Immortal Dao Fruits, Cards to Help Me

Chapter 30 The Rat Fairy and the Mine Cart

The rats scattered in panic, and Chen Xiuxian and Lao Niu didn't even have time to wash off the blood before they went into the cave to "hunt for treasure".

These ratmen have been digging here for over a year; they must have accumulated a lot of good stuff, right?

These are all their spoils of war.

They killed over a hundred rat-men, leaving corpses scattered everywhere and their hands covered in blood. What was the point?

Chen Xiuxian's main goal was to gain experience points and obtain cards, but it would definitely be better if there were more benefits.

Besides, there are other places in the cave where we need that iron key!
Chen Xiuxian already had the mine maps posted by players on the forum in his mind, and with the gambling enthusiast Ma Si'er scouting ahead, he quickly found his target at a dead end in the mine.

Iron ore must be scarce here, so the area was abandoned after being dug for a few dozen meters. At the end, a section of the area was separated from the roof to the ground by some thick wooden stakes, which were engraved with special characters and patterns, turning it into a cage.

The key in Chen Xiuxian's hand was the one that unlocked this door.

Inside the lock was a large rat!

It's not a ratman. A ratman is a humanoid creature with rat ears, a pointed snout, a beard, and a tail.

This is an enormous rat standing upright, still wearing tattered clothes. It has one worn-out straw sandal on its foot and the other is bare.

"This, this brave warrior!"

Upon seeing Chen Xiuxian, the big rat got very excited and pounced on the fence. However, as soon as it touched the wooden fence, a puff of smoke came out, and it howled in pain!
"Help me, brave man!" Although its face was twitching from the pain, it still begged Chen Xiuxian for help.

"Who are you? Why are you locked up here?" Chen Xiuxian asked, pretending not to know its identity.

"In response to your question, brave warrior, I am a rat immortal named Dou Zhongde..."

The so-called "Rat Immortal" is a folk belief in Liaodong. Among the Five Immortals, the Gray family (fox, weasel, white fox, willow, and gray rat) is considered to be the rat spirit that is worshipped.

Although this is not an officially or officially recognized form of illicit worship, it is, after all, Guandong, which was conquered by humans only a hundred years ago, and cannot be viewed using some of the perspectives of Guandong.

In this area, many villages worship deities to protect the village, which can be considered a model of harmonious coexistence between humans and deities.

The rat immortal Dou Zhongde recounted his origins and how he fell into a trap and was captured by the despicable rat-man shaman.

The ratmen didn't kill him because he still had value. The main reason was that he knew some medicine and a lot of magic, and could heal the ratmen's illnesses and injuries.

They've been trapped for almost two months now, and they're practically beggars.

Chen Xiuxian asked, "You are a rat immortal, and they are rat people. Don't you have any decency?"

Dou Zhongde shook his head vigorously: "Once a spirit becomes a spirit, it usually separates itself from its original species. It's impossible for a spirit to become a spirit first and then influence others to become spirits."

Aren't you humans the same?

Have those wealthy tycoons and government officials ever considered ordinary people as their own?

Besides, he's a rat spirit, and apart from their appearance, he has nothing in common with the other rat-people.

Chen Xiuxian used the key to unlock the lock, and the strange characters and patterns on the wooden stakes disappeared.

The rat spirit was quite particular about its appearance. It immediately straightened its tattered clothes and transformed into a short, white-bearded old man with rat whiskers. Its clothes were no longer tattered, and it was wearing shoes.

He stepped out of the cage, cupped his hands, and bowed deeply to Chen Xiuxian: "My benefactor is of divine appearance, profound virtue, and chivalrous spirit. Please accept my bow!"

"I have no special skills and no way to repay your life-saving grace. All I have is some experience from living a long life, and I am willing to serve by your side!"

It is said that old people are shrewd and clever. This Rat Immortal Dou Zhongde is over a hundred years old and very good at handling things. He directly revealed his purpose and plans.

Dou Zhongde: As the saying goes, those who fly with the phoenix are the finest birds!
The moment I saw my benefactor, I knew he was no ordinary person and would achieve great things. I had no hope for anything in my own life, but if I followed him, perhaps things would be different!

Chen Xiuxian smiled and nodded... "Ding~ You have subdued the level 16 Rat Immortal Dou Zhongde, and you have gained 388 experience points."

