Chang Jiu huddled a short distance away, still running her fingers over the sharpest corner of the brick as she began carefully probing the young man for information about this world.
He refused to say anything about where he came from.
He only told her to call him “Xiao Wu,” claiming that he had encountered a soul beast while outside the city, been injured, and subsequently been captured and dragged here by the one-eyed man.
From his use of the words “outside the city,” Chang Jiu guessed that Xiao Wu might have come from Dongli City.
She really wanted to ask more about Dongli City, but since Xiao Wu was clearly hiding his background, she could only hold back for now.
Pretending to be completely casual, she continued asking questions.
“Xiao Wu, they say Soul Refiners are incredibly powerful. If that’s true, why don’t they come here and get rid of the soul beasts in the mining district?”
Xiao Wu was silent for a moment before answering solemnly.
“Qiuxu is enormous. There are probably more than ten thousand soul beasts of fifth grade or higher. But do you know how many Soul Refiners of fifth grade or higher there are?”
Chang Jiu genuinely had no idea.
Hearing how serious he sounded, she guessed the worst.
“Ten?”
“…”
Xiao Wu was momentarily speechless.
“It’s not quite that bad. There are probably around a thousand.”
“Besides, soul beasts are extremely good at hiding, and they’re highly aggressive. Even the Soul Refiners can’t be everywhere at once. And there are plenty of Soul Refiners whose natal soul weapons can’t actually harm soul beasts…”
“Natal soul weapon?”
Chang Jiu immediately caught the key term.
When Sang Biao had brought out that strange hammer, one of the miners had mentioned the same thing.
But the original owner had been too young and knew very little about Soul Refiners, so she had never learned what exactly a natal soul weapon was.
Xiao Wu didn’t find her question strange.
Qiuxu was an enormous place, and ordinary people living outside the city had almost no way of accessing information about Soul Refiners.
These things weren’t exactly secrets within the cities, so he calmly explained.
“Soul beasts are difficult to deal with. The reason Soul Refiners are powerful enough to fight them is that they can cultivate the power of their souls and summon their own natal soul weapons. Only those who can summon their natal soul weapons can be called Soul Refiners.”
He paused before continuing.
“But everyone’s natal soul weapon is different. It might be a divine sword capable of cutting through anything, or it might be a tiny flame that’s only good for setting off firecrackers.”
“So there are Soul Refiners who can’t fight soul beasts?”
“Not just some. A large portion of Soul Refiners aren’t particularly strong in combat. Of course, that’s only when you compare them to soul beasts. Against ordinary people, a Soul Refiner’s strength is still beyond imagination.”
Chang Jiu nodded thoughtfully.
She rubbed her chin and cleared her throat, pretending to ask casually.
“Then does a natal soul weapon have to be some kind of weapon or tool? Could it possibly be another living thing…”
“A living thing?”
Xiao Wu paused.
“Are you asking about plant-type soul weapons? There are actually quite a few of those…”
“Ahem. I mean, could it be something like a fierce bird or a powerful beast?”
Before Xiao Wu could answer, a commotion outside suddenly interrupted their conversation.
“Move over.”
Chang Jiu quickly squeezed Xiao Wu aside, dropped flat onto the floor, and pressed her eye against the gap beneath the door.
Xiao Wu also struggled to turn over before lying beside her, the two of them peering outside shoulder to shoulder.
The firelight outside was bright enough for Chang Jiu to clearly see two more people being carried over from the direction of the mine.
Their hands were stiff and bluish.
Judging by their condition, they were already dead.
Faint voices drifted over from outside.
“Lord Sang Biao really is something. He knew there was a soul beast in there, so why did he still send those two into the mine?”
“Shh. Haven’t you heard? There are more than a thousand soul stones that have already been mined but haven’t been brought out yet. Lord Sang Biao is desperate for those soul stones. Why would he care whether the rest of us live or die?”
“Ugh! Soul beasts really are strange. You’d think that once someone escaped, and there wasn’t even a wound on them, they’d be fine. How did they just suddenly stop breathing?”
“But the soul stones still haven’t been brought out. They’re not seriously going to send people back in there, are they?”
“Of course they are. And the few people who knew exactly where those soul stones were stored are all dead. With so many mine tunnels, Lord Sang Biao will definitely have to send people in one by one to search them.”
“…”
The voices grew clearer and clearer.
And before long, the two men carrying the corpses were actually heading straight toward their room.
Chang Jiu quickly rolled to the side. Just as she was about to lie flat and pretend to be dead, she saw Xiao Wu struggling to move.
Being the kind-hearted person she was, Chang Jiu gave him a flying kick, helping Xiao Wu successfully roll into the corner.
Xiao Wu let out a muffled groan and shakily covered his head.
This time, he really couldn’t move at all.
“…”
Soon, the lock on the battered door was opened.
Two miners walked inside and immediately spotted the two people lying on the floor, neither of whom they could tell was dead or alive.
One of them jumped in surprise.
“Whoa! There are people in here too?”
“Looks like they were just brought here today.”
The other miner stared at Chang Jiu, who was pretending to be unconscious, and sighed.
“Even a kid this young has to work as a miner?”
“That’s just how things are these days. Those of us outside don’t have what it takes to get into Dongli City. When you’re waiting to die, nobody cares how old you are.”
The two miners placed the two newly dead bodies in the corner of the room.
Just as they were about to leave, they suddenly saw a burly figure striding rapidly toward them.
It was Sang Biao.
He had clearly already heard the bad news that more miners had died and the soul stones still hadn’t been brought out. The wrinkles on his forehead were scrunched tightly together, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with impatience.
“Dead again?”
He expressionlessly glanced at the corpses.
“Fine. Tomorrow, send the new ones in to scout the way first!”
The two miners hesitated.
“Lord Sang Biao, these two look like they’re barely hanging on. They probably can’t even walk…”
“If they can’t walk, they can crawl.”
Sang Biao remained completely expressionless as he slowly walked over to Chang Jiu and Xiao Wu, who were pretending to be dead.
“About to die?”
He grinned and planted a foot on Xiao Wu’s chest.
“If they really are dead, that works too. Chop them up while they’re still warm and toss them into the mine to feed the soul beasts!”
His voice was cold and ruthless.
“Feeling miserable is exactly how it should be. Want to be comfortable? Comfort is for the dead!”
Chang Jiu, who had been lying flat beside them and pretending to be a corpse, suddenly sat upright.
“I think I’ve come back to life! Tomorrow, I’ll definitely go into the mine and scout the way. I’ll recover everything Brother Sang Biao has lost! Anyone who tries to stop me is going to have a problem with me!”
Sang Biao actually laughed when he heard that.
He looked down at Chang Jiu from above.
“Good. Little girl, you know how to behave.”
He paused before continuing.
“Then listen carefully. Whoever it is, as long as they can really find that pile of soul stones…”
His expression turned stern, and he promised decisively,
“I’ll give them a reward so great they won’t know what to do with it!”
Before Chang Jiu could say anything, the miners standing behind Sang Biao became excited first.
“Lord Sang Biao, could the reward you’re talking about be…”
Their dusty faces suddenly lit up with strange, hopeful expressions.
“That’s right.”
Sang Biao nodded. He cast a sidelong glance at everyone before thumping his chest and loudly declaring,
“The spot to enter Dongli City next month and participate in the Soul Refiner Awakening Ceremony. I’ll give it to whoever finds them!”