Twilight's Threshold Chapter 369: The Mysterious Mine Vein - Novel Cool

Chapter 369: The Mysterious Mine Vein

Chapter 369: The Mysterious Mine Vein

"What the heck is this?"

Looking at the group of people, including the mine master, Zhuang, and the meat cutters around him, Hu Ma couldn't help but feel that the situation was unfolding differently from what he had anticipated.

Even Zhou Datong and Old Abacus, who were standing nearby, realized something was amiss. They curiously looked around, sensing the tension that had just filled the air.

"Let's start with the formalities. I'm in a bit of a bind here, and I can't back down now."

Hu Ma slightly raised his voice, not hiding his wariness as he said, "To be honest, I'm here to audit the accounts. I'm not one to boast, but I don't dare take on more than I can handle. First, tell me what's going on. Did you offend the Wu people outside?"

"We're all just trying to make a living. Who would dare offend them?"

Seeing that Hu Ma wasn't buying it, the mine master, Zhuang, sighed and continued, "Over the past half month, there have been quite a few incidents at the mine. It all started with this mine vein..."

"Master..."

Suddenly, two of his disciples behind him called out, looking a bit tense.

Not only them, but even some of the meat cutters who seemed to be foremen and managers, showed signs of unease.

Hearing this, the mine master, Zhuang, paused slightly.

Old Abacus, who was standing beside him, coughed, and Hu Ma understood. He coldly smiled and said, "Mine Master Zhuang, we're all from the Longevity Gate Dao. I'm showing you respect due to your age, so let's have a proper conversation. Why are you being so vague?"

"In the Longevity Gate Dao, we value respect for our elders. When a disciple speaks while their master is talking, it's considered disrespectful..."

"..."

Hu Ma directly pointed out the issue, causing the two disciples beside the mine master to slightly change their expressions.

However, the mine master realized that Hu Ma's skills and unique techniques indicated a prestigious background, which meant he would have many rules to follow. He acknowledged that his behavior had indeed brought shame to his master.

The mine master paused and said, "You're right, I was overthinking it. Please forgive me, Great Guardian of the New Year."

"I'm not trying to hide anything. The truth is, these strange occurrences all started with this mine vein, and it's truly bizarre..."

"..."

Hu Ma glanced at him, then sat down at a nearby table. He picked up a wine jar and poured himself half a bowl, inviting Old Abacus to sit beside him. Then, he turned to the mine master and said, "Take your time, I'm all ears."

The others couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy seeing the young man's casual attitude, but they couldn't deny his skills.

After all, Hu Ma had already proven his worth by winning the contest. They might not respect his age, but they had to acknowledge his abilities.

The mine master, Zhuang, sighed softly and said, "I'm not one to boast, but I've gained a lot of experience since learning my skills. I've been guarding this Blood Feast Mine, and I've seen and experienced all sorts of things."

"But this particular mine vein is something I don't quite understand."

"It was about two months ago. We discovered a meat pit surrounded by Dark Empyrean, heavy with malevolent energy, and with little of value to extract. So, we left it untouched, but..."

"But since the sect assigned us a heavy task, we decided to give it a try and test the quality. Surprisingly, despite it being a Dark Empyrean, the more we extracted, the more vibrant the meat became. After a few cuts, the meat turned green, and then red after a few more."

"..."

As Hu Ma listened, his curiosity piqued. They were extracting Blood Empyrean?

That was a rare and valuable find, and the other Blood Feast Mines could only produce a few dozen pounds of it in a year, treating it like a treasure.

"That's right..."

The mine master, Zhuang, paused as he noticed the intense gazes of Hu Ma and the others. Then, he sighed and spoke frankly, "Indeed, it started as a Dark Empyrean, but we ended up extracting Blood Empyrean. Moreover..."

He seemed to smile wryly as he continued, "The more we extracted, the more vibrant and plump the meat became, even oozing with fresh blood. It was the highest quality Blood Feast we had ever seen..."

"To be honest, it even attracted a group of malevolent spirits who wailed throughout the night. We had to perform a grand sacrifice to disperse them."

"..."

Hu Ma was astonished and asked, "How much did you extract in total?"

Blood Empyrean was a rare commodity, and the other Blood Feast Mines could only produce a few dozen pounds of it in a year, treating it as a precious treasure.

But now, it seemed like they had secretly hit a significant jackpot?

The thought of it made everyone excited, especially Hu Ma, who was there for a specific purpose. If there was an undiscovered and abundant Blood Feast Mine here, it could solve his current needs in one go.

"Not much..."