He saw it on the forum: saving this rat spirit has many benefits, but to get him to follow you, you need a high "fortune" attribute.

Because this rat spirit can perform some divination, one must cultivate under the guidance of someone with profound good fortune; otherwise, the path ahead is already bleak.

If a player's Luck attribute is insufficient, he will point out a beneficial place for the player to find, as a way of repaying his kindness.

And Chen Xiuxian's good fortune was just right!
The Rat Immortal Dou Zhongde followed Chen Xiuxian half a step behind, his attitude extremely respectful.

He truly lived up to his reputation as the Rat Immortal; despite being imprisoned for over two months, he still managed to learn a great deal about the hematite vein.

As they walked, he explained to Chen Xiuxian the benefits that could be taken with him.

“My benefactor, if you go east, you will find the main vein of the hematite ore vein, which occasionally produces some cold iron as well.”

"But there's another path leading west, leading to an old mine that collapsed twenty years ago, burying over a hundred miners underground! Because it somehow connected to the Underworld, those miners who died tragically turned into muntjacs. The mine there is affected by the Underworld and can produce Nether Iron..."

Chen Xiuxian had never heard of the collapsed old mine! Not even anyone on the forum had mentioned it!
As for "dried muntjac", muntjac is an animal similar to a deer, but it has always been considered an ominous sign.

The dried muntjac is the dried-up zombie that was transformed from the miners who died tragically.

I never expected that they could produce Nether Iron over there?

Does Jingren Ma Yuan know about this?

When Chen Xiuxian told Lao Niu about it, Lao Niu slapped his forehead!
"Good! There's an old saying among the werewolves of the Liao Kingdom: wool won't appear on dogs, nor on wolves, but it will definitely appear on sheep!"

"That old dwarf has kept such a huge secret; we can't afford to sell our labor so cheaply!"

Over the past few days, Lao Niu has learned quite a few new words from Chen Xiuxian.
As for why he insisted that the old dwarf wanted to "exploit" him—that old guy was seventy or eighty years old and had been living in Liaodong all his life. Since he had his eye on this mine, how could he not know about the mine collapse more than twenty years ago?
Whether he knows it or not, just assume he does and squeeze him for a hefty sum!
Finally, before leaving, Chen Xiuxian, under the guidance of the Rat Immortal Old Dou, found a "magic weapon" deep in the mine!
This magical artifact is a bit strange—it's actually a mine cart!
It's a mine cart made of hardwood, wrapped in sheet metal on all sides, with four wooden wheels at the bottom, used to transport ore on simple tracks in the mine.

【Mining Cart (Green)】

Tier 2 Magic Item

The mine cart was infused with the spirits of many miners and permeated with the malevolent energy of the intermediate state.

Minecart Ram: Summons a minecart out of thin air to violently ram into enemies! Consumes 40 Chi points per use!
Assessment: We take full responsibility!
Besides the Tier 2 magic minecart, Dou Zhongde said he also knew of a place where a magic treasure refining manual was hidden!
"Although it's just the basics, it's still a technique for refining treasures!" He said, sounding a little envious.

Upon hearing about refining treasures, Chen Xiuxian immediately thought of the [Red Light Fire Feather (Green)] he had collected!
I've stumbled upon a treasure!

……

Chen Xiuxian and Lao Niu found a stream and thoroughly washed the blood off their bodies, and also gave their clothes a quick wash.

Then we rushed back to Wadang Fort!
After entering the city, Dou Zhongde, disguised as an old man, couldn't help but look around.

Although there are no city gods or local deities in this fortress, the elite troops stationed here exude a menacing aura. He is used to seeking advantage and avoiding harm, so he generally doesn't come to such places.

Who knows if I might encounter a powerful military cultivator who could kill me?

Now, following Chen Xiuxian, there are fewer things to hide.

Didn't you see there's a ghost next to our benefactor?

Now I'm practically a half-official Rat Fairy!
Chen Xiuxian and his companion went to find Jingren Ma Yuan without even having a meal.

Upon hearing this, the short old man Ma Yuan readily agreed—since both brothers knew about it and were both highly capable, they should be rewarded more.
In the end, the reward was raised to five hundred taels of silver, and they were also given some firearms to choose from. They were also promised that they could personally forge a weapon for the two of them in the future.

This finally satisfied Chen Xiuxian and the other man.

(End of this chapter)