Chapter 54: The Miner Army

On one side stood the assassins of the Tian Clan Fortress, and on the other were the monks surrounded by a crowd of miners. Lined up in a row, the two factions formed a tense standoff.

Suddenly, the crowd of miners parted like a receding tide, and a figure carrying a shovel sauntered out lazily from the rear.

"Well, well, well. Brothers from the Tian family, what a rare pleasure," said the newcomer. He was extremely tall, unshaven, and his face shone with sweat. With his upper body and legs entirely bare save for a loincloth, and his skin as rough as weathered leather, he looked precisely like an ordinary, brawny middle-aged miner.

Tian Guichen froze. "You know me?"

"Ah, I've had dealings with your fortress master, Tian Shenwei, many times, and I've even visited the Tian Clan Fortress," the middle-aged man replied. He picked up a blackened cloth to wipe the grease from his face, snatched a cold steamed bun from the pouch at another miner's waist, and devoured it with loud, sloppy chews, appearing utterly uninhibited and unkempt.

Tian Guichen was stunned, then a faint glimmer of recollection surfaced. Indeed, there had once been such a burly man who was a distinguished guest of the Tian Clan Fortress, though back then he was impeccably dressed, spoke with refined elegance, and—despite his rugged features—looked very much like a cultured merchant.

That was why Tian Guichen had failed to recognize this Mine Director Lin.

"Director... Lin? A man of your vast wealth still goes down into the mines personally?" Tian Guichen asked awkwardly. "And how did you end up mixed up with Yun Zheng's subordinates?"

Given Tian Guichen's status, he had no way of knowing that Tian Shenwei had received intelligence regarding Yun Zheng from Mine Director Lin, which was what had prompted their expedition to Lusheng County.

"Ah, I'm just a rough man, poor since childhood, and I made my fortune strictly by digging mines. Once you strike it rich, if you start putting on airs and no longer share thick and thin with the brothers, wouldn't that be forgetting your roots?" said Director Lin.

Originally, he had no formal given name, but after making his fortune, he named himself Lin Dengwan, a nod to Shen Wansan, the colossal merchant of the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Come to think of it, the Shen family had fallen on hard times later, and their descendants were exiled by the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty to Yunnan and Guizhou, spreading their branches far and wide. Among Director Lin's miner brothers today, there were indeed descendants of Shen Wansan.

"You're saying these monks belong to that Yun Zheng fellow who turned Guizhou upside down?" Lin Dengwan asked, looking puzzled. "I only knew a friend sent a letter asking to secure a few rations for them at my mine; I had no inkling of all this."

"Speaking of which, it's one thing for the imperial court to tighten the mining taxes lately, but two or three of my richest mines were actually cordoned off by people sent by Eunuch Yang and turned into official state-run properties. My heart aches, I tell you! Doing business is getting harder by the day!"

At the mention of his grievance, Lin Dengwan swung a fist the size of a mortar, gnashing his teeth in utter fury.

Thoughts raced through Tian Guichen's mind like lightning.

Lin Dengwan was merely a merchant, and he even had ties with their fortress master, Tian Shenwei.

However, he had recently received word that Tian Shenwei was already dead, and the master of the fortress had been replaced by the second-in-command, Wei Ruzi.

Moreover, Tian Guichen knew that Lin Dengwan was rich—very rich.

Accustomed to spending lavishly, Tian Guichen had embarked on this mission with his head on the line, and the bounty issued by the Tian family might not even cover his expenses for three months.

What was more, Eunuch Yang Rong still coveted the remaining mines in Lin Dengwan's possession.

Tian Guichen thought to himself: Though these miners looked like they had some muscle, such brawny commoners were arguably inferior to ordinary pugilistic ruffians. As one of the premier experts of the Tian Clan Fortress, he had even personally selected fifty elite assassins to accompany him. With their strength, slaughtering all the monks and miners present would be as easy as turning over a hand.

