Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Quiet, silent.

The entire mine tunnel was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the ticking sound just now seemed like an illusion.

However, Zhou Qingfeng did not believe he would experience hallucinations. Even if he were in darkness for a long time, given his current temperament, he would not experience auditory or visual hallucinations under the influence of negative emotions such as fear, anxiety, and restlessness.

That ticking sound definitely did occur.

Zhou Qingfeng was certain.

So Zhou Qingfeng calmed himself down and continued to capture the fleeting ticking sound.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, the ticking sound resumed.

Zhou Qingfeng heard it clearly; it was the sound of water dripping on a stone surface, and it was coming from behind the rock wall on his right.

"Boom!" Zhou Qingfeng raised his hand, clenched his fist, and slammed it into the rock wall.

I don't dare to use too much force yet.

To prevent the mine shaft from collapsing.

They'd really be buried alive here.

Zhou Qingfeng punched the rock wall again and again, treating it like tofu dregs. It wasn't that every cultivator in the Food Turbidity Realm was as fierce as Zhou Qingfeng, but rather because Zhou Qingfeng was number one in both body cultivation and technique.

Ordinary cultivators at the Turbid Realm are not this powerful.

In just a dozen breaths, a rock wall several meters thick was smashed through by a fist.

A vast, empty hall came into view, seemingly an altar.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng pondered for a moment.

Master said so.

The second rule for wilderness survival: never enter deserted villages or ancient temples.

Could this altar be considered an ancient temple?

"It should count." Zhou Qingfeng wasn't deceiving himself.

So, should we go in or not?

Perhaps this is where the auspicious omen will be fulfilled.

Zhou Qingfeng pondered for a moment and decided to draw lots again, just to be on the safe side.

A scarlet divination stick slowly emerged from the depths of my consciousness, and two divination slips flew out from the stick.

[Auspicious divination slip: Entering the altar is auspicious.]

[Neutral draw, departing here, a draw.]

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng felt much more at ease.

You should listen to your master's words, but you should listen even more to the divination results.

If the divination indicates misfortune, then don't say anything, turn around and leave immediately. Regardless of whether there is a great opportunity inside, even if there is, it will be extremely dangerous, resulting in death or serious injury. The worst-case scenario is that you may have the chance to take the opportunity, but not the chance to enjoy it.

Zhou Qingfeng stepped into the deep underground hall, holding up the raging Fighting Monkey King as a light, and looked at the mysterious paintings on the hall, which seemed to be telling some story.

He wasn't there for archaeological research, so he had no interest in exploring what the murals were about. He just glanced at them and skipped over them, walked around once, and returned to the altar.

A key was stuck in the altar, and a parchment scroll was placed next to it.

Zhou Qingfeng reached out and picked up the parchment scroll, flipped it open, and glanced at it. He couldn't understand it; it was covered with densely packed, tadpole-like characters, clearly encrypted, and no outsider could decipher their meaning.

So he simply put the parchment into his storage bag and took it back to the Tower of Swords to figure out how to decipher it.

As for the mysterious and ancient golden key, Zhou Qingfeng reached out and pulled it out. He looked around and, seeing nothing unusual, shrugged. After looking around again and finding nothing else, he turned and left without a second thought.

Walking up the mine tunnel, the moment I stepped out of the mine...

"Boom!" The entire Faqian Mine collapsed instantly.

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the key in his palm: "..."

"My God, the mine has collapsed! General Qiu, are you alright?" The miners were terrified and rushed over to check on Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng had a guess: could it be that he himself pulled out the golden key, causing the collapse?

On the surface, Zhou Qingfeng said without changing his expression, "I don't know how it collapsed. It's probably because it's been in disrepair for years."

The miners said, "It's good that you're alright. Don't go so close to the mine in the future. If you were buried alive, we wouldn't be able to explain ourselves even if we had a hundred mouths."

"Let's organize some people and clear the mine shaft." Zhou Qingfeng nodded, said nothing more, and stepped out of the crowd.

He didn't want others to know about the opportunity he had gained in the mine.

Although I don't know what the key and the parchment scroll are for.