The mine master, Zhuang, seeing the anxious glances of those around him, felt slightly embarrassed. "We only extracted a few baskets..."

"A few baskets?"

Hu Ma almost lost his composure.

The last time he had seen Blood Empyrean measured in baskets was back at the Dongzi Li family.

"It's not important!"

The mine master, Zhuang, quickly added, "We know Blood Empyrean is a precious commodity, and we didn't dare take it lightly. But what we didn't expect was that after a short while, the meat quality changed again. Within the blood, golden veins appeared, shimmering beautifully..."

"Golden Veined Empyrean?"

Hu Ma's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a tingling sensation. He couldn't help but look at the tall and sturdy Chief Zhuang with a hint of suspicion.

"When the blood feast produces golden veins, it becomes the Golden Jade Elixir..."

Hu Ma recalled how he had used this very elixir to save the incense girl from the Li family in the cave.

Later, the Li family had given him an even more superior version, the finest blood feast he had ever tasted.

Suddenly, a sense of vigilance arose within him. Something wasn't right...

It was just a medium-sized blood feast mine, and it was reasonable to occasionally find some good items. But as Chief Zhuang spoke, it seemed like all the treasures of the world had gathered in this place.

"But the terrifying part is yet to come..."

Before Hu Ma could voice his doubts, Chief Zhuang heaved a low sigh, his voice trembling slightly. "That Golden Veined Empyrean... we know its power. We thought it was the Age God Lord's blessing, giving us poor souls a stroke of good fortune."

"But who could've imagined that the deeper we cut, the more prominent the golden veins became, and the more blood oozed out. Such quality is a rare sight, even for us who have worked in the mines for over a decade..."

"..."

"Is there more?" Hu Ma asked, hearing about this situation for the first time, his heart pounding. "What did you find as you went deeper?"

"The crucial part is this..." Chief Zhuang stammered, "We... we don't know either. We've sealed off that vein."

Hu Ma frowned, and Old Abacus and Zhou Datong also glared at him, their suspicions evident.

"Hey, this mine owner isn't being very honest..." Old Abacus signaled to Hu Ma from a distance, whispering, "The Empyrean should've been worshiped a month ago, and the butchers should've returned to their farms. It's time for the annual break."

"Why is it that only in your mine, people aren't released, and you claim to have accidentally discovered a Blood Empyrean right at this time? I suspect you're secretly keeping it for yourself, planning to pocket it later."

"So, if something valuable is found in that vein, I doubt you'd let us from the Red Lantern Society know about it..."

"Is that so?"

"..."

Chief Zhuang's face turned slightly embarrassed at Hu Ma's words, unable to refute them.

No one was a fool. If they really found something valuable, they wouldn't hand it over to their superiors, especially during this chaotic period when the ownership of the blood feast mine was transitioning, and the ledgers and managers were in disarray.

It seemed that the mine workers had discovered the blood feast site earlier but kept it hidden. They waited until after the Red Lantern Society's offerings were complete, then secretly kept the workers to extract the treasures for themselves.

The Red Lantern Society had planned to get rid of them from the start. They would agree to their terms first, then send their own people to take over.

The mine workers weren't fools either. They knew they might be replaced by the Red Lantern Society's people, so they took advantage of this opportunity to fill their pockets!

Everyone was aware of this, and Old Abacus merely hinted at it without being overly aggressive.

"Sigh..."

Chief Zhuang also seemed helpless. He turned to Hu Ma and bowed slightly. "Manager Hu, your master, this Master Zhou Er Ye, is someone I've never heard of, given my limited knowledge."

"But all New Year Guardians are like one family. Perhaps my master knows him, or they might even have a connection. So, I won't treat you as a member of the Red Lantern Society but as one of us, a New Year Guardian."

"These words are only for the New Year Guardians."

"The Red Lantern Lady is just a Green Robe Evil Ghost, and that ghost isn't my ancestor. Why should I care?"

"But we also know that once the Red Lantern Society takes over, no matter how sweet their words, this blood feast mine will no longer be under our control."

"We don't know when you'll come to take over, so we thought we'd make a few more deals before then to ensure our brothers' future sustenance."

"This blood vein was indeed discovered by us earlier, but we kept it hidden. We wanted to extract something valuable at the end and share the profits. However, finding such high-quality items was beyond our expectations..."

"The most crucial part is that we wanted to push forward and see what was deeper in the vein, but then..."

"..."

As he saw the New Year Guardian's strange and hesitant expression, Hu Ma furrowed his brows and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

Chief Zhuang remained silent for a long time before whispering, "Ghosts..."

(End of Chapter)

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