surged her Immortal Qi and shot toward the mine entrance like an arrow. The others followed closely behind. After traveling for half a quarter of an hour, they finally saw a faint light from above.

"We're out!"

Su Quan stepped onto the ground and breathed in the long-awaited fresh air. Before he could say anything, a guard snatched his basket away.

"102 top-grade immortal crystals. Qualified!"

"Not bad, move along!"

"You have two days of rest, but remember, you can only move within the Lin Family's territory. If you try to escape, you will be killed without mercy!"

...The Lin Family was guarded by a Nine Heavens Profound Immortal and was a very powerful force in the Immortal Realm.

Grand palaces were built on the continuous mountain ranges, and the light of Spirit-Gathering Formations shot into the sky. From time to time, one could see the elegant women of the Lin Family traveling on flying swords.

In such a strictly hierarchical power structure, Mine Slaves were undoubtedly at the very bottom.

They were not qualified to live in palaces and could only barely find shelter in excavated caves.

"Little Sister Su, there's an abandoned cave next to mine. Why don't you move in? It'll be easier for us to look out for each other if we're close."

Jiang Sui offered warmly.

"Then I'll be troubling you, Sister Jiang."

Su Quan had a good impression of this big sister from Mine No. 9. He walked into the cave and looked around.

The floor was covered in a thick layer of dust, and cobwebs could be seen in the corners. It likely hadn't been inhabited for a long time.

Other than a cold, hard stone bed, there was nothing else.

"The Mine Slave who lived here before died in a cave-in tens of thousands of years ago, and no one has lived here since."

Speaking of the past, both of their expressions turned a bit somber.

Mining was not only exhausting but also extremely dangerous.

Besides the terrifying Vicious Beasts that lived deep in the caves, the greatest danger came from cave-ins. Once a collapse occurred, an ordinary Immortal would surely die.

Therefore, over the years, very few Mine Slaves could mine for a million years in the Lin Family.

Thinking of this, Su Quan turned to look outside.

The vast canopy of the Immortal Realm was blue and clear, making one yearn for it.

He hadn't forgotten his goal in coming to the Immortal Realm. He craved freedom. His journey was the sea of stars, not being trapped as a Mine Slave in the Lin Family's small mineral vein for a lifetime.

"I have to find a way to escape."

Su Quan frowned in thought.

But the Lin Family was heavily guarded and had powerful Immortals stationed there.

This matter would require careful planning...