But my intuition tells me that these two things are not simple.

Keep it in your hands, return to the Sword Tower, and eventually you'll figure it out.

At this moment, the anti-bandit squad and the mine protection team escorted the dozens of captured bandits back to the mine.

Upon seeing Zhou Qingfeng, Jin Wei strode forward, threw the heads of the six bandits on the ground, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and said, "Commander-in-Chief, your strategy is brilliant. Your subordinates have already captured and killed all the bandit leaders."

Xiao Hongyun walked over laughing: "Old Zhou, awesome! Everything is going according to your plan. Just as you predicted, the capture and killing of the bandit leader went very smoothly. When the bandits learned that their leader had been killed, they scattered in all directions."

Zhou Qingfeng ignored the smug Xiao Hongyun and glanced at Ye Tingxiu.

"The plan is going smoothly." Ye Tingxiu nodded to Zhou Qingfeng.

Zhou Qingfeng grunted and glanced at the head on the ground: "Jin Wei, were there any bandit leaders forgotten?"

Jin Wei hesitated for a moment, then lowered his head and said, "Commander, according to the bandits we captured, one of the bandit leaders was named Sima Yan, who was the strategist of Zhuxian Village. We did not find any trace of him at Luofeng Slope, so we did not capture or kill him."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qingfeng said nonchalantly, "It's alright, he won't survive."

As soon as he finished speaking, the assassin crawled out of the ground, clasped his hands and said, "Commander, the plan is complete. Shan Jun has slaughtered all the bandits of Zhuxian Village."

Zhou Qingfeng helped Jin Wei up and smiled faintly: "See, I told you, he won't survive."

Jin Wei laughed: "Your strategy for assisting the commander is unparalleled. I admire you."

Zhou Qingfeng pointed at the assassin and said, "Seven went, one returned."

"This proves that you are a capable and intelligent person, and you also have a bit of luck."

"Good. Follow me after we return to the city, and I'll reward you for your service."

The assassin was overjoyed and kept clasping his hands and bowing to express his gratitude: "Thank you for your appreciation, Commander-in-Chief."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at the sky; it was nearly evening. He put his hands behind his back and looked around: "You all did a great job and did not disappoint me. This great victory in suppressing the bandits is thanks to your hard work and great contributions. I have seen it all."

"After returning to the city, I will speak on your behalf before the city lord, and everyone will be richly rewarded!"

"Thank you, Commander!" Everyone present could not hide their joy and bowed and clasped their hands in unison.

Zhou Qingfeng nodded, turned around and walked back to his mine shed.

Jin Wei waved his hand and said, "Disperse. Everyone, do your job and take turns on duty. No one should slack off!"

After saying that, Jin Wei turned and walked into the mine shed, clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "Commander, the Zhuxian Village stronghold must contain a lot of treasure. What should we do with it? Should we send people to move it overnight?"

Zhou Qingfeng stared at the topographical map hanging on the wall without turning his head: "You handle it."

Upon hearing this, Jin Wei understood immediately, clasped his hands in greeting, retreated, and left, closing the double doors behind him.

Zhou Qingfeng frowned slightly: "Unfortunately, we couldn't find any trace of the Renxin Sect, so we can't expand our gains."

After a moment of contemplation, Zhou Qingfeng chuckled to himself.

This campaign to suppress bandits has already been a great success, so why get caught up in self-torture because of insatiable greed?

I admit I was a bit greedy, but so what?

Whether they are immortals, gods, humans, ghosts, birds, or beasts, as long as they have desires, they will be greedy; the only difference is the type of greed.

All living beings are greedy; there is no one who is not greedy, and there is nothing they do not covet.

The so-called ability to take things as they come and let them go, and to not be burdened by greed, is merely a pie in the sky that a person tormented by a wicked world draws upon in despair after realizing the true nature of the world, a pie that can never be eaten.

As human beings, we should not feel ashamed of our greed.

What we need to do is face it squarely, master it, and make it the driving force on our path forward.

Only in this way can one live a wonderful and fulfilling life, without regrets.

At the end of life, one can laugh heartily and have no regrets!