"Brother Yang, why are you so courteous to that Steward Niu? The bastard nearly had me beaten to death."
On the way back, Zhang Wei couldn't help grumbling under his breath, his displeasure plain.
Yang Ling smiled. "Little Zhang, the truth is Steward Niu isn't a bad man. The day he had you beaten, he was also telling you something — that if you don't mine hard, you won't survive here."
He'd studied Steward Niu these past days and found the man cold on the surface but kind at heart.
He turned a blind eye to Old Fifth's doings, true, but he was also willing to exchange coppers at night for miners who put in overtime.
And the news the man had just given him was extremely important!
"Not bad, my ass."
Zhang Wei grumbled inwardly, though of course he didn't dare say it to Yang Ling's face.
The next day, Yang Ling didn't head into the vein. Instead he went to the southwest corner of the miners' village.
There stood a smithy that made mining tools.
"After food and expenses, I've saved two hundred forty coppers over this time. That should be enough..."
He stepped into the smithy, the clang of hammer on iron ringing without pause.
The towering Blacksmith Wang hammered away as he spoke:
"Buying what?"
"Blacksmith Wang, I'd like a refined iron pick."
Yang Ling cupped his hands.
"Refined iron pick? Only three left, two hundred coppers apiece. Pick one yourself."
Blacksmith Wang pointed at the wall.
Along the wall stood not just refined iron picks but also some ordinary weapons.
Those were for the vein guards alone.
「Refined Iron Dagger — Agility +1, Attack 5」 Price: one tael of silver.
「Refined Iron Staff — Strength +1, Attack 8」 Price: one tael of silver.
...
「Refined Iron Pickaxe — Strength +2, Attack 1」 Price: two hundred coppers.
Yang Ling drew a deep breath, pressing down his excitement.
He wanted a weapon too, but he knew that in his current situation, with his current means, those weapons were beyond him for now.
The refined iron pick, on the other hand, was excellent.
"According to the description, just holding it adds 2 Strength."
"That would put me at 9 Strength — faster leveling, and much faster mining!"
At that thought, Yang Ling was about to pick up the refined iron pick, when a glance at the attributes of the other two picks made him stop.
"Huh? A refined steel pick? Why does it look just like the refined iron one?"
「Refined Steel Pickaxe — Strength +3, Attack 8」
"The Attack matches the refined iron staff, but it adds 3 Strength... doesn't that mean it can mine AND double as a weapon?!"
Keeping his composure, Yang Ling picked up one pick, studied it a moment, set it down, then picked up another. Back and forth, over and over.
Blacksmith Wang grew impatient:
"They're all the same thing. What's there to look at?"
The same thing?
Both two hundred coppers?
Yang Ling's heart thumped hard a few times, then he picked up the refined steel pick:
"Blacksmith Wang, I'll take this one."
"Two hundred coppers. Put the money down and you can go."
"Right away."
Yang Ling counted out two hundred coppers and set them down, hooked the refined steel pick at his waist, and strode off.
Well clear of the smithy, seeing the man still show no reaction, Yang Ling couldn't help his rising excitement.
"Scored a bargain. If there were other players around, reselling this refined steel pick for two taels of silver wouldn't even be a stretch."
Yang Ling marveled inwardly.
Just then, several figures suddenly bore down on him.
"Fifth Brother?"
Yang Ling started slightly, and quickly cupped his hands:
"Is there something you need?"
Fifth Brother grinned. "Of course there is. I hear you've been sneaking in overtime this whole time, digging up plenty of Fire Crystal Ore."
How did he know?
Yang Ling was certain he'd been careful every night when he left, and that this fellow had long since gone off drinking — where would he find the time to watch him?
Then, in the crowd, he saw Zhang Wei, his face bruised and swollen.
The man seemed a bit panicked, and shrank back out of sight at once.
"Zhang Wei..."
Yang Ling's face darkened.
"Never you mind how I know. The point is you didn't take my words seriously."
Fifth Brother said with a mirthless smile, turning to the nearby miners:
"You tell me — this fellow digging extra shichen every day, is that right or wrong?"
