"Zhou Peng, take the three of them back and teach them how to mine. They won't mine anymore today." Shen Mangxing looked at an old man with a sad face in the crowd and ordered.
After saying that, he turned around and left without any intention of communicating with Zuo Qinghui and the others.
Seeing this situation, Zuo Qinghui felt a little different, but the other monks and prisoners under Shen Mangxing's supervision seemed to have grown accustomed to it.
The old man Zhou Peng stepped forward and raised his hands to Zuo Qinghui and the others: "What do you call these fellow Taoists?"
"Zuo Qinghui."
"She Yu." Behind Zuo Qinghui, a thin woman with a dark face said.
Among the three of them, the remaining young man, who seemed to be just over fifteen, with an immature face, lowered his head and did not answer Zhou Peng's intention.
However, Zuo Qinghui learned that this person's name was Xu Che when he just registered his name.
Seeing him like this, Zhou Peng didn't force himself. He nodded and said, "If it's not convenient to talk here, please follow me back to your dormitory."
Zuo Qinghui and She Yuzi were inseparable, and Xu Che followed them silently.
Not long after, everyone arrived at the dormitory mentioned by Zhou Peng.
This is a low earthen house. When you open the door, you are faced with a room with a long table on the left and right. There are five seats on each side of the long table. There are kettles and cups on the table. obsolete.
Further inside are ten narrow bedrooms, five on each side, with only a bed, a low table and lamps inside.
As soon as they entered the room, everyone except Zhou Peng went back to their rooms. They seemed to be the same as Shen Mangxing and had no intention of communicating.
Zuo Qinghui and the other three looked shocked when they saw such conditions in the house.
Seeing this, Zhou Peng immediately smiled bitterly and said:
"Two fellow Taoists, we are both prisoners now, so the treatment is good. In the early years, there was even a large Tongbu with a Tukang bed here. Some fellow Taoists couldn't bear it anymore and made a lot of noise. Many people died to get this treatment."
Hearing this, Zuo Qinghui frowned and asked, "How long has Zhou Daoyou been here?"
"In total, it should be almost seventeen years." Zhou Peng sighed.
"Seventeen years? It's been such a long time. Did Zhou Daoyou never think about running away?" She Yu asked.
"Why don't you want to, I'm just bound by this neck ring, and I don't have a magic weapon with me. Let alone deal with the guards of the mine, I will escape, and the long yellow sand, where should I go?" Zhou Peng shook his head. .
"In the past seventeen years, I have met a lot of fellow Taoists. Some have recognized the reality, and some have been unwilling to be slaves. They have harassed each other and experienced several riots. But in the end, I have never met anyone who is serious. Escaped alive."
At this moment, Xu Che, who had been silent all this time, suddenly asked: "Is there really no other way? Can we just be mine slaves here for the rest of our lives?"
"Don't blame me for speaking poorly. The world of immortality is a world where the jungle is strong. To put it bluntly, our skills are not as good as others when we are caught here. It is a fluke to be able to survive. No matter how prosperous the world is and how to cultivate immortality, It just adds to the worries, so why not just keep doing it honestly and treat everything in the past as just a big dream, after all, it is better to live than to die." Zhou Peng sighed and said.
His words were full of despair and despair. Xu Che obviously couldn't listen and immediately lowered his head.
Seeing this situation, Zhou Peng sighed and changed the topic: "If you don't want to be a mining slave, there is nothing you can do. We mine here and have a daily quota. If you fail to meet the quota, you will be punished.
At the end of each month, there will be an evaluation, and the person with the least amount of mining will also be punished, but in contrast, the person with the most mining will also be rewarded. If you can reach the highest amount of mining for several consecutive months, you can get
If you have the opportunity, accept the slave seal and become a member of the Guiyuan Sect. After that, you can leave this place. You only need to lure other monks to come every month to gain temporary freedom."
Hearing what he said, Zuo Qinghui and She Yu both frowned, while Xu Che raised his head angrily and shouted.
"You want me to harm people!"
"You guys have fallen to this, so don't cling to the arrogance of the past. In this hellish place, you neither want to be a slave nor want to harm others, so what other choice do you have? You guys
Do you think I don't hate the person who deceived me? But even if I hate it, it's of no use. It has been seventeen years. Among all the prisoners, I am still not the oldest one, but I am still somewhat senior.
If I really wanted to harm people, I would have stopped talking to you here long ago. You may think that I am very servile, but this is just because I have recognized the fact a long time ago." Zhou Peng said with a helpless smile.
There was also a little confusion in Xu Che's resentful eyes. He opened his mouth, not knowing what to say, but in the end he lowered his head.
Seeing this situation, Zhou Peng said no more, turned around, took out three magic weapons that looked like rakes, and placed them in front of Zuo Qinghui and the others.
"This object is a magic weapon for mining flame scale ore. It can easily break through the sand without damaging the ore. Now I will teach you the method of activating it. You must remember it."
With that said, he started teaching. Zuo Qinghui and She Yu both listened carefully, but Xu Che kept his head lowered.
