C9 Something Strange Happened at the Spirit Mine

Under the moonlight at the gathering, there were many unfamiliar faces. Some were as gentle as a breeze, others indifferent, and some proud and aloof. Su Qianxun remained silent, bowing respectfully to Su Baihan. "Chief."

"Alright, now that everyone is here, I have a few words before you depart. Our Su family is at a critical juncture. You are the elite disciples, carrying the weight of our family's future. Regardless of whether the Su family thrives or falls, and no matter your choices, remember that it was the Su family of Fallen Mountain City that raised you," Su Baihan declared passionately, each word resonating deeply with those present, leaving an indelible mark on their hearts.

"Now, you may leave," Su Baihan said, channeling his spiritual force with his right hand. With a powerful strike, a stone door opened, revealing a tunnel before them.

"Chief, we will not let you down," Su Changyi vowed, leading the others.

"And as a father, I ask you to take good care of my daughter. I beg of you," Su Baihan implored, looking intently at Su Qianxun and bowing deeply.

"Chief..." The other disciples knelt, overwhelmed by his gesture.

"Father..." Su Qianxun murmured. In her past life as an orphan, no one had ever done such a thing for her. In this life, in a world full of intrigue and change, there was someone who genuinely cared for her.

Once she returned to the Su family, she initially just wanted to show some filial piety for the original Su Qianxun. But now, she truly saw this man as her father.

“Don’t worry, Chief. We’ll take good care of our junior sister,” Su Changyi assured.

“Alright, everyone, get up and let’s move,” he instructed. The disciples rose and entered the tunnel, with Su Changyi guiding Su Qianxun along.

Su Baihan closed the stone door behind them and murmured to the moon, “Child, survive.”

Su Qianxun and the others followed the tunnel out of Fallen Mountain City, reaching the outskirts. They headed southeast, where the Su family’s Spirit Mine was located.

Su Qianxun was reserved around strangers, so Su Changyi stayed by her side, introducing her to the other senior brothers and sisters.

She quietly memorized their names. There were twelve of them in total. Besides Su Changyi and herself, the rest were elite disciples of the Su family.

Su Zimo, the son of the Su family’s fourth elder, Su Bainan, was the most advanced among them, at the seventh level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Su Chen, Su Ruyan, Su Tianming, Su Tingzhi, and Su Changyi were all at the sixth level, with Su Ruyan being the only female among them.

Su Yue, Su Rou, Su Dongzhuo, Su Ditao, and Su Guangyao were at the fifth level, with Su Yue and Su Rou being female cultivators.

Among the twelve people, only Su Qianxun was at the second level of the Qi Refining Stage.

"Changyi, can you stop talking to this loser? People like her should stay in the spirit manor doing servant work. Calling her a prodigy is just embarrassing," Su Yue said arrogantly.

As soon as she spoke, everyone turned to look at Su Qianxun. "Su Yue, watch your words. The fact that Junior Sister Qianxun made it out of the spirit manor shows she has strength. Besides, she's our junior sister," Su Rou defended Su Qianxun, shedding her usual gentle demeanor.

"Su Yue, don't say things like that again," Su Changyi warned sternly.

Su Yue scoffed, "With her around, she'll only hold us back."

"Su Yue, you..." Su Rou pushed her hard.

"Su Rou, you actually pushed me over someone so useless? You..." Su Yue looked at Su Rou in disbelief, ready for a heated argument.

"Enough," Su Qianxun said coldly.

Everyone turned their attention to her as she stepped forward to face Su Yue. "I won't hold you back, and I'm not useless," she stated before walking ahead.

Su Changyi and Su Rou both warned Su Yue, who reluctantly stomped her foot in frustration before catching up with the group.

Among the twelve people, only Su Changyi and Su Rou truly regarded Qianxun as their junior sister. The others, to varying degrees, saw her as a disappointment hiding behind the title of "daughter of a genius," someone they looked down upon. Su Yue just voiced what the others kept to themselves.

Qianxun was well aware of this. In her previous life, she had seen and experienced such disdain firsthand. The warmth that Su Baihan had kindled in her heart now turned into a cold, lifeless stone.

At dawn, they arrived at the Spirit Mine and sought out the manager.

"Manager, we're disciples from the Su family of Fallen Mountain City. We're here to investigate the attack on the Spirit Mine," Su Zimo asked with a serious yet courteous tone.

The manager pondered for a moment before replying, "This situation is quite strange. We were attacked by a few crazed demonic beasts."

"Demonic beasts attacking humans isn't unheard of. What's so unusual about it?" Su Zimo was puzzled.

"Typically, demonic beasts don't attack humans unprovoked. Moreover, this place is far from where they usually roam. It shouldn't be possible for them to attack the mine," the manager explained.

Everyone was perplexed. If that's the case, demonic beasts indeed wouldn't attack humans. High-level demonic beasts have some intelligence, but they wouldn't attack these mine workers without reason. Low-level ones are even less likely to do so. Even if they wandered into human territory by mistake, they might attack people, but why would they go berserk for no apparent reason?

"Manager, when do these demonic beast attacks usually happen? Is it every day, or are the attacks continuous?" Qianxun asked.

"They usually happen at night. After a long day's work, we're exhausted and sleep deeply, even the guards. The attacks catch us off guard, and they're unpredictable. Now, everyone at the Spirit Mine is on edge, too scared to sleep. Without proper rest at night, we can't get much done during the day," the manager replied, looking particularly drained and lacking energy.

"Do the beasts go berserk every time they attack?" Qianxun continued.

"Yes, every time. If we don't kill them, they keep coming back," the manager answered.

"Thank you, Manager," Qianxun said politely.

"You're welcome," the manager replied before getting back to work.

After asking her questions, Qianxun pondered the answers. It felt like the solution was just within reach, but something was still obscuring it.

Qianxun observed the workers, each looking utterly exhausted, as if they might collapse after just a few steps.

"Junior Sister Qianxun, have you discovered anything?" Su Changyi asked.

"I've found three things. First, there's definitely something strange about this..."

"Come on, who doesn't know there's something strange going on? Everyone knows that," Su Yue interjected, crossing her arms and casting a dismissive glance at Qianxun.

"Sister Su Yue, in this unpredictable world, there are two lessons you must learn. First, never let a bad person go unpunished. People rarely change their nature, and letting them go is like setting a tiger free. In the end, it might be you who pays the price."

"The second lesson is to show mercy when it's due. Someone who is defeated today might rise again in a year or ten, and it could be you who falls by their hand."

After these words were spoken, a few people exchanged knowing smiles. Su Yue huffed in frustration and fell silent. Su Zimo's smile faded as he thought, this girl isn't entirely without merit. Interesting, she's becoming more intriguing by the moment...

​