"Wrong, of course! Yang Ling, you mine extra shichen just to look diligent? What if one day they set a rule that we each have to turn in at least two taels of Fire Crystal Ore a day? Are you going to make us die alongside you?"
A miner said angrily.
"Damn it, where does the kid get so much energy? I'm dead tired after less than four shichen a day, and he can dig eight or nine?"
"Every extra tael he digs might mean a tael less for the rest of us later. The kid plays dirty."
Seeing most of the miners on his side, Fifth Brother smiled smugly:
"Yang Ling, I warned you plainly. Today I'll teach you a lesson. Next time I catch you secretly bettering yourself, you die!"
With that, he said to his men:
"Break one of his arms."
"Break my arm? That's as good as killing me! How am I supposed to grind experience then?!"
Yang Ling had meant to smooth things over and quietly gain a few more levels. Seeing that the man was out to cut off his livelihood, he flew into a rage.
The two underlings beside Fifth Brother had already closed in, moving to seize him.
Without a word, Yang Ling drove a kick into one man's belly.
The first underling couldn't dodge in time and was sent flying a good ten feet.
The second was startled, but before he could react, Yang Ling dropped him with a single punch!
"So this is the power of 7 Strength. That punch — it must carry the force of a professional boxer."
Yang Ling was secretly thrilled.
The scene fell dead silent.
More than a few miners stared at Yang Ling as if looking at a stranger, a trace of shock in their eyes.
Fifth Brother was stunned too. His face changed, his gaze turning grave.
"How is he this strong..."
In the crowd, Zhang Wei watched it all unfold, a wave of regret washing over him.
"Fifth Brother, normally we don't cross paths — I mine my ore, you do your thing. As long as no one gets in the way of my mining, everything's negotiable. But if anyone dares obstruct me, I'll take his life!"
Yang Ling looked at Fifth Brother, an edge bared in his eyes.
At this point, he knew that if he didn't cow the man, things would only get harder from here.
Right now, mining to level up was the only path he'd found. He absolutely couldn't let it be disrupted!
"You're a dead man today."
Fifth Brother's face went grim as he slowly rolled up his sleeves.
Yang Ling instinctively gripped the refined steel pick at his waist.
Strength surged up 3 points at once; it felt as though his meridians had all been opened, every muscle writhing.
"What do you think you're doing?"
A gloomy voice suddenly rang out.
At it, Fifth Brother turned meek as a quail.
The miners looked on the newcomer with awe, parting to make way.
Middle-aged in appearance, Overseer Wu walked slowly to the front of the crowd, several guards at his side.
Yang Ling opened the man's attribute panel and took a glance.
Name: Wu Que
Class: Martial Artist
Strength: 12
Agility: 8
Spirit: 3
Martial Art: Black Tiger Fist (Proficient)
A Martial Artist! This was exactly the goal Yang Ling most longed for.
In all his time in 「Divine Realm」, the only Martial Artist he'd ever seen was this Overseer Wu.
It was a little strange, though — Overseer Wu's attributes weren't actually much higher than those of the vein guards.
So he suspected it was precisely because Overseer Wu practiced this Black Tiger Fist!
"Sis— Overseer Wu."
Fifth Brother said in a small voice.
Overseer Wu gave an expressionless grunt, his gaze falling on Yang Ling:
"You like mining that much?"
Without a word, Yang Ling cupped his hands:
"Overseer Wu, I think I'm a born miner. I even mine in my dreams!"
"What a goddamn bootlicker!"
"He can actually say that with a straight face!"
The miners present blanched.
Fifth Brother clenched his fists in fury.
Overseer Wu suddenly burst out laughing:
"Hahaha! I've overseen this Fire Crystal Ore vein for years, and I've never met a miner like you. Very good. Mine your ore well, and if anyone gives you trouble, come to me."
Fifth Brother's face turned extraordinarily ugly.
"In a month, a great personage from above will inspect several veins. At that time, the miners of the major veins will need to compare their mining skills."
"On our side — I'll send you."
Overseer Wu said, casual as anything.
TL Notes:
- "Proficient" renders 登堂入室 (lit. "ascend the hall, enter the chamber"), a classical idiom used here as a martial-art proficiency tier: past the beginner stage but short of true mastery.