Zhou Peng stopped caring about him. After confirming that both Zuo Qinghui and She Yu had memorized the magic formula, he told them which rooms were empty and they could live in them by themselves. Then he turned around and wanted to go back to his room to rest.
However, Zuo Qinghui stopped him at this moment: "Hold on, fellow Daoist Zhou. I once had a good friend named Wulu, who is from southern Xinjiang. His whereabouts are unknown after participating in a mission. He may have been caught here. I wonder if you can
heard about it?"
Zhou Peng shook his head: "Southern Xinjiang people are more able to endure hardships and are very popular here. Shen Mangxing, who is in charge of us, is dull and doesn't fight with others, so no one from southern Xinjiang has ever come to us. You
Maybe you have to go to other dormitories and ask, but they should still be in the mine now, and you won't be able to see them until they come back after dark."
Zuo Qinghui nodded, thanked Zhou Peng for telling him, and then picked a room and moved in. She Yu did the same.
Xu Che was soon the only one left in the room. He kept his head lowered and didn't know what he was thinking.
…
At the same time, in front of the four-story building of the mine.
The one-horned man looked up at the top of the tall building. He was silent for a moment and took out a transmission note. Before he could make any move, he saw that the restrictions in the building were lifted.
When the one-horned man saw this, he put away his communication talisman without saying a word, waved to Liao Zhong who was standing behind him, and then walked straight into the building.
Liao Zhong hurriedly caught up, followed behind the one-horned man, and asked with some anxiety:
"Fellow Daoist Fang, we suffered a lot this time. The red gold centipede was also taken away. I wonder if Elder Hai will blame me for this."
The one-horned man did not look back: "I will explain this matter to the elders, so you don't need to say anything. The responsibility for this failure does not lie with you. You have contributed a lot to our sect in the past, but now you can't go back, so you want to officially join
This sect is also excusable."
Hearing this, Liao Zhong forced out a smile, but the worry in his eyes was still there.
The two of them climbed up the stairs and soon arrived at the pavilion at the top of the tall building.
At the edge of the pavilion, a middle-aged man eight feet tall and sturdy was looking at everything in the mine with his hands behind his back. When he heard the sound of the one-horned man coming up, he did not look back.
"This slave-catching trip, the disciples had a bad start. We only captured fourteen people. Please ask Elder Hai to punish us." The one-horned man knelt down on one knee and lowered his head.
Behind him, Liao Zhong also knelt down in a hurry, lowered his head, and did not dare to say a word.
"What's the reason for the failure?" Elder Hai asked calmly.
"The disciples were too careless. When they ambush and round up the monks in Sand City, they failed to predict that some of them were stronger than expected, causing them to break through the siege and escape. In the end, not only did they capture one person, but they also took away the red gold centipede.
"The one-horned man explained.
Hearing this, Elder Hai suddenly turned around and revealed his face.
He has a square face, pale brows, blue eyes as sharp as a falcon, and a light gray goatee around his mouth, which is carefully groomed and does not look old.
Liao Zhong accidentally caught a glimpse of Elder Hai's appearance, but he didn't dare to look more and hurriedly lowered his head.
But Elder Hai did not care about Liao Zhong, but frowned and looked at the one-horned man: "That red gold centipede is something I have cultivated for many years. I took it out with your guarantee before I took it out, but now you tell me that it will
If it is lost, what is the crime?"
"Disciple is willing to be punished." The one-horned man lowered his head and said.
Elder Hai fell silent and stared at the one-horned man for a long time before turning his gaze and glanced at Liao Zhong: "Who is this person behind you?"
The one-horned man immediately explained: "This man's name is Liao Zhong. He was originally the steward of the city of Shacheng and he contributed a lot to the sect. However, after this defeat, the steward of the city of Chensha knew his identity, so he wanted to completely join the sect."
, and will not return to Shensha City again.”
After listening to the one-horned man's explanation, Elder Hai didn't say much. He just nodded slightly and said a single word: "Okay."
Hearing this, Liao Zhong felt as if he had been granted amnesty and quickly kowtowed in thanks.
After that, Elder Hai stopped talking, and the pavilion fell into a strange silence. Liao Zhong lay on the ground, with beads of sweat forming on his forehead again. In the end, the one-horned man was the first to break the silence.
He turned his head and ordered to Liao Zhong: "Okay, you go find Junior Sister He, she will help you arrange the rest."
Liao Zhong nodded hurriedly and saw that Elder Hai had no objection, so he immediately stood up to say goodbye and retreated from the building.
After he left, Elder Hai looked at the one-horned man with deep eyes. After waiting for a moment, he saw that the one-horned man remained silent and said helplessly:
"The crime of losing the red gold centipede is not small. Are you really willing to be punished?"
"It all depends on Elder Hai's decision." The one-horned man still lowered his head.
"Oh, Fu'er, why are you so stubborn? Although the red gold centipede is precious, it is just a monster in the end. As long as you are willing to ask, your father will spare you, but why are you unwilling? Is it possible?
After all these years, do you still hold grudges against your father?" Elder Hai sighed.
