Chương 382: Ghosts of the Mine (XXVIII)

"Is everything alright, Daoist Lu?"

"Oh, yes, no, everything is fine. It's, uh, it's just... I was wondering if you had a few days to spare?"

"We do, as it turns out. Do you need help with something?"

"..." God, it's awkward. It's so awkward. I've always found asking favors to be extremely awkward.

"You must be aware of the legend of this place."

"Hm? Legend? Ah! You're referring to the Spirit Stone Mine?"

"Yes."

"Indeed, we've all heard the stories. Is that why you've come here? If so, I'm afraid you'll leave disappointed; most people, my Father included, have scoured every inch of this entire mountain range, looking for the elusive mine." If they're not aware it's literally below us, why did they choose this place? Did they mistake an abundance of Qi for something else?

"No trace of it was ever found, though. Most believe it's simply a folk tale, like many others."

"..."

"But... it's not, is it?" her countenance shifted slightly as she must have picked up something off my expression.

"Haah. Fellow Daoist, though I've lived for quite a few years, I am considered fairly young as far as cultivators go; there are still only so many shocks in the span of a few hours that my heart can take. Do you intend to kill me? If you know where it is, why are you coming to me? What if I betray you?"

"Then you'd be among the bravest people who've ever lived," she winced but didn't deny it. Her eyes inadvertently glanced toward Long Tao's direction as she bit her lower lip.

"The prerequisite is that you know how to lay down the array."

"The Spirit Lay Line Array?" She arched her brows.

"Of course, it's part of the education. You... don't know?"

"I indeed don't," I smiled bitterly.

"But we do," I added quickly.

"Ah, but there's one more thing--you, and everyone else who comes down with us, must either be naturally resistant to extreme Yin density or have an art that allows you temporary respite."

"Well, you're in luck," she shrugged.

"The method we all practice is one of the greatest Yin-repellant things in the world, if I say so myself. Short of it being a literal bridge between the living and the dead, we should be fine. Rather, we could probably escort even an ordinary mortal through..." was that his plan? I frowned inwardly. He already knew there'd be Yin energy within the mine and probably had about a dozen plans on how to deal with it. And these guys just happen to be one of those. Still, he's not telling me everything.

There is another reason why he's willing to take them along, though what that reason is... ah, if only I could peek inside the thoughts of a monster who's lived for thousands, tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of years? The system said he was a cultivator from 10, 000 years ago, but all that tells me is that he died thereabout. Just how old was he actually? Well... A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"We'll rest here for tonight," I said.

"And depart at dawn."

"I swear an Oath of Heart, Mind, and Soul to not divulge either the existence or the contents or the path to the Spirit Stone Mine. Shall I break my Oath in any manner, may the Heavens smite me." Hm? Why is she voluntarily swearing it?

"I'll make others swear it, too. You've helped us--and if nothing else, it did feel good to watch that fool squirm like a worm that he was. I ought to repay it, at the very least."

"... thank you."

"Rest well." I turned and walked back, mind spinning with thoughts. Certain parts have started unraveling, I feel, as far as the 'lore' of this world goes, but more so what Long Tao's existence means. Whether I ever came here or not, there's a good chance he would have taken quite a few similar steps but just used other means to turn out victorious. Sometimes, deep down, I wonder how that journey would have gone.

Would it have been a rather steady, if cliched, power-fantasy romp that would have Long Tao slowly slapping faces, taking names, and progressing throughout the world? Or would it be one of struggle, as he finds himself repeatedly lacking, thrown into cauldrons of boiling water he was not quite yet strong enough to endure? Sort of like me.

Well, in fairness, my struggles were largely internal; in the grand scheme of things, save for the sect being destroyed, and nearly being caught while escaping with Wan Lan, and having to trek up a mountain to face some once-in-a-generation shaman--okay, never mind, I suffered plenty. The dawn came quickly, with Long Tao fixing us all a rather simple breakfast--everyone got a boiled egg and a slice of freshly baked bread. How was he doing this? He made a functioning, albeit improvised, oven.

Stone, metal, and magic, I guess, because it had the ability to bake bread. It wasn't good bread, mind you--it was rough, kind of spongy, but it was fresh. We were eating fresh bread high up on a freakin' mountain, alongside a decently boiled egg. Better service than I've had on some bed-and-breakfasts, to be honest. Once we were done and packed up, we headed toward the entrance.

Though I was at the front, leading both the kids and Shuren and her entourage, I moved like a little puppet with Long Tao speaking directions into my mind. The first direction was to shuffle further up along the slope.

Though there was a path that led back around and up toward the gap between the mountains, the passage that everyone else used to go to the other side, we climbed directly up, battling against the trees, the shrubs, and the seemingly invisible roots that I did not accidentally stumble over once or twice and had to endure stifled laughter from the back.

About fifteen minutes of that later, he told me to go north, parallel with the mountain, until we reached a rather deep and gnarly gash, extending about forty feet across and digging directly into the mountain. He told me to go up, to the very beginning of the gash, which took another twenty minutes or so. I stopped rather abruptly as I felt it --we've stepped into an array. I glanced back at him and frowned, while he merely shrugged. Sighing, I stepped forward as the scenery began to disintegrate.

The array was simple yet complex--'all' it did was make it seem as though the gash started here and led to a simple cave. The issue is that it was just the first of about literally eighty fucking formations that I crossed in the span of forty yards." Stop," Long Tao said." We're here." It was a half-cleaved arch, diagonally pinned by a jutting stone, with darkness surging within and the pressure akin to a volcano being held back by something invisible.

Beyond all that, though, I got the chills--the air was thick with sulfur, with visible plumes of dark, ashen gray tint curling around the edges of the 'entrance'. And within them were thin, long, and bony fingers, grasping and digging into stone.