Volume One: The Sword of the Son of Heaven Chapter 79: Strange Sounds

After an hour of sword flight, the consumption of spiritual energy was astonishing—even masters at the Foundation Establishment stage struggled to endure it, and few at the Qi Refining stage could persist. By the time they reached the vicinity of the Mu family's mine, Mu Qingyao's delicate face had turned pale, her spiritual energy nearly depleted.

What surprised Yun Que was that Zhou Yuanliang had managed to keep up as well. Despite his haggard appearance, even more so than Mu Qingyao, and swallowing a pill upon landing, his ability to ride the sword was far from ordinary. Among the disciples of the Sword Palace, very few could match the speed of the First Sword's flight. Yun Que had never asked about Zhou Yuanliang's cultivation and had never seen him in action, always assuming his level was modest, perhaps mid-stage Qi Refining. But now it seemed Zhou Yuanliang's realm was at least late-stage Qi Refining, possibly even stronger than the average Sword Son.

Yun Que didn't press for answers. Everyone had their secrets, and the unrestrained scion surely had a side unknown to others.

Luo Xiaoyu, upon landing, was flushed with excitement. It was her first time experiencing sword flight, and an hour in the air had thoroughly satisfied her longing for the skies.

After a brief rest, the four set out toward the mine. It was a large mining mountain, producing copper ore. Mu Gui likely never expected the Emperor to target the Mu family's mines; if he had truly hidden a magical treasure here, he must now be regretting it deeply.

The Mu family owned over a dozen mines throughout Yan Kingdom, all sealed, and this one was no exception. The entrance was guarded by numerous soldiers. What stood out was their strict discipline—each stood as motionless as carved statues, vigilantly on guard. It was as if they were guarding a treasure vault brimming with riches, rather than a freshly sealed mine. Even the palace guards might not possess such spirit.

On one side of the mine, temporary tents had been erected for the soldiers. Yun Que noticed a man sitting at the entrance of the largest tent—likely the leader of the guards. Due to the angle, his face was obscured, but what was visible was a pair of iron gloves on his hands.

Hiding behind a distant hillside, the four gazed toward the mine entrance.

"Looks like someone from the Ethereal Pavilion," Zhou Yuanliang said, watching the tent's shadow with apprehension. "The Pavilion's top enforcer is known as Iron Hand, specializing in interrogations and always wearing those gloves. He's ruthless and extremely difficult to deal with."

Unable to see the man's face, Zhou Yuanliang couldn't confirm his identity.

"Has the Ethereal Pavilion tracked down Yi Hongwen's whereabouts?" Mu Qingyao asked.

"I don't think so. If they had, they'd be inside, competing for the treasure, not guarding the mountain," Yun Que murmured.

Yun Que found the presence of the Ethereal Pavilion suspicious. Created by the national advisor, it could be called the Emperor's fierce hound—wherever these men appeared, trouble followed. The Mu family's fate had not yet been sealed, and now the Pavilion was at the mine; their purpose surely wasn't mere guard duty.

Ordinary soldiers could be bribed, but now even entering the mountain was problematic.

"Is there any other way to reach the mine?" Yun Que asked Mu Qingyao.

"There is an emergency passage to prevent collapses in the main mine, but I don't know where it is. I've never been here before," Mu Qingyao replied.

"As long as it exists, let's search," Zhou Yuanliang said, rolling up his sleeves.

Yun Que didn't hurry to look for the entrance. Instead, he took out the promissory note and let the little dog, Wangcai, sniff the fingerprint on it.

The obedient pup sniffed for a while, then ran toward the barren hill on the right side of the mine.

The group followed closely. Soon, they discovered an emergency passage hidden by wild grass in a desolate hollow.

Luo Xiaoyu stroked the dog and praised, "Wangcai is amazing! He even found the passage!"

Zhou Yuanliang sighed, "Wangcai isn't tracking the passage, he's tracking Yi Hongwen. So the man is indeed here."

Mu Qingyao looked at Yun Que, her eyes filled with admiration.

He had guessed right! Yi Hongwen had come to the mine, which meant Mu Gui's Chiba Sword was hidden here.

"Let us hope we are not too late," Yun Que said, glancing at the darkening sky. Taking the lead with Wangcai, he entered the passage.

The temporary passage was crudely built—the ground uneven, the sides jagged. Few ever walked here; it was merely a backup.

Upon entering the main mine, the floor became wide and smooth. A rail ran through the center for transporting ore; some carts still sat atop it, loaded with minerals, while abandoned tools littered the sides.

Clearly, the sealing of the mine had been sudden—the miners left in haste, leaving their tools and carts behind.

They weren't far from the entrance and could see a fist-sized opening. As they ventured deeper, the entrance vanished from view, and darkness enveloped them.

They lit torches and continued onward.

The mine had been developed for years, its belly dug deep. After some time, they encountered a fork.

Both passages were similar, winding into the depths below.

Yun Que paused, waiting for Wangcai to track.

The dog sniffed the ground and decisively chose the left path.

"I can sense the Chiba Sword's aura—we're close. I'll go ahead," Mu Qingyao said confidently.

Her flower spirit root gave her a unique sensitivity to wood-based treasures, and the Chiba Sword was precisely such a magical item. Once within a certain range, she could sense its location.

At this point, she was nearly certain the sword lay deep within the left cave.

To guard against surprises, Mu Qingyao, the strongest among them, took the lead.

She kept her Flower Spirit Sword hovering at her side and entered the left passage first, Zhou Yuanliang and Luo Xiaoyu following.

Wangcai, being a dog, wasn't guaranteed to behave. If he barked prematurely, it would be harmless outside—others would assume a stray dog—but inside the cave, his voice could travel far, alerting Yi Hongwen and making him wary.

For safety, Yun Que waited until the other three had gone ahead, then brought Wangcai along.

Just as he was about to step into the left cave, a strange sound echoed from the right one.

Yun Que stopped to listen closely.

It sounded like metal striking metal, but quickly faded.

Someone was inside?

Yun Que hesitated, then took out the promissory note again for Wangcai to sniff.

The dog still chose the left passage, ignoring the right.

Yun Que glanced suspiciously at the pitch-black right tunnel, but pressed on with the left.

Perhaps someone was in the right cave, but finding Yi Hongwen and the Chiba Sword was the priority.

He quickened his pace along the left passage.

As he walked, a small cascade of sand and stone fell from above.

Yun Que raised his torch—there was a crack over three meters long in the ceiling!

He frowned immediately.

He shone the torch around but saw no signs of reinforcement.

That shouldn't be…

Yun Que continued, pondering silently.

The crack was a sign of impending collapse, yet this was the Mu family's mine, operational just days ago. If there were dangers of collapse, the miners would not have continued work, nor would the Mu family have foolishly kept the mine open with visible cracks.

If the Mu family didn't understand such basic principles, how could they have become the richest in Yan Kingdom?

Soon, Yun Que stopped again.

His torch revealed three cracks even longer than before.

A sense of foreboding crept into his heart.

He stopped paying attention to the cracks, quickening his steps to catch up with the others and warn them of the danger.

But Wangcai suddenly became hesitant, refusing to move forward.

Yun Que was startled.

The cave had only cracks, no sign of collapse; the dog couldn't have sensed geological danger. What could make Wangcai fearful, if not something else?

He stared into the deep darkness ahead, sensing a crisis more terrifying than a cave-in lurking below.

Dragging Wangcai, Yun Que hurried forward and soon caught up with Mu Qingyao and the others.

Just as he was about to call out, he found the trio standing still, frozen in place.

Under the torchlight, the passage ahead opened into a spacious chamber, its floor covered in vibrant green vines.