Fellow Daoist! That scoundrel has written a new book again.

Here, day and night are indistinguishable; you can't see the sky when you look up, and you can't see the moon at midnight. Above you are rocky mine walls, and people are like ants buried underground, carving out winding and spiraling mine tunnels.

Knowing that it was safe here, Zhu Wuyao quickly took a nap, though he didn't sleep very soundly.

She woke up with a start the moment the light dimmed.

Slender streaks of light seemed to flash across the stone wall, and the entire mine tunnel seemed to breathe. Then, the beads embedded in the stone wall emitted a dim light.

There was a rustling of voices.

This must be dawn in the mine.

Zhu Wuyao raised his head and looked at the tall, muscular figure outside the barrier, surrounded by three or five people, and heard him ask:

"New guy, aren't you coming out yet?"

The burly man was backlit, so his features and expression were not clearly visible. However, Zhu Wuyao saw greed in the eyes of the two or three people beside him.

Greed for "meat" in two senses.

One type is the craving for food after a long period of abstinence from meat.

She keenly perceived another opposing attitude—"restraint".

"Brother, that old man is really hateful. He can't move yet, and I need to rest for another day."

"There's no water or food inside, what can you raise? Come out and come with us, we can easily support you."

Zhu Wuyao understood the meaning behind the words.

If you don't want to die, or be bullied, or be treated as food to be cut up and eaten, then be "food" in another sense.

She looked around at the people.

With a face covered in dust and dry, cracked skin, prolonged exposure to such an environment will inevitably result in a gaunt, withered appearance, which can be quite frightening.

Therefore, cleanliness and freshness make it a usable resource in the early stages.

Zhu Wuyao nodded slightly and said:

"I understand, but recuperating is not an excuse. I need to think about it."

The burly man at the head of the group raised his hand, and a bowl of water was placed outside the barrier.

You can get it as long as you take that step.

"Hmph, he seems to know his place. Don't let him drink our water and then become ungrateful and ungrateful."

Zhu Wuyao was somewhat relieved at this moment, fortunately he was unable to move when he first arrived and did not rashly leave this barrier.

At least it gave her time to figure out her future path.

Zhu Wuyao raised his hand and clasped his hands in a fist salute to the group outside the barrier. He didn't say anything more, leaned against the stone wall, and lowered his eyes.

She could feel the scrutinizing gazes of those outside the barrier, as if they were assessing her abilities and skills.

Like a wolf encountering a new animal, it always needs to figure out first whether it is a prey it can actually eat.

This is also what Zhu Wuyao is least confident about.

She allocated her skill points in the wrong way.

With his spiritual power sealed, a sorcerer is utterly useless.

This kind of place is no joke; if you're useless, you really can't survive.

Just as I was wondering what use I could be in this place, I heard someone approaching again.

The newcomer had a similar entourage to the previous burly man.

"Hu San has a good impression of you?"

She squatted down, looking directly at Zhu Wuyao, but her attitude wasn't exactly respectful.

Of course, it would be laughable to talk about "face" in such a place before demonstrating one's strength.

Zhu Wuyao guessed that the other party's "equal" attitude was partly due to the big man named Hu San and the bowl of water.

She knew exactly what she was capable of.

Right now, you can pretend and raise your status by being separated by a barrier, but sooner or later you'll have to go out and let others figure out your abilities. You'll be in deep trouble then.

Moreover, Hu San's place isn't exactly a great destination.

I need to have a serious talk with this lady in front of me.

"Sis, that guy seemed to like me. I guess it's because I'm a woman. Is that an advantage for you?"

There's no point in hiding this. Since we're going to talk about this, we need to find out the other person's orientation first.

Zhu Wuyao lowered his prostrate leg, sat cross-legged, looked at the person in front of him, and asked earnestly:

"Or is there anything else I can do?"

The person opposite Zhu Wuyao looked him up and down and said:

"You're not quite up to par, but your personality is alright; you're good at assessing situations, but—"

"You showed your weakness."

Zhu Wuyao asked calmly, "What do you mean?"

The woman opposite seemed to smile and said:

"Someone like you, who doesn't cry or make a fuss in this godforsaken place and can even find a way to survive, is smart."

"Anyone with the skills to make a living would not have to resort to figuring out how to sell themselves by weight."

Zhu Wuyao lowered his head and smiled, offering no rebuttal.

It seems she still lacks experience in the ways of the world and acted too hastily. She couldn't compete with those who had truly been through hell, and her true abilities were revealed in just a few words.

The person opposite stood up.

No longer looking her in the eye, he looked down at her and said:

"Your treatment here is enough to survive, but it's not as good as living under Hu San. If you don't pay your share, you'll just be a reserve food ration."

The malice in his words was undisguised.

Zhu Wuyao had long understood that, in essence, these two groups were the same.

If you're not ruthless enough, how could you possibly gain a foothold here?

In fact, her abilities weren't even enough for the two groups to fight over to win her over. The woman in front of them was only interested in Hu San's "clear water" (a metaphor for his perceived lack of intelligence), so she came to investigate.

Zhu Wuyao nodded and said:

"I understand. How should I address you?"

"Everyone calls our boss Sister Rong. Little girl, it's no wonder Hu San is so fond of you. We like you too. Coming here is much easier than working for Hu San!"

I hope that Wuyao will filter out the useless nonsense.

Looking up at her through the barrier, he said:

"Sister Rong, I will make a choice in one day."

Before leaving, these people didn't leave behind a bowl of water or any food like Hu San did. After Sister Rong came to find out the newcomers' abilities, there naturally wasn't a third group of people.

I hope this place will become quiet again.

She reached up and touched her forehead. How should she choose? One was a mountain of knives, the other a sea of ​​fire. They seemed different, but in essence, they were the same.

No, that makes perfect sense.

Zhu Wuyao suddenly remembered what the two brothers who were driving the carriage had said—that a cultivator rebellion had occurred some time ago.

If that's the case... it means that people with normal temperaments and who are truly capable of taking on important responsibilities have already tried to escape and failed.

The remaining people are nothing more than a few categories.

The first type is those who knew they would inevitably fail and could not escape; these people did not participate in the rebellion, so they stayed behind.

The second type is those who are extremely adapted to the harsh environment of the mine and even fantasize about becoming a local tyrant.

The third type is those who are not very capable, timid and cowardly, so those cultivators look down on them.

There is another possibility—a traitor.

That is, the informant of the mine rebellion may also have survived.

So, you just happened to be there during a period of power reshuffling?

It was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. Although the forces were reorganized, the capable people were probably gone, giving him a chance to survive. But if the mine wanted to organize a second rebellion, it would be almost impossible.

A rebellion might be secretly plotted for a long time.

At this stage of development, we haven't accumulated enough experience.