To be cautious, however, Tian Guichen decided to capture Mine Director Lin first. This was what Tian Shenwei had always taught him: even a lion hunting a rabbit must use its full strength, and many formidable martial arts heroes had ultimately perished at the hands of nobodies simply because they underestimated their foes.

Tian Guichen abruptly drew the ghost blade at his waist and closed in on Lin Dengwan like a phantom.

Lin Dengwan froze instantly, his eyes filled with absolute disbelief.

The Tusi of Yongshun glanced at the Tusi of Wumeng, and the two exchanged a look that clearly said they were watching a good show.

Yet their thoughts were not entirely identical. The Tusi of Yongshun merely lamented the assassin's blinding greed, while the Tusi of Wumeng thought much further ahead:

These subordinates of Yang Rong truly had no idea what kind of terrifying existence miners were.

These violent elements, who frequently engaged in all-out brawls to seize lucrative mines, were not only physically robust and rich in combat experience, but they were also well-versed in coordinated tactical formations usually found only in elite military units.

This indirectly validated his earlier judgment: regarding the forces commanded by these mine owners, the rather self-opinionated Yang Rong was utterly oblivious.

The Tusi of Wumeng sighed inwardly, as if he could already foresee Yang Rong's defeat and ruin.

Yet a lingering sense of unease always hovered in the Tusi of Wumeng's mind. After all, that unfathomable mastermind behind the scenes remained concealed beneath layers of mist, much like a beast lurking in the shadows, quietly whetting its sharp claws.

The Tusi of Wumeng knew that the mastermind would inevitably launch a long-planned, all-out assault at a carefully chosen moment.

And to this day, the Tusi of Wumeng still could not guess what kind of grand gift Yun Zheng had prepared for this mastermind. Among all the arrangements Yun Zheng had made thus far, were there any stray moves he had failed to notice that could serve as a fatal blow to the mastermind?

Screw it. Let the heavens fall; Yun Zheng was tall enough to hold them up.

The ghost blade clashed violently against the iron shovel, sending sparks flying.

Then, in the flash of a flint, the two exchanged over a dozen blows.

The movement of the ghost blade was extraordinary and fluid; every slash was like a venomous snake gathering its strength in the dark, light yet carrying an unpredictable intent to kill. The iron shovel, by contrast, was as steady as a mountain, every parry imbued with unshakeable power, making any attack against it seem pale and futile.

Seeing that his repeated assaults yielded no success, Tian Guichen quickly withdrew, feeling a secret jolt of shock: This fellow possesses immense physical strength.

His arm was actually beginning to grow faintly numb.

A chill suddenly rose in Tian Guichen's heart, and he prepared to order his subordinates to swarm forward and capture the mine director.

Yet he saw that the hundred-odd miners had already lined up in a single file and were flexibly adjusting their formation, silently and seamlessly surrounding the assassins in an ironclad encirclement.

The miners were divided into two ranks, their positioning staggered and the distance between them perfectly judged, ensuring both continuity of attack and freedom from crowding.

(This is an army—an army tempered by countless bouts of tacit coordination and fierce combat.)

At that moment, Tian Guichen finally understood the look in Lin Dengwan's eyes earlier: Why would such a weak little squad dare to draw their blades and provoke me?

Over in the direction of the Medicine King Valley, Xi Ye had successfully tamed the unicorn.

The creature resembled a white horse, with a spiral horn upon its brow that bespoke nobility, haughtiness, and purity. Its eyes were as tranquil as deep lakes, and its delicate, silky mane drifted in the wind, shimmering with the color of twinkling starlight.

Clad in white as pure as snow, Xi Ye rode leisurely atop the unicorn, while misty daylight cascaded down, rendering her silhouette as ethereal as an immortal taking flight.

Song Yiyi also wanted to cuddle the unicorn, only to be kicked flying with a single hoof by the abruptly enraged beast.