"Fine," Xie Lang began, his tone turning serious. "When I first got here, it was just like the instructors said. Our job was to keep wild beasts away from the mine and kill any sawtooth worms that appeared inside. It was straightforward—at first."
He paused briefly, his expression hardening.
"But then, somehow, the Jiang Clan found out about this place. Their main city is only about fifty li from here, and with the empire too busy to care about matters like this, they're trying to seize the mine for themselves. At first, they were subtle—they poisoned some of our water supplies, contaminated the beasts we hunted for food. Then they grew bolder. Somehow, they managed to drive the sawtooth worms into a frenzy using some kind of poison."
Xie Lang's hands clenched slightly as he spoke, the memories clearly unpleasant.
"The worms don't even eat the azure crystals anymore. They attack anything that moves—miners, guards, anyone. Worse, their numbers somehow increased. I don't even know how. We barely have time to breathe; the whole mine is practically in a state of emergency."
He shifted his weight, glancing around before continuing.
"The Jiang bastards even dared to raid the carriages transporting azure crystals back to Greenwood Hollow. They attacked the convoys, stole the goods, and made it look like the work of demonic cultivators. But none of us are stupid enough to believe that."
Xie Lang crossed his arms, voice steady despite the bitterness beneath it.
"So yeah—basically, that's everything that's happened these past few weeks."
Lin Shu, who had been silently listening, asked, "Have you faced any of the Jiang Clan's members directly?"
Xie Lang shook his head. "No. They don't confront us openly. They stick to ambushes, traps, and poison. It's their specialty. We also don't have anyone skilled in tracking techniques or investigation arts, so we can't locate hidden traps or track their movements. All we can do is defend this place and try to figure out how they infected the worms. We're guarding the mine entrance tightly, so the only explanation is that there's another entrance somewhere… one we haven't found yet."
Xu Jin frowned deeply, then voiced what they were all starting to think. "What if there's a traitor?"
It was a chilling but logical assumption. A traitor would naturally have access to the mine and could smuggle in poison or information without raising suspicion.
But Xie Lang only shook his head firmly. "That's unlikely. All of us stationed here were made to swear a binding oath—to never reveal the existence or location of this place to outsiders. You'll have to swear the same oath soon too. The only reason you haven't already is because you were sent in a rush to reinforce us."
His explanation left a heavy silence between them. The situation was even more precarious than Lin Shu had expected—and now, they were right in the middle of it.
Before they could continue their conversation, one of the instructors called out, summoning the students to gather in front of the main tent. Lin Shu and Xu Jin left, leaving Xie Lang behind to return to whatever he had been doing before they arrived.
As the group approached the tent, a woman—an instructor specializing in tracking named Qin Yue—stood waiting for them. Her expression was cold and efficient as she addressed the gathered students.
"You will enter the tent one by one to swear an oath," Qin Yue said. "The oath binds you to never reveal the location of this mine or the path leading to it—to anyone."
Without waiting for questions or hesitation, she led the first student inside.
Lin Shu stood in the line, his thoughts cold and sharp.
"These oaths aren't just about protecting the mine from outsiders. They're safeguards against the very cultivators here—especially the ones from clans, like the Zeng Clan. If they ever learned about this mine, what would stop them from trying to seize it for themselves? In the end, they're no different from the Jiang Clan. The only difference is that one found the mine, while the other remains ignorant of its location."
His turn came quickly. Lin Shu stepped inside the tent and was made to swear a binding oath: to never expose the existence or path of the mine, no matter the circumstances. The binding oath tightened invisibly around him as the vow took hold.
Once all the students had completed the oath, they were dismissed and told to wait—they would be assigned their duties soon.
Meanwhile, inside the main tent, Lu Heng—the vice dean—sat behind a heavy wooden desk, leafing through a stack of documents. Seated beside him was the former supervisor of the mine, a weary-looking man named Wei Shan, who watched quietly as the vice dean reviewed the reports. The instructors stood respectfully to the side, waiting for Lu Heng's orders.
Lu Heng finally spoke, his voice steady and sharp.
"As the report states, you contacted the Jiang Clan elders, and they denied attacking our carriages, even threatening retaliation if we continue to 'slander' them."
Wei Shan, sitting respectfully across from him, nodded. "Yes, sir. That's exactly what they said to me."
Lu Heng calmly lifted the teacup beside him, taking a slow sip before placing it quietly back onto the desk. His gaze sharpened as he continued, "Those Jiang weasels are quite skilled at acting, I must say. They attacked us, yet now they want to twist the story, accusing us of false allegations." He leaned back slightly. "Well, it doesn't matter. Any Jiang bastard that dares approach our mine will be slaughtered. If they want to play dirty, we'll play dirtier."
A ruthless glint passed through Lu Heng's eyes as he outlined his next orders.
"We will form two elite teams of our best students specializing in stealth and assassination. Their mission will be to target Jiang merchant envoys, resource points, and hit them exactly the way they hit us. At the same time, we'll install additional defensive formations around the mine."
He continued giving detailed instructions, covering defenses, supplies, covert movements, and counterattacks. After issuing his orders, he dismissed everyone except Wei Shan.
Once they were alone, Lu Heng poured himself another cup of tea and said, almost casually, "You know, while the poison caused the death of some students and servants... it's not entirely a loss. If we can extract and modify it—perhaps remove the aggressive side effect that causes the worms to attack humans—then it would actually benefit us. The worms would no longer harm our manpower or wealth, and the crystals would remain untouched."
Wei Shan nodded respectfully. "That is an excellent idea, Vice Dean. However, there's one thing I can't help but wonder about."
Lu Heng set his cup down with a soft clink. "Speak."
Wei Shan hesitated, then asked, "Given the severity of the situation—bordering on open war with the Jiang Clan—why did you bring prodigies like Han Yi, Zeng Shiyang, Yun Qiu, and Wu Jian here? They all have bright futures ahead of them, and I imagine the Yun, Wu, and Zeng clans won't be pleased that we drafted their heirs into this mission. And how did the Dean even agree to sending his disciple?"
Lu Heng didn't even glance at him as he answered flatly, "Han Yi volunteered herself. I personally tried to persuade the Dean against it, but he said it was her choice. I had no say in that matter." He leaned forward slightly, his voice steady. "As for Zeng Shiyang—he volunteered the moment he heard Han Yi would participate. To be honest, I still don't fully understand that boy's motives, but I had already intended to draft him even if he hadn't stepped forward. With his pride, he would never run back to his clan to avoid the draft."
He paused briefly, then continued, "As for Yun Qiu and Wu Jian, their clans believe they can freely enjoy our institute's techniques, resources, and connections without paying the price when the time comes. They're wrong. This is not a charity. They will earn their keep."
Lu Heng's smile turned cold.
"But that's not the only reason. Bringing them here also serves a greater purpose. If the Jiang Clan dares to move against us, they would be putting themselves at odds with three of Greenwood Hollow's major clans—and the Stone Path Hall itself. Including me, there would be five Rank 2 cultivators ready to retaliate. No matter how arrogant they are, the Jiang will have to think carefully before escalating this into full war."
Wei Shan lowered his head in understanding but voiced one last concern. "But won't the clan patriarchs in Greenwood Hollow be enraged when they learn of this?"
Lu Heng chuckled quietly. "Of course they'll be enraged. But none of us are in the wrong. Their heirs already signed an invisible contract the moment they joined the Stone Path Hall. We provide them opportunities, and they fulfill missions in return. That was the agreement from the start."
He smiled faintly, eyes glinting. "Tell me, Wei Shan—are we doing anything other than holding them to the very deal they accepted?"
Wei Shan had no argument.